So much of the Walt Disney World experience revolves around nostalgia. We don’t just enjoy the attractions and experiences because of what they are – we also enjoy them because of what they’ve come to represent. When I ride It’s a Small World, it’s not only the ride that I’m enjoying, but the memories of the countless other times I’ve ridden it – as well as the people I’ve ridden it with.
Thus, it’s not surprising that when attractions and experiences depart our beloved theme park, we often think about enjoying them one more time. And, considering the important role food plays in our enjoyment of the parks, it makes sense that extinct Disney World restaurants would also make that list.
Tastes change and restaurants become dated, but nevertheless, there are a handful of Disney World dining experiences that maintain a large presence in our minds. So, let’s hop in our time machine and look at a few of these spots that we’d love to eat at again, just one more time:
5. Chef Mickey’s
Yes, Chef Mickey’s is still technically in operation at Walt Disney World, but for anyone who visited the original spot at the Downtown Disney predecessor Disney Village Marketplace, the current iteration of this restaurant doesn’t quite stack up.
While the Contemporary Resort’s version of Chef Mickey’s is known primarily as a spot for character dining, the original location was first and foremost a restaurant. It did offer character dining – and, in fact, it was one of the first dining locations at Walt Disney World to offer such a thing – but it was far more of a novelty than it is now. Instead, the focus was on delicious food, and the story suggested that Mickey himself was cooking it up for you. That’s right: Mickey was a rodent chef before it was cool.
The menu itself had some delicious American standards, with the prime rib being a particular standout. And, memorably, Chef Mickey’s allowed guests to keep their iconic red drink cups – a souvenir from a wonderful dining experience.
The reason we’d love to visit this spot again is not as much the food as it is the simplicity of the dining experience. This was character dining back before such a thing became a codified part of the Disney ethos. It was simpler and yet also more intimate – just the kind of thing you’d want from a one-more-time dinner.
4. Top of the World Supper Club
In the early years of Walt Disney World, the property featured three resort hotels – the Contemporary Resort, the Polynesian Village Resort, and Fort Wilderness. And, as part of its attempt to be a singular vacation destination, they made sure all three had specialty dining experiences. Specifically, they made sure each had a kind of dinner show.
The Polynesian had the utterly unique Tropical Luau show, while Fort Wilderness had the wildly popular and long-running Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. But while those two dinner shows made perfect sense given their resorts’ respective themes, the Contemporary was a bit more challenging to program for. After all, what kind of show do you put inside an ultra-modern hotel?
What Disney landed on was rather interesting – in the resort’s first decade of operation, the Contemporary housed the Top of the World Supper Club, a sort of restaurant/nightclub on the top floor of the resort that featured touring celebrity performers such as Phyllis Diller, Sammy Davis Jr., and Rosemary Clooney.
It was a sort of glamorous, Vegas-style affair that was decidedly adults-only – a nice respite from the rest of the family-friendly offerings on property. But, eventually, this format was swapped out for a more wholesome Broadway-style show. And then, in 1993, it closed to make way for the exquisite California Grill.
But, given the opportunity, it’d be hard to turn down the offer to experience a star-studded show atop one of Disney’s most iconic venues.
3. Main Street Bakery
The most recently departed entry on this list, the Main Street Bakery closed in 2012 to make way for – what else? – a Starbucks. Now, I’m not about to rant about how, in forging this corporate partnership, Disney has somehow lost its way. In fact, corporate partnerships and third-party retail is as classic Disney as Snow White and the Carousel of Progress.
I quite like Starbucks. It’s not the best coffee in the world, but it’s perfectly OK, and there is something comforting and familiar about being able to order my preferred beverage in one of my favorite places in the world.
However, Disney is about nostalgia, and if you were raised on the traditional Main Street Bakery, it’s hard not to walk inside and feel a bit disappointed by what you see.
And even beyond the more intangible things that have changed, the biggest thing that has gone by the wayside is, ironically, the baked goods. Now, the menu is essentially just a slightly expanded version of the traditional Starbucks offerings which, all things considered, aren’t as exciting as the treats we know Disney can concoct.
Ultimately, it’s hard to fault anyone who looks at Main Street USA, complete with its turn-of-the-century charm, and feels a bit caught up in the past. For those of us who saw it, that includes the pre-Starbucks Main Street Bakery. Oh to take one more stroll in there…
2. The Empress Lilly
Though the riverboat structure is still in place at Disney Springs, it really is a shadow of what it was in the heyday of the Empress Lilly. Fulton’s Crab House is an acceptable eatery, but it lacks the glamor of the original inhabitant of the iconic paddlesteamer.
Opened in 1977, the Empress Lilly had a unique floorplan that made it, essentially, several restaurants in one. It was separated into different dining rooms, each specializing in a different type of cuisine. Additionally, there was a jazz bar on board, offering even more atmosphere and social flavor.
The multiple-dining-room layout made the entire venue feel like an actual Mississippi River cruiser, complete with the 19th century elegance you’d expect from such a ship. It had an abundance of story and fantastic cuisine – a perfect combination for a night out.
In 1995, the ship closed for a massive remodeling, losing the iconic paddlewheel and becoming the modern mainstay Fulton’s Crab House. And yet, to most retro Disney fans, it’ll always be the Empress Lilly – and we’ll all want to have one more memorable meal there.
1. The Odyssey
It might seem odd, but the Odyssey building at Epcot is a strangely popular topic in Disney fan circles. Essentially, what Boba Fett is to Star Wars, the Odyssey is to Epcot: Neither did much that could really be considered notable, both had rather ignominious endings, and their hold on the fan community is so strong that fans can’t seem to stop imagining new ways to use them.
The Odyssey as a restaurant could not have been more milquetoast. It served the generic theme park food that every other Disney restaurant served: burgers, hot dogs, etc. Its entertainment wasn’t all that grand either, consisting of some casual live music in the early years and a Chuck-E-Cheese-style stage show later on.
So, then, why do people care? And why is it on the top of this list?
I think what we all find so fascinating about the Odyssey is simply that it’s there. Its building is just phenomenally interesting, and it’s hard not to kind of stare at it as you walk past. Its location makes it seem like it should house something important – it sits on the threshold of Future World and the World Showcase – and yet, today, it’s really just a bathroom and event space. And, ultimately, it looks like it would be a cool place to hang out.
The restaurant closed in 1994 and, unlike the other spots on this list, has never reopened again – not even as a different restaurant altogether. And so, I think, it’s the mystery that draws us to it. I don’t want to eat there because the food sounds particularly good or anything like that – I want to eat there just to say I could. It’s one thing to have a greasy burger, but to do it while sitting inside a piece of original, classic Epcot would be on another level. Like everything else at Disney, it’s about nostalgia. Who cares that the food isn’t great? If I wanted good Disney food, I surely wouldn’t need a time machine to get it.
