While we are sure to go out of our way to try new things at Disney World every so often, when it comes to dining we have a pretty tight rotation that we stick to. In this post, I’ll talk through our go-to restaurants at each of the four parks, plus some hotel favorites. Read on to learn about our favorite restaurants at Disney World!
About This Post and Related Posts
This post is a quick-to-the-point, subjective look at our go-to restaurants at each of the four parks. We have more discussion of each park’s quick service restaurants linked to throughout this post. You also might be interested in:
Favorite Restaurants at Magic Kingdom
Table Service: Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen
Skipper Canteen is a Jungle Cruise themed restaurant in Adventureland. It’s slightly underrated in our opinion, probably because it lacks the characters of The Crystal Palace and the prestige (and characters) of Cinderella’s Royal Table.
We actually don’t find Jungle Cruise humor to be hilarious, but we still love Skipper (besides a few jokes from the Cast Members, it isn’t an over-the-top gag). It’s got great food, really chill vibes, and wonderful decor. As with all the table service restaurants at Magic Kingdom, it has a small alcohol selection. Since it isn’t overly popular, it’s also pretty easy to snag a reservation, even on short notice.
Quick Service: Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe
Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn Menu
Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe Menu
Overall, Magic Kingdom quick service is pretty much go-to theme-park fare. But there are a few standouts.
For food, our quick service pick is Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn. I could eat the rice bowl (which I douse in hot sauce) every meal. Pecos Bill also usually has ample seating, though it can get busy around parade time owing to its position along the parade route.
When it comes to vibes, nothing beats Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe, where you get to see the incomparable Sonny Eclipse perform. The animatronic alien is one of Zoe’s favorite parts of Magic Kingdom, as has been since our very first visit.
During peak times, the seating around Sonny can get a bit crowded, though we’ve never wound up settling for anywhere outside the main area.
Favorite Restaurants at EPCOT
Table Service: Space 220 and Biergarten
EPCOT is Disney-foodie paradise, and you can go so many directions—10 of the 11 pavilions (not American Adventure) have table service restaurants.
We alternate between two table service restaurants at EPCOT—Space 220 and Biergarten.
Our Space 220 pick is mostly about how much Zoe loves it. It’s a really fun, simple theme (you’re eating in space!) and it’s done well enough that Zoe continually gets a kick out of it. We don’t love the main vegetarian options, but we still keep going back.
Emily and I prefer Biergarten. The German buffet restaurant has a band and a dance floor that we can sometimes convince Zoe to use. I don’t drink alcohol very often, but every other trip I’m sure to get my liter beer when we go to Biergarten.
Quick Service: Regal Eagle Smokehouse
EPCOT’s quick service options are pretty wide-ranging. The World Showcase pavilions offer basic international options, plus Connections Eatery near the front of the park. And you’ll almost always have a festival going on, which is maybe the “better” option if you’re looking for quick food.
We eat such a grab-bag of quick service at EPCOT that it’s hard to pin down a go-to, but I’d say Regal Eagle Smokehouse is the closest we have. We love the sauces, and since we’re vegetarians we actually eat American BBQ less than most other cuisines at EPCOT.
The location, all the way at the American Adventure Pavilion, is hit or miss—I wouldn’t walk out of my way to get there, but it’s a good option if you’re hungry and looking to sit down in the middle of a World Showcase loop.
Favorite Restaurants at Hollywood Studios
Table Service: Roundup Rodeo BBQ
Roundup Rodeo BBQ is the newest restaurant at Hollywood Studios. It’s family-style BBQ. As noted above, we don’t eat BBQ very often so it’s something we gravitate toward in the parks. The restaurant is a bit hit-or-miss when it comes to Toy Story gimmickry.
I sort of want to give an honorable mention to Sci-Fi Diner here. We don’t visit it too often, but it’s a lot of fun and I keep telling myself to remember to book it next time we’re at Hollywood Studios—we’ve had a lot of BBQ these recent visits.
Quick Service: Ronto Roasters (or Docking Bay 7)
Ronto Roasters is my go-to food at Disney World. Most any day I have the freedom to get to Hollywood Studios for breakfast or lunch, I’ll be swinging by Ronto Roasters. I’m a fan of both the Triple Suns Breakfast Wrap and the Zucchi Wrap.
Docking Bay 7 is right next to Ronto Roasters and usually serves the Ronto Wrap (but not the Zucchi Wrap, as far as I know) once Ronto Roasters closes. It also has a variety of other fun food options, though we don’t favor it much over other quick service options at Hollywood Studios.
Favorite Restaurants at Animal Kingdom
Table Service: Tusker House Restaurant
Tusker House Restaurant is pretty perfect in our eyes. While we had a slow experience with characters at our last visit, we find the restaurant to be overall pretty perfect. It’s got delicious food, characters in unique outfits, and lots of reservation availability. Plus, it’s not at all hard to fit it into your day (even when the greetings are slow), because Animal Kingdom just isn’t that demanding of a park.
Quick Service: Satu’li Canteen
Satu’li Canteen’s Satu’li Bowls, along with the fun desserts, easily make it our favorite quick service option at Animal Kingdom. That said (2026 oddities aside), you can’t much go wrong with quick service food at Animal Kingdom. Flame Tree Barbecue in particular has awesome views (you have to walk all the way to the seating by the water), and Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes has some tasty options, too.
Hotel Table Service
We generally don’t go out of our way to eat at specific table service restaurants at the Disney hotels, but there are a few that we might squeeze in, particularly if we’re at the hotel (or a nearby park) anyway…
Sanaa (Animal Kingdom Lodge)
This is surely not a surprise to anyone, but the Indian-African restaurant with the famed bread service is at the top of our Disney World dining list. We’ve gone out of our way a few times to get there, and you can be sure we’re eating there any time we have a stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Chef Mickey’s (Contemporary Resort)
So, I have to concede that this list is sometimes a little more “go-to” than “favorite”. Chef Mickey’s is not my favorite anything, but it’s a solid way to get a breakfast in alongside some quick character greetings. It is a go-to when it comes to making good use of a spare morning (departure day is my favorite option). It’s pricey for what it offers, but it at least checks all the boxes it needs to.
Those are our favorite restaurants at Disney World! What are your go-to dining spots?
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