Dining in Downtown Disney & More

A Guide to the Best Eateries in Downtown Disney & the Disney Resorts

Jul 3, 2008

Some the best Disney World restaurants are located in Downtown Disney and the Disney resorts. These eateries are ideal for anyone who appreciates good food.

Downtown Disney

Located in the Marketplace district is the Wolfgang Puck Express restaurant. Wolfgang Puck Express is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and serves everything from omelets (at breakfast, of course) to gourmet personal-size pizzas. With all entrees costing around $10, the menu items at the Wolfgang Puck Express are much cheaper (and somewhat less esoteric) than those found at Wolfgang Puck's Dining Room restaurant located in Downtown Disney's West Side.

One of the best sandwich restaurants you will ever find is also located in Downtown Disney’s Marketplace: The Earl of Sandwich. The Earl of Sandwich restaurant (named for the man who invented the sandwich in 1762) serves salads, wraps, and terrific hot sandwiches. These sandwiches cost $5.75 each and the menu includes everything from meatball subs to tuna melts to hot Hawaiian barbeque.

For delicious Cajun-inspired dishes, try the West Side's House of Blues restaurant for lunch or dinner. The House of Blues provides charming, bayou-like ambiance and serves steaks, seafood, pasta, gumbo, and more. Most entrees run between $15 and $25. Just watch out for hot peppers in certain dishes!

For dessert, stop off at the Ghiradelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop, also in the Marketplace district. Ice cream cones, malts, and specialty sundaes cost between four and eight dollars, although the giant, eight-scoop Earthquake sundae is priced at $24.95. The Ghiradelli shop is worth stopping at for the ultra-rich hot fudge alone.

Resort Restaurants

Some of the best Disney dining can be done at Disney Resort restaurants. Try the Kona Café located in The Polynesian Resort. This restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the dinner menu is particularly good. It features appetizers like crab cakes, pot stickers, and shrimp and coconut curry soup. Dinner entrees, which run between fifteen and thirty dollars, include fillet mignon, pan Asian noodles, and a shrimp and scallop platter. There is also a sushi bar and an amazing dessert menu.

The restaurant Boma, located in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, is famous for its breakfast and dinner buffets. The dinner buffet is particularly impressive, serving kid-friendly fare like macaroni and cheese as well as exciting, exotic options for adults; Moroccan seafood salad, traditional African stews, and sweet potato pancakes are only a few menu items. The buffet is not cheap, however; adult admission is about $27, and kids cost about $13 each.

If you're looking for high-quality American fare, check out the Beach Club Resort’s restaurant Beaches and Cream. (The Beach Club Resort is located right outside EPCOT's World Showcase.) This ‘50s diner-style restaurant serves great burgers and shakes, and sundaes.

There are many more places in Disney where slightly more sophisticated palates can find great meals (see Le Cellier Steakhouse), and many places where people of all ages and tastes can find something yummy (see The Crystal Palace). Be sure to research all of Disney's dining options in advance. For more details on any Disney restaurant, try the unofficial Disney website www.allears.net.

And remember to make reservations at any of the above restaurants, as they tend to fill up quickly. Happy dining!

The copyright of the article Dining in Downtown Disney & More in Florida Travel is owned by Emily Caswell. Permission to republish Dining in Downtown Disney & More in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.