The Ultimate Guide to Disney Dining

EPCOT:

Nine Dragons Restaurant: I am not a Chinese take-out kind of girl, and I rarely eat it at home, but this is by far my must-do dining at Epcot every single trip! When I worked at Disney, I used to run out to the China pavilion quick service for dinner all the time! If you have time to sit down and enjoy an authentic Chinese meal, book the Nine Dragons! My order is the Pot sticker appetizer, and the Honey Sesame Chicken with white rice for the main course! Literally dying sitting here writing about it… it is SO good! The sesame sauce is sweet and savory, pairing perfectly with white rice & a dash of soy sauce! Trust me, once you dine in the China Pavilion, you won’t want to eat anywhere else!

Magic Kingdom:

Casey’s Corner: Pretty much every Disney goer will tell you to stop at Casey’s Corner! It is located at the end of Mainstreet USA, on your left when facing Cinderella’s Castle! Personally, I always order the corn dog nuggets & fries! If you’re not a corn dog fan, they have tons of different types of huge hot dogs that you can pick from! The atmosphere is a classic hometown USA baseball theme, set up to look like a soda pop shop, featuring original Disney cartoons on the big screen! This is one of the best, most popular quick service dining locations!

Frontierland Funnel Cakes: Right over the bridge from Cinderella’s Castle into Frontierland (on the right hand side just before the Hall Of Presidents), you will find the best snack on Disney property; Funnel Cakes! When I worked for Disney, my roommate actually worked at this stand & told us we had to come try them one night! After one taste, we were hooked! There is a nice, usually shaded, picnic area alongside the stand where you can sit, have a funnel cake & rest for a bit! It’s a great pit stop, or meet up location for you and your group!

Cheshire Café: Located in Fantasyland right by The Mad Tea Party ride, is the Cheshire Café! I had never eaten at this stand until my most recent visit to the parks in June 2018! I had seen lots of Pinterest posts raving about the “Cat Tail” pastry, so I had to try it! This treat is shaped like a cat’s tail, filled with chocolate, and drizzled with pink and purple icing! It was SO yummy! I can’t believe I waited so long to try it, but it is definitely a new favorite!

Crystal Palace: This character dining option is located in the Magic Kingdom the left of Cinderella’s castle just around the corner off Mainstreet USA! I love the atmosphere and aesthetic of this restaurant! It is so classic & beautiful inside with loads of natural light spilling in from the glass ceiling and large windows! Gigantic trees and planters almost transport you right back to the Hundred Acre Wood, which is incredibly fitting! Here you will dine with Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet (unlikely to meet him anywhere else!) & Tigger! I booked the breakfast buffet this past June 2018, and it was to die for! The cutting station featured delicious ham, omelette stations with ANY combination you could want, fresh fruit & of course my favorite; mickey shaped waffles!

Animal Kingdom:

Tusker House Restaurant: I could rave about this dining experience for hours because I used to work here ALL the time! Tusker House is one of the best character dining experiences on Disney property, and I loved working with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy & Goofy here whenever I could! As a Character Attendant, working in dining was one of my favorite shifts to get! The atmosphere will give you all the authentic African explorer vibes you could ever want! The buffet is to die for, serving an amazing meat cutting station alongside endless combinations of potatoes, pastas, and fresh fruit! Don’t forget to visit the bottomless dessert bar, too!

Hollywood Studios:

Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant: When I first visited Walt Disney World back in the 5^th grade, my parents booked this dine-in theater experience and we loved it! I finally got to eat there again in June 2018, & the food is so good! I ordered the “Drive-In BBQ Burger” which came drizzled in a house-made sauce and topped off with onion straws! It was amazing & messy! I finished my lunch off with one of their signature chocolate milkshakes! There’s nothing quite like sitting in the backseat of classic car, at “night-time” watching old black and white movie reels! This is a 100% authentic & unique experience you won’t find anywhere else!

Resort Dining:

Chef Mickey’s: Character Dining is offered at Chef Mickeys for breakfast, lunch & dinner! This restaurant is located at Disney’s gorgeous, modern Contemporary Resort which is also accessible via the monorail from Magic Kingdom! I absolutely loved this location, and the food options are literally endless! While some of the character dining spots have a lot of the same options, you really can’t go wrong with the buffet experiences. The food is delicious, and I was lucky enough to snag a reservation right during the time they were flipping the buffet from breakfast to lunch; I was able to grab mickey waffles AND corn dogs which made the kid in me SO happy! It’s also such a great option if you’re looking to meet & photo op with the “Fab 5” characters!

1900 Park Fare: My FAVORITE dining experiences to meet characters you probably didn’t get to meet in the parks! Located at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, 1900 Park Fare offers 2 unique experiences! In celebration of my graduation for the Disney College Program, my friends & I booked the Supercalifrigilistic Breakfast where you can dine with Mary Poppins, Alice, The Mad Hatter, Tigger & Winnie the Pooh! In the evening, you can book Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner where you will meet Cinderella, Prince Charming, Stepsisters Anastasia & Drizella, as well as the Stepmother! I have personally booked dinner reservations here at least twice because the food is delicious & the characters are so fun to interact with! This again is a buffet style dining experience.

Earl of Sandwich: This one-of-a-kind sandwich shop can be found at Disney Springs & offers some of the most original delicious options on property! I make it a point to eat here every single time I visit! My favorite sandwich is the Hawaiian Barbeque which features their homemade sauce & diced pineapples inside! SO yummy! This is a quick service option that is sure to please everyone in your group!