Crystal Palace returns to buffet, but still missing – TouringPlans.com Blog

The buffets return to Walt Disney World and include the classic Magic Kingdom: Main Street, the Crystal Palace of the USA.

Crystal Palace has been open for several months, but only as a family-style food where food is brought to the table; and while the Winnie the Pooh characters haven’t returned yet, the restaurant buffet now does.

True to its name, Crystal Palace was inspired by the Victorian greenhouses of the 1800s, particularly the Crystal Palace at the 1851 London Grand Exhibition.

The restaurant has magnificent glass ceilings, delicate white arches and sweet topiaries representing your friends and mine from the Hundred Acres wood.

What you need to know

Crystal Palace is located at the end of Main Street, USA, between Casey’s Corner and the main entrance to Adventureland. At the time of writing, it is only open for lunch and dinner; the first starts at 11:30 and the second at 15:00 to close the park.

Both meals are priced at $ 39 per adult i $ 23 per child, excluding taxes and free. Fortunately, there are annual discounts for passengers.

The food

Crystal Palace offers on-demand guides for allergens and American cuisine. The Disney website lists some of the online buffet deals I’ll include below, along with photos of what our park reporter Chrissy found when she visited the restaurant when it reopened.

Since there are so many options with Crystal Palace as a buffet, I only share Chrissy’s opinions on the dishes that really made an impression.

• Seasonal salads
• Meats, cheeses, fruits

• Country fried chicken with black pepper sauce
• Stewed beef short rib
• Mashed potatoes

• First cut rib
  • Chrissy says this was one of the best items in the restaurant.

• Seasonal ravioli
• Fresh seasonal vegetables
• Walt’s favorite dishes
  • Several buffet items were tagged as “Walt Disney Favorites”

• Shrimps
  • According to Chrissy, the prawns were also pretty good.

• Children’s buffet
  • Chicken strips, mini quesadillas and pizzas and creamy macaroni and cheese

• Desserts
  • The soft service machines were both out; however, they reappeared during Chrissy’s visit. But of all the desserts, Chrissy recommended the shoemaker.

Final thoughts

Unfortunately, Chrissy found Crystal Palace’s reopened buffet to be, well, messy.

He said the same tender chicken next to the buffet when he arrived was still there when he left. It seemed like the restaurant didn’t have the staff to keep it clean, or they just didn’t take the initiative to do so. He noted that several members of the cast were passing by the mess seen in the photos and were moving on; they also seemed exhausted.

Many of the dishes were scarce giving the appearance of reaching the end of a party.

The restaurant was also crowded, loud and chaotic. If Boma at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is a 10 (and it is) for cleanliness, service and taste, Crystal Palace was a 4 for her. He thought it might be because he was having dinner at 2pm and not at the opening; but still, shouldn’t the experience be the same if the price is the same?

Overall, Crystal Palace was a huge disappointment. If you don’t plan on eating shrimp and ribs worth $ 39, skip them. Go to Liberty Tree or the Square on this one for now.

What do you think of this Magic Kingdom restaurant? Let us know in the comments.