Please Chime In! Recommendations for Best Restaurants for 1st Time Visitors

[disney-inspired]

Hello!

We are traveling with my cousin and his family to WDW in January 2019. This will be their first, and realistically, only trip to WDW (I guess some people like to travel to other places ).

What table service restaurant would you recommend for a large party (total of 10 people - 6 adults, 4 children ages between 18 months - 5 years) and/or a party of 4 (if they choose to eat alone) in

• parks
• resorts
• Downtown Disney

I'm also looking for recommendations since I haven't been since 2015.

Thank you!

 

[SarahMynah]

I’m interested in the replies since we’re also bringing first timers with us this fall. Some of our favorite table service places are:

Resorts:
Hoop De Doo (2 credits)
Saana
California Grill (2 credits)

Parks:
Tusker House
Biergarten
50s Prime Time Cafe is fun too, although my husband doesn’t really like it because he’s always the one who gets picked on by the servers

Downtown Disney:
House of Blues
Wolfgang Puck (technically QS but nicer)

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Parks- DHS, I think Sci-Fi is a super cute venue with good food, decent pricing. Brown Derbie, very good. MK, BOG does a nice lunch! Epcot-Marrakesh, music, belly dancers, good food, Tepan Edo, Japanese steak house. AK, Tusker House breakfast, Saluti, lunch/dinner. DS- Ragland’s hands down for food and ambiance, Wolfgang Ouck Express, the food is fast and good! Resorts- Boma or Jiko at AK, Olivia’s at Old Key West, and the Turf Club at Saratoga

 

[mousehockey37]

Hello!

We are traveling with my cousin and his family to WDW in January 2019. This will be their first, and realistically, only trip to WDW (I guess some people like to travel to other places ).

What table service restaurant would you recommend for a large party (total of 10 people - 6 adults, 4 children ages between 18 months - 5 years) and/or a party of 4 (if they choose to eat alone) in

• parks
• resorts
• Downtown Disney

I'm also looking for recommendations since I haven't been since 2015.

Thank you!

Get together with them, find out what types of food they like, then head over to allears.net or the Dining page on the official Disney site and look at the menus of the restaurants. This will give you a realistic view of what may work for your party.

 

[disney-inspired]

I’m interested in the replies since we’re also bringing first timers with us this fall. Some of our favorite table service places are:

Resorts:
Hoop De Doo (2 credits)
Saana
California Grill (2 credits)

Parks:
Tusker House
Biergarten
50s Prime Time Cafe is fun too, although my husband doesn’t really like it because he’s always the one who gets picked on by the servers

Downtown Disney:
House of Blues
Wolfgang Puck (technically QS but nicer)

I'm hoping I can convince my main travel party (my two DSis and DBIL) to save a TS credit on one night to use it for a 2 TS meal. We'll see what happens as we get closer to our ADR date.
I've heard good things about Hoop De Doo and i think it would be fun for my nieces.

Also, we want to really explore Disney Springs since we barely went to DTD in 2015. It's our plan for the first night.

Parks- DHS, I think Sci-Fi is a super cute venue with good food, decent pricing. MK, BOG does a nice lunch! Epcot-Marrakesh, music, belly dancers, good food, Tepan Edo, Japanese steak house. AK, Tusker House, Saluti, lunch/dinner. Breakfast DS- Ragland’s hands down for food and ambiance! Resorts- Boma at AK, Olivia’s at Old Key West, and the Turf Club at Saratoga

Sci Fi is definitely in the plans (it's my younger sister's request).
While the my cousin & CIL are adventurous eaters, their kids are not. We'll see what they say.

Get together with them, find out what types of food they like, then head over to allears.net or the Dining page on the official Disney site and look at the menus of the restaurants. This will give you a realistic view of what may work for your party.

I'm definitely going to call a planning meeting at least a month before our ADR date to make sure everyone has looked into it.

 

[ilovevacation]

Ya! Good topic. We go every 18 months or so but our next trip will be with my sister in law, her husband, and 7 yo daughter and 4 yo son. This is their first time there as a family. We have booked our adr for ohana, chef mickey, cape May, boma, bog lunch, tusker house, via napoli and garden grill. We opted for mostly buffets because out son will be 2 and thus free at the buffets, this will also allow for everyone's different tastes to have a selection. A few of them we made for both 7 people and 3 people since we don't have a clue how the 3 kids are going to tolerate the labor day heat and sleeping schedule.

Edit we also did an adult planning meeting before we made our adr. We sketched out our days based on park hours and plans to go to mnsshp and bbb.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Hello!

We are traveling with my cousin and his family to WDW in January 2019. This will be their first, and realistically, only trip to WDW (I guess some people like to travel to other places ).

What table service restaurant would you recommend for a large party (total of 10 people - 6 adults, 4 children ages between 18 months - 5 years) and/or a party of 4 (if they choose to eat alone) in

• parks
• resorts
• Downtown Disney

I'm also looking for recommendations since I haven't been since 2015.

Thank you!

For first timers, I always like to get at least one princess and one "Mickey" meal in (perhaps Winnie the Pooh and/or Disney Jr. as well if you have younger children with you). If it's a one and only trip, consider Cinderella Royal Table so you can eat in the castle. Akershus is also a lovely princess meal in EP. For a "Mickey" meal, we like Tusker House in AK most.

If you are looking for unique experiences - consider Sci-Fi in DHS, Biergarten in EP, Whispering Canyon at WL and 50's Prime Time in DHS. They all offer a more unique experience in terms of interaction and/or atmosphere.

Also consider Hoop Dee Doo Revue at Ft. W. It's a really fun dinner show and it's right next to the WDW stables so it may be fun for the kids to see the horses and possibly take a pony ride.

I would recommend considering at least one signature meal. For a one and done trip, I would suggest Cali Grill. The food is good and the view is spectacular.

 

[jacknsally19]

Crystal Palace at the MK is my fave to bring people to..... that being said I suggest not getting carried away with character meals. They are not relaxing dining experiences.

 

[disneyinthespringtime]

We were just first time guests. Would definitely say our dinner at Raglan road was a big highlight of our trip!

Mostly QS otherwise and those I loved were lunch BOG (pork), Flame Tree (ribs), Satuli Canteen (rice bowls).

 

[cobright]

• parks

• resorts

• Downtown Disney

Call well ahead for any big party but they have always been very accommodating everywhere we've booked.

In the parks ... BoG is a good option but I think it went signature so maybe for lunch.

Resorts ... Grand Floridian will do a catered dinner with a butter if you ask (and pay). But California Grill is a nice choice if you can book it during a fireworks show as they have a great observation deck.

Disney Springs ... Boathouse has great food and great desserts.

 

[SarahMynah]

I'm hoping I can convince my main travel party (my two DSis and DBIL) to save a TS credit on one night to use it for a 2 TS meal. We'll see what happens as we get closer to our ADR date.
I've heard good things about Hoop De Doo and i think it would be fun for my nieces.

Also, we want to really explore Disney Springs since we barely went to DTD in 2015. It's our plan for the first night.

Wolfgang Puck Express in Disney Springs is a great way to save a TS credit. It counts as a QS but the food is more like TS quality food. Another way to save credits is to share TS meals, especially if you have kids in the party. My family of 5 often ended up throwing away a full plate's worth of food (even with 2 teenagers) so we started ordering 4 meals to share and it was usually just about right. I just always told my kids lets start with sharing and if you're still hungry we can order more. But by the time we were done (plus there's dessert!) they usually didn't want more. Doing it that way you can rack up an extra credit or two at every meal. Depending on the age of your kids, it can be beneficial to upgrade them to adults for the meal plan. We did that for my daughter and it allowed her to order off the adult menu, making sharing easier. I think it cost a total of about $20 to upgrade her for the whole trip.

Or just buy a QS dinner out of pocket one night to save a credit for Hoop De Doo. It's well worth it, in my opinion. Such a fun show! We've seen it probably 10 times or more and still love it.

 

[disney-inspired]

Ya! Good topic. We go every 18 months or so but our next trip will be with my sister in law, her husband, and 7 yo daughter and 4 yo son. This is their first time there as a family. We have booked our adr for ohana, chef mickey, cape May, boma, bog lunch, tusker house, via napoli and garden grill. We opted for mostly buffets because out son will be 2 and thus free at the buffets, this will also allow for everyone's different tastes to have a selection. A few of them we made for both 7 people and 3 people since we don't have a clue how the 3 kids are going to tolerate the labor day heat and sleeping schedule.

Edit we also did an adult planning meeting before we made our adr. We sketched out our days based on park hours and plans to go to mnsshp and bbb.

I was surprised when my BIL said he want to go back to ‘Ohana but I’m happy because I love it for dinner.

How was Boma? My sister wants to try it since we plan on staying at AKL.

For first timers, I always like to get at least one princess and one "Mickey" meal in (perhaps Winnie the Pooh and/or Disney Jr. as well if you have younger children with you). If it's a one and only trip, consider Cinderella Royal Table so you can eat in the castle. Akershus is also a lovely princess meal in EP. For a "Mickey" meal, we like Tusker House in AK most.

If you are looking for unique experiences - consider Sci-Fi in DHS, Biergarten in EP, Whispering Canyon at WL and 50's Prime Time in DHS. They all offer a more unique experience in terms of interaction and/or atmosphere.

Also consider Hoop Dee Doo Revue at Ft. W. It's a really fun dinner show and it's right next to the WDW stables so it may be fun for the kids to see the horses and possibly take a pony ride.

I would recommend considering at least one signature meal. For a one and done trip, I would suggest Cali Grill. The food is good and the view is spectacular.

Although we will have 3 little girls, they are not really into princesses. Mickey is more their style or other animal characters. Is Tusker House buffet for all meals? We are not huge breakfast people. I’ll probably bring instant oatmeal to eat in the room since I usually have that and coffee.

Since we have two married couples, we are trying to give each of them a date night. My younger sister and I will be the extra sets of hands during those nights and I’m not sure how that’ll go since I’m not super close to my cousin’s kids. Maybe we’ll hang at the resort instead of attempting a park.

Crystal Palace at the MK is my fave to bring people to..... that being said I suggest not getting carried away with character meals. They are not relaxing dining experiences.

Agreed - even harder when you’re trying to get the kids to eat. Not sure how my cousin’s kids are about characters but nieces LOVE them. Lola (the older one at 4 yo) met Winnie the Pooh at 18 months and didn’t want to let him go!

 

[SarahMynah]

Although we will have 3 little girls, they are not really into princesses. Mickey is more their style or other animal characters. Is Tusker House buffet for all meals? We are not huge breakfast people. I’ll probably bring instant oatmeal to eat in the room since I usually have that and coffee.

Tusker House is awesome for lunch and dinner! We usually do that rather than breakfast there mainly because I think a buffet meal is nice for a mid-day sit down/rest and we're all raring to go in the morning so don't really need a break yet. Mickey/Donald/Minnie/Goofy are all decked out in safari gear.

 

[ilovevacation]

I was surprised when my BIL said he want to go back to ‘Ohana but I’m happy because I love it for dinner.

How was Boma? My sister wants to try it since we plan on staying at AKL.



Although we will have 3 little girls, they are not really into princesses. Mickey is more their style or other animal characters. Is Tusker House buffet for all meals? We are not huge breakfast people. I’ll probably bring instant oatmeal to eat in the room since I usually have that and coffee.

Since we have two married couples, we are trying to give each of them a date night.

We love boma! We have only been for breakfast. The food is amazing. I'm not a foodie by any means but love the all of the options but you can still get your mickey waffles there for your pickier crowd. I'm also not a big breakfast person but I am happy to have boma for breakfast. We typically do tusker house as well. Last time we did a late breakfast so that they changed over to lunch while we were there so it was a great compromise. The character interaction was also good.

We are also doing date night on this trip but I agree it's likely going to be too tough to do the parks. We will probably put the kids down for an early night and hang at the bar at the resort or walk to near by resort.

 

[piratepride]

Definitely Ohana if you can get it!

MK - Liberty Tree Tavern
HS - 50's Diner
EP - Teppan Edo
AK - Tusker House
DS - Wolfgang Puck Express , This is a QS but has GREAT food and service. We were there with a group of 9 in 2010 loved it!!!

 

[fely1st]

For resort I would suggest Ohana or Whispering Canyon, both are fun. For firsttimer I would choose a character meal in the parks, Akershus, Crystal Palace or Garden Grill. I don't think the castle is worth the costs and hassle to get an ADR, but that is just my oppinion. Have a great trip.

 

[kniquy]

I think depending upon the kids in your party you might want to do a character meal. Although from our recent experience i find character meals to be rushed and the character interaction quick because they have so many other tables to see. If there is a character that is a must do then i say just plan for the meet and greets where they take some time to meet with you. If you have a disney visa you can do a meet and greet at epcot so you can see a combination of the fab 4 -- this past week we saw Mickey and Goofy.

As for restaurants -- prior to our trip i was most excited about Ohana, but was rather disappointed it was good but noting outstanding.

As for good food - Brown Derby (which you can combine with the fantasmic package), Sanna is good as well as boma. Liberty tree tavern was by far our favorite meal of our whole trip. Tusker is good food and a character meal

 

[SouthJersey]

Hello!

We are traveling with my cousin and his family to WDW in January 2019. This will be their first, and realistically, only trip to WDW (I guess some people like to travel to other places ).

What table service restaurant would you recommend for a large party (total of 10 people - 6 adults, 4 children ages between 18 months - 5 years) and/or a party of 4 (if they choose to eat alone) in

• parks
• resorts
• Downtown Disney

I'm also looking for recommendations since I haven't been since 2015.

Thank you!

Any key types of foods that are a no-go? And are 'signature' locations in the budget?

 

[disney-inspired]

Any key types of foods that are a no-go? And are 'signature' locations in the budget?

I'm not aware of any allergies in my group.
We adults (and some of the kids) are adventurous eaters so nothing is an outright ban.
I'm open to Signature suggestions as i'm sure the couples will want a fancier dinner and that's easier to swing with just two people.

 

[SouthJersey]

I'm not aware of any allergies in my group.
We adults (and some of the kids) are adventurous eaters so nothing is an outright ban.
I'm open to Signature suggestions as i'm sure the couples will want a fancier dinner and that's easier to swing with just two people.

Parks

• Be our Guest is the best you're going to get for dinner in MK. The lunch is meh, but more worth just seeing and dining in 'Beast's Castle'.
• 
  
• Epcot - some awesome ones here. We always include one of the Mexican restaurants each trip. The food has always been great each visit as well. I'd say La Hacienda edges out San Angel in terms of food, but the setting of San Angel Inn is one of the best themed places to eat and the food is still very good. Drinks are great at both as well . Chef's de France is a consistent favorite of many, and ours as well. We've found none of the Asian offerings to be worth it in Epcot - not that they're bad, but just that the setting and quality isn't anything we can't experience back home. Via Napoli is great for pizza lovers and offers a few decent Italian entrees too. It has a very nice, lively atmosphere (albeit loud at times).
• 
  
• Hollywood Studios - Hollywood Brown Derby is the 'best' in the park, but is for most (and us as well) a least favorite signature location. I'd say the $/credits for a different signature. 50's Prime Time is a fun atmosphere with some standard comfort food, while Sci-Fi has some pretty good burgers and a really unique setting/atmosphere (drive-in, large projection screen, dark throw back setting).
• 
  
• Animal Kingdom - Yak and Yeti is a crowd favorite, I'd recommend this one all day. Tiffin's, while not a favorite signature, was still very good and deserving of the $/credits.
• 
  
• Disney Springs - we really enjoyed The Boathouse and Morimoto on both visits.

Resorts

• This is where our favorites come into play. Our top three at California Grill, Jiko, Citrico's (all three are signatures) and we've never had a bad meal at these locations in the 6+ visits to each.
• Breakfast - Grand Floridian Cafe, Olivia's at Old Key West, Kona at Polynesian
• Dessert - Beaches & Cream, Boardwalk Bakery