Having visited Cape May Cafe recently for breakfast and enjoying every bit of it, I had to make it a point to visit again for their dinner service, asap.
Set just off the lobby of Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Cape May Cafe offers manly New England staples, with plenty of seafood options, prime beef tenderloin, and of course the optional King Crab legs. Just walking up to the restaurant, the smell of the Beach Club lobby fades (one of the best on property I might add) and the smell of freshly prepared seafood fills the air (in the best of ways).
Our party of five were ushered to a cozy area toward the back of the restaurant, just along the railing that separates the resort hallways from the restaurant. The atmosphere of Cape May Cafe is very light and playful - taking you back to the turn of the 20th century beach going, with it’s fun, multi-colored umbrellas and other decor standing out.
With Cape May Cafe being an “all you care to enjoy” meal for everyone (kids included), there wasn’t much waiting or decision making to be had. Once we made our drink selections, which are plentiful when it comes to cocktails and beer, we made our way to the buffet counters for the first of several trips.
The first course was a blur, the plate was filled with a smattering of delightful coastal favorites, including a miso-glazed salmon dish which was one of my favorite items from the entire buffet selection. Accompanying the salmon was some a mixed rice, a vegetable medley, ambrosia salad, and more. On the following trips, I became more decisive with what I was after. The aforementioned beef tenderloin made it onto my plate (maybe more than once), along with some red smashed potatoes, corn bread and some additional fixings. While I did not personally opt for the crab leg add-on for ~$30 (per pound) my wife did, and they looked delightful and got her immediate approval upon cracking those bad boys open.
The buffet did offer some selections geared towards the kids as well. Since we had two in tow ourselves, this was something we were sure to take advantage of. The options included_ fish nuggets, macaroni and cheese, cheese pizza, white rice, and broccoli. I did take time to “taste test” all of these options (for science).
After we made our way through the buffet several times, I dug way down deep and found room to visit the desert bar. For desert, there was a selection of cookies, some seasonal small treats like the lemon cake, and more. But there real star of the show was the bread pudding. Having just been to Cape May Cafe for breakfast and experiencing their cinnamon crumble cake, I realized that was the base for this bread pudding - and man let me just say, this was some of the absolute best bread pudding I have ever had; ladled with the vanilla sauce, you couldn’t help, but take another bite.
So there you have it, my first trip to Cape May Cafe for dinner; and it’s safe to say, it won’t be my last. I believe it’s also worth mentioning that Cape May Cafe is normally a character dining experience with some of the Fab 5. At the time of our visit, the character dining had not returned to Cape May Cafe as a result of the pandemic. But with it recently announced that the characters will be returning soon, it looks like I need to plan my next visit.
-Jordan