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Today, I want to share with you my family’s experience having breakfast at Steakhouse 71, a restaurant at the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. In this complete guide, we’ll tell you what we liked about our breakfast – and what we didn’t like.
Steakhouse 71 Background
But first, let’s start with a background of the restaurant. I’m old enough to remember when this restaurant was called The Wave of American Flavors (after all, when I went, it was 2021).
But as part of the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Celebration, a new restaurant had replaced it by the end of 2021. And that restaurant was Steakhouse 71!
Steakhouse 71 gets its name from the year Disney’s Contemporary Resort opened. And even though it is a steakhouse, it does offer breakfast. So today I want to focus exclusively on the breakfast experience. It was really convenient for my family when we were staying at Bay Lake Tower at Contemporary, which is a second building next to the main Contemporary Resort (we’ve found we can book it at much cheaper prices).
But back to breakfast at Steakhouse 71. I made my reservation online a few weeks before our stay. I checked in when it was time and then waited to get a message on my phone that our table was ready.
Atmosphere & Decor
To capture its nod to the opening of Contemporary Resort, Steakhouse 71 has a 1970s design style. The whole restaurant also has a nice and relaxing atmosphere. It starts with the location.
It’s on the first floor of the Contemporary Resort. Even if you are not staying at Contemporary or one of the hotels on the monorail line (like Grand Floridian and Polynesian), you can take a monorail from Magic Kingdom or the Ticket & Transportation Center here if you would like to try this restaurant.
There was plenty of seating inside the restaurant and in the lobby.
It is really nice to rest your feet and be able to wait inside in the air conditioning during a Disney World trip.
If you choose not to sit and wait, I recommend checking out the pictures on the wall leading up to the table where you check-in. They have really great pictures up of the Walt Disney World Resort in the early days.
It’s really neat to compare Disney World back to Disney World now and really appreciate how much the resort has grown. It also brings back great memories for those of us who have been going to Disney World for years now. Like I forgot about the Skyliner that used to run through Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom.
There are also other great nostalgic pictures of the Contemporary Resort and Magic Kingdom throughout the restaurant.
We didn’t wait long until our table was ready. Throughout the restaurant, I couldn’t help but notice the restaurant was decorated differently from when it was Waves of American Flavors. Gone were the wave-type decorations from the ceiling and there was different carpeting, too.
One thing I really like about the restaurant is the mural of Magic Kingdom.
It really does make the restaurant a celebration of the early days of Walt Disney World.
The chairs were padded and comfortable, which was really nice given my back can often hurt after long days at the parks during a Disney World trip.
Service
The service was really good. For example, after we ordered, the server brought out butter, syrup, and ketchup to the table without being asked.
They also brought out coffee so we could keep refilling a cup whenever we needed it.
Food Review
The breakfast menu was very similar to when the restaurant was Wave of American Flavor. I ordered seasonal pancakes at the time, which were sweet potato pancakes. I ordered the seasonal pancakes this time at Steakhouse 71. This time, they were blueberry lemon ricotta pancakes.
And they were delicious. I liked how the blueberries were baked into the batter. Often, when you order blueberry pancakes, they are just regular pancakes with blueberries on top. I like that it had blueberries on top but also in the pancakes. It also came with bacon, which was delicious.
We ordered the Eggs Benedict.
This was also available at Waves of American Flavor. This Egg Benedict had 2 poached Eggs on top of an English Muffin. It also had Canadian Bacon and Hollandaise.
The English muffin was hard, which was a bit disappointing. Otherwise, it was delicious. The eggs were cooked perfectly. The breakfast potatoes were very good.
Another order at my table was the Ham and Cheddar Omelette.
It was delicious.
The food was filling, too. This allowed us to eat lightly and save up room for Cinderella’s Royal Table, which is where had dinner that night.
Conclusion
Steakhouse 71 has a great breakfast that is similar to the breakfast offerings of its predecessor, Waves of American Flavor. If you are staying at one of the monorail hotels, we recommend it. Otherwise, we recommend taking a monorail from the Magic Kingdom or Tickets & Transportation Center to try this restaurant.
Other Dining Options
Looking for another great dining option while you are staying at Disney’s Contemporary Resort? Check out our review of Chef Mickey, Contempo Cafe and Sand Bar Grill.
Interested in breakfast elsewhere at the Walt Disney World Resort? Here are some reviews of our favorite breakfasts at Disney World that are not buffets, like Steakhouse 71:
- Grand Floridian Cafe
- Ale and Compass at Disney’s Yacht Club
- Trattoria al Forno on Disney’s Boardwalk
- Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
