Beaches and Cream – Dining Review

Beaches and Cream: This Disney twist on the classic soda shop/diner can be found next to the pool at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. We were finally able to snag a seat in Beaches and Cream!

This restaurant is historically difficult to snag a reservation for. It has also recently undergone an expansion which I would guess almost doubled the capacity. We were able to visit during a recent stay at the Wilderness Lodge during the COVID pandemic, so reservations were easier to come by.

First, let’s chat about some COVID precautions at Beaches and Cream. When checking in for your reservation in lieu of a Cast Member checking you in, you scanned a QR code at the hostess stand. The capability to do this is built into the camera of most smartphones. You open your cameras and scan the code which takes you to a check-in webpage. Here you can note how many children in your party or if you have any food allergies.

Once inside the menu was also presented in this way with a paper QR code for you to scan. We were not given paper menus for the kids to color on. If this is something you count on to entertain the kids before the food comes plans accordingly and bring something for them to do. Ordering also took a little longer because our kids don’t have smartphones. Typically my kids ( now old enough) can read the menu and decide for themselves what they would like to order. Basically, it was like only have two menus instead of four. Not a big deal we just had to read all the options to them!

The seating was spread out and all the CMs were wearing masks. All guests had on masks until they were seated at the table. Also of note, there is no bathroom in the restaurant. We had to exit the restaurant and walk back into the resort to use the facilities and wash our hands. Just another thing to plan for with kids!

Now on to the good stuff. We came for dinner, well really we came for dessert. The dinner options are underwhelming at best. Honestly, this is not a place you come for outstanding food. We all had burgers and they were nothing special. Run of the mill Disney burgers. We also had an order of the Chili and Cheese tots, my husband’s choice. They were smothered in cheese so if that is your thing it would be an excellent choice.

What we really came for was dessert. Specifically a bucket list item, The Kitchen Sink. If you are unfamiliar the kitchen sink comes in a bowl that looks like.. a kitchen sink. In this sink, they fit eight scoops of ice cream. This can be one scoop of every flavor or if you choose all chocolate or Neapolitan. We went with the original so we had chocolate, strawberry, mint chip, etc. Then they add every topping they have. We had cookies, brownies, cake, gummies, chocolate sauce, you name it, we had it. The final item is a whole can of whip cream.

When this item is brought to your table they dim the lights and activate some siren type orange lights on the ceiling. They announce to the crowd what you have ordered and everyone joins in a little chant about how it comes with A WHOLE CAN OF WHIPPED CREAM. My boys especially loved that part.

I was surprised by how many kitchen sinks were served during our time there. I suppose lots of people came just for the same experience as us.

Now for the truth of it. This kitchen sink was advertised to serve four people. They give you small bowls to serve yourselves, you don’t all have to eat out of the same dish. To me, it served more like eight! It was huge. At $35 it is expensive. However, if we had each ordered an $11 ice cream treat we would have paid more overall. The kitchen sink has so much to it by the time we received it, it was already a melted mess. It was also hard to see what we were eating because it had A WHOLE CAN OF WHIPPED CREAM on top! It felt like a treasure hunt. You couldn’t tell what flavor of ice cream you were scooping out.

Instead of stuffing ourselves, we left half of the ice cream uneaten. This part felt incredibly wasteful. This is why I think this dish would be better for a much bigger party than just four. Would we do this again? If it was just my little family of four, no. Maybe, if we wanted to share the experience with more friends or family we would.

If you can’t snag a reservation no worries they have a take out window. You can order some beautifully crafted milkshakes and sundaes to eat at some of the tables just outside the restaurant. I think this is an excellent option. Actual diner at this restaurant is nothing to write home about but a good sundae or old fashioned milkshake may be a perfect treat. They also have acholic milkshakes. I tried on in the past. Although, I am a huge fan of Disney cocktails this version did nothing for me. The alcohol did not add anything in terms of flavor for me and then I had too much ice cream that I couldn’t share with my kids.

Beaches and Cream – Dining review. Are you a must-visit or take it or leave it on this restaurant? What is your favorite thing to order here? Or would you go straight for the Kitchen Sink?