So you’re planning your next Disney trip, and you want to make sure you’ll be dining at the best Disney World restaurants. Hopefully, you’re reading this more than 60 days in advance of your trip – which is when dining reservations open up – so you can secure a table at some of Disney’s most hard-to-book restaurants.

For some, Walt Disney World has become as much of a foodie attraction as a family destination. To others, dining at Disney can be a mixed bag, which is why we’re here to steer you in the right direction. Scattered in between all the theme park corndogs and chicken tenders (which still hit the spot on occasion) are a wide range of quick-service and table-service restaurants offering global cuisine, elaborate theming, and even world-class dining from award-winning chefs.

But which Disney theme park restaurants are worth taking up a couple of hours of your valuable time? And which character dining restaurants are going to leave the most lasting memories for your family? Or, where do you eat when you’re traveling with a large group for a family reunion or bachelorette party?

Amongst the most popular and widely loved restaurants across the Disney parks and resorts, we’ve aimed to include a few hidden gems in this guide to the best restaurants in Disney World.

Best Restaurant in Each Disney Theme Park

Magic Kingdom: Be Our Guest

One of the most coveted tables in Magic Kingdom, Be Our Guest takes you inside The Beast’s castle from Beauty and the Beast for a French-inspired prix fixe feast. While French cuisine might sound intimidating for kids, there’s no doubt they’ll love seeing the Beast himself.

There are three separate rooms that’ll sweep you away into a tale as old as time. The Grand Ballroom features a domed ceiling and exquisite chandeliers. The Beast’s West Wing study holds his enchanted rose, and then there’s the romantic Rose Gallery. Wherever you’re seated, be sure to take a moment to explore the rest of the striking restaurant.

EPCOT: Le Cellier

In a park beloved by Disney foodies for its dining options that span the globe, how do you choose only one top restaurant? Steakhouses are always crowd pleasers, but Canada’s version happens to have our heart. Le Cellier has the warm, romantic feel of a cozy wine cellar in an elegant château (from the outside, the building will feel like a familiar Fairmont castle).

When it comes to the food, the comforting Canadian starters and sides are what put Le Cellier ahead of any of Disney’s more traditional steakhouses for us. The Le Cellier Filet Mignon with truffle-butter sauce and wild mushroom risotto is a classic for a reason, but do not leave without ordering the signature Canadian cheddar cheese soup, the oh-so-satisfying Beef Bourguignon Poutine, or the sweet Maple Whiskey-glazed Brussels Sprouts that are a true treat.

Animal Kingdom: Tiffins

Inspired by the explorations of the Imagineers who designed Animal Kingdom, Tiffins gives you a taste of each of the park’s featured faraway lands, from Asia to Africa, all in one eatery. This makes it our favorite full-service restaurant option at the park when you can only choose one.

With eclectic plates like Moroccan Lamb Merguez-stuffed Medjool Dates, Indo-Chinese Gobi Manchurian, and South African Braai-spiced Veal, we’ve always found Tiffins’ menu to be well-executed and full of surprising flavors. But you have to be willing to take your palate on an adventure.

If you can’t get a reservation, a visit to Nomad’s Lounge next door is equally delicious with a few shared menu items. It’s the perfect spot for a relaxing riverside break in the shade as you watch the character cavalcade boats go by.

Hollywood Studios: The Hollywood Brown Derby

This is another spot where you can truly immerse yourself in the park’s theme. Hollywood Brown Derby takes guests back to the golden age of Hollywood. In fact, it’s a replica of the famed Hollywood restaurant that was once a celebrity hot spot (and the birthplace of the Cobb Salad).

Caricatures of Hollywood stars line the walls of this upscale restaurant like at the original locale. And you can order their Famous Cobb Salad – made following California Brown Derby owner Bob Cobb’s original recipe – along with elevated American plates like Corn Bisque, Shrimp Cocktail, Roasted Bone Marrow, “Chicken and Dumplings” in the form of Lemon-Ricotta Gnudi, and Grilled Pork over Lavender-Sage Polenta.

It isn’t a glamorous outing in Old Hollywood without a classic cocktail, and here they’re poured tableside.

Best Restaurants in Disney Springs

Homecomin’ Kitchen

Whether you’re coming here for lunch, dinner, or weekend brunch, you’ll be walking away with a belly full of Southern-style goodness. Think fried chicken, deviled eggs, and housemade hush puppies, but it’s all inspired by James Beard Award-winning Chef Art Smith’s small-town Florida upbringing.

You truly can’t go wrong with any of the farm-fresh, finger-lickin’ plates on the menu. But we recommend starting off with the following to guarantee you’re on the right track: Order the Thigh High Chicken Biscuits (fried chicken thighs drizzled with hot honey between two fluffy cheddar biscuits) and the Jasper Board (the chef’s Southern take on charcuterie piled high with shaved honey ham, smoked sausage, country ham, pimento cheese, chicken salad, tomato-bacon jam, pickles and candied pecans).

If you’re someone who loves sweets as much as savory dishes, book a table for brunch and enjoy the best of both worlds with plates like Fried Chicken & Doughnuts.

Jaleo by José Andrés

From famed James Beard-award-winning chef (and fun fact, Nobel Peace Prize nominee) José Andrés, Jaleo highlights the authentic Spanish cuisine of Andrés’s homeland – particularly traditional and modern tapas along with paella. That means if you come here, sharing is almost mandatory! The menu is quite extensive, with shareable small plates of veggies, salads, seafood, Josper-grilled meats, typical fried snacks, and more – or you can go all in on a tasting menu called the Jaleo Experience.

Some of our personal favorites include the simple but essential Spanish dishes of Pan con Tomate (toasted bread brushed with fresh tomato and olive oil) and Patatas Bravas (fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce and alioli), as well as the Bikini de Sobrassada con Manchego y Miel (a pressed sausage and cheese sandwich sweetened with honey), and the refreshing Endivias con Queso de Cabra y Naranjas (endives with goat cheese and oranges) as a palate cleanser.

Order a large plate of paella for the table, and once it’s ready, the restaurant will sound a bell to let everyone at Jaleo know you’re in for a good time. Pro tip: Jaleo’s frozen sangria on a hot Florida day always hits the spot.

Raglan Road

This Irish pub is always a crowd pleaser. It serves up comfort food favorites like bangers and mash, fish and chips, and shepherd’s pie, and nightly entertainment in the form of Irish dancers and musical acts across multiple stages. Naturally, you’ll want to wash down all that Irish grub with good Irish beers and whiskey.

The patio is a lively spot, but Raglan Road’s octagonal main dining room is a stunner. Fun fact: the restaurant’s entire interior was shipped straight from Ireland! The restaurant also features a popular weekend brunch. Plus, the Rhythms of Raglan Dance Show kicks up everyone’s spirits starting in the early afternoon.

The Polite Pig

Polite Pig might not be a full-service restaurant, but it’s a worthy lunch or dinner pick in Disney Springs. The sister restaurant of Ravenous Pig located in nearby Winter Park, The Polite Pig is a counter-service BBQ spot serving wood-fired smoked and grilled meats. It also has a full bourbon bar with over 60 whiskey selections.

Make your own barbecue plate with your pick of meats like pulled pork, brisket, chicken, and sausage, plus market sides. Or order sandwiches like the Smoked Turkey BLT and Low & Slow Brisket.

Gideon’s Bakehouse

Whether or not a bakery qualifies as a restaurant, we’d be remiss to leave out Disney Springs’ most in-demand food option that regularly has 3+ hour waits. And, Gideon’s Bakehouse is no ordinary bakery. They’re known for their ginormous freshly baked cookies that weigh almost half a pound!

Head straight to Gideon’s when you get to Disney Springs and add yourself to the virtual queue. Hopefully, by the time you’re done with lunch, dinner, or shopping, you’ll receive a text to get back in the shorter physical line and enter the cookie shop that smells like sweet sugary heaven.

Get ready for a sugar overdose with classics like Original Chocolate Chip (truly the best chocolate chip cookies you’ve ever had, thanks to extra salt flakes and an infusion of vanilla that makes it taste like unbaked cookie dough) and Cookies & Cream (topped and stuffed with chunks of Double Stuf Oreos so you get extra cream filling). There are also special limited-edition seasonal flavors. Plus, double-frosted layer cake slices – and don’t leave without a Peanut Butter Cold Brew in hand.

*Editor’s note: Boathouse and Wine Bar George are also among the best restaurants in Disney Springs, but we’ve included them in other sections of this guide. Keep reading for more about why adults will love Wine Bar George and why Boathouse is a great choice for large groups.

Best Restaurants at Disney Hotels

California Grill

California Grill is an elevated dining option in all senses of the word. Located on the 15th floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort with floor-to-ceiling windows and its own dedicated terrace, the restaurant not only has some of the best views of the fireworks over Cinderella Castle, but the seasonal Californian cuisine is also some of the best on Disney property.

Guests here can enjoy a three-course menu, with an optional wine pairing. And, if you score a reservation at the right time, you can step out onto the terrace to watch Magic Kingdom’s fireworks show, or simply stay put at your table and watch through the windows as the music is piped into the restaurant.

Narcoosee’s

Narcoosee’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is a coastal-themed restaurant serving what we’d deem the best elevated seafood fare in Disney. From blackened Redfish with chorizo-sunchoke hash to seared scallops with Parisian gnocchi and an ocean-inspired charcuterie board with ahi tuna pastrami, charred octopus and lobster sausage, the creative coastal cuisine spans the globe.

The restaurant is located within a wraparound pavilion along Bay Lake and has a beautiful waterfront porch. From here, Narcoosee’s dinner guests can watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks (are you noticing a trend here?) while the music is piped in. The combination of the culinary creativity and the lakeside setting makes for an enchanting evening in Disney World.

Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera

Located atop Disney’s Riviera Resort, Topolino’s Terrace is a Mediterranean restaurant, taking inspiration from the Riviera’s cliffside restaurants of France and Italy. Topolino’s offers two distinct dining experiences across breakfast and dinner.

Starting with an art-themed character breakfast featuring Mickey and his artist friends (Minnie is a literary figure, Donald is a sculptor, and Daisy is a dancer), Topolino’s Terrace offers a prix-fixe menu in the morning with bistro breakfast dishes like quiche gruyère and pancetta, wood-fired steak and eggs with polenta, and bread pudding brûlée.

At dinner, it becomes a signature dining format with a menu of elevated French and Italian cuisine: langoustine agnolotti, escargot, branzino, ratatouille, duck confit, and much more. While the atmosphere shifts from lively in the morning to upscale in the evening, the quality of the food is consistently excellent throughout.

Sanaa

Disney does a surprisingly remarkable job with African cuisine (Sanaa is technically “African cooking with Indian flavors”), but what makes this Animal Kingdom Lodge restaurant stand out is its views of the savannah. If you’re lucky enough to score a reservation before dusk, that’s when you’ll have the best shot of seeing giraffes and zebras roam right outside the restaurant’s windows.

Aside from the animals, Sanaa is famous for its signature Indian-style bread service with nine different dips and sauces, so that’s a must-order to start. At breakfast, Sanaa becomes a quick-service option, but it still serves some unique African and Indian-inspired items – like house-made boerewors sausage, coconut drop biscuits, masala potatoes, and French toast with whipped chai cream – if you’re looking to mix things up in the morning.

Geyser Point

We’d consider Geyser Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge a bit more of an under-the-radar Disney hidden gem. This is likely because they don’t take advance dining reservations. But with its lakeside location and open-air design, it happens to be one of our favorite Disney hotel restaurants.

The al fresco outpost serves American plates with some delicious twists, like a bison cheeseburger, a top-notch smoked turkey sandwich with cranberry mayo, and a cheesy barbecue brisket appetizer with housemade chips.

If there’s a long wait, however, the pro move is to place a to-go order at the walk-up window and try to grab a lakefront lounge chair instead. They’re open to anyone and it’s truly the best seat in the house!

*Editor’s note: Victoria & Albert’s and Jiko are also among the best restaurants at Disney hotels. We elaborate below on why they’re also two of the best Disney World restaurants for adults.

Best Disney World Restaurants & Lounges for Adults

Victoria & Albert’s

Leave the kids at home for this one (in fact, children under 10 aren’t permitted) – Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is far and away the most upscale dining experience on Disney property. Disney’s Michelin-caliber restaurant (though not yet rated as such) features an innovative tasting menu, impeccable service, an award-winning list of 500+ wines, and even specially crafted zero-proof cocktails.

You can choose from three different dining experiences that last up to three hours: The Dining Room (the most widely available seating option in the grand rotunda), Queen Victoria’s Room (an even more opulent setting for special occasions that comes with an expanded menu), or the ultra-exclusive Chef’s Table (where you can interact with the culinary team as they prepare your meal).

Wine Bar George

Wine Bar George features a menu of sharable small plates that pair with a wine list of 140+ options by-the-glass (or even ounce!) from Master Somm George Miliotes (who, by the way, was part of the opening team at California Grill). We’ve tapped it as one of Disney’s best restaurants for adults because it is a wine bar, after all, but there are still some delicious kid-friendly options on the menu like our favorite Crispy Mac & Cheese Bites.

Though there are a few entrees, we recommend sticking to a cheese or charcuterie board (or better yet, the combo), a handful of small plates, and creating your own wine flight of 1- or 3-ounce pours. You can explore their extensive wine list through an interactive digital menu, or have a sommelier guide you. Thanks to their Coravin system that preserves wine, Wine Bar George can offer even the rarest and most expensive wines by the ounce or glass, so you can sample some truly outstanding options without paying for a full bottle.

Jiko – The Cooking Place

Of all the exceptional dining options at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jiko – which highlights the vibrant flavors of Africa, India, and the Mediterranean – is the most elevated. The warm red, orange, and golden tones of the restaurant decor are reminiscent of a rich African sunset.

The menu changes seasonally but focuses on exotic plates like cocoa-crusted venison loin, wild boar tenderloin, Botswanan short rib, and Merguez-spiced lamb shank. We love how the dishes here are all bursting with bold flavors thanks to the aromatic spices used by each of these cultures (therefore lending themselves to more adult palates).

Notwithstanding, less adventurous eaters will still enjoy classics like the oak-grilled filet mignon with chocolate-red wine demi glace or the four-cheese bobotie mac & cheese with spiced beef.

Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto

This tropical tiki bar at the Polynesian Resort is so popular (and fairly small) that it fills up quickly and has long wait times. Luckily, if you’re not into waiting, you can also enjoy the same drinks and small bites in a different atmosphere on the outdoor Tiki Terrace.

Named for the legendary explorer Trader Sam from the Jungle Cruise ride, the lounge’s interior is adorned with eclectic artifacts and treasures that give the Grog Grotto its enchanting island character. It’s adults only (21 and over) after 8PM. And while the small island-inspired food selection is solid (there are a couple of sushi rolls, dumplings, lettuce cups, Thai chicken flatbread, and kálua pork tacos on the menu), the handcrafted cocktails served in festive tiki glasses are what you’re coming here for.

Dahlia Lounge

This rooftop lounge atop Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort’s luxurious Gran Destino Tower is exactly where adults will want to escape from the kids for a little while. Inspired by an animated short film collaboration between Spanish artist Salvador Dalí and Walt Disney, the elegant Dahlia Lounge is themed around Spanish surrealism. It offers a delicious array of spectacular Spanish tapas, wines, and cavas (Spain’s version of sparkling wine).

Spanish flamenco music sets the mood as you enjoy shareable plates like croquettes with jalapeño-cilantro sauce, jamón serrano and Manchego cheese bocadillo (a Spanish baguette sandwich), and crispy artichokes with raspberry-grape gastrique. They also have one of our favorite charcuterie boards in Disney World.

Be sure to take in the views of Hollywood Studios and EPCOT (and the fireworks, if you time it correctly) from the outdoor terrace.

Best Disney World Restaurants for Families

Chef Mickey’s

When it comes to family-friendly restaurants at Disney, nothing beats character dining, and Chef Mickey’s is the ultimate character dining adventure. Right in the heart of the Disney magic, located within Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Chef Mickey’s is an all-you-care-to-enjoy buffet (Disney’s more tactful way of saying all-you-can-eat). Here, the kids can meet the one and only Mickey Mouse and all his friends in chef attire right at your table.

In the morning, the meal includes everything from eggs, frittatas, and carved meats to French toast and of course, classic Mickey waffles. At dinner, you’ll find dishes like mac and cheese, shrimp and grits, stir-fried noodles, roasted pork, and a full carving station. While the buffet selection is quite extensive, the quality is nothing spectacular and the decor is downright outdated. Nevertheless, whether you’re a kid or a kid-at-heart, Check Mickey’s makes for a magical meet-and-greet that has a way of hitting you with just the right dose of nostalgia.

Ohana

Ohana means family, and that’s what you get when you dine at this Hawaiian-inspired restaurant at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort – a family-style meal. It’s another all-you-care-to-enjoy restaurant, but rather than in a buffet format, breakfast and dinner are served in a family-style skillet with enough food for everyone, plus as many refills as you want.

Dinner includes options like wood-fire grilled teriyaki beef, their famous Ohana noodles, and signature Ohana bread pudding with homemade caramel sauce. At breakfast time, you get the bonus of meeting Lilo & Stitch and can enjoy Polynesian flavors like Hawaiian-style ham with pineapple compote and pineapple-coconut breakfast bread.

Boma – Flavors of Africa

Whether we’re dining with family or only a single companion, Boma at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is the restaurant we personally come back to time and time again. It’s one of the best Disney buffet values in terms of selection, quality, and price. Without any characters, the buffet prices are lower than alternatives, which makes it a good deal for Disney. And you get a mix of unique African-inspired options alongside American classics for any picky eaters in the family.

Designed to evoke a lively African marketplace, Boma offers flavorful plates that span the African continent, like turkey or lamb bobotie (almost like a South African frittata); oak-roasted meats and vegetables; and salads including Tunisian couscous, Berbere chickpea, and North African cauliflower.

If you’re dining at dinner, be sure to grab a few of Boma’s famous Zebra Domes for dessert (mousse cakes enrobed in white chocolate and drizzled with dark chocolate “zebra stripes”) – and maybe stuff a couple extra into your purse or pocket.

Garden Grill

At Garden Grill, you get to enjoy an all-American, farm-fresh family feast – think roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese, and Southern-style spoon bread.

Located within EPCOT’s Land Pavilion, the restaurant spins slowly while you eat (don’t worry, very slowly – you won’t get dizzy) so you can enjoy different views of Living with the Land’s nature scenes. Plus, many of the veggies and ingredients in the harvest salad are actually grown in the Living with the Land greenhouse.

Everyone’s favorite life-sized chipmunks Chip ‘n’ Dale will also be there to meet you along with Mickey Mouse!

Whispering Canyon Cafe

What’s more fun for the family than some sassy servers who like to poke fun at their customers? At Disney’s Wilderness Lodge’s Whispering Canyon Cafe, you get country western fare served in family-style skillets – brought to your table by Cast Members who are a little more rough around the edges than you might be used to at Disney. But the extra attitude just adds to the fun.

For breakfast, you can choose between The Heritage skillet with classics like buttermilk-cheddar biscuits, sausage gravy, scrambled eggs, bacon, and Mickey waffles, or The Carnivore with maple-chipotle pork ribs, citrus-herb chicken, country potatoes, and charred carrots. And at dinnertime, you’ll enjoy hearty meats like oak-smoked mustard-barbecued beef brisket, braised pork belly, or house-smoked salmon. Either way, you’re in for some family-friendly shenanigans!

Best Disney World Restaurants for Large Groups

The Boathouse

The Boathouse in Disney Springs offers a super spacious setting and the kind of well-rounded menu that works for everyone in a big group. Whether you’re dining dockside or inside the nautically themed dining rooms, seafood is the star at this waterfront restaurant. Think oysters on the half shell, lobster rolls, and some of the best seared tuna we’ve ever tasted, but the steaks are excellent too, considering Boathouse is owned by the famous Chicago steakhouse, Gibsons.

It’s one of our favorite Disney spots for a reliable meal in a scenic atmosphere. There are even two private dining rooms for special events and extra large groups.

Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria

Another pretty enormous restaurant with some long tables, EPCOT’s Italian pizzeria Via Napoli is great for large groups because what’s a better meal to share with a bunch of friends and family than pizza? These thin-crust pizzas are prepared in wood-burning ovens, Neapolitan-style. In fact, the restaurateur who created Via Napoli’s menu spent time in Naples, Italy at famous local pizzerias studying the dough, sauce, and precise oven temperatures they used.

Make Via Napoli your mid-theme park day pit stop, and split a few freshly fired pizza pies featuring different toppings with your group.

Biergarten

Long wooden beer hall tables? All the German food you care to eat? Biergarten was practically made for large groups – that, or sharing tables with strangers. Lunch or dinner is always a fun time at EPCOT’s Biergarten Restaurant, where it’s Oktoberfest every day.

A lively polka band performs as you feast on a buffet of Bavarian fare, including bratwurst, pork schnitzel, German salads, and apple strudel. If you’re a beer lover, get ready to raise a stein or two at this boisterous beer garden. Even if you’re not, try the fan-favorite Pink Grapefruit Hefeweizen from Schöfferhofer, which is sweet and refreshing on a hot Disney theme park day.

Liberty Tree Tavern

Liberty Tree Tavern is a popular all-you-care-to-eat option in Magic Kingdom, where the whole family can share a Thanksgiving-worthy feast. Housed inside a colonial-style inn in Liberty Square, the restaurant serves traditional American fare that’ll please any large group with familiar favorites, like roasted turkey, pot roast, oven-roasted pork, and sides like mashed potatoes and gravy, mac & cheese, stuffing and veggies.

Each of Liberty Tree Tavern’s six rooms celebrate a historical U.S. figure, from Ben Franklin to Thomas Jefferson and Betsy Ross, with period portraits and artifacts that commemorate these American heroes.

Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue

Is it dinner? Is it a show? Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is both. And up until it was paused due to the pandemic, it was considered one of the longest continuously running musicals in American theater history, since it debuted at Fort Wilderness way back in 1974.

The high-energy music-and-comedy revue in the multi-level Pioneer Hall comes with all-you-can-eat vittles like fried chicken, smoked pork ribs, cowboy beans, cornbread, and all the fixin’s. You also get soft drinks, plus unlimited draft beer, wine, and sangria for guests 21 and over.

It’s a rootin’-tootin’ good family-friendly time, and they take advanced dining reservations for large party sizes.

Comments

Do you agree with our list of the best Disney World restaurants? Do you have any others that you would include? Leave us a comment below to share your favorite dining spots in Walt Disney World.