Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Introduction
The Contempo Cafe is a small food court in the lobby of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. I think this is one of the best resort food courts at Walt Disney World. I recognize that this may be the controversial sentence in this entire review. I have found giving any form of superlative (even a hesitant one such as I tend to give) brings disagreement.
That is definitely a good thing! Many people prefer different eateries for different reasons. I know there are diehard Landscape of Flavors or Everything POP fans (can’t blame them with that groovy cheesecake!). But, I think this location has come out on top for Sarah and I.
Sarah and I both enjoyed stopping here for a quick meal during our November 2017 trip. We came to this restaurant for a strange reason. Sarah and I were resort hopping during our trip and we needed to use all our Disney Dining Plan credits. We were both hungry, but our main focus was to use a Counter Service credit. Needless to say, we were happy that we stopped!
Atmosphere
It seems strange to say due to its central location, but I think it can be easy for guests to overlook Contempo. I think that is due to all the things that are going on in the Grand Canyon Concourse of the Main Building. There are two gift shops, an arcade, two other restaurants, and (if that wasn’t enough) a Monorail gliding by and ferrying more guests to and from the resort.
I think the main distraction that draws guests away from this restaurant is that it shares a wall with Chef Mickey’s. Chef Mickey’s is a character buffet that seems to always be busy. I recognize that Sarah and I are moving our way into enjoying character interactions, but I still don’t see the draw to Mickey’s House of Pain. We ate there during our October 2016 trip and the chaotic meal was exacerbated by the below-par food.
Now is the time that my editor (Sarah) tells me that I need to get over Chef Mickey’s and just let it go so, begrudgingly, I will! Back to Contempo. We visited in the early afternoon before we were going back to take a nap. The restaurant was almost completely empty. We walked around the food stations and pondered what we were going to eat. We ordered and picked up our tracker. (Disney always knows where you are!)
I was shocked by how plain this restaurant was. There is basically no theming whatsoever (unless you count the massive mural overlooking the restaurant; I don’t because it is not in the restaurant). This is just a normal-looking small seating area for people to eat food. Nothing flashy or showy, not exactly the Disney norm.
As we ate we were joined by more people. It wasn’t loud during our visit, but I could definitely see how this could be a very noisy place to sit and try to enjoy a meal. Placing two eateries directly next to each out without a proper dividing wall will make sure it is plenty noisy. You are very likely to hear the screaming of excited adults (children too, I guess) who are meeting Chef Mickey on the other side of the half-wall. No matter what, I don’t imagine that Contempo Cafe would be your ideal choice for an intimate, romantic meal. If you want that, head on up to California Grill and sign over the deed to your house for the privilege to eat there.
Food
The Walt Disney World website categorizes Contempo Cafe as American Cuisine. I think that Contempo Cafe has a really interesting and diverse menu. There are different breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. Breakfast is fairly straightforward. There are a few different options that you would likely expect at any breakfast restaurant. Combinations of eggs, breakfast meats, and waffles or pancakes. The fun detail is that the waffles happened to be shaped like Mickey’s face! Sarah always gets a kick out of this.
If you are on the go (and at that time of the morning, most of us are!), there are options that you can take with you and eat as you run to rope drop Magic Kingdom. I cannot claim that these are the most filling meals in the world, but they may sustain you through lunch. There are wraps, eggs, hummus, and fruits and veggies (all of these in different combinations).
Before I review the lunch menu (that is the meal Sarah and I ate at Contempo), let me talk about the dinner menu. There are several interesting entrees like the Artisanal Macaroni & Cheese, Slow-roasted Prime Rib, and the Contempo Smokehouse Burger that I ordered for lunch. I like that there are several different options here. All the Disney resort food courts have an excess of options, but Contempo seems to backup quantity with quality.
So now lunch. Like I said before, I ordered the Contempo Smokehouse Burger. This sounded really interesting to me. It is an angus chuck burger with a bacon marmalade. To be honest, I ordered it because bacon marmalade was too interesting for me not to try. I had to know what it was! In the end, it was just a burger with bacon bits integrated into a sweet sauce. The burger was cooked correctly and they drowned my plate with more fries than I could ever eat. The burger was better than the fries.
Sarah ordered the Concourse Specialty Flatbread which was buffalo chicken. This pizza was amazing! It was so spicy, but balanced really well with the creaminess of the cheese. Sarah remarked that it was probably just on the edge of being too spicy for her, which means it is probably just spicy enough for everyone else. The crust was crispy and delicious, we would definitely order it again if it is available.
I think the high marks I give Contempo Cafe come from the approach to their food, maybe even more than the quality we experienced. I think that this and Riverside Mill Food Court at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort - Riverside are two resort food courts with more interesting menus. The nice thing is that both of these food courts deliver on their ambition.
Cost
According to the Disney World website, Contempo Cafe is classified with “$” which means adults should expect to pay under $14.99, per adult. If you are paying out-of-pocket, you can plan on paying roughly $10 per entree (balanced out between breakfast, lunch and dinner). That makes it a fairly inexpensive dining experience. The nice thing about this menu is that it is not only diverse in terms of the items on it, but also the prices for those items. If you want to stop in and spend $9 for an entree, you can do that! If you are on the Disney Dining Plan and you want to maximize your money, you can find a $14 entree and maximize away!
For the Disney Dining Plan users, this restaurant is a decent use of the credit. If you want to get the most value out of your credit (which I usually do) you have to be wanting one of the more expensive items. That means you will be ordering salmon, prime rib, or a sandwich. No matter what you order, the amount of food is enough to keep you happy. Sarah and I both took some food back to our room to eat before we ventured out to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the night. For the Tables in Wonderland users, this restaurant does not offer a discount.
Who Should Eat Here?
There are two obvious groups that would be interested in dining at Contempo Cafe. The first group are guests who are staying at Disney’s Contemporary Resort or Bay Lake Tower. For guests of these resorts, Contempo will be convenient and you will probably end up eating there at least once. In my opinion, Contempo is a bit of a hidden gem. I think this is because there is not a significant draw for someone to go eat a Quick Service meal at a resort at which they are not staying.
The only reason why it may be a draw for people not staying at Contemporary or BLT is the other reason why people may want to eat here. I have not proved this empirically, but I think that people may decide to eat here if they cannot get a table at Chef Mickey’s. With the widespread use of advance dining reservations, the idea of trying to get a table at a restaurant day-of may seem antiquated. However, I have to assume it still happens fairly often. I think people may end up eating at Contempo if they arrive at dinner time and are not able to eat at Chef Mickey’s.
Have you eaten at Contempo Cafe? What what your experience? Share your thoughts in the comments section! For other reviews including resorts and other restaurants, check out our Reviews page!
) and the whole family enjoyed just walking over, having a huge menu selection and everyone was really happy with their meals. Their flatbread pizzas were really good! It was also really quiet when we were there which was a plus. We are fans and have eaten there for a quick service meal several times.
