Best Disney Buffets

If you are planning a vacation with a party of big eaters, then you may want to consider an all-you-care-to-enjoy meal! Whether it’s a traditional buffet line or served family-style, Disney has different all-you-care-to-enjoy restaurants to accommodate all types of parties. 

Best Buffets for Families

Characters are the name of the game for the family-friendly category! Did you know that each Disney Character meal’s characters have different costumes? What we would give to just walk through Minnie Mouse’s Wardrobe…

Character meals are famous for having tons of child-friendly options so you can just see joy. Joy in seeing characters and no one refusing to eat! Think of approachable foods like spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, plus all of the adult options as well. 

Chef Mickey’s

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Disney’s Contemporary Resort

$55 Adult / $36 Child (3-9)

Welcome to the most iconic character dining experience in all of Walt Disney World! Mickey and the rest of the Fab Five, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto are all dressed for a hard day in the kitchen making us all our favorite Mickey waffles. How cute are those chef outfits? 

The meal itself has changed a lot after the restaurant reopened. The menu features “plated signature items” like herb-crusted New York strip loin and roasted salmon. Don’t worry, the kid’s menu still has the chicky nuggies! 

We believe that Chef Mickey’s is a must-do at some point in your Disney days, but that being said… This restaurant is very very loud. Not only is it large with tons of children, it’s in a loud area in a loud hotel. Think lots of people talking, children screaming, a monorail running through the resort, and now the ongoing construction to refurbish the rooms in the resort. If your child has any sort of sensory issues DO NOT go to Chef Mickey’s. 

For more on Chef Mickey’s see our review here

Garden Grill

EPCOT

$55 Adult / $36 Child (3-9)

Mickey and his pals are coming to greet you straight from the farm in Garden Grill. Mickey is so stinking cute in his overalls! Mickey also brought our pals, Chip and Dale! This character dining is truly unique because of its size, you will get to enjoy character interactions MULTIPLE times! Prepare yourself with things to ask and say ahead of time because you will have a lot of opportunities to chat with our favorite friends. 

Let’s talk food! The family-style meal is very fresh and simple food that everyone will love. This is a great restaurant for more than the characters, it’s an educational opportunity! Garden Grill is inside the Land building in EPCOT, right above the Living with the Land attraction. Actually, it is in the attraction. Garden Grill is actually a slow-moving rotating restaurant that rotates through the various scenes in the attraction. 

FUN FACT: The food and produce actually comes from Disney’s own agricultural program. The Living with the Land attraction is a slow moving boat ride through different alternative farming examples. This is a great attraction for people who love finding hidden Mickeys!

Tusker House Restaurant

Animal Kingdom

$55 Adult / $36 Child (3-9)

Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy are all dressed up in their safari gear ready to go on an adventure with you! Enjoy American classics prepared with some African influence. This is a great restaurant to slip into your Animal Kingdom day. You could choose a morning reservation to start your rope drop day or hop on over right after your adventure through the Kilimanjaro Safari. You have to tell Mickey everything you saw, right! 

Great Character Question: Who’s the bravest? We bet Donald will be quite adamant that he is the bravest of them all.

See our full Tusker House review here.

Hollywood & Vine

Hollywood Studios

$55 Adult / $36 Child (3-9)

Hollywood & Vine is a truly unique dining experience because the characters that you meet are different depending on the meal. If you visit during breakfast you will meet Disney Junior characters like Fancy Nancy, Vampirina, and Doc McStuffins. If you go any other time of day you will meet the glorious Fab Five. Minnie Mouse is your hostess with the mostess, and she is all about style and her friends are following her lead at Hollywood & Dine. 

Minnie, Mickey, Goofy, Daisy, and Donald get all dressed depending on the time of year! Halloween is fun to see what they will wear as Halloween costumes. Mickey as a vampire is just adorable. Our favorite seasonal dining spot is during Disney’s Christmas season (November – December) when everyone is dressed in Christmas dresses, ugly Christmas sweaters, and all of the red and green trappings! Then there is a Spring theme, a Summer theme, and a Hollywood Glamor theme. 

Hollywood & Vine was another restaurant that has had a major glow-up since the reopening. The buffet line used to be reminiscent of a high school cafeteria or a cheap wedding, (sorry, Disney, I said what I said). Now it’s a whole different story! Meals are now prix fixe meals in place of the old buffet. Of course, this is a buffet article, but since we want old fans to see how much the food has improved! Meal options include Garlic and Cracked Black Pepper Sliced Beef Tenderloin and Seared Fresh Salmon with Grain Mustard-Beurre Blanc. Far cry from chicken nuggets, huh? 

Best Buffets for Foodies

Ohana

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

$55 Adult / $33 Child (3-9)

Ohana is one of the most popular Disney restaurants, and for good reason! Not only is the food delicious and has a Polynesian spin, but it’s also unlimited! Enjoy beef, roast chicken, noodles, pot stickers, chicken wings, salad, and special Ohana Hawaiian bread. BEWARE! Don’t fill up! You want to save room for that special Ohana bread pudding for dessert!

See our full review of Ohana here.

Boma

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

$49 Adult / $29 Children (3-9)

A “boma” is an African-style hut that keeps you safe from animals. This restaurant embodies that with a replicated “thatched” roof and amazing windows looking out. Take a tour through Africa with new flavors with curries, hummus, and various spices. Guests 21 and over can also enjoy a selection of wines from South Africa. 

Read more: Review of Boma here.

Biergarten Restaurant

EPCOT

$46 Adult / $25 Children 3-9

Welcome to a place where it’s Oktoberfest every day, all year round! Break out the lederhosen and feathered hat, you’re about to get down with the alpenhorn, you know that long horn thing? We hope your lederhosen has an elastic waist because this all-you-care-to-enjoy meal is full of stick-to-your-ribs German food. You’ll enjoy dishes like sausages, spätzle, schnitzel, nudel gratin (that’s a fancy way of saying mac and cheese), and more! Don’t forget the healthy helping of beer. You are in Germany, after all! 

See our full review of Biergarten here.

Best Buffets for Picky Eaters

Every family has a picky eater. Buffets in this category have more than just chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese, but most of the food is just simple, classic, American food that everyone will love. 

The Crystal Palace

Magic Kingdom

$39 Adult / $23 Child (3-9)

** Winnie the Pooh and Friends character dining experience will return on September 20, 2022**

Be sure to check back when the characters return in September because we expect a price change when that happens. Until then, you can enjoy a solid buffet at a great price for Disney standards. 

Now, we know that you miss Pooh Bear and Eyeore, but Disney made up for it with crab legs on the buffet and even a loaded tots stations! Forget Piglet and Tigger if it means those extra features go away! 

Liberty Tree Tavern

Magic Kingdom

$39 Adult / $21 Child (3-9)

Liberty Tree Tavern is PERFECT for picky eaters young and old! Here it’s Thanksgiving 365 days a year with an all-you-care-to-enjoy Thanksgiving feast. This feast includes turkey, chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, rolls, and if you ask nicely, there’s a cranberry dish you can have, too!

Read our review of Liberty Tree Tavern here.

Budget Buffets… Yes, They Exist in Disney

All you ever hear is how expensive Disney World is, you never hear about the affordable locations! Trust us at WDW Vacation Tips, they exist! This category shows that you can enjoy a full stomach and full wallet, which is a very good feeling. 

Sebastian’s Bistro

Caribbean Beach Resort

$29 Adult / $17 Child (3-9)

Did you see that price? Look again. That means your family of 4 can have a buffet meal for under $100. Score. But what about the food? This menu features a Caribbean feast served family-style. Don’t be turned off by the idea of Caribbean-style… You will find it incredibly similar to Ohana. Don’t believe us? Just look at the dessert: “Our Celebrated House-made Coconut-Pineapple Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream”. Check out the menu for yourself, you might find that this is a better fit for your vacation than the infamous Ohana! 

See our review of Sebastian’s Bistro here.

Cape May Cafe

Disney’s Beach Club

*$25 Adult / $14 Child (3-9)*

Notice the ***? This whole list is showcasing the dinner menu, and as far as dinner goes, Cape May Cafe is cost-wise comparable to other meals around Disney, but the breakfast buffet is a perfect budget-friendly meal! Picture it, you want the family to get up early to rope drop, so treat them to unlimited Mickey waffles to get them started for the day!

See our review of Cape May here.