We love a Disney Prince who knows his way around a kitchen, so when we spotted a new menu item at Prince Eric’s in Disney World’s New Fantasyland, we were all over it.

Learn About:Prince Eric's Village Market

Magic Kingdom
Disney World Restaurants

Prince Eric’s Village Market is a small counter service spot located — no surprise! — across from the Under the Sea — Journey of the Little Mermaid attraction in Magic Kingdom’s New Fantasyland. This tucked-away location is a bit off the beaten path when it comes to seeking out some eats.

Here’s the thing: the Village Market started out as a better-for-you-fare stand focusing primarily on grab-and-go fruits along with ice cold bottled drinks and Shaved Ice, which you can currently find in Tomorrowland instead.

And though the Prince is still dishing out grapes, pineapple chunks, pickle spears and bottled beverages, we’ve learned more recently to expect the unexpected from this small snack location.

Prince Eric’s Village Market

Case in point: our this-week discovery of Honey-Breaded Fried Chicken!

Prince Eric’s Fried Chicken Sign

Take THAT, better-for-you fare 😉 ! No, in all seriousness, this was pretty big surprise for a place that has never really served a full meal, much less a hot item other than the occasional bowl of Minestrone during the cooler months or the warm Pretzel Royale and Ham and Cheese-stuffed Pretzel.

So, how does the Prince’s Fried Chicken stack up against that at Homecomin’ in Disney Springs or Fort Wilderness haunts like Pioneer Hall for the Hoop-De-Doo Musical Revue, Trail’s End, or P&J’s Southern Takeout?

First, let’s discuss portion: you’re getting three full pieces for 10 bucks — not bad for a possible group share. But truth be told, it isn’t the prettiest fried chicken we’ve seen. The golden brown color you expect to see is uneven, with the edges getting the most love from the deep fryer.

Prince Eric’s Fried Chicken

And that’s indicative of the lack of satisfying crunch from the breading (arguably the absolute best part of a pile of Fried Chicken, IMHO).

The good news is that there is a nice, mildly sweet flavor from the honey in the breading that’s pretty delicious, so the taste is on point. If it was fried a bit longer, we could have a real winner on our hands.

Fried Chicken

Now, we’re pretty certain this is only around for peak summer crowds (we found it on one of those non-permanent signs this 4th of July week), so keep your eyes peeled for further changes and additions here. This is one spot where we’ve noticed some tweak of the menu with just about every visit in recent months.

One other more recent addition, for instance, is the Under the Sea Chocolate Cupcake. (A Prince who fries chicken and bakes?!? Swoon!).

Under the Sea Treat sign

It’s topped with bright green buttercream and sprinkles… and surely enough sugar to balance out all that savory fried chicken 😉 .

Prince Eric’s Under the Sea Cupcake

But grab it while you can, because you never know what Prince Eric is going to come up with next!

Have you discovered any surprising snacks in Disney World recently? Tell us about it in the comments!