There are touchstones to a Disney vacation in our family that go beyond traditions. For example, we always start our first day in the Magic Kingdom with rope drop, entering Fantasyland through Cinderella Castle, with no shortcuts. Along the way, we make jokes about how all the other princesses got castles or lands in EPCOT, and all Rapunzel got was a heavily themed bathroom.
We promise to ride the Riverboat during this visit, but we never do. And then, we ride Small World and we eat at Casey’s Corner. There are a lot of fun and good places to eat at the Magic Kingdom. Maybe we shouldn’t attach ourselves to the purveyor of hot dogs. But we do.
What is the most popular food at Magic Kingdom?
Disney doesn’t release sales figures, but I think on anecdotal evidence, it’s the Mickey Ice Cream Bar. You could make an argument for the similar Magical Mickey Sandwich – the ice cream sandwich. However, I think I see more of the bars melting onto guests’ sticky hands in the Florida heat.
What is the most popular food item in Disney parks?
Across the Disney parks, I think the Pineapple Dole Whip may be the best food item sold in Disney Parks and may well be the most iconic. That said, is it the most popular? I don’t have the sales figures in front of me. But I suspect more bottled waters and sports drinks and popcorn are sold if we’re judging popularity by units.
However, nobody returns home from the trip to Disney to tell friends they had the popcorn. The Dole Whip wins this popularity contest. I also suspect Mickey Waffles – on the strength of the many Walt Disney World Resort breakfasts – would also be right up there, too.
Which Disney park has the best theme park dining?
They’re all good. Disney does a good job with interesting dining options. The Magic Kingdom restaurant selection is sneaky good. EPCOT has a foodie reputation while Disney’s Animal Kingdom has Africa and Asia, which offer excellent dining options. It’s hard to rank Magic Kingdom ahead of those, but it’s very strong. Disney’s Hollywood Studios is last, but it does have the excellent Brown Derby and Star Wars dining in Galaxy’s Edge.
What are the best restaurants in Magic Kingdom?
Let’s take a look.
Editor’s Note: We’ve also made a printable version of this list available here.
24. Golden Oak Outpost
The most elusive of the Magic Kingdom restaurants, this place is closed more than it’s open. If you can catch it open, this Frontierland eatery sells chili cheese fries and chicken strips. Also, I don’t want to tell you how to live your life, but I want you to sit down and consider the commitment you’re making if you have a lunch of chili cheese fries and chicken strips before embarking on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
23. Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café
This Tomorrowland eatery is my least favorite of the Magic Kingdom’s sit-down restaurants. I find the ordering and pickup systems chaotic. The toppings bar for the burgers stays in a continual state of disarray. The food – burgers, chicken strips and noodles – is fine, but it’s not worth all the chaos.
22. The Pinocchio Village Haus
There’s nothing fancy about the fare at this Fantasyland establishment. The menu is designed to appeal to picky eaters. The best part of this quick service restaurant’s experience is the tables overlooking It’s a Small World. My kids completely enjoy being silly and trying to get the riders’ attention as they sail below.
21. Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn
Pecos Bill features a touch of Tex-Mex including fajitas, carnitas, tacos and nachos joined by a variety of burgers. Also, the menu lists the desserts first. Is that a bad sign?
20. Friar’s Nook
This eatery features loaded tots, brats and hot dogs. I’m boycotting the Nook until they bring back the fried Twinkies.
19. Sleepy Hollow
This place is best known for its waffles for breakfast and funnel cakes all day. You may also be able to get the famous turkey legs (a limited-time offering) after 9 pm, at least according to the online menu. That said, Magic Kingdom is only open until 10 pm on the day of this writing.
18. Cheshire Cafe
The big seller at this snack stand right at the intersection of Tomorrowland and Fantasyland is the Cheshire Cat Tail. It’s a long, flaky pastry filled with vanilla cream and semi-sweet chocolate chips and topped with colorful icing.
17. Gaston’s Tavern
Gaston may be great at expectorating, but I think his menu needs a little work. Gaston offers a ham and cheese sandwich and some snack foods. And also, you can get a cupcake with the grey stuff. The eatery used to have the famous turkey legs, but not anymore. The best offering here is LeFou’s Brew: Frozen Apple Juice with a hint of toasted marshmallow and topped with all-natural passion fruit-mango foam.
16. Crystal Palace
The food at this buffet-style restaurant takes a back seat to the character meet and greet from the Hundred Acre Wood crew. It’s not bad, but if you’re looking for better dining and are willing to wait to meet Tigger or Winnie the Pooh, you can do better.
15. Main Street Bakery
This bakery features Starbucks coffee and breakfast sandwiches as well as Disney baked goods, including the Mickey Cinnamon Roll and a delicious chocolate-hazelnut bear claw.
14. Sunshine Tree Terrace
This place could legitimately be placed higher, but we’ve already got one purveyor of Dole Whip in the top five. I am, however, a big fan of the Orange Bird Sipper. Get an order of the Cheeseburger Spring Rolls on your way into Adventureland and then double up with the fried pot stickers from the Terrace. They feature pork and vegetables with an orange sesame ginger sauce.
13. The Diamond Horseshoe
It’s Thanksgiving all year round at this prix fixe, an all-you-can-eat old-time saloon. The food is either similar or basically the same as the Liberty Tree Tavern. The menu has roasted turkey, pot roast, oven-roasted pork with mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, herbed stuffing and house-made macaroni and cheese. It’s a heavy, heavy meal. But it’s good.
12. Liberty Tree Tavern
This table service restaurant in Liberty Square features essentially the same menu as Diamond Horseshoe, except it’s called the Patriot Platter. The Oooey Gooey Toffee Cake is the signature dish.
11. Tortuga Tavern
If you want to order the Slaw Dawg, make sure you can pronounce it. It’s like “law and order” but with an “s” that kind of slides up to the front with a hint of an “h” – Sshlaw Dawg. This is a barbecued slaw dog, which I’m slightly down on. In my opinion, a Slaw Dog doesn’t need any ding dang barbecue.
10. Plaza Restaurant
This eatery has a safe, non-descript menu that is only saved by the inclusion of a classic Rueben sandwich. Generally, this is a spot considered safe for families with picky eaters.
9. Liberty Square Market
The famous and delicious turkey leg brined in a solution that gives it the flavor of a holiday ham is sold here after 11 am. The turkey leg is an unwieldy thing of theme park culinary beauty. Liberty Square also serves a wide variety of other snack foods.
8. Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen
I like it when Disney pushes its menu options. The Jungle Navigation menu features tastes from Asia and Africa served with a side of dad jokes.
7. Be Our Guest Restaurant
Located in Beast’s Castle, this prix fixe menu has guests dining in the West Wing, dining room or the grand ballroom. Appetizers include French Onion Soup, escargot and Duck and Pork Terrine. The main course options include Duroc Pork Chop, a nice filet mignon and more. The Beast also makes regular appearances here.
6. Tony’s Town Square Restaurant
As one of the great table service restaurants in the park, Tony’s is based on the restaurant from the “Lady and the Tramp” movie. The food is legit, but I have a soft spot as this was one of the first places we took my son John Paul after we discovered the full extent of his food allergies when he was little.
The poor guy suffers from a complicated variety of allergies that cause him to break out in hives and get itchy. It’s not life-threatening, but it is miserable. The care that the wait staff and chef showed in not only coming out to the table and going through all our options but also following up and making sure he enjoyed his experience – I’ve never seen anything quite to that level since.
5. Columbia Harbour House
This eatery offers counter service for New England-style seafood. The Lobster Roll is great, as is the New England Shrimp Boil.
4. Spring Roll Cart in Adventureland
Get the Cheeseburger Spring Rolls. I don’t have anything more to say. They are good.
3. Aloha Isle
The king of Disney World desserts – Dole Whip – is sold here. Send your family to wait in that long Jungle Cruise queue and score yourself a Dole Whip and a shady spot to wait.
2. Casey’s Corner
So, I’ve got Casey’s ranked ahead of places that serve lobster rolls and filet mignon and Dole Whip? Yes, I do. First, hot dogs are a staple food group of theme park dining and deserve respect. Second, Casey’s has a fine selection of hot dog options. I will say it takes a brave soul to order a theme park chili dog, but if you’re that adventurer, go for it. My advice? Skip the corn dog nuggets. The proportion of breading to dogs is off.
1. Cinderella’s Royal Table
This is the best of Disney’s character dining experiences. It’s expensive, but it’s also quite good. The Disney princesses are just part of the experience. The wait staff is top notch and the food is worth the cost. Plus, dining in Cinderella’s Castle is cool. You better get a dining reservation, however.
When it comes to styles of food, what does Disney do best?
It would be easy to say desserts. Disney has a ton of great dessert options. But I think most consistently, Disney does good barbecue and smoked meat. I don’t know what it is about the preparation methods, but it works in the Disney theme park setting. In doubt? Order Disney barbecue. It will be good.
What is your favorite Magic Kingdom restaurant? Let us know in the comments!
