It’s time to head back to Everything Pop Food Court at Disney’s Pop Century Resort for lunch!

Pop Century Resort has a cult following of legendary proportions, and Everything Pop Food Court goes right along with that. Maybe it’s because the eats here are little more imaginative than they have historically been at other value resorts. Or maybe it’s just because you can get a waffle with a giant Pop! emblazoned on it!

Whatever the reason, this spot has long been a favorite of mine — and even a destination for me for some of their specialties when I’m staying at other resorts. (King Cupcake, anyone?)

It’s been a while since I’ve visited, so on a recent trip I made it a point to stop by Everything Pop for a bite to eat.

Let’s take a look at what I found!

Atmosphere

You will find no shortage of color and decor as you enter Everything Pop. But you wouldn’t really expect a Zen experience with such a name anyway, right?

It’s fun, and it’s, well. Pop. The kind of loud, happy decor you’d expect with a name like that. These food “billboards” entice you into the eating area, beckoning you to come check out the newly updated menus.

As with other Food Court-type settings at Walt Disney World, the “Create You Own” theme is big here. But you’ll find more options to customize here than just about anywhere else. As the sign says, it’s the perfect place to head when you’re feeling hungry AND creative!

We’ll take a quick side journey to check out seating.

While there are plenty of tables and chairs to choose from, you won’t find super comfy digs here. After all, this is counter service. I don’t figure that you’re interested in lingering for hours over that burger or plate of eggs.

Still, if you do require a bit of a comfortable break, booth seating is padded and a little more cozy, since it’s walled (or windowed) off to one side.

More tables along the bank of floor to ceiling windows provide a little space from the rest of the guests, and give you a good view out onto the grounds.

Enough with tables and chairs. On to the food!

Eats

Pop in to Everything Pop, and you can choose from seven different serving stations. They include, in broad terms, a Grill area, Pizza, Pasta, Sandwiches, Healthy Choices, Ethnic cuisine, and Grab and Go items.

Helpful Disney Dining Plan signage right at the front will give you guidance as you plan your meals.

Just make your selection and queue up in the appropriate ordering area.

And no, it’s not often this quiet here. 🙂 I think I visited around 3:00pm one day. There are regular mealtime rush hours here just like there are everywhere else.

Now, a quick word about the food at Everything Pop: It’s not fancy. You’ll find solid, mostly All-American choices, with a few regional specialties thrown in. But even though it’s not signature dining, the quality has always been great in my opinion.

Pizza and Italian specialties like Pasta dishes are always a POPular option. (Ha!) And Mussels add a slightly more highbrow dish to the mix.

Flatbreads, pizza’s crispier cousin, are also house specialties. (And I’ve gotta get back and try that Buffalo Chicken Flatbread…)

Create Your Own Baked Potato and Poppin’ Nachos look pretty delicious and offer a little 80s throwback — and that’s always a good way to go.

And there are several Sandwiches to choose from, both hot and cold.

Walking on the lighter side? Create Your Own Salad and choose from wholesome options to add a healthy meal into the mix.

How much awesome is it that you can order a Sloppy Joe? Sloppy Joe(s) were a staple in my house growing up.

You can also top your Burger, Chicken Sandwich, or Hot Dog just the way you like as well.

There are some Dessert Offerings on the overhead menus, like Ice Cream Sundaes, Scoops, and Hand-Dipped Milkshakes.

Some other desserts are on display on the Dessert Menu board, but you may just want to have a look around before you make a a selection, because we found a few things not listed up there. We’ll show you a few in a sec.

As you cruise the counters, components of many of the menu items are on display, like the Create Your Own Salad options. They aren’t self-serve, but it’s still nice to see everything, so you know beforehand what looks good to you.

The Rotisserie Chicken is, well, spinning away before you, too! So it’s pretty great! (And it was totally making it hard for me to decide on what to pick.)

Having made our decisions, my friend and I set off to explore a little before heading to the checkout area.

We spied these fun Tie-Dyed Cupcakes, which are classics at Pop.

And there was a fun homage to Mickey in cupcake form as well. I love when the ears are Oreos — bonus dessert! Sadly, this version didn’t have a Mickey face the way it does at Art of Animation.

I also spied Strawberries with Chocolate and Whipped Cream. I love this whole food dessert option! I’m thinkin’ this would be a great sort-of healthy dessert for picky kiddos, too.

I also spied a classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake — again, conveniently baked in a single portion, which looks so much neater than a square or slab of cake.

But of course, Everything Pop’s most famous dessert is the Tie-Dyed Cheesecake. It’s interesting to note that they’ve gone to a single serve, mini version of the popular sweet, instead of the wedges that they used to serve.

I’m really glad that these are served in clear cups though, instead of the standard issue black bowls that you see counter service desserts in normally. This way, the vibrant colors of the cake really shine through from all angles. (By the way, if you’d like to try your hand at making a full-size version, check out our recipe here.)

If you have a special occasion to mark, you can also pick up a Celebration Cake as well.

Make you’re selections, and you can head off to fill your cups (or Refillable Mugs) and choose your condiments.

The most popular condiments, like Ketchup, Mustard, and Mayo, are available “on tap”.

But you’ll also find plenty of packaged condiments too, ranging from Hot Sauce to Malt Vinegar and beyond.

Of course, Microwaves are available as well.

So. What did we enjoy to eat on this visit? Well, drumroll please…

We decided to start with an order of Gravy Fries for the table, and had them add a little Plastic Cheese. Because, well. Gravy. And Cheese.

I couldn’t pass up that Sloppy Joe, Guys!

It’s the same tomato-based, slightly sweet and spicy sauce that you remember from childhood, but the sammie has one mammoth addition: Onion Rings. HUGE onion rings. It was served with your choice of Fries or Pasta Salad, and I went with the former.

I am so not complaining. But between the meat sauce and the onion rings, it was a little challenging to eat. I recommend having a knife and fork handy.

But my friend went for the Oven Roasted Turkey Sandwich with Chips (other options include Fries or Coleslaw). If you think that sounds like a snooze fest, have a closer look.

This, my Friends, is Thanksgiving between two slices of bread. We’re talkin’ Mashed Potatoes, Cornbread Stuffing, and Cranberry Mayo, with a little Watercress to keep it healthy. 😉 The whole thing is pressed, panini-style, and served warm on the outside, cold on the inside. So good!

We also couldn’t pass up the Create Your Own Hot Dog. With toppings of Grilled Onions, Plastic Cheese (!!), and Bacon (!!!!), it was totally unique and completely delicious.

We opted for Fries over Pasta Salad here, too. Sorry. But Pasta Salad isn’t that healthy, either, right?

Overall

Everything Pop is still tops. New places like Landscape of Flavors have debuted, but you just can’t beat Pop for its effervescent personality and plain but well-executed food.

Whether you’re staying at Pop Century or you’re looking to branch out and try something else while you’re in another part of the resort, I can still say it — put Everything Pop on your list of spots to try. I know I’ve said fun like a 1000 times here…but that’s what it is. Fun. And delicious. What more could you want?

Are you a fan of Everything Pop? Leave a comment and tell us about your favorites there!