Navigating food at Disney World can be tricky. I am no expert by any means, but I did find a system that worked for my family and that we loved.
I have seen many posts and videos about all the different food that Disney World has to offer. After taking a big family trip to Disney World in 2022 with my in-laws, I realized I didn’t get to try all this yummy food I kept seeing on social media platforms. Why didn’t I get to try all this food? I focused too much on getting our three meals a day in while at the parks.
I planned our next trip in 2024 to celebrate my 30th birthday and get to Disney World one more time before my son turned three and was no longer free to get into the parks. My main food goal this time around was to focus less on eating our three meals a day and more on trying all the food that sounded good. To do this without also spending a fortune we shared all of the food we got. This allowed us try more food, not get too full and saved us money.
Please note – all prices are taken from the current menus listed on the Disney World website. You will want to make sure to check current menus when planning your trip to see up to date prices.
I watched video after video of what other people recommend and saved what I thought sounded good to me. My two biggest Disney World food advice to anyone going would be:
- Watch the reels on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook or Youtube on Disney World food – screenshot, take notes or save the reel
- Eat your way through Disney – honestly you are walking non-stop while there that I feel like it is better to eat every 1-2 hours than to try to hold off for the three meals/day
For this trip we only had two days at the parks – one day at Magic Kingdom and one day at EPCOT. However, last minute we did end up doing one day at Animal Kingdom. Since Animal Kingdom was last minute I did not have the “research” done on food at Animal Kingdom. I put ‘research’ in quotations because that word can sound intense. As mentioned above, my “research” included watching reels. My food advice for Disney World is going to be solely focused on Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. See my next blog post for EPCOT food advice, here.
Magic Kingdom Food –
Gaston’s Tavern – “Warm Cinnamon Roll”
This is a good sized cinnamon roll especially for us sharing everything and eating more often. This was a good stop to grab coffee too. We ate inside which is a fun atmosphere as it is decorated to look just like the tavern in Beauty and the Beast.
- Price: $7.99
- Recommend? I honestly wouldn’t buy it again. It was a bit dry to my liking for a cinnamon roll but most posts would recommend this. We may have gotten a bad batch, but I would still rather try other items instead of spending money on this again. I would recommend stopping in to get something else for the atmosphere alone.
- Location: Near Beauty & the Beast castle (Be Our Guest dining)
Sleepy Hallow – “Waffle with Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread, Bananas, Berries and Whipped Cream” and a waffle with friend chicken in it and slaw
Through my “research” I continued to see videos on the waffle with chocolate-hazelnut spread and fruit. My husband is more of a salty guy so he wanted the one with friend chicken and we split both between the three of us. Sleepy Hallow does change the menu with the fried chicken one so the one currently on their menu is “Waffle with Sweet-and-Spicy Maple Chicken.” This could be the one we had, but I am not 100% sure.
- Price: $9.79 for the fruit waffle and $12.99 for the fried chicken waffle
- Recommend? Absolutely recommend the fruit waffle but also recommend grabbing plenty of napkins or even having wipes on hand. It was a very hot day and the chocolate-hazelnut spread was melting quickly especially on a hot waffle. The fried chicken waffle was good, but not sure if we would get it again. I would definitely buy the fruit waffle again though.
- Location: Liberty Square on the edge – if you are walking away from the castle into Liberty Square it is right there on right hand side
Adventureland Spring Roll Cart – “Cheeseburger Spring Rolls” and “Pepperoni Pizza Spring Rolls”
Each kind comes with two spring rolls and I do believe you could do one of each kind. They don’t have prices listed online, but they are fairly cheap. We got two of each kind to share.
- Recommend? I highly recommend the cheeseburger spring rolls. I will always stop at that cart to get these. The sauce they come with is amazing! My husband loved the pizza ones so he mostly ate those two while I mostly ate the cheeseburger ones.
- Location: Right before entering Adventureland when entering from the main castle/Main Street area (near Crystal Palace)
Cheshire Cafe – “Cheshire Cat Tail”
This was a fun little treat to stop and get. Looking at their menu now I would totally try some other items on there too like their “White Rabbit” coffee. I have seen people also recommend their “Pepper Jack Pretzel.”
- Price: $6.29 – honestly I feel like this is a little on the high end for what you get
- Recommend? I do recommend this. It was so yummy! I could have eaten two of them which is why I say the price seems a little high compared to what you get. Especially given the prices of other food items I’ve mentioned
- Location: Near Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups
Sunshine Tree Terrace – “I Lava You Float”
A big part of going to Disney World is the DOLE Whip! On a previous trip I had tried a float from another place (I’ll mention this one next) and LOVED it. I wanted to try a different one out this trip and settled on this one after research.
- Price: $7.59 – a little high if you ask me
- Recommend? No. I didn’t love this one especially compared to the one I am going to talk about next
- Location: Near the Swiss Robinson Tree House
Aloha Isle – “Tropical Serenade Float”
This was a 50th anniversary special that I believe became so popular they kept it on the menu. A decision I am so glad they made! I am a tropical girly through and through so anything with these tropical flavors are usually an automatic yes. Passion fruit, orange and guava juice over coconut soft-serve = yes please!
- Price: $8.29 – yes, a little pricey but honestly so worth it! You also get a pineapple upside-down cake in it so it’s more like a 2-for-1 dessert
- Recommend? Absolutely if you couldn’t tell that already! I will get one every single time I visit
- Location: In Adventureland near the magic carpet ride
Storybook Treats – “Aurora Cone”
The desserts at Storybook Treats are picture-worthy. This cone is perfect for a princess-loving little kid or adult for that matter.
- Price: $6.29
- Recommend? Maybe. For taste and price? No. For a fun, picture-worthy treat? Yes. It was worth giving it a try, but probably wouldn’t get again.
- Location: Near the carousel in Fantasyland
By looking at this, we definitely ate more sweets than actual food, but I’m not mad about it. We did head to Cosmic Ray’s for some burgers and fries for “dinner.” This is a good option for sitting inside for a Quick Service meal. We needed a nice break to do just that and needed some actual food in us too.
Other food recommendations (no pictures):
- The Friari’s Nook (Fantasyland near Storybook Treats) – “Cheddar, Bacon and Ranch Tots” kind of like nachos, but with tots – $10.49 – easily sharable
- Casey’s Corner (Main Street) – My husband loves grabbing a chili cheese dog from here. Myself and my son love sharing the mini corn dogs (easily shareable). $13.49 for the chili cheese dog and $10.99 for the mini corn dogs
Miscellaneous Food Advice (Any Park):
- Mickey shaped anything is always fun for you, for the kids and for pictures. There are carts all around the parks with Mickey shaped ice cream and pretzels
- If you like popcorn – buy the souvenir popcorn bucket!!!! Our family loves popcorn and at any of the parks you can refill the bucket for just $2. If you come back to the parks years later – bring the bucket and have it filled for $2
If you’re also headed to EPCOT, check out how we ate our way around the world here.