25 Best Restaurants in Walt Disney World Orlando, Florida

Boma takes Western-style ingredients and prepares them with an African twist. You walk through an African marketplace–style dining room to help yourself at counters piled high with flavor from an upscale buffet like no other. The dozen or so serving stations have entrées such as roasted pork, Durban-style chicken, spice-crusted beef, and fish served with tamarind and other robust sauces; intriguing salads; and some of the best hummus this side of the Atlantic. Don't pass up the soups and salads. The zebra dome dessert is chocolate mousse covered with white chocolate and striped with dark chocolate. For a more relaxed breakfast experience, book a table for before 9:30 am; Boma gets crowded quickly. 

Featuring fantastic views of the resort and EPCOT, this pricey restaurant on the 10th floor of the Riviera Resort is one the best on Disney property. In the evening, try handcrafted pastas such as rigatoni or the traditional bouillabaisse; at breakfast, enjoy a family-style character meal. While you indulge in sour cream waffles, wild mushroom scramble, or wood-fired butcher's steak, Mickey and friends come right to your table. 

This good-value restaurant offers all-buffet dining three meals a day, and a Donald's safari-theme character crew complements the African-esque decor and menu. In addition to standard kids fare, the menu has healthful dishes like curry chicken, marinated salmon, strip loin rubbed with berbere (an African spice mix), and saffron-infused root vegetables. Kids will be happy to see corn dog nuggets and mashed potatoes on the buffet, but this is a great chance to add something unusual to their palet. This restaurant has a large vegetarian selection.

This restaurant has character buffets at all three meals, with an array of Disney princesses, including Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, Aurora, Mary Poppins, and even an occasional cameo appearance by Cinderella. The breakfast menu is American, but lunch and dinner feature an ever-changing assortment of Norwegian specialties. Appetizers usually include herring, goat-milk cheese, lefse bread, and gravlax (cured salmon served with mustard sauce), or fiskepudding (a seafood mousse with herb dressing). For a main course, you might try traditional ground pork and beef kjottkake (dumplings), fillet of salmon, or seared pork tenderloin with apricot glaze. Children will be happy choosing among mac 'n' cheese, corn dog nuggets, or Norwegian meatballs. Aquavit, wine, and specialty drinks are offered. All meals are prix-fixe.

With the feel of a New England seafood house—the type your grandma might enjoy—this bustling spot in the Beach Club Resort features popular buffet meals. For breakfast, Minnie and other cast classics visit tables while families help themselves to American classics from waffles to sausage links from the buffet. In the evening, seafood is the star of the show. Instead of characters, diners dote on a turf platter of slow-roasted strip loin or a seafood boil with mussels, clams, shrimp, and a catch of the day.

The fact that the Disney monorail zooms overhead right through the Contemporary Resort, and that Mickey, Minnie, or Goofy hangs around for breakfast and dinner, would be enough to make it popular, but the food here is surprisingly good. Chef Mickey's is shiny and bright, offering a breakfast and brunch that includes eggs and frittatas, a ham and beef brisket carving station, and, naturally, Mickey waffles. The family-style dinner doesn't disappoint either, with shrimp and grits, house-made macaroni and cheese, and a Mickey Mouse Dome for dessert. A large selection of specialty cocktails is available for the grown-ups, morning and evening.

Family-style meals are served here as the restaurant revolves, giving you an ever-changing backstage view of the Living with the Land boat ride. Offering quantity over quality, the restaurant serves all-you-can-eat meals with visits from Chip ’n’ Dale, Pluto, and occasionally Mickey. Typical choices include grilled beef, barbecue chicken, and seasonal veggies, plus kiddie favorites like mac and cheese. Beer and wine are available as well. Those who prefer a plant-based diet will appreciate a feast crafted just for them.  Except for the princess meals in Norway, this is the only EPCOT restaurant that has Disney character meet and greets during meals.

Cinderella and other Disney princesses appear at this eatery in the castle's old mead hall, offering prix-fixe Fairyland dining as only Disney can supply. The Fairytale Breakfast offers options such as beef tenderloin and eggs and caramel apple–stuffed French toast; the Fairytale Lunch or Dinner includes entrées like spiced-crusted pork tenderloin or Parisian gnocchi. When you arrive at the Cinderella Castle, a photographer snaps a shot of your group in the lobby.  Extremely advanced reservations are required.

Those looking for their Starbucks coffee will appreciate the large space and quick-moving lines at this spot to the left of Spaceship Earth when you enter EPCOT. Disney-crafted bakery items change out regularly here, with some items inspired by whichever festival is happening in the park at that time.

With three kitchens offering a range of American-, French-, and Asian-inspired dishes, there's something for everyone at this brightly covered eatery. Picky eaters can enjoy an American burger or chicken sandwich, while those with sophisticated taste buds can savor the French Bistro Burger or an Asian-inspired salad. Disney is working on expanding its plant-based offerings, shown here in the California Burger or Niçoise-style salad. And make sure to save room for dessert. The Liège waffle and Black Forest baumkuchen (tree cake) are both delicious!

A lovely Victorian setting is the perfect place for the old-fashioned and lovable Winnie the Pooh and friends to greet your kids via A Buffet with Character, offered here three meals a day. Upscale goodies are served for adults while a separate children's spread features foods more appealing to them. A pre-9 am breakfast reservation is available. Request a window table for the spot to watch the Magic Kingdom parades and fireworks.

This hangar bay transformed into a quick-service restaurant by chef Strono “Cookie” Tuggs serves out-of-this world meals. Try the braised beef stir-fry or the fried chicken tip yip with roasted vegetables. Those with egg or gluten allergies will find multiple options here, and if the line looks overwhelming, order online with the My Disney Experience app.

A 25-foot tree is draped with twinkling lights at this breakfast-only restaurant that's open Thursday through Monday. It's a great place for families to fuel up on everything from French toast to a pork roll on everything bagel.

Disney Channel stars come to life at this restaurant (a great choice for toddlers) through its Disney Junior Play n' Dine breakfasts. Vampirina, along with friends of Sofia the First and Doc McStuffins, are among the cheerful characters marching around the room, singing and dancing to the delight of energetic fans. During lunch and dinner Minnie takes over the dining room, offering seasonal events where she and her friends don various costumes. The buffet features entrees such as carved turkey breast or beef tenderloin, or macaroni and cheese with shrimp.

Be it for breakfast or a snack, stop here for a latte and danish to avoid the lines at the Starbucks on the other side of Discovery Island. In the afternoon, several tropics-inspired alcoholic beverages are available, but the ever-popular Island Cappuccino with Captain Morgan spiced rum is there all day.

On your way to Kilimanjaro Safaris in the morning, stop by this coffee shop to grab a colossal cinnamon roll or pistachio honey croissant to split while waiting in line. In the afternoon, the flatbreads are a refreshing choice to share.

This Polynesian-themed restaurant offers two thoroughly entertaining, though incredibly different, experiences. Early in the day, the Best Friends Breakfast with Lilo & Stitch is destination-worthy, and by night, you'll find a Hawaiian-theme dinner. The intergalactic Stitch and a human sidekick join families for the morning meal, and Mickey and Pluto join in periodically while kids parade around the restaurant with maracas and wide grins. At night, the restaurant serves family-style, all-you-can-eat Hawaiian specialties and lots of meat, dumplings, and signature 'Ohana bread. The kids have coconut-rolling contests using brooms, and even dads are known to try out the hula hoops between courses.

Na'vi-inspired treats, such as pineapple cream cheese spring rolls and giant pretzels, can be found here. But what kids will love is the Night Blossom, a limeade topped with boba. Pongu Pongu also offers breakfast, so if you find yourself deep into the park without having stopped to eat, grab a biscuit here.

Under the leadership of Neapolitan chef Fabrizio Schenardi, Ravello is a chic, modern Italian restaurant. Hand-tossed pizzas emerge from the oven—perhaps finished with house-made ricotta, arugula, and truffle oil; the pastas might be familiar or ambitious, like ravioli made with veal, spinach, and wild mushrooms; and the entrées are simple yet hearty, perhaps a 16-ounce, dry-aged rib eye with Fabrizio's special rub or a swordfish fillet. In the morning, the dining room is fresh and bright, perfect for a buffet or à la carte breakfast. On select mornings, this is also the backdrop for a Good Morning Breakfast with Goofy & Pals character meal. The $46 adult/$24 kid price tag includes a buffet with an omelet station plus a pic of each guest with Goofy.

If you're looking for a quick meal in Galaxy's Edge, this is the place. Among the meats that have been "roasted over a pod racer engine," you'll find pork rinds, roasted pork, and vegetable wraps. For a small bite, the Andoan fruit with muja sauce is a spicy treat. Those who rushed straight for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run will be happy to know they can pick up breakfast here between flights.

Most of the flavors are from India, yet Sanaa is really a celebration of the Spice Islands—locales off the coast of Africa that, for centuries, enticed traders from the world's far corners. Exotic yet approachable lunches and dinners make it a true find on the outer edges of the Disney empire; views of zebras and giraffes on the savanna right out the picture windows are another draw. Potato-pea samosas are good starters. For the main course, try the tandoori chicken or the potjie-inspired meal, a bowl with a mix of a protein and unique base. This is the only sit-down restaurant open for lunch at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. 

What food does the Headless Horseman like the most? It must be waffles, because Sleepy Hollow Refreshments has waffles aplenty. Stop by first thing in the morning for waffles covered in strawberries, bananas, and blueberries. In the afternoon, the chicken-and-waffle option has a bit of a kick and is served with house-made chips.

This restaurant melds old and new, with the cozy decor of a traditional Italian home and a menu of Italian-American dishes refreshed for today's tastes. Share a pizza topped with prosciutto, sausage, and capicola, or indulge in wood-fired swordfish salmoriglio. Other entrées include veal osso buco, chicken parmigiana, and truffle gnocchi. All the wines are from Italy, and you can finish your meal with a tiramisu.

This cart is ready for hungry trailblazers, who stop in to enjoy jalapeño poppers or corn-dog nuggets, complete with a fresh-off-the-trail frozen lemonade. And what hungry cowboy doesn't want candied bacon on a skewer? This cart also offers breakfast. If you've entered the park, and the lines at the Main Street Bakery are halfway down Main Street, keep moving, and stop here. Grab a breakfast sandwich to eat while in line for Big Thunder or Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

A lunch box meal never tasted so good! The turkey sandwich comes with tomato-basil soup, and the BBQ Brisket Melt has a deliciously tangy sauce, but the grilled three-cheese sandwich is so popular that Disney has actually shared the recipe on its website. Splurge on the adorable alien slipper cup for your drink. If you find yourself deep in the park without breakfast, this is a great place to stop by for a breakfast bowl power-up.