Dining at Whispering Canyon Cafe

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is a wonderful Deluxe Disney Resort that welcomes Guests to revel in the rustic charm and beauty of the great lodges in the National Parks. The main lobby features a massive atrium with wooden beams, towering stone fireplaces, and splashes of bright colors and artwork to add a pop here and there. Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is also home to a popular restaurant that combines hearty Western cuisine with a laid-back atmosphere and plenty of antics. Whispering Canyon Café is a table service restaurant that is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and many Guests consider it to be a must-do on every visit to the Walt Disney World Resort since the food, atmosphere, and service are completely unique.

Let’s check out just what makes Whispering Canyon Café such a fantastic place to dine at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.

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Whispering Canyon Café is located just off of the main lobby in Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, offering Guests the opportunity to enjoy a large dining area that also offers great people-watching views into the large atrium area. The interior of Whispering Canyon Café continues the rustic charm of the lodge with wooden beamed ceilings, rustic chandeliers with candle-like lighting, bright red tabletops, aqua-accented chairs with images of bucking bulls, cowboys, and Native Americans painted on the back, a Western-themed carpet, and large window that look out onto the grounds of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. Certain corners of the restaurant also feature a fireplace, paintings depicting scenes of Western life, and lanterns with an art déco feel with metal cutouts of bison and other animals. Overall, the interior of Whispering Canyon Café is cozy and welcoming, and Guests love the laid-back atmosphere for every meal.

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In addition to the rustic interior, part of what makes Whispering Canyon Café so unique are the servers. While some antics have been modified due to health and safety restrictions, the Cast Members who work at the restaurant create all sorts of hilarious situations and jokes for Guests to get wrapped up in. Each server has a unique nickname and part of their whole act is treating Guests with a little good-natured sass, which seems so out of place and entertaining compared to the typical demeanor that Cast Members are encouraged to have with Guests.

Whispering Canyon Café Cast Members have no problem giving Guests a little attitude as part of their tough charm, and they also promote some silly antics depending on how Guests react. For example, when a Guest asks for ketchup, an entire scene occurs where servers run around and collect dozens of bottles from every table in the restaurant and deposit them in front of whoever asked. The interactions with Cast Members at Whispering Canyon Café are one of the most memorable parts of any meal there and are often what keep Guests coming back time and time again.

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While the atmosphere and Cast Members are great, the hearty food served up at Whispering Canyon Café is finger-licking good to the last bite. The restaurant is well known for its bottomless skillets which serve up hefty portions of Western favorites with different options based on a Guest’s preference in addition to regular entrée options. Breakfast and lunch start the day off right with identical menus featuring three bottomless skillets including The Heritage which features buttermilk-cheddar biscuits, sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, country potatoes, hickory-smoked bacon, pork sausage links, and Mickey Waffles. The Carnivore takes on a more meat-heavy approach with cornbread and honey butter, maple-chipotle barbecued slow-smoked pork ribs, oak-smoked beef brisket, barbecued pulled pork, citrus-herb chicken, country potatoes, buttered corn, and charred carrots, and Guests looking for something a little less intense for breakfast or lunch can go with The Lighter Side featuring Bircher Muesli, fresh fruit, yogurt, egg white spinach frittata, turkey bacon, turkey sausage, country potatoes, and Mickey Waffles.

In addition to the breakfast and lunch skillets, Guests can also order up entrée options such as a Ham and Cheese Omelette, Pepper Jack “Cheese” Frittata, Chopped Bison Burger, Belgian-style Waffle, Slow-Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwich, and Steel-cut Oatmeal. Sides of blueberry muffins, toast, buttermilk-cheddar biscuits, sausage gravy, “Jacked Up” Avocado Toast, and ‘Burnt Ends’ Nachos round out a truly filling breakfast or lunch. Whispering Canyon Café also offers up soft drinks, coffee, tea, and morning cocktails including a Bloody Mary, Mimosa, and Bourbon Sweet Tea.

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Dinner at Whispering Canyon Café features a different menu with slightly more options, including some great starters that Guests can share. The ‘Burnt Ends’ Nachos smother crispy chips in beef brisket, barbecued pulled pork, cheese sauce, and fresh salsa for an option that could honestly be a full meal for one individual alone. Other stars on the menu include the Maple-Chipotle Barbecue-braised Jackfruit Dip which is plant-based and the Whispering Canyon House Salad. Guests also have three dinner entrées to choose from at Whispering Canyon Café beginning with the Char-crusted New York Strip which is served with honey-roasted carrots, crispy-fried red potatoes, and a whiskey-onion butter. The Cedar Plank Salmon is house-smoked and is accompanied by ancient grains, roquette, fennel, Parmesan, and lemon crème Fraiche, and the plant-based option is the Pan-fried Red Quinoa Cakes with pickled corn, oven-roasted peppers, and avocado spread.

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Dinner at Whispering Canyon Café features four bottomless skillets, each more indulgent than the last. The Traditional features oak-smoked mustard-barbecued beef brisket, maple-chipotle pork ribs, slow-smoked pulled pork, citrus-herb chicken, Western-style sausage, smashed potatoes, buttered corn, and sautéed green beans. The Pig features the same pork ribs, pulled pork, sausage, potatoes, corn, and green beans as The Traditional with the addition of braised pork belly and mustard-barbecued ‘piggy wings.’ The Land and Sea incorporates some fresh seafood flavors with house-smoked salmon, citrus-herb chicken, spicy vegan sausage, charred portabella, barbecued cauliflower, roasted potatoes, sautéed green beans, and oven-roasted carrots. Finally, the Plant-Based Skillet features maple-chipotle barbecued jackfruit, spicy ‘sausage,’ mustard-glazed beefless tips, herb-brushed Trick’n Chick’n, roasted potatoes, oven-roasted carrots, sautéed green beans, and charred peppers.

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Despite the bottomless skillets and dinner entrées being so over-the-top indulgent at Whispering Canyon Café, Guests simply have to save a little room for equally indulgent dessert options that are rich and delicious. The Whispering Canyon Pioneer Chocolate Cake is rich and moist with deep chocolate flavors, and the Granny Smith Apple Pie features layer upon layer of apple slices served à la mode. The plant-based dessert option at Whispering Canyon Café is the Rice Milk Panna Cotta which is served with marionberries and strawberries. Rounding out dinner at Whispering Canyon Café are beverages including soft drinks, coffee, tea, juice, wine, beer, and a lengthy list of specialty cocktails including the Smoked Turkey, Spicy Poblano Margarita, Walk the Plank, Kentucky Mule, Rum Swizzle, and Antioxidant Lemonade.

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Whispering Canyon Café is an absolute must-visit restaurant at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge thanks to its perfect combination of rustic charm, sassy servers, and hearty food. Guests who are looking to enjoy a full day in the Disney parks can stop there for an early breakfast that is sure to fuel them up for a long day ahead or enjoy a leisurely lunch or dinner that is as filling as it is satisfying. Be sure to stop by Whispering Canyon Café on any visit to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and tuck into some of the most delicious Western options around!