There are only FOUR meals that you NEED to prioritize during your Disney World vacation!

Having to narrow down what you wanna eat at Disney World can feel overwhelming when there’s just SO MUCH to choose from. So we’re here to help you narrow down that rather intimidating restaurant scope and figure out what your HEART is really trying to tell you to prioritize above all the rest. Let’s get started!

 

The Bucket List Meal

We’ve been all aboard the Bucket List Express lately because…well…Disney World is a bucket list destination in and of itself. And while you’re there, you might as well feed two birds with one scone and accomplish OTHER bucket list items! It’s like a bucket list-inception.

Sure, you probably don’t wanna eat at ALL your bucket list Disney World restaurants in one go. (Heavy on the “probably”), BUT you can at least take the time to eat at one or two. For some of you, a Bucket List restaurant could mean really going ALL OUT.

Like, booking Advance Dining Reservations for Cinderella’s Royal Table in Magic Kingdom to meet several of your favorite princesses, all while dining inside the ICONIC Cinderella Castle.

OR for those of you who believe that Disney food truly is a huge part of the overall Disney experience, you might wanna save back for a multi-course, multi-hour long meal at one of those ultra-fancy dining experiences, like Victoria and Albert’s in Grand Floridian or Takumi-Tei in EPCOT.

But for other folks, a bucket list Disney restaurant doesn’t have to be the PRICIEST restaurant option out there. It could also just be the restaurant you’ve heard a lot about and you’ve wanted to try for years for the aesthetic or for the menu options alone.

Because how often do you get the chance to dine on a Navi harvest inside Pandora, quick service or not? Satu’li Canteen over at Animal Kingdom can help make that happen.

And dining inside a convertible-shaped table over at Sci-Fi Dine-In while cheesy black-and-white movie clips play up on the screen? Now THAT’S a great bucket list option for all the Hollywood Studios/movie fans out there!

Or maybe that bucket list restaurant also includes a specialty dining EXPERIENCE — like Roses of Gold Afternoon Tea in The Cake Bake Shop at Boardwalk Inn. Or Sangria University (where you get to learn how to make handcrafted sangrias) inside Three Bridges Bar and Grill at Coronado Springs. Or even an EPCOT fireworks dining package at Rose and Crown, Spice Road Table, or the BRAND NEW adults-only GEO-82 lounge.

In a nutshell, whatever Disney World restaurant first popped up in your head when the words “Bucket List Meal” appeared on the screen just a few moments ago, THAT’S the restaurant you’ll wanna place at the top of your priority list. The heart wants what the heart wants. And sometimes, the heart wants castle dining…While other times, it wants cheeseburger spring rolls from the Magic Kingdom Adventureland cart. Just make sure to research those dining (and snacking) prices ahead of your visit so that you’ll know which bucket list items you can knock out next time (and which ones you’ll need to save for a later date).

Hidden Gems

There are some Disney World restaurants that you’re never gonna hear talked about in casual conversation. Your book club probably doesn’t know about them. Your fellow PTA parents probably don’t know about them. Not even Neighbor Bob, who just got BACK from a Disney vacation, will probably know about them.

And that’s not because Disney’s actually actively trying to HIDE these restaurants. It’s just, most Disney-goers are gonna prioritize the more mainstream recommendations and not do any extra research to figure out what Disney restaurants might be tucked away elsewhere that could be EVEN BETTER.

But that’s why you follow US, right?? Because you’re not like every other Disney-goer and you wanna learn about both the mainstream restaurants as well as the more obscure ones to make an EDUCATED dining decision instead of an off-the-cuff one. So what hidden gem restaurants should you take a deep dive into? We’ve got a few recommendations for ya:

Jiko The Cooking Place at Animal Kingdom Lodge is a signature dinner experience that’s both comfy-cozy AND adventurous in spirit. Along with the crackling wood-burning ovens and sunset mood lighting, the menu offers a variety of African flavors — from its foods to its boutique wines. Some of our past favorite items here have been the Braai’d Wild Boar Tenderloin (for an appetizer), From the Oak Grill — made with your choice of bone marrow-crusted Filet Mignon or Braai New York strip, the Moroccan-spiced Lamb Shank, and the Bobotie Mac & Cheese enhancement — made with four cheeses, spiced beef, almonds, raisins, Kachumbari, and red wine reduction. (Definitely not your typical mac and cheese dish!)

We also wanna give a quick mention to Animal Kingdom’s two other sit-down restaurants, too, because we PROMISE you most of your PTA friends have NOT been to these places. First, there’s Boma — which is a buffet-style restaurant open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Lunch and dinner here, again, serve lots of African and American-inspired items — like pita with dipping sauces, peanut and coconut rice, Durban chicken, tamarind BBQ ribs, and seasonal soups

Boma also has one of our favorite breakfast spreads property-wide  — featuring morning options like Simba waffles, turkey bobotie, omelets, deviled eggs with smoked salmon, scrambled eggs with spinach/feta/and tomato, AND complimentary bottomless POG juice (which stands for Passion fruit, Orange, and Guava juice).

Then there’s Sanaa (but Sanaa will be getting another mention later on, so we’ll hold off on talking about it until later).

Tusker House at Animal Kingdom might not be tucked away inside a resort like these other hidden gem restaurants have been, however, it still tends to be an overlooked option in the character dining department. But it SHOULDN’T be. The food on Tusker’s House buffet is flavorful and interesting, combining American and African-inspired cuisine into a meal that both adventurous AND picky eaters can enjoy.

Plus, the characters featured here are among some of the most sought-after in all of the parks — including friends like Donald Duck, Mickey, Goofy, and Daisy all dressed up in their Safari best! While the buffet items can vary, we’d HIGHLY recommend that you pile up your plates with the tandoori chicken, baked mac and cheese, the various breads and dips, and the hummingbird cake for lunch and dinner.

And as for breakfast, some of the best morning options you’ll potentially find here are the made-to-order omelettes, bobotie, African French Toast, and Simba waffles (which are EVEN BETTER when you top ‘em off with that fresh banana caramel sauce).

Beaches and Cream at Beach Club Resort is a relatively affordable soda shop-themed table service with colorful accents, jukebox tunes, comfort-classic meals, and a robust menu of ice cream specialties. The No Way Jose sundae is a CLASSIC favorite made with Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream that’s mixed in with Peanut Butter and Hot Fudge sauces, then sprinkled with Peanut Butter and Chocolate Morsels and further topped with a Whipped Cream and a Cherry.

But the kitchen sink is another fun — yet more novelty — option. This one is served to your whole table with LOTS of fanfare from the entire restaurant. But why all the ruckus? Because you’re literally ordering a full kitchen sink’s worth of ice cream, complete with EVERY TOPPING that the restaurant’s got. Word of advice: Don’t even try to conquer this one alone. This is meant for groups of four or larger to all tackle together.

If you don’t have time to do a full sit-down meal here, but you still want to try a Beaches and Cream ice cream, you can visit their to-go window outside the restaurant, which has a limited menu of floats, shakes, ice cream scoops, and ice cream sandwiches too!

Geyser Point Bar and Grill at Wilderness Lodge is an underrated beauty situated at the back of the resort, next to the docks overlooking Bay Lake. It offers open-air, shaded dining, as well as a roaring fireplace for those cooler evenings. And all of this outdoorsy aesthetic is all packaged into one rustic, cozy setting with some of the best waterfront views around.

You can get a variety of hearty appetizers and entrees here — like charcuterie platters and the Bison Cheeseburger —  but one of the most noteworthy parts about this place is its unique cocktails featuring spirits from Northwest distilleries (to keep up with the theming around the resort itself).

NEW TO YOU

Over the past few years, Disney World has opened SEVERAL new restaurants. And if you haven’t been to Disney World in the past few years, then maybe it’s time for you to try something BRAND NEW upon your return! But even if this is your first time ever going to Disney World, brand new restaurants can still be exciting ones to prioritize — not only for the unique experience, but for the overall bragging rights.

So, here are some of the NEWEST restaurants that’ve taken over the Disney scene in the past few years that YOU might wanna place at the top of your “must eat” list! First up, we’ve got Roundup Rodeo BBQ in Hollywood Studios, which opened back in Spring of 2023.

Roundup Rodeo BBQ is a table-service, family-style restaurant that brings you inside Andy’s backyard and shrinks you down to the size of a toy for an immersive meal with LOTS of colorful props, a few immersive elements that’ll require you to FREEZE IN PLACE (so you’re not caught by Andy), and lots and lots and LOTS of good BBQ.

Shiki Sai Sushi Izakaya in EPCOT is a newish table-service spot that took over the old Tokyo Dining space and completely transformed it into a restaurant that changes with the seasons to reflect different Japanese celebrations throughout the year. If you want more information about the current celebration going on, cultural representatives from Japan will walk you through the traditions, stories, and offerings so that you’ll be caught up to speed in no time.

Both Summer House on the Lake and eet by Maneet Chauhan opened in Disney Springs back in December 2023. Summer House on the Lake is a table-service restaurant that focuses on California-inspired bites — including items like pizza, pasta, fresh salads, sandwiches, and more. But this restaurant is SO MUCH MORE than just a place to find a decent sit-down meal.

The Cookie Bar in front of the restaurant serves a variety of oversized cookies, bars, and other sweet treats that you can take on the go with ya. You can also grab a drink minus the dining reservation from one of the three restaurant bars — including the signature Summer House rosé. Notably, you can try the Cali-Mexi brunch here on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 AM to 3 PM. Summer House also hosts Martini Hours Monday-Friday from 3-6 PM (which’ll hook ya up with discounted drinks and exclusive bites — like the bottomless truffle fries). Finally, Summer House serves Grab-and-Go Breakfast items starting at 9 AM until lunch begins!

Meanwhile, eet is an Indian-inspired quick service location featuring traditional flavors with a modern-day twist. This is a great place to try something more unique without breaking your budget — with options like  Tandoori Chicken Poutine, Gulab Jamun Cheesecake, Chicken Tikka Naan Pizza, and more.

1900 Park Fare might not be a brand new restaurant inside Grand Floridian, but after YEARS of being out of commission after the 2020 closures, 1900 Park Fare finally reopened in spring 2024 with an updated dining room look, NEW character meet and greet experiences (featuring Prince Ali, Tiana in her Bayou Adventure get up, Mirabel, and Cinderella), buuuut still the same classic Strawberry Soup that we’d missed somethin’ awful while this buffet was MIA.

The Cake Bake Shop at Boardwalk Inn made us keep waiting, and waiting, and WAITING for it to open up shop — but once it finally did in October 2024, the waiting felt well worth it. Now, we’ve got a table service/afternoon tea/champagne bar/to-go bakery that we can visit whenever we’re in the area, all situated inside a restaurant with lots of gold and silver accents, and TONS of glitter (throughout the decor…. AND the food, too!).

Wailulu Bar and Grill popped up over at Polynesian Village Resort when the DVC Island Tower opened in December 2024. This tropical lounge has both indoor and outdoor seating (albeit pretty limited seating, so make sure to get your name on its walk-up waitlist ASAP). And depending on where your table’s situated, you MIGHT have a crystal clear view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks while you drink and dine!

There are nods to the Polynesian culture all throughout the menu. Breakfast mainly includes coffee and pastry options, while lunch and dinner have highlighted eats like Sweet Potato Hummus, Spiced Ham Musubi, Sticky Pork Ribs, Poke Bowls, a Dole Whip Sundae, and the Wayfinder Burger.

GEO-82 in EPCOT opened recently back in May 2025, and is a Spaceship Earth-themed lounge EXCLUSIVELY for guests who are 21+ years old. You’ll find the entrance for this lounge towards the back of “Project Tomorrow”, which is the area that riders exit following their ride on Spaceship Earth. And once you make your way inside the lounge, you’ll be greeted by a sleek, zen-like atmosphere that’s very reminiscent of the classic EPCOT attraction itself.

Along with serving good vibes and great views across the World Celebration Gardens, the lounge also serves a variety of cuisine and cocktails. One of our FAVORITE drinks to order here is the Brown Butter Old Fashioned, since it comes with a Spaceship Earth-stamped ice cube!

Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina recently opened at the Swan and Dolphin Hotels (over on the Dolphin side) and is a reimagined modern take on the quintessential American steakhouse, featuring premium cuts of beef and seafood that’s been infused with global flavors. Honestly, ANY of the Swan and Dolphin restaurants could also be part of our hidden gem category, because these restaurants are REALLY the ones that the Disney pros track down when they want good food that’s away from the Disney hustle and bustle without completely leaving the Disney bubble to find it.

Another new(ish) restaurant that opened in Swan and Dolphin (also on the Dolphin side) back in 2023 is Rosa Mexicano —  “an elevated fiesta dining experience” which includes signature menu items and award-winning margaritas. Some of our recent favorites that we’ve tried from this table service include the Pomegranate Margarita, Birria Quesatacos, Sweet Corn Esquites, and Roasted Chicken Suizas.

Magic Kingdom’s The Beak and Barrel is the newest lounge/restaurant to open at Disney World and offers a family-friendly Pirates of the Caribbean-themed tavern that expands the classic attraction’s lore in an immersive (and very lively) pub setting filled with enchanted rum bottles, grogs and gruel to order, and a little bird named Rummy — who bears a striking resemblance to our old pal Barker Bird who USED to be part of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride several years back.

We checked this spot out recently, and you can check out our FULL REVIEW by clicking here!

Your Old Favorites

There’s no shame in revisiting your old favorite Disney World restaurants, even if you’ve already been there time and again, visit after visit. Sure, it’s nothing new, but at least you already know you love it. And — if you’re gonna be experimenting around OTHER restaurants during your vacation — it’s nice to have a safe-bet meal locked into place to look forward to, as well.

 

Not to mention, there’s the whole nostalgia factor to consider here. After all, your old favorite Disney restaurants are comfortable, reliable, and provide great memories from the past that you’ll wanna keep building on. We get it. That’s why the DFB team has our old favorites too. For starters, Le Cellier Steakhouse in EPCOT is a signature restaurant that takes place in a wine cellar-style dining room, complete with dark molding, low ceilings, and dim lighting. The atmosphere is very intimate and romantic — probably better suited for a date night rather than a big group with lots of kiddos looking to meet Mickey Mouse.

But the FOOD is really what keeps us coming back here — since this is where you’ll find some of the BEST steaks in all of Disney, as well as a variety of poutines and savory appetizers (like the charcuterie platters and classic Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup).

Nomad Lounge in Animal Kingdom is an absolute favorite and for good reason. The seating and vibes here are immaculate — from the warm tones and travel-inspired accents inside the lounge, to the wraparound porch and waterfront views outside the lounge. The small plates here are some of our absolute favorites — including the Tiffins bread service and the BEST churros not just in Animal Kingdom, but in ALL of Disney World, honestly.

And the drinks are fantastic, too! Each of the cocktails is handcrafted — NEVER pre-mixed — but if you’re more into trying different specialty beers, Nomad Lounge does serve a Kungaloosh “Spiced Expedition Ale,” which is an African-inspired deep amber ale brewed exclusively for Disney World, made with Sorghum and a special blend of spices including Cinnamon and Cardamom.

NOTE: Nomad Lounge does NOT take advance dining reservations, so you’ll need to join the walk-up waitlist through the My Disney Experience App on the day that you’re in Animal Kingdom. We highly recommend doing that just as soon as you can to make sure the list doesn’t fill up before you get a chance to join.

Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ in Disney Springs is basically the restaurant version of a hug. Chef Art (who you might know as Oprah Winfrey’s former chef) opened this as his staple restaurant to celebrate his Floridian roots while also paying homage to “farm-to-fork” style cuisine. So expect to find items here like thigh-high chicken biscuits, church lady deviled eggs, Key West shrimp cocktail, shrimp and grits, and a fun variety of moonshine cocktails.

Back over at Animal Kingdom Lodge again, we’ll talk specifically about Sanaa for a moment, because we don’t think we’ve ever had anything less than an amazing experience here. Sanaa is a table service restaurant located in the Kidani Village section of Animal Kingdom Lodge. Many of the dishes are made with authentic cooking methods (like slow-roasting and tandoori oven cooking).

If being able to see that safari of animals is a #1 priority for you, make sure to book a reservation here for lunch and request a window view. If you make a reservation for Sanaa during dinner, however, it’s gonna be harder to see those animals once the sun sets.

Some of our all-time favorite eats include the Indian-Style Bread Service (with your choice of five breads and all nine accompaniment dips and spreads) and the Tandoori Chicken (served with Traditional Naan, Pickled Onion, Tomato, and Sambal Mayonnaise).

And FINALLY, let’s talk about Story Book Dining at Artist Point in Wilderness Lodge. Held in a dining room that’s surrounded by a canopy of trees, covering the ceiling and twisting down around the walls to really emphasize the whole “you’re eating-in-an-enchanted-forest” type vibe. During your meal, you’ll get to chat with Snow White, along with a couple of her friends — Grumpy and Dopey.

And while the Evil Queen won’t come up directly to your table, she does have a photo op area off to the side, giving you the RARE chance to take a picture with the OG Disney villainess herself. Dinner here is a prix-fixe meal that takes hearty American food and gives it a bit of a storybook makeover. Some of our favorite options to choose from include Royal Prime Rib Roast, the Magic Mirror Slow-braised Veal Shank, and the smoky mushroom bisque.

What are YOUR old favorite meals in Disney World? If you’ve never been before, what are your bucket list meals? Let us know in the comments so we can keep the meal recommendations going, and don’t forget to continue to follow us here at DFB for all the latest Disney World news, tips, reviews, and more!

Best Disney World Restaurants for First-Time Disney Visitors

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