Disney World Dining Guide & Restaurant Reviews

By Tom Bricker Dining, Tips & Tricks 57 Comments

Our Walt Disney World dining guide and restaurant reviews help you book the best ADRs, choose where to eat and where to avoid, find underrated restaurants, steer clear of overrated/overhyped food, and more. These resources cover themed dining, discounts offered, recommended dishes, and more. (Updated March 5, 2023.)

With the ‘Free’ Disney Dining Card Discount at Walt Disney World, it’s a great time to plan how to put those dining cards to use on your 2023 Walt Disney World vacation. With the advice here, you can use the dining cards to reduce your budget, spending less out of pocket as a result while also having the best possible experience at restaurants, snack spots, and more.

We have extensive experience dining at Walt Disney World; the two of us have eaten in virtually every restaurant–some many times. We still regularly revisit restaurants to see what’s changed and offer insights on where to eat and avoid. If you want to be notified of our new and updated reviews, and all things going on at Walt Disney World, be sure to sign up here for our FREE Disney newsletter here.

Since there are literally hundreds of restaurants at Walt Disney World, the choices can be overwhelming. We’ve dined at every single Walt Disney World restaurant that’s in-park at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. The handful of locations we’re “missing” at this point are all in the hotels or Disney Springs.

In the last several years, we’ve started adding a lot more Disney Springs restaurants as the dining scene has dramatically improved there in the last couple of years. In fact, we’d now recommend trying to do multiple meals at Disney Springs. Quite the change from a few years ago, when the only thing worth doing at Disney Springs was Raglan Road!

Our Walt Disney World restaurant reviews are based on cuisine, ambiance, and value for money. We particularly value themed design and atmosphere, as this is primarily where Disney excels over it’s real world counterparts. Obviously, food is also important, and we typically eat at a restaurant at least a couple of times before reviewing it. Nevertheless, quality can vary from one day to the next and menus change frequently.

To that point, inconsistency is one big issue with Walt Disney World restaurants. We may have a horrible meal at a restaurant one night and you may have a fantastic at the same restaurant the next night, or vice-a-versa. This is especially true of service, which is why we don’t factor that into our scores except in certain (noted) circumstances. Due to this inconsistency, we recommend reading a few reviews (not just ours!) of the same restaurant before making a decision on it.

Another note before we begin is that the Disney Dining Plan is still not back as of 2023. See When Will the Disney Dining Plan Return? for our predicted timing of its comeback, as well as our rationale. The Disney Dining Plan has long been polarizing for Walt Disney World fans. Some find it to be a good way to budget or save money–others think it forces them to overspend and/or overeat. Like anything, there’s good and bad to the Disney Dining Plan; both perspectives can be true, it all depends upon the party. All of that is irrelevant for now, as the Disney Dining Plan remains temporarily unavailable.

Another big thing to know right now is that restaurant capacity is limited due to staffing shortages, which has made reservations even more competitive. As such, we highly recommend consulting our Top 10 Tips for Booking Difficult Advance Dining Reservations before your trip. Now more than ever, it’s important to plan–and reserve–the restaurants that are most important to your family prior to your vacation.

With all of that out of the way, here’s our guide to dining at Walt Disney World, followed by reviews and food photos from various Walt Disney World restaurants…

Money-Saving Tips for Dining at Walt Disney World – Ways to cut the fat from your food budget at Walt Disney World without sacrificing on the quality of the experience. Easy ways to reduce unnecessary expenses and spend less while still having a ton of fun.

22 Best Restaurants at Walt Disney World – This focuses on the restaurants we recommend most often to friends and family, and also eat at ourselves for fun. It’s not an objective list of the absolute top-tier restaurants at Walt Disney World (that’s the next spot down), but offers more practical advice for most vacation planners.

Top 10 Table Service Restaurants at Walt Disney World – Our rankings of the very best restaurants at Walt Disney World. Most useful for couples or convention-goers. Those on their honeymoons or with expense accounts will appreciate this list of mostly fine dining. Everyone else should use the top 22 list above that.

Best Burgers at Walt Disney World – I really love burgers. This regularly-updated list is a bit of a passion project, and hopefully one appreciated by fellow carnivores!

Top 10 Best Value Table Service Restaurants at Walt Disney World – Excellent alternatives to the overrated and overhyped restaurants that are the most popular ADRs at Walt Disney World. You can still enjoy a stellar experience while spending a little less!

Overrated Restaurants at Walt Disney World – Some of Walt Disney World’s most popular restaurants aren’t so great. This list of overrated table service restaurants at Walt Disney World takes a look at ones that are worse than their reputation or hype might suggest.

Top 10 Themed Table Service Restaurants – While real world restaurants can beat most theme park dining options when it comes to cuisine. Where Walt Disney World really excels is thematically, so you might want to prioritize on the basis of atmosphere and immersiveness, and that’s where these restaurants shine!

Top 10 Counter Service Restaurants – Our favorite quick service restaurants in all of Walt Disney World, with something from every single park, plus convenient options in the hotels and at Disney Springs.

Top 10 Magic Kingdom Counter Service Restaurants – Rankings of all of the fast food options in Magic Kingdom. Sadly, Walt Disney World’s most popular park is its worst for restaurants.

Best Magic Kingdom Snacks & Desserts – On the plus side, Magic Kingdom has a lot of iconic snacks! 😉

Top Disney’s Hollywood Studios Counter Service Restaurants – Same idea, but for the restaurants at DHS. Lots of good options here, including a few under the radar picks.

Epcot Counter Service Restaurant Rankings – Thanks to options throughout World Showcase, Epcot has more dining than any other park at Walt Disney World.

Drinking Around Epcot’s World Showcase Tips – One of the most fun ways to spend an afternoon at Epcot is by drinking your way around World Showcase. This offers our suggestions from past “practice” doing that.

Snacking Around Epcot’s World Showcase Tips – Same idea, but with international snacks instead of suds.

Disney Springs Counter Service Restaurant Rankings – Lots of good quick service dining at Disney Springs, but we really recommend doing table service meals here.

Disney Springs Table Service Restaurant Rankings – As suggested above, Disney Springs has a formidable restaurant roster. Even by real world standards, Disney Springs has a stacked culinary lineup.

Disney Dining Plan Resources

Again, the Disney Dining Plan is temporarily unavailable as of 2023, so nothing below is relevant right now…

We’ll update this page regularly as we do more Walt Disney World dining reviews. It’s also a good idea to search the menus of different Disney restaurants to see which restaurants might appeal most to your family–given all of the choices, that can be a smart way to narrow things down.

WDW Resort Hotel Restaurant Reviews

Magic Kingdom

EPCOT

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney Springs

As mentioned at the start of the article, these are just a portion of the Walt Disney World restaurants we’ve tried. If you have questions about other restaurants, please leave them in the comments. We haven’t dined everywhere, but we’ll help with advice where we have!

Want more dining tips? Check out our 101 Delicious Walt Disney World Dining Tips. If you are planning a Walt Disney World trip, make sure to also read our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience! For updates on Walt Disney World, the latest news, discount information, and tips, sign up for our free monthly newsletter.

Your Thoughts

Which Walt Disney World restaurants are your favorites? Anywhere you don’t like? Other tips about dining at Walt Disney World? Do you agree or disagree with any of our reviews? Restaurants you’d like to see us review (or re-review)? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!

Written by Tom Bricker

57 Responses to “Disney World Dining Guide & Restaurant Reviews”
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  1. Stephanie May 17, 2023

    Hi Tom and Sarah! This November my family will be going to wdw again, this time for 7 days. We want to see the things we loved last time but also to try things we didn’t get around to. I love theming and wish I could try out all the resorts and all the transportation. I had the idea to use our second park day to try doing supper at resorts we won’t be staying in and get there using the transportation. I will be using your suggestions to help plan. thx

    Reply
  2. Abigail April 22, 2021

    Hi Tom – FYI the Tony’s Town Square review currently links to Sanaa!

    Reply
  3. Kris January 17, 2021

    Great post!

    Reply
  4. Terina Wilkinson July 31, 2019

    Visiting Disney this week. Booked 3 months in advance for old favourite. Sat on a table where you could not even see aquarium, sitting booth style having to shift around to get in position. If any of us needed to use toilet, all had to move. Very uncomfortable. Had to remind server about bread, cutlery, utensils for eating meal. We could have been anywhere. Not the experience we were looking forward to. Staying at Disney Wilderness Lodge.
    Show less

    Reply
  5. Robert March 25, 2019

    How about when does Disney change the menus at the restaurants? I know if I book at the 180 day mark the menu might not be the same when I visit.

    Reply
  6. Anthony March 15, 2019

    A warning to those staying 10+ days at Walt Disney World and staying at more than 1 Disney resort – you cannot book ADR’s 10 days in advance. We are staying at 5 Disney resorts for 3 nights each (4 of which are premium dollar at deluxe resorts) and Disney’s computer system only recognises us as staying there for 3 nights only. Every 3 days 180 days out, I jump onto My Disney Experience to book out ADR’s and the times we get to choose are out of our plan eg. late breakfasts and late dinners. It’s our sons 3yo birthday on the last day of our 15 night stay and Storybook Dining is sold out at the resort we are spending big money at (Wilderness Lodge). We called Disney and they said to keep checking the app to see if someone else cancels. Very disappointed that Disney’s System can’t bunch our 5 resorts into one confirmation number.

    Reply
  7. Vikki Walker February 14, 2019

    Valentines day booking for dessert party and fireworks (called Happily ever after) Total waste of money and the so called uninterrupted view of castle is also false. Would never recommend this to anybody ever! Apart from this experience we have had a wonderful 7 days in the parks and found most food to be fine.

    Reply
  8. Jamie February 1, 2019

    Hi! Which is the better option for the Fantasmic dinnner, Hollywood and Vine or Mama Melrose’s? Our party would be two adults and a nine year old boy. Thanks!

    Reply
  9. Louis December 13, 2018

    is Disney World in Orlando doing any Buffet dining on Christmas Day 25th?

    Reply
  10. Rick Williamson September 20, 2018

    Tom…we would like to know your thoughts on Mama Melrose’s at Hollywood Studios.

    Reply
  11. Shawnelle Chapman August 12, 2018

    The Tony’s Restaurant is linked to Sanaa. I just thought you’d want to know. : )

    Reply
  12. Glen May 14, 2018

    Sanaa is by far my favorite restaurant ar WDW Tom. Bread service is off the wall good. I love the Traditional Sosate, lamb with apricots, cashews, goat cheese, and spinach. Delicious! The Traditional Potje is a good choice for first timers. Pick 2 entrees and enjoy the wonderful flavors of Indian-African cuisine. The Butter Chicken is milder and wonderful, the Goan Seafood Curry Dish and Durban Shrimp are off the wall. Desserts are unusually good too. Top it off with the atmosphere of the Animal Kingdom and it can’t be beat. I would strongly encourage anyone to give Sanaa a try.

    Reply
  13. Logan Reichert April 9, 2018

    Tom, I read your blog up and down and back and forth before our trip, and I can’t say THANK YOU enough! We LOVED 50’s Prime Time, where the fried chicken and service were awesome, did the best fast passes all trip long, and LOVED Sanaa as well for our anniversary dinner. (Even saw zebras running through the Savannah!) Thanks so much, and you can be sure I will be checking back for updates to plan for the next trip. I told my husband, “I really need to write a nice note to my bestie, Tom!” Thanks again.

    Reply
  14. Joy November 3, 2017

    I thought I remembered seeing a list of Top Restaurants for Value when NOT on the Dining Plan, but now I can’t find it. Am I remembering wrong? Thanks!

    Reply
  15. Cassandra September 21, 2017

    Hey Tom,

    I’d love to see a review of vegetarian alternatives/options at popular Walt Disney World restaurants. I’m constantly looking at pictures/reviews on trip advisor to see if I will be able to eat anything with my steak loving husband. We LOVE your blog!

    Thanks so much!
    Cass 🙂

    Reply
    • PegP January 26, 2018

      He didn’t include Blaze Pizza in his reviews, but that’s one I’d recommend. It’s a QSR in Disney Springs. They only sell one size pizza (medium), but you can get as many toppings on it as you like. And the topping choices are unreal.

      There’s about 5 different sauces to choose and even more cheese choices. There’s even a vegan cheese you can have.

      There’s the traditional meat toppings like pepperoni and sausage, but they also have chicken, meatballs, and other meats. And the vegetable choices are equally there. If you want a veggie pizza, you can add spinach, arugula, and a host of other veggies.

      The pizzas are less than $10 and are really good!

  16. Shawn June 15, 2017

    Tom I dont see Teppan Edo review for Epcost?

    Reply
  17. David Gokey June 13, 2017

    well time, our 180 day is Tuesday.

    Really looking forward to the Minnie Holiday Hollywood and Vine! Hope they still do it in 2017.

    Reply
  18. Marcia Sartin June 4, 2017

    Thank you for all that you do! I am going to be reserving our dining plans in a few days and wanted to see if you thought dining at both Cinderella’s castle and Belle’s castle for dinner was a good idea. We have the deluxe dining plan and plan to spend two days in MK. We won’t be back for a few years and want it to be a lot of fun for my 6 yo as well as my 15 yo. My 6 yo is extremely, well behaved and won’t have a hard time with all the wonderful dinner reservations. There are SO MANY great reviews from you that I’m having a hard time deciding on what dinners to have.

    Reply
  19. Ashlee March 10, 2017

    Hi Tom, what do you know about 1900 Park Fare? I didn’t see a review, but we are thinking of doing supper there. I have a 6 and 4 year old.
    Thanks for any advice you might have!

    Reply
  20. Christine October 24, 2016

    We will be spending Christmas 2016 at Disney World this year and normally I would just go with the flow of the day and find food as we want it. However due to the special time of year I would like to find a restaurant on site at Magic Kingdom where we might enjoy a turkey dinner. I was wondering if you would be able to assist me in this area. Are there any places on site where we might enjoy a turkey dinner or should I just give up that thought?

    Reply
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