List of the ultimate restaurants to eat at on 1st trip

[DisneyLady!]

Thank you all for such lovely and helpful responses. We really appreciate the help! Feel much better prepared to make a more informed choice now We will take all these messages and advice into consideration and hopefully it will be an amazing experience and we will update you with what plan we went for!

 

[DizzneyDi]

I see people recommending Hoop De Doo Revue, and while I haven't been there myself I would have to wonder how much vegetarians would enjoy the meat-centric menu--and especially considering how expensive it is!

 

[RanDIZ]

Hi all
We are going on our first Disney World trip in August 2021! We are trying to make a list of the top restaurants to dine at for a 7 night stay so that we make the most of our time there and we’re hoping you could help. This is our list currently for 6 x breakfasts, 7 x lunch and 6 x dinners. This is assuming/hoping things will mostly be back to normal by then!

if you would recommend we skip an option, change it for something better etc please can you advise! Price is not an issue but we are vegetarians. Not interested in Victoria and Albert. Might have a few quick service meals here and there to help us not feel like eating too much.

Breakfast restaurants:
1. Chef mickeys
2. Ohana
Could not really see any other exciting options so possibly do quick service other days especially as not big breakfast eaters so only really want to do the unique breakfasts a few day’s. If you can recommend a 3rd option though that would be great

Lunch restaurants:
1. 50s prime time cafe
2. Space 2020 (if open)
3. Rainforest cafe
4. Hollywood and Vine
If any others you can recommend in addition to the above or instead of a few? Or possibly will do a couple of quick service options the extra 2 days

Dinner restaurants:
1. California grill
2. Cinderella royal table
3. Be our guest
4. Ohana
5. Jiko or Sanna
6. Via Napoli
7. Trattoria al forno

Many thanks

Cape May Cafe is a must. Breakfast and dinner are both great options.

 

[sullyfam]

Yay for a first trip - so exciting! I have learned (the hard way at times) a few things when it comes to dining at WDW; 1) to not overschedule my family; if you plan 3 table service meals a day or if you plan reservations too close together time wise, it will feel like you are just running from one reservation to the next and it can really put a damper on park touring; 2) to take into account that WDW is HUGE and getting from A to B can sometimes take much longer than you think; 3) to check menus before making the reservation to be sure that there is something everyone in my family will eat and 4) to plan parks/plans of the day first before making reservations and that way, you can make reservations 'close to home' so that you're not reserving lunch at the Contemporary resort for example but planning to be at Animal Kingdom for the day. I like to keep it simple for my family for the most part and we tend to "eat where we are" and not travel the world for a meal. There's plenty of dining options in all the parks. We will do resort dining usually once or twice per trip but typically at dinner time when we are done for the day park wise. It's fun to visit the different resorts.

Now, having said that, what works for my family is keeping breakfast simple; picking up a quick serve meal at the resort before heading to the parks is usually our go-to option. We will occasionally do a sit down breakfast, we love Crystal Palace at MK and Tusker House at AK for example, but if we do that, then we'll skip lunch. We find 2 sit down meals a day well spaced out are the max for us. So if we do a sit down breakfast, then we'll do something quick for lunch and vice versa. We do enjoy table service lunch at the parks however, it's a nice break mid day to get out of the sun and rest our feet as we tend to rope drop. And I don't want to be standing in quick service lines and then rushing around to look for a place to sit down to eat. I'd rather make a reservation and know I have a place to sit and someone to bring us food! Just personal preference there. Dinner is 99% of the time also table service for us. It's a nice way to relax and wind down the day. Since you're going in August - be prepared for it to be hot and plan accordingly with lots of time for rest, hydration, pool time etc. Getting out of the heat and into a restaurant to sit down for a meal in the AC will be a welcome reprieve. And a final word of advice, going into it knowing you can't possibly see or do it all is just incentive to plan a 2nd trip! Have a magical time!

 

[boop0524]

If you have time and the opportunity, Disney Springs really has some standout restaurants. The Polite Pig and Boathouse just to name a couple but there are tons. We had better experiences there than the parks by far.

 

[nursejackie]

Way too much TS dining for your first visit IMHO. It takes up valuable time that you'll want to spend on the attractions and exploring the parks. Also, there are so many quick service meals and snacks that are worth having which you'll miss out on. Not going to all the restaurants on this visit gives you a reason to return in the future.

 

[MICKIMINI]

We only eat one meal out each day and it is often QS and sometimes we split those meals. Being at the parks means scoping out new snacks and picking up favorites. I agree with OP's that valuable time wasted waiting, being seated, waiting again and eating is not for us. We see people carrying doggie bags in 90 degree heat - yikes!

We bought the meal plan when it first came out and had three meals, apps, desserts and were just sick after the first day! It ended up being a total waste and not enjoyable. I'd choose a couple nice meals and snack or have small meals earlier in the day. In two week visits, we might have three "nice" meals and that is more than enough. Allears.net has menus so you can scope out food choices all over WDW.

 

[ForEver2016]

Planning your first Disney trip is so much fun! I have a question - do you have children that will be with you? I see several character dining experiences on your list. Sometimes the popular character dining locations, unfortunately, seem to have some of the worst food. For example, both Ohana and Chef Mickey’s for breakfast have some of the worst character meals on property (at least in my experience). For better food + characters for breakfast, I would suggest Tusker House, Toppolinos or Crystal Palace instead (assuming all character meals are back when you visit). If you’re not necessarily needing characters, Kona Cafe and Boma are both outsanding

I do agree with other posters that you have quite a lot of table service meals, which really do eat up a lot of time in your day. I would suggest eliminating either Cinderella’s Royal Table or Be Our Guest. Both very pricy meals that have hit or miss food. The rest of your dinner selections look great. Via Napoli, California Grill and Jiko are all-time favorites of ours.

As far as lunch goes, I see two at Hollywood Studios. I would keep 50s prime time and skip Hollywood and Vine, the food is never very good. If you have to do another sit down at DHS, might I suggest the Sci Fi or even the Brown Derby lounge instead.

Again, just be aware of how much time table service meals really take. Plus, how much food you can really realistically eat in one day. Sometimes with the heat, you just really don’t want to sit down for several large meals in one day. There is plenty of delicious quick service food available throughout the parks!

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I'm not vegetarian, but once in a while I enjoy a tofu entree or other vegetarian meal. There are some good options for this at WDW: pineapple tofu entrees at Skipper Canteen and ABC Commissary, tofu entree at The Wave, tofu bowl at Satuli Canteen, etc. 50's Prime Time Cafe used to have a vegetarian spaghetti entree with vegetable protein and tomato sauce that I really liked. I have not found this item listed for them recently, but they might have some other vegetarian dish that would suit you. Also I have not tried this, but Grand Floridian Cafe lists a tomato and feta quiche for lunch that looks good on the menu. If Boma reopens in time for your visit, they would have many vegetarian side dishes (at least they used to).

 

[pwdebbie]

I'm another vote for "don't do so many TS meals." We do one a day, usually at lunch (which is how we eat at home -- big meal is at lunchtime). Our favorite breakfast is at Trail's End at Fort Wilderness. Since it takes a bit of effort to get there, we go on a non-park morning and spend time after eating to explore a bit of the fort, especially the stable area. It is a very relaxing morning for us. From there we used to walk to Wilderness Lodge but I understand that pathway has been closed. But you could still take the boat to WL and explore the Lodge a bit too.

 

[AlwaysPlanningforDisney]

If Hoop De Do Revue opens, I highly recommend it! The show is so cheesy, but you will laugh a lot. The food is very good too. They come out into the audience, it's a lot of fun!

 

[Hoosier1329]

These are the places we have really enjoyed over our last few trips
*Keep in mind this was PP (pre-pandemic)

Dinner:
Ohana: very good
San Angel Inn: good if you like mexican food (and the ambiance is nice)
Be Our Guest
Yak and Yeti: love their asian dishes and desserts
Whispering Canyon: in the beautiful Wilderness Lodge, fun antics (maybe not so good for vegetarians?)

Counter service lunch:
Pecos Bills: food is nice and the topping/fixins' bar is great


Breakfast:
Tusker House: nice character meet also
Chef Mickey: nothing special but a great way to meet numerous classic characters

 

[Hoosier1329]

Also we typically do just 1 table service per day. Usually 1-2 days we do TS breakfast (although this means getting in the park later) and then a snack at lunch then counter service dinner. The other days we do a snack/cereal breakfast with counter service lunch and TS dinner. We have done 2 TS in one day once, but we did a really later dinner near park closing so we didn't miss out on much and were actually hungry, otherwise 2 TS per day is too much.

 

[MMR76]

If BOG QS lunch returns I would swap from dinner to lunch there. It is one of our favorite restaurants mainly due to the decor, that being said we’ve never had bad meal. We have not eaten there since they have changed to prix fixe.

 

[Disneypapa]

Suggestions

Whispering Canyon
O'hana
Ragland Road
House of Blues
Prime Time 50's

 

[jkh36619]

Way too much TS dining for your first visit IMHO. It takes up valuable time that you'll want to spend on the attractions and exploring the parks. Also, there are so many quick service meals and snacks that are worth having which you'll miss out on. Not going to all the restaurants on this visit gives you a reason to return in the future.

Cant tell you how many times I saw a short standby line but I was up against a dining reservation. Now I severely my TS. QS is they way to go.

 

[happymommy]

I agree with the others that it’s too much TS time, but want to throw out my favorite at MK is Skippers Canteen. They have a Thai noodle dish that normally comes with tofu and chicken, but I get it with just tofu. It’s one of the best dishes I’ve enjoyed at Disney, and I’ve gone back there a few times for it! It‘s also often an easy reservation to get, even last minute (I’ve booked it 15 minutes out for a nice lunch).

 

[_19disnA]

If you are vegetarians, be sure to review the menus Disney posts online to avoid surprises or being disappointed in your choices. Ohana, for example, has a fixed menu and the entree is shrimp, chicken or beef served from a skewer (or at least is was last year). Most Disney restaurants are pricey and what you happen to like may or may not be the same as others, so I don't find reviews to be of particular help in making selections. A lot tends to be based on personal preference.