Category Archives: Disney Dining

Disney World Table Service – 5 Random Tips

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Flying Fish Dinner at the BoardwalkToday’s tips are brought to you by my current state of hunger.  Having an empty belly, thinking about our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World, I just started brainstorming important things about selecting table service restaurants…only, here in Louisiana, the brainstorm is more like a brain hurricane!

For us, the selection of Disney dining options begins exactly 180 days from our vacation – as soon as that window opens up for making ADRs (advance dining reservations), we are booking maniacs.  Planning the actual selections begins even sooner than that!  We love the opportunity to sit down together as a family (usually once each day) and enjoy some of the delicious dining options Walt Disney World offers – at a fairly leisurely pace.  We love the number of table service options there are to choose from.  We love trying new things and revisiting old favorites.

Disney World Table Service – 5 Random Tips

Tip #1 – If you’re thinking, “I don’t know what I’ll feel like eating so far in advance!” get over it!  You don’t have to book ALL your ADRs at 180 days, but if you’re even toying with Epcot's France Pavilion / Monsieur Paul‘Ohana, Le Cellier, Be Our Guest, and/or a few others in the uber-popular category, book a reservation at the earliest possible moment!  I would be so sad if my family was really counting on eating at one or more of the most popular places and we couldn’t get in.  If what you want is not available when you first try – keep checking!  Cancellations happen all the time.  My cautionary tale:  We were once waiting for our ADR at ‘Ohana when a lady with a very long blond (totally artificial) ponytail (I remember the weirdest details) walked up to the podium and asked for a table.  When told there were none available, she said, “We don’t care about the wait, we’ll take whatever you’ve got!” – she was completely (tragically) shocked when the cast member explained that all available tables for the entire evening had been booked.  Don’t let this happen to you!

Chicken at Raglan RoadTip #2:  Are you picky?  If you’re more about a particular food than an experience, do some research.  Menus and reviews are available all over the interwebs!  Looking for a good steak?  There are quite a few choices.  Keep in mind that the way steak (or your other favorite food) is prepared where you live may be a bit different than it is at Walt Disney World.  Different regions seem to have different criteria for rare, medium, and well-done.  Be as descriptive as possible!  Say, “Warm and slightly pink in the center” or “No pink in my steak at all” or “Moo-ing gently as I cut into it” – this will get you a lot closer to what you want than the generic beef terminology.

Tip #3:  Are your kids picky?  We feel your pain!  We have yet to find a table service restaurant that wouldn’t help us figure out how to feed our picky eater.  Ask your server for suggestions.  Tell them if your picky one has special dining needs (like no food must touch!)  It’s been our experience that they’re usually more than happy to work with you to make sure your experience is the best it can be.  When in doubt, we’ve gone with one of the many buffets available.  The kid-friendly sections are really great!

Pizza Delivery at WDWTip #4:  FYI – Walt Disney World typically does not do pizza well.  Don’t count on finding good pizza there.  In fact, I’ll go ahead and just say that the pizza is notoriously awful.  Your best chance is in Epcot’s Italy Pavilion at Via Napoli.  If you can make it a week without a pie, you should try to do that.  Please, oh, please – if you’ve GOT to enter Pizza Planet at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – go for the arcade games!

Tip #5:  Save room!  Nothing makes me madder than when I sit down at a great restaurant (like the Flying Fish Café on the Boardwalk, Raglan Road in Downtown Disney/Disney Springs or ‘Ohana at the Polynesian Village Resort) and I’ve eaten so much earlier in the day that I’m not going to be able to do the meal justice.  That’s the beauty of tip #1 – you’ll know when you need to hold back and make sure you’re good and hungry when you arrive for your ADR!

What is your best table service tip?  What’s your favorite table service restaurant?

Need info?  There’s always helpful information at the Disney Food Blog!

 

 

 

 

WDW Park Counter Service – Family Favorites

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Baked Goods in Starring Rolls CafeChoosing a restaurant is tough!  At Disney World, it can be downright confusing.  When you want a meal in a hurry (no reservations or major time commitment required) the choices are everywhere!  While you’re looking around, you’re probably thinking things like:  What will my picky eater like?  What’s a good value?  Where will we sit?  Is there any chance at all I can get something healthy?  Can I get a beer with that? (Okay, you may not be thinking that last one, but I sure am!)

Here are our family favorite counter service restaurants by park (and why we like them):

Liberty SquareMagic Kingdom (No, you cannot have a beer with any counter-service food there, but you CAN have a great meal.)

Columbia Harbor House – Head on over to this great eatery centrally located in Liberty Square – across the way from Haunted Mansion.  Why we love it:  Options include chicken, fish, and vegetarian.  Healthy or hearty – you’ll find it here.  Me?  I just like the tuna sandwich, but even the pickiest eater among us (Hi, Joseph!) finds something to be happy about.  There’s loads of seating – go upstairs and it’s quieter with the strong possibility of a really great view.

Gaston’s Tavern – if you haven’t been here before to hear me wax poetic about the Roasted Gaston's Tavern Roasted Pork Shank and LeFou's BrewPork Shank, consider this yet another glowing endorsement!  You can pair that with a LeFou’s Brew (a family friendly and completely delicious beverage) and some pretty darned healthy options like hummus and pretzel chips, apple slices and caramel dip, veggies and dip, fruit cup, and WAIT…don’t panic…there’s a chocolate croissant and warm cinnamon roll on the menu as well!

Casey’s Corner – If you’ve just GOT to eat in the very middle of all the action, you’ll find hotdogs, Polish sausage, nachos, corndog nuggets, and fries – basic fare, but decently tasty and reasonably priced.  Stake out a parade seat and send someone to Casey’s for some chow!

Epcot:

Quick service excellence – this park’s got the best offerings on property!Epcot's Sunshine Seasons

Sunshine Seasons – In Future World’s Land Pavilion – this place has a humongous menu with absolutely something for everyone.  If you can’t find something to satisfy at Sunshine Seasons, you’re not hungry (check out the lunch menu here).  I do love the chocolate croissant for breakfast or a snack.  The indoor setting is a bonus during warm or rainy weather.

Yorkshire County Fish Shop – World Showcase / United Kingdom.  There are several awesome quick-service restaurants scattered throughout the World Showcase.  Why do we always eat at Yorkshire County Fish Shop?  It’s simple, reasonably priced, not too much to eat, and very tasty.  Plus – a beer cart nearby for the perfect complimentary beverage.

Honorable Mention:  La Cantina de San Angel in the Mexico Pavilion – Great selection, tastes great.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

Starring Rolls Cafe / Disney's Hollywood StudiosWhile this is the least likely place we’d like to find ourselves in need of a quick bite, there are a couple of places we do recommend (Luckily, all serve adult refreshments if one is thirsty):

Starring Rolls Café:  Home of the very delicious Butterfinger and Red Velvet Cupcakes (and the Darth Vader and Yoda cupcakes) – there’s enough on the menu to keep our bellies from protesting.  We like this as a brunch or afternoon snack stop – great if you’re pacing your appetite for a special table service meal.

Catalina Eddie’s, Rosie’s All American Café, or Fairfax Fare – they’re all close together Catalina Eddie's in Disney's Hollywood Studiosand located near Rock’n’ Roller Coaster and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.  These three counter service options are (to us) the most likely places to find something both quick and edible at lunchtime.  Divide and conquer if you need to – there’s central outdoor (shaded) seating nearby.  Do NOT under any circumstances eat at Pizza Planet (back behind MuppetVision3D)…just trust me on this one.

Honorable mention:  Min & Bill’s Dockside Diner’s a great place for a cold beer on a hot day.

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom's Flame Tree BarbequeFlame Tree Barbeque – When in doubt, stick with something simple.  Chicken, ribs, pulled pork, turkey and the expected sides (slaw, beans, onion rings, fries) – it’s easy to find something satisfying and the seating is among the best on property for quick service dining.

Well, there you go.  There are lots of great counter service choices at Disney World – I’ve just narrowed the list down to a few that our family recommends.  These are the places we’ve tended to return to for their taste, reliability, and value.

Which Disney World counter service restaurants would you recommend?

 

 

Enjoying Wine at Walt Disney World

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Wine Wall in Epcot's Tutto GustoEnjoying Wine at Walt Disney World

I love a glass (or two, sometimes) of good red wine.  I may occasionally enjoy a nice chilled glass of Chardonnay, but predominately I like Cabernet and prefer to enjoy a glass with dinner.  This is never more true than when I’m on vacation.  Raymond has similar taste in products from the vine, so when we eat at a Disney table service restaurant, we usually order a bottle to share.  I’ll add that it doesn’t go as far as it used to now that one of our offspring has reached the ripe old age of 24 (this week!) and has inherited her parents’ taste in wine.  (Happy Birthday, Megan!)  I suppose perhaps this is why we’ve only dined at Cinderella’s Royal Table one time.  I would have enjoyed the experience much more with a glass of wine!  No, I am not advocating a rule/menu change, just making an observation.  But (as usual) I digress.

Back to Wine!  Let me preface the rest of this post with a disclaimer – I am not a sommelier.  I’m not an expert or even a wine snob, really (except I do tend to steer clear of most pink wines) – I Disney's Flying Fish Cafe Interiorjust have developed a love for a good, tasty wine – I’m thinking maybe all those lessons learned at wine tastings on Disney Cruise Line are taking hold.  I thought I’d discuss a few of the places we’ve found at Walt Disney World with especially good wine selections and ask you to comment with your suggestions on where else we should go for good vino!

Flying Fish Café – Just having eaten at this popular Boardwalk eatery in May for the first time, the memory of the delicious food and wine is fresh in my mind.  We loved absolutely everything about the Flying Fish – especially our waiter, Bob!  Should we have needed assistance with selecting a wine to enjoy with dinner, I’m confident Bob would have been more than up to the task of making an excellent recommendation.

Jiko at the Animal Kingdom Lodge – In general, we don’t drink a lot of African wines, so here we do rely on our server’s assistance.  Last time we ate at Jiko, we had a wine pairing for each course and this worked out very well for us.  Kudos to Jiko!  Always exceptional food and service – and excellent wine.

The Wave at Disney’s Contemporary Resort– Raymond and I have only eaten here once – we stopped in for a late lunch, sat at the bar, and let the bartender select a wine for us to enjoy with our Bison Burger – I don’t know which we loved more – the wine or the burger!  Both were top shelf.  If I’m not mistaken, the wine was a Bommarito Cab from Whitehall Lane Winery and Vineyards.  It was an exceptionally great late lunch at The Wave!  Afterwards, I remember Raymond headed off for a massage at the Contemporary’s spa and I, for the fist time ever, went Tutto Gusto in Epcot's Italy Pavilionto the Magic Kingdom by myself.  I can even remember wearing my classic Donald sweatshirt that day.

Tutto Gusto – Small plates, huge wine selection – that’s what you can expect in this cozy little corner of Epcot’s Italy Pavilion.  This may not be the place if you’re looking for a big meal, but it sure won’t disappoint you if you want a snack and a great glass of wine.

The Hollywood Brown Derby – The Derby has my vote for one of the coolest restaurants on Disney property for atmosphere – sweeps you away, far from its location smack dab in the middle of Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  The food is great and as far as the wine list, guests can select from “Old and New World wines from Italy, France, California, Australia and The Hollywood Brown Derby / Disney's Hollywood Studiosbeyond” (as described on Disney’s website).  If you want a good meal and glass of wine in the Studios, this is the place.

Are you also a Walt Disney World wine lover?  What have I missed that I need to try?  We’re less than two months away from our next visit, so any and all suggestions will be most welcome!