Everyone needs a bit of romance in their lives. At Walt Disney World, you’ll have plenty of options to impress your date. Several restaurants provide that intimate ambience that you desire. Some of them are darkly lit, while others set the mood with the theming and service. Which ones are the best for that special date? Read on to learn about the most romantic restaurants at Walt Disney World.
7. Artist Point
Image: DisneyDisney’s Wilderness Lodge sets a tone the moment that you enter the hotel lobby. It’s a rustic atmosphere with an attention-grabbing Pacific Northwest feel. It’s a warming environment that immediately fosters a comfortable feeling that you’re home.
Artist Point is a Signature Dining restaurant located just off the Wilderness Lodge lobby, and the meal cost does define a trend for this list. Most of the establishments listed here are pricier than your average Disney restaurant. You unfortunately have to pay a bit more for these unforgettable dining experiences.
This restaurant is only open for dinner, but it will most assuredly set the tone for a lovely eating. You’ll sit in a room themed to a specific animal. Each section also highlights the majestic nature of the various national parks in the Pacific Northwest. You will feel like you’re eating in the great outdoors, only you’ll have elegant fare as your dinner options. It’s a bit incongruous, but it’s undeniably a wonderful meal for two.
6. Restaurant Marrakesh
Image: DisneyThis place is one of the hidden gems of the World Showcase. Other restaurants with more celebrated cuisine types like Japanese, Mexican, Chinese, and Italian tend to get more ardent support. They’re known quantities. The strong but subtle flavors of Mediterranean cuisine aren’t as recognizable, although they’ve grown in popularity for recent years. This increase in awareness is due to the powerful bites in dishes like Couscous with Beef and Roast Lamb Meshoui.
At Marrakesh, you’ll have access to all of these exotic dishes. You’ll also relish in a laid back environment at a restaurant that’s less crowded than many other World Showcase eateries. You can generally find a last-minute Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR) here. Even when you can’t, you shouldn’t have to wait long for a table.
While you’re seating, you’ll watch a show that coincides with your dinner. The art of belly dancing is on full display here. There’s a reason why it’s a global curiosity. The skill on display is almost hypnotic, and it will give you and your date a conversation starter if things get awkward. This place isn’t in-your-face romantic but rather quietly confident in its meticulous theming. Taking someone here is a demonstration of self-confidence and insider knowledge about the best of Walt Disney World.
5. San Angel Inn Restaurante
Image: DisneySome options are more explanatory than others. At the Mexico Pavilion, you can walk into the building and then head straight to the back-right. Here, you’ll discover one of the most jaw-dropping settings at Walt Disney World.
San Angel Inn Restaurante resides at the foot of a pyramid. It’s the one of the three most impressive backdrops on this list. It’s also right by the water. How is this possible for an indoor restaurant? Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros is the Mexico Pavilion’s equivalent to It’s a Small World, an indoor water ride that transports guests through several puppet-based sets.
Gran Fiesta Tour is a literal dark ride, at least at the start. Its early path is a night-time setting. Since this part of the ride track rests beside San Angel, your meal will take place in a darkened, intimate setting. It’s also right by the water. The scenery here is almost hypnotic it’s so idyllic.
4. Be Our Guest
Image: DisneyWhat could possibly impress your date more than dinner at the royal table? When Be Our Guest opened in 2012, it immediately became THE most popular restaurant at Walt Disney World. Many years later, it’s maintained that track record due to its stellar reputation.
Be Our Guest is something of an oddity at Walt Disney World. It’s a Quick Service restaurant at breakfast and lunch before transforming into a Table Service establishment at dinner. In July, it will become a Signature Dining experience for dinner, with Disney offering a new prix fixe, three-course menu that would otherwise cost $55 per person plus tax.
Out of the restaurants listed here, Be Our Guest is one of the most obvious choices. My pro tip is to angle for the back of the main hall. The artificial snow element just outside the window creates a warm glow. It’s an extra oomph of happiness during your romantic evening.
3. Sci-Fi Dine-In
Image: DisneyThis restaurant doesn’t just deliver a wonderful dating experience. It recreates the standard lover pair-up from the 1950s and 1960s! Back in the day when your great-grandparents were getting down, they went to the drive-in, a place where people could *wink* watch a movie *wink, wink*.
Back then, the dating plan involved two people in tight quarters. They would get amorous the instant the movie got ridiculous. At Sci-Fi Dine-In, that’s basically every moment.
You sit in a “convertible,” which is a table dressed up to look like a hot rod. While the cars can seat four, the reality is that in the booth setup you can only hear the person sitting right beside you due to the conceit of the theming. You have the audio from the giant movie screen piped into your vehicle.
Other than the film on display, Sci-Fi Dine-In is the darkest restaurant at Walt Disney World, perfect for a romantic encounter. You and your date can quip about the awfulness of the movies on display like Cat-Women of the Moon and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. Or you can just stare into each other’s eyes in a perfect setting, one that’s been host to countless romantic encounters over the past 70 years.
2. California Grill
Image: DisneyWhen my wife and I are celebrating special anniversaries, we choose California Grill as our spot. Since we’ve been at Walt Disney World for several straight anniversaries in a row, it’s the easy call. What do we love about California Grill?
Look, I’m not a huge fan of the velvet rope mentality. I don’t get that special thrill to get let into a place where everyone else is left standing in line, waiting and anticipating. California Grill is a notable exception, and I can’t even explain why. There’s something so empowering about getting in line on the second floor then getting allowed to take the elevator to the top floor. It’s like The Claw from Toy Story has chosen me!
Realistically, the true joy of California Grill is the setting itself. Sure, the food is world-class cuisine of the highest caliber. When we eat here, however, we’re staring out the windows. The floor-to-ceiling glass panes offer an unparalleled view of Walt Disney World. On one occasion, we were delighted to discover that we thought was a bad table actually gave us a view of the fireworks display at Epcot! It’s not even the fireworks show that people visit this restaurant to see.
As most people know, California Grill is one of the best places to watch Happily Ever After. Nothing else on the Disney campus can match it in terms of paradisiacal setting for a romantic dinner. My wife and I feel like the king and queen of Disney when we eat here. What sets a mood better than that? Well…
1. Victoria & Albert’s
Image: DisneyElephant in the living room: This place isn’t even an option for a lot of people. Many folks can’t afford to spend $400 or more on a single meal. A lot of the ones who can are still financially sensitive enough to pass on the option. To them, California Grill is the best place that’s at least semi-affordable. For others, Sci-Fi Dine-In and San Angel Inn Restaurante are the perfect combination of pristine setting and affordable pricing.
For a select few, Victoria & Albert’s is the perfect dining experience. It isn’t just the best restaurant at Walt Disney World. According to TripAdvisor, it’s one of the two best restaurants in America! What kind of date wouldn’t be impressed to eat there?
This place also has something of a reputation among Disney fanatics. It’s a restaurant where someone invites their significant other to dinner in order to pop the question. Since the setting is so memorable and exclusive, it is the ultimate Disney proposal site on campus. Even if you and you’re date aren’t there yet (or have been there for a long time), all the joy of the recently engaged will spill over to your table, too!
Since Victoria & Albert’s is so exclusive, it hosts only a set number of guests each night. You and your date are guaranteed to have the preferential, deferential treatment that you’d expect at these prices. It’s also a place where black-tie fashion is in vogue, so you’ll be dressed to the nines, too! Nothing says romance like getting dressed up for a night on the town. Assuming that you have the money to burn, Victoria & Albert’s is easily the most romantic restaurant at Walt Disney World. All nine of these places will light the spark on your date, though.
