The Disney Breakfast Spot You Don’t Want to Miss

When it comes to Disney dining, Guests have plenty of options to choose from. With more than 200 restaurants to dine in and over 400 dining choices to select from to eat, we’d be surprised if a Guest said there was NOTHING that they liked in Walt Disney World! 

But how do you decide what and where to eat? Especially when the decisions include: full-service or quick-service dining; eating in the Disney Parks or outside of them; the time you wish to eat; character dining or regular dining… and some of that occurs before you’re even on vacation, as you may need to secure an advance dining reservation!

When it comes to breakfast, though, we wanted to share a dining spot that is a real hidden gem. It’s a dining location where you are likely to secure a reservation in easily and may not even need an advance dining reservation. We’ve recently dined there, and it’s become a firm favorite spot of ours that we will be visiting during future trips to the Walt Disney World Resort.

Ale & Compass Restaurant

This cozy restaurant is located just off of the lobby at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, next to the Ale & Compass Lounge. The New England theming is reminiscent of a lighthouse, and the breakfast is excellent value for money. Whilst you may think that dressing up is a must when visiting the elegant Yacht Club, Ale & Compass offers a comfortable place to relax and refuel ahead of a magical day. This coastal-inspired dining location is an airy space, offering darker colors to the floor, tables, and seating but lighter colors to the walls and ceiling. Surrounded by windows, enough light enters whilst still providing a cozy ambiance to dine in.

We secured an advance dining reservation ahead of our breakfast to guarantee to dine there. However, their walk-ins were also available on the morning of our Disney experience. When booking, there was plenty of times available for booking, providing flexibility.

Breakfast

There are two breakfast options offered at the Ale & Compass Restaurant. Guests can choose between the breakfast buffet or an entree during their table service dining experience. For Guests who don’t wish to eat a lot in the morning, an entree order will work perfectly. We, however, took advantage of the Breakfast Buffet and were not disappointed at all.

At $23 per person, the Breakfast Buffet includes a continental-style buffet, as well as a beverage and one entree. Beverages choices include one of the following: coffee, tea; juice; or soft drink. Guests can help themselves to as much as they would like from the buffet, which is located in front of the kitchen.

Breakfast Buffet

Once you have placed your drinks and entree order with your server, you are invited to help yourself to the buffet. Choices include seasonal fruit, assorted yogurt parfaits; house-made granola; assorted breakfast pastries; warm cinnamon rolls; cheddar biscuits, and country gravy. The pastries, cinnamon rolls, and cheddar biscuits are served warm, offering a delicious start to your morning.

Guests with allergies can help themselves to what they can eat and are then accommodated suitably. A couple of members of our party had a gluten intolerance; as such, they were brought a large basket of warm assorted gluten-free pastries to the table.

Entrees

There is a wide range of entrees to choose from on the Ale & Compass menu and something to suit every palette.

Guests who prefer to enjoy something savory can choose from:

• American Breakfast, including two eggs, any style, choice of sausage or bacon, and potatoes
• Shrimp and White Cheddar Grits served with poached egg, chorizo, and charred tomato stew
• Smoked Salmon and Toasted Bagel Sandwich, including herbed cream cheese, pickled red onions, vine-ripened tomatoes, avocado, and house-made chips
• Crab Cake Benedict, made with poached egg, Jumbo Lump Crab cakes, arugula, and lemon-herb hollandaise
• Breakfast Flatbread, with a sunny-side egg, applewood-smoked bacon, ham, provolone, and arugula
• Breakfast Protein Bowl, served with a choice of Tofu scramble or plant-based eggs, with plant-based sausage, quinoa, sweet potatoes, chard, kale, pickled carrots, carrot-ginger dressing, and chocolate-avocado toast
• Country Ham and Cheddar Omelet, served with arugula and breakfast potatoes

Guests who prefer to enjoy something sweet can choose from:

• Dark Chocolate Waffle, served with dried cherry compote, espresso-mascarpone cream, chocolate shavings, and choice of sausage or bacon
• Salted Caramel-Apple French Toast, served with a choice of sausage or bacon
• Blueberry-Bacon Pancakes are served with a choice of bacon or sausage.

There is also a great selection for younger Guests too, including:

• Scrambled Egg
• Mickey-shaped Waffles
• Mini Parker House Egg, Ham, and Cheddar Sandwich
• Fruit Plate
• Blueberry Pancakes

Our Recommendations

To get value for money, we absolutely recommend making use of the Breakfast Buffet order, especially as Guests can enjoy all that they wish to from the buffet before their entree is served. The Omelet was a really tasty entree and can be altered accordingly if you prefer alternative ingredients. Tomato is a great switch for the ham if you are a vegetarian.

The menu items for Guests with a gluten-intolerance were also great. The allergy-friendly Mickey Waffles went down a treat with a side of whipped cream and chocolate chips instead of a meat side.

Breakfast at Ale & Compass Restaurant is the perfect way to start your Disney day. Whilst it may be a little more pricey than a quick-service breakfast, you can fill up for the day with the Breakfast Buffet option. We ate an early dinner at a full-service restaurant around 3:30 p.m. and then only needed a snack during the evening.

Have you dined at this cozy dining location yet? If not, be sure to add it to the list for your next trip to Walt Disney World. It is ideally located to dine ahead of a day in any of the Disney theme parks. Take a short stroll to EPCOT after breakfast from the Deluxe Disney Resort, or catch a FriendShip Boat via Crescent Lake to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Alternatively, catch a Walt Disney World Bus to Disney’s Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom after dining. Ale & Compass Restaurant also serves lunch and dinner, so it could be a great place to dine if you are staying in Disney’s Beach Club or BoardWalk Inn Resorts.