Walt Disney World has so many restaurants to chose from, it can be overwhelming trying to decide where to get lunch!
There are two different types of restaurants at Walt Disney World - quick service and table service. Quick service restaurants are similar to fast food and casual dining places. You order your food at the cash register, pick it up, and go. Table service restaurants, on the other hand, are a bit fancier. You'll have a waiter take you to your table and your order will be brought out to you.
Magic Kingdom has many great table service locations, so I decided to narrow them down to my top five favorites:
5. Tony’s Town Square Restaurant
This may be a controversial take, but I love Tony’s! Previous reviews have said the food is overpriced and poorly cooked. Thankfully, the restaurant seems to have redeemed itself after a recent menu revamp. You are paying for the experience, like a lot of other Disney restaurants.
Tony’s is immaculately themed. This is the restaurant where Lady and the Tramp had their iconic spaghetti kiss. This restaurant perfectly blends the theming of Main Street and the movie. Just outside of the restaurant, you’ll find a heart with some paw prints drawn in the concrete. The inside is elegantly designed, with thick red curtains, vintage chandeliers, and white trimming on the walls - everything you’d expect a 1900s building to be decorated with. The lobby has TV with the movie playing on repeat and cushy chairs for people to sit. On the walls of the restaurant, you’ll find pictures of Lady and the Tramp and there are old-timey street lamps on some of the booths. In the center of the dining room is a water fountain featuring a statue of Lady and the Tramp. This statue is one of the most iconic Walt Disney World pictures to get.
Tony’s is also in an excellent location. You can dine outside on the porch or inside near the porch windows. This will give you beautiful views of Main Street. If you eat during noon or 3pm, you’ll even get to watch the Festival of Fantasy parade floats go by as you eat. When I dined here during Christmas, we had a gorgeous view of the Magic Kingdom Christmas tree.
The food at Tony’s is nothing spectacular, but it is still satisfactory. There are basic Italian-style foods here - pasta, salad, and cannolis. If you want to go all-in on the Lady and the Tramp experience, you can order the spaghetti and meatballs. The garlic bread is always good, and the chicken parmigiana isn’t bad. Again, the food here is more of a backdrop to the theming and location.
This would rank higher on my list if the prices were a little cheaper or if there were more food options.
4. Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen
The Skipper Canteen has received consistent excellent reviews since it opened in late 2015, and for good reason! The food here is very good, and is inspired by Asian and African cuisines. Those with less adventurous pallets may find this menu a bit intimidating. I personally find the dessert menu to be just south of a hit. But the higher quality food does place this a spot above Tony’s.
Like Tony’s the main draw for this restaurant is the theming. Disney parks nerds will lose their minds. This restaurant is themed after the SEA, or the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. Notable members include characters found in attraction lore - Dr. Albert Falls from the Jungle Cruise, Harrison Hightower III from the Tower of Terror, and Barnabas T. Bullion from Big Thunder Mountain. There are tidbits linked to the SEA scattered throughout the restaurant, and Disney parks fans eat here just to see the SEA.
3. Crystal Palace
This ranking is specifically for breakfast, because I have not been to the Crystal Palace for lunch or dinner yet. But I do love Disney breakfast.
The Crystal Palace is located on Main Street, near Adventureland. It is themed after a greenhouse. This location is particularly popular for breakfast because if you make your reservation early enough, you will be able to enter the park before anybody else. This is the hack to getting flawless pictures of Cinderella Castle without the crowds and other random people in the background.
The Crystal Palace is also a character meal. Winnie the Pooh characters like Piglet, Eyesore, Tigger, and the silly old bear himself. The characters will come around to your table and you can get pictures and autographs without having to wait in line. This no-line character experience is reflected in the price of the meal.
Food is served buffet-style. At breakfast, you can expect to find eggs, bacon, pastries, fruit, and the classic Mickey waffles. Lots of families like to fill up on breakfast here and do a light lunch. If you have an early reservation, you can arrive in the park before anyone else, meaning you can skip the lines at the front gates. And because you don’t need to spend time eating lunch at a restaurant, you can just grab a snack and hit more rides. If you have the money for it, Crystal Palace breakfast is a great hack for a unique Disney day.
2. Cinderella’s Royal Table
If you want the ultimate Magic Kingdom experience, book a reservation at Cinderella’s Royal Table. This restaurant is located inside Cinderella’s castle, on the second story. You’ll have views of Fantasyland other guests don’t get to see.
This is also a character meal, meaning that characters will come up to your table and say “hello” as you eat. You won’t have to wait in line to get a pic or autograph. Cinderella of course makes an appearance, but some other Disney Princesses such as Snow White, Ariel, and Aurora have been known to grace guests with their presence. Sometimes, Prince Charming is even there.
The food seems to be hit or miss, depending on your tastes. The food is fancier than your typical sandwiches, burgers, and marinara pasta, so it might not suit everyone in your party. The dessert, however, is always a hit.
Cinderella’s Royal Table doesn’t quite hit the top spot for two reasons. First, it is very expensive to eat here, making it a once-in-a-lifetime meal for most guests. Second, it is notoriously difficult to book reservations here. But if you get the chance, you absolutely should go.
1. Be Our Guest
Be Our Guest is one of my favorite dining spots in all of Walt Disney World. The menu has changed since I last ate here, but the experience is unforgettable. Similarly to Cinderella’s Royal Table, you’ll get to eat inside a castle. But this time it is the Beast’s castle from Beauty and the Beast. There are three different themed dining rooms at Be Our Guest. There is the West Wing, which is decorated with torn tapestries, a changing photo of the Beast/Prince, and the iconic enchanted rose. There is the ballroom with its golden chandeliers and blue banners. It looks exactly like the scene from the movie. The windows are enchanted so the outside of the castle is always snowing. The third room is the rose gallery. This room has paintings of Belle and the Beast. In the center is a statue of them dancing.
The first time I ate here, it was for the quick service lunch. I had the braised pork with mashed potatoes and green beans. I still remember how good those green beans were, and I’m not even a green bean stan. This was a reasonably priced meal, too. It was only $12 back in the day! And for dessert, of course I tried the grey stuff cupcake. And it was delicious. I went with my parents, who have mild taste palettes, and they appreciated the sandwich options on the lunch menu. Service here was incredible. We placed our orders, found a seat, went to grab drinks, and when we came back to the table our food had been served. All of this took less than 10 minutes.
I have also dined here for dinner, which was always table-service, and a lot fancier than lunch. Dinner was also special because this was the only time you could meet the Beast himself. The Beast does not hold a meet and greet in the parks, so the only way to see him is at Be Our Guest. He does not come around to each individual table. Instead, he has a little photo op spot that guests can go to any time during their meal.
As of lately, Be Our Guest has turned quick service lunch into table-service. The lunch menu and the dinner menu are the same foods and same prices. The meals are pre-paid for, and each guests picks one appetizer, one entree, and a dessert trio. The food is still delicious, and the experience is one like no other.
Be Our Guest isn’t always as difficult to book as Cinderella’s Royal Table. Sometimes, you are even able to snag a spot by walking up. Be Our Guest is still fairly expensive, but not as expensive as Cinderella’s Royal Table. I do miss the quick service lunch, but dinner at Be Our Guest is never second best!
Your Opinions
What’s your favorite table service restaurant at Magic Kingdom? Do you prefer Be Our Guest or Cinderella’s Royal Table? Leave your comments down below!
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