18 Best Restaurants in Walt Disney World Orlando, Florida

Boma takes Western-style ingredients and prepares them with an African twist. You walk through an African marketplace–style dining room to help yourself at counters piled high with flavor from an upscale buffet like no other. The dozen or so serving stations have entrées such as roasted pork, Durban-style chicken, spice-crusted beef, and fish served with tamarind and other robust sauces; intriguing salads; and some of the best hummus this side of the Atlantic. Don't pass up the soups (the coconut-curry seafood stew is particularly good). The zebra dome dessert is chocolate mousse covered with white chocolate and striped with dark chocolate. For a more relaxed breakfast experience, book a table for before 9:30 am; Boma gets crowded quickly. 

This complex of three restaurants is a haven of authentic Italian cuisine served up by two internationally known chefs (though the Disney "story" tells of an immigrant Italian couple who convert the Disney Springs Air Terminal into the eateries). Maria & Enzo's offers fine Italian cuisine in a sophisticated setting; neighboring Pizza Ponte has pizza by the slice, Italian pastries, and belly-filling sandwiches; Enzo's Hideaway, set in a former cast-access tunnel, serves classic dishes seldom seen in Florida, like fried artichokes and house-cured antipasti.

Most of the flavors are from India, yet Sanaa is really a celebration of the Spice Islands—locales off the coast of Africa that, for centuries, enticed traders from the world's corners. Exotic yet approachable lunches and dinners make it a true find on the outer edges of the Disney empire; views of zebras and giraffes on the savanna right out the picture windows are another draw. Potato-pea samosas are good starters. For the main course, try the tandoori chicken or the potjie-inspired meal, a bowl with a mix of a protein and unique base. This is the only sit-down restaurant open for lunch at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. There is a reservations-only Dine with an Animal Specialist program consisting of a four-course meal and fascinating company.

Disney characters delight guests throughout the day at this sprawling, though dainty, lobby restaurant. Mary Poppins and friends join guests during the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast, posing for pics while cheerful tunes are played on an antique organ called Big Bertha, and the buffet features omelets made to order. Midday, the Mad Hatter reigns at the Wonderland Tea Party, for kids only. "Tea" consists of apple juice and cupcakes served by Alice and a very silly Hatter. Dress-up is encouraged but not required. Games and stories fill the hour for the 25 attendees from 4 to 12, who leave with an autographed photo. Dinner is home to Cinderella’s Happily Ever After Dinner, a buffet of worldly cuisine complete with Cinderella, Prince Charming, and their family (including wicked steps) making the rounds.

With the feel of a New England seafood house—the type your grandma might enjoy—this bustling spot in the Beach Club Resort features popular buffet meals. For breakfast, Minnie and other cast classics visit tables while families help themselves to American classics from waffles to sausage links from the buffet. In the evening, seafood is the star of the show. Instead of characters, diners dote on a turf platter of slow-roasted strip loin or a seafood boil with mussels, clams, shrimp, and a catch of the day.

The fact that the Disney monorail zooms overhead right through the Contemporary Resort, and that Mickey, Minnie, or Goofy hangs around for breakfast and dinner, would be enough to make it popular, but the food here is surprisingly good. Chef Mickey's is shiny and bright, offering a breakfast and brunch that includes banana bread French toast, potato-cheese casserole, and the "Celebration" Mickey pancake. The family-style dinner doesn't disappoint either with prime rib, roasted salmon, potato gnocchi, and a Mickey Mouse Dome for dessert. A large selection of specialty cocktails is available for the grown-ups.

Family-style dinner fare is served here as the restaurant revolves, giving you an ever-changing backstage view of the Living with the Land boat ride. Offering quantity over quality, the restaurant serves all-you-can-eat meals with visits from Chip ’n’ Dale, Pluto, and occasionally Mickey. Typical choices include beef, turkey, and a sustainable fish with trimmings, beer and wine selections, plus kiddie favorites like mac and cheese and oven-roasted chicken drumsticks.  Except for the princess meals in Norway, this is the only EPCOT restaurant that has Disney character meet and greets during meals.

This hangar bay transformed into a quick-service-restaurant by Chef Strono “Cookie” Tuggs serves out-of-this world meals. Try the braised beef stir fry or the fried chicken tip yip with roasted vegetables. Those with egg or gluten allergies will find multiple options here, and if the line looks overwhelming, order online with the My Disney Experience app.

With twinkling lights draped on its oversize, 25-foot, signature tree, this restaurant, designed to evoke New York's Central Park, specializes in character meals. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night, guests dine on classic American fare like prime rib while Goofy and his buddies make their rounds. Seafood buffets are featured Thursday through Sunday evening. Weekend mornings, Pluto leads the fray as families fuel up on day starters from raisin bread French toast to a create-your-own omelet station. The restaurant is open for lunch but without characters.

Disney’s Perfectly Princess Tea Party is afternoon tea at its grandest as children ages 3 to 9 enjoy the royal treatment. Dressing up is encouraged, and an early 9 am meal, featuring tea and sandwiches, is served on china plates (apple juice, peanut butter, and ham-and-cheese sandwiches for the kids; cheeses and finger sandwiches for adults). Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty herself) may make an appearance. Little ones receive a special Princess Aurora doll, jewelry and a tiara, a princess bag, and a photo scrapbook page—a nice parting gift considering the hefty cost ($333.64 for one adult and one child, additional children are $234.08). From noon to 4 pm daily, the space serves a traditional afternoon tea.

Na'vi-inspired treats, such as pineapple cream cheese spring rolls and giant pretzels, can be found here. But what kids will love is the Night Blossom, a limeade topped with passionfruit boba. Pongu Pongu also offers breakfast, so if you find yourself deep into the park without having stopped to eat, grab some French toast sticks here.

Under the leadership of Neapolitan chef Fabrizio Schenardi, Ravello is a chic, modern Italian restaurant after dark. Hand-tossed pizzas emerge from the oven—perhaps finished with house-made ricotta, arugula, and truffle oil. The pastas might be familiar or ambitious, like ravioli made with veal, spinach, and wild mushrooms. And the entrées are simple yet hearty, such as a 16-ounce, dry-aged rib eye in Fabrizio's special rub or veal roulade in marsala sauce. In the morning, the dining room is fresh and bright, perfect for a buffet or à la carte breakfast. On select mornings, it's also the backdrop for a Good Morning Breakfast with Goofy & Pals character meal. The $46 adult/$24 kid price tag includes a buffet with an omelet station plus a pic of each guest with Goofy.

If you're looking for a quick meal in Galaxy's Edge, this is the place. Among the meats that have been "roasted over a pod racer engine," you'll find pork rinds, roasted pork, and vegetable wraps. Groups who just want a small bite should consider the snack sampler in a droid bucket. Those who rushed straight for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run will be happy to know they can pick up breakfast here between flights.

Featuring fantastic views of the resort and EPCOT, this pricey restaurant on the 10th floor of the Riviera Resort is one the best on Disney property. In the evening, try rigatoni, linguine, and other handcrafted pastas or the traditional bouillabaisse or tomahawk veal chop; at breakfast, enjoy a family-style character meal. While you indulge in sour cream waffles, spiced sausage hash, or wood-fired butcher's steak, Mickey and friends come right to your table. 

This restaurant melds old and new, with the cozy decor of a traditional Italian home and a menu of Italian-American dishes refreshed for today's tastes. Share a pizza topped with prosciutto, salami, sausage, and capicola, or indulge in wood-fired swordfish salmoriglio. Other entrées include veal osso buco, chicken parmigiana, and truffle gnocchi. All the wines are from Italy, and you can finish your meal with a grappa, a limoncello, or some tiramisu.

A lunch box meal never tasted so good! The turkey sandwich comes with tomato-basil soup, and the BBQ Brisket Melt has a deliciously tangy sauce, but the grilled three-cheese sandwich is so popular that Disney has actually shared the recipe on its website. Splurge on the adorable alien slipper cup for your drink.

The chefs at this New England–themed steak house are proud of their high-quality, aged beef, which is hand-cut on site and can be seen mellowing in a glass-enclosed butcher shop near the entryway. Although not easy on the wallet, dishes such as the 12-ounce New York strip with peppercorn-brandy sauce and truffle mac and cheese are quite tasty. Other options include porterhouse, prime rib, and filet mignon, as well as seafood dishes like lobster bisque or golden tilefish. Nice selections of dessert wines and scotches round out the menu.

This Polynesian-themed restaurant offers two thoroughly entertaining, though incredibly different, experiences. Early in the day, the Best Friends Breakfast with Lilo & Stitch is destination-worthy; by night you'll find a Hawaiian-theme dinner. The intergalactic Stitch and a human sidekick join families for the morning meal, and Mickey and Pluto join in periodically while kids parade around the restaurant with maracas and wide grins. At night, the restaurant serves family-style, all-you-can-eat Hawaiian specialties and lots of meat, dumplings, and signature 'Ohana bread. The kids have coconut-rolling contests using brooms, and even dads are known to try out the hula hoops between courses.