Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Introduction
Before we get too far under way, this very well might be the most stressful aspect of a Walt Disney World planning process. There are literally hundreds of restaurants to choose from on-property and they are spread out across the vast miles of property. These restaurant options are also in a constant state of flux. Each dining option is also incredibly diverse. Do you want to dine with Mickey and his friends? Do you want a quiet and luxurious meal at a 5-star restaurant? Maybe you are just looking to grab a quick bite before you spend the rest of your life in line for Avatar Flight of Passage.
Either way, this is an important part of your planning process and you should pay close attention to where you are looking to eat. Disney greatly complicates this by “making” you choose your dining 180 days in advance. (Check out my Timeline for a planning schedule!) The most important thing to understand about dining at WDW is that some restaurants may not be available without booking your advanced dining reservations 180 days in advance. For the purpose of planning, I have included some options that are good choices for booking 180 days in advance and some that do not require that.
Now onto my methodology. This list is arranged in a particular way for a particular reason: a category for each park, then a category for the Disney resorts, and lastly there is a category for Disney Springs.
Most likely, you will be spending time and eating at least one meal in each park (yes, even at Hollywood Studios). Many people will also spend a decent amount of time at their home resort. My hot tip: spend time in at least one other resort and eat a meal there if you have the time. Slightly fewer vacation guests will spend time at Disney Springs. I totally understand that if you are focused on park touring you may skip Disney Springs. However, there are some truly amazing dining options. If you have the time, don’t skip it!
Each park, the resorts, and the Disney Springs are broken up into quick service, table service, and signature dining. These correlate with different levels of the Disney Dining Plan. For everyone who doesn’t use the DDP, let me explain. Quick service restaurants are places where you order from a counter and are not waited on. Table service restaurants are sit-down eateries where you are waited on. Lastly, signature dining restaurants are unique experiences or higher quality food and typically are more expensive (both on the DDP and out-of-pocket). I provided one of each to give a variety of options to planners.
My last note is that Sarah and I have not eaten at all of these restaurants. I will rely heavily on consensus dining reviews for the restaurants we have not frequented and I will make it clear that it is not based off my own opinion, but the opinion of the larger Disney touring community.
With all that said, let’s eat some food! (Also, warning: reading this article may lead to severe hunger.)
Disclaimer: this is a list of the restaurants that Sarah and I would recommend. This is by no means an exhaustive list of the quality restaurants at WDW. We realize this particular topic is highly subjective based on palate and past experiences, so please share your favorites with us in the Comments!
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom is the flagship park at Walt Disney World, however, the dining tends to be hit-or-miss. There are some really good places and some notoriously horrible places. Let’s dive in!
Quick Service: Be Our Guest breakfast
Sarah and I ate at Be Our Guest for breakfast during our September 2017 trip and then lunch during our October 2016 and November 2017 trips. I have to be honest, the breakfast is much better than the lunch. That is because the food is slightly better (would not take much!) and because it comes with a very important perk. The biggest reason why this is on the list is because you can gain access to the Magic Kingdom before the park is open to the general public.
Honorable Mention: Columbia Harbor House
Table Service: The Crystal Palace
Sarah and I ate at The Crystal Palace during our November 2017 trip. We ate breakfast at this buffet and we loved our experience. The food was above-average breakfast food, but we loved that we got to dine and meet Winnie the Pooh and his friends. Given that the table service offerings at MK are not elite, this restaurant is a great option. Also, you can gain access to MK early with a breakfast reservation.
Honorable Mention: Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen
Signature: Cinderella’s Royal Table
Once Sarah became aware that we could dine in Cinderella’s Castle with princesses, I knew that we would never go anywhere else. We visited during our October 2016 and November 2017 trips and we will be visiting again in December 2018. As I stated above, you can dine in the castle with princesses. The food is what I would consider “fine dining-lite” and can be very expensive. It is a good use of two DDP credits because gratuity is built into the experience so you do not need to add it to your bill.
Honorable Mention: Be Our Guest dinner
Epcot
Due to World Showcase, Epcot has a great reputation for diverse and interesting cuisine. My experience has been that the restaurants are normally fairly high quality. I wanted to be intentional about not only choosing foods from WS, so I picked one in The Land. Check it out!
Quick Service: Sunshine Seasons
Sarah and I ate here during our July 2017 trip and we really liked it! The building is large and crowded, but this cafeteria-style eatery has an interesting and delicious menu! Even though there are several other good options around World Showcase, I would still choose Sunshine.
Honorable Mention: Yorkshire County Fish Shop
Table Service: Hacienda de San Angel
This is where it becomes very difficult to decide which restaurant is best. To be honest, you could choose one of the table service options at almost any of the WS areas and be happy. However, Hacienda mixes good food with the possibility of watching Illuminations from your table, if you can get the dining reservation!
Honorable Mention: Biergarten
Signature: Monsieur Paul
I have to admit that this is a restaurant I have not yet eaten at. It is, however, on my Disney dining bucket list. Based on reviews of the restaurant, it is an incredible fine dining experience with a really intimate environment. Be forewarned, this restaurant is very pricey!
Honorable Mention: Le Cellier Steakhouse
Hollywood Studios
For a long time, Hollywood Studios has been the construction park. With the end (somewhat) in sight, it may be time to start visiting the park for a full day! Some of the food here is notoriously bad (speaking of bad, NEVER go to Hollywood & Vine). There are a few decent offerings so check them out!
Quick Service: Woody’s Lunch Box
Sarah and I have not visited WDW since Toy Story Land has been open, so I am going to have to rely on consensus and lack of other options. We have eaten at almost all the quick service locations at HS and they are all different shades of not very good. Woody’s Lunch Box almost wins by default, it remains to be seen how it holds up (and if they will ever stick with a consistent menu).
Honorable Mention: Fairfax Fare
Table Service: Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
Sarah and I both loved Mama Melrose’s when we visited in November 2017. We got massive (and delicious) portions and a Fastpass to Fantasmic! We despise Hollywood & Vine and we don’t love the concept of 50’s Prime Time, so this wins for us.
Honorable Mention: 50’s Prime Time Cafe
Signature: The Hollywood Brown Derby
This is the flagship restaurant at HS. This restaurant originated in Hollywood (who guessed?!) in 1926. Sadly, the WDW restaurant is the only surviving Brown Derby. You walk in the front doors and you can feel the Hollywood history in the air. This meal is famous and you can even have a meal with an Imagineer!
Honorable Mention: N/A
Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom is not only a beautiful park, but also a beautiful park in which to eat! From distant shores to the distant past, there is an option for everyone! Sarah probably disagrees, but I think this may be my favorite park. I love getting lost in the wild (of a Disney theme park). Don’t be surprised if you like a lot of the options here!
Quick Service: Satu’li Canteen
When Pandora - The World of Avatar opened in 2017, people were not quite sure what to expect. Avatar did brilliantly in the theaters, but could it be enough to add an entire land? The resounding answer to that was yes. One of the biggest assets in Pandora is Satu’li Canteen. This restaurant has some delicious (and lighter) options that will make you very happy.
Honorable Mention: Flame Tree Barbecue
Table Service: Tusker House
Sarah and I disagree on this one, but that is because she does not care for the African-inspired cuisine. We also are both generally ambivalent about the presence of masked characters at our meals. Personally, I think Tusker House is the best buffet we have visited at WDW. The food is great and so is the atmosphere. If you want to meet characters, that is a bonus!
Honorable Mention: Yak & Yeti
Signature: Tiffins
Sure, Tiffins wins by default. However, that does not mean that it is not a great restaurant. The general consensus is that this is an excellent place to eat. The quality of the food and the consistent experience have led guests to rate it incredibly highly. Also, you can get a Fastpass for Rivers of Light (if you are planning on going to the show).
Honorable Mention: N/A
Resorts
My perception is that not enough people take advantage of the resort dining options. Maybe it’s because it can be hard to get to a resort that you are not staying at via bus, but very few people fully take advantage of the many restaurant offerings. If you want to enjoy an incredible meal, you can be very happy by taking an extra bus or an Uber to a different resort!
Quick Service: Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory
Sarah and I stayed at Port Orleans - French Quarter during our November 2017 trip. We both really loved Sassagoula when we visited. It’s an interesting menu and I would rate the execution of that menu as above-average. We both really enjoyed the Shrimp and Grits and we almost died when we found out they serve a Beignet Sundae.
Honorable Mention: Landscape of Flavors
Table Service: ‘Ohana
Sarah and I fell in love with ‘Ohana during our visit in November 2017. We loved the atmosphere and we loved the all-you-care-to-enjoy food. We loved everything from the ‘Ohana Pineapple-Coconut Bread to the ‘Ohana Bread Pudding à la mode. Hot tip: they try to move quickly. You are not in a rush, feel free to take your time.
Honorable Mention: Boma Flavors of Africa
Signature: California Grill
This is probably my top Disney bucket list meal. I would love to have dinner at this restaurant during the fireworks. Someday, I promise! Not only is the location fantastic here, but the consensus is that the food is some of the best on property. I would highly recommend getting an ADR 180 days in advance.
Honorable Mention: Mickey’s Backyard BBQ
Disney Springs
I have to admit, Sarah and I have not spent as much time in Disney Springs as I would like. Most of the time when we visit we are so focused on getting to the parks as much as possible that we don’t end up at DS. However, we have spent a decent amount of time there and tasted some of the great food. If you are looking for a nicer dining experience, there are some great signature options here!
Quick Service: D-Luxe Burger
The one area that seems to be lacking at Disney Springs is quick service dining. Most of the options are chain restaurants and I usually try to avoid chain restaurants while on vacation. D-Luxe is a good, but expensive burger. I ordered one on our way out of Orlando during our visit in March 2017. It is probably the best option at the Springs.
Honorable Mention: Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza
Table Service: Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’
Disney Springs does have some really good table service options and some pretty bad ones (I’m looking at you Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex). The popular opinion is that local chef Art Smith did a great job at Homecomin’ honoring Floridian cuisine and crafting his menu. It is definitely worth stopping in!
Honorable Mention: Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant
Signature: Morimoto Asia
You may have seen Chef Morimoto on Iron Chef, but did you know he has a restaurant in Disney Springs? This Pan-Asian cuisine is supposed to be out-of-this-world. The spare ribs are supposed to be amazing!
Honorable Mention: The BOATHOUSE
Conclusion
As I said before, there are SO many dining options at Walt Disney World. The good news is that only a small handful of them are consistently mediocre! It’s fairly hard to go wrong when dining at Disney. The most important step for the planning guru is to read menus and dining reviews. If you put in the small amount of work, you can eliminate 99% of the planning errors.
Also, enjoy the planning! I fully understand that Disney vacation planning can be a stressful undertaking. If you have read this far, you clearly are dedicated to this vacation and are taking every possible step to ensure your vacation is successful. Try your best to roll with the punches of vacation planning. There will be set-backs and triumphs. Enjoy the process!
Have you eaten at any or all of these restaurants? Share your experience! We would love to hear from you! Agree with our rankings? Disagree? We want to hear your feedback! Just add to the Comments section below.
Want to see more Walt Disney World reviews? Check out our Reviews page!
Love the Intentional Mouse? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! We love interacting with our followers so feel free to get in touch!
Before we get too far under way, this very well might be the most stressful aspect of a Walt Disney World planning process. There are literally hundreds of restaurants to choose from on-property and they are spread out across the vast miles of property. These restaurant options are also in a constant state of flux. Each dining option is also incredibly diverse. Do you want to dine with Mickey and his friends? Do you want a quiet and luxurious meal at a 5-star restaurant? Maybe you are just looking to grab a quick bite before you spend the rest of your life in line for Avatar Flight of Passage.
Either way, this is an important part of your planning process and you should pay close attention to where you are looking to eat. Disney greatly complicates this by “making” you choose your dining 180 days in advance. (Check out my Timeline for a planning schedule!) The most important thing to understand about dining at WDW is that some restaurants may not be available without booking your advanced dining reservations 180 days in advance. For the purpose of planning, I have included some options that are good choices for booking 180 days in advance and some that do not require that.
Now onto my methodology. This list is arranged in a particular way for a particular reason: a category for each park, then a category for the Disney resorts, and lastly there is a category for Disney Springs.
Most likely, you will be spending time and eating at least one meal in each park (yes, even at Hollywood Studios). Many people will also spend a decent amount of time at their home resort. My hot tip: spend time in at least one other resort and eat a meal there if you have the time. Slightly fewer vacation guests will spend time at Disney Springs. I totally understand that if you are focused on park touring you may skip Disney Springs. However, there are some truly amazing dining options. If you have the time, don’t skip it!
Each park, the resorts, and the Disney Springs are broken up into quick service, table service, and signature dining. These correlate with different levels of the Disney Dining Plan. For everyone who doesn’t use the DDP, let me explain. Quick service restaurants are places where you order from a counter and are not waited on. Table service restaurants are sit-down eateries where you are waited on. Lastly, signature dining restaurants are unique experiences or higher quality food and typically are more expensive (both on the DDP and out-of-pocket). I provided one of each to give a variety of options to planners.
My last note is that Sarah and I have not eaten at all of these restaurants. I will rely heavily on consensus dining reviews for the restaurants we have not frequented and I will make it clear that it is not based off my own opinion, but the opinion of the larger Disney touring community.
With all that said, let’s eat some food! (Also, warning: reading this article may lead to severe hunger.)
Disclaimer: this is a list of the restaurants that Sarah and I would recommend. This is by no means an exhaustive list of the quality restaurants at WDW. We realize this particular topic is highly subjective based on palate and past experiences, so please share your favorites with us in the Comments!
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom is the flagship park at Walt Disney World, however, the dining tends to be hit-or-miss. There are some really good places and some notoriously horrible places. Let’s dive in!
Quick Service: Be Our Guest breakfast
Sarah and I ate at Be Our Guest for breakfast during our September 2017 trip and then lunch during our October 2016 and November 2017 trips. I have to be honest, the breakfast is much better than the lunch. That is because the food is slightly better (would not take much!) and because it comes with a very important perk. The biggest reason why this is on the list is because you can gain access to the Magic Kingdom before the park is open to the general public.
Honorable Mention: Columbia Harbor House
Table Service: The Crystal Palace
Sarah and I ate at The Crystal Palace during our November 2017 trip. We ate breakfast at this buffet and we loved our experience. The food was above-average breakfast food, but we loved that we got to dine and meet Winnie the Pooh and his friends. Given that the table service offerings at MK are not elite, this restaurant is a great option. Also, you can gain access to MK early with a breakfast reservation.
Honorable Mention: Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen
Signature: Cinderella’s Royal Table
Once Sarah became aware that we could dine in Cinderella’s Castle with princesses, I knew that we would never go anywhere else. We visited during our October 2016 and November 2017 trips and we will be visiting again in December 2018. As I stated above, you can dine in the castle with princesses. The food is what I would consider “fine dining-lite” and can be very expensive. It is a good use of two DDP credits because gratuity is built into the experience so you do not need to add it to your bill.
Honorable Mention: Be Our Guest dinner
Epcot
Due to World Showcase, Epcot has a great reputation for diverse and interesting cuisine. My experience has been that the restaurants are normally fairly high quality. I wanted to be intentional about not only choosing foods from WS, so I picked one in The Land. Check it out!
Quick Service: Sunshine Seasons
Sarah and I ate here during our July 2017 trip and we really liked it! The building is large and crowded, but this cafeteria-style eatery has an interesting and delicious menu! Even though there are several other good options around World Showcase, I would still choose Sunshine.
Honorable Mention: Yorkshire County Fish Shop
Table Service: Hacienda de San Angel
This is where it becomes very difficult to decide which restaurant is best. To be honest, you could choose one of the table service options at almost any of the WS areas and be happy. However, Hacienda mixes good food with the possibility of watching Illuminations from your table, if you can get the dining reservation!
Honorable Mention: Biergarten
Signature: Monsieur Paul
I have to admit that this is a restaurant I have not yet eaten at. It is, however, on my Disney dining bucket list. Based on reviews of the restaurant, it is an incredible fine dining experience with a really intimate environment. Be forewarned, this restaurant is very pricey!
Honorable Mention: Le Cellier Steakhouse
Hollywood Studios
For a long time, Hollywood Studios has been the construction park. With the end (somewhat) in sight, it may be time to start visiting the park for a full day! Some of the food here is notoriously bad (speaking of bad, NEVER go to Hollywood & Vine). There are a few decent offerings so check them out!
Quick Service: Woody’s Lunch Box
Sarah and I have not visited WDW since Toy Story Land has been open, so I am going to have to rely on consensus and lack of other options. We have eaten at almost all the quick service locations at HS and they are all different shades of not very good. Woody’s Lunch Box almost wins by default, it remains to be seen how it holds up (and if they will ever stick with a consistent menu).
Honorable Mention: Fairfax Fare
Table Service: Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
Sarah and I both loved Mama Melrose’s when we visited in November 2017. We got massive (and delicious) portions and a Fastpass to Fantasmic! We despise Hollywood & Vine and we don’t love the concept of 50’s Prime Time, so this wins for us.
Honorable Mention: 50’s Prime Time Cafe
Signature: The Hollywood Brown Derby
This is the flagship restaurant at HS. This restaurant originated in Hollywood (who guessed?!) in 1926. Sadly, the WDW restaurant is the only surviving Brown Derby. You walk in the front doors and you can feel the Hollywood history in the air. This meal is famous and you can even have a meal with an Imagineer!
Honorable Mention: N/A
Animal Kingdom
Animal Kingdom is not only a beautiful park, but also a beautiful park in which to eat! From distant shores to the distant past, there is an option for everyone! Sarah probably disagrees, but I think this may be my favorite park. I love getting lost in the wild (of a Disney theme park). Don’t be surprised if you like a lot of the options here!
Quick Service: Satu’li Canteen
When Pandora - The World of Avatar opened in 2017, people were not quite sure what to expect. Avatar did brilliantly in the theaters, but could it be enough to add an entire land? The resounding answer to that was yes. One of the biggest assets in Pandora is Satu’li Canteen. This restaurant has some delicious (and lighter) options that will make you very happy.
Honorable Mention: Flame Tree Barbecue
Table Service: Tusker House
Sarah and I disagree on this one, but that is because she does not care for the African-inspired cuisine. We also are both generally ambivalent about the presence of masked characters at our meals. Personally, I think Tusker House is the best buffet we have visited at WDW. The food is great and so is the atmosphere. If you want to meet characters, that is a bonus!
Honorable Mention: Yak & Yeti
Signature: Tiffins
Sure, Tiffins wins by default. However, that does not mean that it is not a great restaurant. The general consensus is that this is an excellent place to eat. The quality of the food and the consistent experience have led guests to rate it incredibly highly. Also, you can get a Fastpass for Rivers of Light (if you are planning on going to the show).
Honorable Mention: N/A
Resorts
My perception is that not enough people take advantage of the resort dining options. Maybe it’s because it can be hard to get to a resort that you are not staying at via bus, but very few people fully take advantage of the many restaurant offerings. If you want to enjoy an incredible meal, you can be very happy by taking an extra bus or an Uber to a different resort!
Quick Service: Sassagoula Floatworks & Food Factory
Sarah and I stayed at Port Orleans - French Quarter during our November 2017 trip. We both really loved Sassagoula when we visited. It’s an interesting menu and I would rate the execution of that menu as above-average. We both really enjoyed the Shrimp and Grits and we almost died when we found out they serve a Beignet Sundae.
Honorable Mention: Landscape of Flavors
Table Service: ‘Ohana
Sarah and I fell in love with ‘Ohana during our visit in November 2017. We loved the atmosphere and we loved the all-you-care-to-enjoy food. We loved everything from the ‘Ohana Pineapple-Coconut Bread to the ‘Ohana Bread Pudding à la mode. Hot tip: they try to move quickly. You are not in a rush, feel free to take your time.
Honorable Mention: Boma Flavors of Africa
Signature: California Grill
This is probably my top Disney bucket list meal. I would love to have dinner at this restaurant during the fireworks. Someday, I promise! Not only is the location fantastic here, but the consensus is that the food is some of the best on property. I would highly recommend getting an ADR 180 days in advance.
Honorable Mention: Mickey’s Backyard BBQ
Disney Springs
I have to admit, Sarah and I have not spent as much time in Disney Springs as I would like. Most of the time when we visit we are so focused on getting to the parks as much as possible that we don’t end up at DS. However, we have spent a decent amount of time there and tasted some of the great food. If you are looking for a nicer dining experience, there are some great signature options here!
Quick Service: D-Luxe Burger
The one area that seems to be lacking at Disney Springs is quick service dining. Most of the options are chain restaurants and I usually try to avoid chain restaurants while on vacation. D-Luxe is a good, but expensive burger. I ordered one on our way out of Orlando during our visit in March 2017. It is probably the best option at the Springs.
Honorable Mention: Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza
Table Service: Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’
Disney Springs does have some really good table service options and some pretty bad ones (I’m looking at you Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex). The popular opinion is that local chef Art Smith did a great job at Homecomin’ honoring Floridian cuisine and crafting his menu. It is definitely worth stopping in!
Honorable Mention: Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant
Signature: Morimoto Asia
You may have seen Chef Morimoto on Iron Chef, but did you know he has a restaurant in Disney Springs? This Pan-Asian cuisine is supposed to be out-of-this-world. The spare ribs are supposed to be amazing!
Honorable Mention: The BOATHOUSE
Conclusion
As I said before, there are SO many dining options at Walt Disney World. The good news is that only a small handful of them are consistently mediocre! It’s fairly hard to go wrong when dining at Disney. The most important step for the planning guru is to read menus and dining reviews. If you put in the small amount of work, you can eliminate 99% of the planning errors.Also, enjoy the planning! I fully understand that Disney vacation planning can be a stressful undertaking. If you have read this far, you clearly are dedicated to this vacation and are taking every possible step to ensure your vacation is successful. Try your best to roll with the punches of vacation planning. There will be set-backs and triumphs. Enjoy the process!
Have you eaten at any or all of these restaurants? Share your experience! We would love to hear from you! Agree with our rankings? Disagree? We want to hear your feedback! Just add to the Comments section below.
Want to see more Walt Disney World reviews? Check out our Reviews page!
Love the Intentional Mouse? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! We love interacting with our followers so feel free to get in touch!
