Our Top 10 Disney Restaurants
Top 10 Disney Restaurants
It seems after every Disney vacation I have a new favorite Disney Restaurant – my favorites change even more as I travel to new Disney Destinations! Currently I have been on Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Dream and Magic as well as Walt Disney World (more times than I can count) as well as Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. As a “foodie” I always try and find the best restaurants at every destination and my Disney vacations are no different.Making this list I really struggled to decide if I wanted to base my restaurants on the ones that were the most “Disney’ or the ones that had the best food or the ones that had the best atmosphere and so on… However in the end I decided to combine all of these options into one Top 10 Disney Restaurants list! I want to make it clear that some of the restaurants I left off of the list are excellent Sanaa for example is one of my favorite restaurants it was just hard to narrow the list to only 10… When I made this list I focused on ME and what MY Top 10 Restaurants were! So after a lot of thought and probably 4 months (or longer) of debating I’ve made MY definitive list of Disney’s Best Restaurants!Honorable Mention to Flying Fish Cafe – I hope that when you reopen in the fall that you will be as good as you once were! Also I want to give a shout out to Tiffins which is supposed to open any time now at Animal Kingdom it looks like it has potential to crack this list!Now onto the real list:
#10 Steakhouse 55 – Disneyland Hotel
Serving up an absolutely stellar breakfast as well as an awesome dinner steakhouse 55 excels on many levels. Not to mention that it has arguably my favorite atmosphere of any restaurant in Disneyland I think that Steakhouse 55 absolutely deserves a spot on any top list of Disney restaurants!
#9 Ohana Dinner – Polynesian Village Resort
Over the years I have had the pleasure of dining at Ohana more times than any other Disney Restaurant. In fact during my college program I think I ate here at least once a month – (every time that someone would come an visit this was a restaurant that we had to do!) I think that everything about this restaurant screams “Disney” from the family sized endless amounts of food, to coconut races around the restaurant to the view of Wishes each night Ohana is a restaurant that every Disney fan should try at least once – I will always remember my first time trying Ohana and thinking “this is the best restaurant ever!!!” yes times have changed and I have tried many more restaurants and I have grown up quite a bit however for me Ohana is a special place! Not every meal I have ever had here has been consistently great however over the past year is really stepped up its game is has been a restaurant that I constantly recommend!
#8 Animator’s Palate – Disney Magic – Disney Cruise Line
For number 8 we are going to step aboard the best thing Disney Parks and Resorts does Disney Cruise Line! Animator’s Palate is a staple of Disney Cruise line as it is on all 4 Disney Cruise Line ships and has been apart of Disney Cruise line since the Magic first sailed in 1998. It’s Drawn to Magic show is a new show that debuted in 2013 after a massive reimagining of the cruise ship, in short Drawn to Magic is Disney Imagineering at its absolute finest! From the moment you step into the restaurant you are transported to a completely different place. I do not know exactly what this place is, however it is very “Disney”! When you first walk in the entire restaurant is in black in white, then throughout the meal the entire restaurant transforms to color in spectacular fashion! I do not want to spoil anything but all I can say is be prepared for a full range of emotions from tears to shouts of joy Animator’s Palate has it all! This is more than a restaurant, it is an experience and not to be missed!
#7 California Grill
When it comes to “Signature” Dining in Walt Disney World it is hard not to put California Grill towards the top of the list – California Grill sets itself apart from any other restaurant on Disney property with its incredible views of all of Walt Disney World. California Grill has floor to ceiling windows on the 15th floor of The Contemporary. I will never forget my first time riding the elevator up to California Grill and stepping out to see the incredible view of the Magic Kingdom – the view only gets better each night when they pump in the music from Wishes and you can watch one of the best firework shows anywhere! Not only is the atmosphere top notch at California Grill but the food is not too shabby either I can say without hesitation that California Grill has the best sushi that I have ever tried and the filet mignon is also quite appetizing! California Grill’s Head Chef Brian Piasecki is always switching up the menu so there is always something new to try!
#6 Jiko the Cooking Place – Animal Kingdom Lodge
Jiko the Cooking Place is located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, it is one of the best restaurants in all of central Florida and it even features the largest South African Wine list outside of South Africa itself! Jiko is always changing its menu with locally sourced ingredients and pushing the envelope when it comes to Disney dining – don’t miss its daily tour where you can learn about all of the details of the restaurant as well as sample some of its food for free! Jiko is an exceptional restaurant that every foodie must try when in Walt Disney World! My favorite dishes include the wild boar tenderloin and the filet minion with their signature mac and cheese and red wine reduction!
#5 Remy – Disney Dream – Cruise Line
Remy is the “crème de la crème” when it comes to Cruise ship dining it provides some of the highest quality food at sea and it could very easily rival most restaurants on land! Remy is a joint venture between Chef Arnaud Lallement from l’Assiette Champenoise—a Michelin 3-star restaurant just outside Reims, France and Victoria and Albert’s AAA 5 Diamond awarding head Chef Scott Hunnel! This restaurant not only provides an extraordinary menu but also has the best atmosphere of any restaurant I have ever had the pleasure of dining in! Featuring floor to ceiling windows with incredible views of the Ocean as well as gorgeous sunsets, and even little details like hidden “Remy’s” throughout the restaurant! Remy not only excels in atmosphere its food and service are both extremely high quality! If Remy were on land it would compete with almost any restaurant in the entire world its Head chef Patrick Albert has even received a Master Chef of France award ~ Remy is worth the upcharge and something that I recommend when looking for an upscale evening!
#4 Trader Sam’s -Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar and Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto
Both Trader Sam’s Bars are a mix of everything that I love about Disney, top notch theming with incredible details and backstory, fantastic cast members and collectible souvenirs! Don’t forget the best part of Trader Sam’s the awesome food and drink options! I know that Trader Sam’s is not your normal “sit down restaurant” and it is hard to compare to other restaurants however I think that it is so much fun and a spot that everyone needs to experience! Trader Sam’s is not just adults either everyone can get a kick out of either of the Trader Sam’s establishments ~ there is always something going on so every experience at Trader Sam’s is completely different!
#3 – Palo Dinner Brunch Disney Cruise Line
The first time I dined at Palo for Dinner I walked out claiming that “I had just eaten the best meal of my entire life” (I’ve made that claim quite a few times) yes that has changed slightly since that evening however I still believe that Palo is one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to! From the incredible formal dinner to the phenomenal upscale yet laid back brunch Palo puts out some of the best food I’ve ever had the pleasure of consuming! Palo has several things that separate itself from other “standard” restaurants, first off it’s incredible service, in order to wait tables in Palo you have to go through an extensive interview process they only take the best of the best! It’s incredible attention to detail in the restaurant itself and its gorgeous ocean views make it one of the most beautiful restaurants and last but not least that fact that it serves two meals that are both equally excellent and vastly different it’s hard to believe that it’s the same restaurant in some ways! For $35 pp I think that Palo is still an excellent value and not to be missed if you are going on a Disney Cruise!
#2 Napa Rose – Grand Californian
Napa Rose is the premier restaurant of the Disneyland Resort and one of the top restaurant’s in all of Southern California – Napa Rose focuses on fresh farm to table dishes and the quality of food is fantastic! Napa Rose itself is excellent however its Chef’s Table in particular separates itself from most other Disney restaurants! The service itself is very good and something unique about its waitstaff is that that every single waiter or waitress is a sommelier! Napa has an extensive wine list from all around the world to fit anyone’s needs and wants! At it’s Chef’s Table each person picks their own meal and receives something completely unique and made specifically for THEM ~ at a lot of restaurants it’s hard to change one little detail of a dish let alone have one made for you specifically!
#1 Victoria and Albert’s- Walt Disney World – Grand Floridian
It should be no surprise to anyone that Victoria and Albert’s is the number 1 restaurant on my list – V&A’s has an elegance, and for lack of a better term a swagger that no other Disney restaurant has – from its world renown Head Chef Scott Hunnel to its over 15 year consecutive streak of AAA 5 Diamond award it really is the best Disney restaurant that I’ve ever dined in! Yes it is pricey at nearly $150 pp however it is well worth the money for the level of restaurant that it is.Victoria and Albert’s is simply the best Disney Restaurant… period!
