OK, y’all. It’s time to talk about the unsung hero of Disney World dining: resort food courts. Now, we know what you’re thinking: “Why on earth would I eat at those spots when there are options like Casey’s Corner, La Hacienda de San Angel, and JIKO out there?” We totally get it. But these cafeteria-style restaurants can do one thing for you that all of those places CAN’T.

These fast, casual restaurants can be there for you, right inside your hotel, even late at night when you’re just craving a slice of pizza or a burger. They’re easy to find, have a lot of comfortable options, and are generally much cheaper than the table-service restaurants in Disney World. Let’s visit one of these restaurants today to find out if it’s worth a visit during your upcoming trip to Disney World.

We’re going to start off with a disclaimer: You probably don’t need to go out of your way to visit a cafeteria-style restaurant if it’s not already at your hotel. If you’re staying at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, we do not advise you to hop on a bus to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort to visit Landscape of Flavors (where we’re going today).

The purpose of these food courts is really to provide easy-to-access food for the guests at the hotel. Sometimes they’ll have exciting options (like that GIANT ice cream sundae over at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort), but usually, you can get better food elsewhere. These restaurants are for convenience and late-night munchies, not a luxurious or unique dining experience.

That being said, they can be life-savers if you’re looking for a quick snack or meal at your hotel. They generally have plenty of familiar options for different palates and preferences, which also makes them a favorite with the kids and pickier eaters. And they’re usually open later than the parks as well!

That being said, we’re heading into Landscape of Flavors today to try out a few lunch options!

Atmosphere

Landscape of Flavors is located at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. You’ll go through the lobby, past the gift shop, and then you’re there!

It has the same theme as the rest of the hotel, where animation and artistry take center stage. The dining room is covered in landscapes from Disney movies, like the African plains from The Lion King or the coral reef from Finding Nemo. There are 4 distinct areas in the dining room, with 1 for each of the movies featured at this hotel.

This spot is open from 7AM to 11PM daily, which means it’s a great option for grabbing a quick breakfast before hitting the parks or getting a snack on your way in from a busy day. Note that you can use Mobile Order here as well!

It’s cafeteria-style quick-service, so you’ll get your food up at the counters and then you can take it back to a table if you’re dining in, or get it to go and bring it back to your hotel room. The dining room is very large, with options of tables and chairs as well as booths. There’s some seating outside as well, which gives you views of the nearby pool area.

The dining room can get pretty noisy since it’s basically one very large room, so sitting outside is a good option if you’re looking for a quieter setting. Fountain drinks are serve-yourself, and you can also find condiments and utensils at these stations.

Ready to get to the eats?

Eats

We mentioned before that these restaurants tend to have familiar, comfortable options. At Landscape of Flavors, you won’t find too many surprises on the menu. Mostly, there are options like burgers, pizza, pasta, and other classic American foods. This cafeteria-style spot has 2 different menus — one for breakfast and one for lunch/dinner. The options for drinks are the same at all meals.

Breakfast Menu

For breakfast, you can choose from a variety of entrées, such as a continental breakfast, a bagel sandwich, or a breakfast platter.

There are also some options for an omelet, waffles, or plant-based meals.

And kids can choose from their own menu, which has scrambled eggs or character waffles.

There are also some sides available, like bacon, sausage, and potatoes. And you can grab fresh fruit for a healthy morning snack!

Desserts are on the menu, even at breakfast! There are a couple of 50th Anniversary treats, as well as some cupcakes. And you can order a full cake at this restaurant if you’re celebrating a special occasion as well.

And if you just want something quick, head to the bakery section to find plenty of baked goods.

There are some snacks available as well, like Uncrustables sandwiches, a yogurt parfait, or cereal.

Lunch/Dinner Menu

But we actually came by for lunch, which is a different menu here! There are entrées like Shrimp and Grits or a Roasted Turkey Dinner, some pizza and pasta dishes…

…a few different burgers and chicken strips…

…a couple of sandwiches and a few salads…

…and a plant-based burger, along with some sides!

There’s a kids’ menu for these meals as well, with sandwiches, pasta, burgers, chicken strips, and mac & cheese.

During lunch and dinner, the baked goods, snacks, and dessert menus all remain the same as breakfast.

Drinks Menu

There are plenty of drinks available at this spot, either to have while you dine in or to grab and go. You can choose from some bottled drinks like Powerade, Coca-Cola, and Sprite, or head to the soda fountains, which have assorted Coca-Cola options.

There are a few different juices here, as well as various kinds of bottled water.

You can pick from the tea and specialty coffee menus…

…or try a different hot beverage or some milk. Note that there are a couple of milk alternatives available.

In terms of alcoholic options, there are a few specialty cocktails…

…several choices for beer…

…and wines by the glass or bottle.

Now that we know what’s available, let’s get into our full review!

Food

As you just saw, there are a LOT of choices on the menu here. We decided to go with a few different lunch and dinner options. First up, we got the Signature Pimento Bacon Cheeseburger for $12.99.

This burger is a Grilled Signature-blend Burger topped with Bacon, Pimento Cheese, Lettuce, and Tomato on a Toasted Brioche Bun, and it’s also served with French Fries.

They did NOT skimp on the pimento cheese here! There was a good amount on our burger, and it was nice and creamy as well. That flavor sort of dominated the burger, though, and it overpowered the other flavors. So you have to really enjoy pimento cheese if you get this one!

There were 4 slices of tasty bacon on our burger, and the lettuce and tomato were crisp and fresh. The toasted bun was also good, although it wasn’t really the star of the dish. This is a great pick for anyone who loves pimento cheese and wants a classic meal with a bit of a twist!

We also tried out the Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwich for $10.49. This sandwich is Barbecue Pork topped with Creamy Coleslaw and Mango Ketchup on a Kaiser Roll. It also comes with French Fries. We thought this was pretty delicious! The pork was tender and well-cooked, and it had just the right amount of barbecue sauce to balance out the coleslaw without overpowering the other flavors. There was a lot of coleslaw on the sandwich, so you probably should skip this one if you don’t like that flavor!

The roll was pretty soft, but it held up to the pork and slaw without completely falling apart. It did get a little bit soggy after a while, though, since there was so much sauce in the fillings. If you like pretty standard barbecue and slaw, this is a great option! But if you’re not a fan of those flavors then you may want to look elsewhere on the menu.

Our last entree was the Roasted Turkey Dinner for $14.49. This is Roasted Turkey served with Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, and Gravy. It’s like a mini Thanksgiving dinner!

The turkey was cut pretty thick but was also very tender. We didn’t even need a knife to cut through it. The potatoes still had the skin on them, and we enjoyed the extra texture. The green beans were blanched and had some snap to them. These beans weren’t super interesting to us, since they didn’t really have any flavor to them. Our general feeling about them was “meh,” but if you love green beans then you may enjoy these!

The gravy was also a pretty standard gravy, tasty and not too salty. It added some good flavor to the potatoes and turkey. If you love Thanksgiving, we think this is a great choice for getting the same flavors at any point in the year!

For dessert, we tried the longtime staple Cookies ‘n Cream Sundae Cupcake for $5.79. This is a Chocolate Cupcake topped with Cookies ‘n Cream Buttercream, Rainbow Sprinkles, and Chocolate Ears. It looks just like an ice cream sundae! And like ice cream, our cupcake was very cold when we first bought it.

The cake was moist and delicious, and the frosting wasn’t too sickly sweet. We enjoyed the extra cookies flavor in the frosting, which we think helped to balance it out. (Sometimes the plain vanilla buttercream is a little too sweet for us in large amounts.)

If you’re looking for a simple and fun treat, we think this will do the trick for you! Our only complaint is that it didn’t have any filling inside the cupcake (many Disney cupcakes have some kind of extra filling inside), but sometimes simple is best. And we thought the decorations were super cute.

Nosh or Not

Explore the Landscape of Flavors if:

• You’re looking for a quick meal or snack while you’re staying at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. This is especially good for late-night cravings, since it’s open until 11PM.
• You’re traveling with little kids or picky eaters. There are plenty of familiar options here!
• You’re on a budget and looking for a cheaper Disney meal. All of the meals at this restaurant are $15 or less, even for adults, so it’s a good budget-friendly option!

Skip the art and find a different spot if:

• You want to try more exciting or unique flavors. There are a lot of options for unique dining in Disney World. One of the best places to find it is Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which has spots like Tiffins, Yak & Yeti, or Satu’li Canteen.
• You want a more formal meal. Landscape of Flavors is a cafeteria-style restaurant, so it’s not exactly a luxury meal. Some of the more formal restaurants in Disney World include Le Cellier Steakhouse and California Grill.
• You’re not staying at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. Nothing here was super unique, and you can find similar fast food-type options in the parks and at other hotels. So if you’re not already staying at this hotel, look for these options closer to you!

Overall

In general, we enjoyed eating at Landscape of Flavors, but it’s not exactly a “must-try” on our list. Like we said before, it’ll definitely do in a pinch, but it’s not a destination dining experience. The dining room is full of beautiful artwork and vibrant colors, but it also can get pretty loud if there are a lot of people there since it’s one large room.

The price here is tough to beat, and the amount of food you get for less than $15 per meal is impressive for Disney dining! Everything was cooked well and most things tasted great. If you’re staying at this hotel and need a quick bite or snack, we think you’ll find plenty of options for everyone in your group.

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Have you eaten at Landscape of Flavors? Tell us what you thought in the comments!