When I was planning our trip to Walt Disney World, I was surprised to find that people really loved the food at both the resorts and the parks. I went expecting all the food to be awesome. While I wouldn’t say that was the case, I would say that there are some definite Must-Tries and things I’d want to eat again. Here are 19 foods I would recommend to any foodie as well as a few things I adamantly recommend you avoid. I even sorted the list according to Disney’s $ rating since I know not all of us have a champagne budget to fit our champagne tastes. 😉
Yes, I ate all of these in the 4 days I was there, and no, not everything I ate made the list.
MUST TRY FOODS
- Dole Whip at Pineapple Lanai {Polynesian Resort, $} – Every Disney food list has to include Dole Whip, doesn’t it? So let’s just get the obvious out of the way! I personally feel Dole Whip isn’t worth waiting in a long line for (sacrilege, I know), but it definitely has a cult following (read: long lines). It’s also available at Aloha Isle in Adventureland of Magic Kingdom, but if you’re not at MK for the day or don’t have a park ticket, stop by Pineapple Lanai at the Polynesian to get your Dole Whip fix.
- Create-Your-Own-Salad at Gasparilla Island Grill {Grand Floridian Resort, $} – A late night need for food while already at the hotel led us to Gasparilla Grill. The Create-Your-Own-Salad bar has a decent variety of salad fixings and protein choices, and I was surprised by how yummy I found my finished salad.
- Pot Roast Macaroni and Cheese at The Friar’s Nook {Magic Kingdom, Fantasyland, $} – While I wouldn’t go so far as to call this “gourmet” mac and cheese, The Friar’s Nook is a definite step up from the usual theme park food. The pot roast is tender and juicy, and the hubs said he enjoyed his bacon mac, too.
- Beverly Soda at Club Cool {Epcot, Future World, $} – I find it interesting how different sweets are across the globe, and Club Cool really highlights that with its showcase of popular sodas from around the world. The Beverly Soda is well known for being “weird” to American palates, but they’re all really fun to try.
- Power Salad at Sunshine Seasons {Epcot, Future World, $} – The chef called Sunshine Seasons the Cadillac of quick service restaurants, and I believe him! This salad was delicious, and one of my favorite eats from this trip.
- Fish & Chips at Yorkshire County Fish Shop {Epcot, World Showcase, United Kingdom, $} – I’m no expert on fish and chips, but these were perfectly light and crisp with tender, moist fish inside.
- Macaron (with raspberries and lime cream) at Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie {Epcot, World Showcase, France, $} – Not to be confused with the macaron variety box they also sell (smaller macarons in different flavors), the single, larger macaron comes filled with raspberries and lime cream and is an awesome balance between sweet and tart.
- Cold Sake at Kabuki Cafe {Epcot, World Showcase, Japan, $} – We were pleasantly surprised by the sake at Kabuki Cafe. We tried the unfiltered and sparkling and were pretty happy with both.
- Croissant Doughtnut at Refreshment Port {Epcot, World Showcase, Canada, $} – I have yet to try the original cronut in New York, but this Croissant Doughnut was actually better than any copycat I’ve had so far!
- Schöfferhofer Pink Grapefruit Hefeweizen at Sommerfest {Epcot, World Showcase, Germany, $} – The obvious grapefruit flavor set this hef apart from any we’ve tried before.
- Local Wild Ocean Shrimp at Flying Fish Cafe {Disney’s BoardWalk, $$} – I can’t find the exact dish I had on their current menu (I assume there’s seasonal variation), but the Oak-grilled scallops looks like the closest match.
- Bread Service at Sanaa {Animal Kingdom Resort, $$} – Our waitress recommended this, and it did not disappoint. Three large pieces of naan served with an assortment of dipping sauces from sweet to savory to mild to spicy. Try combining different sauces to your individual taste!
- Mickey Waffles at 1900 Park Fare {Grand Floridian Resort, $$} – Another must for any Disney visit, Mickey waffles are available at many (but not all!) restaurants on property. (Tip: The 1900 Park Fare breakfast is one of the cheaper and easier character meals to get into.)
- Floridian Strawberry Soup at 1900 Park Fare {Grand Floridian Resort, $$} – Creamy and sweet, this cold soup was like dessert for breakfast. It was (surprisingly) my favorite item at the 1900 Park Fare buffet.
- Wild Alaskan Halibut at Narcoossee’s {Grand Floridian Resort, $$$} – The corn puree and vinaigrette were spot on accompaniments for the perfectly seared fish.
- Pork Belly Nigiri at California Grill {Contemporary Resort, $$$} – An interesting take on “nigiri” (the rice portion was a sliced, plain maki), the pork belly itself was melt-in-your-mouth tender and flavorful.
- Braised Pork Belly with Goat Cheese Polenta at California Grill {Contemporary Resort, $$$} – Again with the pork belly. Either CA Grill has a way with pork belly or I have a thing for it…or both. Either way, the flavor combo in this dish was awesome.
- Chocolate Pudding Cake at California Grill {Contemporary Resort, $$$} – A must for chocolate lovers, this flour-less pudding cake is super creamy and intensely chocolatey.
- Baby Beets and Poached Pear at Le Cellier Steakhouse {Epcot, World Showcase, $$$} – This is the salad that changed my mind about beets. Seriously. I went from a beet hater to a beet lover because somehow this dish made me finally understand why people ate beets at all.
WHAT TO SKIP
Not everything was delicious enough to make the Must Try list, and some were so bad I recommend you walk on by.
- Mickey Macaron (available at treat shops throughout the parks)– Yes, this is the macaron in the main photo, and I’m telling you to avoid it. While a fun color and shape, the cookie and cream of the Mickey macaron is so ridiculously sweet that no one in my family (including my toddlers!) wanted to eat it.
- Lobster Eggs Benedict at 1900 Park Fare {Grand Floridian Resort} – I had heard from others that this was amazing and not to be missed. Yeah…not so much. It was mediocre, typical buffet eggs benedict at best.
- Snacks at Joy of Tea {Epcot, World Showcase, China} – We got a Lucky Combo which included one each of all the snacks Joy of Tea offers – pork, bun, curry chicken pocket, egg roll and ice cream. Everything tasted like the massed produced stuff you can get in the freezer section of any super market…and even then, I’ve had better freezer food than this. Even the ice cream was pre-packaged (though I did like the flavor). Save your stomach space for something else.
Do you have any favorite foods at Walt Disney World? What should I look out for or avoid next time? I’ll add any reader suggestions below!
READER SUGGESTIONS
- Chopped Salad (maybe the Famous Cobb?) and Grapefruit Layer Cake at The Hollywood Brown Derby {Hollywood Studios, Hollywood Boulevard} – from Beth
- Candied Strawberries at Epcot – from Bella
- New England Pot Roast and Angus Chuck Cheeseburger at Liberty Tree Tavern {Magic Kingdom, Liberty Square} – from Jen
- Bread and Butter Pudding at Raglan Road {Downtown Disney, The Landing} – from Lekell
- Nutella and Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich at Sleepy Hollow {Magic Kingdom, Liberty Square} – from Angie
- Turkey Legs at Hollywood Studios – from Shani
- Funnel Cakes at Sleepy Hollow {Magic Kingdom, Liberty Square} – from Julia in St Louis
- Kokonut Rice and Bobotie at Boma {Animal Kingdom Lodge} – from Julia in St Louis
