The Resorts Gal Guide to the Best Restaurants at Disney Springs in 2025
When it comes to the best restaurants at Disney Springs, the decision gets complicated. Did you know that Disney Springs has over sixty (60) dining options? With so many options, how can anyone narrow it down to just a choice or two over the course of their vacation?
Some of the Walt Disney World Resort’s top restaurants are at Disney Springs, which makes the decision even more difficult. So, with those thoughts in mind, we’ve compiled a list of what we deem to be the best Disney Springs restaurants. Since we live near Disney Springs, we’ve dined at nearly every single restaurant at the venue. Many of them, we’ve frequented over the years.
So it should come as no surprise that sometimes we even have difficulty deciding where to eat. On the flip side, finding precisely what you are looking for at Disney Springs should be reasonably simple if you have a specific food craving. Given the vast size of the venue, something’s always available to satisfy most appetites.
Best Disney Springs Restaurants Ranked
Below are the locations we’ve ranked as the best Disney Springs restaurants. We started with our top choice. However, these options are all stellar, so they aren’t necessarily in strict order. The first eight are table-service restaurants, and the final three are counter-service restaurants.
- Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’
- The Boathouse
- Morimoto Asia
- STK Orlando
- Wine Bar George
- Frontera Cocina
- Jaleo by Chef Jose Andres
- Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill
- The Polite Pig
- D-Luxe Burger
- Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza
Toward the bottom, we’ve added a section with honorable mentions. These restaurants didn’t quite make our top ten (well, eleven), but they are still worth noting. Lastly, we’ll finish with a few stops for sweet treats like ice cream, cake, and chocolate! So make sure to save room for dessert.
What makes these restaurants “the best” at Disney Springs?
You may already know, but Disney Springs underwent a massive refurbishment a few years ago. The outcome resulted in several celebrity chefs and niche investors opening specialty restaurants at the Lake Buena Vista destination.
Among these well-known chefs are names you are probably familiar with, like Art Smith, Rick Bayless, Masaharu Morimoto, Wolfgang Puck, and José Andrés. So naturally, having these chef’s restaurants at Disney Springs brings even more traffic to the popular venue and raises the bar for dining.
Before we look at each option individually, I wanted to point out that four are considered signature dining, the same as fine dining. However, Disney Springs is a fairly casual place, so there’s no reason to worry about a fancy dress code at these locations.
#1 Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’
Fried chicken, anyone? If you’re in the mood for southern comfort food, you’ll want to secure dining reservations for Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’. Since moving to Florida, this restaurant has become our favorite dining experience at Disney Springs. It’s so yummy!
- Location: The Landing
- Serves: Lunch and Dinner (Brunch on the Weekends)
- Menu: Homecomin’ Menu
- Type: Table Service
Homecomin’s menu boasts Southern favorites like Church Lady Deviled Eggs, Thigh High Chicken Biscuits, and Country-Fried Steak. Sides range from grits smothered in cheese to down-home mac and cheese.
For dessert, there are a few tough choices: the Hummingbird Cake, Hamilton County Chocolate Pecan Pie, and the Shine Cake. I love them all, but I’ll take a slice of that pie any day.
We’re talking moonshine by Shine Cake, and there’s plenty of that on the menu. A few specialty drinks include the Blue Hooch and Sweet Tea Shine.
And don’t be surprised if you run into Chef Art Smith himself. He frequents his Disney Springs restaurant. Good luck choosing an entree; that’s why we keep eating here. We haven’t had everything yet!
A few other things about this location: the restaurant usually offers a brunch menu on Saturdays and Sundays between 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
Also, if you want to order a vegan item and think chicken probably wouldn’t work, think again. They’ll fix you right up with a “Chik’n” sandwich by substituting the real deal for Gardein crispy tenders.
Tip: You might want to visit this best Disney Spring restaurant after spending a few days in the theme parks. After logging all those miles on Disney property, you won’t feel guilty about these indulgent menu items.
Here’s a look at the fried chicken platter.
Here is the famous Hummingbird Cake, the restaurant’s signature dessert. It’s massive, so you’ll want to share it with someone! But when it comes to that chocolate pecan pie, warning–I’m not sharing it with anyone. You probably won’t want to share it, either.
Related: Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ Review
#2 The BOATHOUSE Restaurant
Our next stop for the best restaurant at Disney Springs is The BOATHOUSE. Here are a few of the specifics you’ll want to know:
- Location: The Landing
- Serves: Lunch and Dinner
- Menu: The Boathouse Menu
- Type: Table Service, Disney Signature Dining
The BOATHOUSE is a steak and seafood restaurant with a nautical theme. Near the restaurant’s entrance is a fun gift shop, the Boatique. Additionally, the restaurant has boats called Amphicars available for rent. A driver will escort you on a tour around the lake.
Since The BOATHOUSE offers waterfront dining, many tables provide scenic views of the lake. Menu items consist of fresh seafood, steaks, sandwiches, and burgers. A raw bar sits inside the restaurant’s entrance.
Here’s a look at the filet mignon sliders, a dish that gets rave reviews.
You’ll usually need to secure an advanced dining reservation for this restaurant. Given its popularity, the restaurant is often booked, especially during high crowd times.
However, if you don’t have a reservation and don’t mind dining outside, you can see if there’s any available seating at the Dockside Bar. This separate bar area is behind The BOATHOUSE and offers the restaurant’s full menu.
One of the fun things about dining outside is that you can enjoy your meal while watching others drive amphicars out onto the water. Who knows? You might even want to take one of these unique vehicles out for a spin yourself.
#3 Morimoto Asia
If you like Asian cuisine, you’ll love our next pick for the best Disney Springs restaurant. Chef Masaharu Morimoto, iron chef and Food Network TV star, opened this location a while back.
Here are a few of the specifics:
- Location: The Landing
- Serves: Lunch and Dinner
- Menu: Morimoto Asia Menu
- Type: Table Service, Signature Dining
I love a meal at Morimoto Asia for several reasons. The main one is that they serve good food prepared with quality ingredients while consistently providing excellent service. Below is one of many entree items I’ve enjoyed at Morimoto Asia. This Duck Ramen comes packed with noodles and duck meat. It was a huge serving.
We’ve had the good fortune of eating at Morimoto many times and never left wishing we had eaten elsewhere. Other favorite dishes we’ve tried include the Buri-Bop, Morimoto Spare Ribs, and the Japanese A-5 Wagyu Beef. All of which were excellent options.
Another perk of Morimoto Asia is that the restaurant offers a variety of dining options. If you want something more fast-casual at a price that won’t break the bank, try Morimoto Asia Street Food. It’s a walk-up window on the far side of the restaurant with a separate menu and an outdoor seating area. It’s a fun stop for a counter-service meal at Disney Springs when you don’t have a reservation.
Additionally, Chef Morimoto has a Forbidden Lounge upstairs that’s open for late-night dining. It’s a pretty sweet spot to pick up an order of sushi and enjoy it outside on the balcony. Below is a photo of the JYO sushi combo that comes with the chef’s daily selection of nine nigiri and one roll. If you’re looking for high-grade sushi, you’ll want to browse the dinner menu.
Related: Morimoto Asia Review at Disney Springs
#4 STK Orlando
STK Orlando is listed solely as the best Disney Springs restaurant because of one thing: steak. They offer some of the best steaks around, and it’s worth the visit if you enjoy a hearty slab of meat.
- Location: The Landing
- Serves: Lunch and Dinner
- Menu: STK Orlando Menu
- Type: Table Service, Signature
STK is known to offer a more nightclub-like feel after dark. However, Disney Springs is a family-friendly venue, so this location remains pretty casual.
Additionally, this location offers a separate brunch menu on the weekends. If you’re visiting Monday through Friday during lunch hours, don’t miss the power lunch menu or whatever menu special they have going. It’s usually great food for a reasonable price!
On my last visit to STK Orlando, I had a burger. To date, it remains one of the best burgers I’ve ever had, and I wouldn’t say that about any burger. STK is a steakhouse that prides itself on offering quality cuts of expertly prepared meat. The food has yet to disappoint.
Related: STK Orlando Review
#5 Wine Bar George
Wine Bar George is one location that will blow you out of the water. The restaurant is known for offering unique wine pairings with elegant food. You never hear a complaint about this location. EVER.
Wine Bar George serves lunch Monday through Friday, dinner every evening, and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays between 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
You can expect a variety of small plates, boards, entrees, family-style plates, and desserts. It’s no secret that the Key Lime pie is a Florida favorite for dessert.
Here are the details:
- Location: The Landing
- Serves: Lunch and Dinner
- Menu: Wine Bar George Menu
- Type: Table Service
In addition to delicious food, Wine Bar George is known for having an extensive wine selection. You might pair a glass of wine with one of their famous charcuterie boards. I doubt there’ll be any complaints at the end of the meal.
Like most of our best restaurant selections, Wine Bar George has a quick service called The Basket. The Basket offers picnic basket selections, french fries, hand pies, desserts, and more. You can check their website (Wine Bar George) for more menu items.
#6 Frontera Cocina
Frontera Cocina is not only one of the best Disney Springs restaurants; it’s also a personal favorite. When someone mentions it, I immediately want to go!
Here are a few details:
- Location: Town Center
- Serves: Lunch and Dinner
- Menu: Frontera Cocina Menu
- Type: Table Service
Frontera Cocina is not just another Mexican restaurant. It’s anything but that. Frontera Cocina is one of the first restaurants you’ll run into when you enter Town Center from the bus stop or Lime parking garage.
As far as food goes, you can expect unique Mexican cuisine made from high-quality ingredients. It’s also prepared with attention to detail. This restaurant serves Mexican food like you probably haven’t had, and it’s just plain old good. From the seasoned chips to special margaritas, we’ve yet to make a wrong choice.
If you are looking for a tasty salad at a reasonable price, try their Taqueria Ensalada. It’s perfect how it comes, but you can add a topping of carne asada, shrimp, or chicken if you like.
Here’s a look at one of our recent meals, the pork belly tacos. When was the last time you had pork belly tacos?
It’s also worth mentioning that Frontera Cocina does an excellent job of providing allergy-friendly meals. Chef Rick Bayless keeps his staff well-informed, and the regular menu lists common allergens under each item.
Related: Frontera Cocina Review
#7 Jaleo by Jose Andres
We consider Jaleo to be another one of the best Disney Springs restaurants. Since this restaurant has a few locations in larger US cities, you might know it. However, if you’ve never heard of Jaleo, it’s time to get familiar!
- Location: West Side
- Serves: Dinner
- Menu: Jaleo Menu
- Type: Signature Dining
Chef Jose Andres is the chef and owner of Jaleo and is to be commended for his humanitarian efforts in providing meals for those in need. For that reason alone, a meal here is worth your patronage.
Jaleo offers Spanish cuisine in the way of small plates and tapas. Make sure to try one of their fancy cheese plates! You’ll also want to try something Jose’s Way (it’s the only way.)
Regarding dining at Jaleo, I don’t think anyone familiar with the proprietor can disagree that it belongs in this best Disney Springs restaurant category. It probably belongs here more than any other option.
Related: Jaleo Review at Disney Springs
Pepe is the quick service adjacent to Jaleo. This location offers various a variety of Spanish sandwiches (bikinis), hot dogs (chistorra), and wraps (flauta).
#8 Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill
Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill is our last table service recommendation for the best Disney Spring restaurants. If you like Italian cuisine, this is more than likely where you’ll want to secure a reservation.
- Location: West Side
- Serves: Lunch and Dinner
- Menu: Wolfgang Puck Menu
- Type: Signature Dining
Wolfgang Puck’s menu boasts California cuisine with Mediterranean influences. It includes items like calamari, pizza, pasta, steak, and seafood.
Fans of this celebrity chef will surely enjoy a meal here. On our last visit, we tried his famous Chinois Salad. It was delicious!
Of course, we tried several other items, including this phenomenal carrot cake. It was too pretty to eat, but that didn’t stop us.
Related: Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill Review
#9 The Polite Pig
We’ll transition from table service to quick-service dining for our next stop. The Polite Pig is a contemporary barbecue joint, but you probably already deduced that from the name, right?
- Location: Town Center
- Serves: Lunch and Dinner
- Menu: The Polite Pig Menu
- Type: Counter Service
We’ve enjoyed dining at The Polite Pig several times over the past few years, and while I’m probably a harsher critic of their menu than most, I couldn’t leave it off our list of best Disney Springs restaurants.
Below is their brisket with two market sides. You can probably tell there’s a lot of food involved. Depending on how hungry you are, you might want to consider sharing. If you enjoy seafood, the cedar-planked salmon is perfection!
At Polite Pig, you’ll find a variety of barbecue dishes with distinctive sides. This restaurant doesn’t require reservations and is cheaper than the table service options we’ve discussed, especially if you share.
Related: The Polite Pig Review at Disney Springs
#10 D-Luxe Burger
D-Luxe Burger is another excellent option for anyone wanting a hamburger. The patties are made from quality meat and come with tasty sides. The El Diablo burger combines chorizo with their signature beef blend. They prepare their signature beef blend in-house and make fresh buns daily!
One of the things I love most about this location is that it keeps things simple. Their menu offers burgers, chicken, a plant-based burger, fries, onion rings, and shakes.
- Location: Town Center
- Serves: Lunch and Dinner
- Menu: D-Luxe Burger Menu
- Type: Counter Service
This restaurant is family-friendly and has excellent options for kids’ meals, including chicken fingers and a grilled chicken sandwich.
Tip: D-Luxe Burger is one of our favorite places to use Disney’s mobile order service. We order on the way if we take a bus to the venue. Then, when we arrive, I’ll select the “I’m here, prepare my order” in the app. By the time we get to D-Luxe, our order will be ready.
On our last visit, I tried the Barbecued Burger, which comes topped with barbecue sauce, Muenster cheese, and an onion ring. It was delicious! Yes, that’s a regular-size order of hand-cut fries.
Additionally, this location has an indoor and pleasant outdoor eating space that looks out to the springs part of Disney Springs. So if you are in a burger mood, you will be more than happy you ate here.
Related: D-Luxe Burger Review
#11 Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza
Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza is the perfect quick-service restaurant at Disney Springs. The food is so good (and reasonable) that we knew we had to include it on our list of best restaurants.
Here are the specifics for picking up a quick meal:
- Location: Town Center
- Serves: Lunch and Dinner
- Menu: Blaze Pizza Menu
- Type: Quick Service
Blaze Pizza allows you to order individual custom pizzas or create your own. Their variety of options and quality makes this an excellent stop for anyone, especially when dining with picky eaters.
You can get anything from a veggie pizza to a gluten-free crust at Blaze. It will also be one of the best-priced meals during your Disney vacation. Does it sound like a win-win?
Related: Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza Review (Disney Springs)
Best Restaurants at Disney Springs (Honorable Mentions)
Unfortunately, not everyone can reach the top of the list, but that does not make them bad options. For instance, Raglan Road Irish Pub is a classic with authentic pub food like shepherd’s pie or fish and chips. They also have live entertainment nightly with music and dancing!
Terralina Crafted Italian is located toward the Marketplace end of Disney Springs next to Paddlefish. A James Beard award-winning chef founded this location.
Those looking for the best places to eat at Disney Springs with small children might consider a restaurant with theming. For example, Disney’s Springs Rainforest Cafe and T-REX Cafe (dinosaurs) are geared toward children. Neither of these restaurants is going to offer the highest quality of food. However, they should be similar to your local neighborhood chain restaurant. And the overall experience is usually fun for the family.
Side Note: Character dining is not available at Disney Springs.
Related: Rainforest Cafe Review Disney Springs
Fans of Indiana Jones will want to check out Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar. This is an excellent stop for an appetizer-style meal or prelude to a later supper! You can preview Jock Lindsey’s menu. Don’t miss their happy hour options!
Chicken Guy! is another fun quick-service restaurant adjacent to Planet Hollywood. This is Guy Fieri’s (Food Network) chicken finger location. There will be plenty of sauce! Of course, you can expect a long wait on a crowded evening. We waited over 30 minutes on our last visit to order food. But it was good.
Related: Chicken Guy Review at Disney Springs
Speaking of Guy Fieri, the Planet Hollywood Observatory offers his exclusive menu at the Disney Springs location. (Menu for Planet Hollywood)
Earl of Sandwich is also a Disney Springs classic, known for their tasty sandwiches. This is another excellent option if you’re looking for something you can take back to the room.
Lastly, Splitsville Luxury Lanes on the West Side is a fun option for those who want to throw something different in the mix. It’s a retro bowling alley with a full dining room. (Menu for Splitsville)
Best Disney Springs Restaurants (For Dessert)
Before we wrap things up, I wanted to share a few of the best places to pick up dessert at Disney Springs. Of course, all table service restaurants we’ve discussed have excellent dessert options. But often, by the end of the meal, you might not be ready for dessert. Maybe you’ll pick up something later after you’ve walked around the venue?
Perhaps you have another treat in mind. For instance, Gideon’s Bakehouse has fantastic chocolate chip cookies. Warning: this location usually has a line, or you can request to join their virtual queue if you get there early enough. This location has become so popular that guests often wait hours to pick up a treat!
Amorette’s Patisserie is a go-to for bakery items like cake or pastry-style desserts. You really can’t go wrong here, no matter what you choose.
Salt and Straw is a fun stop for ice cream. With unique flavors like pear and blue cheese or strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper, this stop will surely be a treat to the taste buds.
Lastly, my favorite stop is The Ganachery. It is THE place for chocolate. Good luck deciding which flavors you want to try. I’m a sucker for the coconut and orange ones. We usually pick up a box with six selections and savor one each night afterward.
Securing Reservations
Do you need a dining reservation for table service restaurants at Disney Springs? Yes and no, let me explain.
All of the restaurants at Disney Springs take walk-ups. So, if you’re going for lunch on a Monday through Friday, you can likely get a walk-up without waiting longer than 30 minutes.
However, these restaurants sometimes stop taking walk-ups on nights and weekends (especially during high crowd/tourist times). We have been on evenings when the restaurants put signs on the sidewalks letting guests know they’ve reached capacity for the evening.
All table service restaurants offer reservations in the My Disney Experience app, and some are available on OpenTable. However, you might want to call the restaurant to make advanced reservations if you have a large party.
Looking for something new? Two locations opened at Disney Springs a little over a year ago. The first is Summer House on the Lake. It’s on the West Side near Starbucks and the Aerophile Balloon.
The other location is EET by Maneet Chauhan. I don’t know about you, but I was excited to try this new Indian quick-service restaurant by one of my favorite Chopped judges! We stopped for a preliminary visit and tried the Tandoori chicken bowl with turmeric rice. It was delicious, and we look forward to trying more items.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, our list of the best restaurants at Disney Springs gave you fresh ideas for an upcoming trip. Disney Springs is a busy venue with almost too many things to do! If you are uncertain of the best route to reach one of these dining venues, browse our Disney Springs transportation guide. It includes instructions on how to get to and from Disney Springs and get around after you arrive. You might also enjoy our entire list of Disney Restaurant Reviews. Or, if you’re planning a Disney World vacation, you might enjoy browsing our Disney Resort Reviews.
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In the Comments
Now that we’ve discussed our picks for the best Disney Springs restaurants, what do you think? Do you agree with these choices? Have you dined at any of them? What are your favorite restaurants at Disney Springs? Tell us below in the comments. We love to know about your experiences, whether you had an incredible meal or one that didn’t go so well.