Review: Contempo Cafe

Review Contempo Cafe Restaurant at the Contemporary Hotel

Serving a mixture of favorites, such as burgers and pizza, and gourmet options, Contempo Cafe gives guests a delicious variety of options in a quick service setting. Located on the fourth floor of the Contemporary next to Chef Mickey’s, Contempo Cafe is an open restaurant that has a wonderful view of the monorail and Mary Blair’s mosaic. It utilizes Disney’s new touch screen ordering system and has large, digital displays of the menu at the entrance.

Contempo Cafe is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and stays open until midnight, which makes it a perfect spot for a late night meal/snack on the way back from Magic Kingdom.

Touch screen ordering is new to most people and there are signs posted to help guests. You place your order first, get a pager, and then go to the cashier to pay. There are cast members around who can also help if you are having trouble with anything. When your food is ready your pager will go off and you can pick up your food at the counter. Hopefully Disney incorporates this technology into other quick service locations to alleviate some of the congestion that often occurs when waiting for food during peak seasons. Next to the pick up counter is a self-service bakery case filled with numerous baked goods that all qualify for a Dining Plan snack credit. I wish I had been hungrier after my meal so that I could’ve tried one of those cupcakes!

I ordered the hot turkey sandwich and my boyfriend chose the marinated beef flatbread. Both of these items intrigued us as they had a gourmet flair that isn’t as common at quick service restaurants. The flatbread had oven roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, arugula, marinated beef, and goat cheese. He absolutely loved it and said it was the best flatbread he has ever had. It had a crisp crust and the beef was very tender, not at all chewy or fatty. The tomatoes added some acidity while the arugula gave it a bitter, peppery taste, leaving the caramelized onions to sweeten it. Personally, I didn’t care for the goat cheese as I found it to be too salty but my boyfriend thought it was perfect. Even with the goat cheese not being my favorite I had about half of the flatbread.

The hot turkey sandwich that I got was delicious, one of the best things I have ever had at a quick service restaurant. Side options for sandwiches are French fries, homemade chips, or a chilled green bean salad. The sandwich is served on Challah bread with Brie, arugula, green apple slices, apple butter, and smoked turkey and is a huge sandwich. The bread was toasted so that the apple butter and juices from the turkey didn’t make the sandwich soggy. It was a delicious combination of sweet, smoky, and sour. The green apples made the sandwich by adding contrast to the flavor and texture. All of the flavors went extremely well together. I would have liked more Brie, but I can never get enough Brie, so to most people the amount on the sandwich will be perfect.

I highly recommend Contempo Cafe, as it is different from your average quick service restaurant with its unique eats and fun location in the Grand Canyon concourse of the Contemporary. If you’re staying in the Contemporary or riding the monorail take advantage of this wonderful restaurant.

F.A.S.T. Review

Food – Delicious. It’s all American cuisine so there is something for everyone.

Atmosphere – A beautiful view of the Contemporary. It was quiet and not busy at all when I was there at peak lunch hour. During dinner I can imagine it might become a little noisy as Chef Mickey’s dining area is directly behind it.

Service – Efficient and very helpful. If you have any trouble figuring out the self-ordering system cast members are quick to offer assistance.

Tips – Avoid the crowds of Magic Kingdom by eating here. It’s just a monorail ride away and has different, and lighter, dining options than the average quick service restaurant in the park.