food IS a theme park
Ever wanted to hang out with two of the hottest chefs in Walt Disney World’s Disney Springs, sipping some sake and moonshine? Well, your dream is within reach (for a price) with a unique progressive dinner that celebrates the work of Chef Masaharu Morimoto and Chef Art Smith.
©Patina Group
Sebastian’s Bistroopened at Walt Disney World’s Caribbean Beach Resort in October
— just in time to get in on the holiday action that’s taking over the World!
Sebastian’s Bistro sign
Sebastian’s will be serving up Thanksgiving lunch and dinner this year! Life is the bubbles — and the turkey, evidently!
We’re big fans of The BOATHOUSE in Walt Disney World’s Disney Springs, so when we spot a new dessert on the menu, we get kind of excited. And in this case, we spied something pretty awesome on The BOATHOUSE’s Instagram account.
The Boathouse Sign
Epcot’s World Showcase at Walt Disney World
is home to so many interesting restaurants serving high-quality food from around the (actual) world that it can be hard to decide which to choose.
And frankly, Nine Dragons in the China Pavilion has been one that we’ve decided to skip much of the time. The setting is lovely and worth exploring, but in the past, the food has been lackluster, no better than most of the Americanized Chinese restaurants found in strip malls around the country.
But we give second chances (and third and fourth and fifth) here at the DFB, so I made a reservation and hoped for something to love in this table service spot. And while I won’t say Nine Dragons has clawed its way up too far in the rankings of table service restaurants at Epcot, I will say that my most recent visit was the best I’ve had here.
While I encourage you to take that with a grain of salt, I also want to acknowledge that plenty of you do enjoy eating here, and I will always cling to optimism that even the least palatable of Walt Disney World dining locations will be in a constant state of flux, striving for better.
But let’s start with what we already love about Nine Dragons: its magical decor and warm atmosphere.
Welcome to Nine Dragons!
The Christmas season has begun in earnest at Walt Disney World, and even the dinos at T-Rex restaurant in Disney Springs are getting in on the action! That’s right: Santa and Mrs. Claus are hosting a breakfast buffet among the giant lizards, and you can join them!
©T-Rex Cafe
This perennial event has been held at T-Rex for the past two years, with guests getting their fill of a breakfast buffet that includes such tasty morsels as Mini Pancakes, Omelette and Waffle Stations, and a French toast stack called Dexter’s Delight! (Dexter, you’ll want to know, is the dinosaur mascot of the restaurant!)
T-Rex Restaurant Welcomes Santa and Mrs. Claus!
The place to go for food that reflects the many cooking traditions of Mexico is Frontera Cocina, a table service restaurant located in Walt Disney World’s Disney Springs. And the mantra of the restaurant’s owner and leader, Chef Rick Bayless, is all about seasonality and respect for Mexican ingredients, methods, and food culture.
Frontera Cocina
That’s why you’ll find that the menu at Frontera Cocina changes with some regularity, reflecting both the season and the vibrancy of Mexican food. Chef Bayless is world-renowned for his cooking, which he has shared on his show, Mexico: One Plate at a Time and Top Chef Masters. And if you’ve had the pleasure of hearing him talk about cuisine on these programs or podcasts over the years, you already know how much he cares about his craft. [Read more…]
is a table service option in Epcot’s Future World at Walt Disney World.
As you might imagine, Coral Reef is located in the Seas Pavilion, home of The Seas with Nemo and Friends. It’s one of only two table service restaurants in Future World — the other being Garden Grill in the neighboring Land Pavilion. The biggest draw to Coral Reef is the centerpiece of the restaurant: the six-million-gallon aquarium where fish, sea turtles, and (sometimes) divers swim by throughout the meal.
But even with that draw — making Coral Reef a truly unique Disney World experience! — Coral Reef often sinks to the bottom of DFB’s rankings of table service restaurants. Sadly the food just hasn’t been that great over the years. Lunch in 2014 was decent at best, with the Seared Mahi Mahi being the only I’d-get-that-again dish (alas, the Sriracha Shrimp we enjoyed on that visit are no longer on the menu…).
But you know we like to re-review restaurants on the regular, since chefs, menus, and servers change up regularly. My most recent visit was the best I’ve had in terms of food, and while it won’t move Coral Reef up to the top of the list at Epcot — admittedly a difficult park because there are so many awesome choices — it gives me hope that maybe the restaurant is providing a better experience for guests.
Coral Reef
The atmosphere of Coral Reef is the star of this restaurant, and for those who love sea life or aquariums, this really is a must-try. Nothing quite compares to the beauty of dining with only eight inches of glass between the diner and the sealife.
Attention cast members! Everyone’s favorite funky bowling alley Splitsville Orlando in Disney Springs’ West Side is offering a Rolling Social every week!
Splitsville Luxury Lanes
Walt Disney World seriously rocks
when it comes to offering a wide variety of dining options, and while we often find ourselves gravitating toward fried delights like classic Chicken Nuggets and carbolicious eats like Sanaa’s Bread Service, we still like to get our veggies in. Occasionally. Okay, really only to justify eating more cupcakes, but I digress.
Still, salads have their place, and we know that a lot of our readers enjoy the freshness and healthfulness of a plate of vegetables even when in a World full indulgent options. So we’ve culled our experience and that of our instagram readers for some great table service and counter service salad options that are satisfying and delicious. Thanks to our readers and followers for sharing their favorites!
We’re starting off with the most renowned salad in all the World: the Hollywood Brown Derby Cobb Salad. This salad is an institution at the original Hollywood Brown Derby in California, and the Disney version of the restaurant has captured the original version of the salad perfectly.
Cobb Salad at Hollywood Brown Derby
For many, Walt Disney World dining is a central part of the vacation experience, and you know we’re right there with you! And over many, many (did we mention many?) table service meals, we’ve scoped out some of the finest real estate in Disney World restaurants. These are seats that give you a little somethin’ somethin’ — like a view of something spectacular or proximity to the little details. Fireworks view, anyone?
View of Fireworks from the Contemporary
The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining 2021 is packed full of tips — like over 700 pages worth! And we’ve got a list of Recommended Table Requests you might want to consider on future visits.
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
