Food Park by Park (Part 1)

Disney World is the perfect place to indulge!  When visiting the parks there are so many food options that it can be hard to know where the good food is.  Many park-goers settle for eating burgers and pizza, but I tell you there are so many better options out there.

This the first of a 4 part series talking about the different food at each park.  So we have to start off with Magic Kingdom.  There are so many better options than eating at Cosmic Rays or the Lunching Pad.
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There really aren't any bad options in Disney, but I like to eat more than just your basic theme park food.

Snacks!

Don't get me wrong, buying a popcorn bucket is great way to snack around the park.  If your family loves popcorn then it is a great investment for the refills.  We do enjoy our mini corndogs and mickey-shaped pretzels with the cheese dip.  But I want more!

Magic Kingdom is my favorite park for snacks and treats.  Rather than stop for a sit down meal, there are many great places to grab a quick bite.

Sleepy Hollow is the best place for your fried foods! Every item is fried up fresh when you order it.  In the mornings they have their Fresh Fruit and Nutella Waffles and full-sized Mickey Waffles.  Don't forget the funnel cakes.

The rest of the day you can find hand-dipped corn dogs and my favorite lunch item:  The sweet and spicy chicken and waffle sandwich.  Sleepy Hollow also freshly fries their own potato chips.  These will always beat out grabbing a burger or pizza.

Nearby you can also find the iconic Turkey Leg, which has always been a skip for my family.

Of course we have to bring up Dole Whip.  Found at Aloha Isle in Adventureland, the Pineapple soft-serve is a classic.  Angie loves the original, but I prefer the Coconut Dole Whip whenever it is available.

You can get the soft-serve by itself, swirled, or as a float, usually in pineapple juice.  Flavors rotate every so often so keep an eye out for what new delights are available.

That coconut dole whip in pineapple juice is just, <} chef's kiss!

Many of the bakeries are loaded up with specialty cupcakes.  They are very pretty and great for pictures but it's just a cupcake.  Buttercream frosting on a cupcake can only go so far to impress me.

Most of the rice krispy treats aren't very good, even when dipped in chocolate.  There are a few more treats I'd rather enjoy than spend my money on these. 

Instead I'd head over to the Cheshire Cat Cafe and grab a few of these.  The Cheshire Cat Tails are flakey chocolate croissant-like twists with a light drizzle of pink and purple.  They are pretty tasty and an overall better pastry.

Look for these near the Tea Cup rides in Fantasyland.

Gaston's Tavern has a couple of staples.  A few of the treats rotate in and out but these two are always on the menu.  The LeFou's Brew is a Frozen Apple Juice with a hint of Toasted Marshmallow and topped with All-Natural Passion Fruit-Mango Foam, which is really refreshing when it's hot out.

The enormous Cinnamon Roll isn't my favorite but is definitely a crowd pleaser..  We always ask for extra frosting, which they give you in a little cup.  I recommend saving that frosting for the bottom half as it tends to get a bit dry toward the bottom.

The Spring Roll cart has some unique snacks.  The springs rolls are loaded with unconventional fillings such as Pepperoni Pizza or Cheeseburger.  Sometimes there will be new flavors added in like Philly Cheesesteak or Pastrami.  Each comes with a dipping sauce, like marinara.

​The Spring Roll cart is only open on weekends and can be found near the bridge to Adventureland.

Sit Down Options

There are a lot of fans of Pecos Bill or Pinocchio Village Haus, but I've never been too impressed with their menus.  If you head to Tomorrowland you can also find the Lunching Pad and Cosmic Rays but these are also lackluster.

Now if you are looking for some of the nicer signature dining experiences in Disney you'll need to make a reservation.

The two BIG reservations that many fans are looking for is Cinderella's Royal Table and Be Our Guest.  Honestly the food in both locations is good, but I wouldn't call them amazing. 

You are mostly there for the experience of eating in the Beast's Castle or meeting some princesses over at Cinderella's.  They are very pretty, but the food isn't the focus.

The Crystal Palace is a buffet style restaurant that features Winnie the Pooh and his friends.  The food is better than most buffets at breakfast and lunch/dinner.  If I'm looking for a character meal with better food options, this would be my pick.

​Plus you get Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore coming around for pictures.

Tony's Town Square Restaurant is pretty standard Italian food.  Pizza and Pasta with garlic bread.  I know they've updated the menu since I've last been there, but we were pretty underwhelmed.

I'm willing to give this place another shot since the update, but i'm hoping for more than the Olive Garden with Lady and the Tramp vibes.

Last on our list is Skipper's Canteen.  The food wasn't bad here.  Maybe we didn't pick the best options on the menu but I was picking up P.F. Chang impressions.  This is another restaurant that I'll try again at some point.  The atmosphere and hokey dad jokes from the cast members really make me want to give this one another shot.

Because we go to Magic Kingdom often enough, we usually just eat on the go and enjoy our snacks.  But sometimes you just want a nice sit-down meal.  Enjoy your food and some air conditioning while giving your feet a rest.

Magic Kingdom is always a must for any Disney going family!  These snacks should be enough to peak the interest of any would-be Disney foodie.

Of course the are always new specialty or limited-time offerings that are fantastic, but you can't always count on those being available on your trip.  So I tried to cover the items that are always available.

Not every item served at Disney is FANTASTIC, but there are some sure winners here.  Keep following us for more food tips in the next blog installments.

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