Disney World restaurants have a little something for everyone.
Sonny Eclipse at Cosmic Ray’s
With dozens (honestly more like hundreds) of spots spread across the theme parks, resorts, and Disney Springs, you can find cuisine for most tastes and cultures…AND in a variety of price ranges. Whether you’re looking to try something exotic or stick to your homestyle favorites, Disney probably has something perfect for you. And today, we’re sharing our picks for the restaurants that your kiddo will like…even if they eat nothing but McDonald’s!
Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe
Probably the most obvious choice is an iconic staple at Magic Kingdom — Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe. This Tomorrowland quick service restaurant is known for serving burgers, hot dogs, and fries, all amidst the cosmic backdrop of the tunes of alien performer Sonny Eclipse.
1/3 lb Angus Bacon Cheeseburger
The food here is pretty simple, and the menu is full of crowd-pleasers. Plus, they’ve got a well-stocked condiments bar, so you can have as much ketchup, mustard, and mayo to your heart’s content. Perfect for particular eaters!
Click Here to Get the Low-Down On the SAUCE at Cosmic Ray’s!
Gasparilla Island Grill
For our next stop, we’ll head over to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and visit the quick service spot there — Gasparilla Island Grill. The menu is filled with burgers, sandwiches, and a mac and cheese that we’re big fans of.
Perfection
For kiddos, they also have wraps and chicken fingers, as well as a few other choices (like Uncrustables). If you’re staying on the monorail loop, this might be a good option for a quick meal.
Click Here for Our Review of Gasparilla Island Grill!
Connections Eatery
The quick service spot with the most McDonald’s-like menu in EPCOT is a bit of a stretch, but since most of the food in this park is more exotic, it might be your best option. Connections Eatery is what we’d recommend! It’s located in World Discovery and serves burgers, pizza, and salad.
Connections Eatery
On the kids’ menu, there are chicken strips, a cheeseburger, a Grilled Chicken Bao, and a five-cheese pizza. It’s a conveniently located restaurant, nearby several rides, so you can’t really go wrong here. But we’ll warn you to make your Mobile Order in advance because this place can get busy!
Check Out Our Review of Connections Eatery Here!
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
For our first table service spot on the list, we’ll stop by Hollywood Studios and talk about Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant. The most interesting thing about this place is that you dine at tables shaped like cars, and they’re all facing a giant projector screen that shows old film clips…it’s an indoor drive-in movie!
Sci-Fi Dine-In
It can be hard to get a dining reservation for this spot, but the menu is a great choice for those who like simple burgers and fries. Besides burgers, you can get pasta, salad, and sandwiches.
Read Our Review of Sci-Fi Dine-In Here!
Backlot Express
For a quick service option in Hollywood Studios, we recommend Backlot Express, which is located in the Echo Lake area of the park. Basically the entire menu is burgers, sandwiches, and salads.
Backlot Express
They’ve got everything from a basic bacon cheeseburger to a Smoked BBQ Pulled Pork Burger, so you can dress it up or dress it down however you’d like. And on crowded days, there’s usually plenty of seating here spread between indoor and outdoor tables.
Click Here to Read Our Backlot Express Reviews!
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop
If you get the chance to leave the theme parks and dine at a resort, we highly recommend Beaches & Cream Soda Shop at Disney’s Beach Club. This spot is known not only for its gigantic Kitchen Sink Sundae and many delicious ice cream treats, but also for its selection of classic American eats.
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop
If you’re an ice cream lover, this is simply a can’t-miss, and for those with little ones with specific appetites, you’ll find sandwiches, a hot dog, a cheeseburger, and a macaroni & cheese on the kids’ menu.
See Our Most Recent Beaches & Cream Review Here!
Restaurantosaurus
Heading over to Animal Kingdom, we’ve got to talk about Restaurantosaurus in Dinoland, U.S.A. Not only is the theme here really fun (you can dine INSIDE an Airstream at some tables!), but it’s a pretty good crowd-pleaser spot.
Kids’ Meal at Restaurantosaurus
Burgers, chicken nuggets, and a pretty substantial condiments bar all make this restaurant pretty similar to Cosmic Ray’s — so if you like that spot, make sure to try out this restaurant as well.
See Our Restaurantosaurus Review Here!
D-Luxe Burger
Now let’s talk about Disney Springs! Located near Guest Relations is D-Luxe Burger, which is a Disney-owned spot with Mobile Order availability (that’s a little more rare in Disney Springs!), that serves…you guessed it…burgers!
D-Luxe Burger
They have basic burgers available, but they also offer specialty and seasonal creations, plus some delicious milkshake options. It’s conveniently located near plenty of shopping options and close to Gideon’s Bakehouse and Sprinkles — so you could get a dessert afterward!
See Our D-Luxe Burger Thoughts Here!
Planet Hollywood
Our table service pick for Disney Springs is Planet Hollywood, located right across from the Orange parking garage and the Coca-Cola store. This restaurant serves a pretty basic American-style menu, but you’ll get to enjoy a sing-along while you dine and check out some cool celebrity memorabilia.
Planet Hollywood
It’s not usually our top pick for dining in Disney Springs, but if you’ve got some picky eaters on your hands, it might be just what you’re looking for.
Read Our Planet Hollywood Review Here!
Value Resorts Food Courts
And finally, we have to talk about the food courts at the Value Resorts. This list includes spots like World Premiere Food Court, Landscape of Flavors, and Everything POP, to name a few. Most of these hotel food courts have similar menus, and in general, they’ve got a good selection of burgers and American fare.
Landscape of Flavors
Disney tries to keep the menus at these spots broad and good for a variety of palettes, since they’re generally the main places to dine at the Value Resorts. Because of this, you’re more guaranteed to find something that fits your tastes — although we can’t promise it’ll be the best food you’ll eat on your trip.
See Our Thoughts on Everything POP Here!
That’s our list of the best places to dine for people with an affinity for McDonald’s! We’ll keep you in the loop with any dining changes at Disney World, as well as our recommendations for places to eat, so stay tuned to DFB for the latest.
The Best Disney World Restaurants for Dinner in 2023 — Click Here!
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RE Sci-Fi Dine-In,
If you are a party of 2 (or even 1!), and don’t have a lunch/dinner reservation at Studios, you have a good chance of getting in here — just go up to the desk and ask.
Reason: The “tables” are in the shape of cars, and seat 6 with 2 – 2 – 2 seating. So any party of 3 or 4 will have a couple empty seats in the back of their car, for “hitchhikers”.
PS Sci-Fi is also the only place in Disney World you can get a Cookie Milkshake. Yum!
And it may be difficult to find anywhere else too!