Walt Disney World Restaurant Advice?

Question

Hi all,
I've been to Walt Disney World many times and my family and I are going back in July. I was wondering if you could all give your favorite Disney restaurants and why. I'm looking to try some new places this time around.
Have they opened any new restaurants this year?

My favorites are: Mama Melroses in MGM and Boatwright's at Port Orleans Riverside!

Thanks for you help

Answer 1

One of my favorite parts of Walt Disney World is dining out at all the incredible restaurants...

Artist Point at Disney's Wilderness Lodge -
The smoky portobello mushroom soup they serve here is amazing! I don't even care for mushrooms much, but I loved it! They also serve wonderful mussels and pan-seared scallops here, and the buffalo rib-eye is good, too. For dessert, the Artist Point berry cobbler is a must!

Bongos Cuban Cafe at Downtown Disney -
This restaurant is beautiful and offers outdoor seating. They serve the best Cuban sandwich! Really, my mouth is watering just thinking of it. The flan for dessert is also very delicious. This is the only restaurant at Downtown Disney that I really love.

California Grill at Disney's Contemporary Resort -
This restaurant is absolutely gorgeous! It's located atop the Resort and offers spectacular views of the Magic Kingdom and the fireworks. The "BLT" flatbread was delicious. So were the pan-seared scallops. I had one of the best desserts here, though. It was this small white cake with a light whipped frosting served in a tea gelee with peaches and mangos. At night when the fireworks are about to begin they dim down the lights, have the music piped into the restaurant, and invite you out onto the observatory deck to enjoy the show. It's so great!

Cape May Cafe at Disney's Beach Club Resort -
This restaurant has a really great dinner buffet. They offer all sorts of seafood, like fish, shrimp, clams, mussels, etc. They also offer prime rib and many other dishes. For dessert, the Oreo Bon-Bons are so amazing! It's an Oreo cookie with Oreo cookie mousse, covered with chocolate ganache and cocoa powder.

Coral Reef Restaurant at EPCOT-
I love this restaurant. It's located at the Living Seas and offers views of the aquarium from every table. I had one of the best meals ever here. The fried calamari was the best I'd ever had. The rings were huge and fried perfectly. Their N.Y. strip steak with potatoes au gratin was fantastic. The Chocolate Wave dessert is to die for, though.

ESPN Club at Disney's Boardwalk Inn -
I always dine here either the say I arrive or the day I depart. I love the atmosphere here. If you don't enjoy watching sports, it may not be the place for you, but the food's still great. And if you do enjoy sports, they have over 100 TV monitors in the restaurant. I love the nachos here, and their club wrap (which I'm not sure they serve anymore) is delicious!

Kona Cafe at Disney's Polynesian Resort -
I love this restaurant! I think it's my most favorite of them all. I always dine here two or three times during each stay because I usually stay at Disney's Polynesian Resort. They serve the best breakfast item of all the restaurants at Walt Disney World, the Tonga Toast. It's banana-stuffed French toast tossed in cinnamon-sugar. I don't even care for bananas, but since it's such a famous dish, I had to try it, and I really loved it! For lunch or dinner, the wok-seared duck pot stickers are a must. They're so, so good! For dessert, the Kilauea torte is the best. It's a small chocolate cake filled with warm chocolate ganache. Yum! If you've never dined at the Kona Cafe, you must! Plus, Disney's Polynesian Resort is one of the most beautiful and definitely worth visiting.

Le Cellier Steakhouse at EPCOT -
This restaurant is located at the Canada Pavilion and is meant to look like a wine cellar. It's a very nice restaurant and definitely one of my favorites. I had the best dinner there on my last trip to Walt Disney World. They start off by serving warm, soft bread. The pretzel one is the best! I had the mussels served chowder-style for an appetizer and they were great. Now, this restaurant is famous for it's steaks, of course. Their filets are amazing. For dessert, try the maple creme brulee.

Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano at the Disney-MGM Studios -
This is already one of your favorites, and it's one of my favorites, too. I think it's the best restaurant at the Studios. Their flatbreads are awesome, and their ricotta hazelnut cheesecake with blood orange sauce is the best cheesecake I've ever had! Plus, it's just a really cute restaurant with the open kitchen area, all the little white lights, and the brick walls that everyone writes on.

Narcoossee's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa -
I've dined here on my last two trips to Walt Disney World. It's a beautiful restaurant located right on the water. There's a very nice bar and wrap-around deck outside. The bread they start you off with it awesome with the butter and their special sea salt. The mussels are their best appetizer. They're the best mussels I had at all of the restaurants. They have a great surf and turf, and their filet mignon is just about as good as the one I tried at Le Cellier Steakhouse. For dessert, I always have their dish of sorbets. The flavors are blackberry and mango and they drizzle this raspberry sauce on it and sprinkle blueberries and rasperries on top. It's so good!

Nine Dragons Restaurant at EPCOT -
This restaurant's located at the China Pavilion. It's usually really crowded for dinner, but I went for lunch this past summer and it was so relaxing. The was great, too. The wonton soup is good. I had the honey-sesame chicken for an entree and it was perfect! The chicken was nice and moist, but the breading was crunchy. And the sauce was just delicious!

Rainforest Cafe at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park -
The food here was so good! I started out with the mozzarella sticks, which were great. The portions are huge. I barely ate half the order because we were on the Dining Plan and I knew I had to save room for the next two courses. For my entree I had one of their pizzas, Passport to Paradise. It had a bunch of different cheeses and fresh chopped basil on top. It was wonderful! For dessert, my boyfriend and I shared the volcano dessert. It was brownies stacked up to make a volcano with ice cream inside and on top, hot fudge and caramel sauce, whipped cream and cherries. It was awesome, but the two of us couldn't even finish it.

Tony's Town Square at the Magic Kingdom -
I love this restaurant and have dined here everytime I've been to Walt Disney World. I think it's a really cute restaurant, and of, course, Lady and the Tramp is the theme. There's a fountain of the two dogs in the main dining room and pictures of scenes from the movie all over the place. The spinach and cheese dip is incredible! Really. Their chicken and tortellini soup is great, and the chicken florentine for an entree is awesome. Now, for dessert, the tiramisu is the thing to get. It's the best I've ever tried anywhere! Whenever I see it on a menu I order it, but nothing compares to the tiramisu at Tony's.

Yachtsman Steakhouse at Disney's Yacht Club Resort -
This is a very nice restaurant with excellent food. Their filet mignons are also almost as good as the ones at Le Cellier Steakhouse, but they also have a lot of other great steaks. Their mashed potatoes are awesome, too. For dessert, their creme brulee is the best. Vanilla with fresh berries on top and rolled chocolate. Oh, it's so, so good!

Anyway, those are all of my favorite restaurants. Hope I could help!
Have a magial time!

Answer 2

Sci Fi theater in MGM. Great food, and sitting in the cars while eating is pretty cool.

50's Prime Time restaurant - great food and atmosphere. Just don't put your elbows on the table and use good manners, or you will see what happens!

Chef Mickey's Character breakfast in the Contemporary - some people don't like the food here, but where else can you get Mickey and the gang to come right to your table for pictures and autographs.

Fulton's Crab house in Downtown Disney - VERY pricey, but the food is more than worth it.

Ghiradelli's chocolate shop - Do I really need to explain?

Earl of Sandwich - good food that you can get very quickly. Best sandwiches around. Found in Downtown Disney.

Casey's corner - Right on the corner at the Castle end of Main Street of the Magic Kingdom. Hot dogs with all the trimmings and it was never very crowded. Great place to grab a quick counter service meal.

We ate at most of these places when we were there a week ago, and loved all of them. Hope this helps!!

Answer 3

I am the biggest Disney fan out there! My family always took me every year growing up and I still go now every year as an adult. There is so much to do and I miss it just reading your question! Some great restaurants are:

Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary Hotel
Prime Time at MGM Studios
Sci-Fi Restaurant in MGM Studios
Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom
Mexican Restaurant in Epcot
Japanese Restaurant in Epcot

I'm not a big fan of the Italian restaurant in the World Showcase (Epcot) or Cinderella's Palace. The food is alright but way overpriced.

For adults it's really fun to go try out the international restaurant at Epcot - less kids and more of a romantic atmosphere. But if you have kids you have to go to Chef Mickeys - call early though because they are normally booked months in advance. It's a huge buffet with characters and tons of fun. Have a great time!!!

Answer 4

Nearly all of the restaurants in the theme parks can be used with the dining plan. At the Magic Kingdom, my favorite place is Liberty Tree Tavern in Liberty Square. It features good food and some character dining at certain times. A close second is Crystal Palace, a buffet featuring Winnie the Pooh and friends. At Epcot, hands down, my favorite choice is the German Biergarten, and a close second is Alfredo's in Italy. The Garden Grille in The Land pavilion is neat too. In about the time it takes to eat dinner, it rotates a complete turn through the middle of the attraction. At Disney/MGM Studios, your 3 and 5 year olds would probably get a kick out of the Sci-Fi Dine In Theatre, which is themed like an old drive-in movie. You sit in "cars" that are parked in front of a big screen and your carhops bring you the food you ordered. A second favorite is the 50's Prime-Time cafe, where you sit in a 1950's "kitchenette" and a "Leave-it-to-Beaver" style "Mom" brings you your food, and even chides you for not eating your vegetables! At the Animal Kingdom, a lot of people like the Rainforest Cafe, but my personal preference is Restaurantosaurus, especially for breakfast! All of these choices are for the atmosphere. The food is exceptionally good (compared to how Disney used to do food back in the early 80's). And finally, let me recommend one experience outside the theme parks...the Hoop-De-Doo Revue at Fort Wilderness is well worth the money and time invested to attend. (From the Magic Kingdom, it's a 15 minute boat ride...and there's bus service from the other theme parks.) It's an all-you-can eat, family-style American dinner (Chicken, ribs, corn-on-the-cob, Strawberry Shortcake, etc) with some really good family entertainment. I took my son when he was 3 and he loved it. All of these things can be used with the dining plan. The Hoop-De-Doo Revue will actually count as two table-service meals in your plan, though, should you choose to do that.

Answer 5

Boatwright I think might have close or just for breakfast its closed..
I hope ur on the dinner plan they cost a lot but her are a few
france great meal and desserts
Germany all u can eat
Italy now has 2 ones pizza but haven't tries it(was too new)
Canada great steak house type
and Norway just reopened restaurant
tonys in majic kingdom (great Italian)
liberty tree inn(3 meats, couple vegies , dessert for one price)
drive inn new in mgm
never really ate in animal kingdom just the one at gate good but long wait...be sure to set up reservation that morning before u enter park they fill up quick.....

Answer 6

Sunshine Seasons in The Land at EPCOT. I used to work there....the prices are a little steep (as is everything at Disney World), but the food is GREAT. It's like a food court with a lot of different options. And if you have no shame, go for the kid's menus. It's a cheap way to try a little of everything. Just make sure they give you a "Mickey" plate because if they put it on a real one, you'll be charged the real price.

Answer 7

I LOVE Disney World, and I don't think I've ever been disappointed with a meal there. We've been to Mama Melroses and liked it very much, but I've never been to Boatwrights. I've been to Disney World five times with my husband, and we try to go to different restaurants each time we visit, although we often end up returning to old favorites. Some of our favorite restaurants are:

Le Cellier at Epcot (One we keep going back to. Excellent steaks, and their cheddar cheese soup is to die for! Also, their maple creme brulee might be my favorite dessert in the whole world.)

Citricos at the Grand Floridian (We went on our honeymoon, and loved everything, from appetizer to dessert.)

Beaches and Cream Soda Shop at the Beach Club (They have wonderful ice cream sundaes! They also serve things like burgers if you want to make a meal of it.)

Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge (It's an African buffet that has food for adventurous and not-so-adventurous eaters.)

Liberty Tree Tavern at Magic Kingdom (It's a good restaurant for families with young children, as they serve "regular" foods like mashed potatoes and turkey. It's also a character meal.)

Pecos Bill Cafe at Magic Kingdom (They have a great toppings bar for burgers. We usually eat lunch here on Magic Kingdom days.)

If you haven't tried it before, and if you and your family eat table service meals each day of your trip (and not just counter service), I would highly recommend purchasing the Disney Dining Plan. You get one snack, one counter service meal, and one table service meal per person, per day. You can find more information here:

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/benefitDetail?id=BenefitDisneyDiningPlanDetailPage

Between just the two of us (my husband and I), we've saved a couple hundred dollars in five or six days the two trips we purchased it. It's also nice because your meals are paid for ahead of time, so you only need money for souvenirs and additional snacks if you would like them.

Answer 8

Here are some of my favorites:
Sci Fi Dine in Theater-MGM I love the atmosphere
Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Resort-Best stuffed french toast ever

Whispering Canyon Cafe at the wilderness lodge!!!(my absolute favorite restaurant in WDW) ask the waiter/waitress for Ketchup!!!! great food and atmosphere. It is almost like a dinner show but it isn't expensive at all!!!

Pecos Bill Cafe-Frontierland, MK Best Burgers ever, it is counter service

Answer 9

My favorite is Boma-Flavors of Africa at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. This all-you-can-eat buffet is terrific for folks who are interested in trying new things! They offer different foods from Africa and other Pacific Rim Countries. Be sure to try the Watermelon Rind Salad, Fu-Fu (tastes like pumpkin pie) and the Zebra Cakes (their desserts are amazing!). They also have Macn Cheese, Prime Rib and other American Fare food choices for kids and picky eaters.
Another good choice is Cape May at the Beach Club Resort. If you love seafood, then this all-you-can eat buffet is for you. They have wonderful salads, peel n eat shrimp, clams, mussels, garlic mashed taters, freshly baked breads, corn on the cob, cobbler, etc... they fashion it after an old fashioned clam bake!
At the parks, my favorite MGM restuarant is the 50s Prime Time Cafe. Its like a meal and a show and it doesn't cost that much. You must try it if you haven't been before.
As for new restaurants..... they are in the process of updating Italy's restaurant at EPCOT. They got rid of Alfredo's, but have not announced what is going in instead. You can find new restuarants at the Saratoga Springs Resort, as it is a newer resort on Disney property.
If you would like help planning for your next trip or if you would just like to read up on some fun tips and money-saving ideas that are updated monthly, visit my official website Easy Breezy Planning at: http://www.easybreezyplanning.com
Or feel free to check out our myspace page as well at: http://www.myspace.com/disneymickeyvacation

Have a great time!

Note: I want to edit the part in my answer about the Italy Rest at EPCOT. It was just announced that the Patina Group Restaurant will be the new eatery in Italy beginning Septebmer 1st!

Answer 10

I went to disney world this past summer and my family and i ate at Ohana inside Disney's Polynesian resort...it was my favorite the whole week!!
you get served family style and they just keep bring you more and more food it seems like because you have a lot of courses and i felt like before i could even finish one course the other one came but it was all just left on the table so there's no need to feel like you have to eat extremely fast.
what's nice about it is that you pay one flat rate for your meal and you get a ton of food to pick from and it's all really good.
you should call ahead as soon as you can though and book a reservation because it fills up quick...we didn't make any reservations until we got to disney which wasn't very smart on our part but it turned out ok.
the only time we could get in was really late one night...it was about 9:30 or 10 and we weren't even sure if we wanted to go because it was so late but we did anyway. one thing that added to our meal was since it was so late we were eating durring the wishes fireworks at magic kingdom and you could see them from ohana and they put the music to go along with it over the speakers, it was awsome!
they also have an ohana dinner show that we heard was good but you have to make reservations ahead of time for sure for that...i'm guessing the food and dinning it close to the regular restaurant but with a show.

Answer 11

My family really likes Alfredo's in Epcot's Italy. You should go on your trip in July if you can, they are closing at the end of August. I don't know why, the place is great. We also enjoy the Rainforest Cafe. It is very entertaining. The restaurants at the Polynesian resort are also very, very good.