Disney Springs has become the Mecca for Disney dining and shopping with over 65 restaurants. With so many places to choose from, how do you choose where to spend your money (and stomach space)? Well, we are here to help! Let’s dig into our list of the best places to eat at Disney Springs.
TABLE SERVICE THROWDOWNS!
Best Table Service with Kids: T-REX
The T-REX restaurant will help your kids live out their dino-loving dreams! There are different themed areas in the restaurant to enjoy, though our favorite is the Ice Age room where the walls subtly change color. Be prepared to hear some roars! The theming is strong throughout the restaurant and the food is good, though not super exciting, but the kids will like it. It’s very much rocking an Applebee’s vibe menu.
Worst Table Service with Kids: Rainforest Cafe
There are Rainforest Cafes all over the country. Chances are that you have seen one somewhere else. Part of the reason that it’s considered the worst restaurant is because you can go to one just like this somewhere else. The rainforest theme is heavy throughout this restaurant and there are some cool rain and thunderstorm simulations every 15 minutes, but after seeing amazingly lifelike Disney animatronics on your Disney vacation, these ones are going to just seem lame. Pair that with a high price tag for “meh” food, and you have some regrets.
Best Table Service for Date Night: Wine Bar George
Have all the fancy of a wine cellar-style restaurant without the pretentiousness! Enjoy a perfectly paired meal by Master Sommelier George Miliotes. The restaurant serves more than 140 wines by the bottle, glass, or by the ounce! Note that this is a small plate menu, so this is perfect for pairing a small glass to different foods. Dinner can be as light or as heavy as you want it to be!
Worst Table Service for Date Night: STK Orlando
If you like to pay between $50 – $100 for a steak and NOT include the sides, then you might enjoy STK Orlando. No joke, after paying for an extremely expensive steak, you need to pay extra for the sides. We’re talking $18 for tater tots… I better have enough tots to Scrooge McDuck dive into them.
The price isn’t the only reason why we say this is the worst date spot in Disney Springs – STK Orlando has a strong nightclub vibe, especially when the sun goes down. If you want to gaze into the eyes of your date and scream over the sound of lil’ John and 50 Cent, then this is your vibe. STK Orlando would be a fun spot for something like a bachelorette party.
Best Table Service for Entertainment: The Edison
Who doesn’t love a well-themed restaurant?? The Edison delivers as soon as you walk in with a strong Steampunk vibe. But when the sun goes down, The Edison becomes very unDisney. We’re talking burlesque dancers! Yes! There are burlesque dancers in Disney Springs after 9:00 and we’re here for it! Side note: burlesque dancing is sexy but not risque. Don’t worry, there is no stripping on Disney property! That being said, this crowd is strictly 21 and over.
Worst Table Service for Entertainment: Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant
Let’s be clear, the entertainment at Raglan Road is amazing! But… Why is this the worst? Frankly, someone had to come in second! The Irish Step Dancers of Raglan Road are former Lord of the Step River Dancers! (Remember them?) It is absolutely mesmerizing to watch, but some of those tables are a little close to those crazy fast-moving feet.
Best Table Service for a Little Fried Somethin’ Somethin’: Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’
Chef Art Smith is Oprah’s former personal chef and he has become famous worldwide for his fried chicken. You wouldn’t think that a fried chicken restaurant would be a hard reservation to snag, but the secrets have gotten out that everything on the menu is out of this world! Just don’t check the calories… Calories on vacation don’t count!
Worst Table Service for a Little Fried Something: Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood is an awesome gem of a place for movie buffs and history nerds who can’t get enough of museums. This is unlike any other museum you will see unless you frequently see the actual dress worn by Judy Garland in the Wizard of Oz. In past visits, we have seen props and costumes from major movies like The Hunger Games, the Rocky movies, Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and Titanic! But the restaurant itself is pretty meh.
The seating is really tight and like you, everyone is trying to look at all the memorabilia so there will be strangers hovering around your table. The restaurant is pretty loud and the food is okay, but pretty expensive. We did like that if you purchase a cocktail with a souvenir glass you can pick up a brand new glass in the gift shop instead of taking the sticky glass from your dinner.
QUICK SERVICE!
Best Quick Service with Kids: Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza
It’s a well-known fact that if kids get to help with the meal they are more likely to eat it, and what kid doesn’t like pizza? Blaze is a chain-style quick service that makes pizza just the way you like it. Imagine pizza in a Subway-style setup.
Worst Quick Service with Kids: Morimoto Asia Street Food
Unless the kid you are dining with is a teenager or a small child with an adventurous palate, this menu will roll over like a fart in church. This isn’t like takeout, it’s higher-end Asian quick service with items like Ginger Chicken Ramen and Spicy Kimchi Ramen. Nothing says child-friendly like fermented cabbage!
Best Quick Service for Fried Food: Chicken Guy
Sometimes you’re just hankering for some good fried food. Chicken Guy obviously has chicken, but what you’re really here for are the sauces! With over 20 to choose from you can create a sauce adventure! Get your chicken strips, but also get a few orders of fries and just go to town trying something new!
Worst Quick Service for Fried Food: Daily Poutine
We love a good poutine (full disclosure: your writer here is from the Buffalo/Canada border area). The Daily Poutine puts out not only good original poutine but other interesting hearty combinations as well. Our issue is the price-to-quantity ratio. The Daily Poutine just doesn’t give a large enough portion to really make it worthwhile. It’s hard to pay $10 for something the size of a small taster plate.
Best Quick Service for Dessert: Amorette’s Patisserie
Your day will go from plain ol’ shopping day to bougie real fast after ordering from Amorette’s Patisserie. Even the name feels fancy! Their desserts are beautiful and delicious, and some of them are straight-up iconic. In addition to fancy mini cakes and pastries, this is the home to iconic Mickey mousse dome cakes. For us, a Disney World vacation only officially begins after your first bite of a Mickey dome cake from Amorette’s.
Worst Quick Service for Dessert: Goofy’s Candy Company
Goofy’s Candy Company is a really fun place to go. It sells super sweet glaciers and create your own cookie, rice cereal treats, and marshmallow treats. If this was the only sweet shop in town we would be all over it, but with so many amazing bakeries in Disney Springs, these cute rice cereal creations just can’t hold up! Think of it this way… Goofy’s Candy Company was also competing against places like Gideon’s Bakehouse, Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC, Sprinkles, and Everglazed.
Best Quick Service for Ice Cream: Marketplace Snacks
It’s true that sometimes Marketplace Snacks are just kind of, well, boring, but other times the menu is on point! Our favorite Disney Springs snack, the peppermint nachos, came from Marketplace Snacks, and now we are stoked to see the Fab Five represented in sundaes! Okay, that’s not fair to just call them sundaes… These are bubble waffle sundaes where the bubbles themselves are also Mickeys! There are currently bubble waffle sundaes to represent Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto.
Worst Quick Service for Ice Cream: Haagen-Dazs Kiosk at Disney Springs West Side
Is there really such a thing as bad ice cream? Ok, sometimes there are questionable flavors, (we’re side-eyeing you, Salt and Straw), but really the worst thing that can happen is it just be boring. You’re in Walt Disney World, the place where dreams come true! You don’t want basic ice cream and fudge that you can buy at the grocery store. You want something fun, amazing, and over the top! That’s why you’ll be pretty disappointed at the Haagen-Dazs Kiosk. There’s nothing fancy. Nothing flashy. Good ice cream, but there are a lot of options competing for your attention.
Want to know more about snacking around Disney Springs, check out our article here.
What are your best and worst of Disney Springs? Tell us in the comments!
I am a mother of three that has refused to grow up. Adulting is for the birds, so I go to Disney World every chance I get for that magical escape from reality. I believe that Haunted Mansion is the best ride in all of the Disney Parks, and I am fervently in team Happily Ever After for fireworks spectaculars, (sorry, not sorry, Enchanted). Finally, I hope I never grow tired of skipping down Main Street, USA, and my dream come true would be “friends with” the Fairy Godmother in my old age.
