Best & Worst Disney Springs Counter Service Restaurants
Looking for the best counter service meals at Disney Springs? This top 10 list ranks our favorite fast food spots at Walt Disney World’s shopping, dining, and entertainment complex from worst to best. (Updated June 21, 2022.)
Following its huge redesign and expansion, Disney Springs is now an all-day destination at Walt Disney World, and a place where you’ll want to have multiple meals. While we’d ideally recommend multiple table service meals since that’s where Disney Springs truly excels, arriving for a light lunch, followed by some shopping, then a large dinner and some nightlife is a great way to approach Disney Springs.
This list focuses solely on quick service restaurants, but that’s only very small part of what you need to know about Disney Springs. (Note: since originally publishing this, we’ve removed the bakeries and dessert spots–there’s a growing number of those, so we’ll do a separate list soon!) For more advice about visiting this shopping and entertainment district, refer to our Disney Springs Tips & Tricks post…
T10. Blaze Pizza – My biggest issue with Blaze is that it’s becoming increasingly ubiquitous. Call me sentimental, but on a Walt Disney World vacation, I like to do things that are special or that are distinct to WDW. Even real-world restaurants like Earl of Sandwich or (shudder) Rainforest Cafe are far less common, and could have that quality for some people.
With that said, Blaze Pizza offers great value for money, uses quality ingredients, and is a definite change of pace from the norm at Walt Disney World. After a long vacation of inflated prices, it could be very easy to look past Blaze’s real-world presence and go here for an affordable and filling meal of pretty-good, custom-made pizza.
T10. Earl of Sandwich – The OG of counter service restaurants back in the Downtown Disney-era, Earl of Sandwich has a strong reputation among Disney fans, but time has passed it by. It was once hyped for its cheap, high-quality sandwiches, but over time those prices have risen and we find it tough to justify the prices for such small portions.
Don’t get us wrong–Earl of Sandwich still has good food. The problem is that Blaze Pizza offers similarly good value (hence the tie), and a number of places offer better taste. While we’re certain Earl’s legion of loyal subjects will staunchly disagree, we are ready to go to war with Sandwich. (It’s just a small town–they could never match the military-might of Disney bloggers.)
8. B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co. – This is an under-the-radar spot, one of the kiosk locations similar to AristoCrepes and Daily Poutine, all of which opened around the same time at Disney Springs. Don’t let its inconspicuous setup fool you: B.B. Wolf’s serves the best hot dogs at Walt Disney World.
While that might seem like super-duper high praise, the competition isn’t exactly staunch. Moreover, when you start comparing B.B. Wolf’s to other restaurants at Disney Springs, it doesn’t hold up all that well. There’s no indoor seating, no theme, and its menu is a one-trick pony (err…Wolf?).
7. Morimoto Asia Street Food – The walk-up window outside Morimoto Asia, this spot serves up a limited menu of ramens, ribs, egg rolls, and takoyaki. There are also usually some seasonal choices on the menu, and the quality of those can be very hit or miss (we’ve had excellent and awful meals).
The ramen here is fairly middling; you can do far better at pretty much any other Disney Springs counter service restaurant. However, the famed Morimoto Ribs are fantastic and the takoyaki is worth trying if you’ve never had it. These two dishes make Morimoto Asia Street Food worth a stop…but probably not for a full meal.
6. Cookes of Dublin – Being the counter service arm of Raglan Road, which is one of the best table service restaurants at Disney Springs, expectations for Cookes of Dublin are high. Unfortunately, our experiences at Cookes of Dublin have been much more mixed. We’ve had some tasty meals, and some disappointing ones.
The bigger trouble is that Cookes of Dublin lacks the atmosphere and live entertainment that really elevates Raglan Road. Even a “bad” meal there is still fantastic, simply by virtue of being at Raglan Road. Regardless, Cookes of Dublin is perhaps worth trying for yourself–especially if you don’t do the full Raglan Road. It’s one way to at least get a taste of that iconic experience.
5. The Basket at Wine Bar George – Like the table service restaurant that shares this space, the Basket at Wine Bar George has developed a cult following among certain Walt Disney World fans. The walk-up window offers some spectacular small bites–namely, the Crispy Mac and Cheese Bites.
The only reason that the Basket isn’t higher on this list is that it’s arguably better viewed as a snack spot, walk-up bar, or an alternative to a stop at the full Wine Bar George. Honestly, that’s how we treat it. As much as we like Wine Bar George, going here for those Mac & Cheese Bites and a drink gives us our “fix” on the table service restaurant.
5. Pizza Ponte – These hearty squares of pizza are more substantial and higher quality than in-a-flash thin pizzas at Blaze, and are even slightly heftier than what you’d find at Via Napoli. There’s a nice light char on the underside of the Pizza Ponte crust that provides added texture and flavor, and the slices are loaded with toppings.
The pizza has a liberal amount of cheese and toppings, and is the greasy type of pizza you’d order at a hole-in-the-wall pizza joint. We really enjoy the oversized squares at Pizza Ponte–it’s open late and is a great way to end a long night at Disney Springs!
4. Chicken Guy – Like Guy Fieri himself, Chicken Guy is an excellent exercise in excess. It’s fun comfort food taken a step further than you’d expect–in this case, via the the Signature Sauces that really put the chicken tenders here over the top. This is a Guy Fieri restaurant, so it’s “necessary” to be over the top in some way, and that promise is delivered upon via a staggering lineup of 22 dipping sauces.
The result with Chicken Guy is a communal experience and a tasty one at that.
3. 4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa Food Truck – Ask Orlando locals about the best non-Disney restaurants in Orlando. One of the most common replies you’ll hear is 4 Rivers Smokehouse. Their Winter Park, Florida location is one of the best BBQ places I’ve ever visited, with incredible Texas Brisket, Kansas City Burnt Ends, Tri-Tip, and more. (It’d be the #1 restaurant on this list by far.)
This food truck at Disney Springs isn’t as good as the local chain’s flagship Florida location, but it is decidedly different and nonetheless excellent. The taco cones and burrito bowls are among the most satisfying meals you can have at Walt Disney World for a modest price.
2. D-Luxe Burger – Without question, D-Luxe serves the best counter service burger at Walt Disney World. From its signature beef blend (a mix of brisket, angus, chuck, and short rib) to the freshly-made buns, the ingredients here are high quality and the results are delicious. While the prices are on the high side, they are no worse than any counter service burger, and the quality here rivals the best table service burger at Disney Springs (an honor going to the Boathouse).
For a slightly more economical meal from D-Luxe Burger, order one of the duos, which includes two burgers, two drinks, and an order of fries. Depending upon which version you order, you’re basically getting the drinks for free. (Pro tip: upgrade your duo’s fries to a large size and request one of each dipping sauce–trust us on this.)
1. Polite Pig – Another sister location to a beloved real-world Central Florida restaurant (the Ravenous Pig, a gastropub in Winter Park, Florida created by a husband and wife team). As with 4 Rivers, that garners near-unanimous rave reviews from Orlando locals. Polite Pig isn’t quite that good, but it’s still destination-worthy dining and has now been recognized by the Florida Michelin Guide.
It’s impossible to deny the quality of countless dishes at Polite Pig. The Baby Back Ribs with the polite rub and layla’s sweet bbq sauce are the best at Walt Disney World. The Pork Shoulder and Half Chicken are similarly fantastic. These are all quite pricey, but the quality is undeniable. For cheaper options, the sandwiches do not disappoint. Ditto the shareables and market sides.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS…
What is your favorite counter service restaurant at Disney Springs? Least favorite? Do you agree or disagree with these rankings? How would you rank the Disney Springs quick service restaurants at which you’ve dined? Any questions? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!
I heartily disagree with your assessment (speaking of only the Polite Pig and DLux Burger). These are the only 2 places we had the opportunity to eat at (in Disney Springs) on our November 2017 trip and had opposite experiences. I was REALLY looking forward to going to DLux Burger too, so it was a real let down. Not to mention it was our first day of the trip, so not the best ‘kick off’ for vacation. It was so busy we were told by cast members to look for diners who looked almost done, hover near the table, and grab it as soon as they got up. (yay…) There was also no one doing table clean up, so we made do by wiping it off a little with napkins. Our burgers were very pink inside (yuck-ordered them well done) and they didn’t give us ‘one of each’ sauce we requested. (heard that tip from others). Oh, $85.00 for 4 burgers/fries/drink. We ate at the Polite Pig on the last day. My family of 4 each got something different but everybody liked what they got. (I must add, it was our collective opinion TPP was the best meal of the entire trip-Tiffins and DLux Burger were the worst). Both TPP and DLux had huge portions, and everything’s expensive in Disney. Next time, we’ll know to split meals.
All I can say is Amorette’s has wonderful crepes.
We have tried the ham and cheese and the hazelnut/banana and we’re both awesome. My son still talked about them.
Don’t know about the counter service, but Bongo’s table service is on point. So much so that we ate there twice on our last trip, and my SO ordered two mains on our second go around!
Most of these have opened on since the last time I was in Disney Springs, but am definitely looking forward to trying out D-Luxe and Amorette’s on my next visit.
And, going off on a tangent, having grown up next to Sandwich, I’m pretty confident Disney bloggers could take them… In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the number of Disney bloggers actually outnumbered Sandwich residents 😉 (Fun fact! There is a hamlet called Ham just outside of Sandwich, so there are a number of Ham Sandwich signposts in the area.)
Great list as always Tom, we loved Blaze Pizza, we are from the UK and we don’t have them here so our only experiance at Blaze was at Disney Springs. Although it might be standard fare for some it was new to us and as we always stay ‘in the bubble’ we wouldn’t have tried it otherwise.
I totally agree though that DLuxe Burger is great, loved all the dips too!
To my surprise, the Polite Pig has actually become my favorite quick service at Disney Springs. Not for the meat – but for the sides! I dream about that mac & cheese + brussel sprouts combo.
D-Luxe burger is seriously the best new quick service restaurant. It is SO good. Not a good use of a DDP credit in my opinion, but the first time we went we had a credit left and didn’t want to snooze on that!
I found that the burger was really easy to split! So the next time we went we ordered one burger and split an order of fries.
The burger is just so juicy. So delicious. So good.
Heaven, thy name is Amorette’s.
Honestly, it’s number 1. I love it.
Who cares about the price when what cash gets you is these little pieces of deliciousness. A feast for the eye and the stomach.
Even relative simplicity like the key lime was incredible.
That Christmas bauble cake last December. Literally drooling just thinking about it.
I used to go to the table service Wolfgang every year on my birthday for the meatloaf, but it is closed. So the Express is just as good and can sit outside. The beet salad salad is great! I am from Quebec, home of poutine and am surprised that people like Daily Poutine. Some folks have commented how ‘authentic’ it is…..definitely not even close. Quebec fries are a work of art, fresh cut and twice fried. Once you have had the ‘real deal’ all other fries pale in comparison.
Have you tried the poutine at Le Cellier? Our server was from Quebec and told us it was quite close to the real deal. I would be curious!
Totally agree on the Polite Pig. I went with high expectations based on hype, left very disappointed. I can’t think of a single redeeming quality that would entice me back.
I’ll give some of the others a try!
Great list, as usual, Tom! Looking forward to your re-review of Polite Pig. We tried it with low expectations given the mixed reviews and found the sandwiches to be excellent. The sandwiches seemed like a better value to me than the smoked meat entrees – they are HUGE and pack on lots of flavor. I’m looking forward to trying Pizza Ponte and Amorettes and now drooling over the idea of a return visit to the Boathouse burger. Yum.
Ok so you need to try Wolfgang puck for sure. I think it has the best value and great options. You can have half a rotisserie chicken bacon wrapped meatloaf a fresh salad or even Mac and cheese. Kids can have chicken fingers or spaghetti and meatballs. Breakfast is always good as well. I do agree though dluxe burger is also fabulous . Portion there is huge. Burgers with different toppings can’t go wrong. Fresh fries and multiple dipping sauces …..mmm yum
I agree with D-Luxe Burger!! Went this month and was delicious. Love the hand cut fries.
I found this top 10 to be spot on this time thanks for writing this one.
Wolfgang Puck Express is actually really good. Well I should re-phrase that, the meatloaf entree at Wolfgang Puck Express is really good. After doing the regular dining plan for years, we switched to the Quick Service Dining plan once our kids started to get a little older (3.5 years and 6 months). While downgrading to Quick Service was somewhat tough, the meatloaf at Wolfgang Puck Express (coupled with the Creme Brûlée) and the Coq at Vin at BoG are the two meals that if you close your eyes, almost makes you feels like you’re getting Table Service.
Would highly recommend trying it out. (We like Blaze too, but it’s hard for us to justify going there when we have one 10 minutes from our house back home).
Later this year, I think we’re going to test out the Quick Service DDP, and since Wolfgang Puck Express is a great value on that, I think we’ll give it a try (along with a return visit to Polite Pig) then. Thanks for the recommendations!
I’m surprised The Daily Poutine isn’t on this list. Wow, was it delicious. Especially the Italian style poutine, loaded with bolognese sauce and mozzarella. Mmmmm!
Tom, agree Deluxe Burger is very good. We were just there again a week ago and it still delivered. I’d rank Earl higher due to the relative value vs other options. Sandwiches seem sizable to me, still our go-to for inexpensive fare at Disney Springs.
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like I could eat two sandwiches at Earl of Sandwich, and still be hungry. On the other hand, a burger and half of the large fries at D-Luxe, and I’m stuffed.