Overwhelmed-which restaurants have best/most unique ambiance for kids?

[Sunflowers13]

First time taking our kids to Disney (7 year old daughter/5 year old twin sons), and I’m completely overwhelmed at all the options! We’re doing one day in each park. Which would be your TOP table service restaurants that give the best/most unique/memorable Disney “vibe” for kids (characters aside, not the types of restaurants you’d be able to go to at home…not a standard Italian/pizzeria/steakhouse etc). Pretty sure this will be one and done for us, so hoping to make it extra special for them!! TIA!

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

I guess it depends on the kids. I really enjoy the theming of the Jungle Skipper and Sci Fi Diner, but I know my son doesn't care about it at all. For little kids, Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex have a lot of theming that might appeal to them. If you want something more Disney themed, I would suggest Be Our Guest or the Castle

 

[erinch]

Part of what you need to figure out is if you want sit-down Table Service restaurants, if you only have one day in each park. With the age of your kids, some of the places we liked:

MK:
Crystal Palace -- buffet, so you don't have to wait for food to be cooked. Fun interactions with Pooh characters.
If you discover the attractions are more inportant than the meals, then Pecos Bills, Columbia Harbor House or Cosmic Rays all have mobile order and are theme park food passable. Pinnochio Haus has upstairs seating looking out at Small World.

Epcot: when my kids were that age, they loved Coral Reef with the fish -- make an ADR on the first lunch seating to get down closer by the tank, or San Angel inside the pyramid in Mexico, watching the boat ride go by.

If not sit-down, then Sunshine Seasons in the Land has lots of options, and there is good quick-serve many places in world showcase.

Animal Kingdom: We love Tusker house, african-influenced buffet and characters.
Tiffins for a very special sit-down meal.
Satuuli Canteen for Quick serve (many other options)

DHS: When you are there, roundup rodeo BBQ might be open. Best food is at Hollywood Brown Derby. Okay quick serve at Backlot Express or ABC Commissary, but we like Rontu Roasters or Docking Bay 7 or Woody's Lunch Box.

Whereever you go, you will make magical memories. But if you do sit-down each day, you will eat up a lot of your park time, unless you want that kind of break.

 

[Beer Me]

Chef Mickeys is an iconic Disney experience and perfect for kids.

Also Cinderella’s royal table inside of the castle.

Nothing in the other parks stand out as much as memorable experiences for kids but I’m sure you’ll get plenty of suggestions.

 

[Marthasor]

First time taking our kids to Disney (7 year old daughter/5 year old twin sons), and I’m completely overwhelmed at all the options! We’re doing one day in each park. Which would be your TOP table service restaurants that give the best/most unique/memorable Disney “vibe” for kids (characters aside, not the types of restaurants you’d be able to go to at home…not a standard Italian/pizzeria/steakhouse etc). Pretty sure this will be one and done for us, so hoping to make it extra special for them!! TIA!

Magic Kingdom - Cinderella Royal Table - if this is a one-and-done, eat in the castle with the princesses, it's quintessential WDW

Hollywood Studios - Sci-Fi Dine Inn - arguably the best themed restaurant in WDW

EPCOT - Space 220 - take an elevator into space and watch astronauts float around while you eat - again, theming is off the charts (for the Lounge reservation if you don't want a prix-fixe meal and try to put this closer to the end of your trip so you can actually snag a reservation. San Angel Inn is also very cool - eat next to a Mayan pyramid!

Animal Kingdom - I would probably do Tusker House here - nice theming, good food and a chance to see Mickey and Friends

Outside the parks - the best Mickey meal on property is Topolino's breakfast IMHO - excellent food and character interaction

 

[unrequited23]

My kids really enjoyed Rainforest Cafe and Trex. (Not the same trip and we don't have either within 4 hrs of where we live.) Another standout was any meal where dessert was included--they each got an enormous Mickeylodeon sundae at The Plaza in MK as part of their kids meal. One kid loved Sci-Fi and the other was not a fan.

A table service meal will take up a chunk of time, but sometimes just sitting down in the a/c and not having to wrangle kids and trays of food with drinks without lids, while trying to find a free table is worth the time and money spent. This is why I'm a bigger fan of family style meals over buffets at Disney.

My kids seemed to get hungry earlier at WDW than at home and sometimes you have to wait to be seated for your ADR, so we tend to book our meals early, for example lunch at 11. We also make sure that there is at least one thing on the menu everyone will eat without protest.

 

[shu24]

Table service that my kids enjoyed were Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey. If your kids are not picky eaters then Tusker House in Animal Kingdom is nice. Honestly, with kids as young as yours, I might suggest quick service spots for most of your meals. When my kids were little, they just wanted food that was familiar and wanted to focus on rides and characters. Being able to just stop and grab a bite when you are hungry instead of being locked into a table service dining reservation might make your trip more enjoyable. I still usually plan only 1 or 2 dining reservations on a trip (usually 6-8 day trips). It cuts down on the stress and cost significantly and IMO there are some really good quick service spots.

 

[holden]

Some of the more stimulating places (T-Rex, Rainforest Cafe, Sci Fi, etc.) might be too much for some kids. Just want you to be aware of that.

When my kids were little, they liked:
Chef Mickey's (don't go for the food; it's more about the experience)
Cinderella's Castle
Crystal Palace
Ohana
Sci Fi
Coral Reef (really cool huge fish tank; don't go for the food)
Beaches & Cream

 

[Sunflowers13]

I honestly cannot even tell you all how helpful these suggestions are! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. These is exactly the type of feedback I’ve been looking for. My kids are going to be awestruck no matter what, lol, but they go nuts over the “themed” stuff. I wasn’t prepared for quite how many options there would be, but I’m going to start poring over all these ideas! Very much appreciated.

 

[tetera]

Some really great suggestions on here- just wanted to add Garden Grill at Epcot- it is a character meal but it is also a rotating restaurant that overlooks the “Living with the Land” ride and some of the food served in the restaurant is grown in the greenhouses that you see on the ride, so it’s themed on multiple levels (no pun intended!)

Also, Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue (dinner show) at Fort Wilderness- do the early show and take the kids on pony rides at the Tri-Circle-D Ranch next door beforehand!

 

[erinch]

How much time do you have? There are some great restaurant videos ranking all the restaurants in the parks, and some good guidebooks

 

[CynBeth]

MK - Be Our Guest.
Epcot - Space220 or Coral Reef.
HS - 50’s Prime Time Cafe.
AK - Rainforest Cafe.

 

[chris benton]

How much time do you have? There are some great restaurant videos ranking all the restaurants in the parks, and some good guidebooks

^^^

That's very solid advice. Youtube has TONS of videos with descriptions and reviews. The web has lots of sites for reviews as well.

I'd also suggest to not count out Hoop De Doo, especially if it's a one and done. Don't balk at the price. It's dinner and a show. You and the kids might love it.

I'd also suggest to not get too hung up on meals. It's a lot to dig through, yes, but, if you're 3 meals per day, take a step back and decide if you're going to plan your day around meals, or if you're going to plan a meal by finding the best restaurant in the area that you'll be in. I generally do a few special meals on a trip, BUT, other than that, I just try to choose the best option in the area I'll be when it's time for a meal, instead of going out of our way for Disney food. Good luck! Don't forget to choose a few places for YOU. Especially if the kids will be awestruck no matter what.

 

[sponica]

For the most part I refuse to eat at places where I can find similar food at home. And for whatever reason, we have 3 authentic Mexican restaurants in town (and I judge them by their mole sauce). So I've never eaten in Mexico in Epcot.

My 1st grader is captain particular and these are where we've had the most luck.

I know it's wacky, but shockingly my favorite sit down in MK has been Liberty Tree Tavern, even though it's themed like colonial Americana tourist trap I can get at home. If the kids like Thanksgiving and all the fixings, it's a nice lunch.

Epcot- Garden Grill is our mainstay, although I really miss their breakfast. It's a low key character meal and the food is decent. I do wish they'd bring back the steak chimichurri though.

DHS- We typically do 50s Prime Time

AK- You really can't go wrong here, this park has some of the best food. We've done Tiffins and Tusker House, but we did TH when it was family style. I don't do buffets with kids, it's my vacation too and I get up 8 million times at home to get something for them, I like to eat my hot food when it's hot and cold food cold.

 

[Sunflowers13]

You ALL have been amazing. Thanks again to everyone who responded!!! I’ve also taken the suggestions to look up YouTube reviews…seeing actual video tours of these spots is incredibly helpful. But it’s nice to also have all these wonderful suggestions from everyone’s experiences as a solid starting place, so I can narrow down the search a bit. We live in Chicago and are lucky to have some incredible restaurants closeby, which is a big part of the reason we’re giving unique/memorable ambiance for the kids a bit of an edge over the actual food experience (as painful as that is to admit, lol…and, of course, spots that have BOTH great atmosphere and food just get bonus points!). I also appreciated the feedback about it being ok to pull back on sit down meals, and allow ourselves to be more spontaneous with meals (much more our style, in general)…and to make sure we include a few places for us!!But these ideas have all been great, seriously—I’m already feeling less anxious, and getting more excited for our trip.

 

[Skippyboo]

I would add Boma for breakfast at AKL
Satuli Canteen which is the QS restaurant in Pandora section of AK- they have build your own bowls there so it’s different from burgers, chicken nuggets
You may want to look at doing Fantasmic dining package- Sci Fi or Prime Time Cafe would be good options. Then you are guaranteed a seat for the show. Definitely want to watch it.

 

[erinch]

Sunflowers, I sent you a PM offering some planning help if you would like it! Meals are only a small part of your adventure to have a smooth and great trip.

 

[Minniemoo15]

My kids are all about the themed restaurants that we can't experience anywhere else. They love:

Sci-Fi Diner - Sitting in cars like an old drive-in theatre
50's Prime Time - themed were the waiters are your cousins and will play antics with you - we ask for their funniest CM when we check in and have never been disappointed!
Raglan Road (has live Irish step dancers)
Hoop Dee Doo - Fun dinner theatre
Biergarten - Themed like an outdoor German town with live music and a dance floor
Sanaa - Watching animals on the savannah while you eat
Whispering Canyon Cafe - Similar to 50's in that the waiters joke and play antics with you. My kids love this.

 

[Gary Stocker]

T-Rex. Who doesn't like hearing and watching the extinction of dinosaurs by an asteroid every 15 minutes?

 

[Pyxie]

I haven't seen it mentioned (may have overlooked it), but at HS, Sci Fi Drive In is great for theming. Eat in a car while watching old cheesy black and white movies.