The current "hot" restaurants....

[GoofyforDisney3]

I haven't been to WDW since 2018 so I'm a little out of the loop on what is the popular/best menu/highest recommended/etc restaurants. It's me and my adult daughter and we are really looking forward to going during food and wine again now that she's old enough to experience it all. We will be there for 7 days (maybe 7 1/2 depending on flight times), but we are not doing the dining plan this time since we don't want to always be tied down to reservations and want to explore some QS we've maybe missed over the years. We've been close to 20 times at this point, but don't think I've eaten much in the way of QS so I'm looking forward to trying some other than Cosmic Rays.
We are staying at POP so the skyliner actually feels like it's going to open up options as well since getting to certain resorts will be way easier now than our other trips. I've read about Topolino's Terrace and it sounds like it could be a good option for us, but I'm not really familiar with the other resorts dining. Are there other places that come highly recommended?
We do usually do at least one character meal for nostalgic reasons and I'd like to explore something other than Chef Mickey's which has always been DD's favorite. What is Tusker House like now? I know before it was almost a mini Boma. Is it still that way? I'm not much of a buffet person and Boma always was one I always enjoyed, but I'm not sure if we will work going to AKL into the itinerary this time so I thought maybe Tusker House could be an option instead and we each get something we want....character meal and different styles of food.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

As far as character meals go, I definitely recommend breakfast at Topolino's. It's on the skyliner. It's not a buffet so a more relaxed atmosphere. The food is genuinely good -- I'd go even if there weren't characters. The unique Italian vacation outfits are cute and the character interaction is great.

 

[RuntheMouse]

I love all the food at Riviera, Topolino’s especially. DH and I love to go to the bar area instead of the restaurant. Same menu is offered.

Think about Wailulu Bar & Grill at the Poly tower. We like to have lunch there on MK days.

 

[GoofyforDisney3]

I love all the food at Riviera, Topolino’s especially. DH and I love to go to the bar area instead of the restaurant. Same menu is offered.

Think about Wailulu Bar & Grill at the Poly tower. We like to have lunch there on MK days.

Oh that’s awesome. Assuming no reservations would be needed if we are at the bar so that means we could be more spontaneous?
I’ll keep the Poly in mind too because I do like getting out of the park for lunch sometimes.

 

[GoofyforDisney3]

As far as character meals go, I definitely recommend breakfast at Topolino's It's on the skyliner. It's not a buffet so a more relaxed atmosphere. The food is genuinely good -- I'd go even if there weren't characters. The unique Italian vacation outfits are cute and the character interaction is great.

Definitely will need to think about that as an option as well. Thanks!

 

[RuntheMouse]

Oh that’s awesome. Assuming no reservations would be needed if we are at the bar so that means we could be more spontaneous?

Yes, no reservations needed. Just tell the host you’re heading to the bar. We’ve had excellent service there and they encourage you to take a moment to enjoy your cocktail on the patio.

 

[Marthasor]

Topolino's breakfast is great. It's a wonderful, plated meal in a beautiful restaurant with great views and great characters - bonus is you are right on the Skyliner, so easy to get to. In the EP resort area (also easy on the Skyliner), we love Cake Bake Shop on the Boardwalk, Rosa Mexicana and bluezoo at the Dolphin. Summer House in DS is becoming a new favorite. Wailulu at the new Poly Tower is also really good. If you like Japanese food, Shiki Sai in EP is wonderful.

 

[saraheliz]

We love the character breakfast at Garden Grill, it’s served family style and super yummy.

For QS, Animal Kingdom has some great spots. We love Satuli Canteen and Flame Tree.

 

[Cfabar1]

You can't go wrong with food at the Grand Floridian or at Riviera or Animal Kingdom Lodge...

Yachtsman is not what it used to be
Flying Fish is okay...

Topolinos is also exquisite...

Have heard good things about Sebastians at Disney's Caribbean Beach Hotel

 

[Djm_in_buffalo]

My wife and daughter most recently did breakfast at Topolino’s and really enjoyed it. I would say it’s one of the top 5 reservations in terms of difficulty to obtain (not including things like chef’s table at Victoria & Albert’s).

We’ve also done Tusker House a couple of times as a family. Most recently in February. For dining in general, we do try to secure reservations well ahead of time and also do that for Tusker House. But, it seems to be one of the easiest reservations to get. Food is good, not “WOW!”, but quite enjoyable. Seems that there is almost always some availability on any given day, even with short notice. It has a nice selection of food and the character interactions are enjoyable. Personally, I preferred the food at Boma a little more - they had a few more traditional / ethnic dishes than are offered at Tusker - but not by much. On balance, given the convenience of Tusker House compared to Boma (presuming not staying at AKL), and the character interactions, and the generally good food, I plan on repeating Tusker into the future.

Storybook Dining at Wilderness Lodge combines pretty darn good, table service food, character experience, a nice atmosphere, and it’s a short boat ride to/from Magic Kingdom.

 

[Boopuff]

If you venture over to DS, Jaleo is fantastic. We tried the tasting menu and it was awesome. Not at all crowded. Our fave character meal is Tusker house. love the interesting food choices.