One of the best things about Disney World vacations is making sure you eat all of the delicious things while on your Disney World vacations. For those that don’t know, Disney food is a thing. And, what to eat at Disney is an important element of your overall vacation causing many families to book dining reservations for their top Disney dining destinations months in advance.
We have our personal list of family favorites that we consider to be the best places to eat in Disney World. We look forward to indulging in these each time we visit the happiest place on Earth, but with 412 dining locations across the resort to choose from, and more being added annually, what we think are the best places to eat in Disney World may only be a small sampling of the best places to eat in Disney World. We haven’t had a chance to enjoy all 412 dining destinations and imagine that we never will cross that one off our bucket list.
Naturally, when in search of arguably the best of anything, I turn to the DudeMom Facebook fans for advice. I asked and 25 of them were kind enough to share exactly what they think the best places to eat in Disney World are.
Before we get into that, let me break down a few things about the Disney World dining experience:
- First, there are several dining options at Disney: quick counter service, fast casual, buffet, character dining, and other fine/signature dining options. Some facilities offer more than one of these options depending on the time/meal.
- New to the experience in 2019 is fast casual dining—which allows you to order your food, take a pager, find a seat, and wait for it to be brought to you—and mobile ordering that allows you to order directly to your phone without waiting in line at all.
- Disney World allows you to book dining reservations 180 days in advance, or more if you’re staying at a Disney World Resort property.
- You may want to consider a Disney dining plan to manage your food and budget. You can learn more about them here: Disney Dining Plans
Now, let’s see what the best places to eat in Disney World, according to parents, actually are.
Arguably the Best: The 20 Best Places to Eat in Disney World
Best Places to Eat in Disney World: Magic Kingdom
Be Our Guest
Feast on French-inspired fare in one of our elaborately themed rooms—straight out of the beloved Disney classic! Be Our Guest Restaurant is an expansive and elegant 550-seat dining destination located at the foot of Beast’s Castle in Fantasyland. Whether you are enjoying a quick-service breakfast or lunch, or the stately elegance of a table-service dinner, you can select from 1 of 3….
Type: Unique/Themed Dining, Quick Service, Fast Casual
Cuisine: American and French
Cost: $15 to $34.99
Check them out: Be Our Guest
Pecos Bill
Rustle up some grub at this Old West saloon! Tell tall tales over chicken fajitas, taco trios and the Southwest Burger—all before riding off into the sunset to the taste of sweet treats like mini churros with dipping chocolate.
Mom approved: “Pecos Bills is our favorite at Magic Kingdom.” –Heidi D.
Type: Quick service
Cuisine: Mexican
Cost: $14.99 and under
Check them out: Pecos Bill
Casey’s Corner
Hit it out of the park with American baseball favorites: hot dogs, corn dog nuggets, French fries and ice-cold lemonade slushies. You may even catch Jim tickling the ivories to ragtime tunes outside. Soft drinks are also available.
Mom approved: “Always loved Casey’s Corner!!!” –Halley M.
Type: Quick service
Cuisine: American
Cost: $14.99 and under
Check them out: Casey’s Corner
Liberty Tree Tavern
Celebrate our heritage with hearty all-American eats and a traditional family-style Thanksgiving dinner. Get ready for a classic American meal in one of 6 historically themed rooms. Step back in time to the days of Colonial Williamsburg and sup in splendor on the fall harvest bounty proffered by the Sons and Daughters of Liberty Tree Tavern.
Type: Buffet/Family Style
Cuisine: American
Cost: $15-$59.99
Check them out: Liberty Tree Tavern
Best Places to Eat in Disney: Hollywood Studios
Sci-Fi Dine In Theater
Pull up to a car-shaped booth or table and chow down at our “drive-in” playing thrilling, chilling sci-fi scenes. It’s always showtime at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, where you’ll find scrumptious items on the menu and scary clips on the screen: attacking aliens, marauding mummies, rampaging robots and more.
Mom approved: This is one of my dudes’ favorite places to dine. They like sitting in the cars and watching the movies on the big screen while they eat and the food is right up their alley.” –DudeMom
Type: Themed
Cuisine: American
Cost: $15-$34.99
Check them out: Sci-Fi Dine In
ABC Commissary
Right off Commissary Lane, join us for a burger, chicken or salad as you look at posters of your favorite ABC Shows.
Get your appetite ready for its close-up with classic lunch options like our 1/3 lb. Angus Bacon Cheeseburger, Chicken Breast Tenders or Mediterranean Salad
Type: Quick Service, Fast Casual
Cuisine: American
Cost: $15 to $34.99
Check them out: ABC Commissary
50s Prime Time Café
It’s a blast from the past when you walk into this all-American eatery themed like Mom’s kitchen.
Bring your appetite and your sense of humor, because Mom and the extended family aren’t above giving you lessons in table etiquette—and doling out punishment to misbehaving boys and girls.
For an extra-special treat, you’re allowed to watch TV while eating dinner! Take a seat at a retro TV table and enjoy black-and-white clips from popular prime-time shows circa 1955. After dinner, be sure to browse the dessert menu for sweet treats that include an incredible chocolate peanut butter layer cake and warm apple crisp—just like Mom’s!
Mom approved: “Love all of the nostalgia of this place and that there is plenty to look at and enjoy while you eat or while you wait to be seated.” –DudeMom
Type: Sit down, themed
Cuisine: American
Cost: $15 to $34.99
Check them out: 50s Prime Time Cafe
Best Places to Eat in Disney: Epcot
La Hacienda de San Angel
Discover vibrant flavors from regions around Mexico, as you dine under colorful globe lamps and star lanterns. Corn tortillas are house-made each day, and fresh salsas—ranging from sweet to spicy—are prepared with chipotle and serrano peppers, mangos and more. Zesty appetizers include Queso Fundido, a dish of warmed cheese with poblano peppers and sausage. Share a meaty mixed grill with a parrillada for 2. It’s also a great place from which to watch Illuminations, Epcot’s firework show that will be ending in September of 2019!
Mom approved: “I’m with you and dude dad… La Hacienda de San Angel!” –Robin T.
Type: Themed dining
Cuisine: Mexican
Cost: $14-$34.99
Check them out: La Hacienda
Biergarten Restaurant
Be transported to a traditional Bavarian village as you feast on German fare to the oompah beat of a lively band. At communal, biergarten-style tables, enjoy such rotating buffet selections as bratwurst, rotisserie chicken, pork schnitzel and a variety of salads. Save room for Bavarian cheesecake and hand-pulled apple strudel, made fresh daily! Polka on down to the dance floor, or simply relax in the twilit atmosphere.
Type: Buffet/Themed
Cuisine: German
Cost: $35-$59.99
Check them out: Biergarten
Tokyo Dining
Be transported into a true cultural experience through the harmony of traditional Japanese food and hospitality. Enjoy the vibrant feel of modern Tokyo as you watch our talented sushi chefs prepare their works of culinary art, as dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows overlook World Showcase Lagoon.
Type: Unique/themed
Cuisine: Japonese
Cost: $15-$34.99
Check them out: Tokyo Dining
Garden Grill
Enjoy an ever-changing array of sights, and tastes too, as you slowly turn about this rotating restaurant.
At Garden Grill Restaurant, Guests of all ages are invited to imbibe visuals from Living with the Land—such scenes as a rainforest, farmhouse, thunderstorm, sandstorm and prairie—while indulging in an all-you-care-to-enjoy, family-style meal.
Type: Buffet/Character
Cuisine: American
Cost: $35-$59.99
Check them out: Garden Grill
Via Napoli
Discover authentic Italian cooking, including hearty pastas, fresh salads and pizzas perfected in wood-burning ovens. You’ll find dishes like fried risotto balls, vegetable soup or prosciutto e melone and the menu along with lasagna napoletana, chicken parmigiana, wood-fired pizzas and chicken salads. The authentic Neapolitan pizzas with their perfectly thin crusts are made with fresh mozzarella cheese, San Marzano tomatoes and real Caputo flour imported from Southern Italy.
The restaurant was voted Critic’s Choice for “Best Theme Park Restaurant” by Orlando Sentinel.
Mom approved: “Via Napoli in Epcot.” –Spring S.
Type: Themed
Cuisine: Italian
Cost: $15-$35
Check them out: Via Napoli
Le Cellier
Savor tender steaks, fresh seafood, cheesy poutine fries and other regional cuisine inspired by the provinces of Canada. Under sweeping stone arches and flickering candle sconces, this sizzling steakhouse recalls the wine cellars of grand château-style hotels like Fairmont Le Château Frontenac and Fairmont Château Laurier.
Mom approved: “Le Cellier in Epcot.” –Brandi T.
Type: Sit down, lunch and dinner
Cuisine: Canadian
Cost: $35-$59.99
Check them out: Le Cellier
Best Places to Eat in Disney: Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Satu’li Canteen
Owned and operated by Alpha Centauri Expeditions (ACE), Satu’li Canteen supplies travelers all the comforts of home—courtesy of a unique, fast-casual menu that’s been crafted from Pandora’s natural abundance.
Featuring international-inspired cuisine, vegetarian options and specialty libations, it’s the perfect place to refuel with wholesome grains, fresh vegetables and hearty proteins as you venture through the Valley of Mo’ara.
Type: Quick service,
Cuisine: American
Cost: $ ($14.99)
Check them out: Satu’li Canteen
Tusker House Restaurant
Join Safari Donald Duck and friends at this colorful Harambe marketplace eatery for a wild Character Dining experience regardless of time of day—from breakfast and lunch to the family-style dinner buffet—all brimming with African flavor.
Type: Buffet/Themed/Character
Cusinie: African/American
Cost: $35-$59.99
Check them out: Tusker House
Restaurantosaurus
Delight in pre-hysteric, paleontology student humor as you dine on Angus or black bean burgers, chicken nuggets and more in a dino-themed dorm. Enjoy ice cold beverages and Safari Amber draft beer.
Type: Quick service/mobile orders
Cuisine: American
Cost: $14.99 and less
Check them out: Restaurantosaurus
Best Places to Eat in Disney: Resort Based Restaurants
Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Chef Mickey’s Fun Time Buffet offers family-friendly fare for breakfast, brunch or dinner! Dig in to contemporary American cuisine at this casual indoor buffet for kids of all ages. Indulge in an abundant buffet of fun and food from Chef Mickey and Friends—with something for everyone! Breakfast features such favorites as Mickey waffles, buttermilk biscuits, fresh fruit and hickory-smoked bacon—while brunch offers everything from classic scrambles to our chef’s selection of seasonal vegetables. Later each evening, dinner showcases buttered chicken, a seafood paella, glazed salmon, carving station selections and kids’ favorites such as macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets. Plus, Guests of all ages will delight in the sundae bar, where you can customize your own decadent dessert.
Mom approved: “Chef Mickey’s for breakfast.” –Kirby B.
Type: Buffet/table service
Cuisine: American
Cost: $35-$59.99
Check them out: Chef Mickey’s
Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Feast family-style as Disney Friends visit with Guests, sign autographs and pose for photos. Breakfast selections include scrambled eggs, Island-style fried potatoes, Hawaiian pork sausages, Hawaiian-style ham topped with pineapple compote, a variety of fresh fruits and assorted breads.
The call of a conch shell welcomes you to an evening of Hawaiian-flavored specialties, storytelling and games.
Servers dash between tikis and tropical greenery to bring skewers of sweet and sour chicken, oak-grilled shrimp and steak to your table, as well as dumplings, stir-fried vegetables, lo mein noodles and salad. It’s a fantastic feast of all-you-care-to-enjoy, Polynesian-style cuisine.
During your meal, the fun and games begin. Children can participate in coconut races—using brooms to sweep coconuts across the restaurant’s hardwood floors. And everyone is invited to dance the Hula and relax to island music during a grand celebration of birthdays and anniversaries.
Mom approved: “We’ve only been to Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom. So I’m going to say character breakfast at Ohana at Polynesian.” –Jessica D.
Type: Buffet
Cuisine: Hawaiian
Cost: $35-$59.99
Check them out: Ohana
1900 Park Fare at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
Breakfast: Join favorite Disney Friends for this fabulously festive, all-you-care-to-enjoy breakfast buffet! “Pop in” for custom-made omelets, fluffy mini pancakes, Mickey-shaped waffles, carved ham and more.
Dinner: Enjoy an enchanting buffet dinner as the honored Guest of Cinderella and Prince Charming! The Princess’ storybook friends join in the festivities as you have a ball dining on delectable seafood, salad, pasta and beef specialties. The culinary selections are representative of several “kingdoms” from around the globe and include such kid-friendly fare as chicken, cheese pizza and macaroni and cheese.
Type: Buffet, character appearances
Cuisine: American
Cost: $35 to $59.99
Check them out: Park Fare
Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Village – Kidani Village
Experience the art of African cooking with Indian flavors, as exotic animals roam the Sunset Savanna before you. Savor slow-cooked meats, salads and vegetarian specialties at this East African-inspired eatery, which evokes a traditional spice market, decorated with handcrafted wares under the graceful branches of an acacia tree.
Mom approved: “I looove Sanaa eating with the animals right outside the window! It’s tradition to do it on our first night there since it’s not at a park, but resort.” –Tracie B.
Type: Themed (Breakfast is quick service)
Cuisine: African/Indian
Cost: $15-$35
Check them out: Sanaa
Fed and ready for bed? Check out this list of top Disney resorts according to parents: Arguably the Best: Favorite Disney Resorts, or this post featuring our favorite resort properties: Best Places to Stay at Disney World Orlando