Sleepy Hollow Inn Review
Sleepy Hollow Inn is a counter service restaurant at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom that is self described as a “refreshments” stand. In this WDW dining review, we’ll share food photos, our experiences eating here, and whether we recommend it as a snack of meal option at Walt Disney World. (Last updated June 26, 2019.)
The implication with the ‘refreshment stand’ description is that its offerings are more limited than a full restaurant, and that’s accurate with Sleepy Hollow. However, the menu items it does have, and its overall quality make it worthy of being dubbed a counter service restaurant, even if not officially by Disney.
Sleepy Hollow is sort of like Gaston’s Tavern in terms of category–more than a snack cart, but less than a counter service restaurant. As far as the Disney Dining Plan goes, most of the items at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments menu qualify as snacks on the Disney Dining Plan. Unfortunately, the delicious waffle sandwiches we cover in this post do not qualify.
Since Sleepy Hollow is a refreshment stand and not a bona fide counter service restaurant with indoor seating (although in fairness, Flame Tree BBQ doesn’t have indoor seating and it’s near the top of our list of Best Walt Disney World Counter Service Restaurants), there isn’t much to comment on with regard to its theme.
The building housing Sleepy Hollow is designed to look like author Washington Irving’s home, and some artifacts from the era and references to Irving’s stories can be found in and around the refreshment stand, but that’s about it with regard to theme. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing–much like Flame Tree BBQ, Sleepy Hollow scores points here with a seating area that offers up great views of Cinderella Castle.
As far as the menu goes, the stars are the waffle sandwiches, which have been added to the menu within the last couple of years.
The three main sandwiches are the Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle Sandwich; Nutella and Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich, and Breakfast Egg and Cheese Waffle Sandwich (served until noon).
We really enjoy each of these waffles. They have a certain fresh, homemade taste to them that is lacking from even the best counter service options elsewhere in the Magic Kingdom. Other places are mass-producing food to cycle through hundreds of guests per hour, but Sleepy Hollow serves fewer guests these sandwiches that are all prepared after they’re ordered.
The waffles are freshly cooked in a waffle iron, and these waffles are definitely what gives these sandwiches such a unique and fresh taste (the other ingredients are good, too, but the waffles themselves are the stars).
Sarah regularly craves the Nutella and Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich, and I have to admit that I enjoy this one, too. It’s really rich and decadent, but balanced nicely with loads of fresh fruit. We’ve had so much fruit on ours, in fact, that it’s difficult to eat the sandwich without first removing some of the fruit or making a mess on yourself.
Personally, I’m not quite as big of a fan of this waffle. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with it, but there’s a lot of Nutella on it, and while I like Nutella, it’s too rich for me. If I ate an entire one of these sandwiches, I’d definitely be sick. I consider this one a great snack to split, but some people I know think this is a great lunch.
I prefer the Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle. Although billed as spicy, I wasn’t expecting it to be quite this spicy (in Disney parlance, “spicy” normally means mild, but I’d say this sandwich is on the upper edge of medium). The chicken itself is great and the slaw on the sandwich is good, too.
Then again, I’m a huge fan of chicken and waffles, so this is right up my alley. Sarah likes spicy food, but isn’t a big fan of fried chicken, so it isn’t a winner for her. If you like spicier foods and are a fan of chicken and waffles, this one will probably be perfect for you.
The Breakfast Waffle is probably the best breakfast option in the Magic Kingdom, but that really isn’t saying much. The eggs seem to taste better than Disney’s standard “Plastic Eggs,” but they still don’t taste like eggs you’d find in the real world.
Otherwise, the sandwich is pretty good; it’s good mostly as a result of the delicious waffle, but the meat and tomatoes also play their parts. If this waffle were a lunch or dinner item, it’d be nothing to write home about, but since counter service breakfast options in the parks are so limited and bad, it is a highlight.
In addition to the waffles, Sleepy Hollow Inn serves a Foot-Long Corn Dog, which is unlike other corn dogs at Walt Disney World in terms of its (higher) quality.
This is freshly-battered and was the best corn dog I’ve had at Magic Kingdom. We’re talking quality approaching Little Red Wagon at Disneyland here. It’s still not as good as the waffle sandwiches, but if none of those options appeal to you, this is a good alternative.
Beyond the waffle sandwiches and other savory snacks, Sleepy Hollow has great ice cream treats. Their specialty for a while has been the ice cream cookie sandwich, and now that it’s no longer available at the Main Street Bakery, this is the go-to spot in the Magic Kingdom to get it.
Currently, the best option on that front is the Vanilla Ice Cream Churro Sandwich, which can be fantastic. If you get a churro that’s warm and fresh, this is the pinnacle of snacking in Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, our luck on that front has been hit or miss, with the churros (or cookies, for that matter), sometimes being on the stale side.
While we enjoy this ice cream cookie sandwich (assuming the cookies are soft, not stale or burnt), we come here time and time again for their specials.
These specials include things like the Pumpkin Waffle Ice Cream (above), Presidential Sweet, and Birthday Cake Ice Cream Cookie. It seems like every time we stop here, there is a new special item available (these are listed on a little sign by the register). They’re almost always great, so it’s a little disappointing when they stop being offered.
The only real downside about Sleepy Hollow, besides the limited menu, is the wait. There are two components to this, the wait in line to order and the wait for food once ordered.
The wait to order can vary greatly, and due to there being only one ordering window, if even a few people are in front of you, it can take a long time.
Since Sleepy Hollow is so centrally located, we recommend ‘monitoring’ its line as you walk around the park and going only when you see it has a short line.
As far as pick-up goes, even if no one was before you in line when you ordered, you could be waiting 5-10 minutes for your food because the waffles are freshly prepared. This isn’t a huge complaint–we love freshly prepared food–it’s just worth noting that the hourly capacity here is not even close to a place like Cosmic Ray’s.
Overall, if you like waffle sandwiches or ice cream desserts, Sleepy Hollow Inn is a great place for you. We happen to really like both, so it ranks as one of the best counter service restaurants in the Magic Kingdom, and one of our current go-to locations in the park.
Sleepy Hollow is probably best visited as a shareable snack spot (see our Best Magic Kingdom Snacks & Desserts post for more options), but we regularly eat lunch here. The only downsides are the limited menu and the often long wait you’ll encounter when stopping at Sleepy Hollow. Still, it comes highly recommended, and it’s tough to penalize a location that describes itself as a “refreshment stand” because we’ve decided to treat it as a counter service restaurant.
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Your Thoughts
Have you had any of these waffle sandwiches at Sleepy Hollow Inn? Which one is your favorite? Plan on trying one? Do you agree or disagree with our review? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Is there outdoor seating nearby? We plan on stopping at Sleepy Hollow for a quick breakfast, but need to be able to sit at a table. Thanks
Can you get the waffles at SH vegan? I know you can ask at other places that serve the waffles for vegan ones. My daughter is vegan and we are going in September so we are trying to find places that serve vegan options. Thanks.
Unfortunately, you cannot. Lots of other places serve the allergy-friendly waffle mix (which is vegan) but Sleepy Hollow does not. I have a dairy allergy and the last time I came here, the only thing they said I could have was the orange juice!
We went to Disney World for the first time Thanksgiving week 2018. In my planning, I saw Sleepy Hollow on the map and that they had Mickey Waffles, so our first thing to do after the Great Big Welcome was to head to Sleepy Hollow for a waffle. I got us over near the path that let right to SH and we were first in line after rope drop! The Waffles were amazing, we had one Strawberry covered and one with just powdered sugar. Was such a great way to start the day, I plan on doing that every time we go back to the Magic Kingdom.
They have the spicy chicken waffle back and the breakfast waffle sandwich is on the menu now.
Love this place!!
Hey Tom, The savory waffles are no longer available, and for the past year at least there has been two ordering windows–people just don’t notice the second closer to the seating. It always has a shorter line. I miss the ham waffle–it was my favorite too!
I was looking at the menu for Sleepy Hollow on the Disney website and the savory waffles are not listed anymore! Do they still have them?
We went in November of 2013 and were able to use our DDP QS credits for the waffle sandwiches. I know for a fact we used these!
They unfortunately changed this and we can no longer use the Quick Service credit 🙁
Is there anything like the Sleepy Hollow in Disneyland?
I dream about these waffles. mmmmmm. And I get to go to Disneyland soon. After learning about attractions, I began to look into food. First thought – WAFFLES!
Unfortunately, there is not.
We had the chicken and waffle sandwich in Jan 2014. We did not like the flavor profile, chicken..too spicy , the cole slaw with maple syrup tasted really awful together. Will try the nutella and fruit next time..
I adore the waffle sandwhich and have it every trip (at least twice!). When I was last there in October 2012, the nutella sandwhich was still offered anytime, it was only the chicken/meat/savory sandwhiches that were only offered until 5pm. Did they change it for the nutella one too!? This would be heartbreaking!
The Nutella waffles are still available per usual!
Oh thank goodness! Thanks for getting back, I was seriously planning on packing the little mini nutella packs for our trip in January!
I went there last year at leap day when the park was open for 24hours, and because it was a snack stand I used the Disney Dining Plan for my nutella fruit waffle (which was really decadent as you say) and they just accepted it. I am sure I used a snack credit for this.
Trendy foods make my brane hurt. The prosciutto waffle should be called the “John Revolta” for the horrifying mismash of flavors in that travesty. Also too, there can be no such thing as too much Nutella. The serving size should read “one jar.”
I like both waffle sandwiches and ice cream desserts, but sadly have never eaten here. Part of that has been being in Disney during “free” dining and the sandwiches not being on the plan. And part has been the terribly long lines when I’ve thought to stop by.
Some day! In the meantime, thanks for the review/pictures.
Been hearing that from a lot of people. From a purely selfish perspective, I’m glad the sandwiches aren’t listed as being on the DDP. If they were, the lines here would be even longer, and Disney would probably bump the prices of the sandwiches up from $7 to $11 to create a greater illusion of value for those on the DDP.
I agree with you Tom about the lines being longer if it’s on the DDP. We have never opted for DDP as we come for 16-17 nights every year and would need two seats on the plane if we ate every meal in Disney World, even though it would be so much fun!
I finally tried this place – I agree that it’s a great out-of-pocket value. The chicken and waffle sandwich (sans slaw) was also very, very tasty! Hot and fresh, this was one of the best CS meals I’ve had at WDW.
My favorite not-really-a-counter-service CS. It’s a shame the sandwiches aren’t DDP eligible otherwise it would be my go-to restaurant at MK. My mom loves the ham/prosciutto/swiss and they even make a version without meat for me (double the swiss and the arugula). And we get a Nutella and Fruit to share on our way back to the resort whenever we visit MK.
I was in the parks last month and had a Nutella waffle sandwich for the first time, it was delicious! We were able to use the DDP for this, as a CS meal.
I’m betting the Nutella Waffle would be a great thing to take home and eat as a snack. Too bad you can’t get one late at night to take back and put in the fridge for breakfast the next morning!
I really like the chicken waffle. Can’t wait for our next trip to get one!!!!!
I love grabbing a snack here! it’s like one of those hidden secrets. My favorite is the ice cream cookie sandwich!
Silly question, but I’m having a hard time finding an answer online: do they serve syrup to go with the plain waffles? I really want to eat here for a quick dinner on our upcoming trip, but my kids wouldn’t eat the waffles without syrup, and the don’t like the other toppings. I’m totally willing to bring in McDonald’s syrup containers if necessary!!!
Also, Tom I see that the sandwiches are only served until 5pm, is that still correct? On line all I can see is that SH is open til park close. We wouldn’t be having dinner until 6… any help from those who know is appreciated!