We recently took a trip to Disney and explored some of the dining options in each park. We were sure to make reservations ahead of time, and I am glad we did as the parks were busier than we thought. It has always been my experience that stopping to have a meal during the day is a very relaxing experience. Tempers can flare when you or the kids get tired. Waiting in line all day, walking through the parks, navigating through all the people can get very overwhelming. Stopping for a table service meal gives you all the chance to take a break and unwind for a little bit. On hot days it is a chance to sit in the cool air conditioning. There are restaurants where you can order food and find a table to sit at and eat, but you are not guaranteed a table and sometimes have to eat standing. This is not relaxing. If you can, I highly suggest taking the time to find a restaurant you enjoy at least once throughout the day.
Our first stop was to Hollywood Studios. For this dining experience we chose a down to earth restaurant. the 50’s Prime Time Cafe. This is a fun restaurant with mini TVs all around showing scenes from 50’s shows. The menu features home cooked meals like you would have gotten in that time period. I had the pot roast which was delicious. Ned’s meatloaf was just OK. I also had an orange float with lunch that was really good. Be sure not to put your elbows on the table in this restaurant or the waiters and waitresses will tell you very quickly how that is unacceptable. Phones out- no way! The fun of this restaurant is that the wait staff makes you feel right at home, like it or not.
Next, we ventured to Magic Kingdom. This was a full day for us so we decided on 2 dining experiences since we were there for the entire day. I really wanted to try the pirate themed Beak and Barrel. I was so excited to try it that I did not read anything about it. (See tip 9 below). This is really one of the newer ideas that Disney is trying which are themed bars with lots of alcohol choices and a few food choices. Olga’s Cantina in Hollywood Studios is a similar concept. The food here also got mixed reviews. Ned had a corn cake which was OK. I had the octopus which was super yummy. Our biggest complaint was that we were “seated” at the bar, but there were no seats. We had to ask the waiter to bring us some stools. The atmosphere in the Beak and Barrel was fun. About every 5 minutes a parrot came out and told jokes or a story that the waitstaff would then respond to, which was a fun touch. Due to the popularity of this location, guests are asked to limit their time to 45 minutes inside.
Later in the day we went to the Be Our Guest restaurant. I am a die hard Beauty and the Beast fan so this is always one of my favorite stops. We started lunch with a complimentary baguette with butter and oil. I am only slightly ashamed to say that the 2 of us finished the entire baguette. It was delicious. Our meals were equally as good, and dessert was too. I got the gray stuff. It was delicious! We even were treated to a little extra gray stuff since it was our anniversary weekend. The beast does make an appearance and we saw him 3 times while we dined. He does not interact with guests one on one thought so be aware that you can only watch as he parades around his castle. This was the most expensive meal, but one of the best.
On day three, we visited the Animal Kingdom park. There we decided to try Tiffins Restaurant. I have to say that this was surprisingly the best overall meal of the trip. Ned had their prix fixe meal, which included a specialty non-alcoholic drink, a hamburger, and a dessert. I tried the butter chicken and of course I had to get a dessert too. I had the street corn tres leche cake. Oh my word! One of the best deserts ever!! The atmosphere in the restaurant was very cool. Everywhere you looked, art from all over the world adorned the walls. It was comfortable and even though the restaurant was busy, it was not loud. Although the meal was spot on perfect, the waiter was our least favorite of the trip. He wasn’t rude, just didn’t take an interest in us.
Day four was our last day and it did not disappoint. We visited EPCOT and chose two meals this day. Our first stop for lunch was one of my favorite restaurants in all the parks, The Garden Grill in The Land pavilion. Why is it my favorite? So many reasons. First, this is a restaurant that I would eat at as a kid with my brother and parents, so those memories are special. Next, the restaurant revolves while you are eating. This is just a cool factor and is fun while you eat. The next is the characters that come around as you dine. Here you will see Chip and Dale, Mickey and Pluto. On out visit, they came by the table three times, but typically you only see each of them once.
Each time they came by they made a point to stop and interact with us. Each time we laughed as they interacted differently each time. This by far was the most fun dining experience. The menu is good stick to your ribs food, and we were stuffed when we left. We were glad that we had skipped breakfast earlier in the day. We let about 6 hours go by and it was time for dinner. Another one of my favorite restaurants is the Coral Reef restaurant. This was also a great meal, although the dining room is one big room and can get loud if it is full. We both had the grilled snapper which was excellent. We did splurge on dessert. The key lime tart and chocolate mousse bar were excellent.
TIPS FOR DINING:
- Disney advertises that you can check in 20 minutes early for your reservation (or you can be 15 minutes late). We wanted to check in about an hour early three times. Twice we were able to check in early, and once we were asked to come back at our scheduled time. I watched other families in similar situation and they had similar success checking in as we did. You can walk up to the hostess stand to check in or you can check in on the Disney app. The advantage to checking in on the Disney app, is that you can extend your late time if needed. That third restaurant that told us to come back at our time, well we went to see the Lion King show and we would have been over our 15 minute late time if we had walked back to the hostess stand. I checked in as we were walking there, and by the time we got there, they were calling our name for a table. It worked out perfectly, we were 20 minutes late but able to keep our reservation.
- Did you miss out on a dining experience because no reservations were available? Don’t despair, there is still hope. Use the Disney app to check on reservations throughout the day. I really wanted to try the Beak and Barrel since it is new. I checked the app a few times leading up to the day we arrived and still no luck. The morning we visited Magic Kingdom, one spot opened. I snagged it and we got to experience this restaurant. It kills some time to check availability while you are waiting in line.
- There are some restaurants that offer discounts. Usually the discounts are for annual pass holders, but if you have the Disney Visa credit card, some restaurants offer discounts too. Discounts can be seen when you look at the details of the restaurant.
- Some restaurants do offer to let you take leftovers so if you have a place to carry them, it is feasible to take them with you. If this is something you would like to do, I would suggest that you bring some plastic gallon sized bags to slide the leftover boxes into. One waiter said that he was not allowed to give us a box, but he could give us a plastic cup for “drinks”. He suggested that our leftovers could be placed in the cups and brought out of the restaurant, so that is also an option for taking some leftovers. Note that if you are at a restaurant that offers a buffet, they will not give you a box for leftovers.
- You will not go hungry if you visit the sit down restaurants. On days that we were in the parks all day, we ate 2 big meals, and probably could have had one with just snacks from around the parks to tide us over throughout the rest of the day.
- The meal plans really do save you money. If you buy your tickets and hotel through Disney, then you can add on a meal plan.
- If you are really on a tight budget, you can bring a limited amount of food into the parks. I saw a couple eating wraps one day, there are plenty of toddlers eating goldfish or other snacks throughout the parks as well. My general rule of thumb for bringing items in is 1 drink and 1-2 small snacks per person. A ham and cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwich would also be acceptable. Just be sure that your drinks and snacks fit in your backpack as coolers are not allowed.
- We saw popcorn buckets being spilled all over the park. Yes, these are collectible items, but consider skipping out on this collectible or waiting until the end of the day before purchasing it.
- Read the menus ahead of time. Be sure that everyone in your party likes the food as some of the restaurant options only offer a few menu choices.
- Look for experiences tied to dining options. One of my favorite combinations is the Fantasmic! show dining packages. Here you get the bet of both worlds. A sit down dinner and a reserved space for the show. If you’ve ever been to Fantasmic, then you know on busy nights people begin to pack the stadium an hour before the show starts. With the dining packages, you don’t need to do this since you have a reserved space. It is definitely worth the money. There are some other options like the fireworks or parade packages in EPCOT and Magic Kingdom. Be sure to check them out.
- You can wait in line to see the characters in the park, or you can choose character dining experiences and see them there. To me, this was always the better option as I am inside in the cool temperatures, I can get autographs, and generally have the same amount of time with the characters as with a meet and greet.
OTHER RESTAURANTS TO TRY
In addition to the reviews above, here are my favorite restaurants in the parks and outside too.
Magic Kingdom: Cinderella’s Royal Table- see the main Disney princesses here. This is one of the most difficult restaurants to find a table at. Be sure to book a reservation as soon as you can. 90 days if you have a hotel and dining plan, or 30 days if you have a ticket. The Crystal Palace. This is another character buffet featuring Pooh and his friends. One of our kids favorites. Liberty Tree Tavern- this is a family style restaurant and has a little bit of everything for the picky eaters.
EPCOT: Askerhaus Royal Banquet- meet several princesses. Teppan Edo- this is a fun dinner and show. Yorkshire County Fish Market has some excellent fish and chips. Look for special passports or other dine around the world options in EPCOT. This can be a fun way to snack throughout the day.
Animal Kingdom: Tusker House, This is a character dining option at Animal Kingdom.
Hollywood Studios: Hollywood Brown Derby- if you are looking for that taste of Hollywood this is the place to be. Sci Fi Drive in. This is a super fun place to dine because you sit in a car and watch old movies. The menu is a little limited so be sure to look at it before making a reservation.
Outside the Parks: Boma Flavors of Africa- in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. This is a buffet of African inspired dishes. To me this is a must try restaurant and the bonus is that you can step out back and see some animals up close too. Chef Mickeys. If you have kids this is a must try character buffet experience. This is the only place where you will see all the main Disney characters together. Definitely not to be missed! ESPN Sports Grill- If you have a sports fan in the family, this is the place to be. Planet Hollywood in Disney Springs. This always impresses the kids and they do have a knack for the over the top items. It’s a fun stop.
Let us know if we can help you navigate the world of Disney dining. We barely touched on the dining plans, but can help you navigate those as well, to determine which one is right for your family.
Joyce
World of Dreams Travel with MEV 
Leave a comment