Disney Dining - places not to miss!

[dedesmith32]

So in December we will be making our first and probably only ever visit to Disney World. We are so excited! We are shooting for trying to get the Free Dining, but we will see what happens.

But as I am thinking about what dining reservations to make and stuff, I am a little lost! I need help deciding what restaurants are most important for us. We are pretty big eaters (husband and I and 2 teenage kids) and as this is our only trip to Disney World - we want to make sure to experience the best restaurants for food and also ambiance (things like we want to see the Beauty and the Beast restaurant, etc).

So help a girl out! What are your favorites and why? What shouldn't we miss?!

Thank you!

 

[tortoni]

Congrats on your first trip! With teens along, I would not miss SciFi Diner at Hollywood Studios. For me, it has the best theming, and so much fun to watch the movie clips over lunch or dinner. For great food, I would go to Chef Art Smith in Disney Springs. Really yummy and a lovely restaurant. There are so many character meals out there and even though your kids are teens, you should go to one. Many like O'hana but I'd pick based on the family's favorite characters.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Ohana dinner is our family favorite.

With Free Dining, I’d consider Yak & Yeti at AK. The food there was outstanding our last two trips. In Epcot, I’d go for a TS at whichever ethnic food TS my family likes, e.g., Chefs de France for French, Biergarten for German, etc. Chef Mickey’s is classic WDW dining and it’s convenient to MK. For the Studios, I like a PP’s suggestion of Sci Fi. It’s inexpensive compared to many 1 credit places, but it’s fun and very well themed.

Have fun! My favorite Disney trips were my Free Dining trips. Fun to plan and execute.

 

[GenGen22]

I would definitely read menu's on allears.net to see what kind of things your family likes to eat and then read reviews on the restaurants to see if its a good choice. I read reviews on tripadvisor and yelp and they will have pictures as well. I said the 1st time I was only going to WDW one time and now I'm planning my 3rd trip. I'm pretty sure you will be back...lol .My 1st trip I went for 10 days as I tried to pack it all in. A very exhausting trip! Take your time and enjoy everything. I also love Sci-Fi. Yummy food, cool experience and milkshakes for drinks. I also really love Crystal Palace. Chef Mickys is overrated imo the food isn't very good either. We also enjoyed the Luau at the Poly the show was great and food was delicious.

 

[Tksolomom]

All of the restaurants at Disney give you a lot of food.

1900 park fare is a buffet and the step sisters are very funny.
Although it gets mixed reviews, we have always enjoyed O’Hanas
We really like 50’s Prime Time at Hollywood Studios. My in laws still talk about it after 4 years, but it depends on your server.
I haven’t eaten at Satuli Canteen yet, but I hear great things about it.

 

[hakepb]

It appears the OP has had several DL trips.
That would make the atmosphere of Crystal Palace (similiar to DL’s Plaza) and San Angel Inn, overlooking the Epcot Mexico boat ride (similiar to Blue Bayou) less necessary at WDW. And Via Napoli is the sister of Naples.

Please remember that WDW is very spread out. You can’t walk from Space Mountain to Splitsville in 15 minutes like you could in DL (you’d have to expect 30 min with an Uber, or 60-90 minutes using busses at WDW) so you want dining near your park plans most of the time.

With a WL stay (if I read that correctly), you will definitely want to experience Roaring Fork, and possibly consider Artist Point if you are big into signature dining.

Also along the “Signature” you might want to consider California Grill, it’s in the 15th (top) floor of the Contemporary, with a great view of MK and Seven Seas lagoon (a view that doesn’t exist at DL)

I agree that Sci-Fi is a great, unique theme, and any Epcot country is a great idea.

If you have a car (or like to Uber) you might want to consider Saana at AKL Kidani, unique food with a potential Savanna view.

 

[Haley R]

We really liked nine dragons in Epcot and beaches and cream at the beach club resort.

 

[KTwiegs]

Tusker House is by far our favorite buffet breakfast on property! So delicious, great theming and characters! We go ever trip.

We were also big fans on Minnie’s Hollywood and dine dinner. And in December it was all Christmasy and fun.
For quick service Columbia harbor house is the best in MK

 

[danikoski]

Love Tusker House...it is a must do for is. And if you time your breakfast reservation for after 10 am, you get to try both breakfast and lunch foods. It's also a great spot for character interaction...it's been great each time we've went. If you don't want characters, Boma at AKL is a very similar buffet minus the characters.

I also love Spice Road Table at Epcot. It has a different menu, but the items I've had have been very good. Service is excellent, and eating on the patio by the lake is great. If you time it right with a 7:30 or later dinner ADR, you can watch Illuminations from the patio. It's a bit obstructed, but we did it and it was very enjoyable.

If you want princesses, I'd do Akershus breakfast pre park open (PPO). It's hard to get, but the jump to ride FEA is nice.

At HS, I'd do either 50s Prime Time or Sci Fi. Both are pretty unique.

At MK, PPO for BOG breakfast was one my mom and I enjoyed. It also allows you to get a jump on rides in Fantasyland. Dinner is good too, especially if it's your family's first time, but they have just changed dinner to a Prix Fixe meal.

Also don't forget the restaurants at resorts. Staying at WL, you've got good ones on property and within a boat ride. Whispering Canyon is a lot of fun. Over at Fort Wilderness, there is the Hoop Dee Do Revue, which I highly recommend, and Trails End Buffet, which is one of the best buffets for your money at WDW.

 

[DisneyDude71]

Once in a lifetime trip. I would say try Cinderellas Royal Table.

 

[sandieb]

Our family has their favorite restaurants - Crystal Palace, 50's Prime Time Cafe, Chefs de France, Boma, and many more. I agree that it is helpful to browse the menus on allears.net. HOWEVER, I would not pay too much attention to the reviews on the internet unless they are all pretty much yea or nay. One person's taste or experience may be outstanding or not, but it doesn't really reflect the sum and substance of the restaurant. For instance, we really like the Coral Reef restaurant at Epcot with the over the top decor and ambiance and yummy food. Others don't think so. One thing is for sure - most of the food is good to very good at the sit down restaurants. Most try to build on their unique atmosphere and theme. I love going out to dinner at WDW and usually can't replicate any of the experiences here at home. Enjoy planning your trip!!!

 

[sandieb]

Once in a lifetime trip. I would say try Cinderellas Royal Table.

Love it! But my boys were not very thrilled with the abundance of princesses. I would go every trip for breakfast if I could!

 

[KenHutch]

Some of our go to places are

Hotels: Ohanas (if you have big eaters this is a winter) or Jiko's
Hollywood Studios Sci Fi the food is just good but incredible atmosphere
Animal Kingdom Yak & Yeti's
Epcot We always do Crown & Rose sometime after 19:00 hours so we can watch Illuminations from there
Magical Kingdom This is a bit tougher because nothing screams great food but Liberty Tree is my favorite

 

[gillep]

Highly recommend Sanaa for lunch, if you get a window table you can watch the animals on the savanna while you eat. The bread service there is awesome and filling and you can walk around Kidani or go over and visit AKL Jambo house, which is beautiful. If you prefer a buffet I also highly recommend Boma at AKL for either breakfast or dinner.

If you are looking for solid food in MK where you can be served at a table in the AC/heat (you seriously can never predict the weather in December), but isn't much more expensive than a counter service meal, I highly recommend The Plaza, delicious sandwiches, salads, and milkshakes.

There are so many good options in DS, The Boathouse, Raglan Road, and Morimoto Asia are some of our current favorites, but there is a lot of good stuff there.

 

[piglet1979]

MK -- Liberty Tree Tavern and Be Our Guest
EPCOT -- Teppen Edo, Garden Grill, Akershus
DHS -- 50's Prime Time is you get a good server
Boardwalk -- Trattoria al Forno
Resorts -- Whispering Canyon, Boatwrights and 1900 Park Fare

 

[Dug720]

Disney Springs - The BOATHOUSE hands down. One of my best meals ever!!

 

[dedesmith32]

I am LOVING this everyone! Thank you so much for your suggestions - these are all SO helpful! Keep them coming! Thank you thank you!

 

[rwdavis2]

The brunch at California Grill on Sundays is spectacular. But expensive. I assume it's a signature meal. It's a very large buffet with sushi, meats/cheeses, fruit, unlimited mimosas, plus an entree. I know I missed some things. You used to be able to order multiple entrees per person but I'm not sure if that's still true. See if you can find a menu somewhere.

There view of the Magic Kingdom is great and the brunch include free valet parking for the day. We did it in 2016 and after brunch walked to MK for the day.

 

[rg35]

The best dining experience at Animal Kingdom is Tiffins. Yak and Yeti is good, but similar to Americanized Asian cuisine you can get anywhere. Tusker House is fine if you want to do a character buffet meal.

 

[Danimal]

Hotels - Sanaa for lunch, Ohana or the Wave for dinner
MK - BOG for lunch
Epcot - Sunshine Seasons for lunch, Chefs de France for dinner
HS - Sci-Fi Drive In
AK - Tusker House for breakfast, Satuli Canteen and/or Flame Tree BBQ for lunch and dinner