Sleepy Hollow
What Disneyworld.com says: Fill the hollow in your belly with a tasty treat at this quaint brick cottage by Cinderella Castle. Choose between sweet waffle sandwiches or funnel cakes topped with strawberries and whipped cream.
What we say!
Juli says: This is definitely one of my favorite quick service restaurants in the Magic Kingdom! I think my favorite part about it is the the view of Cinderella's Castle while you enjoy your waffle treat! I know a lot of people argue that the other side of the Castle is better (ie. My husband), I truly believe this is the most beautiful viewing spot! It looks insanely beautiful first thing in the morning and also when the sun is going down. There is nothing better than starting your day with a Breakfast Egg and Cheese Waffle Sandwich and taking in that gorgeous view!
I will start with the breakfast waffle. This sandwich had egg, cheese, ham, AND tomato. It is the perfect size for a light morning treat and it definitely filled me up and took the "hanger" away. It also comes with a packet of spicy mustard which I highly recommend using. It adds an extra layer of flavor to an already delightful sandwich! If you are looking for a healthier option for breakfast at the Magic Kingdom, this is the place to go!
Next, the Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle Sandwich. Amy and I tried this on our first trip to Disney together. It was the start of our Disney Wifery and this waffle sandwich definitely solidified the need to try all of the delicious treats that Disney World has to offer. This sandwich (currently) has a delicious piece of fried chicken smothered in a sweet and spicy sauce that is very similar to a sweet chili sauce with a bit more of a bite and a heaping scoop of slaw. The slaw is a nice cool compliment to the chicken and even now, it is still one of my favorites.
HOWEVER, when Amy and I first tried this delicious fold of goodness, it had ARUGULA on it. The arugula was definitely the star of this sandwich. Some may disagree as it is an acquired taste, but the nutty crisp arugula really brought the whole sandwich together. I miss that arugula.
After our first encounter with the Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle Sandwich we were distraught to hear that it was taken off the menu. Of course, after we fall in love, it getS ripped away from us. But, alas! Before our next trip, Disney added it back to the menu. The only issue??? NO ARUGULA! Ok, that was not the only issue. Second, the waffle used for the new sandwiches seemed a bit softer and did not have the delightful deep crevices of the Belgium waffle used previously, making it seem undercooked when the sauce from the chicken and slaw soaked into it. Don't get me wrong, we still love it and it is still insanely delicious, I just have a few tips to make it even better.
When you are waiting for your order, keep an eye out on the process. What I mean is, watch your sandwich being made. If you get to the pick up counter and you see a waffle sandwich that has been sitting out on the counter for a while AND then they hand you that one, politely ask them to make you a fresh one. It would still be delicious, but as I previously mentioned, the waffle gets a bit soggy if it has been sitting with the sauces too long.
NEXT, if you're crazy like Amy and me, you can bring your own bag of arugula from home. This comes with its own set of obstacles, though. We found that if you don't use the arugula on the first day, it goes bad very quickly. Also, if you bring it into the park, make sure you are ordering this sandwich rather quickly as the arugula does not like sitting in the heat of a backpack. It sounds a bit tedious, but IT IS WORTH IT!
Now, onto the desserts. You cannot go wrong with any of the dessert waffle choices. You want something a tad bit healthier? Get the waffle with just strawberries and whipped cream. You love chocolate? You can get the fruit waffle that is spread with Nutella. They also have a waffle with just powered sugar as well as a funnel cake with powered sugar. As far as the funnel cake is concerned, take a little time to observe the person making the funnel cakes. It is not super hard, but it does have a technique and if that is not mastered, the funnel cakes suffer. If the funnel cakes look great, go ahead and order one! Otherwise, stick to those delicious waffles.
One other dessert, that does not seem to be on the menu any longer is the Churro Ice Cream Sandwich. This SOUNDS amazing, right? Not so much. The churros are not fresh, so they are hard and make it virtually impossible to eat this as a sandwich. Were the flavors there? Did they go great together? Yes and yes, but I would not order this again. It made for a great photo op with the Castle, but that was about it.
Those are my thoughts on this lovely little Magic Kingdom Quick Services. Scroll down to see what Amy thought and then click the link to listen to our podcast episode "The Phantom Arugula". It was our first ever episode and we certainly had a lot of fun! You will definitely enjoy it!
Amy Says: Sleepy hollow is a quick service restaurant located just inside liberty square and sits next to the hall of presidents. Its outdoor seating area is spacious but moderately sized and offers a lovely view of Cinderella’s castle and the Magic Kingdom hub area. It is a very comfortable area with a mix of sun and shade to suit everyone’s seating preferences. This popular location has a covered que area which makes waiting in the long but quick moving line much more comfortable in the Hot Florida sun.
The menu consists of mostly Waffle based items and funnels cakes with other unique items such as corn dogs and Churro ice cream sandwiches coming and going from the menu regularly. Until a few years ago, the menu was mostly a sweet one with waffle and funnel cakes offered with or without sweet toppings like powdered sugar, fruit sauces, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Sleepy hollow currently also offers both sweet and savory waffle sandwiches that include a fruit and Nutella waffle sandwich, a breakfast egg and cheese waffle sandwich and the Personal favorite of One Little Spice; The sweet and spicy chicken waffle sandwich.
This is a very popular restaurant due to both its location and delicious menu, so I have a few tips for navigating this quick service. The moderately sized seating area can fill up quickly when it’s busy so I recommend sending at least one member of your party to look for/ wait for an open table. If there is no open tables to be found, there is another seating area not too far away. On the other side of the hall of presidents there is a seating area for the Liberty square market place. It is much larger and generally has open tables. It has been my experience that occasionally the sandwich waffles will be slightly under cooked, not raw, but slightly under done. If you are a fan of extra crispy waffles you may wish to ask for the waffle to be cooked a little longer.
Over all Sleepy hollow is one of my favorite QS options in Magic kingdom. It has some excellent and unique menu items the likes of which aren’t found anywhere else in Walt Disney World. It is a comfortable place to sit down for a meal, a snack or even just a cup of tea for a little break and some light people watching. I recommend this QS location to everyone I know planning a trip to WDW.
