3 Best Restaurants in Walt Disney World Orlando, Florida

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Terry Ward

The dining scene in Orlando was at one time epitomized by a plethora of fast-food fare, but there's been such an explosion of artisanal and locally sourced restaurants over the past five years that there are now seven local chefs and nine international celebrity chefs with James Beard Award nominations around the city. Some of the best restaurants in town can be found in resort hotels and theme-park complexes such as Disney Springs, but if you have the time, explore the local treasures beyond the resorts.

The signs of Orlando's dining progress is most evident in the last place one would look: Disney's fast-food outlets. Every eatery on Disney property offers a tempting vegetarian option, and kiddie meals come with healthful sides and drinks unless you specifically request otherwise. Chefs at Disney’s table-service restaurants consult face-to-face with guests about food allergies.

Around town, locals flock to the Ravenous Pig, the Rusty Spoon, Artisan's Table, and other gastropubs where the menu changes regularly; Luma on Park, a suave home of thoughtfully created cutting-edge meals; and any number of dining establishments competing to serve the very finest steak. Orlando's culinary blossoming began in 1995, when Disney's signature California Grill debuted, featuring farm-to-table cuisine and wonderful wines by the glass. Soon after, celebrity chefs started opening up shop. And in 2013, Disney completely revamped California Grill so it's a trendsetter once again.

Orlando's destination restaurants can be found in the theme parks, as well as in the outlying towns. Sand Lake Road is now known as Restaurant Row for its eclectic collection of worthwhile tables. Here you'll find fashionable outlets for sushi and seafood, Italian and chops, Hawaiian fusion and upscale Lebanese. Heading into the residential areas, the neighborhoods of Winter Park (actually its own city), Thornton Park, and Downtown Orlando are prime locales for chow. Scattered throughout Central Florida, low-key ethnic restaurants specialize in the fare of Turkey, India, Peru, Thailand, Vietnam—you name it. Prices in these family-owned finds are usually delightfully low.

Be Our Guest

$$$$ | Magic Kingdom Fodor's Choice

This massive restaurant offers a Beauty and the Beast theme; French flair; a prix-fixe menu for lunch and dinner; and a long list of wines, beers, and ciders. Seating is in one of three theme rooms—the Grand Ballroom, whose ceiling sports cherubs with the faces of Imagineers' children; the tattered West Wing, with a slashed painting that changes from prince to beast during faux storms; and the Castle Gallery. It's entirely likely that the Beast will stroll through the dining room between the soup and the main course. Decor is directly from the movie, and most people adore the creepy West Wing or dining in the ballroom where Beast and Belle first danced. Food is prepared from scratch on-site. The menu choices naturally include French onion soup, choice of filet mignon, haricots verts, chicken, trout amandine, or pan roasted zucchini. The signature kids' soft drink comes in a light-up castle cup, and desserts, while sweet, are made without refined sugar. Be sure to accept a dollop of "the grey stuff—it's delicious."  This is one of the hottest restaurants in Walt Disney World, so make sure to book well in advance.

Monsieur Paul

$$$$ | EPCOT Fodor's Choice

A mere staircase away from EPCOT's busy World Showcase, Monsieur Paul is a subdued, sophisticated (and not very kid-friendly) French restaurant owned by chef Jerome Bocuse and named for his world-famous father, the late Culinary Institute of America's Chef of the Century, Paul Bocuse. Make a reservation here if you are looking for an expensive, polished, and delightful diversion from the theme park's bustle. The seasonal prix-fixe Gastronomic Meal of the French has six courses, including a cheese plate and dessert. Hors d'oeuvres of Maine lobster salad with passion-fruit vinaigrette, escargot cassolette, and saffron mussel soup precede a fish course featuring potato-scaled snapper or seared scallops served with maple pumpkin velouté, followed by an extravagant meat course (lamb, beef tenderloin, or chicken).

French Fodor's Choice $$$$ Prix-Fixe Dinner
World Showcase, Walt Disney World, FL, 32830, USA
407-939–3463
disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining
Known For
  • Extraordinarily good service
  • Very pricey prix-fixe menu
  • Extensive wine list
Restaurant Details
Reservations essential; can be booked 60 days in advance; $100 cancellation fee per person will apply to no-shows and cancellations within 72 hours

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Chefs de France

$$$ | EPCOT

This plush, bustling brasserie remains true to the spirit and the vision of Paul Bocuse, Gaston Lenôtre, and Roger Vergé, three of France's most famous chefs (Bocuse's son, Jerome, continues to run the restaurant). Classic escargots, a good starter, are prepared in a casserole with garlic butter; you might follow up with salmon marinated in white wine and lemon and served in a champagne sauce or grilled beef tenderloin with green peppercorn sauce; naturally, ratatouille is available, as is the occasional three-course, prix-fixe meal. Finish with your pick of a Parisian dessert.

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