Which Walt Disney World counter service restaurants.....or are they all the same?

Question

I have meal coupons to use at WDW for counter service restaurants. I can use them for lunch or dinner. Any suggestions on where to use them?? Or are they all the same?

I do not have the dining plan. KSA Events is giving us only counter service meal tickets. Yuck! I was hoping to be able to get the dining plan but am unable to.

Answer 1

It does depend on who you will be going with, what you want to eat, where you will be, etc. But, there are definitely some options that are a lot better. Most counter service meals are hamburger type places, while they aren't the worst hamburgers you can find, they aren't as good as something you would get at a nice restaurant, but they do the job. For a few meals I think the hamburgers are fine, but if you plan to eat at a lot of counter service places, then they can get pretty old, real fast.

When you say that you have meal coupons I assume that you mean from the dining plan, not sure if you have something else. So, just in case, I will list only restaurants that are on the dining plan, for the most part this is all of them.

At Animal Kingdom Lodge I recommend The Mara. At Animal Kingdom: Tuskerhouse and Flame Tree Barbecue.


At Coronado the Pepper Market is okay, but I think there are better options in Disney.

Gasparilla Grill is pretty good at Grand Floridia.

At the All Star Resorts and Pop Century they have a food court with several different options for food. Again, it isn't the best food you can find, but if you are staying at a value resort, it is convenient and the food is okay.

Port Orleans, the Riverside Mill is a great option.

Saratoga has the Artist Palette and that is a really good option.

At Wildernerss: Roaring Fork.



At Magic Kingdom: Columbia Harbour House, Casey's Corner (The food is good, but options are limited) Main Street Bakery, Comic Rays offers pretty good hamburgers and things, but it is still your basic counter service meal.

At MGM: Staring Rolls is my favorite counter service.

Pretty much anything at EPCOT is great, but here are my favorites: Boulangerie Patisserie, Kringla Bakeri og Cafe, Sommerfest, Sunshine Seasons, Tangierine Cafe.

If you will be at the waterparks the food is pretty good, so that is an option as well.



Downtown Disney has two of my favorite options for counter service: Earl of Sandwich and Wolfgang Puck Express, both are fantastic options.



To get a ton of info on the dining options in Disney, I will include a really great site. You can to reviews from this link and if available you can get to the menu for the restaurant from the review.


Have a great time!

Answer 2

Alot of them in the parks are the same EXCEPT for Epcot. You can get alot of interesting counter service items in Epcot. San Angel Cantina in the Mexico pavillion has a great menu, including these killer nachos we get all the time. Germany also has a good counter service restaurant, as does China.

Most of the fabled fixin's bars have been toned down. There are none left that offer free hot cheese or sauteed onions and/or mushrooms. Most serve pretty standard burgers and wraps and salads, but Pecos Bill's in the Magic Kingdom stands out with some nice side items. Casey's Corner, also in the MK, has the best hot dogs on property and great fries, too. Flame Tree Barbeque at Animal Kingdom is good food, but the portions are not huge. I hate every eatery at Disney's MGM Studios, so I can't help you there lol.

There are also counter service restaurants in ever resort. I have only eaten at a couple, and most of them seem to carry the same crap: burgers, horrible pizzas, salads, etc. Pepper Market at Coronado Springs is supposed to be very, very good. I have also heard good things about Captain Cook's (Polynesian resort), Boardwalk Bakery (Boardwalk resort), and Beaches and Cream (Beach Club resort). You can also use it for breakfast at the Main Street Bakery in Magic Kingdom, which is really delicious and a great deal. They have these HUGE cinnamon rolls, and delicious croissant sandwiches, as well as other pastries and cereals.

Answer 3

Most are about the same, however there are a few distinctions. Epcot has Cantina de San Angel- Mexican, Lotus Blossom- China, and many more.

Check this web site. Where it says "Filter this list" you can enter the location, then in the 2nd drop down box choose "Quick Service Restaurant" , the hit GO. Gives you a complete list with a brief description!

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/dining/diningFinder?id=DiningFinderPage

Enjoy

Answer 4

A lot of it depends on what you like... If you are gonna be there before Tusker House (in the Animal Kingdom) closes, I'd consider that one mandatory (it's being changed to a buffet).

Epcot you have some ethnic choices for that. DO NOT get the sukiyaki at the Yakitori House (school cafeteria style beef), but I've liked their Udon Noodle soup w/ tempura shrimp. But in general the best ethnic food is in the sit downs. Assuming you will also have sit down coupons, you might wanna have some set aside for Epcot. MGM your best bet is skip the fast food and eat at the Brown Derby...

Many of the places that serve burgers have pretty good fixin bars. Save your burger eating for places that have that.

Also, a lot of it depends on how you travel within the parks. If you are a park a day person, it really restricts your eating options. But if you bounce around, having yourself in Epcot during mealtimes will make you quite happy...

Definitely check out AllEarsNet.com, specifically the dining section

Answer 5

I'd say that the counter service restaurants at one of the hotels are better than the ones at the parks. But that's just me, it just seems too busy at the counter service places at the parks. Maybe Mara at Animal Kingdom Lodge is a good bet.

Answer 6

i reccomend pecos bill cafe in frontierland, because it has some different foods like huge salads and sloppy joes. i also reccomend the mexican restraunt in epcot and cosmic rays starlight cafe in tomorrowland in magic kingdom, because they have an animatronic prurple dinosaur that plays the piano and sings, but it is suppos to be an alien, and it is really cool. they also have alot of lines so you get your food fast and it is cheaper and you get alot of food. it is my faveorite restrunt in disney. have fun, i know you will!!