31 Best Restaurants in Walt Disney World Orlando, Florida

This complex of three restaurants is a haven of authentic Italian cuisine served up by two internationally known chefs (though the Disney "story" tells of an immigrant Italian couple who convert the Disney Springs Air Terminal into the eateries). Maria & Enzo's offers fine Italian cuisine in a sophisticated setting; neighboring Pizza Ponte has pizza by the slice, Italian pastries, and belly-filling sandwiches; Enzo's Hideaway, set in a former cast-access tunnel, serves classic dishes seldom seen in Florida, like fried artichokes and house-cured antipasti.

If an authentic Irish pub—actually transported from the Old Country plank by plank—is your thing, Raglan Road is the place. In addition to excellent fish-and-chips and shepherd's pie, the inventive chefs twist Irish cuisine to include dishes like Gulf shrimp and risotto with buffalo mozzarella and fresh peas. The entertainment alone makes this place worth the visit. "Trad" bands play nightly, and a troupe of Irish dancers performs several times every evening and during the Rollicking Raglan Sunday Brunch. Musicians also play outside for guests dining alfresco. A store called Shop for Ireland sells Irish merchandise. Around the corner, the Raglan-affiliated Cooke's of Dublin offers fast-take fish-and-chips, pies, and deep-fried "battered burgers."

Most of the flavors are from India, yet Sanaa is really a celebration of the Spice Islands—locales off the coast of Africa that, for centuries, enticed traders from the world's corners. Exotic yet approachable lunches and dinners make it a true find on the outer edges of the Disney empire; views of zebras and giraffes on the savanna right out the picture windows are another draw. Potato-pea samosas are good starters. For the main course, try the tandoori chicken or the potjie-inspired meal, a bowl with a mix of a protein and unique base. This is the only sit-down restaurant open for lunch at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. There is a reservations-only Dine with an Animal Specialist program consisting of a four-course meal and fascinating company.

Situated in the heart of Pandora, Satu'li walks a line between fast-casual and fine dining with counter service and surprisingly sophisticated, internationally inspired dishes. The menu features grain bowls with fresh-cooked ingredients and kids' meals that are actually nutritious.

This eatery (re)creates a downtown Los Angeles corner pub, serving California wines and craft beers. Charcuterie boards featuring California cheeses and Bavarian pretzels with fondue are snackable highlights.

Strange but good brews—Rocket Red Ale, Southern Flyer Light Lager, Steamboat Pale Ale, Gadzooks Pilsner—abound at this microbrewery, where you can sip your suds inside amid giant stainless-steel tanks or outside on a lake-view patio. The menu emphasizes meat and fish, with baby back ribs dry-rubbed and topped with honey chipotle barbecue sauce, elaborate hamburgers, or blackened fish tacos. Wine and cocktails are available for the nonbeer-drinking crowd.

Superstar chef Art Smith, recognized by foodies for having worked for Oprah and cooked for heads of state, incorporates ingredients from nearby farms, ranches, and fisheries in this tribute to down-home Southern cooking. Having been a part of Disney's College program (he started his career with a culinary internship here), he's returned to present dishes like his famous fried chicken, deviled eggs, shrimp and grits, pork chops, fried green tomatoes, mashed potatoes, and Southern slaw. The portions are enormous, and the flavors are bold. Try the Jasper Board sampler—smoked fish dip, pimento cheese, Tasso hams, bread-and-butter pickles, candied pecans, and buttermilk crackers—for a taste of everything. Save room for the Moonshine Mash (there's a long list of cocktails) and Smith's signature hummingbird cake.

This plush, bustling brasserie remains true to the spirit and the vision of Paul Bocuse, Gaston Lenôtre, and Roger Vergé, three of France's most famous chefs (Bocuse's son, Jerome, continues to run the restaurant). Classic escargots, a good starter, are prepared in a casserole with garlic butter; you might follow up with salmon marinated in white wine and lemon and served in a champagne sauce or grilled beef tenderloin with green peppercorn sauce; naturally, ratatouille is available, as is the occasional three-course, prix-fixe meal. Finish with a chocolate tart with white mousse.

Family-style dinner fare is served here as the restaurant revolves, giving you an ever-changing backstage view of the Living with the Land boat ride. Offering quantity over quality, the restaurant serves all-you-can-eat meals with visits from Chip ’n’ Dale, Pluto, and occasionally Mickey. Typical choices include beef, turkey, and a sustainable fish with trimmings, beer and wine selections, plus kiddie favorites like mac and cheese and oven-roasted chicken drumsticks.  Except for the princess meals in Norway, this is the only EPCOT restaurant that has Disney character meet and greets during meals.

Nearly 100 beers as well as eight wines on tap provide reasons enough for Disney guests and a fair share of Disney cast members to frequent what's called the "ultimate sports bar." Paired with a global collection of rare, limited, and special brews are meals large enough to share; burgers big enough for one; and bar bites like flatbreads, nachos, and wings to whet your appetite. The 17 high-def televisions make watching live sporting events a natural in this active joint. Happy Hour specials run from 3:30 to 6 on weekdays, and there's a weekend Rock n' Roll Brunch from 10 to 3.

With stunning views of the 5.7-million-gallon aquarium, dining at Coral Reef is as entertaining as it is delicious. As you watch marine life—and sometimes scuba divers—swim by, enjoy dishes from a seasonal menu that's heavy on seafood offerings. Options might include shrimp and grits or seared mahi-mahi in a coconut and cilantro-lime sauce. This is a great option for those wanting to try upscale dining with younger kids, as they'll be able to either test new items such as lobster bisque or play it safe with grilled chicken. Plus, the aquarium is a great distraction while waiting for the food to arrive!

This hangar bay transformed into a quick-service-restaurant by Chef Strono “Cookie” Tuggs serves out-of-this world meals. Try the braised beef stir fry or the fried chicken tip yip with roasted vegetables. Those with egg or gluten allergies will find multiple options here, and if the line looks overwhelming, order online with the My Disney Experience app.

Under the watchful eye of celebrity chef Rick Bayless, Frontera brings a sophisticated yet casual approach to classic Mexican food. Look for genuine dishes from Oaxaca and Mexico City like house-made guacamole and short-rib tacos, as well as exquisite pan-roasted Florida shrimp. The bar is a popular hangout for its craft cocktails, beers, and wines as well as daily drink specials like Margarita Mondays and Tequila Tuesdays.

With twinkling lights draped on its oversize, 25-foot, signature tree, this restaurant, designed to evoke New York's Central Park, specializes in character meals. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night, guests dine on classic American fare like prime rib while Goofy and his buddies make their rounds. Seafood buffets are featured Thursday through Sunday evening. Weekend mornings, Pluto leads the fray as families fuel up on day starters from raisin bread French toast to a create-your-own omelet station. The restaurant is open for lunch but without characters.

Disney’s Perfectly Princess Tea Party is afternoon tea at its grandest as children ages 3 to 9 enjoy the royal treatment. Dressing up is encouraged, and an early 9 am meal, featuring tea and sandwiches, is served on china plates (apple juice, peanut butter, and ham-and-cheese sandwiches for the kids; cheeses and finger sandwiches for adults). Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty herself) may make an appearance. Little ones receive a special Princess Aurora doll, jewelry and a tiara, a princess bag, and a photo scrapbook page—a nice parting gift considering the hefty cost ($333.64 for one adult and one child, additional children are $234.08). From noon to 4 pm daily, the space serves a traditional afternoon tea.

Be prepared for a soundtrack of music that's equal parts groovy, funky, and soulful as you dine on an eclectic menu that offers everything from ribs to shrimp and grits to a tasty chicken Caesar salad. Consider trying the Juicy Lucy, a bacon cheeseburger with jalapeño and chipotle mayo; the pulled-pork sandwiches and the cornbread are also delicious. A worthy dessert is the bourbon-white-chocolate-banana-bread pudding. Consistently popular is the Gospel Sunday Brunch, where an elaborate Southern buffet (chicken and waffles, made-to-order omelets, shrimp and crawfish étouffée, bourbon bread pudding, etc.) is served with a side of live gospel music. For a faster meal, visit the quick-service barbecue counter The Smokehouse.

Jaleo (pronounced huh-lay-oh) means "revelry," and in this contemporary and spacious setting, diners celebrate with authentic paellas cooked over a wood fire, as well as chef and humanitarian José Andrés's signature gambas al ajillo (shrimp sautéed with garlic and chili) or croquetas de pollo (Spanish chicken fritters). The extensive tapas options are perfect for taste-driving a variety of items: the Jaleo Experience prix-fixe includes traditional and modern tapas, or go Jose's Way, with a larger and more elaborate selection of the chef's favorite tapas and plates. And remember: when you hear the bell, it’s paella time! Entire pans of paella are available for parties of eight or more with advance notice. Pick up a container of beautiful gazpacho next door at Pepe, a stationary food truck offering grab-and-go items.

To replace the energy you've no doubt depleted by miles of theme-park walking, load up on carbs at this casual restaurant that looks like a classic San Francisco Italian eatery. Good main courses include spaghetti with meatballs and sautéed shrimp in a four-cheese sauce with pasta and vegetables. The sangria is popular. Book the Fantasmic! dinner package in advance if you want priority seating for the show.

There is, of course, a sushi bar at this sleek, expansive Masaharu Morimoto establishment, and the Iron Chef himself takes control of it when he's in town (about four times a year), though it's fun to watch any of the chefs at work. There's also an open kitchen and multiple dining spaces and lounges where the menu features pan-Asian favorites like Chinese duck, Korean noodles, ramen and Singaporean laksa. A quarterly omakase (chef's choice) experience, which runs $250 and requires an advance deposit, could be served by Morimoto himself. The bar runs nearly the length of a football field as it snakes from the ground floor to the top floor, where an outdoor terrace overlooks the water. There's late-night munching at the Forbidden lounge, complete with an interesting cocktail menu, a balcony, and an outdoor street food window.

Housed in a paddleboat on Lake Buena Vista, this sophisticated seafood destination has multiple outdoor dining areas, where same-day, fresh-catch selections are presented in any number of ways, from raw bar delicacies to the traditional Gulf-shore jambalaya or the Build-Your-Own Seafood Boil. There are non-seafood dishes like filet mignon and pork chops, as well as vegetarian options. The casual rooftop bar offers views of the entire Disney Springs complex.

If you're looking for a quick meal in Galaxy's Edge, this is the place. Among the meats that have been "roasted over a pod racer engine," you'll find pork rinds, roasted pork, and vegetable wraps. Groups who just want a small bite should consider the snack sampler in a droid bucket. Those who rushed straight for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run will be happy to know they can pick up breakfast here between flights.

If you don't mind zombies leering at you while you eat, then head to this enclosed faux drive-in, where you can sit in a booth that looks like a candy-color, 1950s convertible while watching clips from classics like Attack of the Fifty-Foot Woman and Teenagers from Outer Space. The menu includes a variety of burgers, from barbecue to salmon, as well as pan-seared chicken pasta and oven-roasted turkey sandwiches. End with a hot-fudge sundae or warm glazed doughnut.

At what is, literally, an out-of-this-world restaurant, you board a special elevator to travel 220 miles above the planet to a dining room with panoramas of Earth through viewports that use real-time, above-the-clouds imagery. The prix-fixe menu ($55 at lunch and $79 for dinner) includes a lift-off (read: appetizer) and a star (main) course. Lift-off selections include starry calamari, blue moon cauliflower, and space greens; the star course menu features dishes like X2 Duck with butternut squash flan and slow-rotation short rib with cheddar grits. There are also more than 1,000 different bottles of wine and craft beer.

This market-style restaurant is great for a substantial meal or just a quick, healthy bite. Made using food sourced primarily on site, dishes might include stir-fried chicken or shrimp, vegetable korma, or oak-grilled salmon. Fruit and cheese plates plus assorted fruits and vegetables grown in the Living with the Land attraction are also available. 

Under the guidance of James Beard Award–winner and Top Chef master Tony Mantuano, Terralina brings back sophistication and southern Italian cuisine to Disney Springs. Meticulously planned to look like a resort in Italy's Lake District, Terralina's open design and wood-fired grills provide a stylish atmosphere and some of the best recipes Mantuano can create, including wood-fired, hand-tossed pizzas along with salads and sandwiches. The antipasti tower is a starting course eye-opener, and steaks and seafood delight.

Who knows why the contemporary and upscale BOATHOUSE on the Disney Springs waterfront uses all CAPITALS in its name, but it does. Maybe it's just to draw attention to itself and its fresh seafood, raw bar, and premium steaks and chops. Dockside dining or classic boathouse settings are on offer. After dinner, save room for dessert—Key lime pie in a mason jar, perhaps—and allow time to explore the restaurant’s impressive on-site fleet of classic boats. Not on the menu are guided tours by Amphicar, vehicles that drive like cars on land and glide like boats on water—they depart from the dock by the restaurant.

A massive brick structure that, according to Disney lore, was the original power plant for the town of Disney Springs, now houses The Edison, an entertainment arena of more than a half-dozen distinct and richly themed rooms where food and drink mingle with palm readers, aerialists, contortionists, and other sideshow acts. The steampunk decor includes a massive clock in the main lobby and a dramatic, working steam engine. The daytime menu reinvents bar food like signature burgers, hawker-style lamb balls, and the whimsical candied bacon strips hung on a miniature clothesline. After 10 pm, a dress code goes in effect as the space becomes an over-21 club with dancers and a live band powering up the power plant.

The James Beard Award–nominated chef-owners of the Ravenous Pig gastropub in nearby Winter Park opened this sit-down restaurant to give Disney visitors a taste of Orlando's finest. They do it by sourcing as many ingredients as possible from local farmers and purveyors, as well as by house-smoking the ribs, brisket, and chicken and offering special Southern sides like tomato-and-watermelon salad or smoked corn with lime butter. The bar offerings include locally made beer and cocktails; a selection of nearly 100 whiskies adds an extra kick.

Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck's California-crafted eatery serves a mixture of dishes, from Mediterranean-influenced entrées and signature pizzas to seared Florida red snapper with mango and corn salsa to whole grilled fish, mesquite-grilled pork chops, flat-iron steaks, and filet mignon. Gooey desserts, crafted cocktails, and a gelato bar complete the cosmopolitan scene.

A lunch box meal never tasted so good! The turkey sandwich comes with tomato-basil soup, and the BBQ Brisket Melt has a deliciously tangy sauce, but the grilled three-cheese sandwich is so popular that Disney has actually shared the recipe on its website. Splurge on the adorable alien slipper cup for your drink.