The Crystal Palace Buffet sign, hanging over the front entrance of the restaurant.
Here's some of the Mixed Fruit you'll find at the Crystal Palace breakfast buffet (and a strawberry, these are in their own bowl on the buffet line).
The Mixed Fruit is all good quality and cut without blemishes or scaring. There's cantaloupe and honeydew melon cubes, large seedless grapes, and a whole strawberry on the plate.
Oh I love a good selection of pastries in the morning. Pictured here are a Berry Danish, a Chocolate Croissant, and an Apple Crunch Puff.
Naturally, these fresh pastries are a little on the small side, but that's so you can try all of them! The quality is generally quite good across the entire selection.
It's probably just me – but I think I see a hidden Stitch face in my pastries. No, I haven't been drinking.
Here's a couple of Pecan Danishes that you might find on the Crystal Palace buffet line for breakfast – paired with some whole strawberries.
Pictured here is a Lemon Curd Danish, a couple of strawberries, and a Pecan Danish. The pastries that are available might change a little from day-to-day, but there seems to be a good, balanced selection.
The strawberries here at Crystal Palace are so red and juicy! There's no blemishes on these beauties.
Here's a closer look at a couple of the Pecan Danishes. They're comprised of a light butter croissant and a light syrup is used to provide sweetness and to hold those chopped pecans in place.
I have to get my Mickey Waffle at all the breakfast buffets! Here, Mickey is swimming in maple syrup. Even though there were a dozen or more, pre-made on the buffet line... this one was still crunchy on the outside while being light and puffy on the inside!
Here's a little combo plate – on the top is a butter croissant and on the bottom is a portion of Autumn Harvest Grain Salad with Apple Vinaigrette. I'm sure in different seasons – the "Autumn" changes to "Spring" for example, and some of the flavors in the gain salad change slightly.
The Butter Croissant was really good. These aren't served warm, but it was flavorful and flaky without being too tough. Made by a French master baker? Probably not, but a really nice "convention center resort breakfast" level croissant.
Here's a closer look at the Autumn Harvest Grain Salad with Apple Vinaigrette. The grain salad is marked as being "plant based" – the Butter Croissant is not (because of the butter that's used in it). The grain salad itself contained some cooked and diced sweet potato, chick peas, kale, some sweet dried cranberries, a couple of ancient grains like quinoa, maybe amaranth — there's a lot of stuff in there — along with
Here's another combo plate – on top is a Crispy Fried Chicken piece and on the bottom is a portion of the Cheesy Potato Casserole.
The Crispy Fried Chicken is (more or less) a boneless chicken tender, but it's a really good product – and it's a single piece of meat and not formed chicken mash (like a typical nugget). I pulled this one from a fresh supply that was just put on the buffet line and it was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, a great chicken tender.
I know, it looks like an odd slice of pie. The top item is a Crispy Fried Chicken and the bottom item is a portion of the Cheese Potato Casserole. The casserole is served on the buffet line in a not too deep pan... so in one spoonful you can carve out a nice slice of potato hash with all that baked cheese on the top.
Here's a photo of the Traditional Roast Beef Hash that's on the Breakfast Buffet at the Crystal Palace.
The Traditional Roast Beef Hash has a great flavor and there's all kinds of stuff in there – little roasted potatoes, red peppers, onions, and naturally beef cubes. The overall flavor was a little more Tex-Mex than a traditional American morning hash, but that's okay by me. Actually, this would make a great stuffing for a breakfast burrito.
Ahhh... the Shrimp and Grits. I wish I had platted this better because it was one of the best hot items on the buffet. The Shrimp stewing in a giant keep-warm dish with all that great Creole sauce around it, and while the Cheddar Grits don't look like much on this plate – they were cooked really well (not over or under done) and had a nice cheddar flavor.
The Creole Shrimp from the "build your own shrimp and grits" station were perfectly seared and left to simmer in a great Creole Sauce – a tomato based sauce using the "holy trinity" veggie mix of onions, celery and green bell peppers, with a light mix of additional seasonings.
This is the plant-based Keralan Tofu Curry from the breakfast buffet at the Crystal Palace.
The "Keralan" in the Keralan Tofu Curry refers to a region in southern India. Curry is one of those things that changes depending on what region it represents. Keralan curry is usually full bodied and spicy, make use of things like coriander, fenugreek, fennel, cumin and dried chilli.
My "best thing on the buffet" award is a tie between the Shrimp and Grits and these little morsels. These are the plant-based Keralan Tofu Curry squares that feature marinated tofu with coconut curry, and also have lightly pickled onion slices on top. These had multiple flavor layers and multiple textures – I really wasn't expecting to find something so complex on a buffet line – so these were a real treat.
The Keralan Tofu Curry was one of my favorite items on the Crystal Palace breakfast buffet. Whenever you see all those colors in one morsel – it's going to be good! The bulk of the item combines marinated tofu with coconut curry, but those lightly pickled onions are really important too. They add just the right amount of fresh crunch and add a little bit of acidity to the mix.
This is a photo of a Denver Frittata surrounded by some Smokehouse Bacon from the Crystal Palace breakfast buffet.
Here's one of the Denver Frittatas and some Smokehouse Bacon. The Denver Frittata is made with (eggs, naturally) plus Ham, Green Bell Peppers, Onions, and Cheddar Cheese.
Both of the Frittatas that I found on the Crystal Palace buffet were really good, two-bite breakfast morsels. The Denver Frittata (pictured here) combines many of the same flavors that make an omelette great – eggs, cheese, ham, and onions.
An up close photo of the Denver Frittata at the Crystal Palace. The Denver Frittata combines cage free eggs, ham, green bell peppers, onions, and cheddar cheese with some fresh cut chives.
Here's a photo of the Mediterranean Frittata and some Smokehouse Bacon. The Mediterranean Frittata combines eggs, spinach, tomatoes, and feta cheese.
The Mediterranean Frittata was also really good – in fact, I'd give it a slight edge over the Denver Frittata – just because it had more distinct flavors and a little heat (from the pepperoncini), and I liked having that little extra kick in there.
The Mediterranean Frittata has all of the same great flavor elements as a larger omelette would – just in bite-sized form. The spinach and feta combo might not be everybody' s cup of tea – but they work so well with the tomatoes and eggs. All of the elements compliment each other perfectly.
I'm not sure if you can see it – but if you look just above the white feta cheese, there's one little sliced pepperoncini on my Mediterranean Frittata. I think most people associate the pepperoncini with Italian food, but it actually originated in the Peloponnese region of Greece... so it really does belong on this Mediterranean Frittata!
Not only is it totally fine to have ice cream with your cinnamon Mickey Waffle – I highly recommend it.
The deep fried Mickey Waffle that's been dredged in cinnamon and sugar is sometimes also referred to as a Churro Mickey Waffle. The Crystal Palace is one of the few Disney dining locations (on land) that does this. The only other locations we've seen this done, is on the Disney Cruise Line.
Oh Mickey, what happened to your head? It's okay... this is a deep fried Mickey Waffle that's been coasted in cinnamon and sugar. I've paired it with vanilla soft serve ice cream – because it seemed like the right thing to do.
Whatever you call them – they don't bring too many out at one time – and there are guests stalking the buffet, just waiting to snatch them up. Oh, you think I'm kidding don't you? If you see an unmarked empty silver tray on the buffet line that has cinnamon and sugar crumbs – that's where they'll put 18-20 Churro Mickey Waffles out at a time... and they'll be gone on the inside of 4 minutes.
Sometimes these are called Churro Mickey Waffles... to me, that's not quite right because essentially, this is still a waffle on the inside. Churros are normally light and airy on the inside... these are more dense, like a waffle that's been compressed. Both should still be crispy on the outside.
This is a sign that is located outside the Crystal Palace... but it was taken a while ago. The current price is a little more than what's posted. As of summer 2025... Breakfast is around $52 per adult - subject to change (increase) without notice.
I really can't provide an exact menu of all the things you'll find on the breakfast buffet at the Crystal Palace, because there are frequent, minor changes every week. I'm not sure that Disney even keeps up with it on their official menu page. Instead, these are all the "buffet name plate signs" that I could find on the day that I visited. Hopefully, it will provide some idea about the number and general kinds of food you'll find while visiting.
These are some of the name plate signs over by the pasty section of the Crystal Palace breakfast buffet.
Here's a four-up sample of the buffet name plate signs that were above each item on the day I visited the Crystal Palace for breakfast.
Here's some of the "hot, savory items" that were on the menu on the day I visited the Crystal Palace for breakfast.
These little "buffet name plate signs" are located on the counter, directly over the item, which is under the "sneeze guard". It'll all make sense when you see it in person.
The buffet name plate signs are acutally little paper inserts – which is a good thing, because items do change every now and then.
This is what one of the buffet menu boards looks like at the Crystal Palace. They are easy to read, and are positioned near the food. This one is for some of the desserts. It's important to note, that while the culinary is very "Americana", the specific food items could change daily. (Photo, 2020)
This is a look at the "extra cost" drink menu for the Crystal Palace Breakfast period... circa 2023-ish. The prices go up every six months – but it'll give you a good idea of the beverages being offered. Soft drinks, water, tea, standard coffee, and certain juices are included with the cost of the buffet – so these are all "special" drink above and beyond what's included.
Here's Piglet and Tigger at the Crystal Palace Character Breakfast!
It's Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore at the Crystal Palace Character Breakfast!
Winnie the Pooh and Piglet are two of the characters you'll meet at the Crystal Palace breakfast.
Tigger and Eeyore are the other two characters that meet and interact with guest at the Crystal Palace.
Each of the characters will visit every table at least once while you eat breakfast at the Crystal Palace. They also do a little parade around the dining area with "Friendship Day" music a couple times each hour.
Awe, hi Winnie the Pooh! He's just so yellow and fuzzy. Winnie is one of the characters you will meet at the Crystal Palace.
Piglet is Winnie the Pooh's closest friend. He's a little timid around people and his favorite food is acorns... an interesting nugget of information while trying to interact with him at breakfast.
All the characters at the Crystal Palace are really great looking – Piglet is particularly bright pink!
Piglet's activities have included hunting Woozles and capturing Heffalumps – contrary to his timid disposition, he usually conquers his fears, especially when his friends need him.
Tigger's can do 10 poses – in four seconds – so you better be ready with your camera or phone, if you want to catch them all.
Tigger is getting ready to do the Crane Kick from Karate Kid – because he can.
Tigger is the most energetic character you'll meet at the Crystal Palace Breakfast period. He's very up-beat and exuberant – just exactly as most Tigger's are.
Head scratching, is a sign that Tigger is trying to figure something out.
Tigger will pretty much eat anything for breakfast – but he does not like honey, acorns, or thistles.
Many people think that Tigger just bounces around all day, but he's also a really good conversationalist and a great listener.
Tigger actually makes some really good points during this breakfast conversation.
Eeyore is particularly good at Poohsticks, a game where each player drops a stick on the upstream side of a bridge — and one whose stick first appears on the downstream side — is declared the winner.
Contrary to their opposing personalities, Eeyore and Tigger are good friends. Interestingly — while Tigger's do not like thistles, they are one of Eeyore's favorite foods.
Eeyore is my favorite character at the Crystal Palace breakfast. He may seem a little pessimistic and unmotivated... which I totally realate to. I get you Eeyore.
The Crystal Palace has two main seating areas, both are nearly identical (the dining area on the west is little larger), and they take the form of a giant hexagon. This is a look at the west dining area.
The "Friendship Day Celebration" banner hangs near the center of each of the dining areas. The center feature itself is a mix of planter, air conditioning system, and bench style seating
The free-standing chairs at Crystal Palace are all padded with wrought iron chair backs. There are also a few half-booth / half chair tables around – the booths are fully padded on the seat backs and bottoms.
Seating is very tight at the Crystal Palace. There's enough room for the characters to move around, but that's about it!
This is a look at the west dining area, while standing in the west-most point in the restaurant, and pointed toward the center. If you look way off in the background of this photo, you'll see the buffet line (beyond the seating/planter feature).
This is a great look at the hexagon shaped walls in the Crystal Palace dining area.
On the left-hand side of this photo – there's a look at one of the half-booth / half-chair tables. Everyone on the "booth" part is, more or less, on one giant communal booth the wraps around the planter.
The two dining areas at the Crystal Palace are (more or less) identical. They do look a little different at various times over the course of a day. While both rooms have sun roofs – the light entering the side windows changes how much light there is in each room. This is the east side dining room at around 10:00am.
This is the north west side dining area at around 10:00am. It seems to be in a little more shade at this time in the morning because of the way the building is shaped. Other than the lighting angle, to two main dining areas are basically identical.
Hey there! It's the Tigger and Piglet topiaries, located in the center atrium area at the Crystal Palace! Hey look, the Tigger topiary really does have eyes! (You have to hold your camera or phone really high to get a photo of Tigger's face.)
The Winne-the-Pooh topiary is located in the center atrium area at the Crystal Palace.
A side view of the Piglet topiary in the center atrium area at the Crystal Palace.
A flank side view of the Eeyore topiary in the center atrium area at the Crystal Palace.
Hey there Piglet!!! From this angle, you can see parts of the buffet line off in the distance.
There are a couple of topiaries in the center atrium at the Crystal Palace. Here are the Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore topiaries.
I've always wondered, if the Tigger topiary in the center atrium at the Crystal Palace – has eyes. I mean, there's no real way for me to tell without a ladder or something. I bet he does and he's always looking up – cause that's what Tigger's do.
All four of the characters that you'll meet at breakfast are also represented in topiary form in the center atrium at the Crystal Palace.
Here's a closer look at the Winnie the Pooh topiary in the center of the Crystal Palace. He's got a handful of honey!
This Eeyore topiary doesn't want to bother anyone, so he's hiding deep in the plants in the center atrium at the Crystal Palace.
Hey Piglet! The Piglet topiary is right next to the Tigger topiary in the center atrium at the Crystal Palace.
Here's a look a the children's buffet table. It's located at the very beginning of the main "grown-up" buffet line. It's placed here (presumably) so even the little ones can go up to the buffet and grab something to eat, and still be visible to family members that are sitting in the dining area or in the grown-up buffet line.
Right in the center of the left and right side buffet lines, there's a made-to-order omelette station and/or meat carving station (I've seen it used for various things over the years). It's accessible to the left and right hand sides of the line.
The buffet area at Crystal Palace is quite large. The area is divided into a left and right side, and both sides have the same food items. Guests can visit either side. If you look really close in this photo, you'll a dividing rope. That rope only goes up when they're switching one side of the the buffet from breakfast food to the lunch/dinner food – or when it's very close to closing time.
Here's a photo of the "warm and hot buffet items" line. There's another one of these on the other side of the room, which features the same items. This "buffet mirror" helps speed things up, and keeps lines at the buffet tables, relatively short.
Here's a closer look at the center of the buffet at Crystal Palace. So – why do I keep showing this? They may still - in fact - be offering made-to-order omelets at the center station. I can only assume that's why there is a cast memeber standing there. However – there are no signs letting anyone know that those are being offered. I would say – there's a 50/50 chance you could get an omelet – subject to change on any given day.
Here's a photo of the very center of the buffet at the Crystal Palace. Everything on the right – is a mirrored version of everything on the left – and the center point is the dividing point.
The bagels and some bread for toasting are located in one of the center islands (this is also duplicated on the other side of the buffet area). The soft-serve ice cream machine is located to the right, just outside the frame.
The longest of the buffet lines along the back wall of the buffet area is where all the hot items are kept. There's a station located outside the frame, on the left, that is chilled for all the fruit and keep-cool items.
Here's a look at the pastry and chilled items buffet counters (on the right). The smaller counter on the left is the children's counter. There's a "plate pickup" in between those two stations.
These cereal dispensers are very cool. One turn of the handle equals one portion of cereal. With so much great, warm food available though – I usually forget to try those out. I've always wanted to put some Fruit Loops on top of a bowl of soft serve ice cream!
The butter, jelly and marmalade are kept in these little dishes in the chilled section on the buffet. Those dishes with the red looking sauce to the right, are ketchup and salsa!
This is a small, chilled dish of the Autumn Harvest Grain Salad with Apple Vinaigrette. It's one of the items that's specifically marked as being plant-friendly on the menu cards.
The fresh, whole strawberries at Crystal Palace always look great!
Here's a selection of mixed, cut fruit. There's a couple of mellons and some grapes in there.
The yogurt and granola on the buffet line at the Crystal Palace is kept in a chilled serving area.
Here's the section for building a salmon bagel. Naturally, it's in the chilled section of the buffet. There's smoked salmon, red onion, capers, tomatoes and cream cheese. The bagel's are located over by the toaster in one of the center islands (next to the soft serve ice cream machine) – so you can toast an open bagel first, and then bring it over here to build it up!
There's a bread box full of sliced bread for toasting! (The toaster is to the left of the bread, just outside of the frame). There's also a box just like this of sliced bagels to the right.
A box of Butter Croissants on the Crystal Palace buffet line.
These little Blueberry Muffins are just the right size!
These little puff pastries are filled with a sweet apple filling and topped with crunchy sugar!
Ahhhh... the joy of "Assorted Danishes" on the menu! There's so many choices here at Crystal Palace — and that may be one of the reasons this buffet is a couple dollars more than something like Hollywood and Vine. The number of pastries they have over there, is only a third of what's being shown here. There's Apple Puffs, Cinnamon Swirls, Pecan Puffs, Raspberry Danish, Chocolate Chip Puffs, and Lemon Curd Danish – all in this one photo!
Here's another look at some of the assorted danishes and pastries at the Crystal Palace. From the top left (and going clockwise) Pecan Puffs, Chocolate Croissants, Raspberry Danish and Lemon Curd Danish.
There's a buffet table that's noticeably lower than the other tables – that's because it's the children's buffet table! There's Mickey Waffles, Buttermilk Pancakes, Chocolate Chip French Toast, and Scrambled Eggs, all at this one station!
Here's a closer look at the items that are on the children's buffet table. Just in case you were wondering, you don't have to be a child to try some of the items... I mean, Chocolate Chip French Toast sounds pretty good and this might be the only location on the buffet you can get a plain Mickey waffle with maple syrup.
Sometimes, these are called "Churro Mickey Waffles" I call them Cinnamon Sugar Mickey Waffles because I like re-naming things (and they're not really like churros... they're like waffles, covered in cinnamon and sugar. The Crystal Palace is one of the few places you can find them on land. There's a few Disney ships that serve these as well.
I found these Mickey Waffles at the Crystal Palace on the slightly lower, children's buffet line. So naturally I took one and denied some poor child the opportunity to eat a Mickey Waffle – because I wanted to eat a Mickey Waffle. (It's okay though, I think they have more somewhere.)
It's a little hard to tell what these are when they're organized like this on the buffet line — but these are silver dollar buttermilk pancakes with blueberries, strudel topping, and vanilla cream drizzle.
These are buttermilk biscuits. I didn't see any gravy around – which is a traditional breakfast topping for "biscuits and gravy"... but I could imagine pairing these with the Roast Beef Hash or the Creole Shrimp might be quite good.
These buttery looking buttermilk biscuits were on the keep warm line, right next to the pancake strudel.
Oh, I do like seeing good, old-fashioned scrambled eggs on any breafast buffet line. The sign says these are cage-free scrambled eggs!
A whole keep warm tray of breakfast sausages on the Crystal Palace buffet.
This is the Traditional Roast Beef Hash item on the Crystal Palace breakfast buffet line.
If you're going to try some of the Cheesy Potato Casserole – make sure you get some of that cheesy topping. Otherwise, you're just getting plain Potato Casserole.
The Crispy Fried Chicken on the Crystal Palace breakfast buffet was actually quite good... like a premium chicken finger, but with a good, single piece of chicken inside.
The Crispy Fried Chicken is right next to a plate of Mickey Waffles – so you could make your own "Chicken and Waffles" dish. Personally – I'd get one of the Churro Mickey Waffle and pair it with a piece of Crispy Fried Chicken. That's the best part of buffets – you can kind of build your own breakfast creation!
Here's a fresh plate of Denver Frittatas. It's a little scrambled egg cake with ham, green bell peppers, onions, and cheddar cheese baked in the mix! Incidentally, when the buffet tray is full like this – you know they just came out of the kitchen.
Here's the keep-warm buffet plate for the Mediterranean Frittatas. They combine egg with spinach, tomatoes, and feta cheese.
Ahhh... a big, fresh pot of Shrimp on the buffet line – for a build your own plate of "Shrimp and Grits" (the grits were close by in their own hot pot). These little shrimp were properly prepared in a mild, tomato-based Creole Sauce using the "holy trinity" veggie mix of onions, celery, and green bell peppers.
So this is a combination photo, but I really wanted to show the center
atrium and some of the paintings and renderings that are hanging on the
walls around the atrium. These were all created for a inspiration wall
that was used during the design of the Crystal Palace building. Disney
simply does not build like this anymore – this is the amount of detail
they used to put into interior design and architecture 50 years ago.
It's a beautiful, memorable, unique space.
There are also paintings of various flowers hanging on the walls at the Crystal Palace. I think the actual number and variety of "real" plants has been kept to a minimum though, because it would have to be much more humid inside the location for plants such as these – to grow.
Just as you walk into the Crystal Palace, there's a center atrium and foyer area that separates the two dining areas. This is a look up at the ceiling in the foyer. You can't stand directly in the center of the glass ceiling, because there's a small topiary garden featuring characters from Winne the Pooh underneath.
Ahhh... anyone that's been to the Crystal Palace will recognize this banner. It's the Friendship Day Celebration banner. A couple times each hour, Pooh and his friends will parade around the Crystal Palace to Friendship Day Celebration music... and then they'll go back to meeting with guests at each table.
This is one of the prints hanging on the walls around the center atrium at the Crystal Palace. These prints were collected to provide inspiration for the design and buildout of the location. This print reads "Design for a Roman Bath" in German, and is dated 1780.
This print reads "Vicenza Basilica Palladiana". The Basilica Palladiana is a Renaissance age building in the central Piazza dei Signori in Vicenza, Italy. The print was used for architectural inspiration when designing the Crystal Palace building.
The check-in desk for the Crystal Palace is outside the main entrance to the restaurant. You can also check-in by scanning a QR code that's located on a sign that's usually located to the right of the main stairs leading up to the front doors... but I don't like tech, so I just check-in the old-fashioned way.
Ahhhh... the main entrance to the Crystal Palace. There's a little line at the Check-In podium, but once you're checked-in, guests can wait on the shady patio on the far left.
There can sometimes be a line at the check-in podium, but they usually get guests checked in pretty fast. The place where you wait for your table to be ready, is on the left side of this photo – in the shade, on the porch.
You may have to wait a couple of minutes before your table is ready. Fortunately, there's a covered patio with bench style seating that guests can wait under until your table is called. It can be quite hot in Florida, even by 9:00am.
These stairs lead up to the shaded "waiting" porch on the east side of the restaurant. There's no porch on the west side because there's "Adventureland" water and jungle over there!
There's usually a beautiful bed of flowering shrubs on the right side (north west side) of the restaurant. This is where the Crystal Palace starts to transition into Adventureland.