Walt Disney World: Garden View Tea Room

There were a couple of meals I was especially excited about during our recent trip to Walt Disney World. One was dinner at Homecomin', and the other was the Afternoon Tea at the Garden View Tea Room at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa on my birthday!

A woman sitting at a table with a plate of food at afternoon tea

I had been wanting to experience the afternoon tea here for quite some time.

rows of plates of food for afternoon tea

In the past it was offered at kind of weird times, and starting later in the afternoon on certain days of the week. At the time of this post, it appears that it's offered daily from noon to 4 pm, which is an improvement to the previous schedule.

$the interior of the Garden View Tea Room at Disney\'s Grand Floridian Resort$

tables in a tea room topped with tea cups

The Garden View Tea Room is located just beyond the lobby of the Grand Floridian, overlooking the beautiful grounds and gardens.

A dining room table in front of a window

There's definitely a garden theme here with floral accents (and of course some hidden Minnies in this case) in the carpeting.

Let's start off by taking a look at the menus. We'll begin with the food.

Each afternoon tea experience comes with a pot of tea. The tea selection is extensive.

We all selected the Bedfordshire Tea, which is the most basic option. It includes a medley of finger sandwiches, a scone with accompaniments, and a choice of dessert. There are a couple of other tea experiences which include either caviar or fruit and cheese plates, and they are priced accordingly. For my choice of tea I picked the Castleton Moonlight Oolong, which was excellent! And I just loved the adorable tea cozies used to keep our teapots warm.

Let's take a closer look at each of the components of our afternoon tea experience. We'll begin with the medley of finger sandwiches.

These include poached pear with Gorgonzola cream cheese, traditional egg salad, curried chicken salad, cucumber and Boursin cheese, and fire roasted tomato on oregano-goat cheese. These are served with a tiny caramelized onion tartlet.

I enjoyed each of the finger sandwiches for their unique qualities, however I found the cucumber sandwich to be the least exciting. I expected a bit more flavor from the Boursin, but it was pretty neutral in flavor.

closeup of tea sandwiches on a floral plate

I loved all the other sandwiches a lot though. The flavors were good, the texture of the bread was good, squishy but firm. I also really liked the little tartlet.

a variety of tea sandwiches on a floral plate

Between the four of us we received two towers featuring our next two courses, the scones and the desserts.

side view of a 3 tiered afternoon tea food display

Flaky golden raisin scones are served with Devonshire clotted cream, lemon curd, and strawberry jam alongside a small strawberry preserve tart.

A close up of a scone and small raspberry jam tart

The scone and its accompaniments were all spot on, as was the tartlet. I have pretty high standards when it comes to scones (and really afternoon tea anything) so I'm happy to report that there were no disappointments here at all. Tender. Buttery. Delicious.

a halved scone topped with clotted cream, jam, and lemon curd

There are three options for dessert: strawberries and cream, English trifle, or house-made pastries and a chocolate-covered strawberry. We ordered all of them.

overhead view of desserts for afternoon tea

The strawberries and cream is the simplest of the three, however it's a classic British treat, and quite delicious.

side view of a glass dish of strawberries and cream

overhead view of a white surface topped with the letters GF

The traditional English trifle varies seasonally, and at the time of our visit was blueberry-lemon, a lovely combination.

overhead view of a trifle topped with the letters GF

I preferred my trifle to the strawberries and cream that I sampled, meanwhile my sister was quite content with her strawberries and cream selection. I don't think you can really go wrong with either.

A close up of a half eaten dish of trifle

The final dessert option includes a few pastries including a mousse-filled swan (during our visit it was a mixed berry mousse), macarons, and a chocolate-covered strawberry. This is a good choice if you want a little more variety in your final course.

macarons and a chocolate covered strawberry on a dish

I tried half the mousse-filled swan, and it was divine!

Afternoon Tea at the Garden View Tea Room didn't just live up to my expectations, but rather exceeded them. I knew it would be a fun experience, but it was really so lovely. The lounge was mostly empty when we dined, and therefore pretty quiet and intimate. The tea was outstanding, and our various courses of food were fantastic! The entire family enjoyed this experience. I would definitely do it again, and would highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys afternoon tea.

Garden View Tea Room
4401 Floridian Way
Orlando, FL 32830
(407) 939-3463
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/grand-floridian-resort-and-spa/afternoon-tea/