There are a ton of food options in Disney! Today, we’re going to talk about my favorite Disney World counter service restaurants in each park.
I’m writing this as the parks are closed, and I’m not going to lie, it’s a little strange to be posting about Disney World when we don’t know when we’ll get to go back there.
But the parks will reopen again at some point, so I’m going to keep these blog posts coming as scheduled so you can make the most of your trip whenever it happens!
Counter Service restaurants are pretty awesome in Disney! While some are the more standard pizza, burgers, fries, etc, that you might expect at a theme park, Disney has considerably more options to choose from.
You can actually get a pretty great meal at a fraction of the price and time you might spend at a table service restaurant.
Here are my favorite Disney World counter service restaurants in each park.
Magic Kingdom
Be Our Guest (Lunch)
Be Our Guest is a table service restaurant for dinner and a counter service for lunch.
It’s a little pricey for breakfast, but it’s a pretty good deal for lunch and it gets you inside the Beast’s Castle, which is a very cool experience.
The food itself is what I would consider a cross between French and comfort food. There’s Coq-Au-Vin style chicken (with mashed potatoes), a French Dip Sandwich, and a Carved Turkey Sandwich, just to name a few.
The food, service, and experience have been good, in my experience, and I’ll definitely be going back next time I’m in Disney.
You do need to make a reservation even for your quick service meal! This can be done in the My Disney Experience App.
You can find Be Our Guest in New Fantasyland. View the menu here.
Columbia Harbour House
Columbia Harbour House is located in Liberty Square and features traditional American/New England food.
It’s open for lunch and dinner and is quick service for both.
It’s a seafood heavy menu (shrimp, salmon, and lobster roll are some of the featured dishes), but there’s also chicken potpie and chicken fingers.
This is a location I stumbled upon by accident (i.e. we were hungry and it was the closest location) but it turned out to be a great find.
The food has been great, and there’s plenty of indoor seating, so it gets you out of the heat.
Pro tip: go upstairs. There’s typically plenty of seating available here and most people don’t even realize it.
You can check out the menu here.
Epcot
Sunshine Seasons
This might be one of my top counter service in any park!
It’s located in the Land Pavilion in Future World. There are tons of options at this location, so it should be pretty easy to satisfy every member of your party.
It’s set up like more of a cafeteria style with a grill section, soup and salads section, sandwich section, and Asian noodle section.
The food is always fresh and a lot of it is grown on property in the Living with the Land greenhouses right next door.
There’s also a pretty extensive bakery case that should satisfy your sweet tooth. Plus, there’s plenty of indoor seating.
It’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Check out the menu here!
Tangerine Cafe
This is one I discovered on my last trip and became an instant favorite!
It’s in the Moroccan Pavillon, so it may not be for everyone, but if you’re looking to be a little adventurous, this would be my go-to.
Their meals feature chicken, lamb, and falafel, mostly either in a wrap or shawarma form.
They’re open for lunch and dinner. You can check out the menu here!
Hollywood Studios
In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say, counter service at Hollywood Studios has always been fine, but nothing’s ever really blown me away.
But it’s also worth mentioning that I haven’t been to Disney since Toy Story Land or Galaxy’s Edge opened, so I can’t speak to any of those locations. (I was slated to get there this spring, but had to reschedule for later in the year.)
ABC Commissary
You can find ABC Commissary on Commissary Lane.
It’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The lunch and dinner menus are similar, but do have some variations.
This is a little bit more of what you might expect in a theme park–burgers, chicken strips, wraps, and BBQ ribs are featured, though dinner also offers some pot roast.
But, even though is is more “traditional” fast food, I found the flavor and quality to be above average.
This is another location that has a lot of indoor seating.
You can check out the menu here.
Backlot Express
Here, you’re mostly going to find sandwiches.
This includes burgers, chicken sandwiches, and cuban sandwiches, plus some salad and chicken strip options.
Like the ABC Commissary, these options are a little more “traditional” but I’ve always had a fine meal here.
There’s plenty of seating that’s both indoor and outdoor.
You can find Backlot Express in Echo Lake. It’s open for lunch and dinner.
You can check out the menu here.
Animal Kingdom
Yak and Yeti Local Food Cafe
Yak and Yeti Cafe is in Asia, next to their table service restaurant.
True to its location, it features Asian dishes (like honey chicken, teriyaki beef and sweet and sour tempura shrimp), but there are also some more American options thrown in there.
Seating here is outdoor but some is undercover. There’s a decent amount of seating, though it’s not as prevalent as some other locations on this list.
This is another overall favorite of mine that never disappoints!
This location is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can check out the menu here.
Flame Tree Barbecue
Okay, once again, in the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never eaten a full meal here, though I hope to in the future.
However, I have had these pulled pork cheese fries, and that alone has gotten this location on my list.
Flame Tree Barbecue features a variety of other barbecue staples, such as ribs, chicken, and pork, and even pulled pork mac and cheese.
It’s open for lunch and dinner and you can find it on Discovery Island.
For more Disney World tips and tricks, check out the other Disney World Posts!
Sound off: What are your favorite Disney World counter service restaurants? Tell us about it in the comments!