Gideon's Bakehouse — Restaurant in Lake Buena Vista

This exquisitely themed gothic bakery is a perfect fit for Disney who loves staging and a back story. Gideon's is the creation of Steve Lewis who came up with the idea for the bakery when he purchased an antique cookbook published in 1898. As he went through the book he noticed the notes and drawings of a young boy who dreamed of becoming a baker. In the back of the book was the name Gideon. Steve decided to make the boys dream come true through Gideon's Bakehouse. Gideon's opened in 2016 in the food hall, East End Market. Since then they have been featured in local and national publications and have won many awards

In 2020 the flagship Gideon's Bakehouse opened in Disney Springs. It is located near the Orange Garage. Cross over the bridge and it is a few doors down from the Ganachery. On the top of the building perches the gargoyle Gideon's calls their guardian. When we arrived and got on line we were greeted with the shocking news that the wait was four and half hours! Fortunately you don't have to stand there that long. You are in a virtual queue where you give them your info and they text you when to come back. Upon arrival you check in and you wait in a 15 minute line before gaining entry. Still over 4 hours, sheesh.

Once you finally enter it is small but impressive. The inside is themed to look like a Victorian library. The walls have portraits of cute and creepy children and the shelves are filled with books, ingredients, and Victorian curiosities. According to the story, the building is the former Lindwurm Bookseller, Curious Books & Antiquities. During construction of the bakery a small gap in a brick wall was discovered in which was hidden a vintage ledger and an old daguerreotype of the shop's owner, Jonathan Lindwurm, a purveyor of rare books and antiquities. Many of the objects in the bakery were made by local artists and they all add to the back story. I got a very Haunted Mansion and Harry Potter vibe with some Steam Punk. It couldn't be more perfect for Halloween.

Disney Gideon's sells half pound cookies ($6) monster sized cake slices ($9), and nitro coffee brews ($6). Popular items are their original chocolate chip, a recipe that took 15 years to create and it made with a variety of chocolates and the cookies and cream, a vanilla cookie filled with double stuffed Oreo's. They also sell seasonal cookies and I opted for the Frankenstein, a candy and Oreo filled cookie topped with M&M's and the Bride of Frankenstein, a white chocolate, Golden Oreos, and M&M cookie. I also purchased the refreshing seasonal pumpkin spice chai nitro brew which was fall in a cup. Unfortunately they were out of the cookie bites where they cut their cookies in fourths and dip them in chocolate for even more decadence. I shouldn't have looked up the Christmas cookies because I am already salivating over the the Kris Kringle, a white chocolate chip cookie with coconut, caramel, vanilla with freshly ground coffee beans, and the Krampus Cookie, with six different kinds of chocolate including Andes Mints.

If you have the patience, it may be worth it to try and score what many have declared the best cookie you have ever eaten. Your best bet is to get to Disney Springs early when they open and put in your name. People were coming back up until closing time at 11:30 to get their desserts. A little too late for me, Having experienced the flag ship store, next time I'll try the less crowded East End location, although they don't sell...

Home of the thiccest cookies I’ve ever had the privilege of trying! ✨ That, and I’m absolutely in love with the gothic Victorian-era aesthetic of the bakery once you go inside. Feels like stepping into one of Edward Gorey’s children’s books!

But before all that, some logistics: as of this writing (and it’s been true of both of my visits in the past few years), Gideon’s Bakeshop operates a virtual queue. Perhaps others have described it a lot clearer, but you basically physically line up at the door (and staff will tell you which line) to get on a virtual queue. You give them your name and number, and they’ll text you whenever it’s your turn, whether that’s an hour or two hours from then. Sometime later, once you receive a text that it’s your turn, come back to the bakeshop and stand in the line (and again, staff will let you know which line you belong in).

Because this is a bit tedious (but actually pretty efficient, given the humungous amount of customers who want to go in), I recommend heading to Gideon’s at your earliest convenience once you’re inside Disney Springs, just to join the virtual queue in-person. Having said that, on rare days when it’s less crowded, you can actually just hop in the regular line—this would probably be on weekdays/non-holidays.

Onto the cookies—definitely worth all the wait! They’re immeasurably thicc—I mean, what can you expect from a half-pound cookie?! Honestly, even just a fourth of it is enough for dessert sometimes. I love trying out their limited/seasonal cookies—during our most recent visit, they had their Kris Kringle Cookie (white chocolate chip cookie with coffee/coconut/caramel/vanilla notes) and their Cookie Vom Krampus (six types of chocolate + Andes Mint).

My sister’s favorite is the Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip, and as for myself, I actually really enjoy their Orange Mocha Nitro Cold Brew the most. 😫 I know, it’s a drink, not a cookie… but that’s really why I wait in line, if I’m honest. 🤣 The dark chocolate + orange flavor (Florida oranges!) is so delicious! If absolutely pressed though, my choice would likely be the Peanut Butter Cold Brew Cookie, although it’s very much a seasonal cookie.

*For more information (and better clarity about the virtual queue), I highly recommend dropping by their website! It’s beautifully designed and I’ve actually enjoyed reading through the FAQ and “About Gideon’s” sections. Whoever writes for the website (likely Steve?) has the best humor! 😆 I love that the owners and employees are as interesting and good-humored as the lore of the...

We visited on Sunday evening in late December 2024. To our surprise they did not have a virtual queue set up like when we visited the previous year. We only had to wait about 20 mins.

This was our first visit after hearing about it for multiple years and not being able to get in. The theming inside is on par with Disney. The staff never made you feel rushed to put you order in and get out. They answered all my questions and it was a great experience. The hardest part is deciding what to get and not spending a fortune buying everything in the store. They do give you a menu while you're waiting in line so when you get in you could make your decisions quicker. But after you physically see the food you begin to question everything! haha.

We ordered: Kris Kringle (good; very interested with the coffee bean if you're into that) Krampus (very good; probably my favorite; they pack it separately from the other cookies so the mint flavor doesn't contaminate other cookies) Pistachio Toffee (Good; a classic from here as I'm told as it should be) Dark Coffee Cake Cookie (good; this was also very tasty) Krampus Cold Brew (Amazing; this was probably my favorite item on the whole menu as an adult) Peanut Butter Cold Brew (very good; this was a close second to the Krampus Cold Brew)

I am sad that we did not try any of the cakes. We did buy a bunch of merch. We were so excited we came back the next morning.

We arrived 30 mins before opening on Monday and we were maybe 10th group in line. By the time the store was about to open (they opened 10 mins early), the line wrapped back around behind the adjacent building. I didn't go back to look to see how far it went.

Overall, two very good experiences and we would without hesitation come back again. So many things to try.

Their online merch can have more options than in the store. I also asked about the alternate location and they have more merch at the Disney Spring location than their other Orlando location. Their items online also cost more than instore. So take all of that into account...