Disney Food & Snacks Worth the Splurge!
Welcome to my blog! Here you'll find some of our absolute favorite Disney Snacks! But before we dive into that, here are a couple quick tips!
BEFORE YOU GO:
DINING ALERTS: Quick Tip! Sign up for Dining Alerts if you weren't able to snag the restaurant you wanted. We booked our vacation about a month out so we didn't get to making dining reservations 60 days out. We used StakeOut and the Dining Alert apps, and the Stakeout app actually worked for us as we got into Akershus for a character dinner with the princesses! Many times a few days before your trip, there will be lots of people that cancel their reservations as many people make more than they need at first, so you may be able to snag something a few days before or even the day of! Check out even more of my tried and true "Disney (MUST READ) Tips & Tricks!" to make your vacation go as smoothly as possible and learn some of our Disney hacks!
DISNEY FOOD & SNACKS:
DISCLAIMER: Obviously food preference is quite subjective, but wanted to share some of our favs while we were at Disney. We didn't have a chance to try as much as we hoped as we were wrangling 2 little kids and trying to appease them with the food selections, but we still found some gems! We also brought a lot of snacks with us (as impromptu ready-to-go snacks will be your best friend with toddlers) but we still wanted to try some of the Disney classics. Now does some of the food taste even better because you're hot, sweaty, starving, and the Disney special touches make them taste more magical? Maybe, but we still enjoyed quite a few treats! I made a list of some of our favorite Disney Food & Snacks!
MAGIC KINGDOM:
BEAST'S CASTLE: This was our first character dining meal. The food here was quite tasty (loved the French onion soup too!), but we went at 11AM so our kids weren't hungry since they just filled up on Dole Whip. So I shouldn't have been surprised when my daughter didn't touch her filet entree as she just "wasn't hungry and had a tummy ache..." but somehow she managed to get her money's worth out of the dessert course... #kids We even got to see the Beast twice which was a win in my book! There are 3 dining rooms, but make sure to walk around and see the other rooms as well as it's fun to see the "snow falling" out the main dining room windows, the rotating Belle & Beast dancing figurine, and the Beast's rose and the "thunderstorm" in the West Wing too! Watching the kids reactions as we walked into the castle, checked out the rooms, and saw the Beast was by far the best part! Overall, I'm glad we did this!
Another favorite part was the kids' dessert sampler as they got to "paint" Chip the Teacup for dessert. They had a blast painting and eating this!
SPRING ROLL SNACK CART: This is at the entrance into Adventureland (if coming from circle in front of the castle). You're either going to love or hate these. My husband and I liked the cheeseburger spring rolls but we also were quite famished. Out kids weren't fans though, but I do have some major picky eaters on our hands so I wasn't surprised.
DOLE WHIP: We loved the Pineapple Swirl Dole Whip and Tropical Serenade Float at Aloha Isle (near Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride) so much we had it twice on our trip.
CASEY'S CORNER: We didn't actually try this spot, but Margy (our Disney planner from Main Street Vacation Planners) gave us a great tip. If you plan on watching the parade or fireworks and need some munchies, have someone wait and hold the spot while another person takes the kiddos to grab some food here (to avoid everyone waiting around for an hour) to bring back to your spot, as it's fast, easy, and the corn dogs are usually a hit with the kiddos!
CINDERELLA'S CASTLE: This was another character meal on our list but we didn't get a reservation in time. Although pricey, this is one of the few ways to actually get inside Cinderella's castle, so if that is high on your list, then it may be worth it! We did get a few notifications on the StakeOut app for this, but we had already made plans by the time the alerts came. Something to look forward to next time!
COLUMBIA HARBOUR HOUSE: If some seafood sounds up your alley, try the Grilled Salmon or a Lobster Roll!
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS:
TOTCHOS: By far one of my favorite foods at Disney. Just try them at Andy's Lunchbox in Toy Story Land. We may have been extra hungry, but they were amazing and everyone in our family loved them! If you order them on the mobile app and there is a long wait, you can go stand in line and ask them if they can possibly move up the order. They were able to do this for us so we didn't have to wait 45 minutes which meant moving on to the next part of the park! The kids also ordered the Chocolate Hazelnut & Raspberry Lunch Box Tarts and liked them, but I wasn't a huge fan. If I had to pick, I'd go with the chocolate hazelnut though.
HOLLYWOOD & VINE: We did the dining show package and had great character experiences here, and the Fantasmic show was awesome. It was a little scary for our 2 and 4 year old so we just let them snuggle and not watch the scary parts, but it was very entertaining. The buffet at Hollywood & Vine had a lot of choices for the semi adventurous eater as well as the picky eater alike.
ICE CREAM CARTS: If you have little ones, they will get a kick out of these classic Mickey shaped ice cream bars.
FAIRFAX FARE: Try out the Chicken & Waffle Bowls at Fairfax Fare on Sunset Blvd strip.
EPCOT:
FISH & CHIPS: Just try the fish and chips at Yorkshire Country Fish Shop in the England World Showcase in Epcot (Maybe I was just starving, but I thought it was by far the BEST fish and chips I've ever had and I lived in England for a summer. They taste WAY better than they look!
TANGIERINE CAFE: This was located in the Morocco World Showcase. The food is so fresh and so good!
AKERSHUS: This was our 2nd character meal located in the Norway World Showcase. The food was actually decent, but obviously we came for the princesses. It's traditional Norwegian fare (salmon and meatballs were the main entree), but they have kid-friendly options that are served too like the mac and cheese and corn dogs. My kids actually preferred the salmon though so who knows! My hubs and I thought it was both good and I loved the meatballs! It's served family style and you can get more of something if you'd like. I wasn't a huge fan of the desserts but they were interesting and still fun to try regardless! The princesses can change, but we saw Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Tiana, & Snow White!
ROSE & CROWN: Located in the England World Showcase. Always a crowd pleaser. I haven't heard anyone say they've ever had a bad experience here.
BRUNCHCOT: This was my favorite Flower & Garden festival booth. The prices were reasonable too! The Fried Cinnamon Roll Bites and Avocado Toast were amazing, but the other options looked delicious too! The Cinnamon Roll Bites taste WAY better than they look (I had them rolling around in a box in the stroller and had eaten one before I thought to take a pic) and are filled with a delicious magical cream cheese filling.
SOMMERFEST: Traditional German fare located in the Germany Pavilion. Try a brat, German beer, and the Pretzel Bread Pudding (pretzel bread pudding is less than $5)!
KARAMEL KUCHE: Located in the Germany Pavilion. You can't go wrong with a caramel apple, the caramel butter bar, or some caramel popcorn!
ANIMAL KINGDOM:
We didn't make it to Animal Kingdom this trip as we went to Magic Kingdom twice, but this was the favorite from a few friends:
YAK & YETI: Our friends loved Yak and Yeti Quick Service in Animal Kingdom and said it was in the top 4 places they tried.
TUSKER HOUSE: Friends and Margy (our Disney planner) told us this is great for a character meal, and it's easier to get into than most of the other character meals which is nice for the procrastinators of the world.
SATU'LI CANTEEN: I've also heard good things about this place, so it will be on the list for next trip. I've heard the Cheeseburger Pods are the thing to get here!
DISNEY SPRINGS:
We didn't have a chance to go to Disney Springs on this trip, but I've had friends that went and loved it. A few things they enjoyed:
THE BOATHOUSE: Friends raved about this restaurant so it's on our list for a future trip.
AMPHICAR TOUR: I know, this is not a restaurant, but it's worth mentioning if you're at Disney Springs. It's a tour in amphibious car. How cool is that?! Go at sunset if possible.
GIDEON'S BAKERY: Try their famous cookies
T REX CAFE: Think Rainforest Cafe but with dinos. Food may not be stellar, but it's the experience right?!
MARKETPLACE SNACKS: Try the Bubble Waffles (around $9).
RESORT RESTAURANTS:
CHEF MICKEY'S AT THE CONTEMPORARY RESORT: We didn't get a chance to dine here either but friends love the character interactions here with Mickey and friends. They also love that you can watch the Monorail come and go.
ROARING FORK AT WILDERNESS LODGE: Try the delicious pastries at Roaring Fork in Wilderness Lodge. Try a Bear Claw, Magic Layer Bar, Campfire Cupcake, or any of their other goodies!
CITRICOS AT THE GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT: Upscale dining, inspired after the Mary Poppins remake. Dress code required.
PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER RESORT: Try Mickey's Beignets at Skat's Cat Club and you won't be disappointed!
THREE RIDGES BAR & GRILL AT CORONADO SPRINGS: Try the Warm Manchego & Oaxaca Cheese Dip and Sangria Flight ($22). Reasonable prices, Great food and sit by the water and no need for reservations. Just walk up and order food.
CAPTAIN COOK'S AT THE POLYNESIAN: For breakfast, try the Tonga Toast (Battered deep fried banana stuffed sour dough with cinnamon sugar).
Thanks for reading! Just for fun, here's one of my FAVORITE tips and souvenirs we brought with us (just the White Picture Frame Mats that we had the characters autograph). We have one for each kid and one for us!
For some of my BEST tips and tricks to make your Disney trip go as smoothly as possible, check out "Disney (MUST READ) Tips & Tricks!" as well as "Disney: Buy BEFORE you Go! Save $, Create more Magic!"
