Cost Analysis of DDP Restaurants

[Tricia1972]

A few threads have come up that offer excellent analysis of different DDP restaurants. A best "bang for your buck"

Questions as to your best 'bang for your buck' seem to come up daily, so we a are referencing the analysis threads here, so there is one place to find the information.

[robinb]

I updated the Top 25 Restaurant Ranking for 2010!

Enjoy :)

http://personalpages.tds.net/~rb/DIS/MYW%20Dining/2010/DisneyDiningRanking2010.htm

[2Tiggies]

Thank you for doing that for us. :goodvibes I always find it interesting going over these - there are always those places that surprise you by where they feature on the list!

[Tinkerbellie16]

Wow!

[robinb]

I was particularly surprised about Akershus. It's still a 1TS restaurant but the included photo package jacks up the price.

[jjohnson]

Thank you Robin. We're eating at the top 2 but now I'm thinking of switching Kona from OOP to DP

[notfrostyjosh]

The restaurants and quick services with the "best value on the Dining Plan" seems like a common question. I took a minute to calculate the most expensive quick services and sit down restaurants at each of the theme parks. The first category is "'Best Value' AKA Most Expensive Meal on the Dining Plan" which is based solely on the cost of the meal. The second category is "Best Value Out of Pocket" which is more of an opinion based on portion size, quality of food, atmosphere, service, menu uniqueness etc. I'm including both because you might want to take into consideration more than just cost when choosing restaurants, even on the Disney Dining Plan.

I didn't include the potential cost of the appetizer to the prices, so I guess this is mostly for the regular Disney Dining Plan. Also, for quick services the entree is the only price listed. The great majority of the quick services serve the same prepackaged cake and drinks, so you can generally add about $6 to each to get the full price of the meal. If there are more or less expensive options they're noted in the explanation.

This is taken from "The Best Sit Down Table Service Restaurants at Disney World" http://www.easywdw.com/category/disneybest/besttable/ and "The Best Quick Counter Service Locations at Disney World: http://www.easywdw.com/category/disneybest/bestcounter/

There are several more categories considered there in the overall analysis like best seating area, most unique menu, best food, and overall best restaurant or quick service.

Anyway,

Epcot Table Service Restaurants

Best “Value” AKA Most Expensive Meal on the Dining Plan

1. Tutto Italia Ristorante (Average Entrée Cost $26.93, Average Dessert Cost $10.13, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $36.00, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $14.00, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $55.00)

2. Le Cellier (Average Entrée Cost $27.89, Average Dessert Cost $6.89, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $36.99, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $7.99, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $47.98)

3. Chef's de France (Average Entrée Cost $27.50, Average Dessert Cost $7.25, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $34.95, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $7.25, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $45.20)

4. Coral Reef (Average Entrée Cost $24.43, Average Dessert Cost $7.99, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $30.99, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $7.99, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $41.98)

5. San Angel Inn (Average Entrée Cost $24.70, Average Dessert Cost $5.75, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $33.00, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $5.75, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $41.75)

6. Teppan Edo (Average Entrée Cost $24.83, Average Dessert Cost $5.50, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $29.95, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $6.50, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $39.45)

7. Nine Dragons (Average Entrée Cost $20.72, Average Dessert Cost $6.21, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $26.98, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $7.98, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $37.96)

8. Restaurant Marrakesh (Average Entrée Cost $24.05, Average Dessert Cost $5.95, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $27.95, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $6.95, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $37.90) This only includes the items that do not have an “upcharge.” There is an extra fee for the “royal feast” and the “sampler platters.”

9. Tokyo Dining (Average Entrée Cost $21.32, Average Dessert Cost $5.65, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $26.95, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $6.50, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $36.45)

10. Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Breakfast: $28.99 for adults, $17.99 for kids 3-9; Lunch: $30.99 for adults, $18.99 for kids 3-9; Dinner: $35.99 for adults, $19.99 for kids 3-9)

11. Rose and Crown Dining Room (Average Entrée Cost $18.49, Average Dessert Cost $5.49, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $24.99, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $5.99, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $33.98)

12. Biergarten (Lunch: $19.99 for adults, $10.99 for kids 3-9; Dinner: $32.99 for adults, $13.99 for children)

13. Garden Grill ($31.99 for adults, $14.99 for kids ages 3-9)

14. Bistro de Paris (Not on Dining Plan)

Many of Epcot’s restaurants are among the most expensive at Disney World. The most expensive combination of entrée, dessert, and beverage exceed the cost of a day on the regular Disney Dining Plan at any of the top five restaurants. Even the buffets are a few dollars costlier than the other theme parks and resorts. If members of your group tend to order the cheaper entrées on the menu (and you don’t catch the waiter and switch out the spaghetti for the steak) then you might want to consider the buffets for dinner. Akershus, at $36, costs more than the average meal at many of the restaurants.

Best Value Out of Pocket

1. Rose & Crown Dining Room

2. Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

3. Bistro de Paris

4. Le Cellier

5. Biergarten

6. Teppan Edo

7. Tokyo Dining

8. Chef's de France

9. Restaurant Marrakesh

10. San Angel Inn

11. Coral Reef

12. Nine Dragons

13. Garden Grill

14. Tutto Italia

Not only is Rose and Crown the cheapest restaurant at Epcot, but it also features (arguably) the best vantage point to enjoy Illuminations (the fireworks and laser show) in the evening. Lunch at Rose and Crown includes many entrées that cost $12 or less, making it less expensive than some counter service locations. Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, the hybrid buffet, comes in second even though the cost is higher than average. The princess interaction, “free” photo package, and abundance of food make it a good value. Breakfast is the best meal at Akershus and you can actually enter Epcot before the official opening with a reservation between 8 and 9am. This is a fun opportunity to be inside Epcot when almost no one else is around. If you don’t have any interest in meeting the princesses then you may want to dine elsewhere, but this is one of the best character meal buffets at Disney World. Despite its high cost, Bistro de Paris comes in third because it’s your best bet to get away from the hustle and bustle of Epcot and the food is higher quality than other Epcot restaurants. The Bistro is not on the Disney Dining Plan, which means you won’t have to deal with the crowds and popularity that it brings. The wine list and romantic atmosphere are popular with adults as well. With kids, you might want to make another selection because Bistro is one of the rare restaurants that frowns at youngsters. There is no children’s menu, if that’s any indication.

Le Cellier is fourth on the list. Although the prices are high here, the meat served is better quality than almost all of Disney’s non-signature restaurants. Le Cellier is also one of the few restaurants at Disney that could survive charging similar prices outside of Disney World. If you're looking for a steak then Le Cellier is your best bet. If lunch is your main meal or you're happy to eat a big lunch, then you’ll get a tremendous bang for your buck at Biergarten. Offering a 20-minute music show and a wide variety of traditional German favorites, Biergarten is a great choice for big eaters. I would recommend it for a late lunch (at 3:30pm the prices go up). Coming in sixth, Teppan Edo scores highly because of the entertaining hibachi grill show and the simple, tasty food. It would be higher on the list, but the portions are relatively small and it’s one of the noisiest restaurants at Disney World. Tokyo Dining finishes the top half of the list. You’ll find some of Disney’s best sushi here, which translates to above average. As usual, prices are higher here than they would be at your local sushi restaurant and the cost can add up quickly if purchasing a la carte. Tokyo Dining is also a noisy restaurant and the menu is fairly limited, so make sure you want to eat sushi or tempura before choosing it.

The prices at Chef’s de France are high for the quality of the food and most meals here are rushed, which is why it has fallen to eighth place. While the food is good, it’s difficult to justify a $20 plate of macaroni and cheese or $26 half chicken. While it may be true that an authentic French café would have tables so close together, it doesn’t make for an intimate meal. Although Restaurant Marrakesh provides entertainment in the form of a belly dancer and band, the performances are only about 10 minutes long and similar to what you can see for free outside in the Morocco Pavilion. Prices are also above average and $10+ more than you would expect to pay at a similar restaurant outside of Disney World. Overall, the quality and cost of the ingredients doesn’t justify the high prices. San Angel Inn is another restaurant on the expensive side, especially considering Mexican food is usually much cheaper. While the setting can’t be beat (if you can get a table overlooking the water), the prices are wildly expensive. The Coral Reef is another restaurant that relies on its setting to lure diners. No doubt, the aquarium views are unique, but you would be better off spending 20 minutes at The Seas Pavilion and eating elsewhere. The prices are high and the food is certainly nothing to write home about. If it weren’t for the fish this restaurant would be empty. Coral Reef is also exceptionally loud because the noise bounces off the aquarium glass and not all seats have excellent views.

Nine Dragons is probably not as good as your favorite local Chinese restaurant and the food is much more expensive. While the setting is pleasant, it doesn’t make up for overpriced food. While you can certainly have a good meal at Nine Dragons, it doesn’t offer a whole lot of value for your money. At $32 per adult and $15 per child, a family of four would expect to pay $94 + tax + tip for a meal at the Garden Grill. Featuring entrées similar to the other “family style buffets,” there’s really nothing special here. For $4 more you can go to Akershus and find more interesting food and receive the imaging package. In last place is the most expensive Epcot restaurant, Tutto Italia. While the food is good, you’re going to have a tough time convincing me that a pasta dish is worth $25 or a basic baked chicken breast entrée is worth $26. The touch of authenticity is nice and the restaurant is beautiful, but the cost of a meal is too high and service is too rushed to enjoy it.

Quick Service Locations

Best “Value” AKA Most Expensive Meal on the Dining Plan

1. Tangerine Café (Average Entrée Cost $11.56, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $13.99)

2. Sunshine Seasons ($9.20, $9.99)

3. Kringla Bakeri og Café ($8.20, $9.99)

4. Yakitori House ($8.57, $9.99)

5. Lotus Blossom ($8.19, $8.49)

6. Liberty Inn ($8.09, $8.59)

7. Electric Umbrealla ($7.24, $8.39)

8. Yorkshire County Fish Shop ($7.99, $7.99)

9. Sommerfest ($6.65, $6.69)

Tangerine Café is the clear winner here with the most expensive counter service entrée at Epcot and the highest average cost. With a drink and dessert you're looking at a meal in the $20+ range. The next three all feature a $9.99 entrée, but Sunshine Seasons is the place to go because their desserts are the most expensive. Kringla comes in third because their desserts are slightly less expensive and Yakitori House rounds out the top four. The rest of the choices are all in the $8 range, except for Sommerfest, which only serves bratwurst or a frankfurter on the cheap.

Best Value Out of Pocket

1. Sunshine Seasons

2. Tangerine Café

3. Kringla Bakeri og Café

4. Yorkshire County Fish Shop

5. Sommerfest

6. Yakitori House

7. Lotus Blossom

8. Liberty Inn

9. Electric Umbrella

Sunshine Seasons delivers the most bang for your buck in terms of cost compared to the quality of ingredients, freshness of food, and portion size. I would shy away from the Asian entrées, but the rest of the choices are excellent, especially the gigantic sandwiches and tasty grilled options. Although Tangerine Café is the most expensive counter service at Epcot, the Schwarma Platters are large enough to share, especially if you add one or two extra side dishes that each cost about $2. The wraps may be enough for two people to share as well and are moderately priced at $9.99, which is about as much as most entrées at the other counter services cost. The same is true for Kringla, which serves large sandwiches for about $8 and the highly recommended school bread for only $2. A sandwich and two school breads should be plenty of food for two people to share and would only cost about $12 for two people, making it an excellent and inexpensive choice as well. Both Yorkshire Fish and Sommerfest have limited menus, but both serve nice size portions of high quality food for one person in the $7-$8 range. Either would be a fine choice depending on what you’re in the mood to eat. Yakitori House and Lotus Blossom serve average fast-food style Asian dishes that will satisfy most people looking for quick Japanese or Chinese food, but won’t compare to your favorite places back home. Yakitori House is slightly better because the portions are larger. Both Liberty Inn and Electric Umbrella serve the famous $8 cheeseburger/french fry combo that isn’t much of a value at all. Any of the top five choices come highly recommended when paying out of pocket.

Annimal Kingdom

Table Service

Best “Value” AKA Most Expensive Meal on the Dining Plan

1. Yak & Yeti (Average Entrée Cost $19.63, Average Dessert Cost $7.99, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $24.99, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $9.99, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $37.98)

2. Tusker House (Adult Breakfast: $20.99, Child Breakfast: $11.99, Adult Lunch: $20.99, Child Lunch: $11.99, Adult Dinner: $28.99, Child Dinner: $13.99) Price goes up about $4 for adults and $1 for children during Holiday Season dates

3. Rainforest Café is not on the Disney Dining Plan or Deluxe Disney Dining Plan, but it is on the less common Premium and Platinum Dining Plans

Of the two restaurants on the Disney Dining Plan, Yak & Yeti is clearly the most expensive at about $10 more than Tusker House at Dinner and about $17 more expensive at lunch. The Yak & Yeti only has one menu for lunch and dinner, so it’s just as expensive at lunch. Rainforest Café is not on either of the two most common Dining Plans, but the most expensive entrée at Rainforst Cafe is $31.99 for the tenderloin steak.

Best Value Out of Pocket

1. Yak & Yeti

2. Tusker House Lunch

3. Rainforest Café

Yak & Yeti is the best value out of pocket because of the high quality of the ingredients, large portions, interesting atmosphere, and superior service. Although the most expensive entrée at Yak & Yeti is $24.99, there are also several entrées in the $16-$18 range for those looking for a more economical choice and you can always split an appetizer, entrée, or dessert to cut down on cost. Tusker House’s prices are about average for a Disney buffet, but it does offer high quality food and great service. At Rainforst Café you’re paying for the scenery and animatronics as much as you are for the food and the quality suffers because of that. It may be a worthwhile stop with kids, but you can also walk through quickly without sitting down to eat. With most entrées $25 or more, the food simply does not offer a noteworthy value, although kids may love the ambiance.

Quick Service

Best “Value” AKA Most Expensive Meal on the Dining Plan

1. Yak & Yeti (Average entrée $10.17, most expensive $10.99)

2. Flame Tree Barbeque ($8.53, $10.49)

3. Pizzafari ($8.12, $8.39)

4. Restaurantosaurus ($7.33, $8.09)

5. Picnic in the Park ($9.00, $10.49)

Although the numbers are higher for Picnic in the Park, the price includes the drink and dessert, which actually makes it the cheapest option since you would need to add $6+ to each of the meal prices above to get the full cost of the meal, including drink and dessert. Also, Picnic in the Park comes with only a miniscule bottle of water, so you will probably need to purchase additional beverages either out of pocket or with snack credits. All of the counter services serve the standard $3.59 prepackaged slices of cake and standard drinks, so both of those are constant no matter which counter service you select. Overall, the Yak & Yeti is the clear favorite in terms of money for your Dining Plan credit.

Best Value Out of Pocket

1. Flame Tree Barbeque

2. Yak & Yeti

3. Picnic in the Park

4. Pizzafari

5. Restaurantosaurus

The Flame Tree serves the best barbecue in all of Disney World. Portions are large and the delicious corn muffins have re-replaced the coleslaw. I think we can all agree that corn muffins and honey are better than shredded raw cabbage. Although Yak & Yeti is the most expensive quick service at the Animal Kingdom, the portions are large and if you add a $4 side of egg rolls or chicken fried rice then you should have plenty of food for two people to share (and possibly enough even without the additional side). The quality is also high and the food tastes better than either of the Asian counter services at Epcot. Picnic in the Park offers plenty of food also, but the small waters make it less appealing. Both Pizzafari and Restaurantosaurus offer only marginal value. A hamburger and soft drink at Restaurantosaurus would run more than $10 and a pizza and soda at Pizzafari costs about $11. Neither of those are particularly appealing prices.


The Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are a few post down

[Tricia1972]

It's good information, thanks for sharing. At a glance it looks like it matches with Robinb's 2010 list as well:

http://personalpages.tds.net/~rb/DIS/MYW%20Dining/2010/DisneyDiningRanking2010.htm

You may want to post further breakdown of this on her thread, that way we have just one thread wandering around with data in it, versus having two or three, which can be confusing for people.

Robinb's thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2474683

[2Tiggies]

I do really like the breakdown and reasoning behind the values. Nice to have that perspective. :thumbsup2

[sah95]

Very interesting. Thanks :thumbsup2

[PrncesKMW]

Thanks notfrosty, this is VERY helpful! I am trying to plan more of our meals as we have free dining when we go in Sept. Most of your choices were what was recommended on DisUnplugged and WDW radio as far as quality of food, but it's good to see the $$ sense tied to them as well. I was on the fence about Tangerine - will definitely be going now!

[2Tiggies]

Thanks notfrosty, this is VERY helpful! I am trying to plan more of our meals as we have free dining when we go in Sept. Most of your choices were what was recommended on DisUnplugged and WDW radio as far as quality of food, but it's good to see the $$ sense tied to them as well. I was on the fence about Tangerine - will definitely be going now!

I see you love the same two podcasts as I do :lovestruc

Tangierine is great. Even if they halve the portions it is still a winner to me. :thumbsup2

[notfrostyjosh]

Ok, here is the Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom..

Best Hollywood Studios Sit Down Table Service Restaurants Disney World
Taken from: http://www.easywdw.com/disneybest/best-hollywood-studios-table-service-restaurants-disney-world/

Other ranked categories include atmosphere, menu, food quality, and overall best restaurants

Best “Value” AKA Most Expensive Meal on the Disney Dining Plan

1. Mama Melrose’s (Average Entrée Cost $17.06, Average Dessert Cost $5.87, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $27.99, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $6.99, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $37.98)

2. Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater (Average Entrée Cost $16.28, Average Dessert Cost $6.95, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $22.99, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $7.99, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $35.67)

3. 50’s Prime Time Café (Average Entrée Cost $18.18, Average Dessert Cost $5.54, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $20.99, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $7.49, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $33.48)

4. Hollywood and Vine (Adult Breakfast: $26.99, Child Breakfast: $14.99, Adult Lunch: $26.99, Child Lunch: $14.99, Adult Dinner: $30.99, Child Dinner: $15.99)

5. Hollywood Brown Derby (Average Entrée Cost $31.38, Average Dessert Cost $7.67, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $40.00, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $9.00, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $53.00)

At first glance, the Hollywood Brown Derby is obviously the most expensive restaurant. However, it costs two table service credits, whereas the other choices only cost one. Therefore, we’ll halve the cost of the most expensive meal, to get an actual cost of only $26.50 per table service credit. This is even less than lunch at Hollywood and Vine, which is why the Brown Derby is in the fifth position. The most expensive meal is found at Mama Melrose’s, provided you order the $27.99 charred sirloin steak entrée. Otherwise, most of the entrées are $20 or less and the flatbread pizzas are only $12-$14 each. Sci-Fi has the second most expensive entrée on the list, the $22.99 butcher steak with a red wine glaze, but also the lowest average entrée cost. 50’s Prime Time Café has the least expensive “most expensive entrée,” which drops it to third, but it also has the most expensive average entrée cost with three entrées that all cost $20.99 each. At $30.99 per adult, Hollywood and Vine is one of the more expensive buffets, especially for the $26.99 breakfast and lunch. Both breakfast and lunch are character meals which may add value, but dinner does not feature any characters.

The cost of the top three restaurants are all similar and none of them really present a distinct cost benefit, unless you’re certain that everyone will order the most expensive item on the menu. Although Mama Melrose is technically the most expensive meal, if someone in your group orders a $12 flatbread pizza then you’ve really ordered one of the cheapest entrées in all of Disney World. Prices at Sci-Fi and 50’s Prime Time Café are also slightly cheaper at lunch and the most expensive items on the menu are usually absent. Mama Melrose’s has the same menu for lunch and dinner, which may make it the best value for your dining credit at lunch.

Best Value Out of Pocket

1. 50’s Prime Time Cafe

2. Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater

3. Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano

4. Hollywood Brown Derby

5. Hollywood and Vine

The 50’s Prime Time Café is moderately priced with most entrées $20 or less. Portions are large, the food is freshly prepared, and the entertainment from the old movie clips and your waiter/waitress provide additional value. Lunch is an even better value, with several sandwiches and salads for $13 or less. Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater also provides additional entertainment in the form of old movie clips and the setting is one-of-a-kind. Visit during lunch for a variety of sandwiches and a burger for $14 or less. Mama Melrose’s doesn’t have a separate lunch menu, but it does have several flatbread pizza entrées in the $12 range. I wouldn’t recommend most of Mama’s other entrées, so the pizzas are probably your best bet anyway. The Hollywood Derby is the most expensive restaurant at the Hollywood Studios and it would be in last place if not for the disaster that is Hollywood & Vine. Although the food and service at Brown Derby are a cut above the other restaurants at the Hollywood Studios, neither is good enough to justify $40 entrées. If your budget allows for excess then you will find the best food at the Hollywood Derby, but for the value conscious visitor it simply isn’t worth the additional cost.

Best Hollywood Studios Quick Service Disney World

Taken from http://www.easywdw.com/disneybest/bestcounter/best-hollywood-studios-quick-counter-service-disney-world/

Other categories include most unique menu, best seating, best food, food availability, and overall best.

Best “Value” AKA Most Expensive Meal on the Dining Plan

1. Sunset Ranch Market (Average Entrée Cost $10.82, Most Expensive $13.99) The cost for Sunset Market Ranch only takes into account the menu items from Fairfax Fare, not Catalina Eddie’s, Rosie’s All-American Café, or Toluca Legs Turkey Company, which all serve lower price items.

2. Starring Rolls Cafe ($9.19, $9.29)

3. Studio Catering Company ($8.21, $8.99)

4. Backlot Express ($8.04, $8.69)

5. Toy Story Pizza Planet ($7.69, $8.49) This only takes into account the meal-size salads and pizza + salad combo meals, not the individual pizzas since you can order the combo on the Dining Plan there would be no reason to order just a pizza unless you have no intention of eating the salad. The pizzas only cost between $6 and $6.49.

6. ABC Commissary ($7.23, $8.89)

Fairfax Fare is the most expensive counter service at the Hollywood Studios. The most expensive entree from the other counter services are about the same price. Second place goes to Starring Rolls, which serves the second most expensive entree and the most expensive desserts.

Best Value Out of Pocket

1. Starring Rolls Cafe

2. Toy Story Pizza Planet

3. Sunset Ranch Market

4. Studio Catering Company

5. Backlot Express

6. ABC Commissary

The $9 sandwiches at Starring Rolls are expensive, but one sandwich and one dessert should be plenty of food for two people to share. This would lower the actual cost per person to the $6-$7 range, not including beverage. Toy Story’s $6 pizzas are also an economical choice and significantly cheaper than the usual $8-$9 hamburger or chicken nugget options. The Sunset Ranch’s value depends a lot on what you decide to order. Fairfax Fare’s entrées are generally high quality and large enough to share, though they do cost a couple of dollars more than entrées from the other counter services. The entrées at the other three Sunset Ranch locations don’t offer a superior value compared to the other options. The bottom three locations don’t offer a notable value, though Studio Catering Company’s wraps and sandwiches may be large enough to share and the food is a higher quality for the cost than the bottom two choices.

Best Magic Kingdom Sit Down Table Service Restaurants Disney World

Taken from http://www.easywdw.com/disneybest/best-disney-magic-kingdom-sit-down-table-service-restaurants/

Other categories include best atmosphere, best food, most unique menu, and overall best restaurant.

Best “Value” AKA Most Expensive Meal on the Dining Plan

1. Tony’s Town Square (Average Entrée Cost $20.09, Average Dessert Cost $5.49, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $27.99, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $6.49, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $38.48)

2. Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner (Adult Dinner: $29.99, Child Dinner: $14.99)

3. Crystal Palace (Breakfast: $20.99 for adults and $10.99 for kids ages 3-9, Lunch: $20.99 for adults and $11.99 for kids ages 3-9, Dinner: $28.99 for adults and $13.99 for kids ages 3-9)

4. Cinderella’s Royal Table (Breakfast: $47.23 for adults and $31.05 for children 3-9, Lunch: $50.96 for adults and $32.29 for children 3-9, $57.19 for adults and $34.78 for children 3-9)

5. Plaza Restaurant (Average Entrée Cost $11.43, Average Dessert Cost $5.53, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $12.99, Most Expensive Dessert Cost $6.49, Most Expensive Entrée + Dessert + Beverage $24.48)

Cinderella’s Royal Table falls into fourth place because it costs two credits on the Disney Dining Plan, so the cost can be halved to find the “per credit” cost, which is lower than the other restaurants at $28.56. Tony’s Town Square comes in first, with a respectable maximum value of around $39 per credit. Both of the buffets are in the $30 range for dinner, which is about the average cost of a Disney buffet. The Plaza Restaurant is the only one that can really be considered a “waste” of a table service credit, considering the maximum value is just under $25. When it comes to dining, the Magic Kingdom is actually the cheapest of Disney's theme parks.

Best Value Out of Pocket

1. Plaza Restaurant

2. Cinderella’s Royal Table

3. Crystal Palace

4. Tony’s Town Square

5. Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner (For lunch consideration, read the last few sentences of the following paragraph)

The Plaza Restaurant is one of the cheapest table service restaurants in all of Disney World. For less than the chicken and ribs combo at Cosmic Ray’s counter service, you can have a relaxing sit-down meal at the Plaza. The sandwiches are only $2-$3 more expensive than a sandwich or wrap at a counter service and they are much higher quality. Despite the excessive cost, Cinderella’s Royal Table comes in second because dining inside of Cinderella’s Castle is such a unique experience. The meal also includes the imaging package, which includes pictures of your group with Cinderella. This package would cost about $30 at other buffets like Tusker House. Crystal Palace is ahead of the last two choices because of the high quality buffet items, the fact that it’s a character meal featuring Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet for all meals, and the wide variety of items available. Tony’s Town Square is on the expensive side considering the low cost of many of the ingredients. The spaghetti and meatballs and vegetable lasagna are both $17, which isn’t much of a value. The chicken parmigiana is probably the best bargain on the menu. Liberty Tree Tavern comes in last due to the high cost of the meal and the fact that there’s nothing particularly special about it. Unless you can eat about 17 pounds of food it’s unlikely you’ll get your money’s worth. With only turkey, pork, and carved beef for entrées, there’s simply nothing here that makes it worth $30 per adult. For lunch, Liberty Tree is a much better value with all entrées less than $20 and several in the $12-$15 range. If you’re a party of two, one person can order the turkey and the other can order the braised beef and you basically have the evening’s main buffet items for a total of $33, rather than $33 per person. Of course, adding two salads and two desserts would put you in the same price range as dinner, so if you usually eat three courses you'll probably want to consider dinner over lunch.

Best Magic Kingdom Quick Service Disney World
Taken from: http://www.easywdw.com/disneybest/bestcounter/best-magic-kingdom-quick-counter-service-disney-world/

Other cateogires include most unique menu, best seating, best food, and best overall quick service.

Best “Value” AKA The Most Expensive Meal on the Disney Dining Plan

1. Cosmic Ray’s (Average Entrée Cost $8.32, Most Expensive Entrée $13.99)

2. Columbia Harbor House ($8.09, $9.69)

3. Pecos Bill ($8.09, $9.09)

4. Pinocchio Village Haus ($7.93, $8.29)

5. Casey’s Corner ($5.39, $6.59)

Cosmic Ray’s is the favorite among visitors with the Disney Dining Plan because you can put together a meal with the $13.99 half chicken and rib combo plate, $2.49 soda, and $3.59 slice of cake for a total meal cost of more than $20. This is one of the most expensive counter service meals at any of the Disney theme parks. The next three are all similarly priced. Only Casey’s Corner is a distinct “bargain,” at least in terms of price.

Best Value Out of Pocket

1. Columbia Harbor House

2. Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café

3. Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn

4. Pinocchio Village Haus

5. Casey’s Corner

Columbia Harbor House and Cosmic Ray’s both offer entrees with large portions, many of which could easily be shared. Columbia Harbor House wins because its sandwiches and other items are generally fresher than Cosmic Ray’s and the fried shrimp and chicken are higher quality. Neither Pecos Bill nor Pinocchio Village Haus is a tremendous value compared to other counter services because their menus and pricing are standard for Disney. Casey’s Corner may offer the cheapest entrées, but the quality of the hot dogs has declined immensely in the last year or so. The corn dog nuggets are still good, but it’s a small portion.

[squirrel]

The Flame Tree serves the best barbecue in all of Disney World. Portions are large and the delicious corn muffins have re-replaced the coleslaw. I think we can all agree that corn muffins and honey are better than shredded raw cabbage.

When did they go back to the corn bread?

I love the corn bread muffin.

[Linda67]

This is great information

Thanks for taking the time to post this :goodvibes

[triciari]

Excellent review!

[Tricia1972]

bump

[robinb]

Great additional analysis Josh!

[notfrostyjosh]

Thanks Robin, but I think yours is better. I wish I had known yours existed. I would have just linked to it instead lol. A site full of links would be a lot easier than 'original content.'

As far as cornbread is concerned, I want to say the middle of March.

I think there is a plugin you can get that takes keywords from a prospective posters topic and compares it to the database of previously created topics. that might cut down on the hundreds of "tell me about le cellier...." threads

[onescgirl]

Thanks for doing this. I plan to use this info for our upcoming trip.