So, you woke up early, arrived for rope drop, had a great ride on Test Track, and now it’s time to eat breakfast at Epcot. In this post, we’ll discuss your options for breakfast at Epcot.
While we’ll review each of the five options, your pick will often come down to (1) whether you’re looking for table service, quick service, or a snack (check our guide to the Disney Dining Plan for more on what these terms mean) and (2) which option is closest or fits best into your day. Let’s talk about Where to Get Breakfast at Epcot.
How to Pick Breakfast at Epcot
We’ll discuss the restaurants in more depth next, but here’s a quick look at how to pick your breakfast, starting with your quick options if you’re in the park right now and looking for an answer. If you don’t have a reservation and you’re just looking for a quick meal, you’ve got three options.
Sunshine Seasons is in The Land pavilion (with Soarin’) in Future World and is a quick service restaurant with traditional American Breakfast items like eggs, potatoes, bacon. Here’s the menu (ignore that it says “Asian Noodles Shop,” that’s just the counter where the breakfast items are served.
If you don’t need a full breakfast with eggs, bacon, etc., my personal pick is Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie, even though it’s a bit out of the way. I enjoy heading over there because it’s a bit out of the way, and a nice escape from the morning crowds.
Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe does have more interesting options. If you’re being honest, you’ll probably “just” get a croissant at Les Halles, whereas some fun Norwegian pretzel treat might catch your eye at Kringla Bakeri.
If you’re looking for a table service meal, you’ll probably need to make advance dining reservations (up to 180 days in advance) at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall or Garden Grill.
Akershus is a princess character meal in the Norway pavilion (near Frozen Ever After). Garden Grill is a character meal (usually) with Chip, Dale, Mickey, and Pluto, located in The Land pavilion (near Soarin’). Both are all-you-can-eat American breakfast.
Now we’ll talk about these options in a little more detail. We’ll start with the table service options (jump to the quicker options).
Table Service Breakfast at Epcot
We’ll start with the two table service restaurants, both of which also happen to be character meals! Remember, you’ll usually need advance dining reservations for these restaurants.
Garden Grill
Garden Grill is a restaurant in The Land pavilion, in the Future World part of Epcot. The Land is where you’ll find Soarin’ and Living With The Land.
Garden Grill is located on the top floor of the pavilion, not to be confused with the quick service Sunshine Seasons (also a breakfast option) on the bottom floor.
Breakfast at Garden Grill is all-you-can-eat breakfast platters consisting of traditional American options (eggs, bacon, sausage, etc.) You can see the menu here. The typical characters are Chip, Dale, Pluto, and Mickey. (Read more about meeting characters at Disney World or meeting Mickey Mouse at Disney World).
Most visits to Epcot in the morning are going to spend significant time in Future World, so adding a breakfast at Garden Grill will rarely be out of the way.
Since the pavilion has two rides (Soarin’ and Living With The Land) you can usually plan to visit them around the time of your meal. Read a review of Garden Grill by Smart Mouse Travel here.
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
The other table service option is also a character meal, this time with princesses and located in the Norway Pavilion of the World Showcase.
The Norway Pavilion opens before the rest of the World Showcase (which usually opens at 11AM) because it has the Frozen Ever After ride. Akershus is easy to find—it’s just on the righthand side as you approach the ride.
Akershus breakfast is also all-you-can-eat American, but it also includes a “Norwegian Smorgasbord” of meats and cheeses. (Menu here.)
The typical characters are Ariel, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Belle, Cinderella, Mary Poppins , and Snow White. Read more about meeting princesses at Disney World.)
If you have a FastPass+ for Frozen Ever After and your morning is otherwise spent in Future World, trekking to the World Showcase for breakfast might not be worth your time. A later reservation time that set you up to visit the World Showcase (opens at 11AM) afterward is a good option.
In any case, this is a star studded princess lineup, so no one in the family should be too upset about the extra steps.
Pre-Opening Reservations
One popular “trick” is to grab a breakfast reservation for a time before the park opens, the idea being that this will give you a head start for getting in line for rides.
While this can work, and some people swear by it, we don’t find it to be worth the trouble at Epcot these days. You’re likely to have to rush your family through a meal, and Epcot rope drop isn’t too complex these days anyways.
Our preference would just be a breakfast reservation an hour to two hours into the morning. This allows us enough time to get some quick morning rides in before we eat.
Table Service Breakfast Near Epcot
The Boardwalk area hotels are also just outside Epcot, and these hotels have table service breakfasts as well. You’ll need to budget a few minutes to walk to them. Here are two notable character options.
Trattoria al Forno at the BoardWalk Inn has a character breakfast that typically features Ariel, Prince Eric, Flynn Rider, and Rapunzel.
Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club has a character breakfast with Minnie, usually accompanied by Goofy, Donald, and Daisy.
Quick Service Breakfast at Epcot
Now let’s talk about the quicker options for a breakfast at Epcot. (Read more bout Quick Service Restaurants at Epcot.)
Sunshine Seasons
Sunshine Seasons is located on the bottom floor of The Land pavilion. Early in the morning, it won’t get much foot traffic, but if you’re looking for a full meal without a reservation, it’s your best option.
It’s a quick service restaurant, so you’ll order at the only open counter. Typical options are a breakfast platter (eggs, bacon, sausage, etc.), French toast, vegetarian “power wrap”, and smaller items. (Menu here.)
While there’s nothing wrong with it, you’ll want to carefully rethink the situation that has you visiting Sunshine Seasons for breakfast.
Epcot usually doesn’t open very early, so if you have to have a quick service breakfast as part of your morning routine, it makes sense to just grab something at your hotel so that you’re not wasting park time.
If you can live without breakfast, then definitely skip it at Epcot. Epcot is filled with fun foods from around the world, particularly during festival season. Leave room in your stomach for those, as your options will start to grow at 11AM when the World Showcase opens.
Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie
Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie is a pastry shop in the far back corner of the France Pavilion. If you want, as the Americans say, “a croissant or something,” to start your day, Les Halles is your best option.
Many people don’t even realize Les Halles is open at the start of the day. Cast Members typically stand on the bridge heading into France in the morning, but they’re there to make sure you know Les Halles is the only thing open at that point, not to stop you from heading there.
Everything I said about not wasting time on Sunshine Seasons could apply to Les Halles…I just really love Les Halles for no good reason.
Les Halles is way out of the way of anything you need to visit in the morning at Epcot (this analysis might change when Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure opens). If you’re coming to Les Halles in the morning, you’re basically admitting you’re not in a rush today.
Les Halles has a variety of pastry and sandwich options. I can’t recall if the sandwiches are all prepared by breakfast. Usually I’m just there for a pastry, an espresso, and the chance to relax.
Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe
Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe is the snack shop at the Norway Pavilion. The signage isn’t super loud, but it’s on the left hand side if you’re facing the Frozen Ever After entrance. (Tap through the gallery for photos.)
Kringla is a good option if you’re near the Norway Pavilion (because you rode Frozen), need a quick bite, and don’t mind trying something a little different.
While you’ve probably had many of the options over at Les Halles, Kringla specializes in Norwegian snacks that you’re probably not familiar with (all good, though).
What’s your favorite breakfast spot at Epcot?
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