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Reader Favorites: Best Walt Disney World Counter Service Restaurants

Whelp, it’s time to re-visit one of our favorite topics around here: Best Disney World Counter Service Restaurants!

We polled our readers back in 2009 for their favorites, and things are looking slightly different these days… 😉

We recently asked our Disney Food Blog Facebook Fans via the Disney Food Blog Facebook page for the best counter service restaurants inside the theme parks at Walt Disney World. Let’s find out where everyone is eating…

Best Magic Kingdom Counter Service Restaurants

Winner: Columbia Harbour House

In a quiet corner of the Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square, the Columbia Harbour House sets the scene for traditional Americana in a colonial village — and steals our Best Magic Kingdom Counter Service title away from Pecos Bill’s this year!

Columbia Harbour House

The decor of the restaurant emphasizes a nautical theme with plank flooring and hurricane lamps. Downstairs, seating is divided into small dining rooms giving the space a colonial charm.

Here’s a Favorite DFB Tip: The upstairs seating area is usually the quietest and offers some tables with quaint views. Brick hearths add even more “warmth” to the dark-wooded rooms.

Grilled Salmon… this meal belongs on a real plate.

Serving popular soups (awesome clam chowder!), salads, and sandwiches such as the Lighthouse (hummus with tomato and broccoli slaw) and Anchors Aweigh (white tuna with lettuce and tomato) served on toasted multigrain bread; and recently adding a Lobster Roll and Grilled Salmon to the menu, Columbia Harbour House offers selections beyond the usual chicken nugget fare. (Although, there are those too!)

Lobster Roll with real chunks of lobster at Columbia Harbour House

Runners Up: Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe, Be Our Guest Restaurant (lunch only), and Casey’s Corner.

Best Epcot Counter Service Restaurants

Winner: Sunshine Seasons

Soarin’ isn’t the only main attraction in The Land pavilion! According to our readers, Sunshine Seasons gets a lot of traffic too.

Epcot’s Sunshine Seasons

With five food stations including a [Read more…]

New! Pineapple Coconut Cupcake at Epcot’s Sunshine Seasons

By Kim LaPaglia 8 Comments

Learn About:Sunshine Seasons

Epcot Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

Woo! You know we like to keep you updated on all of the snacks in Disney parks, and we love when readers send pics and updates to us when they’re in Disney World and Disneyland!

Thanks to Susan T. (who also found the fabulously popular King Cupcake at Pop Century), we’ve got a review of a brand new one!

Spotted inside Epcot’s Land pavilion at the Sunshine Seasons food court was a pineapple coconut cupcake. What a fun, summery treat! (We’ve also seen a pineapple coconut cupcake earlier this year in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.)

Pineapple Coconut Cupcake

Selling for $3.99 or a Disney Dining Plan snack credit, this concoction has a creamy pineapple frosting, is topped with toasted coconut, and is garnished with 2 small pieces of fresh pineapple.

Susan informs us that it tastes like pineapple upside down cake, but with [Read more…]

Fun Gluten-Free and Allergy-Free Snacks in Epcot

By AJ 13 Comments

Vacationing with dietary requirements can sometimes be a challenge, but Disney continues to lead the field in options available to guests who have special dietary needs.

On a recent trip to Epcot’s The Land and its fabulous counter service spot, Sunshine Seasons, we spied some fun eats for special diets!

First up: who doesn’t love a little something sweet, crunchy, and indulgent on a trip to Walt Disney World? If you need to find a treat that is gluten- or nut-free, check out Rocky Mountain Caramel Popcorn! Perfect for sharing — if you want to!

Gluten and Nut Free Caramel Popcorn

Gluten and Nut Free Caramel Popcorn - Close-up

If you’re looking for a delicious cookie, but you’d like to avoid [Read more…]

Food Challenge: The Disney Food Blog 2012 Cupcake Crawl

By AJ 31 Comments

Last year we created a special kind of challenge… It was meant for only the truly brave — the true cake and frosting fans. Some of you took on the sweet mission with enthusiasm and…well…courage.

White Chocolate Elephant Cupcake at Animal Kingdom

Yes, we’re talking about the Disney Cupcake Crawl of 2011!

Now as we come upon the anniversary of this challenge, we’ve been inspired by all of you who have attempted — and even conquered — the Cupcake Crawl! And because Disney Cupcakes are one of our passions around here — Yep, we’ve created a sequel!!

The Disney Food Blog’s 2012 “Walt Disney World Cupcake Crawl” Strategy

Are you ready to take on yet another sugary challenge in the name of sweet snacks?!

Follow the 2012 crawl step by step, or opt to mix and match the 2011 and 2012 challenges. Cupcake success is accomplished when you’ve visited these six locations and sampled at least 7 different cupcakes.

Remember that many Disney World cupcakes are offered seasonally, so if you need to substitute out new options for the ones below, that’s A-OK with us!

Depending on your tolerance level, you may want to split this crawl up over a couple of days. We won’t judge!

Don’t forget, most of these can be purchased for a Disney Dining Plan snack credit, so save up those snacks!

CONTEMPORARY RESORT: Cupcakes required = 2

Contemporary Resort’s Contempo Cafe is your starting point for wonderful (and seasonal) cupcakes.

Contempo Cafe
A modern quick service restaurant in the midst of the bustling Contemporary Resort makes a convenient cupcake stop on your way to or from the [Read more…]

Review: Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake in Epcot

By AJ 11 Comments

I don’t go to Sunshine Seasons in Epcot nearly enough. (This is true of everyone pretty much, right? 😉 )

This great spot is smack in the middle of the Land pavilion in Epcot, and offers some of the best counter service food in all of Walt Disney World. This includes some very unique desserts, and anytime I DO visit I can’t resist trying out a few new treats. Today: the Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake…

Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake

This is what I would call an “attractive” cupcake (minus the condensation droplets…sorry about that…). Colorful Mickey sprinkles and dark chocolate curls, thick pink buttercream frosting, chocolate cake — admit it; you’d fall for it, too. But let’s get down to the review of what’s inside!

As my friend and I took initial bites, we debated whether the frosting (I always start with the frosting) was actually [Read more…]

Ode to Disney Dessert Sandwiches

By AJ 26 Comments

You know we like to follow the Disney food trends here on Disney Food Blog, and one that we’re noticing more and more are the “dessert sandwiches” that keep popping up.

Of course, Disney has seemingly always offered the beloved Carrot Cake Cookie and Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich, and now there are a few more options. Let’s take a look at some old and new favorites!

Whoopie pies

Whoopie pies (cake-like cookie sandwiches with frosting or whipped cream in the middle — borne out of the Northeastern United States) are a huge trend nationwide; and over at Sunshine Seasons in The Land, they’ve introduced a red velvet whoopie pie with your favorite mouse right on top!

The frosting inside is buttercream, not cream cheese, but we’re pretty happy with it either way!

Mickey Whoopie Pie at Sunshine Seasons

Decked out in chocolate chips, this is a great one to try while you’re waiting for your Soarin’ fastpass to open up!

And at the Boardwalk Resort, Flying Fish Cafe offers a Trio of Concessions Sweets aptly named “Out on the Boardwalk”. A highlight of this dish is the Peanut Butter-Chocolate-Marshmallow “Moon Pie”.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Whoopie Pie with Pound Cake Fries

The pound cake “fries” have strawberry “ketchup” to add to the look-alike whoopie pie “burger”. It’s an innovative boardwalk dessert…and delicious!

Carrot Cake Cookie

Writer’s Stop

in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is home to the Carrot Cake Cookie, another whoopie-pie like menu item featuring two soft, cake-like cookies with delectable cream cheese frosting sandwiched in between. These days, you can also find these goodies at [Read more…]

What’s Your Favorite Disney Pie?

By AJ 24 Comments

Nobody ever talks enough about pie, right? Raise your hand if you’re with me. So recently, we asked for your favorite pies at Disney World and Disneyland, and we received some awesome recommendations!

DFB readers and Facebook Friends shared their suggestions for this yummy dessert via the Disney Food Blog Facebook page. Now let’s get into those pies!

Yummo Pecan Pie at Boatwright's in Disney World -- review coming soon!

The kinds of pie with the greatest shout-outs from our facebook fans were Key Lime, Mango, and Blueberry. Let’s grab a slice…

Key Lime Pie

Our readers suggest stopping by Sunshine Seasons or Olivia’s Cafe at the Old Key West resort for their Key Lime desserts.

At Olivia’s, the Key Lime Tart is very popular due to the thick graham cracker crust (that goes all the way up the sides of the dessert!), sweet and tart key lime filling, and a sweet and light meringue topping. Facebook fan Crystal N. highly recommends this tart (and so do I!!!)!

Key Lime Tart

Key Lime Tart on the Inside

Allan T., Chris D., and Susan H. are among our readers praising the Key Lime Pie at [Read more…]

Disney World Crème Brûlée Gallery

By AJ 36 Comments

I’ve had numerous requests from folks asking for a round-up of where you can get Crème Brûlée in Disney World, and finally we’ve put this gallery together!

Garde Manger Caramelizes Creme Brulee

For those who haven’t indulged before, classic Crème Brûlée is a dessert created from baked and cooled custard topped with (usually) blowtorched sugar forming a candied crust.

Disney pastry chefs have bent over backwards figuring out how to put their own personal touch on this decadent recipe… Let’s take a look at some of the interesting ones!

Please note that Disney dessert menus change all the time, so some of these may no longer be available on your visit.

Be sure to let us know in the comments below about your favorite Crème Brûlée desserts in Disney restaurants!!

White Chocolate Crème Brûlée

Check out Portobello‘s yummy version! The white chocolate shavings really made this dessert!

White Chocolate Crème Brûlée

Pistachio Crème Brûlée

A classic at Tony’s Town Square in the Magic Kingdom is this beloved Pistachio Crème Brûlée. And I fully agree with it’s cult favorite status — it was delicious!

pistachio creme brulee

Pistachio Creme Brulee

Key Lime and Regular Crème Brûlée Duo

Narcoossee’s

serves this dessert as a duo — two for one deal!! The true winner is the Key Lime — it’s the perfect dose of tart and tangy with the [Read more…]

Sunshine Seasons Strawberry Shortcake: A “Best Snack Value” in Epcot

By Kim LaPaglia 12 Comments

As you know, we’ve just released our brand new The DFB Mini-Guide to Epcot Snacks, and we’ve got a special tip from the book today!

As many of you know, it can be difficult to decide how to get the best value with your Disney Dining Plan snack credits or vacation dollars while in Walt Disney World. And while you can get a Mickey Bar anywhere, some guests want a more unique treat.

Here’s where we com in! When visiting Epcot, Sunshine Seasons in The Land pavilion is a convenient location in Future World for a great snack. The restaurant is located downstairs — just steps from Soarin’ — and offers dozens of market-fresh treats and meals. One of our very favorites is this Strawberry Shortcake, which has quickly reached cult favorite status for repeat Disney guests!

Sunshine Seasons Strawberry Shortcake

Smooth, creamy whipped cream, decadent vanilla shortcake, and fresh strawberries make this snack an incredible value for the dollar — and it’s [Read more…]

Disney Food Post Round-Up: February 5, 2012

By AJ Leave a Comment

Super Bowl Cupcakes at Main St. Bakery

Welcome to the SUPERBOWL EDITION of the Disney Food Post Round-Up!!

Does this mean that these articles are particularly football-related? No. But it does mean that I’m probably prepping to watch some football while you’re reading!! 😉 Here we go!!

Disney Food News

Get your news hot and fresh this week!

Watching the Big Game in WDW? Check out some Super Bowl eats! Main Street Bakery is even offering those Pats and Giants cupcakes you see in the pic! (Thanks to @PlazaandMainSt for the photo!)
Flavorful popcorn (including test flavors) are popping up around the Disney Parks. There’s also Vinylmation Popcorns coming up soon!
Disneyland Cupcakes are back in Disneyland’s Downtown Disney! Yummy pictures included. 😉
Earl of Sandwich has a new “for a limited time” french dip sandwich! Check out a photo here!
The Landscape of Flavors food court at Art of Animation resort will open this summer! Check out these newly revealed menu items!
There’s lots of news from Raglan Road at Downtown Disney including St. Patrick’s Day luncheon with Chef Kevin Dundon and new gluten free items on the menu!

For more sweet and savory food news, stop by our Disney Food News Pin Board, where Disney Food News is updated on a regular basis!

The Disney Food Blog Mini-Guide to Magic Kingdom Snacks e-Book

The DFB Mini-Guide to Magic Kingdom Snacks e-Book

is proving invaluable to food-lovers headed to Disney World!!

We couldn’t fit this detailed information into our overview book, The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining, so we’ve created an entire guide detailing over 70 Magic Kingdom snacks!

You’ll see photos, reviews, costs, and Disney Dining Plan snack credit information about each featured snack! Be sure to check out http://DFBMiniGuides.com for details about the e-Book, sample pages, and even a list of the bonus items in the book!

To grab a 20% discount today, use code MAGIC at the check-out!! We hope you enjoy!

And don’t forget to pick up the 250-page, picture-packed DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining while you’re at it! 🙂 Thanks for supporting the Disney Food Blog!

On to the Round-Up

Yesterland

bids farewell to Bur-r-r-bank Ice Cream in Disney California Adventure.

WildernessLodgeSite.com makes the Artist Point’s Berry Cobbler. Yum!

Main Street Gazette heads to Sunshine Seasons for a vegetarian review of the S’mores Brownie.

Orlando Sentinel talks turkey — and confirms that those popular turkey legs being served in the parks are definitely not emu legs.

AllEars.Net‘s Deb Wills reviews eats at the Magic Kingdom and Contemporary Resort.

Eating (and Drinking) Around the World takes a look at new adult beverages in Epcot’s World Showcase!

a Mouse and a Dream discovers sweet potato fries at Cafe’ Orleans in Disneyland. Thanks to DFB reader Alex for letting me know about this site!

Have a great week!! May the best team win 😉

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Reader Favorites: Best Walt Disney World Counter Service Restaurants