Review and Food Photos: Breakfast at Whispering Canyon Cafe in Disney World's Wilderness Lodge

If you're looking for information related to the current closures and their effect on the Disney Parks, click here for all the up-to-date details and click here for answers to dozens of reader FAQs.

Whispering Canyon Cafe is a casual table service restaurant located just off the lobby at Walt Disney World’s Wilderness Lodge, and it’s known for its antics that are decidedly not whispering. But you might recall that a couple of years ago the Canyon reportedly grew quieter — check out the changes here!

Whispering Canyon Cafe

I revisited after the changes were made and found the restaurant’s energy to be a shadow of its former self (click here to find out why!) But since then, Whispering Canyon Cafe introduced new skillets, so we’re back again!

Atmosphere

A fixture of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Whispering Canyon Cafe is a massive restaurant known for the antics of the servers who are your fellow pioneers.

Whispering Canyon Cafe

And as mentioned before, the antics have been toned down a bit in order to keep the rowdiness from spilling out into the lobby of the hotel, but the servers are definitely still a bit irreverent! Think about the servers at 50’s Prime Time Cafe, if you’ve been.

Wilderness Lodge Holiday Decor

Despite the toned-down antics, this restaurant definitely still has a personality all its own. And you’re still likely to end up with a super-large drink or a dozen bottles of ketchup if your server senses you’re in need of a little something extra!

Whispering Canyon Cafe

Eats

I’m here for breakfast to see how the most important meal of the day stacks up!

Breakfast Menu at Whispering Canyon Cafe

Breakfast at Whispering Canyon Cafe offers a variety of eats to please just about everyone in your group, from carnivores to vegetarians. Cocktails and specialty beverages are identified at the top of the menu for those on Disney Dining Plan who receive a complimentary drink (and those not on the plan who’d still like to imbibe!).

Breakfast Menu at Whispering Canyon Cafe

Meat-lovers are up first with one of the restaurant’s All-You-Care-to-Enjoy Signature Skillets: The Carnivore. This skillet includes House-Smoked Ham, Oak-Smoked Beef Brisket, Hickory-Smoked Bacon, Pork Sausage Links, Scrambled Eggs, and House-Made Buttermilk-Cheddar Biscuits with Sausage Gravy.

With the exception of the biscuit, this is a decent option for those following a keto diet. And everything is pretty good. If you like to start your day heavy on the protein, this is a good choice!

The Carnivore All-You-Care-to-Enjoy Skillet

There are two Benedicts on the menu, including the Traditional Eggs Benedict which consists of two Poached Eggs atop a House-Made Buttermilk-Cheddar Biscuit with House-Smoked Ham, Hollandaise Sauce, and a side of Country Potatoes. This is fine, if uninspired.

Traditional Eggs Benedict

The Vegetable Eggs Benedict is a good option, too. It consists of two Poached Eggs atop a House-Made Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuit with Tomato, Smashed Avocado, Cilantro-Lime Hollandaise Sauce, and a side of Fresh Fruit.

The flavors are good here, with the fresh avocado and the Cilantro-Lime Hollandaise offer a bit of a welcome twist. The side of fruit…is mostly melon, so be forewarned. You might want to swap out for the potatoes!

Vegetable Eggs Benedict

Traditional breakfast items include pancakes — called Flapjacks on the menu! These come with Bourbon-Maple Syrup (ask for straight maple if you prefer) and a choice of Hickory-Smoked Bacon, Pork Sausage Link, or Fruit. These were fine but definitely a bit pricy for what you get at $14.

Flapjacks

The Belgian Waffle comes with Fresh Berries and a side of bacon or sausage. No Mickey-shaped waffle for the grown-ups; but if you’re really craving a Mickey waffle for breakfast, you’ll find some on the kids’ menu! (Remember when they had those cute pinecone-shaped waffles way back in the day? Memories!)

We found the Belgian waffle to be nice and crisp, and it was a solid option for breakfast.

Belgian Waffle

The Bircher Muesli (Swiss Oatmeal) comes with Fresh Fruit, and Yogurt. This is a great choice for those looking to fill up without getting weighed down.

Steel-Cut Oatmeal

And the antics? They were so/so again. We received the extra-large soda after finishing a normal-size drink quickly, and there were ketchup deliveries, too.

Giant Soda!

We still feel like the carefree fun of the old days is subdued somewhat, but if you haven’t been to Whispering Canyon Cafe, you’ll likely still get a kick out of its current level of irreverence!

Note that the kids’ hobby horse races DO still happen.

Nosh or Not?

Whispering Canyon Cafe may be right for you if:

You’re looking for an option that will really fill you up — the all you can eat skillets can help you out there!
You want to experience the restaurant’s notoriously fun antics.
High protein meals are your jam — again The Carnivore Skillet will do the trick!
You want to take a break from the Magic Kingdom for a meal without traveling too far away. Wilderness Lodge is only a quick boat (or bus) ride away!

You may want to skip Whispering Canyon Cafe if:

A loud, rowdy dining atmosphere is not your thing.
You’re looking for super unique or inventive menu items.
It’s date night or another special occasion — the antics are fun, but they don’t make for the most romantic experience!

Overall

The meal and experience were fine overall — not the best meal we’ve had on property, but still filling with some tasty menu items! The skillets are a great option if you’re looking to really fill up, but in general, the food feels pretty standard rather than memorable. We’ve also had some issues with service at WCC recently. It seems like the restaurant is chronically understaffed, and so that can mean very long waits if you need anything extra at your table.

We used to be much larger proponents of this restaurant, but having been several times at the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020, things have definitely been slipping. With so-so food, meh-to-bad service, and the restaurant just not really hitting the mark atmosphere-wise any longer…it’s probably not a must-do unless you’re staying at Wilderness Lodge.

Check out these NEW menu items that recently made their way to Whispering Canyon Cafe!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun!

Preorder Your Copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!

With more than 750 pages, the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs!

With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.

Click here to preorder your copy of the 2022 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2022 to save 25% off the cover price today!