Circle of Parks Podcast: Talking all things Walt Disney World
Because there's far too much to see and do. We're here to help guide you through. We are a married couple with two boys age 9 and 6 talking all things Disney World. This podcast will cover the tips and tricks we've learned along our journey, history of the parks and attractions, and most importantly why and how Disney makes us feel how we do while in the parks and that it's ok to feel that way.
Circle of Parks Podcast: Talking all things Walt Disney World
Episode #186: First Timer Must Eats in the Magic Kingdom
Discover the can’t-miss dining spots at the Magic Kingdom! This episode provides a detailed guide on where to eat, from the iconic Cinderella’s Royal Table to quick-service options like Casey’s Corner and Columbia Harbor House. We explore priced menus and the unique experiences associated with each location, ensuring that listeners leave with all the vital information needed for their first trip.
• Dining experiences at Cinderella's Royal Table
• The charm and quality of Be Our Guest
• Character dining at The Crystal Palace
• Quick service favorites including Casey's Corner
• The unique offerings at Columbia Harbor House
• Iconic snacks like Dole Whips and Mickey waffles
• Tips for navigating popular snack carts and menus
• Key takeaways from listener interactions and preferences
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Hello and welcome to Circle of Parks podcast episode number 186. Today we are talking about first timers must eat in the Magic Kingdom.
Speaker 2:That's a mouthful it is.
Speaker 1:There is far too much to see and do. We are here to help guide you through, but before we do that we must talk Disney merch. So this week's Disney merch. You go to DisneyStorecom and they've got some new Magic Band Pluses on their website. They are priced at that $44.99. You know they are kind of interactive and everything, so that's where that price comes from. But this one really got my attention. It's colorful icons representing several Walt Disney World sites and attractions featured on the band and you also have Walt and Mickey Mouse as the tappable icon on like the face of it. And you know you see things on the band, such as Cinderella Castle, spaceship, earth, tree of Life, skyliner, monorail and more. Now the band itself is white, but don't let that throw you off, because there is a lot on the band as well, so it doesn't look too plain. I think it's very well done. This might be one that I may get if we see it on our next trip. So, uh, again, that's this week's disney merch 44.99.
Speaker 2:Go check that out thank you everybody for joining us. Episode number 186 we not recently, but a while back did a series of first-timer must-dos in all the parks, right, yes, now we're talking about first-timers must-eats. This is what you hear the most about. Like what you have to do this. You have to eat at this restaurant. Now, these are not our recommendations. Some may be.
Speaker 2:Some may be, but not all of them are going to be our recommendations, but it's what everybody thinks about when you first hear oh, you're going to be our recommendations, but it's what everybody thinks about when you first hear oh, you're going to magic kingdom you've got to go here. You've got to go here now. We don't necessarily eat these places, or but but these sometimes are more memorable places for people when you think of eating in the magic kingdom.
Speaker 2:These are going to be places that I think most people would have at least heard of, so we're going to give you our opinions on what they are and, if we've eaten there which we haven't eaten at all of these, and there's reasons why if you should eat there, and what we think of them and the pricing and menus of them. Yes, so we hope you had a great week. We had a great week.
Speaker 2:And if you're new here, thank you. We have a lot of new subscribers. Thank you so much for subscribing and following and listening to us. We really really do appreciate it. And again, if you're new here, I'm Zach.
Speaker 1:I'm.
Speaker 2:Brittany, we do this show every single week and we have a few goals here with this podcast. One is to help you have a much better Walt Disney World vacation. It can be extremely stressful.
Speaker 2:We've had very stressful trips and we've had the most magical trips that are relaxing, that you can imagine that are relaxing, and there's ways to do it where you don't feel like you need a vacation from the vacation, correct. So that's one of the goals. Another goal with the podcast is we just need to go to disney every single week for us, yes, and this helps us do this and in we hope it helps you as well.
Speaker 1:Break your week up, take you to Disney for 45 minutes or so and just kind of help you relax and enjoy, just going to Disney Because, even if we are having a tough week or something, when we do this it feels like we're there, we think about what we like Puts a smile on our faces for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and every time we think like oh, we got to record, do we really? And then we get doing it, we're like oh, yeah. You're right, we're enjoying this. So all right, Brittany, do you want to go first or do you want me up with sit-down restaurants? First quick service restaurants and then snacks?
Speaker 1:lots of snacks quick service restaurants.
Speaker 2:My quick service, my I'm sorry sit-down restaurants. I my mistake. My favorite sit-down restaurant did not make my list here, because I don't think this is a must do for first timers going to the magic kingdom okay, but what is your favorite? My favorite and I think this may be one of the most underrated restaurants, not only just in the magic kingdom but in all of walt disney world skipper canteen I I would agree.
Speaker 1:Uh, it's definitely underrated and when we went, thoroughly enjoyable, your servers are skippers. It kind of carries on that theme from Jungle Cruise and the food is delicious.
Speaker 2:Food's great. Service is great, theming's great. If you're going for a second time, this is the restaurant you're going to want to go to.
Speaker 1:Right. In my opinion, yes, okay.
Speaker 2:So first on my list, and we have not eaten here.
Speaker 2:First timer must eat For first timer must eat. We have not eaten here For first timer must eat, for first timer must eat. And we probably won't ever eat here. Cinderella's Royal Table. It's in the castle, it's iconic. I didn't even know about this place and I remember we were getting off the carousel on our first trip and you can see people eating in there in the restaurant and I remember saying to my brother I was like man, that must be whoever you know. They're special up there. They must be with like a big party or something. Oh no, that's the royal table. I was like the what?
Speaker 2:you get to eat in the castle and he's like yeah, like oh, that's cool, and then find out how much it costs it's pricey and it's justes which we don't have girls.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:I don't really care to see princesses. The boys really don't care to see princesses. You only really care to see one, maybe two.
Speaker 1:No, I mean there's several, but we've gone to other places you'll hear about in this series later on.
Speaker 2:So for breakfast? For breakfast, they're pricing, and this is not all you can eat, this is not an all-you-can-eat buffet Right?
Speaker 1:no, you're getting like an entree and everything.
Speaker 2:This is an entree Breakfast $74. Yeah, no, $74 per breakfast For breakfast, and this is two table service dining credits.
Speaker 1:If you do the dining plan.
Speaker 2:Do not waste two table service dining credits on this place, don't? You're losing money. Kids, kids breakfast $45.
Speaker 1:Ages three through nine and they're going to eat like $5 worth of food $45.
Speaker 2:This is breakfast, yeah, and you're just getting traditional breakfast shrimp and grits, okay, the beef, tenderloin and egg. Still not $74. Right, and then a plant-based breakfast, or a banana-stuffed French toast for the adults, for the kids, egg white frittata. What kid is eating an egg white frittata?
Speaker 1:Not too many.
Speaker 2:Really A Mickey-shaped waffle, fruit and seed oatmeal and assorted $45.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, thank you.
Speaker 2:No, and this is why we are not eating here and we will not eat here. Lunch and dinner $88 per adult. $88. $52 per child.
Speaker 1:And I mean I get you know you're eating in the castle and you're meeting characters, but, as you're going to find out through this series or if you've listened to us for a while now, there are so many other character dinings and some where you might still meet some of these characters as well that are at a different price range adult entrees roasted lamb chops, grilled filet, mignon crab topped catch of the day marinated grilled chicken pan, roasted cauliflower for 88 dollars it better be like the best steak I bet you it's not now.
Speaker 2:With that being said, I get. This is a bucket list item for people to eat in the castle and that's what you're paying to be in the castle.
Speaker 1:Right right.
Speaker 2:That's what you're paying for. So if you do decide to eat here, have that expectation in mind. You're not paying for the food. You're seeing the princess. They don't even stick with your table and meet with you. They just kind of like come out, parade around and then they're gone. Right, Right, Like when we ate at akershoes.
Speaker 1:They like stayed and talked with us.
Speaker 2:We would get to it later in the series I'm just, but I'm saying as at, like, yeah, comparing the two, right, like I don't think they're hanging out at your table I don't think so either.
Speaker 2:I haven't heard that they're just hanging out. They're just like walking by and leaving right 88 bucks you're paying to eat in the castle, so keep that in mind. If this is something that you choose to do, I'm not judging. Little girls may love it, I get it. I understand you're gonna go to bibbidi-bobbidi boutique and then eat dinner or lunch at the castle. I get it. It's a bucket list item, but have the expectations in mind that the food probably isn't going to be the best, right? I've not heard anything good about the food here.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I haven't heard anything bad but haven't heard anything good. Right, it's not where someone's like, oh, you must try this when you're there, kind of thing yeah.
Speaker 2:But it is an experience and you're paying for the experience. I get it. I don't think we'll ever eat there, but I think that is the number one restaurant. When you hear about people going to Magic Kingdom that someone may say, oh, you have to eat there, or they've at least heard of the restaurant. Yeah, so that's my number one. I'm sure that was on your list too, right?
Speaker 1:It was yes, and then there's two others Sit-downs, yes. Oh, okay, I only got one more sit-down, okay, well so it's probably going to be the one that I'm going to say now.
Speaker 2:All right, go for it.
Speaker 1:All right, so another one Now we have been to this one, but some things have changed is Be Our Guest. Yes, now this is. You're entering the Beast Enchanted Castle for a dining experience and I will say the theming is amazing. In here there are three different royal rooms for you to dine in. There's the grand ballroom and it is just magnificent Domed ceiling, chandeliers, gothic arches. It is beautiful. You have the West Wing where you're dining in the beast mysterious West Wing study and, if you dare, and perhaps you'll even spy the rose, the enchanted rose, and the theming in that amazing. I'm getting to the food in a minute.
Speaker 2:No, no, I was going to comment on the theming, but whenever you're finished, Okay, and then the third room is the rose gallery, and this one it's.
Speaker 1:It's the story of bell and the beast, their romance with the artwork, favorite memories, larger than life figures of bell and beast dancing in the middle of the room. So each individual room is just beautiful in itself, and so that's why, if you are a beauty and the beast fan, this might be somewhere that you're like.
Speaker 2:We have to eat here, so the amount of detail and imagineering that went in to be our guest is absolutely astounding. The kids that are angels. They're called cherubs. Cherubs, cherubs, yes. Those are Imagineers, babies.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay.
Speaker 2:Those are the actual like. Like their faces.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:There's so much detail that went into designing this, not only just what you see on the face of it, like the, the rose and the snow falling in the windows and and all that this just there's so much detail here that it is a I would put this above cinderella's rural table. Oh for sure, I would too the one time when we ate here. Can I talk about when we ate here?
Speaker 1:yes, now, but when we ate there. We went for breakfast and they no longer do breakfast.
Speaker 2:They don't do breakfast and it was more of a quick service hybrid type of. Thing. It wasn't a reservation. We did have a reservation for it, we did yes. But you went up and you ordered before you even sat down and then they brought it to your table. So it was like a mix of a quick service slash sit down, but it was really reasonably priced.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't remember what we paid, and again, it was for breakfast. Currently they're not doing breakfast and I remember like I mean the boys didn't really get anything special, but I remember what I had was good, but I remember thinking this is a one and done.
Speaker 2:I had the croque, madame, I think so. The ham and cheese on toast, yeah, and I don't think the price is. Well, we were on the dining point, the original like way back dining plan, right? Yeah I don't think the price is.
Speaker 1:I don't remember going, man, that's really expensive no, but I remember us also thinking well for what we ate we were just like I don't know if we would go go back.
Speaker 2:I remember thinking maybe a different time of day and I don't think the food was that good and I think some of the complaints back in 2019 was the food quality was not that good here, right, and so I think that was one of the complaints now now they just do lunch and dinner it's just lunch and dinner and they've upped it. They've upped the level here quite a bit.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:So let me just see, I didn't compare, lunch and dinner are the same prices.
Speaker 1:So for lunch and dinner for adults and again this is ages 10 and up $72.
Speaker 2:$72. However, this you're getting two courses, you're not just getting the one course.
Speaker 1:Oh right, right right, you're getting an appetizer entree and an entree.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you're getting more for your money here.
Speaker 1:Right. And then children ages three through nine are $43.
Speaker 2:And they also get an appetizer and an entree Right, so they're getting more food here for your money.
Speaker 1:Yes, so the theming is great. The prices is better than the previous Cinderella's royal table that we were talking about Now, you know. The appetizers, though, are a little different, as well, very French. Yes, I'm not going to read everything that's in them, but like you have potato and leek soup, for example, you have a French onion soup au gratin escargot, you know. So just keep that in mind. There's a couple others, like a salad and tuna tartare. Your entrees, though, I mean you have like short rib beef. I can't say that word.
Speaker 2:Boursin, I don't know.
Speaker 1:And you have pork, a different type of pork chop chicken, charred, eggplant filet, mignon, trout. So you know, I mean there's more variety here. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I have heard and seen reviews that the food is actually pretty good here, like they've stepped up the level of quality here and some people are even saying that it is worth the price now.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Not for us.
Speaker 1:Right, I mean me by myself maybe.
Speaker 2:Okay, fair enough, but the short rib beef looks pretty good, sounds pretty good.
Speaker 3:You know the escargot May want to give that a try, mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:I still don't know. That's a lot of money. This is going to be one of the most expensive restaurants you go to. However, you are eating in the Beast Castle and it is themed so well. Again, you're paying for that theming Right.
Speaker 1:When we went we sat in the main ballroom, but we did get to walk over and see the West Wing in the other room as well.
Speaker 2:Yes, so this is one that I think we could possibly go back to and try again sometime.
Speaker 1:Now keep in mind the prices for the kids. These are meals that they could get Pan-seared chicken breast, pan-seared shrimp, house-made mac and cheese, grilled steak and chicken strips.
Speaker 2:So their menu is a little more leveled up too, compared to Cinderella's Royal Table as well, right yeah. So maybe in the fall when we go back, maybe this is a place we go back and try again maybe, maybe, I don't know, it may be just me.
Speaker 1:I don't know if the boys will.
Speaker 2:So or they got steak, so ryan's on board. Yeah, so I don't know. I'm just I have heard the food is pretty good and the price may be worth it. Ok, but it is again. This is one that you always hear about. Be our guest, everybody wants to try it. You're in the Beast Castle, you're paying for the experience. A lot of people know about this. I didn't know about it the first trip. I didn't know anything. But it is pretty cool.
Speaker 1:It is, and you know, even like before you even walk in the outside like you're going into the castle. I mean so the theming all around is great.
Speaker 2:It's really cool.
Speaker 1:And the hallways had some theming to it too.
Speaker 2:I would choose this over Cinderella's Royal Table. I would too. I would too.
Speaker 1:I don't have any more sit downs, ok so this next one that I have you know some people are all about buffets Is there a buffet. You know, that way it can please everybody's palate, that kind of thing. So there is a buffet at Magic Kingdom and they do have characters. Now, it might not be characters that you immediately think about. They have a buffet with character dining with winnie the pooh and pals from the hundred acre woods, and so this is called the crystal palace. We have eaten here.
Speaker 1:We have eaten here and you know it's.
Speaker 1:It's a like victorian greenhouse kind of atmosphere it's named after the premier league football team no, it's not I'm kidding, no, it's not, but it's um kind of like catty cornered a little bit off of main street. I guess you could say and again, you've got winnie the pooh and friends and they have breakfast, lunch and dinner and you know, and again, this is more for if, maybe, if you have pickier eaters and you're like, oh my gosh, how am I going to please this person and this person and this person?
Speaker 2:this could be a way to do it with the buffet experience so you know what I love so much about this place, what the transition from main street usa to adventureland actually starts here. Oh okay, that's completely not what you're going to talk about.
Speaker 1:No, and I'm not going to go through everything on this. I will cover prices in a minute. But again they do. Breakfast, lunch and dinner Breakfast is going to be your baked pastries, fruit, traditional breakfast fare. Lunch and dinner, you choose from favorites, for example of roasted carved meats, freshly prepared pastas, salads and soups and more, lots of different desserts. Now for the pricing, and of course my computer's being difficult on this. For breakfast it's $52 per adult, $33 per child.
Speaker 2:More reasonable.
Speaker 1:It is more reasonable, yes, per child. More reasonable, it is more reasonable, yes. And again, I mean anything from pancakes and waffles, biscuits, gravy, bacon, sausage, eggs, all of that, and pastries and more. And then for lunch you are priced at $62 per adult and $42 per child and I believe that, yes, that is the same for dinner. And again, you're going to have salads, you're going to have pastas, you're going to have traditional side items like mashed potatoes and vegetables and a carved meat station and they're going to have some other specialties as well. I know some people have talked about they have some good soups and stuff on the buffet, rolls, all that. So, again, if you're trying to just please everybody's palate and put and pay a little bit better price and still meet some characters, this could be an option and I agree this.
Speaker 2:Buffets are a good, I think, value for your, for your money, especially character buffets and especially characters you don't see all around. Right right, this is the only place you're really going to get to meet everybody from Winnie the Pooh and again, wide range for everybody to eat. Even the adults can eat on the kids buffet, which is what I did. Because he's a picky eater, because I'm a picky eater, but I think for the all you can eat this I can justify this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and clarifying, like from the children's buffet.
Speaker 2:Chicken tenders, corn dog nuggets what else do they have?
Speaker 1:Macaroni and cheese french fries, that kind of stuff, things that younger kids are going to love, yeah, All right, so are you done?
Speaker 2:We're done with quick service. I'm sorry, sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down.
Speaker 1:So those are the ones we have for sit down. Are there other available options? So those are the ones we have for sit down. Are there other available options? Yes, we even started off the show talking about one, but ones that you're going to hear more about and want to try on your first time.
Speaker 2:These are some options. All right, we're going to quick service now and I think I'm taking probably the most popular one in the park. Everybody's heard of it, except me when we first went because I didn't know what it was. We're staying on Main Street, usa. We're going to Casey's Corner.
Speaker 1:Oh, I thought you were going to do the other one. All right, as I love Casey's Corner.
Speaker 2:Do you want Casey's Corner? No, it's okay, go ahead, you take it away. Take it away. No, no, no you were so excited Go ahead hot dog and fries. You just want theme park food. Yeah, sometimes you just want it.
Speaker 1:Right, You're in a theme park. Or their corn dog nuggies. Sometimes you just want it right. Yes, with plastic cheese.
Speaker 2:And sometimes you want better food yeah and then sometimes you just want a hot dog and fries and these are really really good. Their specialty hot dog right now looks like a chili cheese all beef footlong. They have a chili cheese all beef hot dog Priced at $14.99 and $12.99.
Speaker 1:How much are the corn dog?
Speaker 2:nuggets Corn dog nuggets are $10.99. Your completely processed, not cheese, is probably like $3.
Speaker 1:To add to it. It goes so well and when you're eating it there by the castle on Main Street, it's just ah.
Speaker 2:There's just something about it. I get it. It is. It really, really is. And you can get chili here as well. Oh, the cheese sauce is a dollar.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, it's like $3. I don't know.
Speaker 2:I didn't know the key here to Casey's Corner mobile order, mobile order. I'm going to say that again. Mobile order.
Speaker 1:And you still may wait a little bit. You will still wait.
Speaker 2:However, you're not going to wait 45 minutes to order and then 45 minutes to wait for your food. Right, do it Mobile order, pick a time, say hey, everybody, we're eating at this time.
Speaker 1:And most of the time you don't have to wait too long when you go to pick it up. But if it's closer to like fireworks time.
Speaker 2:That was our well, not our mistake, but we knew that going into it Right, just be prepared.
Speaker 1:You know, if it's during certain times like that, then even if with mobile ordering you may have to wait a little bit before they say hey, we're making it.
Speaker 2:You've got the piano player out there just jamming out. You're on Main Street, usa, what, what better place to wait, right, I mean, come on. So yeah, casey's corner, great place great hot dog.
Speaker 1:This may be the best hot dog I think I've ever had. I'm not kidding, no, I know, and a part of me is like, because I'm not huge on corn dogs, guys, but yet every time I'm like corn dog nuggets with my cheese, you know it's iconic, it's just iconic.
Speaker 2:It's become a thing.
Speaker 1:I don't know why but it's a thing, yeah, because back at home I don't eat corn dogs, all right.
Speaker 2:So I know you want me to talk about the other one. So what other quick service restaurant do?
Speaker 1:you have, so you're going to talk about the one in Tomorrowland then.
Speaker 2:Yes, I'll talk about that one.
Speaker 1:Well then, yes, I'll talk about that one. Well then, now I got to backtrack where I was Hang on Hold on.
Speaker 2:I think I know where you're going you threw me off.
Speaker 1:Yes, so you're going to talk about the one in Tomorrowland, so I am going to talk about one in Liberty Square. I'll say, I had this at snacks.
Speaker 2:Oh, but go ahead.
Speaker 1:Okay, so Liberty Square has Columbia Harbor House.
Speaker 2:You went exactly where I thought you were going. I was confused. Go for it.
Speaker 1:Okay, so seafood, New England-inspired favorites and more. The dining inside is great, especially if you go upstairs. It's a lot more quiet. Downstairs gets filled, Shh, don't you go upstairs? It's a lot more quiet. Downstairs gets filled, Shh. Don't tell anybody that Downstairs gets filled up quick and it's a little busy down there.
Speaker 2:A little busy.
Speaker 1:Yes, and this is one that mobile order.
Speaker 2:Mobile order. I did a reel based on just here. Mobile order.
Speaker 1:Yes, mobile order, for sure, and you know lunch and dinner and prices are, what did you say? Average, about $13, $14 on average. Yeah, you know, some a little less, some a little more. You can get lobster rolls, shrimp skewer platter, fried shrimp platter, fish platter which that's your beer-battered fish, and french fries. You can get salmon. You can get a trio platter, so a combination of beer battered shrimp, chicken and fish.
Speaker 2:Be forewarned you will not feel good after eating the trio platter.
Speaker 1:Yes, because it also still comes with french fries and hush puppies too.
Speaker 2:Ask me how I know. Yeah, he didn't feel too great with all the fried food. Twice, I've made the mistake twice.
Speaker 1:Because the food is good. It's a lot of food for $14. Yeah.
Speaker 2:This is a lot of food.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so everything I've mentioned so far is between $12.99 and $14.49, except for the lobster roll that is $18.99. And the salmon is $14.79. But if you don't like seafood, they do chicken strips as well, so you have the chicken platter, and if you need plant-based options, they have that also.
Speaker 2:I've had the salmon Very good, and the shrimp is really good as well.
Speaker 1:The skewers yeah, because they're not fried shrimp. They're grilled shrimp, right, yes, yes. And for sides you can get New England clam chowder.
Speaker 2:I've heard, that's really really good.
Speaker 1:I've heard that too, and then their hush puppies. Their hush puppies are delicious, the hush puppies are good and some people will go here just for a snack, to get the hush puppies, and I will say there was a very very, very short time in 2024, where the hush puppies came off the menu for a little bit. They almost revolted like the boston tea party fans of those hush puppies were going crazy and like bring them back, bring them back.
Speaker 2:And I think it was less than a month they showed back up, so yeah so that if something changes in disney, if people are loud enough, they will bring it back right and so, and there's, there's more.
Speaker 1:But you know it, it's something, it's a place that you might not necessarily think about, but I think, as more and more people go and try it, you're starting to hear more and more about columbia harbor house, because we didn't hear a lot about it and even after we went we still didn't hear as much about it. But in the past, I'd say year or two, and then, especially with that Hush Puppy thing last year, it was like oh, and then everybody's like, oh well, maybe we need to go to this place.
Speaker 2:Well, I think people, sometimes you just want a hot dog and fries, right, right, you just want a hot dog and fries, right, right. Sometimes you're not feeling that either, right, excuse me.
Speaker 2:Sometimes you want something a little lighter and healthier and like that huge platter just don't get that trio platter, but the salmon, the shrimp, the rice, the clam chowder, the lobster roll, like that's going to be a little bit lighter and healthier. You're not going to feel as bad in the florida heat walking around after eating here. Right, you're gonna be full, but you're not going to feel as bad in the Florida heat walking around after eating here. Right, you're going to be full, but you're not going to feel good, you know? Yeah, yeah, and even for kids they got grilled salmon, shrimp skewers and fried shrimp and chicken tenders. So there's stuff here for everybody, right? Mm-hmm, my favorite thing about this. Now we're going to get Zach nerdy here for a minute, right? Yeah.
Speaker 2:Of course we have to right, you've been talking about it a lot lately, I feel, but go ahead, I know where you're going.
Speaker 1:We have new listeners that may not know this.
Speaker 2:Okay, okay, history lesson history lesson here way back history lesson. Columbia harbor house is more than just a restaurant. It is the only restaurant that is in two lands and there's a very specific reason for it and see where I'm going.
Speaker 2:folks, for those of you that have been listening for a while, Half of it is in Fantasyland and the other half is in Liberty Square. Now, the theming of it inside is very nautical and it's meant to make you feel like you're in the inside of the hull of a boat. Yeah Right, yes, okay. Whole of a boat. Yeah right, yes, okay. So the whole point of liberty square in frontier land is to represent america's growth. Westward right starts the haunted mansion. Represents dutch new england, like a dutch new york. Architecture goes all the way to bickdunner mountain, which represents the, the gold rush in the mid-1800s. It actually starts in Fantasyland. The transition does the last attraction in Fantasyland on the left-hand side before Liberty Square is.
Speaker 2:Peter Pan. Peter Pan takes place in England right. The first settlers of America came from England on a boat. Columbia Harbor House is representing that journey across the Atlantic.
Speaker 1:Right, yes.
Speaker 2:Rushing me through it. No, it is.
Speaker 1:And you couldn't have restrooms and stuff in Liberty Square. So part of the restaurant is in.
Speaker 2:Fantasyland. The restrooms in Columbia Harbor House are on the Fantasyland side.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, because at the time that all this happened, it wouldn't have been there on the Fannie Salon side. Yeah, yeah, because at the time that all this happened, they wouldn't have been there on the Liberty Square side.
Speaker 2:So really cool part about Columbia Harbor House. I don't think many people know about it. I just found out about it while I was writing my book and I was like that is probably one of the coolest things ever. So yeah.
Speaker 1:So again, it might not be on everybody's, but I think word is starting to get out that they have some really good food, and it is definitely a great restaurant. Yes, yes, all right Now this is the other one you're going to talk about. That was on both of our lists.
Speaker 2:Yes, Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe In Tomorrowland. In Tomorrowland, you know what? Sometimes you just want a burger and some fries and you want to listen to some music from an alien animatronic from New York.
Speaker 1:Right, Sometimes you just want that. Yeah, I feel like he needs to be updated a little bit. Though A little bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I feel bad for signing you clips there For lunch and dinner. This is where you're going to get your burgers, your chicken sandwiches and your chicken tenders for everybody. But there's something for everybody here. Their. Triple B Burger grilled chicken sandwich. Third pound Ang chicken tenders for everybody. But there's something for everybody here their triple b burger grilled chicken sandwich. Third pound angus bacon cheeseburger. Spicy fried chicken sandwich.
Speaker 1:Which you've had it it's spicy it has a kick to it, but it's very well done, yeah uh, cheeseburger, who's coming here for a greek salad?
Speaker 2:you have a greek salad with chicken yeah and the kids meals, of course, are going to be chicken strips, macaroni and cheese and a grilled chicken sandwich or a cheeseburger.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Now are the cheeseburgers like the best you've ever had. No, not bad, but they're. They're a little bit better than like a regular theme park burger would be.
Speaker 2:Yeah they're not bad and they're. They're good. I don't mind them. And I have also read now I don't know if this is true or not, because not everything on the Internet, Of course, everything on the Internet is true. Right? This is the busiest restaurant in America.
Speaker 1:But you know, I could see.
Speaker 2:I get it. I can see that.
Speaker 1:I could see that. Or if not all of America, at least it's somewhere in the world records.
Speaker 2:It's got to be there it is packed Because it is packed.
Speaker 1:And if it rains, oh my goodness.
Speaker 2:Everybody just piles underneath the awnings there.
Speaker 1:But inside too, remember, and inside yeah the, the awnings there, well, but inside too, remember inside, yeah. I mean like there was one time we had already ordered and it just so happened to start raining and to find a place to sit down because everybody was trying to take shelter in there. It was like but it's.
Speaker 2:I think this may be the one quick service restaurant that everybody knows about in the magic kingdom because it's the most popular.
Speaker 1:Excuse me, excuse you, I'm trying to like halfway sneeze or something well, all right it's like half sneeze burp. I excuse me.
Speaker 2:I'm sorry but sometimes you just want a cheeseburger and you know what. They're pretty good, I'm not gonna lie. It's not the best, it's not even breaking the top five, but for 14 bucks it's not bad yeah, and they have a toppings. They brought the toppings bar back now.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's right. Yeah, they didn't have it for a while because of COVID, but now it's all back now, so so that makes a difference. Mobile order. Mobile order yes, another one, definitely mobile order Mobile order. But yeah, yeah, again Great atmosphere when I said it's not like the best you've ever had or anything, no, but the food is good and for the price, hey. Yeah.
Speaker 2:All right, I'm done with sit-down or quick service restaurants. I can't get it together.
Speaker 1:Sorry, you keep getting them backwards.
Speaker 2:Do you have any more quick service restaurants?
Speaker 1:No, the rest are more snacky yeah.
Speaker 2:I would agree with that. All right, I know what's going to be first on your snack list here dull whip oh okay, it was further down my list, but I'm thinking about it now at aloha aisle.
Speaker 1:You can get dull whips and oh goodness, they are so good and the original flavor is pineapple here, but you can get other flavors as well. They have specials from time to time. My favorite, my absolute favorite, is the swirl, but it's not the pineapple and vanilla. They can do a swirl that is pineapple and coconut and, oh my goodness, just don't even talk to me when I'm having that, because it is just so good.
Speaker 2:We just let mommy be Like, just hey.
Speaker 1:On a hot day that swirl with the pineapple and coconut delicious. And you can get coconut by itself too, which I may try that one day.
Speaker 2:Brittany pulls it hey, what's that? Over there too, which I may try that one day Brittany pulls it, hey, what's that over there, and then she goes to Aloha Island just ditches us?
Speaker 1:yeah, but it is no, you do that, but it is so good. And again, they have, you know, other flavors at times as well. You can get pineapple floats. You can just get it in a cup. You can get it in a cone. Uh, there's a pineapple upside down cake here that I haven't gotten because I think it might be too sweet for me, but a lot of people rant and rave about it, and that's priced at six dollars and ninety nine cents. So you know it's, it's delicious, you know it cools you down for just a little bit in the heat. However, if it's a very hot day, it's going to melt fast yes, eat it fast.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I think Dole Whip, I said that weird, didn't I? Dole. Whip. Dole Whip is probably the most iconic snack of Walt Disney World. Like churros, Dole Whip to Walt Disney World is churros to Disneyland. Yeah. I would say that and it's delicious. They're great. I'm not a big Dole Whip fan, but I don't not like them.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:I just don't really prefer sweet snacks or just snacks in general too much. But yeah, they're iconic. Everybody's like you gotta try the dole whip. When I first told my co-workers going to walt disney world, you gotta get dope, you gotta get dope. Fun fact up until 2020, the only places you could get dole whip was walt disney world, disney and the Dole Whip Farm in Hawaii. Okay, couldn't get them anywhere else.
Speaker 1:Nowhere else.
Speaker 2:Nowhere else. But now you can get them in the grocery store Probably not near as good, and you don't have the Adventureland music going and you don't have the flames from the tiki room next to you, which another thing you can take the Dole Whip into the tiki room. Yes, you can take the dole whip into the tiki room.
Speaker 1:Yes, you can and enjoy that show I have not really gotten to thoroughly experience it that way yet, because it melted well it has done that before. If I were to have wait, waited the whole time, but there uh, was it the last time or the time before I? They must have just started the show.
Speaker 2:We had to wait.
Speaker 1:And so I ate it while we were waiting, and by the time it started I was done.
Speaker 2:But in Disneyland we did enjoy the Dole Whips inside the Tiki Room show.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's right, we did in Disneyland. Yes, just not in Disney World, just not in Walt Disney World, yep.
Speaker 2:In Disneyland. It's right before you go in, so Disneyland is right before you go in.
Speaker 1:So they're like, they're like wanting you to get a door to go Like it is right there, right there, yeah, yeah, all right, I'll let you talk about the one you thought I was going to All right, so we're going to Sleepy Hollow.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's not what I thought you were going to say, this could be considered a sit down place, but I'm counting it as snacks.
Speaker 1:I put it in, but. I thought you were going to talk about another one.
Speaker 2:So we're on the same page here. Sleepy Hollow is just as you enter Liberty Square and it is shaped like Washington Irving's house. Who is Washington Irving Golly? He wrote Ichabod Crane and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. That's who he wrote.
Speaker 1:Anyway, this is where you're going to get who he wrote.
Speaker 2:That is his name. Okay, this is where you're going to get your hand-dipped corn dog funnel cake. I'm a funnel cake purist. This is just a regular funnel cake. This is not the one in Epcot, where you're going to get 45 ingredients on it.
Speaker 1:Right, this is not what I'm getting, though.
Speaker 2:Well, I got it once, it was fine. I did have the corn dog here back in November. It was good. Okay, it was good, I enjoyed it?
Speaker 1:I would hope so.
Speaker 2:But this is what they're most famous for is and they just changed the menu here but the Mickey waffles with chocolate, hazelnut spread, bananas, berries and whipped cream, or the chicken and waffle.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:That's what you're going to get here.
Speaker 1:Yes, and for a little while the hazelnut one and everything had come off of it for a little bit.
Speaker 2:They had gotten rid of it and people revolted like the Boston Tea Party. See, they do all this stuff in Liberty Square. Knowing the history of Liberty Square, you would think they would know not to do these things.
Speaker 1:So the one with the hazelnut spread in the fruit. They took it off but then they brought it back. But they didn't bring it back exactly the same way. It was a more just traditional shaped waffle. Now it's a Mickey waffle. So I want to try it as a Mickey waffle, because the Mickey waffles to me taste just slightly different. So I want to try it as a Mickey waffle because the Mickey waffles to me tastes just slightly different, so I want to try it again.
Speaker 2:Well, they are a bit not crunchier, but they have more form to them.
Speaker 1:Right, that make sense yeah.
Speaker 2:Where the waffles before here were just real flimsy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is going to be like a thicker waffle. Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then I like the Mickey waffle with sweet and spicy maple chicken. I've had this before. It is it's got a little bit of a kick to it, right, but it's pretty good and these can be, you know, a quick service yes, and both of those things had come off the menu at the same time, but then they replaced them with the mickey waffle right, yes, but you can.
Speaker 2:These are shareable snacks as well with their family members, and which that's what we've always done, and you got a great view of the castle. Yeah, and you can mobile order here as well yes, so again mobile order yeah, and again, that corn dog was pretty good too. It's four foot long corn dog not bad.
Speaker 2:Now, the seating area is not the biggest but you know, but there's some there's some, but this is a I for first timers the Mickey waffle with the Nutella spread or the chicken and waffle, those are good first time snacks, right yeah?
Speaker 1:I would say so.
Speaker 2:All right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and again, if you're like, oh my goodness, there's so much that we want to try, then just share it.
Speaker 2:Share everything. Yes, I'm not saying eat all this stuff on your first. You're never going to have time to do anything else.
Speaker 1:You won't but pick, like everything that we're saying, pick one or two and like for snacks especially share, yes, Take a bite, let the rest of the family try it while you try something else.
Speaker 2:Definitely, yeah, definitely agree.
Speaker 1:So another place is Gaston's Tavern. Yes, yes, so they did decorate it kind of manly inside because you know it's Gaston's.
Speaker 2:There's plenty of antlers in here.
Speaker 1:Yes yes, but they are known here for a pretty big snack. It's a very big cinnamon roll, huge. Definitely split this. It's only $6.99 too, yes, and they're usually served warm. Obviously, sometimes it might be a little cooler than others, but the one we had was, I think, pretty fresh, warm, lots of icing on there. Gooey. Yes, I think even all four of us couldn't finish it.
Speaker 2:No, we didn't finish it. And this is where you can get LeFou's brew as well. It is frozen apple juice with a hint of toasted marshmallow and topped with all-natural passion fruit mango foam. Let me tell you, be forewarned. Taking a bite of the cinnamon roll and then taking a big swig of lefou's brew is gonna send you to another planet. The sugar rush is out of this world with this place.
Speaker 1:Yes, so I be careful, you know we've only eaten here one time and I think for me I would have to choose one or the other, like I wouldn't be able to do the drink and the cinnamon roll.
Speaker 2:But they also have the gray stuff too.
Speaker 1:Yes, oh yeah, the gray stuff, you know, if you know the song and Beauty and the Beast and everything, I've only had it once and it was at BR Guest.
Speaker 2:It was at BR Guest yeah.
Speaker 1:When we ate there for breakfast, but now they have it here as well, and they also have a creme brulee croissant and then a ham and gruyere cheese tart.
Speaker 2:Now I've heard this is actually pretty good About the ham yeah, the tart. It's a crispy croissant dough topped with ham and gruyere, served with chips. I've heard that's actually pretty good, so this may be a better savory option as opposed to the extreme sweetness. But when? Anybody talks about. Oh, you got to go get the cinnamon roll, right, that's what everybody talks about. Yeah, definitely share. Do not even like.
Speaker 1:Don't think each person in the family needs one. No, it will. Yeah, yeah, but it's good.
Speaker 2:It's good. It's good, just a lot On the sugar. Yeah, but it's good. It's good. It's good, just a lot On a sugar. Yeah, all right, I want to go spring roll cart.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's what I thought you were going to talk about earlier, and I thought that's the one you thought I was going to talk about. Yeah, see yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, spring roll cart. It's right before you get to Adventureland, it's from the hub and there's usually a pretty good line for it, and I'm always a fan of if there's a long line for some food item, it's probably pretty good. Yeah, and now they have it's just a cheeseburger spring roll and then they have the pepperoni spring roll. Both are delicious. I think it's 9 49. You get one of each or you can get two of the same one. There's a weird ordering thing, so, like, number one is two cheeseburger, number two is two pepperoni, number three is one of each.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:So don't go and say I want one of each, because they're going to think you want two cheeseburgers and two pepperonis.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Go up and say number three.
Speaker 1:Okay, good to know. Yes.
Speaker 2:So they know exactly what you are wanting to get. Okay, and it's $9.49, which is a little pricey, but you know what?
Speaker 1:They're pretty good, it's good, and the cheeseburger one is served with like a sauce too, if you want that.
Speaker 2:The cheeseburger is served with like a Thousand Island sauce, like a Big Mac sauce.
Speaker 1:Like a Big Mac sauce similar, Not exact, but close description.
Speaker 2:And then the pepperoni is served with marinara yes, and they are both delicious.
Speaker 1:Now in the last few years they've always had the cheeseburger has always been on the menu, but the pepperoni ones changed a few different times through, like the 50th anniversary and all of that yeah, the uh.
Speaker 2:What was the 50th one that was so good? It was pastrami oh man that one was takes me for the 50th anniversary.
Speaker 1:They had a pastrami one, and then for a very, very short time they had like chicken cordon bleu or something like that.
Speaker 2:That one was okay. It was okay. Pastrami was so good.
Speaker 1:But you can't go wrong with the cheeseburger and pepperoni now.
Speaker 2:All right, that's all I got. You got a few more.
Speaker 1:Well, the others are. You can get at so many different carts throughout the park. Churros no, that's not here. You need to do that in Disneyland.
Speaker 2:Do not get churros here.
Speaker 1:No, yes, don't get regular churros anyway throughout the park. We have another park in Walt Disney World. We'll talk about it another time.
Speaker 2:Later.
Speaker 1:Where you get churros but no, but you can get it at so many different carts and you're gonna smell it a lot, especially in the hub area in front of the castle popcorn popcorn. Something about walking around eating popcorn in the in the theme parks, it's just it. It's just, it tastes so much better it does. I don't know nothing special to it, but it's, it's good. We always enjoy snacking on some popcorn, also your Mickey bars.
Speaker 2:Mickey, what Mickey? Premium ice cream bars.
Speaker 1:Yes, Now they're okay for me I like them. But I feel like Zach has gotten one almost every time.
Speaker 2:You got to get one every trip. Yeah, and I did lie, I have one more.
Speaker 1:I have another two, but go ahead.
Speaker 2:Turkey-like, ew no, but you always see people with them, though I don't see many.
Speaker 1:I do I see like one man eating one each time we've gone maybe.
Speaker 2:So no turkey-like.
Speaker 1:I mean, if that's your thing.
Speaker 2:I don't know. I always see people with them, though they're selling them.
Speaker 1:They do. I mean, obviously they kept them on the menu, but I maybe see one or two people each time.
Speaker 2:I see a lot just walking through, just going. They're just going, ham on it, man. They're just going to town on that maybe I'm just trying to navigate through the crowds I don't know.
Speaker 1:I don't know um another place though, uh, but it's this one's in tomorrow lang right there by uh space mountain. Joffrey's Coffee. Okay, okay, it's coffee. Just because so many people go to the Starbucks.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but that Joffrey's Coffee line can get long, it can at times, but the Starbucks is located in what's the bakery called there. Main Street USA. Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1:I think it is Main Street Bakery or something and you can wait a very, very long time in there. But if you're wanting some coffee, joffrey's, it's over there in Tomorrowland. And you know you've got some snacks too, like if all this other stuff doesn't sound great. But you know your kids or you like donuts or something and that's all they're wanting to eat for breakfast.
Speaker 1:Then Joffrey's has some really big donuts that can be shareable as well, with or without sprinkles, all that stuff. So don't rule that out. Just wanted to throw that out there, yeah.
Speaker 2:Any more. No, I would like to add, if you do want some more sweet items, the Main Street Confectionary has that's where you're going to get your caramel apples, your Rice Krispie treats. They have like Specialty popcorn Bucket things that they can make that.
Speaker 1:You can add All sorts of toppings, yeah.
Speaker 2:And they. That's where you're going to get Just a lot of that.
Speaker 1:Cool. A lot of sugar, a lot of sugar, a lot of Mickey shaped stuff. Yeah.
Speaker 2:But then you can also get get bags of just normal candy too, and get candy bars and your big lollipops and and that stuff which we've done we have done uh, that's where we're going to get that out, so it's right on the corner, main street confectionery.
Speaker 1:Yes, all right, nothing else nothing else, and we don't do trivia anymore no more trivia but we did ask some questions we had some, would you rathers? Yes on Instagram and quite a few of you responded Quite a few of you responded yes.
Speaker 2:So the first one was would you rather eat at Casey's Corner or Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe? By a slim margin I mean by like one vote the winner was Casey's Corner, woohoo.
Speaker 1:Casey's Corner yes.
Speaker 2:And we did have a listener message us. Should we say their name? No, it's okay. No, they said that Sunny Eclipse is their space boyfriend. I love it. That's awesome. He serenades me while I dine on delicious chicken tenders. I love Sunny Eclipse so much. I'm not going to go that far, but Sunny Eclipse is pretty awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, much, I'm not going to go that far, but sunny eclipse is pretty awesome, yeah, and I mean it is a good, you know it's. It's a good way to get out of the heat and everything that we said earlier about it. Like you know, I like cosmic rays too, but for me, more recently, I've been preferring casey's corner. Yeah yeah.
Speaker 2:And then the other one was would you rather eat the cinnamon roll at gaston's tavern or eat at the spring roll cart? And and this was like not even close, I think there was like two votes for the other one. Okay, by a large margin, the winner was the spring roll cart.
Speaker 1:Yes, which I would agree with. I would agree with. Yes.
Speaker 2:All right. So thank you so much for listening. We really do appreciate it. If you want to support the podcast, the best thing to do please share the show with your friends. Leave us a five-star rating review on Apple Podcasts. We really do appreciate it. Thank you so much. If you want to email us, you can. It's circleofparks at gmailcom. Our website is wwwcircleofparkscom and our social medias are Facebook, instagram and X. All at Circle of Parks. We will be talking about must-eats in Hollywood Studios next week. So thank you so much for listening. Hope you have a great week. We'll talk to you next week.
Speaker 1:Talk to you soon, thank you.
Speaker 3:Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, bye.