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3 Magic Kingdom Restaurants the Experts Refuse to Book


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When you’re visiting Disney World, there are tons of different restaurants to choose from, and it can easily become overwhelming.

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Magic Kingdom

Thankfully, that’s why we’re here! We’ve eaten at every dining location in Disney World, both quick service and table service, and are here to help you decide what the best options are for your vacation. If you’re planning to spend a lot of time in Magic Kingdom, we highly recommend that you DON’T book yourself a reservation to dine at these three spots.

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The Crystal Palace

Now HOLD ON a minute, hear us out — we’re not saying that every meal at Crystal Palace isn’t worth the cost. We’re more specifically advising that lunch and dinner at this spot aren’t going to be as worth it as breakfast.

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Crystal Palace

You do get the same character experience with all three meals — getting to meet Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore — however breakfast is actually the cheapest of all, and it’s often the best quality that we’ve experienced! We’ve heard our readers express the same sentiment time and time again, which is why breakfast is the hardest reservation to snag, but it’s worth it if you can grab it.

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Buffet

Crystal Palace is buffet style all day long, but we’ve sometimes had our food be not as great quality the later on you get in the day, and we’ve felt rushed at some of our lunch and dinner reservations as well. That hasn’t been the case with breakfast, so while we still hold that meal in high regard, we would advise to stay away from lunch and dinner here.

REVIEW: I Got TWO Character Meals for the Price of ONE in Magic Kingdom

Be Our Guest Restaurant

It honestly makes us so sad that ever since the quick service breakfast and lunch and the table service breakfast option have gone away, many people agree that this spot has gone downhill.

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Be Our Guest Restaurant

We’re often not impressed with the food quality here and feel like we’re dining in the dark half the time, but even more than that, you’re not even really getting a character meal experience. You get to wave to the Beast as he walks around once during your meal, but that’s all. And for that high price tag, a quick wave and meh food doesn’t really make up for the cost.

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The master comes out to say, “hello!”

Instead, we recommend dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table, which granted, also isn’t known for having outstanding food, but you also get a beautiful atmosphere here and have the opportunity to meet multiple Disney Princesses! We have hope that Be Our Guest will return to its former glory in the future…we just don’t know how long that will take.

I Spent $70 at This Disney World Restaurant. I’d Only Go Back on 2 Conditions.

The Plaza Restaurant

Finally, over on Main Street, U.S.A., you’ll find the The Plaza Restaurant. While this is a spot we’ve really enjoyed in the past, it has also gone downhill over the course of the past few years, and we’ve heard that many of you agree.

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The Plaza Restaurant!

Since the park closures in 2020, the menu here has shrunk significantly, prices have risen, but the quality of food has declined, and many times we’re left just feeling “meh” about our experience here. While it’s not nearly as expensive as other table service restaurants, it’s still not what you want to pay for a meal that’s less than impressive.

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Full spread from The Plaza

Not to mention that this spot doesn’t have a restroom inside for guests, which can be a hassle, especially if you’ve got kids who may need to run to the bathroom quickly, and it’s pretty small. It can get loud in there pretty quickly, which can be a sensory concern, and it’s certainly not a restaurant we consider makes it easy to get out of the hustle and bustle of things.

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The menu!

We make it a point to revisit Disney World restaurants time and time again to see how they’re doing — no one and done’s for us! If you’re looking for a truly great meal though on your Magic Kingdom day, we recommend hopping on the Monorail and heading over to Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, or Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. All three of these hotels have great quick service AND table service restaurants that will very likely be a much better meal than what you’ll find in Magic Kingdom (we speak from experience!).

We’re always here to help you plan your upcoming vacation and make you feel as prepared as possible before you start your trip, so stay tuned to DFB!

Our FAVORITE Meal at Every Magic Kingdom Restaurant

What else would you add to this list? Tell us in the comments!

The post 3 Magic Kingdom Restaurants the Experts Refuse to Book first appeared on the disney food blog.

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