A Disney vacation is about more than simply riding rides, playing golf, or spending time with loved ones. While these activities can serve as a helpful way to burn calories, the true main event at Walt Disney World is the food.
Now, there are plenty of spots for foodies to try on Disney property – some of which are truly world-class experiences – but that doesn’t mean there aren’t foods that can be enjoyed by everyone.
Walt Disney World’s transformation into a culinary capitol has been relatively recent, and its earlier decades were spent serving lower-brow items that one probably wouldn’t find in a Michelin Guide. Owing to their longevity and seniority on park menus, some of those items have garnered themselves something of a cult following.
What follows is a brief list of snacks and treats no Disney vacation is complete without trying. The reasons for each may vary – some are wonderfully nostalgic, others brilliantly creative – but all enjoy iconic status among regular park-goers. Please: indulge.
5. Turkey Leg
Image: Disney
Where to find it: Any Disney park
Why it’s iconic: It’s actually somewhat of a challenge to quantify exactly why this particular snack has grown into such an iconic force at Disney parks.
In fact no less an authority than the New York Times spent 1,000 words attempting to define the X-factor that has made these enormous pieces of poultry so renowned.
The Times touched on three basic elements – ones which I’m inclined to agree with: taste, spectacle, and silliness. Obviously, an enormous smoked turkey leg will be delicious. That is, essentially, a given. It’s those other two elements that make Disney’s turkey legs move beyond what you might find at the county fair and morph into the stuff of legends.
Not only are they absolutely gigantic, but they’re also woven into the storytelling fabric of each park. The turkey legs in Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland USA are themed as dinosaur bones. The shop in Frontierland is serves them up as a classic dish from the American west. No matter where you find the famous turkey leg at Walt Disney World, it comes with an eye-popping “wow” factor, as well as a special trip further into the story Disney’s Imagineers are trying to tell – something that makes the whole experience that much more memorable.
4. Zebra domes
Image: Disney
Where to find it: Boma, Flavors of Africa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge (Also available at The Mara, another restaurant located in Animal Kingdom Lodge)
Why it’s iconic: The zebra dome is iconic among Disneyphiles, but might not be on your radar if you’re a civilian. But, should you venture to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, you will become a convert to the cause.
Boma, Flavors of Africa is a buffet, but please don’t let that scare you off. Its food is well-crafted and arrestingly unique, perfectly suited for its placement next to the more haute-cuisine Jiko: the Cooking Place.
The restaurant’s most popular dessert is the zebra dome: an addictive morsel of chocolate mousse and liqueur, decorated with a zebra-esque black and white pattern. While they may not be as iconic as other items (such as the turkey leg), they more than make up for it with the passionate following they’ve cultivated in recent years.
3. Tonga Toast
Image: Disney
Where to find it: Kona Cafe, Disney’s Polynesian Resort (Also available at the Polynesian Resort’s Captain Cook’s)
Why it’s iconic: Calorie for calorie, there is not a more delicious item on any menu at Walt Disney World. Period. End of story.
Tonga Toast has been served at the Polynesian since the Resort’s first year of operation in 1971, and should they ever attempt to remove it from the menu, there would likely be a public outcry.
The dish’s official description seems simple enough at first glance:
“Banana-stuffed Sourdough French Toast rolled in Cinnamon Sugar and served with a Strawberry Compote and your choice of Ham, Bacon, or Sausage.”
But then, you’re presented with your breakfast, and It’s hard not to be overwhelmed by emotion. It’s all the sugary goodness you wanted it to be … and there’s that bacon on the side.
2. Dole Whip
Where to find it: Aloha Isle in Adventureland at Disney’s Magic Kingdom (Also available at the Polynesian Resort’s Captain Cook’s)
Why it’s iconic: Much like the turkey leg, there’s more than just amazing taste at play with this piece of Disney iconography. The Dole Whip is basically just a pineapple-flavored soft-serve ice cream. Should the guest be interested, it can also be served as a float in pineapple juice.
But, the item’s lack of complexity is somewhat deceiving. Its staying power has come largely from its nostalgia factor – the Dole Whip has been served continuously since the late 1970s, and so generation upon generation of Disney guests have been getting the refreshing treat. A child has it because their parents had it when they were young, and so on up the family tree.
On a hot summer’s day, a cold pineapple treat certainly hits the spot, but the Dole Whip’s cultural resonance and iconic status comes just as much from familial bonding as it does from its delicious flavor.
1. Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar
Image: Disney
Where to find it: Any Disney park
Why it’s iconic: It is my understanding that people going to Walt Disney World tend to like Mickey Mouse. Moreover, it is my understanding that people of all kinds tend to like ice cream. Beyond even that, science has shown that humans are biologically and chemically predisposed to love chocolate.
If you combine all of those things into one rock-hard chunk, you’ll get the Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar – a vanilla ice cream bar, dipped in chocolate and molded into the shape of Mickey Mouse.
Its notoriety comes mostly from its ubiquity, but the bar is also really, really fun to eat. Most aficionados will tell you to bite the ears off the thing first, delving into the rest of the treat later. They’re not wrong. Not only do the ears provide an easy starting point, but it will be far more difficult to eat the bar should you leave them to the end.
Did I mention they’re ice cream bars shaped like Mickey Mouse? Frankly, it doesn’t matter what they taste like – you’ll buy one for that reason alone. But, you can rest assured: the reason they’ve vaulted from ubiquitous snack to all-time iconic food is because they’re able to combine the promise of their visual pop with the amazing taste of ice cream on a hot day. After a day at a Disney Park, that’s something to take solace in.
