The Cake Bake Store Restaurant is a brand new desk service eating expertise and bakery at Walt Disney World, inside strolling distance of EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. This overview covers our meal at this expensive and controversial new eatery, whether or not it’s price your money and time, visitor varieties to whom it’ll enchantment, and the best way to profit from a meal at Cake Bake.
When it comes to fundamentals, the Cake Bake Store Restaurant by Gwendolyn Rogers is positioned at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, changing the area beforehand occupied by ESPN Membership. As famous above, this resort slash ‘WDW district’ is positioned between EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Instantly throughout Crescent Lake from Cake Bake Store is Disney’s Yacht & Seashore Membership Resorts; the Swan & Dolphin Resorts are additionally adjoining to it.
All of those accommodations type the Crescent Lake Resort Space or EPCOT Resort Space. Maybe extra importantly, Cake Bake Store is a brief stroll from EPCOT’s Worldwide Gateway entrance/exit in World Showcase between the UK and France. There’s additionally a Skyliner gondola station over there, making Cake Bake simply accessible from Pop Century, Artwork of Animation, Caribbean Seashore, and Riviera Resorts. All of those places are talked about each for the sake of entry, and since the Cake Bake Store Restaurant is wholly distinctive and in contrast to something at any of the aforementioned parks or resorts.
Additionally notable is that the addition of the Cake Bake Store Restaurant by Gwendolyn Rogers is the ultimate section of a multi-year reimagining of Disney’s BoardWalk Inn. This additionally added BoardWalk Deli, Blue Ribbon Corn Canine, and some different minor modifications. Most notable up till Cake Bake was the reimagined rooms at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, that are a little bit of a blended bag.
It’s attainable there’s extra to return of this resort reimagining. Walt Disney World nonetheless hasn’t introduced the plan for the previous Large River Grille and each Jelly Rolls and Atlantic Dance Corridor have been on life assist for years, so there might be a section two on that aspect of the promenade within the coming years. However so far as what’s been introduced, that is the top of the resort refresh and enhancements.
For our first meal at Cake Bake Store Restaurant, we opted to make a late lunch Advance Eating Reservation (ADR) for 4:15 pm. Upon arrival on the appointed time, we had been seated at roughly 4:25 pm and our server proceeded to take our order at 4:35 pm.
I word these occasions as a result of Cake Bake has two barely menus for lunch and dinner. The previous is obtainable till 4:30 pm per the restaurant, and the latter begins at 5 pm. We had been ordering throughout a misplaced half-hour, apparently.
Our server suggested us that the lunch menu was not obtainable, because the system had already converted. This was mildly annoying given our ADR and arrival time, as I had needed to order from the ‘select two’ menu that’s solely provided at lunch.
It wasn’t an enormous problem–it was merely for the sake of overview range, not like there was some must-have solely on that menu. We had plans to return to the restaurant with extra members of the family later within the week, so I figured I’d simply attempt it then.
In any other case, service was passable. Our server was educated in regards to the menu, sufficiently pleasant and attentive. It was roughly what you may expertise on the adjoining Trattoria al Forno or one other common desk service restaurant at Walt Disney World.
The largest energy to the service was that, not like another Walt Disney World eating places, the servers at Cake Bake Store Restaurant weren’t stretched too skinny. The ratio of friends per server was pretty low, roughly on par with a Signature Restaurant. This didn’t appear to be for lack of demand–we really had a level of problem making our ADRs.
With the desk set, let’s dig into the delicacies at Cake Bake Store Restaurant…
I ordered the Basic Burger with Pommes Frites: Floor beef chuck served on a toasted brioche buttered bun. Topped with shredded lettuce, pickles, beefsteak tomato, chopped white onion, mayonnaise, and melted Tillamook cheddar cheese.
This can be a substantial, top quality burger. The brioche bun is tender and buttery, the vegetable toppings tasted contemporary, and the meat was juicy and scrumptious.
I’ve zero complaints about this cheeseburger or the pomme frites (french fries). This dish is as marketed–a traditional cheeseburger with fries executed at a excessive stage.
Cake Bake’s burger can be nothing memorable or to write down dwelling about. Which is ok! Not each burger must be craveworthy or distinctive, and this doesn’t invoice itself as that. So far as burgers go, it’s prime 2 within the Crescent Lake Resort Space. However there isn’t precisely numerous competitors. Until there’s a secret menu I don’t find out about, that is the one burger anyplace at BoardWalk.
As with just about all the things at Cake Bake, there may be the problem of pricing. The Basic Burger and Pomme Frites prices $27. As somebody who orders quite a bit of burgers at Walt Disney World, I way back grew to become numb to their pricing, so this didn’t give me sticker shock. Disney broke the $20 burger barrier again in 2012, and it was actually surprising again then. Burgers within the mid-$20s are actually the norm, not the exception.
With all of that mentioned, this isn’t the #1 burger within the Crescent Lake Resort Space. That crown goes to the Cheddar Burger over at Ale & Compass, which (for reference) is topped with Applewood-smoked Bacon, Tomato, Avocado, Pickles, Sunny Facet Up Egg, on a Herbed Mayonnaise on a Home-made Bun, and prices $25. For Cake Bake’s worth, I want to see one thing barely extra attention-grabbing–like that burger. Regardless of being fairly good, the Cake Bake Burger is a one and executed for me–and is tough to suggest with out that “one thing extra.”
For her entree, Sarah ordered the Roasted Salmon Filet: Recent wild salmon filet completed with a lemon dill crème fraîche served with smashed fingerling potatoes and roasted asparagus.
Salmon is a type of entrees that Walt Disney World does nicely (even at EPCOT festivals), so we had been slightly apprehensive about ordering the Roasted Salmon at Cake Bake on condition that it’s a 3rd celebration. Fortunately, the Roasted Salmon Filet at Cake Bake Store Restaurant is beautiful.
The fish is a large reduce, and completely ready–a crisp exterior that provides option to flaky items which can be moist, juicy, and provide an exquisite taste. The filet had the right quantity of fattiness for taste, particularly for wild salmon. This fish would’ve been implausible by itself, however the lemon dill crème fraîche put it excessive. It took the already wealthy and buttery taste of the salmon and deepened it, providing an umami high quality. I might order this time and again, and we extremely suggest it.
The smashed fingerling potatoes are likewise wonderful–crisp skins which can be well-seasoned, with tender interiors. These are filling and satisfying, and this plus sizable salmon made for a surprisingly massive meal. (As could be obvious, I ate numerous this.) As for the roasted asparagus, it tastes like…roasted asparagus.
After all, the problem of value as soon as once more comes up. The Roasted Salmon Filet is $40 at Cake Bake Store Restaurant. That is about center of the pack for salmon at Walt Disney World. Once more, it didn’t strike us as stunning or egregious.
The closest comparability to this dish is definitely the Roasted Salmon served with Roasted Celery Root, Arugula, and Meyer Lemon Crème over at Flying Fish. That dish prices $49 and is similar to this. It’s been some time since I’ve had that, so it may be a barely bigger or higher-quality filet, however I used to be very happy with Cake Bake’s. This can be a near-Signature caliber dish, at minimal.
Now come the muffins. That is supposedly the primary occasion, as you may anticipate for a restaurant named Cake Bake Store.
My unique intention was to publish this previous to Christmas and in addition return for an additional meal throughout which we’d order common muffins, however the perfect laid plans of mice and males usually go awry. For this meal, we opted for 2 seasonal picks: Peppermint Sweet Cane Chocolate Cake and Gingerbread Man Cake.
Every of those muffins value $23. That’s by the slice.
A lot has been made from the cake slice pricing at Cake Bake Store. Some defend these costs by claiming that every slice of cake serves 2 to three individuals.
I don’t know who these persons are, however they have to not like cake. I might simply polish off a slice of this on my own. If you happen to’re claiming this serves three, then the typical Walt Disney World desk service restaurant that prices $10 serves two.
To make sure, these are bigger than regular, however I’d say they’re 1.5x dimension, moderately than 2-3x. We did find yourself taking numerous these muffins dwelling, however solely as a result of the entrees had been so filling (and we’d been grazing all over the world at EPCOT’s Competition of the Holidays previous to our meal).
If it had been really the case that everybody had been sharing slices, Cake Bake might merely promote smaller parts at decrease costs and make it up in quantity. That might get rid of numerous the most important complaints, so win-win, proper? They clearly don’t do this as a result of it wouldn’t pencil out.
The larger problem for us, although, is that these muffins are nothing particular.
They’re not dangerous or mediocre, they’re simply not $20+ slices of cake. On each, the buttercream and ganache is high-quality, and tastes nice. The cake itself, although, is a bit on the dry aspect and never all that memorable.
Our go-to muffins are from the bakery at Entire Meals. (Sarah is a giant fan as a result of they use “clear” substances, and the Berry Chantilly Cake is implausible.) For a complete cake, these value about the identical worth as a single slice at Cake Bake Store. Clearly, grocery retailer to desk service restaurant (at Walt Disney World, of all locations) is fairly removed from an apples to apples comparability.
Nevertheless, it’s not as if Entire Meals is thought for its affordability. Extra to the purpose, a desk service restaurant at Walt Disney World with “cake” within the identify ought to most likely serve cake superior to a grocery retailer if it needs to cost considerably increased costs. It doesn’t, so this comparability is honest sport. The muffins we simply purchased for Christmas and New 12 months’s at Entire Meals had been each higher than Cake Bake Store.
So if it’s clearly not cake, then what, precisely, is the spotlight of Cake Bake Store Restaurant at Walt Disney World? Check out the way it will get decked out for the vacations…
Images don’t even start to do justice to the Christmas decorations at Cake Bake Store Restaurant. It actually is a glistening winter wonderland.
The central sales space topped by a stunning snow-tipped Christmas tree really rotates, revealing Santa Claus pulled by reindeer because it turns. These figures are all animated, with a restricted vary of movement, plus lavish costumes and coats of fur. It’s nothing wanting resplendent.
Cake Bake Store’s Christmas decorations jogs my memory of the shows you’d see at excessive finish malls. That is completely not a backhanded praise, as I’m not speaking in regards to the dying malls dotting the nation. I imply these in elements of New York and California–or higher but, Paris and Tokyo. It’s all so luxurious and gorgeous.
Cake Bake Store isn’t a Signature Restaurant at Walt Disney World within the regular sense of the time period.
For probably the most half, the menu is far more approachable and bizarre, even whether it is costly. A lot of the dishes are American consolation meals, with a transparent New Orleans-inspiration. There are a few increased finish choices, comparable to Crab Desserts, New York Strip Steak, or the Salmon. That’s actually about it, although. In any other case, it’s numerous sandwiches and soups.
Truthfully, the menu feels a bit at odds with the ambiance. I wouldn’t name Cake Bake subtle, however it’s elegant.
To that time, we felt a bit misplaced at Cake Bake Store with a toddler.
It’s not that the servers made us uncomfortable or tried to maneuver our meal alongside–they had been completely nice. Partly, it was the ambiance. Cake Bake Store Restaurant felt extra on par with a Signature Restaurant than its menu recommended. Although animated polar bears, reindeer, and Santa Claus figures scream “kid-friendly,” it was all imbued with such an opulence and magnificence that we felt like we shouldn’t have been there. Similar to we wouldn’t take a toddler to close by Flying Fish or Yachtsman Steakhouse or Citricos.
This was additional bolstered, at the very least in our minds, by patrons in any respect different close by tables. There have been older {couples} in our neighborhood who had been dressed up for date nights, ordered ‘fancy’ glowing water, and appeared (at the very least to my side-eyeing) to be having pretty and romantic meals. I later noticed considered one of them at Candlelight Processional and couldn’t assist however suppose: now that is the right option to do Cake Bake Store Restaurant!
Suffice to say, Cake Bake Store Restaurant could be excellent for a date evening.
It’s going to prime our listing of the perfect eating places for Valentine’s Day at Walt Disney World. Our server was raving in regards to the plans they’ve for decorations as soon as Christmas wraps up, and it sounds implausible. It’s refreshing to see a restaurant care a lot about seasonal decorations, particularly as Walt Disney World goes within the actual wrong way with its personal eating places.
If you happen to’re planning additional prematurely, Cake Bake Store Restaurant would even be excellent for a pre-Candlelight Processional meal. (Fingers crossed they’re included in future eating packages, however I doubt it.) I can’t consider many higher pairings for a memorable meal and present, even among the many EPCOT World Showcase eating places.
It’s not simply that Cake Bake Store Restaurant is an efficient possibility for {couples}.
I’d think about that if our daughter had been just a few years older, Cake Bake could be excellent. However because it stands, she’s nonetheless a toddler who’s simply discovering her ft, and isn’t prepared for an extended and extra elegant eating expertise. (Therefore this overview not that includes that second meal–we cancelled and as an alternative opted for a extra toddler-friendly various.)
We have now pals again in Indianapolis with daughters who’re 5 to fifteen years previous. They completely adore Cake Bake Store. Regardless of having one now, I don’t purport to be the authority on this form of factor, however I’d hazard a guess that’s in regards to the candy spot: ladies of that age who’re well-mannered and wish to expertise the ‘finer issues’ however aren’t fairly prepared for grownup Signature Eating.
Amongst Sarah’s grownup pals, it additionally looks like Cake Bake is standard for women nights out. Once more, I’m not an skilled on this, nevertheless it checks out. I don’t know what the precise reverse of ESPN Membership is, however this has gotta be fairly near it! Cake Bake is principally Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique: The Restaurant. Throughout, consideration to element is off the charts at Cake Bake Store. It does the little issues rather well, extra so than can by conveyed by photographs or a overview. As a visitor, you are feeling such as you’re a part of one thing particular.
Finally, we appreciated sure points of Cake Bake Store Restaurant far more than anticipated, and different parts a lot lower than anticipated. Regardless of massive plans to attempt each cake on the menu, I most likely wouldn’t order one other cake–or we’d cut up a cake, only for the sake of attempting one thing new, seeing if it’s any higher, and saying we had what the restaurant is thought for.
Reasonably than specializing in dessert, we’d reallocate that portion of the finances to entrees, ordering the ‘fanciest’ ones that greatest approximate a Signature Restaurant. We’d each completely get that Roasted Salmon Filet once more. I’d be inclined to attempt the Crab Desserts and New York Strip Steak, however I’m undecided what else. The gumbo and shrimp po’ boy sound good…however not likely becoming the vibe of the place. Level being, we’d really moderately spend extra money on entrees versus the cake to have a full bundle expertise that felt price it.
Cake Bake Store is undeniably costly. Our out-the-door invoice was $140 for the above, which is within the neighborhood of what we might’ve spent just a few doorways down at Flying Fish. It was a really completely different expertise, after all, however our solely actual problem was the price the muffins contributed to that complete. I don’t care the way you slice it: these muffins are wildly overpriced. Tweaking our order a bit to deemphasize desserts and go greater on entrees would’ve improved our meal immensely and made it extra moderately priced.
The underside line is that we are going to completely return to Cake Bake Store Restaurant in just a few years–most likely once more at Christmas–when our daughter is the precise age to understand its ambiance. To its credit score, Cake Bake affords one thing you received’t discover anyplace else at Walt Disney World when it comes to the overarching expertise, and the unbelievable consideration to element right here is Distinctly Disney.
The restaurant actually nails the delicate small issues and provides good little touches (proper all the way down to customized to-go packing containers and luggage) in a manner that exceeds even what Walt Disney World is doing. It’s actually in a class of its personal–not fairly a Signature Restaurant for cuisine-caliber, however a lot multiple in different methods.
It’s positively not going to be for everybody, and even most individuals, however Cake Bake Store goes to have super enchantment for its goal demographics. As soon as the mud has settled on its pre-opening value and building controversies, it’s probably that Cake Bake Store Restaurant will probably be an enormous hit and fan-favorite at Walt Disney World with some friends.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What are your ideas in regards to the Cake Bake Store by Gwendolyn Rogers? If you happen to’ve already dined right here, what was your expertise with the delicacies, muffins, and ambiance? Will you be making ADRs right here or skipping Cake Bake? Shocked by simply how costly that is? Suppose the costs are price it, even when they do require a second mortgage? Agree or disagree with our restaurant overview? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
