Once again, in the interest of full disclosure
– I’m not a picky eater. This is, you know, my blog and thus, my
opinion. I get asked a lot about the Disney Dining Plan in general and
table service restaurants in particular. Disney Dining Plans can be a
great value (even if you pay for them and don’t get the free dining
promotion), but to maximize your investment, you kind of need to choose
wisely (if you care about such things). There are some terrific web
sites and blog posts that work out the details on where you can actually
get the best value (Here’s a highly detailed
great article from
2014) . I’m not really into that per se. I’m more about the overall
dining experience versus straight up
where-is-the-most-expensive-place-I-can-eat-for-one-table-service-credit.
Bearing in mind that these choices are based on my own family’s experiences
– unless otherwise noted, we’ve actually eaten in every restaurant
listed. To make the list, we had to like the food, the selection, the
service, and the ambiance as a whole. Oh, and we’d have to want to eat
there again. So, if we’re all on the same page (HA!) here we go!
Disney World Dining – Best 1-Credit Table Service Restaurants
Boma Dinner Buffet (Animal
Kingdom Lodge) – Boma’s also available for breakfast, but we haven’t
tried anything but dinner. We’ve eaten here several times because the
variety of foods on this amazing buffet is simply unbeatable. Soups,
salads, breads, meats, stews, casseroles, kid-friendly fare,
unique desserts – it’s all available at Boma. As an added bonus, arrive
early or stay late and enjoy the Animal Kingdom Lodge’s gorgeous lobby
and savannah overlook for animal-spotting, entertainment, and
educational opportunities. (More about Animal Kingdom Lodge for an
evening out
here.)
Sanaa Dinner
(Animal Kingdom Lodge, Kidani Village Section) – We recently ate at
Sanaa for the first time and thought the atmosphere, service, and food
were all excellent. A bit more adult-oriented than Boma (our opinion),
we adored the bread service starter and felt perfectly comfortable
lingering over a leisurely dinner. Romantic? Yes!
Olivia’s Café
(Old Key West Resort) – We discovered this unique restaurant mostly by
accident. We were staying at Old Key West, but honestly had no
intention of eating there! At the very end of our vacation, we found
ourselves starving at supper-time with no ADR (Advance Dining
Reservation) booked. Olivia’s welcomed us with open arms. Great
service, broad selection (for all tastes and appetites), and cozy,
welcoming atmosphere – Olivia’s won us over! (Full review
here.)
‘Ohana Dinner (Polynesian Village Resort) – This
place has wide appeal for the entire family. All you care to eat, great
setting, tasty Brazilian-barbeque-style dinner, decent service – you
won’t leave hungry! If you’re tempted to give this place a try, you
must book your ADR 180 days out. You snooze, you lose…if you want to
eat at this uber-popular restaurant.
Be Our Guest Dinner (Magic Kingdom) – Out of pocket,
I thought this was an expensive dinner (review here), but for one
table-service credit? Absolutely I’d book an ADR at Be Our Guest. It’s
gorgeous, the service is great, and the food is fine. Best, most
gorgeous dining room(s) in Magic Kingdom. Let’s put it like this – if
you must book a table service restaurant in Magic Kingdom, make it Be
Our Guest where, no matter your opinion on the food or atmosphere, you
can at least enjoy an adult beverage with your meal if you like. (Full
review
here.)
Rose & Crown Restaurant (UK Pavilion, Epcot) –
We loved this place. When we ate there (once so far), we were outside
on a lovely evening with a great water view. The service and food were
both great. We love the UK pavilion – enjoying dinner there is just one
more great way to immerse ourselves in its awesomeness.
50’s Prime Time Café (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) –
This place is so cool! The “props”, the atmosphere, the humorous
servers, the comfort-food-based menu – it all adds up to a fun place for
the whole family. A good experience and value for one table-service
credit. I’m a notorious anti-fan of the Studio’s restaurants in
general, but this place is a winner in my book.
Character Dining:
Chef Mickey’s
(Breakfast or Dinner Buffet / Contemporary Resort) – For years (and
years!) we ate at Chef Mickey’s on every single Disney World visit.
First for dinner, then when the kids were older, for breakfast. We’d
eat there again – and probably will next time we’re all together on
vacation. The Fab Five and a decent buffet – especially during the
summer, this combination at an indoor venue, for a meal, just a monorail
stop from Magic Kingdom is a pretty good deal! (Review
here.)
1900 Park Fare Dinner
(Buffet / Grand Floridian Resort and Spa) – We loved meeting Cinderella
and her Prince, but Lady Tremaine and the Step Sisters steal the show.
What this restaurant lacks in atmosphere, it makes up for in
character-meeting experiences and a good variety of tasty food. We saw
families of all ages there and our family of four adults had a great
time! (Check out all the details
here.)
Honorable Mentions: Places we haven’t tried, but are on our to-try list because we’ve heard great things:
- Kona Café (Polynesian Village Resort)
- Whispering Canyon Café (Wilderness Lodge)
- Cape May Café Dinner (Buffet)
- Tusker House Dinner (Buffet)
Your turn! Which table service restaurants would you recommend?
This article was originally posted on Lisa's Living a Disney Life Blog.
