When traveling to Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, there are a few must do’s and must tries. WDW is not just another theme park or travel destination, but an experience. Nestled in the back of Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom is a quick service food location that’s worth checking out. Gaston’s Tavern is known for a few things, and one of them is their epic cinnamon rolls. We stopped in the location during a recent trip and tried out a “Warm Cinnamon Roll,” “Crème Brûlée Croissant,” and a “Ham and Gruyère Tart.”
Gaston’s Tavern
As noted, Gaston’s Tavern is in the Magic Kingdom park in Walt Disney World Resort. The addition of Gaston’s Tavern to the property was part of a larger expansion of Fantasyland that opened up in late 2012. What was unique at the time was the Be Our Guest restaurant, one of the additions from the expansion, was the first location to serve alcoholic beverages at the Magic Kingdom. Gaston’s Tavern, however, does not sell alcohol, but does feature a drink called LeFou’s Brew.
The tavern is cool. It’s fashioned after an old school hunting lodge and is decorated as such with different details.
There’s almost always a large line to enter this location, especially in the mornings when guests are eager to get breakfast items.
The menu
The menu is somewhat limited, but what it does have is unique to that location in the park and of high quality. At the time of publication, these are the unique menu items with their prices:
- The Grey Stuff Cupcake $5.99
- Warm Cinnamon Roll $6.99
- Crème Brûlée Croissant $5.49
- Ham and Gruyère Tart $9.49
- LeFou’s Brew – Souvenir Stein $14.29
- LeFou’s Brew $6.99
The warm cinnamon roll
The warm cinnamon roll is an obscenely large cinnamon roll, and is perfect for sharing. If you’re not in the mood for being generous and sharing the delectable delight with fellow travelers, you can certainly smash this baked good on your own without an issue – just make sure you bring an appetite! The roll comes with a bountiful amount of icing that tops the fluffy gooeyness of this awesome baked good.
We previously tried the cinnamon roll and really enjoyed it. So, it did not take much convincing to return to Gaston’s Tavern to try it out.
The crème brûlée croissant
The crème brûlée croissant is a super distinctive and delicious baked good. While members of my party felt that it was underwhelming in comparison to some of the other offerings, I felt it was a sufficient and delicious treat. The square croissant is stuffed with a vanilla bean custard and is topped with caramelized sugar. The flavor of the caramelized sugar lingers a little in a pleasant aftertaste.
The ham and gruyère tart
If you’re looking for something with substance and a bit on the more savory side, the ham and gruyère tart might be exactly what you want. This item is a blend between savory and creamy. The tart has a sufficient amount of heft to fill you up, but won’t slog you down if you’re going to eat one on your own. The pastry is fairly fluffy, but dense enough to support the ham and cheese.
The overall experience
The three items we tried out on our recent trip to Gaston’s Tavern were really great. If you’re looking to strike a balance between sweet and savory, you can’t go wrong with getting both the tart and either – or both – the cinnamon roll or crème brûlée croissant. All three are perfect for sharing among a couple adults and a child, or work well as standalone items. Foodies will want to try these out!
The seating area is not very large, but can accommodate some parties. There’s no way the dining area can seat the number of guests that line up to get items from this location. However, some lucky guests will be able to find a seat.
The only two unique items served at Gaston’s Tavern we have not tried out are LeFou’s Brew and the grey stuff cupcake. The former is a “frozen apple juice with a hint of toasted marshmallow and topped with all-natural passion fruit-mango foam” and the latter is a “chocolate cupcake topped with ‘the grey stuff’ and crispy pearls.” On our next visit to the resort, we’ll be sure to try both of these items out and report back with an update.
We plan on returning to Gaston’s Tavern in subsequent visits. Not only to try out the remaining items, but also to revisit some of our favorites! Have you had a snack at Gaston’s Tavern? Sound off in the comments and tell us all about it!
