Is Gideon's Bakehouse REALLY Worth the Hype?

[beccasmom]

How was your Raglan road experience? We got a reservation there and I'm excited to try it!

We are longtime Raglan Road fans. The food is very good and we really enjoy the atmosphere. It is much quieter at lunch (no Irish dancing), but I believe the menu is the same at both meals. The scallops appetizer is very tasty and I am crazy for the bread pudding dessert (enough for two to share). It is lots of fun to wait for your table at the section to the left of the restaurant to enjoy a drink; they often have live entertainment. And the bar inside is fun as well. Also the shop is fun too. (My brother recently bought me one of their sweatshirts for a birthday gift; he knows me well! ). It’s my taste of Ireland between trips to the “real” Emerald Isle.

 

[WxKristin]

Not a big fan of their cookies. But I will wait 10-20 min for the PB cold brew and cake slices. The cake slices are packaged quite well, but should stay refrigerated, if possible. I usually end up eating mine on the flight home.

 

[brightlined]

I had dinner at Ragland Road recently and I don't remember seeing the 2-7% amount suggested. i want to say ours had the 18-20-22% amounts.

I'll stand corrected on that. Someone had posted a recent receipt from Raglan on Reddit, and it sounded like a refreshing change - more in line with what happens in Europe. (In most of Europe, restaurant workers make a much higher standard wage - tipping is explicitly a bonus, and is usually a fixed dollar/euro amount, not a percentage of the food cost.) In actuality, the Reddit poster had already tipped, and the 2%-7% was a suggestion for an additional tip.

 

[teeeera]

For the cookies, no. But, I think it's worth it to see inside and for the peanut butter cold brew. It's so so good.

 

[DVCjj]

Simple answer: No.

 

[jdisnut]

'Worth it' questions don't tell me anything. Tons and tons of posts saying xyz is 'worth it' and I think the people are nuts.

The 'worth it' phrase should be xxxxx xx'd here.

Exactly. It’s the wrong question. What does “worth it” even mean? Of course it’s not “worth it.” Or maybe it is, depending on your definition of those words.

Objectively, it’s ridiculous to wait forever for a cookie. It’s an absurd thought. How good could it possibly be? But so is a lot of what you do on a Disney trip. It’s insane to wait 90 minutes to spend 90 seconds riding a pretend pirate ship past dioramas from half a century ago. You do it because in that moment, it brings you joy.

If you’re curious about Gideon’s you absolutely should brave the line. Of course it’s silly, but so what? The worst case is you’ll be able to say you’ve tried it, and you’ll wind up with a fun memory regardless. Sure, you could buy a bag of Tate’s at Publix. It would probably be “worth it” — but not nearly as fun.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I tried Gideons because of the hype. Had the chocolate chip cookie. Didn't think it was anything special. But, we had to check it out and give it a try.

 

[Eastern]

I like the Kitchen Sink cookie at Panera Bread. No wait! Worth it!

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

It really just depends on how much you like the cookies. In my book, original chocolate chip is "okay." I really like the pistachio toffee cookie and coffee cake cookie. Triple chocolate is good if you're a chocoholic, and banana bread is also pretty good.

I'm willing to wait 20ish minutes because I really like several of the varieties. I don't see it as any different than the many people I saw waiting in a 30-minute line for coffee from Starbucks in EPCOT. I would never wait in a long line for a cup of coffee, but many people regularly do. At least at Disney Springs, I'm not eating up park time to wait for my cookies.

In fact, my wife goes shopping while I wait and then I don't have to wait on her in those stores, so I consider it a net wash on time spent waiting.

You might consider checking out the new cookie bar at Summer House on the Lake. Lots of cookie varieties there and we didn't see a long line when we ate lunch at the restaurant last week. Also check out the blondie from Summer House. So good!

 

[HerRoyalHighness]

Eh. They're fine. But no one in my family has said they want to make a point to go back. YMMV

 

[samsteele]

Definitely thought my 20+ min early am wait was worth it. Cookie great. PB cold brew excellent. A splurge worthy experience once a trip. Decor inside really interesting although not much time to linger as you have to keep moving. I bake every few days and for a commercial product thought it was outstanding. Didn't try the cake.

 

[TwoLittlePrincesses]

Like the cookies but love the PB Cold Brew and cake slices.

 

[Eastern]

I like the Kitchen Sink cookie at Panera Bread. No wait! Worth it!

Weirdly enough, I got a coupon for a free bakery item from Panera a few days after this post!

 

[sparrow10_]

How was your Raglan road experience? We got a reservation there and I'm excited to try it!

I was excited to try it but our server was so bad that I'm never going there again. Not to mention that our table didn't have a clear view of the stage and they didn't want to move us. Honestly should've just walked out in hindsight. terrible terrible experience all around.

 

[lowlight]

I was excited to try it but our server was so bad that I'm never going there again. Not to mention that our table didn't have a clear view of the stage and they didn't want to move us. Honestly should've just walked out in hindsight. terrible terrible experience all around.

Yeah, if you’ve never been to Raglan Road, you’d think all tables would have a view of the stage, if only a little obstructed. There’s a room off to the side where they try to sit us every time that has zero, zip not even a glance of the stage. It’s a completely isolated different room. It’s a weird setup for a restaurant where the major draw is the stage and not the food.

 

[sparrow10_]

Yeah, if you’ve never been to Raglan Road, you’d think all tables would have a view of the stage, if only a little obstructed. There’s a room off to the side where they try to sit us every time that has zero, zip not even a glance of the stage. It’s a completely isolated different room. It’s a weird setup for a restaurant where the major draw is the stage and not the food.

I think I was in that room. I was so mad, but well.. time to move on lol

 

[disneyfan123]

Finally got to try Gideon's this week, and while it was good, I wouldn't wait very long for them again. Had the chocolate chip and cookies and cream cookies, and also a slice of the cookies and cream cake.

The chocolate chip cookie was my favourite of the three. The cake was a bit dry and had way too much icing.

 

[TropicalDIS]

Personally, I'd say yes, but I have no problem waiting 30-40 minutes in line for it. Wait in line for so many other things on our trips, why not Gideons?

I will say that I am much more inclined to wait if I am interested in the specialty cookie that month. Out of their six regular cookies, I am only really interested in the Pistachio Toffee and the Peanut Butter. Of course the PB cold brew is to die for, and always a must.

If you are there in October, the Frankenstein & Bride of Frankenstein cookies are the best cookies they do IMHO. If you are there in December, the Kris Kringle is the next best one. All 3 cookies are fantastic, and worth lining up for.