Reader Favorites: Best Disney World Counter Service Restaurants

Got a great question via twitter about best counter service restaurants, and I thought I’d poll the DisneyFoodBlog Facebook Fan Page members about their favorites! Here are the winners in each Disney World theme park:

Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe: Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom: Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe
“Pecos Bill’s” as it’s commonly called, is located in Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland, between Splash Mountain and El Pirata y El Perico. It’s a HUGE counter service restaurant offering burgers (including a veggie burger), wraps, chicken and taco salads, and a pulled pork sandwich along with several sides and dessert offerings. Kids’ offerings include a hamburger and a salad with chicken.

Magic Kingdom Runners Up: Columbia Harbor House in Liberty Square and Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe in Tomorrowland

Sunshine Seasons Food Station Categories

Epcot: Sunshine Seasons
The runaway favorite for favorite Epcot counter service choice, Sunshine Seasons is located in The Land pavilion in Future World.

Sunshine Seasons is one of the only true “food courts” in the Disney World parks, and offers different stations for different types of food, including Asian Cuisine-inspired foods, Soup and Salads, Sandwiches, Grilled items, and Desserts. There’s also a self-serve beverage station.

In the morning, Sunshine Seasons is one of the only places to get a hot breakfast in Epcot!

Epcot Runner Up: Tangierine Cafe in the Morocco Pavilion of Epcot’s World Showcase
[Read more…]

First Photos of Kouzzina by Cat Cora

By AJ 4 Comments

Some of our favorite WDW websites are starting to report from the Boardwalk that Kouzzina is indeed in soft opening — and they have photos!

Cedric Chang guest blogs for AllEarsNet — he was the FIRST GUEST at Kouzzina during its soft opening: Cedric’s Adventure at Kouzzina

Orlando Attractions Magazine has photos from inside the dining room: Kouzzina photos and blog by Jackie and Matt Roseboom

WDWMagic has a great opening day gallery of the outside signage and some inside shots: WDWMagic Kouzzina photo gallery

Mousesteps.com has some outside shots of the Boardwalk with the Kouzzina signage: Kouzzina and Boardwalk outdoor shots And a great review with TONS of photos and a couple of videos: Kouzzina breakfast review and restaurant photos/video

Kouzzina Menus Now Available on Disney Website

By AJ Leave a Comment

boardwalk-inn

Check out the actual menus for Kouzzina by Cat Cora, now in soft opening at Disney World’s Boardwalk:

Dinner Menu
Breakfast Menu
Dessert Menu

Make a reservation at: (407) WDW-DINE (Hopefully online reservations will be available soon here.

Food Blog Weekly Round-Up: August 16

By AJ 1 Comment

Animal Kingdom eat here

Thanks for this weeks food posts, all!

Theme Park Insider offers some Advice for First Time Visitors to Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival: Wondering how many days you should plan to spend at the Festival or when you need to book your chosen Party for the Senses before it sells out? Find out here.

ImagiNERDing remembers the Haunted Mansion “I Scream Sundae”: Promotional food from way back when…great images on this one, too!

The Orlando Sentinel recounts a not-so-pleasant experience at Yak and Yeti: If you’re looking for vegetarian options, you may have to “ask around.”

DLRPToday takes a look at the Disney Blockbuster Cafe refurb in Disneyland Paris: Check this out for some cool photos of the upcoming “pirate” room!

LaughingPlace reminds us that Mexico’s La Cava del Tequila will be opening August 28th: 70 types of authentic tequila and exotic and unique-blended margaritas? Sounds good to me!

Main Street Gazette lists Disney spots serving Egg Rolls: I love this idea! Pick your favorite Disney food and list where you can find it! (DisneyFoodBlog scribbles notes…)

CakeWrecks shows us Castle Cakes!: These AREN’T Cake Wrecks…I promise. Be sure to check out the Cinderella Castle cake!

Coke vs. Pepsi

By AJ 11 Comments

Which do you prefer?

Wednesday’s refillable mugs blog post made me realize that I haven’t yet done a food blog about one of the most critical facts about Disney food:

You can’t — and I mean CAN’T — get Pepsi products at dining establishments in Disney World.

This is due to a long-running Coca Cola sponsorship deal with Disney. For those of us who took the Pepsi challenge back in the 80’s and were shocked to find out that we are, in fact, Pepsi addicts, this is not the greatest news. But I had to mention it for two reasons:

1. If you’ve never been to the Disney parks/resorts and you ARE a “Pepsi-only” guy or gal, I wanted to give you a heads up. Contingency plans? If you have a car, head to Wal-Mart, Publix, CVS, etc. to grab yourself a couple of six-packs. If you don’t have a car, ask your Disney resort front desk or valet cast member to call you cab and high-tail it to the nearest Pepsi-permitting spot to stock up. If the cab idea isn’t your speed, you can purchase the goods prior to your arrival through a grocery delivery service like Garden Grocer.

2. I’m wondering if you Disney Parks experts can share with the rest of us how you get your Pepsi fix on property. E.g., what has been your experience with grocery delivery services?, where’s the closest place you’ve found to buy Pepsi products (Can you buy the stuff at HESS?)?, are there off-site restaurants you work into your schedule?

Looking forward to your answers and insights! Just click on “comments” up by the blog title!

Updated Recipe: School Bread from Norway’s Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe

By AJ 26 Comments

Updated: May 17th, 2020

School Bread is one of my favorite eats in Disney World, and I can’t wait to share this not-too-sweet-but-completely-awesome recipe with you!!

Epcot Norway School Bread

Pastry
Ingredients
2 cups water
1 packet or 2 1/4 teaspoons of dry yeast
3 1/2 ounces sugar
2 1/2 ounces butter (melted)
1 teaspoon cardamom
2 pounds flour
1 whole egg

Method
Heat water and butter to 95 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, cardamom, yeast, water, and butter together for five minutes until dough is stiff. Form it like a ball and place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let proof for 45 minutes, or until dough has doubled in size. Roll the dough out like a sausage and cut into five ounce pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and put them on a non-stick sheet pan and let them proof for 30 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes in 375 degree oven. Let cool or ice while warm for a thinner glaze, but let cool before adding custard.

Vanilla Custard (or substitute vanilla pudding)
Ingredients
1 2/3 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
1 tablespoon corn starch

Method
In heavy saucepan bring milk to a boil. Set aside. In bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla until the mixture doubles by volume. Add the hot milk a few drops at a time to temper the eggs. Mix well after each addition. Place in metal mixing bowl and place over double boiler. Dissolve cornstarch in a little water and add in a thin stream while stirring constantly until it thickens to proper consistency. It must not boil. Cool by placing pan in ice bath.

Icing
Ingredients
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon milk or water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
8 ounces shredded coconut

Method
Mix powdered sugar, vanilla, and water or milk (use small amounts until proper consistency is achieved) to make icing and place in shallow pan. Form hole in bread using finger. Dip bread in icing (hole side down) and sprinkle with shredded coconut. Using pastry bag, squeeze vanilla custard inside of hole and swirl at top for decoration.

Recipe Credit: Modified from KeyIngredient

Disney Resort Refillable Mugs FAQ

By admin 135 Comments

As many folks know, Disney World Resorts offer Disney Refillable Mugs for guests to purchase and use for free refills! Here are a few of the most popular Frequently Asked Questions about the Disney Refillable Mug Program (also known as Rapid Fill):

Disney Refillable Mugs Overview

“Refillable mugs” are 16 oz. insulated coffee mugs sold at Disney hotels. Guests are entitled to unlimited free refills on fountain drinks, coffee, and tea from self-service beverage locations at Disney resorts for their length of stay.

The Rapid Fill program began in August 2013 and allows Disney Resort guests to buy (or receive as part of the Disney Dining Plan) a Resort mug which can be refilled for a certain period of time as designated at time of purchase. These mugs are enhanced by an RFID bar code which enables the mug to deactivate when the designated time is complete.

Mugs used to be considered collectibles, with each Disney resort offering unique patterns for their mugs. But starting with the Year of a Million Dreams, the mugs have been one standard design and shape no matter where you purchase them.

Disney Refillable Mug FAQ

I’m not on a Disney Dining Plan, so I’ll be purchasing my mug separately. How much do they cost?

$19.99 for Length of Stay (up to 14 days)

Refillable Mug Price Increase October 2019

I’m resort hopping. Do I need to purchase a new mug at my second resort?
Nope! Upon purchase, simply purchase the amount of total days that you’ll be staying on Walt Disney World property. Note that if you are switching to a non-Disney-owned resort (for example, WDW Swan and Dolphin), then you’ll only want to purchase for the part of your stay that is at a Disney-owned resort.

What beverages are available for Disney Refillable Mug refills?

You can refill your mug with coffee, iced or hot tea, soda-pop (these will be ALL Coca-Cola products — Disney does not sell Pepsi products due to Coke’s long-time sponsorship agreement), and hot chocolate.

*COOL INFO:* It’s interesting to note that most refillable mug stations have some sort of Hi-C lemonade/fruit punch option OR red/blue Powerade.

Beverage Station

What beverages aren’t available for Disney Refillable Mug refills?

Most notably, milk and “real” fruit juice (e.g. no OJ or Apple Juice).

Will they refill my frozen margarita at the pool bar?

No. But you get points for creativity.

Where can I buy the mugs and get refills?

Purchase/Refill stations are located in food courts, quick service locations, and pool bars at all Value/Moderate/Deluxe resorts. Check with your resort front desk to be sure you know of all the locations at your hotel where you can get refills.

Rapid Fill Mug on tray

Do I get a Disney Refillable Mug if I’m using the Disney Dining Plan?

Yes! As of 2012, all Disney Dining Plans now offer refillable mugs for everyone on the plan.

May I only use the Disney Refillable Mug at my resort?

No. Mugs may be used at any Disney-owned resort on property.

While you can’t use your resort mug in the parks (unless you’re getting water), you CAN purchase refillable mugs in the water parks. Disney’s also been rumored to be testing refillable mug programs in the theme parks.

Refill date notice

Can I save my mug when I get home and bring it back to use on all my subsequent Disney trips?
No. Mugs are for the specific number of days that you purchase.

What do the current mugs look like?
New mugs were recently released in February 2014. Take a look!

The new mug

If I’m paying an exorbitant amount for my room and there are Disney Refillable Mugs already in there, does that mean they’re free?

The mugs are never free (unless you get them as part of an already paid for Dining Plan). The cost will be placed on your bill as a charge.

Okay. So how do I use my Rapid Fill mug with RFID bar code?
It’s easy! Follow our step-by-step directions for using your RFID refillable mug.

Any other cool stuff you should tell us about the Disney refillable mug program?

YES! Each self-service refillable mug location has a MUG WASH! That’s right — there’s a little sink right next to the soda-pop dispensers that you can use to wash out your mug. Comes in very handy when switching between your drinks of choice…say between Coffee and Powerade?

MUG WASH!

Do YOU buy the mugs, DisneyFoodBlog?

You know, I used to buy the mugs at every resort as collectibles, but I always ended up in rooms far away from the refillable mug stations and never really used the mugs enough to justify the purchase (I wish Disney would put in more mug stations, but I know that would probably be taken advantage of by non-mug-buyers). That said, when I’ve taken trips to Disney World where my primary activity has been reading by the pool, having the mug for free refills has been a real blessing!

If you can’t live without your coffee, or if you need a travel mug for your morning commute at home, buy the mug. It’s fun to see that little Mickey face every morning!

Four colors to choose from

Rapid Fill mugs are here to stay!

We want to hear about your own refillable mug experiences. Share in the comments below!

Starting Oct. 27th: Make Your Disney Dining Reservations 180 Days in Advance

By AJ 8 Comments

Easier to Get at 180 Days Out?

It’s time to start thinking about your food 6 months in advance again, my friends! It’s being widely reported that, starting October 27th, 2009, Disney Dining reservations can be booked 180 days in advance of your check-in date.

Don’t forget that you can now book online! Also, you can find maps and menus on the Disney website.

Happy planning!

‘Ohana Character Breakfast: Mickey and Friends

By AJ 7 Comments

Pinvestigator Cody, of the Global Disney Pinvestigator Blog, is back with another round of comments and photos about a recent meal. This one, breakfast with Mickey and Friends at ‘Ohana, is one of his favorites; you’ll see why when you see these amazing photos! Thanks, Cody! sign-11

‘Ohana means “family,” and the restaurant stretches that feeling throughout the meal! Opening at 7:30am, we arrived at 7:20 for a 7:40 Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR). There were about 20 families in front of us waiting to check in, but we were the second family to be seated (they really do pay attention to those ADR times!)

'Ohana Breakfast Open Kitchen

The hostess took us to our table, giving us a short tour of the restaurant along the way. We briefly stopped by the open kitchen where the hostess took our appetizer plate from the rows and rows of Pineapple and Cinnamon Raisin Bread (both are delicious, by the way), explaining that giving bread to family is one of the ‘Ohana customs celebrated at the restaurant.

Pineapple Bread and Cinnamon Raisin Bread

We sat at our table, which included a great view of Cinderella Castle.

view from 'Ohana

Right away, a server came out with our “POG Juice” — Orange, Pineapple, Guava! It was delicious.

POG Juice

Not less than 5 minutes later, we got our food. It’s served family-style at ‘Ohana, with all-you-can-eat bacon, eggs, sausage, and potatoes.

breakfast

Another server also came around regularly with a bowl of Mickey Waffles, hot out of the “iron.”

Mickey Waffle

Additionally, we received a small fruit platter, with pineapple, cantaloupe, grapes, and more.

'Ohana Fruit Platter

Finally, the characters made their appearances! They were great and spent an equal amount of time at each table. Every 30-45 minutes is the ‘Ohana Family Parade, where the characters invite everyone to dance and sing and “shake!”, all to the song “Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride.”

Mickey Mouse

Stitch

Pluto

Lilo

Overall the meal was really enjoyable, and definitely delicious. This has to be my FAVORITE
Disney resort character breakfast.

Rating: 4.5 of 5
Tables in Wonderland: yes
Characters: 5 of 5
Food: 4.5 of 5

Disney Cookbooks

By AJ 11 Comments

In addition to eating Disney food, a lot of us like to try our hand at it at home! For those of you who want to bring Disney into your kitchen, I’ve compiled a few Disney-themed cookbooks for consideration.

Some of these I’ve used, and some simply come highly recommended. There are cookbooks that have recipes for dishes you can get in Disney parks and cookbooks that have “Disney-inspired” recipes — many of them will be fun to use with kiddos in the kitchen, too!

As always, I’d love to hear your favorite Disney recipes. Are there any you’ve tried?

COOKBOOKS FOR EVERYONE TO TRY
Disney Recipes: From Animation to Inspiration by Ira L. Meyer and Marcello Garofalo: This is a great option for adults cooking with kids (or adults who feel like kids!). The colorful book contains recipes connected to Disney movies and Disney entertainment (think: “Lady and the Tramp’s Spaghetti Bella Notte” and “Pocahantas’ Savory Indian Corn Pudding”).

DisneyFoodBlog Notes:

Written in 2003, you miss out on recipes referencing Disney movies in recent history, but the classics are here.
With margin notes of “things kids can do” while in the kitchen, everyone can participate.

Delicious Disney by Pam Brandon

Written in 2006, this will likely be one of the most “true to life” cookbooks for those of you hoping to duplicate dishes you’ve had in Disney Parks, Resorts, and Cruise Ships. With modern recipes from today (including your favorite dishes from the likes of California Grill and Jiko) and classics from yesterday (some date back to the 60’s!), there’re lots to try.

DisneyFoodBlog Notes:

Pam Brandon is a guru of Florida travel and Disney cookbooks. An author and foodie extraordinaire, Pam is working on another cookbook for Disney and writes a Divas of Dish column.

Cooking With Mickey and the Chefs of Walt Disney World Resort by Pam Brandon: 224 pages of Mickey’s finest! This is another book that contains recipes from Disney World restaurants and chefs. This was one of the original Disney Resort cookbooks!

DisneyFoodBlog Notes:

Published in 1998, this may not have your most recent favorites, but it will most definitely have the classics.
This is a more straightforward cookbook and doesn’t have as many glossy photos as the others do. Those of you who find it distracting to flip through endless pages of photos to get to your recipe will love this one!
Note — there’s a new version of this cookbook published in 2004

Cooking with Mickey (Gourmet Mickey Cookbook) Volume II: The Most Requested Recipes from Walt Disney World and Disneyland by The Walt Disney Company:

This 298-page tome contains recipes from the chefs of Walt Disney World as well as Walt Disney’s personal recipes! You can also find recipes from the parks and resorts, including Disney World’s Yacht and Beach Club Resorts and Polynesian Resort, and the Disneyland Hotel. Published in 2000.
DisneyFoodBlog Notes:

Word has it that this is the same book, word for word, as “Mickey’s Gourmet Cookbook” (not mentioned in this blog post). Probably no need to buy both!

The Disney Bakery: 30 Magical Recipes by Adrienne Berofsky: If your sweet tooth has been clamoring lately, this little book contains recipes inspired by Disney movies. Within its colorful pages, you’ll find Cinderella’s Cream Puff Coaches, Canine Crunchies, and Peanut Butter Dumbo Dunkers, among many others. The table of contents is arranged by movie, so be sure to decide what you want to watch before you head for the kitchen!
DisneyFoodBlog Notes:

If you couldn’t tell, this is another great one for adults and kids to enjoy together. The book won’t serve as a challenge for my professional baker friends, but it’s fun for a rainy afternoon!

COOKBOOKS TO USE WITH KIDS
Tiana’s Cookbook (The Princess and the Frog), Recipes for Kids by Disney Press: Here’s what Disney says, “This kid-friendly cookbook features recipes inspired by Tiana’s restaurant in The Princess and the Frog. With simple instructions, large photographs, and charming character art, the book features everything from Tiana’s famous beignets to a bayou smoothie. A star-rating system lets kids know how difficult the recipes are and the characters offer cooking tip. This charming cookbook is sure to please!”

The Disney Magic Kitchen Cookbook by Stephanie Karpinske: This is basically 128 pages chock full of your kids’ favorite Disney characters, end-to-end pictures, fun activities, and healthy eating ideas. Dory and Nemo’s Breakfast Cookies and Buzz’s Blast Off Burritos are just a couple of the interesting dishes you’ll be making together.

DisneyFoodBlog Notes:

With a “School Lunch” section, fruits and veggies guide, and fitness log included, this can be a helpful learning guide for your kids when it comes to making healthy decisions in their everyday food and activity choices.

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