Jump to content

Review: SO MANY Good (NEW!) Eats at The Plaza Restaurant in Walt Disney World


Disney4me
 Share

Recommended Posts

The Plaza Restaurant at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is a classic.

From its prime location at the Cinderella Castle end of Main Street, USA, to its elegant decor and moderately priced menu, The Plaza Restaurant is a truly great value. And the menu is family friendly (including those bottomless milkshakes!), so it’s easy to enjoy a meal with your whole crew.

But flashier dining options have relegated The Plaza to the realm of hidden gems.

And, honestly, we’re kind of okay with that. Because when Be Our Guest is booked solid, The Plaza is often a gettable alternative. And with a few new menu items, my most recent visit was a total home run.

Plaza Sign

Plaza Sign

Atmosphere

The Plaza is small, but sweetly elegant. You’ll see turn-of-the-(last)-century glamour in everything from light fixtures to wall decor to ornate moldings.

Main Dining Area

Main Dining Area

And by the way, the wallpaper is beyond fabulous.

The Plaza decor

The Plaza decor

Seating areas are bright and cheerful, giving the whole place a sort of garden party feel (without the bugs or possible downpours).

Second Dining Area

Second Dining Area

If you’re so inclined, The Plaza Restaurant is a lovely place to linger and enjoy the AC. I mean… the food.

Eats

On this visit, I was on a mission to try some new (or new-ish) additions to the menu. But first, check out that menu. Do you see the come hither stare that ice cream is giving us? (The Main Street Plaza Ice Cream Parlor is right next door!)

The Plaza Restaurant menus are so stylish!

The Plaza Restaurant menus are so stylish!

The other side of the menu is just as alluring, with comfort food dishes like the killer Home-Style Meatloaf (check it out here!), a Tuna Salad Sandwich, and a Grilled Reuben.

Eats!

Eats!

In the apps you’ll find Plaza Loaded Fries, which are basically a replacement for the beloved Figaro Fries that left Pinocchio Village Haus a couple of years ago. But while I’ve been known to enjoy a loaded fry (or twenty), this time I wanted to try something a little different. I ordered a side of fries, but I wanted to try three different sauces with them: Loaded Fries Cheese (which is basically Plastic Cheese), Remoulade (from one of the sandwiches), and White Barbecue Sauce (from another sandwich). What can I say — I can’t pass up a good dipping sauce.

Y’all. All three were awesome, with the remoulade being the real stand-out. It’s about the closest thing you can get to a Pommes Frites from Cafe Orleans experience without taking a trip to Disneyland. Definitely give this a whirl!

Fries and Sauces

Fries and Sauces

I also needed to try the Brisket Mac and Cheese. I mean, it’s brisket on top of mac and cheese, soooo…

And it’s pretty good! The flavor is solid — with the meaty barbecued brisket bringing a level of smokiness to the mac and cheese. The mac isn’t particularly creamy, which is usually a requirement for really good mac and cheese, but the block-like serving is kind of a great vessel for the brisket and fried onions. And this heavy meal is definitely share-able, especially if you’re planning to go with an app and/or a dessert.

Brisket Mac and Cheese

Brisket Mac and Cheese

 As for sweetness, you can’t go wrong with one of the newly bottomless milkshakes, if shakes are your thang. The milkshake of the month (which is also bottomless) was Peanut Butter Cup. Hello, we’re DFB, and we love everything peanut butter. And this baby was ah-mazing. I feel like it was vanilla ice cream churned with peanut butter and served with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and peanut butter/chocolate chips. But actually, it’s heaven in a milkshake glass.
There was NO WAY I was going to be able to get a second one (I barely made a dent in the first), but it’s nice to know I could have if I wanted to! ;-)
Peanut Butter Cup Bottomless Milkshake

Peanut Butter Cup Bottomless Milkshake

The Carrot Cake at The Plaza is totally ho-hum, which — I know! — I almost never say! It was super sugary and basically a grocery store carrot cake slice.
Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

The Chocolate Cake, on the other hand, is the bomb! I’m not a big chocolate cake fan, but this version is super moist — like almost pudding moist — and crazy good. Big yes on this one!

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake

And that’s not where the great desserts ended! The Caramel Apple Pie that’s been on the menu for a few months is being replaced by something totally spectacular: Butterscotch Bread Pudding! It’s my number three bread pudding on property (behind the ‘Ohana Bread Pudding and a fan-tas-tic bread pudding we’ll be reviewing soon from House of Blues!!), and that’s saying somethin’!

It’s served in a skillet and topped with ice cream, which melts beautifully on the warm pudding. The bread pudding is not at all dry (yay) in the first place, but with the melting ice cream and warm butterscotch it’s just about perfect.

Butterscotch Bread Pudding

Butterscotch Bread Pudding

Nosh or Not?

You want to stop in at The Plaza if: 

  • You’re spending your day in the Magic Kingdom and want a tasty table service meal. (This one is often available without a reservation.)
  • You love the idea of dining in an iconic restaurant that doesn’t require multiple table service credits or fancy pants.
  • You and your crew enjoy timeless comfort food and super desserts.

You might want to skip The Plaza if: 

  • You’re hitting all the rides today and just want to grab some food on the go instead of doing a table service meal.
  • Your momma makes really good brisket and mac and cheese and bread pudding and you know you’ll be disappointed with a restaurant version.
  • You want to dine on more adventurous food.

Overall

The Plaza Restaurant really is a hidden gem (which can work in your favor!). This place is small, but is often available without a dining reservation, and is always solidly good-to-great. With delicious apps, entrees, and (especially!) desserts, I totally recommend adding it to your list of places you’ve gotta try in the Magic Kingdom! While Liberty Tree Tavern will always be my first love in Magic Kingdom, I have to say that Plaza is giving it a run for its money!

Don’t Miss Out on Any Disney Fun!

The 2018 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining, is now available!

2017 DFB Guide to WDW Dining Cover March 6

With more than 650 pages, the 2018 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 20+ years of visits. We’ve done the research for you, so you’ll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family’s needs!

With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you’ll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2018 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2018 to save 25% today!

Use code WDW2018 at check-out for a 25% off the cover price! Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. :-)

ready-to-shop-button

Disney Food Blog Fans, be sure to check out our DFB Disney World Dining Guide e-Books! Find great deals at DFBStore.com! Also, come on over and:


View the full article

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...