What you’ll find in this guide:

1. Disney Parks reservations explained
2. The best Disney World restaurants in the park (Table Service and Quick Serve)
3. How to get those must-do reservations

Can you picture that?

You’re at the gates of Magic Kingdom with your family or friends, and everyone is hungry. 

This is your second park of the day, and you’re trying your best to weave around the massive swarms of people moving in every direction. You’re trying to navigate to Cinderella’s Royal Table that your party insists on visiting. 

You walk up to the restaurant staff begging for a table and are turned away due to a very full walk-up list and hours waiting for a table that is not guaranteed.

Every day at the parks, there are screaming, stressed-out, and hungry adults (as well as kids, I guess) trying to get into a multitude of must-do Disney World restaurants in the park and failing. So how do you not become one of them and successfully avoid the stress?

Why are Disney World restaurant dining reservations so hard?

The main reason this might happen is the timing of your trip. If your trip is timed around the typical spring break and winter break times, the parks are at full capacity, so more people are competing for reservations.

It’s important to note that if you’re on the Disney Dining Plan, you get one sit-down meal credit every day. So the Disney Dining Plan customers make at least one reservation every day. If you want more information about the current dining plan, comment below, and we will fill you in in an upcoming blog post!

You also need to understand how Disney Dining Reservations work. Your reservation window opens in the My Disney Experience app 60 days before you arrive. If you are staying at a Disney World Resort or a Good Neighbor Hotel, you can book all your reservations for the length of your stay, up to 10 days. Reservations fill up fast for the more popular spots, so set a reminder on your calendar for when your reservation window opens at 6 AM.

Quick Service vs. Table Service: What’s the difference?

A lot of the Disney jargon can be difficult for first-timers to wrap their heads around. To avoid confusion, it’s important to understand the two different restaurant layouts: Table Service (or sit-down restaurants) and Quick Service (or Counter Service).

• Table Service (Sit-Down Restaurants): your typical restaurant where you need to make reservations or walk up to the counter and are seated. There’s a wide variety of food types and dining locations throughout the parks, and a lot of heavily themed dining in this category. Some reservations are very easy to get, and some are incredibly hard.

• Quick Service (Counter Service): You walk up to the cashier, order food, and then you pick it up at the window. You can also use the My Disney Experience App to mobile order. Then you find seating yourself. There’s a broad spectrum in what they serve, but you can assume the range is from fast food to elevated fast casual.

Note: Quick-service restaurants typically do not require reservations, but some accept them.

The Parks

Magic Kingdom

The most iconic park but not the strongest dining lineup: knowing where to go makes all the difference.

Best Table Service: Skipper Canteen 

• Magic Kingdom dining doesn’t compare to other parks in terms of quality, but this one is a standout
• Solid options for all ages and big portions 
• No single standout dish; everything is just good
• Reservation Difficulty: [Easy / Moderate / Hard / Very Hard]
• One of the emptier restaurants on busy days, a real advantage given how crowded this park can get

Honorable Mentions: Cinderella’s Royal Table and Be Our Guest Restaurant are still good if you’re looking to get photos in themed locations or with characters. However, the food tends not to be the best; there are way better options elsewhere.

Best Quick Serve: Columbia Harbor House

• The best seafood you can get in the parks
• The lobster roll and salmon are the standouts: don’t skip either 
• A good well-rounded kids meal as well
• Mobile order strongly recommended (the downstairs gets crowded fast)
• Pro Tip – Head upstairs if you can; it’s much more spread out, and the AC is better

Honorable Mentions: Sleepy Hollow Refreshments has an amazing Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich with Hazelnut-Chocolate spread.

EPCOT

The best dining in all of Disney World; you could eat here for days (some people do… we have). 

Best Table Service: Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria

• The pizza oven is what makes this place special, serving authentic Neapolitan pizza you won’t find anywhere else in the parks
• Prosciutto Melon pizza is a personal favorite
• Reservation Difficulty: [Easy / Moderate / Hard / Very Hard]
• Even though securing a reservation is relatively hard, try to walk up to the hostess counter. We have gotten lucky a few times and only waited 30 minutes.
• Pro Tip – Look for the “Join a Walk-up List” option in the My Disney Experience App.

Honorable Mentions: The Coral Reef Restaurant has some amazing theming with the aquarium being a part of the restaurant. Space 220 also offers a unique themed experience with amazing food, although it’s hard to snag a table.

Best Quick Serve: EPCOT Festival Booths

• A great way to get restaurant-quality food in a variety of different styles with short lines.
• A majority of the time there is some sort of festival running: Festival of the Holidays, Festival of the Arts, Flower and Garden, or Food and Wine.
• Some of the best booths are usually in Canada, Japan, and inside Communicore Hall. 
• Fair warning, the Italy booth tends to disappoint
• Make sure to grab a festival guide and check out the menus and locations of the different booths

Honorable Mentions: Regal Eagle BBQ in the America Pavilion is a good option if you’re visiting between festivals. There are a lot of seating options, and the Muppets theming does give this spot some extra points. There is also a good quick serve option right next door in the Japan Pavilion called Katsura Grill.

Animal Kingdom

Wild amount of outstanding Quick Serve options, not a lot of restaurants.

Best Table Service: Tiffins

• One of the best bread services in the parks, a strong start before the main course
• Portion sizes are perfect for a park day, and you really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu
• Reservation Difficulty: [Easy / Moderate / Hard / Very Hard]
• Book as soon as the 60-day window opens (they fill up very fast)

Honorable Mentions: There are no other outstanding table service restaurants; however, there is Nomad Lounge, a lounge attached to Tiffins, with some of the restaurant options. Leave a comment if you want an article about the best Disney lounges in the future. We love a good charcuterie plate.

Best Quick Serve: Satu’li Canteen 

• The cheeseburger bao buns with plantain chips are very good
• Healthier options of salads and poke bowls
• Immersive Pandora theming makes eating here feel like part of the experience
• Not so friendly for the incredibly picky adults (and kids), but for everyone else it’s amazing
• Tends to be emptier when it’s not peak week, and if you sit inside, the air conditioning is amazing

Honorable Mentions: Flame Tree Barbeque has beautiful seating outside behind the restaurant with a fountain and view of the river. There’s a lot of space so it’s a good way to get away from the noise and take in nature.

Hollywood Studios

Some things are worth melting for; food at Hollywood Studios is one of them. 

Best Table Service: Roundup Rodeo BBQ

• The Toy Story theming is out of this world and a must if you’re a fan of the movies
• The family style dining is perfect for large families
• Good vegan and vegetarian options as well
• Reservation Difficulty:[Easy / Moderate / Hard / Very Hard]
• Reservations disappear as soon as the 60-day window opens: check for cancellations if you miss it

Honorable Mentions: 50’s Prime Time Cafe and Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant both have incredible theming but okay food. It is also very hard to get a table, so if you’re into the aesthetics, definitely find a reservation ASAP.

Best Quick Serve: Woody’s Lunch Box

• The grilled cheeses at Woody’s Lunch Box are to die for
• The theming is also incredible with little details and a view of the rides in Toy Story Land
• There are also unique alcoholic beverage options and seasonal lunch box tarts (think Pop-Tarts)
• Seating is limited, shade is rare, and the counter is almost always swarmed
• More seating and shade have been added recently (still not a lot)
• Pro Tip – Mobile order through the Disney app and find somewhere else to sit, trust me

Honorable Mentions: Backlot Express and Docking Bay 7 tend to be emptier if you’re looking for a place to hide when picking a quick-serve dining option. However, Docking Bay 7’s Star Wars theme, as well as not being a well-kept secret anymore, has changed things a little. ABC Commissary also has a multitude of different options if you can’t choose where to eat.

If you want to learn about some of the changes to restaurants available in Hollywood Studios, check out our article on the Monstropolis Land construction.

Tips for Scoring Hard-to-Get Reservations

1. Set an alarm for your exact 60-day window: Reservations open at 6 a.m. ET and 3 a.m. PST (yikes, Californians). Make sure you’re punctual. If you don’t want to use the app, you can go to the Disney World Restaurants Reservations on their website.
2. Check the app regularly for cancellations. You might catch some as people change their minds.
3. Be flexible on dining time for the more popular spots. Odd hours will open up more often.
4. Consider a last-minute cancellation check the morning of your visit. Some of the best spots open up at the beginning of the day as other people’s plans change.

Know the Cancellation Policy Before You Book

Most Disney World restaurants require a credit card hold. Most do not allow modifications within 2 hours of the reservation, and there is a $10 per person fee to cancel in that window. 

The exception is premium dining experiences and packages. For example, at the time of writing, Cinderella’s Royal Table reservations can’t be modified, and no-show is the full cost of the experience. Make sure you check the cancellation policy when you book.

Plan Ahead!

Remember to plan as far in advance as possible! You want to be able to enjoy your vacation to the fullest and snag those reservations for Disney World restaurants!

If you like the dining advice, we’re just getting started! Stay tuned for more articles about Disney World restaurants in the future. Coming soon:

• The best non-alcoholic beverages in EPCOT
• The best restaurants at Disney Springs
• The best dining at Disney resort hotels.

Let us know in the comments what you’re most interested in! 

Don’t be a hungry, cranky adult in Disney World! Save it for the toddlers!