Where to eat is a huge decision when on a Walt Disney World vacation. We're talking Julia Roberts and Pretty Woman huge. Dining at Disney can take a trip from good to great.
One of my longest roles as a cast member at the Walt Disney World Resort was at the front desk of Disney's Grand Floridian Beach Resort (that was before the “and spa” was added to the name) and it was pretty late at night. My typical shift was two to ten, so it must have been around nine. A family of four comes to check in, and the father/husband of the group asks me - before he even told me his name - what my favorite thing to do at Walt Disney World was.
I think he was expecting me to give him an attraction or a ride. At this point, there were only three parks that would be the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios, which was still called the Disney MGM Studios theme park.
I kind of giggled and said, EAT! So, he proceeded to ask me what my favorite restaurants were, and I rattled off quite a few. I have always remembered that story because most people like to drink around the world, at Epcot. Me, I want to eat my way around Epcot and many of the resorts, too.
Every trip I make involves at least one signature dining experience, and I promise many of these will be their own future episodes. But I have to tell you my top five that should go on every single person's Disney dining bucket list.
Let's start at Epcot and Takumi-tei. Starting at $250 per person from their omnivore multicourse menu (they do have a slightly lowered price for a vegetarian option), it is not just a top Disney dining experience, but a top ten in my life dining experience.
And I've been to famous Top Chef restaurants across the United States. I've been to all 50 states, and I love to eat.
The website describes this Disney dining experience as “omakase,” or leave it up to the chef. It's a special gastronomical experience during which the chef curates the meal.
I'm a picky sushi eater, and I won't even try sashimi, which does make up two of the courses. But I vowed to try everything, and except for the sashimi, I found every bite to be orgasmic.
I do not use that word lightly. It was orgasmic. My favorite course was the wagyu beef.
Now, in order to eat all seven courses, the servings aren't that big, but I was still stuffed when I walked out of the meal. And although the food is some of the best I have ever eaten, it was the service that made this experience so special.
I got up to go to the restroom just after I ordered, to wash my hands, and everyone in the lobby stopped, wished me well in Japanese, and gave me that polite Japanese bow.
Now, Takumi-tei requires a full pod to do it justice, and that will be coming later. And then when I post a blog on the website, I have pictures of every single course, including, of course, one with me and my server.
Now still at Epcot, the newest entry until the already packed with good dining options is Space 220. And this Disney dining is unlike anything I've ever experienced. You get on board a special space elevator that will ascend 220 miles to the stars. Get it? Space 220.
As you dine, you will watch spacewalkers spaceships float by, and you'll see views of Earth from 220 miles as you're eating. You can see Earth from 220 miles away! It's a price-fixed three-course meal, and I highly recommend doing this with multiple peeps so you can each order different apps, entrees and desserts, and taste test around the table.
My biggest tip is to let the wait staff guide you when faced with too many options for dessert. I did mention it is a separate stomach, right? I had to ask for guidance, and he did not steer me wrong. Our waiter was especially popular with three of my dining companions who flirted their way through the meal, which provided tons of laughs.
Finally, you don't want to go on Guardians of the Galaxy just before dining here, even though they're right next door. You don't want to be even the least bit queasy when you get here for dinner because you don't want to miss out on anything. But just in case, they do have ginger ale and several craft cocktails and mocktails at the bar.
Now, the bar does require a separate reservation. It used to be walk-ins, but now you do have to make a reservation for the bar, and Disney dining reservations can be made 60 days in advance.
Now walking over to Boardwalk. Get it? We were at Epcot. We're walking over to the Boardwalk to one of my all time favorites, where I will return again and again, and I love to send my clients there. It's Flying Fish.
I first went there when I was at Disney for the Engage Luxury Wedding Conference, which was being held at the Four Seasons, so we had to have a luxury dining experience to match it the night before the conference. And when it reopened after the Pandemic, it was one of the later restaurants to reopen. After the Pandemic, it was the first restaurant I had to get back to.
Now, I'm not a true fish eater. I mentioned I don't really love sushi, and I won't taste sashimi, but I do eat salmon, and the verlasso salmon at Flying Fish is as good as the salmon bake I ate while on my honeymoon in Alaska.
The name the Flying Fish doesn't mean you can sleep on the steaks. The char-crusted New York strip with potato gratin, cauliflower, and the best bearnaise sauce I have ever had, could be my last meal and I would die happy.
Because dessert is a separate stomach, we ordered a special celebration cake, which comes over from Amorette's Patisserie, which you can order when I confirm your dining reservations. Again, those can be made 60 days in advance.
What were we celebrating? Just having a fine dining experience over at Flying Fish.
Now, Toledo is a surprise entry because it's at a moderate resort, meaning it's “moderately priced” for a fine signature dining experience. It sits on the top floor of Disney's Coronado Resort, and here you will dine on tapas steak, and seafood in style. It's a Spanish haven (the whole resort is) and it's inspired by surrealist art and 1930s avant-garde Spain.
The bar area there has a great view of Star Wars galaxy's edge, and the restaurant features an onstage kitchen. At Disney, if the guests can see you, you are “on stage.” Another name for this would be an open air kitchen.
The tapas-style meal makes sharing with a dining companion a must. And to make it easy for you there, the restaurant features a chef's signature dining experience for two. We declined to do that because out of seven different sides, I wanted to try at least five of them.
Jaleo at Disney Springs is another high mention for tapas. But Disney Springs dining is a fully separate future pod.
My final top five is the Sanaa bread service. Need I say more? I dream of this bread service. Sanaa is located at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, Kadani Village. That's the DVC (Disney Vacation Club) side of the resort.
If you want to try out this famous bread service and we can't get you a reservation for dinner (they are very hard to come by), you can order the bread service in the Sanaa Lounge. Sanaa is a mix of African cooking with Indian flavors. That's how it's described by Disney on the website, and I can't tell you exactly how that manifests, but I do know it works.
While you're there, you can watch the zebras roam the savannah outside the restaurant doors. But back to the bread service it is.
Five breads and then nine different spreads. So you get Traditional Naan, Garlic-Ginger Naan, Spiced Naan, Onion Kulcha, and Paneer Paratha. And then for your accompaniments, nine of them, you get Cucumber Raita, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Mango Chutney, Tomato-Date Jam, Tamarind Chutney, Coriander Chutney, Garlic Pickle, Red Chile Sambal, and Spicy Jalapeño-Lime Pickle.
That's right, five breads and nine accompaniments. Don't ask me what each of these are, because it truly doesn't matter. Just try everything, and then don't be surprised when you want to just mop up your favorite sauce with your favorite bread. I personally love the traditional naan with the cucumber raita, and I simply wanted to lick the bowl of mango chutney.
I didn't even get to mention in these top five Victoria & Alberts, California Grill, or Chef Art Smith's Homecomin’.
That would be Victoria and Alberts over at Disney's Grand Floridian Beach Resort, which also has two other really great restaurants. California Grill over at Disney's Contemporary Resort where Steakhouse 71 exists, and chef Art Smith's Homecomin’ is only one of several amazing places at Disney Springs. But don't worry, I plan on covering those in detail in future pods.
But if I was planning a celebration night, a great meal to end a VIP tour, or just because you need to check these off the list of great dining, these are my top five. I will argue with anyone who says otherwise.
I always end up with an Instagram picture of food in my mouth, so if you follow me there @michelevisitsmickey there will be plenty of pics of all of these fabulous places that I just described.
See you next time!