We had heard good things about breakfast at Rosa Mexicano at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel, so we decided to try it while staying at the hotel on a recent visit. I was a little hesitant because the restaurant is described as delivering bold flavors to celebrate Mexican heritage, and when I think of roller coasters, I do not think of eating Mexican food beforehand. However, it was fantastic.
Rosa Mexicano is a chain restaurant with locations in New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia; a future location is opening in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The experience started off nicely. The hostesses were very friendly and conversational. They really made us feel welcome, and I was smiling before we were even seated.
My husband opted for the buffet that allows you to request omelets with the waitress. He ordered a meat omelet with bacon, sausage, and chorizo from the waitress. From the buffet, he chose chorizo, bacon, ranch potatoes (crispy roasted potatoes that do not have ranch seasoning), and a croissant. I chose the Eggs Your Way entrée from the menu with scrambled eggs, bacon, ranch potatoes, and gluten-free toast. I also ordered an allergy-friendly Mickey-shaped churro waffle without the chocolate sauce or whipped cream.
The restaurant was able to accommodate my dietary needs (no wheat, dairy, or strawberries), and I felt comfortable eating there. The ranch potatoes are gluten-free and dairy-free.
My husband thought his omelet was outstanding. He also thought the potatoes were amazing because they were crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, and nicely seasoned with onions. The croissant was very large, and it was soft and flakey. My husband appreciated that the buffet was served cafeteria-style with employees serving you. This was much more sanitary than a traditional buffet setup. Other items available on the buffet included bacon, pork sausage, chorizo sausage, scrambled eggs, pancakes, Mickey waffles, and Rosa’s guacamole and toast for approximately $30. It also included the items on the continental breakfast buffet. The continental breakfast buffet (approximately $22) included fruit, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, Danishes, croissants, muffins, overnight oats, oatmeal, corn grits, and assorted cereals.
I really liked the crispy texture of the potatoes as well and actually giggled out loud when I cut into one and felt and heard the crispy goodness. My scrambled eggs were cooked well-done as I had ordered them and had a good taste to them. My gluten-free toast was slightly toasted without butter, so I was not excited about it, but I really liked it, and I was glad that I had tried it. I did not enjoy my churro waffle. I am sure I was the only person anywhere near Disney property that did not, but I found it to be too light on the cinnamon sugar. My husband tried it and said it smelled like a churro and had the consistency of one; he enjoyed it.
The atmosphere is very simple, with minimal décor and Edison-style bulb ceiling lighting. There are a couple of separate seating areas, one of which provides an open view of the kitchen, allowing you to watch chefs cooking. There is a bar area as well. The restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner and accepts dining reservations for dinner. It does cost to park here for breakfast, so if you are not staying at the hotel, you might consider taking transportation to it. Parking can be validated at dinner.
Overall, we had a great experience. My soda was bad due to the ratio of syrup and carbonated water being incorrect, but that was the only negative thing we experienced. I was also relieved that breakfast was not the heavy, spicy, taco-like meal that I feared it might be after reading the description about Mexican flavors as I started my walk to Hollywood Studios. Make good choices, everyone.
We found this restaurant to be a great place to have breakfast (really a late breakfast as our lunch) before heading to the park or as a break from work when my husband had to work until the afternoon when we left for the park from our room at the Dolphin Hotel. We also enjoyed staying at the Dolphin and taking a convenient elevator ride down to breakfast before walking to Epcot or Hollywood Studios. You can read about the hotel and surrounding beauty here.