REVIEW: New Food at Gaston’s Tavern at Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom has new food for the summer! Arriving in late June, Gaston’s Tavern has two new menu items - the Ham and Gruyère Tart and the Crème Brûlée Croissant. Check out our review and photos below!
The Ham and Gruyère Tart and Crème Brûlée Croissant are available for purchase at Gaston’s Tavern in Magic Kingdom. Gaston’s Tavern is located in New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom across from the back of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and between Be Our Guest Restaurant and Under the Sea - Journey of The Little Mermaid and has a statue of Gaston and LeFou in front of the tavern. It does usually close at 7pm, earlier than the rest of the park, so be sure to check the hours of operation in the My Disney Experience app. Despite having tavern in the name, Gaston’s Tavern does not serve alcoholic beverages
The Ham and Gruyère Tart is crispy croissant dough topped with ham and gruyère cheese. The tart costs $9.49 plus tax and is served with a bag of Lay chips. It is eligible for a Disney Dining Plan snack credit. If you are using the Disney Dining Plan, this is a great use of a snack credit to get the most value out of your credits.
I was excited for this dish because I love croissants, ham, and gruyère however this was a big disappointment. For the positives, the croissant dough was crispy, buttery, and delicious with a great crunch. The bottom was golden brown and not soggy at all. Unfortunately, the toppings let this down. The tart is topped with thin-sliced ham, gruyère cheese, and chives. It needs about 50% more ham, 75% more cheese, and maybe a béchamel or cheese sauce. There was a very mild onion flavor from the chives, but mostly it didn’t have much of a flavor at all.
The price was also another negative factor for me. With the lack of toppings, this felt more like a snack option to me but it’s priced more like a lunch. I could have done without the bag of chips and seen the price in the $6 or $7 range. Overall, I love the crispy croissant dough but I wouldn’t get this item again unless they added more toppings and flavor.
The Crème Brûlée Croissant, however, was one of the best treats I’ve had at Disney World!
The Crème Brûlée Croissant is crispy croissant dough filled with vanilla bean custard. The croissant costs $5.29 plus tax. It is eligible for a Disney Dining Plan snack credit. If you are using the Disney Dining Plan, this is an okay use of a snack credit to get the most value out of your credits. It is also a great value for the price if you’re paying out of pocket.
This croissant was amazing! The croissant dough is crispy, buttery, and flaky and is filled to the brim with custard. The top has brûléed sugar giving it great caramelization and a nice crack when you bite into the treat. The filling is more like a pastry cream than a custard and is flecked with vanilla beans. It really tastes like crème brûlée and a croissant all in one.
While it is a bit messy to eat, I found if I just picked it up and held it that was the best way to enjoy the treat without too much mess. If you try to cut into it the filling will definitely be pushed out. Due to the shape, I’m not sure if I would call it a croissant, but it does feature croissant dough…and I’m not sure what to call it otherwise!
The Crème Brûlée Croissant deserves to go viral and sit on the best snacks lists on blogs across the internet! I hope this treat remains on the menu for the foreseeable future - I definitely plan to get it again!
If you want to watch us try these new eats and more, check out our video from Magic Kingdom where we’re reviewing all the new summer food!
Magic Kingdom
Gaston’s Tavern
Ham and Gruyère Tart – Crispy croissant dough topped with ham and gruyère served with chips ($9.49)
Crème Brûlée Croissant – Crispy croissant dough filled with vanilla bean custard ($5.29)