Review: One of Disney World’s CHEAPEST Restaurants is Also (Still) One of the BEST
Disney has a lot of exciting and adventurous foods to try, like gator bites and food from outer space.
SO MUCH SPACE FOOD
But, sometimes you just need some comfort food, ya know? And luckily, Disney also has plenty of that, too! From corn dog nuggets to tater tots to fried chicken, it’s hard to keep up with all of the spots you can get some classic comfort food. One spot that you might not come across unless you know about it is Beaches and Cream Soda Shop at Disney’s Beach Club Resort! We haven’t had a meal at the soda shop in a hot minute, so come along with us to try some food!
Atmosphere
Beaches and Cream is located at Disney’s Beach Club Resort near EPCOT and is styled like a retro soda fountain you would find on the Atlantic seashore.
Beaches and Cream Soda Shop
They also have a walk-up window outside so you can get their desserts to go! There is also outdoor seating available.
Get the ice cream to go!
Inside, you’ll find a big open room with booths, tables, and bar seating along with cute paintings on the walls.
Retro vibes
At the bar, you can get a good view of the open kitchen!
Bar seating
We sat at the bar for this trip, which really gave us that old soda fountain feel.
Ready for some FOOD
And, it was really cool to see the chefs making the food and desserts!
Pls bring us ice cream
Also inside is an old-fashioned jukebox to listen to some oldies while you sip the shakes and floats!
Vintage tunes time!
Let’s take a look at what’s on the menu. This spot feels like “happy,” doesn’t it? It’s just cheery and pastel and how could you NOT want to dive into a giant sundae or malt here?! Speaking of…
Menu
…Beaches and Cream doesn’t have a huge menu right now, but there are some good options! They’re open for lunch and dinner, but both meals have the same menu. For entrees, you can get things like a classic Angus Beef Burger or the Cheddar-Bacon-Ranch Chicken Sandwich. BTW, check the prices. There’s pretty great, right? (Well, OK, by Disney standards, at least!). A fresh-made sandwich or burger for around $15 in Disney World at a sit-down restaurant is a score!
©Disney
For sides, there are things like Chili and Cheese Tots, Onion Rings, and a Bowl of Chili.
©Disney
For the kiddos, they can choose from a Garden Salad or Applesauce as an appetizer, and then they can create their own entree with options like a Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Hot Dog, or Macaroni & Cheese.
©Disney
The kids’ create-your-own entrees come with 2 sides. They can get things like Watermelon, Carrots, or a Mickey Mouse Sundae.
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Now, let’s take a look at the desserts, of which there are WAY more to choose from! The regular desserts on the menu include items like Cookie Fries, a Brownie a la Mode, and Strawberry Shortcake.
©Disney
There are also Specialty Shakes, like the Mickey Confetti Shake, and Shakes with Soda, like a Root Beer Float!
©Disney
There are a lot of different Sundaes you can get, the most famous of which is the Kitchen Sink Sundae, which serves 4 people, is $35, and actually comes in a kitchen sink! Or you could opt for our one true love. A long-standing DFB FAVORITE practically oozing peanut butter sauce and hot fudge — the No Way José!
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There are also some simpler Ice Cream Creations like a scoop in a waffle cone or a Mini Mickey Sink! And, you can get regular beverages here like coffee, soda, and tea.
©Disney
If you want something a bit stronger, you can get a float or a shake with alcohol! The Stout Float has Guinness and vanilla ice cream, while the Tropical Sunrise has Ace Pineapple Hard Cider with rainbow sherbet. There are also just regular beers, hard ciders, and hard sodas on the menu.
©Disney
At the restaurant, we were given a QR code to scan to access the menu.
QR Menu
Now, let’s move on to the FOOD!
Food
To start out, we got a Vanilla Coke — because when you’re at a soda shop, you drink soda, duh! And, the vanilla just makes it a little bit more special. This was as Coke-y and vanilla-y as you’d expect!
What’s more classic than a Coke?!
For food, we got the Grilled Cheese for $13 and the French Dip Sandwich for $17.
YUM
The Grilled cheese came with creamy tomato soup on the side, as well as a pickle! This was a very classic grilled cheese, nothing out of the ordinary, but it was good!
Good sammies HAVE to come with a pickle
The cheese is pretty mild and there is a lot of it (seriously. Just LOOK AT THAT THING!), so it’s pretty ooey gooey. The bread is also super buttery, which just adds to the deliciousness!
Cheesy goodness
We do wish it had a little more going on cheese-wise, like a smoky gouda or a sharp cheddar, but this would definitely be a good choice for a picky eater! This is very much that classic grilled cheese mom would make in a pinch for lunch that’s uber buttery and loaded with Kraft singles. If you have fond memories of those sorts of lunches, this is gonna be like a trip down memory lane! Do note though that you can add bacon or ham to the sandwich for an extra $5.
Needs a little somethin’
The soup had a nice natural sweetness and is really thick. We heart a good creamy tomato soup. But with a grilled cheese? Chef’s kiss. There’s a small garnish of basil on top to add a little freshness.
Soup warms the soul
We dipped our grilled cheese in the soup, of course, to get that classic combo and it was delicious! We think kids would love this one, or it would be great on those rare cold and rainy days in Disney World.
If you don’t dip your grilled cheese, what are you doing?!
Now, moving on to the French Dip Sandwich! This is a toasted French roll served with thinly-sliced roast beef, Swiss, and au jus topped with crispy fried onions. We also got a side of French fries.
Yep, we’re excited
We liked this one a lot! It had a little tang from the Swiss cheese, a lot of thin sliced meat, and those awesome fried onions that added a little crunch!
Crispy onions are severely underrated
The thin meat really benefitted from the savory au jus that you dip into — it clung onto the meat well and added a ton of extra moisture and flavor.
More dips for our sandwich?! Amazing
The fries were your basic thick-cut diner fries. There wasn’t much to them, but they’re doing their job of being decent French fries, which is what matters!
Fries forever
This sandwich is also pretty big, so it should fill you up! It’s a little heavy though, so maybe don’t plan to eat this if you’re looking for a light meal or have suuuper active plans right after. But, if you want comfort food, this is a great option.
Pretty hefty
The one drawback was that the bread doesn’t hold up very well in the au jus. This isn’t an issue if you take a bit RIGHT after you dip, though! Just be aware that if you let it sit for a minute after dipping, it will be soggy. Such is life in the fast lane with a French Dip though. It’s always gonna be a race to get the perfect soggy bread ratio!
Eat it fast!
Now, for dessert (the best part of Beaches and Cream!). Wait. You thought we’d come here and NOT GET DESSERT? First of all, rude. Second of all, do you even know us? 
Dessert is basically our love language and Beaches does a phenomenal job. We first got a Fudge Mud Slide Sundae for $11. This is a gooey, chewy brownie covered with hot fudge, three scoops of vanilla ice cream, Oreo cookies, and whipped cream topped with chocolate syrup and a cherry.
Oh MY
Talk about a chocolate lover’s DREAM! The big brownie (it’s in there, we promise! It’s just drowning in a sea of sugar is all.) was well balanced with the Oreos and sauce, while the ice cream helped cut through some of that richness.
We’re so content right now
If you love chocolate, this is your dessert! There’s a LOT here, but the flavors are pretty basic — vanilla, chocolate, Oreo. YUM.
Gorgeous
But, it’s pretty big, so you can definitely share with others if you want (or if you don’t, that’s fine too 
).
YES to all of this
Next, we got the Holiday Cookie Butter Shake for $15, which is seasonal and available both inside the restaurant and outside at the walkup window! It’s a cookie butter-flavored milkshake (YAAAAS) drizzled in red and green caramel and topped with a red velvet Christmas Tree Cupcake.
Oh, WOW
The shake itself tastes almost exactly like the Christmas Cookie Milkshake we tried previously this holiday season in Magic Kingdom, just with the addition of SUPER sweet caramel. Which, speaking of, major snaps to Beaches for seriously bringing it in the colorful (or sparkly!) caramel department. Caramel is good, but GREEN caramel is mega fun.
SOOO Sweet!
This shake was very, very sweet (you’re shocked, huh? ). If you don’t have a sweet tooth, you probably won’t be a fan of this one. We love sweet, but this was tooth-zappingly sugary, even for us. We would’ve preferred just a plain vanilla shake, honestly! It was still tasty though, just incredibly sweet. There are better shake options on the menu, but, obviously, you get this one for the Instagramability. It’s Christmas in a cup. With a cupcake on top.
Talk about a sugar rush
The cupcake on top had vanilla frosting on top…
It’s pretty, though!
…and had cream cheese frosting the middle! So keep in mind that, for the price, you get to keep the souvenir mason jar AND get a shake and a whole stuffed Disney cupcake.
We can’t say no to frosting
Overall, these kinds of shakes are very over the top and a bit too sweet for us, but if you have a major sugar craving, they will definitely hit the spot! Plus, they real pretty, doncha think?
Nosh or Not
Bop on down to the Soda Shop if…
- You’re looking for simple comfort food that you could find in a classic diner.
- You’re a picky eater or have picky eaters in your group, there isn’t anything too adventurous here.
- You are a BIG fan of desserts and want a lot of fun options like ice cream, shakes, or the whole kitchen sink!
Save your stomach space for something else if…
- You’re an adventurous eater or major foodie who wants to try new and out-of-the-ordinary dishes. This is food you can find anywhere, really.
- You’re lactose intolerant, as there is a LOT of dairy on the menu, especially in those desserts!
- You’re looking for a light meal to keep you fueled throughout the day or the rest of the night — the food here is pretty heavy.
Overall
Our service at Beaches and Cream was excellent! The food came on time and everyone was cheery. We’ve had really great experiences with Cast Members here — many have worked here for years and often remember guests that frequent the spot! It really does feel like a beachside diner where you’re treated like family. While we do love the vintage vibe in here, we wouldn’t say it’s show-stopping when it comes to food. The food is well-made but it’s simple food. At the end of the day it’s still a plate of tots. Or a bowl of soup. Or a grilled cheese. It’s GOOD, don’t get us wrong, but it is simple. We happen to really love Beaches and Cream — we have for a long time — but if your idea of “Disney food” is the more unique eats you’d find at spots like Space 220 in EPCOT or Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom, a grilled cheese or turkey sandwich might not blow your mind.
This place shines when it comes to sweet stuff, so if you want to just come in to eat dessert, we think it’s a great idea. But, Beaches and Cream is definitely great for families, especially those with little kids! Those big sundaes and shakes are sure to blow their minds. There’s nothing wrong with making a reservation here just to score dessert but, if you do, just remember this is a full-service restaurant so we highly encourage you to tip your server appropriately, even if you’re just getting a sundae.
With simple food comes simple prices (by Disney World standards, at least!). This spot is a downright bargain, all things considered. Most of the entrees are priced closer to what you’d pay for a fast food meal at Disney World but the quality is infinitely better. Even the ice cream is pretty reasonable ($15 bucks for that massive shake AND cupcake AND a glass to keep? Not too bad!). It’s no wonder this spot books up pretty fast! If you’re looking to eat here, be sure to score a reservation as soon as you can!
That’s all from Beaches and Cream! Thanks for joining us on our restaurant journey and be sure to stay tuned to DFB for more Disney food news, updates, and reviews.
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