(See notice of Queen Victoria's Room at bottom of page.)

Victoria & Albert’s World-Class Experience
Serves Up a Decade of Diamonds

Chef Scott Hunnel - Victoria & Albert’s, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort &Spa

NOTE: Because Victoria & Albert's menu changes almost nightly,
we are unable to provide an accurate menu. See story below 
for specific information from Disney about the restaurant.

For the 10th year in a row, Victoria & Albert's restaurant at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa has been awarded the AAA Five Diamond Award. As one of only 52 restaurants to receive this symbol of excellence in North America, Mexico and the Caribbean, Victoria & Albert’s delivers “haute cuisine” with seven-course prix-fixed menus, wine pairings and the finest ingredients from the world market.  

At the helm of this critically-acclaimed restaurant is 15-year Victoria & Albert’s veteran, Chef de Cuisine Scott Hunnel.    

“It takes every individual on the team to achieve such a great honor consistently, from the reservationists to the wait staff and culinary team,” remarked Hunnel about reaching this prestigious milestone. “The secret to our success is realizing that it’s a continuous journey of reinvention in the restaurant and what we’re doing today has to be better tomorrow.”  

Only 0.27 percent of AAA's 60,000 Diamond Rated lodgings and restaurants in North America received this honor for 2010. According to AAA's ratings guidelines, to achieve Five Diamond status, restaurants must "consistently provide a world-class experience.” 

The culinary team’s impeccable artistry and unique recipes, combined with an expert service staff and maître d’, is what exceeds guest expectations daily in an effortless and unobtrusive manner.  

“Our guests expect more and that’s why we travel extensively to keep our minds open to develop new and exciting delicacies,” said Chef Scott. “Over the years, we’ve visited other highly ranked restaurants in Paris , New York and Barcelona to get a perspective on what the competition is doing and to keep bringing the freshest and most original ideas home to our guests only the way Disney can.”  

To keep up the world-class culinary standards, the team at Victoria & Albert’s inspect every detail of the presentation and are totally immersed in the delivery of the operation. Under Chef Scott’s direction, the focus for 2010 is on taking the restaurant to the next level and in pleasing guests with new and exciting gastronomic surprises.

Sublime Dining at Victoria & Albert's

Frette linens, Riedel crystal, Cristofle silver from France -- and the chef still wears a traditional toque as he stops by tables to chat with diners.

With fair-weather clouds painted on the ceiling, soft lighting and a celestial harpist, Victoria & Albert's serene dining room embodies a spirit of luxury and romance. Located at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at Walt Disney World Resort, it's the only AAA Five-Diamond restaurant in Central Florida.

With just 18 tables in the main dining room and the private Fireplace Room with five tables, you instantly know you're in for a treat as your host and hostess start their butler-style service for guests ages 10 and older. Described as a nostalgic trip back in time when the ritual of dining out was civilized and lavish, Chef Scott Hunnel and his culinary team prepare modern American cuisine with the best-of-the-best from around the world.

You're handed a seven-course, seasonal menu, customized daily by Chef Hunnel. Here food is an art form, featuring vivid colors and textures, with exquisite wine pairings offered with each course.  Hunnel is at the top of his game, and his standards rival those of the finest restaurants worldwide. He is friends with a farmer in Ohio who grows herbs and lettuces especially for the restaurant. And much of the early afternoon is spent on the phone with purveyors -- "from fishermen on the boat to find out when bluefin tuna will be landing to the guy who grades and procures the finest caviars in the world," said Hunnel.

But for Hunnel the best part of the job is his carefully chosen team. "I work with passionate people who understand the continuous evolution of food and wine, who never settle for anything less than excellence," said Hunnel.

The restaurant's wine cellar has been recognized by Wine Spectator magazine with an "Award of Excellence." With more than 700 selections on the menu and 4,200 in the cellar, the sommeliers can match any of Hunnel's imaginative creations.

The experience ends with the artful creations of Master Pastry Chef Erich Herbitschek, like a sensational soufflé or Plant City strawberry ice cream gâteau. Chocolate fans rhapsodize about the miniature chocolate pyramid with warm almond chocolate timbale and orange chocolate napoleon.

To remember it all, a personalized menu is yours to carry home, along with a long-stemmed red rose for women.

Chef's Table in the Kitchen

In an alcoved space at the back of the kitchen, diners at the coveted Chef's Table get a front-row seat for the slicing and dicing in Hunnel's well-orchestrated kitchen. Less formal than the dining room, Hunnel starts the evening with a champagne toast and asks for likes and dislikes so he can craft a personal menu. This is his chance to be creative.

CHAMPAGNE TOAST – The evening starts with a sip of Champagne at the Chef’s Table 
at Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. In an alcoved space at the back of the kitchen, 
Chef Scott Hunnel greets diners and crafts a personal menu with up to 13 
courses – small tastes of everything from caviar to Kobe beef. 
The exquisite dishes are paired with wine and spirits for a memorable experience.

With up to 13 courses, the experience offers small tastes, often decadent, of everything from Almaz Persicus golden osetra caviar to Kobe beef with seared Hudson Valley foie gras. The exquisite dishes are paired with wine and spirits for a memorable experience. Multiple desserts feature the creations of Chef Herbitschek, starting with a divine "pre-dessert" trio of chocolates.

Just when you can't imagine another course, the evening ends. The experience lasts nearly four hours, the time filled with marvelous tastes and Hunnel's banter between courses. For foodies, it's never long enough.

Before you go:

• There are two seatings daily September through June, one seating daily July through August. Chef's Table seating is 6 p.m. daily.

• Dinner is $125 per person (tax and gratuity not included), $185 with wine pairing; Chef's Table is $175 per person, $245 with wine pairing.

• For reservations, 407/824-1893. Reservations can be made up to 90 days in advance for the dining room and 120 days in advance for the Chef's Table.

• Jackets are required for men (tie optional) and "dinner attire" for women.

Victoria & Albert's Awards:

• AAA Five Diamond Award 2001-2009

• Mobil Travel Guide Four Star Award 1990-2009

• Florida Trend Magazine Golden Spoon Hall of Fame Member (Florida's Top 20 Restaurants)

• Distinguished Restaurants of North America Award

• Wine Spectator "Best of Award Excellence"

• Orlando Magazine 2007 Best Romantic Rendezvous

• Orlando Sentinel "Best Restaurant Overall" Critics Choice, 2007 Foodie Awards

• John Mariani's Cheers Best New Restaurants of America in both Esquire Magazine and USA Today

• Robb Report, Top Ten Tables Internationally, by John Mariani

• Gault-Millau Best of Florida, published by Prentice-Hall

• Epicurean Rendezvous "Top 25 Most Romantic Restaurants"

New Dining Room Opens in 2010 at Victoria & Albert's

True Disney foodies know you haven’t arrived until you’ve dined at the crème de la crème of restaurants – Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.  But now the top-rated dining room has a new “must do”: the gorgeous Queen Victoria’s Room.

Queen Victoria’s Room is behind closed doors just off the main dining room.  With just four tables, restaurant manager Israel Perez promises attention to your every whim.  They’ve brought back French gueridon service – a gueridon is a fancy rolling cart that goes from table to table for customized service and “wow” factor – a flourish of Himalayan sea salt atop your filet, a decadent wine sauce or a lavish display of cheese, for instance.

Anyone who’s tasted Chef Scott Hunnel’s exquisite creations knows this is a memorable affair.  How often do you savor perfectly seared Kurobuta pork tenderloin and belly, or butter-poached lobster with bisque and lobster roe foam?  And vegans and vegetarians are Hunnel’s favorite challenge.  The sommelier happily will pair something delicious with each of the 10 courses.  Yes, 10 courses, but they’re small.  Still, plan on three to four hours of leisurely dining.

It's worth the price of a baby-sitter – no kids under 10 are allowed in the dining room, so you’re guaranteed an evening of blissful quiet.  Be advised, men must wear jackets (tie optional) for this formal affair.

You'll float out the door with a long-stemmed rose for women and personalized menus for everyone to carry home.  Cost for Queen Victoria’s Room is $200 per person, plus $95 for wine pairings.  The restaurant has its own reservation line, 407/939-3862.  There is just one seating nightly.