Disney Restaurants
 

Can anyone tell me their favorite restaurants at Disney World? We will be there in two weeks and would like some nice meals. Nothing too fancy, though. Thanks!

It's really expensive to eat at a Disney restaurant. You can expect 20pp for the entree not including salads or drinks. I ate at Dis. restaurants 4 evenings and that seemed to be the magic number. Was it worth it? Only one. The Italian restaurant just inside the Magic Kingdom where you can watch the parade while dining. $18 for a plate of spaghetti. Have a good trip ; )

For something different and well worth the visit, is the buffet dinner at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL). If you're not staying there it's worth the visit alone.

Here is a link to menus (with prices) for all restaurants at WDW, including the resorts. http://wdwig.com/menu/menus.htm<BR><BR>We really enjoyed Kona Cafe and OHana at the Polynesian resort. World Showcase in Epcot has a great variety of places to eat. Check out www.disboards.com for a board devoted to dining at WDW.<BR><BR>Have a wonderful vacation!

Magic Kingdom: none. Just do fast food. Try to avoid eating the turkey legs. You look stupid and they taste strange.<BR><BR>MGM: The brown derby is pretty good. A bit expensive but not too bad a lunch. Avoid the prime time diner, expensive meat loaf and rude (supposedly funny, but really not, servers). Also avoid the drive inn diner (where you sit in a car and watch bad movies). The food tastes like it came out of a can. And it's expensive. Try the backlot for fast food. <BR><BR>Epcot: Chinese restaurant is good but expensive for chinese. There is a fast food window for egg rolls etc that is relatively cheap and not too bad. Japanese cook on grill in front of you is good but if you've been to Beni Hana's you've been there (also expensive). We do like to get sushi in the bar and watch the parade, yumm. There is also a walk up Japanese restaurant across from the "fancy place" with good take out.<BR>Avoid the Marakesh, bland expensive food. The Mexico exhibit has a pretty good not too expensive sit down restaurant and an inexpensive take out window restaurant, not too bad. The Land has good salads, soups etc.<BR><BR>Grand Floridian has a great sea food restaurant that looks out on the MK. Can't remember the name of it but it is really good. Spoodles at the Boardwalk is not bad. I have not had a good meal at the Polynesian. Fake, fake fake hawaiian<BR><BR>Under no circumstances, except lots of money and no taste buds, eat in the restaurant in Cinderella's Castle. I took my kids there years ago as a special treat. Thought they would remember it forever. We went back two years ago, and I decided to do it with them again. Not only did they not remember ever being there before, they both said the food was aweful, lol. It was aweful the first time too.<BR><BR>

My husband and I love Restaurant Akershus at Norway (Epcot) as well as Marrakesh at Morocco (Epcot). The bakery at Norway is also great for snacks and open faced sandwiches. We think that eating at Mexico is no different than eating at Chi-Chi's (in terms of quality of food), so I don't recommend that. At Animal Kingdom, Pecos Bill's is ok for a quick lunch. We also liked Tony's Town Square Restaurant. At Animal Kingdom, try Tusker House for some good sandwiches. Don't forget to make your priority seating arrangements.

I also like Marekesh in Morrocco. Dining in front of the huge aquarium at the LIving Seas is also great, although I prefer the seafood at the Flying Fish on the Boardwalk. Also on the Boardwalk is Spoodles which is fun! There is agreat buffet at the Grosvenor Hotel's Murderwatch Mystery dinner theatre. Not much at Disney is "fancy," since most eat in their park clothes... but plenty is expensive!<BR>

I also really liked the Brown Derby in MGM. The Flying Fish at Disney's Boardwalk is great. We loved Palio at the Swan Hotel. Go to www.disboards.com and scroll down to the restaurant forums.

Palio's in the Swan and Flying Fish on the boardwalk.

I highly recommend Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge. The food is buffet-style and consists of various African dishes. It's a wonderful way to try foods you normally wouldn't, and the desserts called "zebra domes" are out-of-this-world delicious! The price will be around $20.00 per person, so it is kind of high. Of course, most food and drinks at Disney are high dollar, but this is worth it. When you are in the Animal Kingdom itself, I recommned the barbeque place (can't remember the name). The sandwiches are really good and very filling. Right outside of Epcot, at the Yacht and Beach Club Resort is Beaches and Cream. This is a fifties-style place with great hamburgers and ice cream. When you're in the Magic Kingdom, be sure to pick up some goodies at the bakery on Main Street. The prices are fairly reasonable and the food is good. I also liked the ice cream parlor on Main Street too. Have a great trip!

EPCOT:<BR>I liked the Morroccan restaurant. Went there for lunch. It was not very crowded (during the day in April). <BR><BR>I also liked the French restaurant.<BR><BR>MGM: I like the Prime Time theatre for the atmosphere. What do I know though.<BR><BR>

I personally never found the Disney restaurants to be that outrageously priced. And I find that they are very accommadating if you wish to split an entree. My personal favorite is Spoodles on the Boardwalk - its been mentioned by other posters as well. Beaches and Cream at the Beach/Yacht Clubs is good too. The Japanese restaurant was enjoyable too - did a late lunch. Did not like the food at the Mickeys' Table at the Contemporary for a character breakfast or at the Grand Floridian 1900 Park Fair for a character breakfast. In general the buffet style meals are lacking in quality but the other restaurants are fine. Also at the Animal Kingdom near the safari ride is the Tusker House - fast food but very good, large portions.

It's been over 5 years, so if they're gone, mea culpa...<BR>I agree with the Italian restaurant...it's named for the restaurant in Lady and the Tramp.<BR><BR>We've always liked the Biergarten in the german pavillion at Epcot. Very entertaining, good german buffet, and very reasonable.<BR>Artists Point in the Wilderness Lodge is very good...<BR>http://www.themeparks.com/wdw/menus/artistpt.htm

Another vote for Flying Fish on the Boardwalk, which also has the advantage of being outside the parks so you can go without paying a park admission.<BR><BR>And we have never gone to Epcot without having lunch at Akershus in Norway, which is a fabulous buffet and an especially good bargain.

One general recommendation--take advantage of the restaurants at the resorts. They are some of the best in WDW. My favorites inside the parks and at the resorts--Brown Derby (best Cobb Salad I've ever had), Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant (really fun for kids and the food's really decent), Cape May Cafe (the dinner buffet), Whispering Canyon Cafe (for fun along with your dinner), and for breakfast--Bonfamille's, Boatwright's or Kona Cafe (the Tonga Toast is great).

Another vote for Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge! Food was good and a wonderful variety. Our daughter worked at Disney for a semester; Boma and Spoodles were her favorites.

Thanks for all of the input. I definitely want to try the Flying Fish as well as Palio's. Has anyone eaten at Wolfgang Puck Cafe in Downtown Disney and/or at The Outback Steakhouse (NOT the chain) at the Wyndham Place Resort and Spa? Again, thanks for all of your suggestions.

Magic Kingdom - Tony's Italian Restaurant<BR><BR>MGM - Prime Time Cafe<BR><BR>Epcot - Mexico<BR><BR>Animal Kingdom Lodge - Boma<BR><BR>Downtown Disney - Bongos

I think you are there at the time of the Food & Wine festival at Epcot. You can graze the Epcot restaurants and try wines inexpensively, at least for Disney. They are also trying out a new country: Spain which will be added the the world pavillions in the next few years. <BR><BR>I vote for the California Grill as the best restaurant in Disney. Anything at the Grand Floridian is in the 60-100 dollar per person range and while excellent is the opposite of your request. The California Grill has top food and you can just order a flat bread appetizer, have some unique wines by the glass, and simple salad and have a very nice meal. California Grill is considered one of the top restaurants in Florida.

I ate at the Outback in the Wynham many years ago. It was excellent, as I recall. I've not been to Puck's in Downtown Disney, but if you go, please report! Same for Palios; I have it earmarked for my next visit. I have been to Bongos, as another post reminded me. It is (or at least was) owned by Gloria Estafan, and had a really fun atmosphere.<BR>

We ate at Palio this past summer. It was GREAT. Delicious food, wonderful service and great atmosphere.

We always go to Wolfgang Puck express- in Marketplace and Downtown Disney Westside-when we want to sit outside and eat inexpensively-they also have a cafe and restaurant at Westside which are probably good too-we go to Disney a lot because we live in Fla and have annual passes so we try to find some cheaper places to eat. Agree with previous comments about Norway at Epcot-great buffet and especially good deal at lunch-but during the wine/food fest we just nibble our way around Epcot which is more fun than a meal. Artist's Point at Wilderness Lodge is good-but if you want something quick there the snack bar has really good chili. We like the fast food cafe in Morocco also and Spoodles on the Boardwalk is good-also, good chili at the ESPN club<BR>Have fun

I didn't think the food at Disney was outrageous either. I was also grateful that every restaurant we ate at, no matter how fancy, had a kids menu. If price is an object and you want to try several restaurants, just plan to eat your main meal at 3:30 or 4. You still get great food, but you get it before the evening price hike and you get a more leisurely meal as there are fewer people looking to eat at that time. <BR><BR>We enjoyed Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge, and in my opinion it's worth the trip just to see the lodge itself. We also love eating at the seafood restaurant in The Living Seas at Epcot.

I have to say that there were some restaurants that had decent food, (Flying Fish, Morocco was actually good), but be aware that Disney considers a child under 11! My 12 year old is picky, and wouldn't eat anything off the adult menu. When you make a reservation, they will ask the kids ages. If your conscience can take it (I had no problem), tell them 11 unless you want to be given an adult menu for your child. I think it's quite a racket.

Just got back from Disney and had a wonderful time. It was incredible to experience it through our daughter's eyes. Wanted to thank everyone for their input re: restaurants. I have to say we were pretty dissapointed with most of the meals. Wolfgang Puck Cafe and Spoodles were the best of the lot. I found most of the food mediocre at best. But who cares? We truly had the time of our life and allowed ourselves to be kids again for the weekend.