The Essential Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World Parks

Walt Disney World has dramatically enhanced its culinary offerings in recent years, moving beyond traditional theme-park food to present an impressive range of dishes across numerous dining venues.

While the top dining spots are often found within the resorts and hotels, you'll likely find yourself dining in the parks at least a few times daily. (And definitely make sure to enjoy several meals in Epcot’s World Pavilion.) Here’s our no-holds-barred guide to the best, worst, and most unusual dining experiences at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom:

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MAGIC KINGDOM

Magic Kingdom, with its high fantasy allure, unfortunately falls short in the dining department. Despite being the most iconic, visited, and crowded park — and home to beloved Disney World classics like turkey legs, Dole Whips, and Citrus Swirls — it ranks lowest for dining options. Only one restaurant, the always-busy Be Our Guest, offers alcohol (and only at dinner), while most Mytouries are geared towards families with young kids, serving up quick, basic fare like burgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders, and lackluster pasta.

While dining options might disappoint, Magic Kingdom excels in sweet treats. Indulge in all the candies, cookies, Mickey-shaped snacks, Nutella waffles, and gourmet popcorn you can handle. The Starbucks on Main Street, the sole spot for a decent coffee, often has a lengthy line, but it moves swiftly.

Top Choice for Breakfast: Head to Sleepy Hollow for Mickey waffles and waffle sandwiches, or grab a quick bite at Starbucks in Main Street Bakery or enjoy a turkey leg at Tortuga Tavern.

Top Choice for Lunch: Try Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café for excellent rotisserie chicken and tasty chili-cheese fries, or visit Columbia Harbor House for an unexpectedly good lobster roll.

Best Dinner Option: Be Our Guest is the top choice for dinner. Alternatively, you can dine elsewhere and return later — Magic Kingdom often stays open until midnight.

Snacks: Plaza Ice Cream Parlor offers made-to-order ice cream sandwiches with your choice of flavor. Aloha Isle serves up the classic Dole Whip or Dole Whip floats. Sunshine Tree Terrace has the refreshing Citrus Swirl. Casey’s Corner provides corn dog nuggets, while Prince Eric’s Village Market offers fresh fruit.

Character Breakfasts: Enjoy a meal with Winnie the Pooh and friends at The Crystal Palace, or dine with the princesses at Cinderella’s Royal Table.

What to Skip: The Main Street Confectionery is stocked with Mickey-shaped sweets that fall flat, with the Mickey-shaped macaron being especially disappointing. Tomorrowland Terrace tends to have short lines and ample seating for a reason.

Germany Pavilion, Epcot World Showcase

EPCOT

Epcot stands out as Disney World's most eclectic park, split between a somewhat dull, corporate celebration of tech innovations in Future World and a dazzling array of country-themed pavilions in the World Showcase. Future World isn’t particularly exciting food-wise, except for Living With the Land, a surprisingly engaging educational ride about agriculture. Our tip? Avoid dining in Future World unless you’re unable to walk the extra distance to the World Showcase. There, you'll encounter a rich tapestry of culinary delights, from elegant French cuisine to quick Japanese curry rice. Plus, it’s the most spirited park, with each pavilion offering a wide range of their nation's alcoholic beverages, making the challenge of ‘Drinking Around the World’ a popular pursuit (and there's even an official t-shirt for it).

Many of the country pavilions are spot-on replicas of their real-life counterparts. Stand in the right spot in Italy, Morocco, or France, and you might believe you’re actually there. The fact that the staff are often natives of these countries adds to the authenticity. While the food in places like China, Japan, Mexico, and Morocco might not meet the exacting standards of high-end restaurants back home, it’s still quite good.

Top Breakfast Spot: Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie in the France pavilion is the sole non-Princess Dining venue serving breakfast.

Top Lunch Choices: Tangierine Cafe in Morocco is excellent for shawarma, Katsura Grill in Japan offers delicious curry rice, the Yorkshire County Fish Shop in the UK is ideal for fish and chips (the takeaway window provides tasty fish for half the price of the pub’s cod), and Via Napoli in Italy serves up authentic Neapolitan pizza, rumored to be made with water imported from Italy.

Top Dinner Picks: For a sophisticated dining experience, try Monsieur Paul in France (best enjoyed without kids due to its refined atmosphere). Alternatively, Le Cellier Steakhouse in Canada offers a great steakhouse option.

Snack Highlights: Refreshment Port serves a croissant doughnut, with or without ice cream. At Kringla Bakeri og Kafe in Norway, try the Lefse or the intriguing 'Viking mousse'. Sommerfest in Germany offers freshly fried potato chips with paprika and soft pretzels with mustard. L'Artisan des Glaces in France features homemade ice cream in a fresh waffle cone. For a sweet treat, head to Kabuki Cafe in Japan for Kakigori, a shaved ice dessert topped with fruit syrup and condensed milk.

Character Breakfasts: The Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Norway offers an unparalleled princess breakfast experience. Reservations can be challenging to secure.

What to Avoid: Club Cool in Future World allows you to sample Coca-Cola products from around the world, but it's often overcrowded with sugar-crazed kids, and the flavors are less exciting than you'd expect. Liberty Inn in the America pavilion is a letdown, offering nothing more than standard chicken fingers when you have plenty of better dining options throughout the park.

The Hollywood Brown Derby, located in Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios

Much like its Southern California inspiration, Hollywood Studios offers a robust selection of alcoholic beverages. Enjoy expertly crafted cocktails at the 50's Prime Time Cafe—our top pick for the best overall restaurant in the parks—or sip a margarita at High Octane Refreshments. For something more casual, grab a frozen Coke with a shot of rum from a street-side stand like Peevy's.

When it comes to dining, the standards are a bit lower. The Hollywood Brown Derby is the park's premier restaurant, but its food is often pricey and underwhelming, save for its signature dishes like the Cobb salad and grapefruit cake. For a better experience, try 50's Prime Time Cafe with its comfort food classics and nostalgic atmosphere, or the Sci-Fi Drive-In for a unique dining experience. If you're in a hurry, Dockside Diner offers quick hot dogs.

For the best coffee, head to Starbucks.

Drink Options: Tune-In Lounge at 50's Prime Time Cafe offers a great selection of cocktails, while Peevy's Polar Pipeline serves up frozen slushes that you can enhance with a variety of liquors.

Top Choice for Breakfast Grab a coffee or pastry at the Starbucks located inside the Trolley Car Café.

Top Choice for Lunch Woody’s Lunch Box offers nostalgic comfort food like hot sandwiches, grilled cheese, and creative ‘totchos’ (tater tot nachos).

Top Choice for Dinner Head to 50's Prime Time Café for a hearty, retro-style meal.

Character Breakfasts Hollywood and Vine serves a buffet breakfast with popular Disney characters such as Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Handy Manny, Doc McStuffins, and Sofia the First.

Snacks Anaheim Produce offers fresh fruits like grapes and bananas, plus hummus with pretzels for a quick and healthy snack.

Avoid: The Hollywood Brown Derby might look like a classic Hollywood spot, but its experience is anything but glamorous — it’s expensive, pretentious, and underwhelming.

Asia, Disney's Animal Kingdom

ANIMAL KINGDOM

Disney's Animal Kingdom offers a unique take on conservation, filling gaps left by Epcot's World Showcase. The park features themed areas inspired by Africa (with influences from Kenya and Tanzania) and Asia (drawing from Nepal, India, Indonesia, and Thailand). While the cuisine is tailored to American tastes, it tries to incorporate authentic ingredients and flavors. The remaining areas mostly serve typical American amusement park fare.

For the best dining experience, try Harambe Market in Africa. This open-air food court offers a variety of street food-inspired options. If you’re craving air conditioning, Yak & Yeti offers a mixed menu of Indian and Southeast Asian dishes in a beautifully themed setting. Tamu-Tamu Refreshments serves a pineapple sorbet that resembles Dole Whip and can be enhanced with dark rum. Note that Creature Comforts is actually a Starbucks, despite its name.

Drink options: Dawa Bar offers an unexpectedly refined drink menu. For a more casual option, Yak & Yeti Quality Beverages provides a selection of beers, including Safari Amber — a custom brew by Anheuser-Busch for Animal Kingdom that offers a slightly citrusy twist on Michelob Amberbock.

Best choice for breakfast Try the character breakfast buffet at Tusker House or grab a coffee at the Starbucks located inside Creature Comforts.

Best choice for lunch Harambe Market is your go-to for a satisfying midday meal.

Best choice for dinner For an upscale dining experience, Tiffins stands out as one of Disney’s top restaurants within the park.

Character breakfasts At Tusker House, enjoy breakfast with safari-themed versions of Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald.

Snacks At Harambe Fruit Market, enjoy fresh fruit. The Smiling Crocodile offers nutritious salads like quinoa, beet, and edamame. Tamu-Tamu Refreshments serves up pineapple whip soft-serve, while Trilo-Bites has buffalo chicken nachos.

Special Diets Terra Treats caters to those with dietary restrictions, featuring snacks that are vegan, gluten-free, and/or dairy-free. They offer gluten-free Omission beer and vegan baked goods from Babycakes.

Skip It Rainforest Cafe — if you must visit this non-Disney chain, there's another location at Disney Springs.