Victoria & Albert's Is Expensive for All the Right Reasons: Spring 2026 Menu Review
- 3 hours ago
- 10 min read
Have you ever wanted to dine like royalty and experience a culinary event like no other? But wait, let me sprinkle even more pixie dust on that idea. Same dinner and regal feel, but at Walt Disney World. Okay, that's the fully painted picture, and a picture that can become your reality if you dine at Victoria & Albert's.
For Disney fans, Victoria & Albert's is legendary. As a young girl, I grew up hearing that restaurant's name but not truly knowing the extent of its greatness until I became older and left Neverland. Someone should tell Peter Pan that growing up and becoming an adult has its perks, like being able to plan your own trips to Walt Disney World. My husband, Danny (yes, we bear the same name) and I had the absolute pleasure of dining at Victoria & Albert's to enjoy their Spring 2026 menu, and this blog will give you all the details.
Victoria & Albert's is Disney's most decorated and awarded restaurant, and arguably one of the most sought-after reservations. Rightfully so. The restaurant has held a Michelin star since 2024, has been awarded the prestigious Forbes Travel Guide Five Star Award since 2018, and has had the honor of consecutively holding the AAA Five Diamond Award for 25 years since 2000. Phew, that's a lot of awards. These awards are the crème de la crème, given in recognition of first-class design, service, and food, all achieved through in-person inspections, sometimes unannounced.
On top of all of that, Victoria & Albert's is an extremely intimate experience with limited seating. The Main Dining Room has about 14 tables, and the Queen Victoria Room is even more private with accommodations for only four couples. If those options aren't exclusive enough for you, the Chef's Table has one seating for one party per night.
Taking those odds and trying to make a reservation is quite the gamble. I highly recommend following the 60-Day reservation rule if you want a seat at one of the highly coveted tables. Walt Disney World allows guests to make dining reservations 60 days in advance of their check-in date (or the start of your vacation). I marked my calendar 60 days in advance of the first day of our vacation, and when that day came, I went into beast mode and used the My Disney Experience app to secure our reservation for the Main Dining Room. I make it sound a bit more dramatic than my actual experience. I honestly took the first availability I saw for our preferred dinner date, which was Friday, April 3rd. So now that you know how to reserve, let's fast forward to our dining experience.
About 10 days prior to our dinner, I received an email from the team at Victoria & Albert's confirming our names, dietary preferences and restrictions, and where we were staying at Walt Disney World. This is how Victoria & Albert's starts setting the wheels in motion for an unforgettable night. On the back end, I wouldn't be surprised if their team did a little research about us, considering the personalization that goes into each guest's experience.
Fast forward to Friday, April 3rd. Danny and I were coming off of an exhilarating day at the parks with a rope drop morning at Magic Kingdom (to ride Tiana's Bayou Adventure, of course)! Our dinner reservation was at 7:20 PM, so we paused the fun at the parks around 5:00 PM to give ourselves enough time to get ready for what was to come. Victoria & Albert's is located at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa on the second floor of the main building. The restaurant shares a rotunda with Cítricos and is located near the Enchanted Rose lounge. I knew we were in for an interesting evening when we noticed that there weren't any hosts from Victoria & Albert's in the area to greet guests. But of course, they know when you arrive. I like to think their team has a security camera in the rotunda, just watching guests as they arrive, waiting for the perfect moment to step out and welcome them in. I think that because that's exactly what happened. We arrived early around 7:00 PM, and someone did come out to greet us and confirm our reservation. We were told that because we were early, they would come back for us at 7:15 PM. So we waited. I was nervous, and I'll admit I wasn't sure what to expect.
7:15 PM came around and it was our time. We were welcomed in, and it began. Upon entering Victoria & Albert's, you immediately feel the ambiance. Warm lights, beige floral appliqués adorning the columns surrounding the Main Dining Room, and a soft blue color palette reminiscent of the Disney Wish cruise. I remember the sound of the live harpist playing, I remember what I saw and what I tasted, but I don't remember the smell, surprisingly, and Disney is one to have memorable fragrances throughout their properties.
Danny and I were seated on the right side of the Main Dining Room. A table for two was beautifully prepared with two comfortable leather lounge chairs and a beautiful porcelain candle holder that appeared like petals and leaves lightly wrapping around a small light, as if cradling it.
Lazar and Matt were our two servers for the evening. Both gracious and attentive hosts, they were patient with us throughout the entire evening, providing not just an overview of what we ate, but a story that added more flavor with every bite.
As a memento for the evening, Victoria & Albert's offers guests a personalized envelope with their name and the date of their dinner. Inside is a beautifully printed menu featuring the available dining options for the night. We celebrated my birthday during the dinner, so I also had a special note at the top of my menu, a personal touch that genuinely moved me. The Spring 2026 menu could be enjoyed in two ways: the Dining Room Menu starting at $295 per guest with wine pairings for $155 or zero proof pairings at $115, or the Extended Menu at $375 per guest with wine pairings at $210 and zero proof pairings at $145. We both opted for the Extended Menu, but with a twist. Matt offered to host us for the evening in a special way if we decided not to review the menu in advance and let every course be a surprise. That idea intrigued us both and made us feel like the food critic Anton Ego in Ratatouille when he exclaims "Surprise me" to La Ratatouille, and after dining, I think I'd do it exactly like that again.
Before we even had a chance to glance at the plentiful wine and cocktail menu, we were presented with the Spring menu's Elderblossom drink, light and slightly sweet, like a floral whisper to open the evening. It set a gentle, elegant tone for what was to come. Similar in spirit to the amuse-bouche that followed, it was a complimentary way to excite the senses before the meal truly began. Our amuse-bouche consisted of three small bites: Norwegian King Crab with Sonoma chèvre topped with dill; honeynut Ibérico lardo and affinois; and Ora King Salmon with saamjang and masago. It's funny, as I type this I realize I ate Ibérico pork, and I don't eat pork as a personal preference, but it was good!
At this point, our cocktails arrived. I ordered the Monkey Fizz from the specialty cocktail menu and Danny enjoyed a saffron-infused old fashioned. I sipped on the Monkey Fizz all evening, while Danny asked Matt to also recommend two wine pairings alongside two courses Matt suggested. So yes, you can absolutely order drinks from Victoria & Albert's à la carte!
Our next course was light, and although the menu's description is simple, the food packed incredible flavor. We enjoyed bluefin tuna, which from a presentation perspective was stunning, and that, friends, is the Michelin star at work (wink). It was served in an exquisite small glass bowl with intentional cracks throughout. The bluefin tuna sat at the center, crowned with Imperial Gold Osetra caviar, the brininess of the caviar playing beautifully against what surrounded it, a moat not of water but of lychee. Absolutely as delicious and playful as it sounds.
There were about two bread service offerings throughout the evening. The first was a traditional French baguette, smaller in size but full of flavor, accompanied by the best butter I have ever tasted. Honestly, the butter alone could have been a dish and I would have been satisfied. The second bread service was my least favorite because I didn't like the yeast in the butter although I enjoyed the sweet honey topping on the bread.
One of the Spring menu's signature dishes was the Glacier 51 Toothfish, also our next course. Lazar did a wonderful job explaining how Disney sustainably sources this fish, which is found in the icy waters surrounding Heard Island in the Australian sub-Antarctic. It lives far below the surface, about 1.24 miles (2000 m) deep, and I greatly appreciated Lazar's gentle suggestion not to Google what it looks like until after digesting dinner. Wise advice. The chefs did an incredible job lightly searing the fish so we could truly taste its natural flavor. I now understand why it's called the wagyu of the sea. Very tender, clean, and almost buttery, served alongside lobster with a hint of pernod woven in. The combination was subtle and deeply satisfying, the kind of dish that makes you set your fork down just to appreciate the moment.
Next we enjoyed the Hokkaido Scallop, topped with a thin layer of seaweed, and nestled in a hazelnut emulsion that added a rich, toasty warmth to every bite. Scallops are one of our favorite seafood dishes, whether seared like these were or enjoyed in Japanese preparations like maki or crudo. What makes Hokkaido scallops special is their size and fame for a rich, meaty texture, sourced from the cold waters of northern Japan. These did not disappoint. Each bite was substantial, sweet, and perfectly seared with a golden crust giving way to a tender, silky center.
Our first pasta dish of the night was something entirely different. Gnocchi, but not Italian-style. Parisian. It arrived in a bronze-toned bowl with a mysterious, almost theatrical look. Beneath a layer resembling a black honeycomb adorned with flowers lay the gnocchi, hidden like a secret. Parisian gnocchi is unique because it's made with choux pastry, the same dough used for éclairs and cream puffs, rather than potato. The fontina cheese beneath added a creamy, nutty richness that made the whole dish feel indulgent and unexpected. I'm still debating which style of gnocchi I prefer, which I suppose means I need to eat more. Research purposes only, of course.
The Spring game course of the night was Colorado Lamb, prepared as a sausage in the Vietnamese style, nem nuong. The green garlic it was dressed with provided bold, bright flavor alongside warm spices, easily making this one of my favorite courses of the night. More, please!
The grand finale of our entrées was the highly coveted, heavily anticipated Miyazaki A-5 Wagyu beef, with a chestnut purée-like side and bacon. Lazar set the scene beautifully before we even lifted a fork. Miyazaki A-5 Wagyu comes from the Japanese Black Kuroge Washu cow breed, and Lazar explained how these cows are raised in an intentionally stress-free environment where often the only human they may see is their farmer, ensuring they remain as calm as possible. Every detail of their care is deliberate, because stress directly affects the marbling and ultimately the flavor. I think we humans could take a lesson from that philosophy. This was, without question, the best beef I have ever eaten. The marbling was extraordinary, each slice glistening under the warm light, and the flavor was deep, rich, and impossibly tender. I know this cut is rare and expensive, and chances may be slim that I'll taste it again, so I savored every single bite. Hands down, the dish of the evening.
Now, dessert! To bring me gently back to earth after the Miyazaki A-5, the chefs prepared a cheesecake featuring p'tit basque cheese, a sheep's milk cheese sourced from the French Pyrenees, with hints of raspberry and olive oil. I was very full at this point, so I didn't finish it, and it wasn't my personal favorite of the evening.
What I did love, and somehow found room for, was what came next. As if Disney hadn't already spoiled us magnificently, they were holding a secret weapon in their back pocket: Tahitian vanilla bean. If you didn't know, vanilla from Tahiti is something special. It is rare and highly prized, grown in French Polynesia, with a flavor profile unlike anything you've likely tasted before. You may be familiar with Madagascar vanilla, which is creamy with buttery notes. Tahitian vanilla is more fruity and floral, with lower levels of vanillin (the compound responsible for that classic vanilla taste) and higher levels of coumarin, which lends it a sweeter, more aromatic scent. The chefs at Victoria & Albert's used this extraordinary ingredient to redefine what ice cream can be, serving Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream atop a caramelized puff pastry. Excellent.
The most aesthetic dessert of the night, and perhaps the most memorable to watch, was the mascarpone espuma: a cloud-like foam made with rich mascarpone cheese, hidden beneath a honeycomb-like topping dressed with bee pollen, while Lazar finished it tableside with a swirl of burnt wild oak saffron honey. Watching it being prepared at the table was its own kind of theater, and it tasted every bit as enchanting as it looked.
Recognizing I could take no more, the chefs bid me adieu with a small trio dessert tray: strawberry Moscato bliss, almond torrone, and an adorable gin & tonic marshmallow. Then, just kidding, they sent us off with a crepe for the next day, which I regretfully admit we forgot to eat. But knowing Victoria & Albert's, I'm confident it was spectacular.
And that concluded our evening, all four hours of it. Danny and I were the last table to leave. About an hour into dinner, the manager introduced himself and graciously let us know the table was ours for the night. We could even step out to watch the fireworks and return if we wished. We didn't. We were too enchanted to leave. The music of the live harpist, the stories from Lazar and Matt, the extraordinary food, it all wove together into something that felt less like a meal and more like an experience. The four hours didn't feel like four hours. It felt like a perfect evening, and I felt what I imagine Cinderella felt at the Prince's ball, just before midnight. Enchanted.
I write this blog smiling, thinking of the fond memories of that night. We were extraordinarily well cared for by the entire team at Victoria & Albert's, those we met directly and those we never saw but who undoubtedly saw us. The details of the restaurant are spectacular. Matt showed us the Queen Victoria Room at the end of the evening, a beautiful intimate space with a fireplace and a portrait of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert displayed above it, painted around the time of their wedding. And if you want to see a true piece of history, the ladies' room features a framed British military commission document signed by Victoria herself, authenticated, I'm told.
Our dining experience at Victoria & Albert's was a Bella Notte. If you ever have the chance to visit, I wholeheartedly recommend it. It was worth every penny. The food, the ingredients, the hosts, and the stories they shared all wove together into an evening I will always treasure.
Thanks for reading! 🌹
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