During my time at Theme Park Tourist, I’ve written tens of thousands of words about the delicious foods at Walt Disney World restaurants. I’ve championed hidden gems like Kona Café and Olivia’s Café, I’ve brazenly dismissed beloved favorites such as Tusker House, and I’ve declared Sci-Fi Dine-In the greatest thing on the Disney campus…because it is. I’m never afraid to have an opinion about Disney food, and I have the waistline to prove it.
Today, I’m going to approach the subject in a different way, though. Rather than discussing restaurants in totality or specific types of food groupings, I’m lumping all the flavors together to create an ultimate list. Here are my 17 favorite foods at Walt Disney World. Note that I’m leaving out Mickey Waffles, turkey legs, and Dole Whip since everybody says those. You can take the list out to 20 by mentally including them if you wish!
Sweet bread — Kona Café
Image: DisneySince this list is about flavors, I should include great bread, too. The sweet bread at Kona Café has a touch of pineapple flavor and a crunchy butter that’s not available anywhere else at Disney. Both the bread AND the butter are my favorites on the Disney campus. I always overeat at Kona Café.
Gjetost cheese – Akershus
Image via Flickr user Sarah&Boston
Image: Flickr (license)
I’ve mentioned my love for this odd brown cheese a couple of times before. It has a creamy feel in my mouth, but the flavor is sour. There are also some hints of caramel. Frankly, Gjetost cheese confuses my childlike palate. I really, really love it, though.
Dragon Roll — Yak and Yeti Café
Image: DisneyLet me be clear. EVERYTHING at Yak and Yeti Café is delicious. Several of their flavors were in the running for selection here. I ultimately chose the dragon roll because no matter how many appetizers my family orders, the dragon roll vanishes first. On two different occasions, a server looked at us in awe as they realized just how quickly our table had wrecked the Dragon Roll.
From the Larder – Le Cellier Steakhouse
Image: DisneyI ardently support the catchphrase, “Bring me your finest meats and cheeses.” The starter version, From the Larder, is a sampler of Canada’s most delicious meats and cheeses. The last time we ordered this, my wife and I fought over the final few bites. That’s happened maybe three times in the 16 years we’ve been together.
Sausage and Bacon — ‘Ohana
Image: DisneyPicking a favorite breakfast at Walt Disney World seems pointless to some. Many folks believe that all the food is the same. I vehemently disagree with this notion. ‘Ohana serves the perfect breakfast for me, a diehard meat eater. A person brings out a skillet containing waffles, sausage, and bacon. Roughly 15 minutes later, this person gets a bit annoyed when I ask for seconds…or thirds. If ‘Ohana were local to my area, I would eat breakfast there every day of my life.
Bounty Platter – Contempo Café
Image: Disney…But I’m also in a relationship. I love doing relationship things. As a couple, my wife and I have discovered that we can have an ideal start to the day at Contempo Café. When we’re staying at one of the two adjoined hotels here, we can head up to the fourth floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort and share a Bounty Platter. It’s the perfect amount of food for us to fill up without overfilling (as I’m prone to do at Kona Café). Then, we jump on the monorail and head to Magic Kingdom. The Bounty Platter isn’t just tasty; it’s the perfect way to begin a Disney day.
Classic American Burger – Sci-Fi Dine-In
Image: DisneyCome at me, haters! Yes, I know that the perception of Sci-Fi Dine-In is that the food is subpar. I could care less. This is my happy place at Walt Disney World and my favorite restaurant in the entire world. A trip to Disney is incomplete until I’ve had a meal here. My choice is always the same, too. I get the classic burger and fries to reinforce the theme of the restaurant, which celebrates the drive-in lifestyle a couple of generations ago.
Wood-fired Pepperoni Pizza — Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria
Image: DisneyI have many friends in New York and in Chicago, and I watch with bemusement as they argue over the proper type of pizza. I never had a dog in that fight until I ate at Via Napoli. The way that their special ovens melt the cheese blew my mind. It was good enough to make me want to move to Italy.
All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Skillet – Whispering Canyon Café
Image: DisneyThis meal transports me back to a simpler time, when cowboys would sit by the campfire and rustle up some vittles. A LOT of vittles. The skillet contains cornbread, pork ribs, sausages, pulled pork, chicken, and beef. It’s a dish that only a pig, a cow, or a chicken could hate. Conversely, it’s a carnivore’s delight. The only downside to eating this skillet is a case of the meat sweats. It’s a worthwhile trade.
New York Steak and Fries — The BOATHOUSE
Image: DisneyThe BOATHOUSE is one of the most upscale restaurants at Disney Springs, with several impeccable seafood dishes that garner acclaim. And what do I love about the place? The fries. No, I’m not joking. Whenever I eat here, I order double fries as my “vegetables”. They bring out enough for the entire table to share, although anyone who eats more than what I deem a fair portion gets The Look…which is basically an intense glare. As for the steak, they slather a delicious house butter on top that magnifies the intensity of the beef. The BOATHOUSE makes one of the best five steaks at Walt Disney World, and this is my particular area of culinary expertise.
Fried Chicken & Donuts – Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’
Momma’s Mac and Cheese — Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’
Image: DisneyI’ll group these two dishes together since they share a commonality beyond the obvious one. Yes, they’re both served at Art Smith’s new restaurant. More importantly, they’re both comfort food, peasant dishes refined by a celebrity chef into something more elegant yet just as flavorful. Both dishes taste like a visit to Cracker Barrel wherein you discover that Tom Colicchio is running the kitchen that day. Disney Springs has so many wonderful restaurant options. When you have the blues and need some cheering up, however, there’s only one choice: go hang out at Art Smith’s joint. His food will lift your spirits!
Pork Tenderloin — California Grill
Image: DisneyThis pork dish gets my vote as the overall best entrée at Walt Disney World. And I say that as a steak and burgers guy. The Pork Tenderloin recipe is so impeccably good that we bought a Disney cookbook to try to replicate it. Amazingly, the current version of this dish available isn’t the best one. Read the post-note at the bottom to see what I mean.
Zebra Domes – Boma
Image: DisneyGet between me and the Zebra Domes section of the Boma buffet. Go ahead. I dare you. I should warn you in advance that no fight that you’ve ever seen on Jerry Springer will equal the white trash throwdown that will ensue. Those Zebra Domes are the reason why I trek over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge every time I visit Walt Disney World. I don’t even like coffee or liquor, but the incongruous kalua-coffee flavor dazzles me.
The Grey Stuff – Be Our Guest
Disney had to get this one right, and whether we’re talking about the cupcake or the brownie, they did. Truly, it’s delicious.
Kona Kone – Kona Café
Image via Flickr user meshmar2
Image: Flickr (license)
You think it’s just ice cream in a cone, but that’s like saying that Hank Aaron was just a baseball player. You realize that it’s a next level dessert when you see the M&Ms on top of the ice cream…and the Mickey Mouse chocolate on top of the cone…and the cotton candy island base surrounding the cone. It’s an absolutely ridiculous dessert, almost like the people in the kitchen were trying to top each other one night and accidentally invented the best dessert at Walt Disney World.
Sticky Toffee Pudding — Rose and Crown Dining Room
Image: DisneyIs this too many desserts? It’s probably too many desserts. I’m not trying to create a balanced meal here, though. I’m telling you my favorite foods. As you’ve certainly inferred, I have a sweet tooth, and the perfect capper for one of my favorite nights at Walt Disney World is to eat Sticky Toffee Pudding right as Illuminations begins. The marvelous servers at Rose and Crown can time the process perfectly, giving my family the ultimate combination of sparkling fireworks exhibition and decadent dessert. This dessert event has become an annual tradition for me and mine.
As I wrap this up, I’d like to give a shout out to three dishes that aren’t currently on Disney menus. If/when they return, however, I warmly recommend them. I’ve already mentioned the Pork Tenderloin at California Grill; it’s half of the legendary Pork Two Ways dish that doubles the pleasure of your meal. Next, Capt. Cook’s sells a ham and cheese sandwich that may seem ordinary at first blush. It’s specifically the reason that I now love pesto, though.
Finally, Kona Café already has two entries here, but it would have had a third. They actually cook my favorite steak at Walt Disney World. Due to a recent menu update, however, it’s not currently being sold…which kills me. Suffice to say that I adore every meal at Kona Café.
