DiningDisney ResortsWalt Disney World
Multiple Disney World Restaurants Closing In August, Dining Plans at Risk
Disney dining requires advance planning at the best of times. Between the 60-day booking window, the limited availability at signature restaurants, and the sheer number of guests all trying to eat at the same handful of places, showing up without a reservation is a gamble most experienced visitors stopped taking years ago.
Which is why August 2026 deserves a specific heads-up. Three resort restaurants are confirmed to be closed this month, spanning three resorts and ranging from a casual brunch favorite to a Signature Dining. If any of these appeared on the vacation dining list, now is the time to reroute before arrival rather than after.
Grand Floridian Cafe Is Dark Until October
The Grand Floridian Cafe at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa closed July 20 and won’t reopen until sometime in October. The Grand Floridian Cafe is the casual table-service option at the resort. The location is known for garden views and dishes like the Buttermilk-Fried Chicken and Waffles, which regulars plan their visits around.
Brunch hasn’t disappeared, but it has moved. For the duration of the Grand Floridian Cafe’s closure, brunch service is temporarily relocating to CÃtricos, the resort’s signature dining room. That sounds like a reasonable workaround until the math hits: CÃtricos is now handling its full dinner business on top of an entirely displaced brunch crowd. Tables there will be in high demand, and anyone hoping to grab a Grand Floridian morning meal in August needs to check CÃtricos’ availability immediately.
The Grand Floridian Cafe closure is part of a broader Grand Floridian refresh. This refresh has already delivered a new lobby and the Perch lounge. Exterior work running into early 2027.
The Turf Club Bar and Grill Hits Its Quiet Period
The Turf Club Bar and Grill at Saratoga Springs has been running a phased refurbishment since March, staying partially operational throughout. That flexibility ends this month: the full-service restaurant goes completely dark from late August through late September, the only stretch of the project with no table-service dining on site.
The Turf Club Lounge helps fill part of the gap. It completed its own refresh earlier this summer and is open during the same window as the restaurant’s closing, so guests have somewhere to grab a drink. For actual meals, Disney Springs is the practical answer: it’s a short walk or a quick boat ride from Saratoga Springs and offers more than enough options for a week of dinners.
The full restaurant is expected back in mid-to-late September.
Yachtsman Steakhouse Has Been Closed Since May at Disney
Yachtsman Steakhouse at Yacht Club has been under refurbishment since May 11 and remains closed for all of August. The dry-aged beef program and nautical dining room have been missed by guests, who consider it a must-do Signature Dining stop on Disney World property.
The good news: Disney’s reservation system has started accepting bookings from August 28 onward. This strongly suggests that date as the planned reopening. No details on what the refurbished restaurant will look like have been released.
One piece of context that helps: the neighboring Crew’s Cup Lounge finished its own refresh in May. The lounge has been open all summer. By the time Yachtsman comes back online, Yacht Club’s dining scene will be close to full strength.
The Practical Disney Checklist
Three restaurants, three resorts, three different timing situations. The action items before any August Disney World visit:
If a Grand Floridian brunch is on the plan, check CÃtricos’ availability now and book it before it fills up. And if the Turf Club dinner was the plan. Be sure to switch to Disney Springs for the late-August stretch and check back in September. Along with the Yachtsman reservation, which is sitting on the calendar for August. Find an alternative and set a reminder for the August 28 window when new bookings open.
August at Disney World is not a month that forgives improvisation. These closures are known quantities with known alternatives. The guests who adjust now will eat well. The guests who find out at the host stand will not.
