One of the most frequent questions we get is: Where should we eat for our table service meals?
The first question we answer back is: What do you like to eat? We aren’t going to steer you towards a steak restaurant if you love crab legs. And if you’re all about fun character meals, we aren’t going to reserve locations where your kiddos have to sit up straight and be quiet for 60-90 minutes. Tell us what you’d like to experience and we’ll help you from there.
Ready for the next step? Here are just a few of our favorite restaurants that should get those dining brainwaves flowing.
Let’s start with everyone’s favorite: character meals. Note that some have characters for only certain times of the day or week, and the type of meal (buffet, menu, etc) is noted as well.
IN THE PARKS
Magic Kingdom:
Cinderella’s Royal Table (B, D, Menu) Features *Typically* Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, Aurora – requires TWO TABLE SERVICE CREDITS
Crystal Palace (B, L, D, Buffet) Features *Typically* Pooh, Tigger, Piglet
Be Our Guest (D, Menu) Features Beast
Hollywood Studios:
Hollywood & Vine (B, L, Buffet) Features Disney Jr Characters *Typically* Jake, Sophia, Agent Oso
Animal Kingdom:
Tusker House (B, L, D, Buffet) Features Donald, Mickey, Goofy, Daisy
EPCOT:
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (B, L, D, Buffet) Features *Typically* Belle, Ariel, Snow White, Aurora. Other princesses on occasion for supper.
Garden Grill (D, Family Style) Features Farmer Mickey, Pluto, Chip & Dale
Offsite restaurants – still on Disney property but not in a park:
Inside the Polynesian Resort
Chef Mickey’s (B, D, Buffet) Features *Typically* Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Pluto all in chef’s attire
‘Ohana (B, Family Style) Features Lilo and Stitch, Pluto, and Mickey
Inside The Grand Floridian
1900 Park Fare (B, Buffet) – Features characters from Alice in Wonderland such as Alice and the Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins, Tigger, and Winnie the Pooh
1900 Park Fare (D, Buffet) – Features Cinderella, Her Prince, stepmother, and both stepsisters
Inside Beach Club Resort
Cape May Cafe (B, Buffet) – Features Minnie, Donald, and Goofy
Inside the Four Seasons – Note, this is not on the Dining Plan
Ravello (B – ONLY Thursdays and Saturdays, Buffet) Features Goofy, Mickey, and Minnie
Inside the Walt Disney World Swan – Note, this is not on the Dining Plan
Garden Grove (B – ONLY Saturdays and Sundays, Menu) Features Goofy, Mickey, and Minnie
Garden Grove (D, Nightly, Menu) Features Goofy, Mickey, and Minnie
(B indicates Breakfast only, L indicates Lunch, and D indicates Dinner)
Alright, whew, you ready to keep reading? Let’s move on to cuisine! These table service restaurants are not in order by location, not by which is the best. There are over 200 places to eat on property – we’re going to avoid locations that you can find elsewhere, or locations where either the food or ambiance isn’t top notch. If you need help deciding, we’re here for you, just give us a call.
Seafood:
EPCOT:
Coral Reef (D, Menu)
Rose and Crown Pub (L, D, Menu)
At The Grand Floridian
Victoria and Albert’s (D, Specialized Menu) – this is a high-end meal, 2.5 hours long, with six courses. Expect to pay over $100 a person.
Narcoossee’s – (D, Menu) – Signature dining, so you will need more than one table service credit.
At Yacht Club Resort
Captain’s Grille (D, Menu) – known for their crab cakes
At Downtown Disney
Fulton’s Crab House (L, D, Menu)
At the Disney World Swan Resort
The Garden Grove (D, Friday and Saturday nights only, Buffet)
Inside Beach Club Resort
Cape May Cafe (D, Buffet) – Features crab legs
At the Boardwalk/Boardwalk Resort
Flying Fish (D, Menu) – Signature Dining, requires two credits if you’re on the dining plan
At Downtown Disney
Fulton’s Crab House (L, D, Menu)
Italian:
Magic Kingdom:
Tony’s Town Square (L, D, Menu)
EPCOT:
Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria (L, D, Menu)
Tutto Italia (L, D, Menu)
Hollywood Studios:
Mama Melrose’s (L, D, Menu)
Steak:
EPCOT:
Le Cellier (L, D, Menu) Signature Dining – requires TWO TABLE SERVICE CREDITS
Hollywood Studios:
Hollywood Brown Derby (L, D, Menu) Signature Dining – requires TWO TABLE SERVICE CREDITS
At the Boardwalk/Boardwalk Resort
Flying Fish (D, Menu) – Signature Dining, requires two credits if you’re on the dining plan
At the Disney World Dolphin Resort
Shula’s Steakhouse (D, Menu)
At Animal Kingdom Lodge
Jiko (D, Menu)
At Contemporary Resort
California Grille (D, Menu) – Signature Dining, requires two credits if you’re on the dining plan
Traditional Home Cooking:
Magic Kingdom:
Liberty Tree Tavern (L, D, Family Style)
Hollywood Studios:
50’s Prime Time Café (L, D, Menu)
Other Ethnic Highlights – if you like your food “kicked up a notch” with beautiful flavors that dance on your tongue (and don’t worry, there are great kid-friendly menus) these locations will not disappoint:
At Animal Kingdom Lodge
Boma (L,D, Buffet) or Sanaa (D, Menu) – both featuring the multi-cultural flavors of Africa
EPCOT:
Restaurant Marrakesh (L, D, Menu) – featuring Moroccan flavors
Mexican – La Cantina de San Angel (L, D, Menu)
German – Beirgarten (L, D, Buffet)
French – Chefs de France
At Animal Kingdom Lodge
Boma (L,D, Buffet) or Sanaa (D, Menu) – both featuring the multi-cultural flavors of Africa
At Downtown Disney
Paradiso 37 (L, D, Menu) – Central American flavors
Raglan Road Irish Pub (L, D, Menu) – Irish Flavors
Other Disney “Experience” Highlights – these restaurants serve traditional fare, but the experience and ambiance are unmistakably Disney. You won’t want to miss them:
Wilderness Lodge:
Whispering Canyon Café (B, L, D)
Hoop De Hoo Review (Dinner Show, – requires TWO TABLE SERVICE CREDITS)
Hollywood Studios:
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre (L, D, Menu)
50’s Prime Time Café (L, D, Menu)
At Beach Club Resort:
Beaches and Cream Soda Shop (L, D, Menu)
So there you have it – all of the character meals on property, and some of our favorite choices by cuisine.
What would you add to this list as a must-do restaurant?
~ Karen