At Walt Disney World, everyone has different priorities. While some families may focus on fine dining and table service meals, others focus on entertainment and opt for quick, convenient dining options! If your vacation style is the latter, you probably want to know where the best quick service restaurants at Disney World are!

When you think of theme park food, burgers, hot dogs, and chicken nuggets probably come to mind. While those are available throughout Walt Disney World, Disney has stepped up its game in the quick service dining department to give guests a wide variety of quality menu options throughout its theme parks, resorts, and Disney Springs.

Avoid the basic park food and know where to go instead! Here are our top 10 best quick service restaurants at Disney World and 5 you should skip!

What is Quick-Service Dining?

Quick Service Dining is Disney’s version of fast-casual meals, similar to fast food. Guests can either mobile order meals through the My Disney Experience app (if available) or order at the counter with a Cast Member. They’ll then prepare your order behind the counter and call your number when your food is ready at the window. Guests seat themselves at these restaurants, and since the food is handed to you at the counter, there are no servers or wait staff.

Quick service restaurants do not require reservations, making them an excellent option for families who don’t want to plan out every second of the day. Additionally, these are the most economical dining options, saving guests hundreds of dollars (maybe even thousands) throughout their stay versus dining at table service restaurants.

Best Quick Service Dining at Disney World

10. Columbia Harbour House

Location: Magic Kingdom

Meals Offered: Lunch, Dinner

Price Range: $11-$19 per entree

Cuisine: New England Style Seafood

While Magic Kingdom is not known for its high-quality dining options, Columbia Harbour House is a surprising gem in the rough. They do serve a chicken tender platter for picky eaters, but this menu is a breath of fresh air for guests looking to switch out the burgers and fries for something different or anyone craving a lighter bite.

The most popular menu item here is the Lobster Roll. At the same time, the Maple-Mustard-Glazed Salmon or Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Green Beans are great light fare options for those trying to stay healthy on vacation (or save room for more Mickey bars). They offer a plant-based roll and even New England Clam Chowder bowls, though that might not sound too appealing in the August heat.

Located in Liberty Square in front of The Haunted Mansion, Columbia Harbour House also has a lesser-known perk: its upstairs dining area! The upstairs dining area is full of seating that not many people know about, resulting in a great spot to get out of the heat, cool off in the A/C, and people-watch through the window!

9. The Mara

Location: Animal Kingdom Lodge

Meals Offered: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Price Range: $11-$16 per entree

Cuisine: American Fare, African Specialties

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is known for fantastic dining options, and its quick service doesn’t disappoint, either! The Mara offers a variety of standard American fare as well as some African-inspired specialties and some well-known American options with African flares.

For breakfast, you’ll find standard quick-service options, including egg platters and breakfast sandwiches, but also hash brown bowls with African Chakalaka, grain power bowls with farro wheat and quinoa, and grab-and-go pastries you won’t find anywhere else on the property.

For lunch and dinner, burgers, chicken, and pulled pork are standard options. Chermoula spiced bowls with chicken, beef, or shrimp options, flatbreads, and falafel platters are also available.

Don’t skip out on the Zebra Domes when you dine here, though. They are one of the most popular desserts at Walt Disney World, and rightfully so!

8. Woody’s Lunch Box

Location: Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Meals Offered: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Price Range: $11-$14 per entree

Cuisine: American Fare, BBQ

Woody’s Lunch Box is peak comfort food for all ages! Though there is no inside seating, this is one of the best-themed quick service restaurants at Disney World! Plus, it is one of the only spots in Hollywood Studios that offers breakfast options.

For breakfast, guests can enjoy a breakfast bowl or a seasonally flavored Lunch Box Tart (Disney’s play on a Pop-Tart). For lunch and dinner, indulge in grilled cheese, tomato soup, BBQ brisket melts, or “Totchos” (tater tots topped with chili, cheese) and more! Plant-based Totchos and grilled cheese are also available.

While seating can be an issue, especially on a hot summer day, the food quality and options make up for it. We like to order Totchos for a quick snack to share while we walk around. Trying the seasonal lunch box tart is a fun way to snack at the park as well!

7. Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo

Location: Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Meals Offered: Lunch, Dinner

Price Range: $14-$19 per entree

Cuisine: American

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is made for hungry travelers and offers out-of-this-world food options! Docking Bay 7 has ample indoor and outdoor seating just outside the marketplace. The restaurant offers the same menu for lunch and dinner, with the only exception being the addition of the Ronto Wraps to the dinner menu when Ronto Roasters closes at 3PM.

What makes Docking Bay 7 unique is its menu options! You won’t find a standard hot dog or an American Cheeseburger here. Instead, guests can choose from smoked beef with vegetables, tuna poke, beef and sweet potato salad, and fried chicken.

Although Docking Bay 7 is one of the most expensive quick service restaurants at Disney World, the food quality is well worth the extra cash—especially if guests are looking for a lighter option!

6. Regal Eagle Smokehouse

Location: EPCOT

Meals Offered: Lunch, Dinner

Price Range: $11-$18 per entree

Cuisine: American, BBQ

Head to the back of the World Showcase to the American Adventure Pavilion, and you’ll find Regal Eagle Smokehouse. It’s the perfect place for guests who may not be up for trying all the new flavors of the world at EPCOT. Pitmasters smoke the meats in-house, and guests have multiple house-made barbeque sauces to choose from!

House-smoked pulled pork, pork ribs, smoked chicken, and beef brisket are just some of the options in addition to classic burgers. As with any barbeque restaurant, the sides are essential! Onion rings, French fries, baked beans, coleslaw, and mac and cheese round out the entrees. A plant-based BBQ jackfruit sandwich is also available.

Our favorite is the Sliced Texas Beef Brisket Sandwich paired with cornbread and mac and cheese!

5. D-Luxe Burger

Location: Disney Springs

Meals Offered: Lunch, Dinner

Price Range: $11-$16 per entree

Cuisine: American, Burgers

Don’t get us wrong, there’s a time and place for a classic cheeseburger and that place is D-Luxe Burger in Disney Springs. Many restaurants at the massive shopping and dining district require reservations, but not this burger joint! It offers one of the best bangs for your buck, time, and overall experience.

Made-to-order grilled burger patties and house-made buns are just two reasons why D-Luxe Burger should be put high above any other burger spot at Disney World. Bacon and Blue Burgers, Classic Burgers, and Barbeque Burgers are just some of the offerings, with a personal favorite being the Beef Wellington Burger!

The restaurant is also known for its artisan shakes, which come in flavors like cookies and cream, salted caramel, s’mores, and mango.

4. Les Halles Boulangerie-Pâtisserie

Location: EPCOT

Meals Offered: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Price Range: $4-$16 per entree

Cuisine: French, Bakery

This French bakery has something for everyone! Possibly the best perk of Les Halles is that it is open for breakfast, which is a rarity in theme parks these days for quick service options. Plus, the food is not to be missed!

Guests can choose from quick snacks such as croissants, baguettes, or a selection of French pastries. The bakery also offers entrees, including soups, sandwiches, and quiches. Be sure not to miss the French desserts, either! Creme brulees, eclairs, and macaroons are just some of the dessert options. Not only are the food options fantastic, but they are economical as well.

One downside of Les Halles is the seating options, as there are not enough tables for the bakery’s popularity. However, many of the eats here can be taken on the go, which makes for a perfect mid-day stop! Don’t be discouraged by a long line, either. The line splits into two identical sides, and Cast Members work guests through quickly!

3. The Polite Pig

Location: Disney Springs

Meals Offered: Lunch, Dinner

Price Range: $12-$25 per entree

Cuisine: American, BBQ

The Polite Pig is the sister restaurant to the popular The Ravenous Pig, which is located in Winter Park, Florida, roughly thirty minutes from Disney World. The Ravenous Pig has received Michelin accolades, and Polite Pig follows its sister’s reputation! Widely known as one of the best values at Disney Springs, The Polite Pig is one of the most popular quick service locations in Disney World.

This BBQ joint offers appetizers, salads, southern sides, and meats from the smoker for guests to choose from. The most popular option is the Butcher Board, a platter that serves two people (or more) for $44 and includes a variety of meats, sides, and cornbread. They are also known for their whiskey bar, an on-tap option with a variety of rare whiskeys.

Indoor and outdoor seating are available. Guests order at a counter, and then servers deliver the food directly to the table, creating a relaxed, casual hang-out vibe.

2. Satu’li Canteen

Location: Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Meals Offered: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Price Range: $13-$18 per entree

Cuisine: American, International-Inspired

We didn’t forget about Animal Kingdom dining options, and you shouldn’t either! Satu’li Canteen is located in Pandora—World of Avatar. The restaurant offers a healthier take on quick service dining, with dishes inspired by global flavors and Na’vi art and culture.

For breakfast, offerings include French toast, frittata with beef, and pork potato hash. For lunch and dinner, travelers can build their own bowls, choosing from base options like potato hash, noodles, or rice and beans, various sauces, and either beef, chicken, tofu, or shrimp. The cheeseburger steamed pod bao buns are one of the most popular snacks at Animal Kingdom, and the desserts are aesthetically pleasing!

Indoor and outdoor seating is available, and there is plenty of it. This is a great spot to relax and wait for your Flight of Passage Lightning Lane return time or to take an air-conditioned mid-day break.

1. Primo Piatto

Location: Disney’s Riviera Resort

Meals Offered: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Price Range: $13-$15 per entree

Cuisine: American, Mediterranean

Topping off our list is one of the most underrated restaurants in Walt Disney World, Primo Piatto! Located at one of Disney World’s newest resorts, the Riviera Resort, this quick service spot not only offers quality dishes but also variety options for the whole family.

The menu options are more elevated than most quick-service locations, including Croque Madame, Frittatas, and Blueberry-Lemon Pancakes for breakfast, pizzas, Beef Bolognese, Seared Tuna Salad, and Focaccia Chicken Sandwiches for lunch and dinner, just to name a few. They also offer a hot and cold grab-and-go counter and a variety of desserts.

Indoor seating is available, and the restaurant is more upscale than most quick service locations. Instead of waiting in line to grab their tray of food or grabbing food from the counter cafeteria style, guests order with a Cast Member, receive a pager, and take their seats. When the food is ready, Cast Members will bring it directly to you! Additionally, this is a great spot for a midday break from the hustle of the theme parks if you are spending your day at EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios since it’s only a short, relaxing trip on the Disney Skyliner away.

Worst Quick Service Dining at Disney World

While there are many dining options at Disney World worth exploring, some are better skipped. You may be able to find something that you’ll like at these spots, but the quality and variety just aren’t worth your time.

5. Lotus Blossom Cafe

Located in the China Pavilion inside EPCOT’s World Showcase, Lotus Blossom Cafe is a major letdown in the otherwise good food scene throughout the park. The restaurant only offers outdoor seating, though it is covered.

Familiar Chinese foods are served here, such as egg rolls, sweet and sour chicken, fried rice, and Mongolian beef. Though the food can be considered edible, there’s nothing special here that will draw you in. You’ll probably get better and cheaper Chinese food at your local Chinese restaurant back home.

Instead, stop by Regal Eagle or Les Halles, which is on our best quick service list.

4. Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe

Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe is one of the busiest spots for lunch and dinner at Magic Kingdom, so you’ll almost always face a long line and trouble finding seating when dining here. With so many people flocking to the quick service restaurants, you might think that the food is worth the wait, but…that’s not the case.

The menu consists of standard quick service options like burgers, chicken tenders, and french fries. There isn’t much flavor involved in any of these, and the service and execution aren’t much better. Be prepared to wait in line to order if you don’t mobile order, and if you do mobile order, be sure to put it in with plenty of time to spare.

In our experience, the food is almost always lukewarm or cold and often missing toppings and ingredients. Skip this quick service restaurant and head to Columbia Harbour House, or take a midday break and head to one of the monorail resorts for lunch or dinner.

3. Pizzafari

Animal Kingdom offers some excellent food and snack options, but Pizzafari isn’t one of them. With all the unique options at Disney World, pizza in the theme parks isn’t where you want to head. Pizzafari is a prime example of that. Personal pizzas with a variety of toppings are offered and are considered what some would call “bubble pizzas” (a.k.a. mostly dough with a bit of sauce and cheese). Overall, it’s not good.

Other menu items include pasta or salad, but both are notably dry and resemble frozen dinners. Your money is better spent elsewhere. Head to Satu’li Canteen or Flame Tree Barbeque for a much better meal.

2. PizzeRizzo

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the Muppets Grand Avenue, you’ll find PizzeRizzo. You’ll find the same pizzas at PizzeRizzo as at Pizzafari…not good.

The only difference between the two pizza restaurants is that PizzeRizzo doesn’t offer additional menu options aside from a meatball sub. For a better meal at Hollywood Studios head to Woody’s Lunch Box or Docking Bay 7, or hop on the Skyliner and enjoy lunch or dinner at a connected resort.

1. Pinocchio Village Haus

In Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom, Pinocchio Village Haus swaps bubble, doughy pizza for lackluster flatbread pizzas. The service is extremely slow at a park where time is money! And, the menu doesn’t offer much of a variety, either.

Situated just above “it’s a small world” with a window to look out as the boats pass by, your kids may enjoy the restaurant. But, there are better options to satisfy everyone in Magic Kingdom. Unless you’re ordering chicken tenders that are the same across all quick service restaurants in Disney World skip this one.

Comments

Do you agree with our picks for best quick service restaurants at Disney World? Let us know in the comments what your favorite quick service dining option is in the parks!