The Best Disney World Hotel Restaurants Ranked (2023)

Are you planning a little dining for your Disney World vacation? Then, we’ve got you covered! This article will discuss Disney World’s Hotels’ best table service restaurants in 2023 and tips on what to order. Our choices for the best table service are based on food quality, atmosphere, and price point. So, whether you want to eat in an elegant setting offering fine cuisine or enjoy delicious comfort food that won’t break the bank, we have ranked the best options for everyone.

Best Disney Resort Table Service Restaurants

We’ll start by exploring the best table service options in the Epcot Resorts Area. These hotels are all within walking distance or only a Skyliner ride from the park, so if you stay in this area, you can easily access these restaurants.

#1 Ale and Compass

Our first stop is Ale and Compass at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. This table-service restaurant offers American fare with a modern twist. Some of its most popular items include chocolate waffles for breakfast and New England seafood pot pie for dinner.

The location is perfect for families and couples looking to enjoy a lovely setting and a reasonably priced meal. We eat here more often than any other restaurant at Disney World. It’s also one of our top choices for breakfast. Our breakfasts here have always been budget-friendly, and the entrees we’ve tried to date have been superb.

Ale and Compass offers to-go orders for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This is an excellent option if you prefer to dine outside or take a meal back to your room. During our last stay at Yacht Club, we placed a mobile order for breakfast each morning and enjoyed it at the pool.

Related: Ale and Compass Breakfast Review

The Parker House Rolls with Spreads are also available next door in the lounge. They are so good! You can order most menu items from the lounge.

Related: Review: Dinner at Ale and Compass

#2 Yachtsman Steakhouse

If you’ve read our Disney fine dining guide, you know that Yachtsman Steakhouse ranks in our top five restaurants for signature dining at Walt Disney World. This is the place to reserve a table to enjoy a bit of surf and turf.

This table service restaurant’s menu includes mainly steak and seafood options. Some of our favorites include the filet mignon, lobster bisque, and those oh-so-good onion rolls!

On our last visit, we enjoyed prime rib and ribeye, a side of asparagus, and house-cut fries. It was one of the best meals we’d had in a while. By the end of our meal, we were so full that I completely forgot to order dessert!

Warning: This location is going to be expensive. However, it’s worth being that “one” nice restaurant for your vacation. Yachtsman is an excellent choice for couples who want to enjoy a romantic evening. If you time it right, you can walk over to enjoy the fireworks at Epcot after your meal. Or you might want to have dinner on the early side and enjoy a sunset stroll around Crescent Lake afterward.

Related: Yachtsman Steakhouse Review

#3 Beaches and Cream Soda Shop

Our next stop is at the same resort, but this time, we’re on the Beach Club side. Beaches and Cream Soda Shop is probably one of the most popular diners in Walt Disney World. It offers burgers, sandwiches, soups, fries, onion rings, and an ice cream menu.

Some ice cream selections the soda shop is known for include the No Way Jose and the Kitchen Sink. The Kitchen Sink comes in a plastic Mickey-themed kitchen sink containing eight ice cream scoops! On my last visit, I tried the patty melt with onion rings. It was delicious and one of those guilty pleasure meals.

#4 Topolino’s Terrace

Next, we’ll look at one of the newer table service restaurants at Walt Disney World’s Riviera Resort. Topolino’s Terrace offers a character dining experience for breakfast and transitions to signature dining in the evening.

For dinner, you can expect entrees like lobster linguine, veal, and a plant-based cassoulet. The table service location has a children’s menu, perfect for those with little ones. However, children will probably prefer the character meal over fine dining.

Related: Topolino’s Terrace Character Breakfast Review

#5 Sanaa

If you have heard anything about Disney dining, you’ve probably heard mention of Sanaa—at least, I hope so. Sanaa is located at Kidani Village, the secondary Disney Vacation Club Resort on the property of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. This restaurant is fantastic! Their claim to fame is bread service. Anyone who enjoys bread or dips will not want to miss this tremendous appetizer. It comes with five different types of Naan and nine unique sauces.

Sanaa’s table service menu also features dishes from Africa with various spices and Indian and Asian influences. Many Disney enthusiasts consistently rank Sanaa among the best restaurants on the property. If you’d like to learn more, we have a full

Related: Disney’s Sanaa Review with Bread Service

#6 Jiko, The Cooking Place

While at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, we’ll visit two more restaurants worthy of our best resort table service list. The first is Jiko, The Cooking Place, located on the lower level of Jambo House (the main lodge). Jiko is a fine dining restaurant that is only open for dinner. Additionally, it ranks high on our list of signature locations at Disney World. On our last visit to Jiko, I chose a cocoa-crusted bison dish. The sides included the most appealing root vegetables, and there was even a side of whiskey-poached peaches with a saffron crema.

A meal here is always a pure delight to the taste buds. While Jiko is pricey, I’ve never left there wishing I had eaten elsewhere. And I doubt you will either.

Related: Jiko, The Cooking Place Review

#7 Boma- Flavors of Africa

Breakfast or Dinner? You’re probably going to want to try both! I’m not kidding. Boma is amazing. While it doesn’t make much sense for me to visit the same restaurant repeatedly, this is one of the few for which I’m willing to make an exception.

But if you eat more than one meal here, might I recommend breakfast? Boma has an excellent breakfast buffet with African-inspired items and other menu options. Below is a Boma favorite: the corned beef and ham carving station with Boma mustard on the side. Trust me. This is one of those places you’ll want to try all the sauces and extras you might not be familiar with.

Related: Boma Breakfast Buffet Review

#8 California Grill

Moving on to the Magic Kingdom Resorts Area, we’ll examine what I consider the best table service restaurant in Walt Disney World. I want you to understand that I often mention favorites on the site.

Sometimes, I might say my favorite buffet is Boma, or my favorite breakfast is at Ale and Compass. That’s true. There are so many good-quality restaurants at Disney that sometimes you have to categorize your favorites. You also don’t want to repeatedly dine at the same restaurants, even if they’re so good!

But I digress. California Grill is my favorite restaurant (yes, of all time) at Disney World. And I think it might be yours too! Disney’s California Grill is on the top floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. They offer dinner service every evening starting at 5:00 p.m.

For starters, the food is excellent, and the menu is seasonal. If you return repeatedly (it’s okay to do that here), new items will be on the menu. And if you are indeed a sucker for ordering something you consider safe, there are always classic dishes available, like the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli. You can’t go wrong with that dish.

Not only is the meal good here, but the experience makes you feel…special. By special, I mean for a few hours over dinner, you were a member of some elitist club, and dining at California Grill was just a regular thing. However, if you’re anything like me, you secretly know it isn’t, which makes it all the more exciting.

The other “special” thing about this resort table service restaurant is its views of the Magic Kingdom for days. Those views can be enjoyed during the nightly fireworks from your table or the observation deck. Say you dined here and left around 6:00 p.m., but the fireworks didn’t start until 9:00 p.m. Bring your receipt back about 15 minutes before the start time, and you’ll be escorted back to the restaurant’s observation deck.

Speakers stream the music for the spectacular on the deck and inside the restaurant, so you will feel like you are in the middle of the magic.

#9 Kona Cafe

As we take the resort monorail from the Contemporary, our next stop is Disney’s Polynesian for a meal. Kona Cafe is located on the second floor of the Great Ceremonial House. When I drafted this article, it was one of the first table service restaurants that came to mind. It’s family-friendly, affordable, and has a great menu suitable for large groups. The menu includes Asian cuisine, such as sushi and duck confit fried rice. It’s even included in our list of the best sushi at Disney World.

This restaurant also offers American fare, such as burgers and chicken wings. The kids’ meals include grilled chicken tacos, mac and cheese, and cheeseburgers. For breakfast, you might also enjoy fan favorites like Tonga Toast or Macadamia nut pancakes. Tonga Toast is French toast stuffed with bananas, then rolled in cinnamon sugar with a strawberry compote.

Related: Kona Cafe Review

#10 Grand Floridian Cafe

Our last stop for Disney’s best resort table service is next door to the Polynesian at the Grand Floridian Resort. Grand Floridian Cafe is located on the backside of the lobby on the first floor. This is one of the most convenient restaurants for breakfast or lunch before a long day at the Magic Kingdom. We often prefer to enjoy lunch here because it combines the breakfast and lunch menu.

My son always enjoys breakfast items for lunch over the standard lunch fare. At the same time, I like to order items like the chilled shrimp cocktail or the Miso glazed salmon.

Related: Breakfast at Grand Floridian Cafe

Final Thoughts

I hope this article helped you find a few new restaurants for your next vacation. For other dining spots at the resorts, you might want to check out a few other articles:

• Best Quick-Service Restaurants at Disney Resorts
• Complete List of Disney Hotel Restaurants
• 5 Resort-Hopping Itineraries for Disney World

Or you might like to preview our entire Disney World Dining Guide.

In the Comments

We hope this list of restaurants was helpful! Did you see one of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below.