Saturday, January 4, 2014

WDW Dining - Magic Kingdom

After yesterday's post, I've been thinking quite a bit about Disney World.  So, as promised month's ago, I thought I'd do a Disney World post.  Today, I'm going to focus on restaurants at Magic Kingdom.  I'll tell you restaurants that we've been to and whether we recommend them.

Magic Kingdom
Quick Sevice
  • Casey's - this is located on main street and sells mainly hot dogs.  On our first trip, it was the first restaurant we ate at.  The hot dogs are good, but expensive (covered by dining plan). They also have french fries, and for dessert you can get the standard (yummy) chocolate brownie, cotton candy, or Cracker Jacks.  There isn't much seating, but there are several small tables outside - sometimes a piano player comes out, which is pretty cool! We would eat there again - though not by first choice. Recommended for lunch, but I don't know that it would hold you over for dinner.  Recommended for gluten free dining.
  •  Cosmic Ray's - we ate here on our first trip - it's located in Tomorrowland.  They have burgers, chicken, and ribs.  There is a large seating area inside, which is nice. I do not like the set up of this restaurant.  If you want burgers, you have to go to a certain bay.  If you want ribs, you go to a different bay.  So, either you and your party need to agree on entrees, or you'll be waiting in several lines.  Our food there wasn't great.  But I've heard great things from others - it just wasn't great for us. This would be substantial for lunch or dinner.  There are also gluten free options.
  • Be Our Guest - for lunch, this is a quick service - it's located in Fantasyland. There is quite a bit of seating, but if you want to eat in the West Wing, get there early!  We arrived 45 minutes before they opened and were still maybe the 10th person in line.  The opening is REALLY cool.  They come out and welcome you and cheer for you as you walk in.  It is easily the prettiest restaurant in all of Disney (at least the one's we've been to!).  And the food is excellent.  They have table service quality food for lunch.  They have sandwiches, roasted meats, and other yummy things.  My son inhaled his grilled mahi-mahi. And their cupcakes - SO good!  HIGHLY recommended (for lunch) - also great for gluten-free diets.

  •  Pecos Bill - this one is in Frontierland.  This year was the first time we ate there.  It was SO good.  They have burgers, salads, sandwiches, and other foods.  I got a southwest chicken salad and it was delicious.  There is quite a bit of seating there, and luckily, there are cast members to direct you to open tables.  Other wise, it would have been tough to navigate through the restaurant with two little ones and two huge trays of food.  We will definitely eat here again.  I feel that it would be substantial for dinner - there were also some gluten free options here.
  • Columbia Harbor House - this is located in my favorite part of MK - Liberty Square.  They are famous for their fish and chips and their lobster rolls. They also have chicken and some grilled entrees. I had grilled salmon, steamed broccoli, and couscous.  It was VERY good.  There are plenty of tables here, both upstairs and down.   I really like the theming of this restaurant.  It feels very Colonial and has creaky wood floors.  This is a great place for lunch or dinner (they close early in the off-season) - there were some gluten free options.
  • Pinocchio's Village Haus - this is located in Fantasyland.  It is probably my least favorite restaurant that we've eaten at in WDW.  They have flatbread and sandwiches and pizza.  They food was very bland.  There was quite a bit of seating, and some of the tables even overlook the entrance of It's A Small World.  One thing I do remember is that they had pretty tasty chocolate gelato.  I'm not sure about how many gluten free options they have.  The family liked it, but I did not.
Snacks
  • My hubby LOVES these pretzels.  We got this one at a cart in Frontierland.  Not gluten-free.

  •  The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor - WOW.  So good.  This is located on Main Street.  We got the All-American sundae (which was covered by a snack credit).  It was easily enough for two people and was SUPER yummy.  Recommended for gluten-free dining.

  • Gaston's Tavern - this is in Fantasyland.  The theming is AWESOME.  It looks exactly how I thought that Gaston's Tavern would look.  They have steak on a stick, some baked items, and their featured item, LeFou's brew.  It's basically a frozen apple juice with a marshmallow foam.  It was refreshing, but a little sweet for my taste. Recommended for gluten-free diets.

  • Aloha Isle - If you like pineapple, you MUST get a dole whip float here!  So good, and covered by a snack credit!  Recommended for gluten-free diets.
Table Service
Of all the parks, I feel that Magic Kingdom's table dining choices are very limited.  We've eaten at only a few, one was our worst meal in Disney World, and one is one of our favorites.

  • Tony's - this is located on Main Street.  The theming is nice, it's supposed to look like the restaurant from Lady and the Tramp.  The food wasn't very good.  With the exception of dessert - their Pistachio Creme Brulee is DELICIOUS!  I really don't recommend this one.  They do have a steak entree, but I don't know how gluten-free friendly it is for children.
  • Liberty Tree Tavern - I love the theming of this one as well.  It's Colonial, with the creaky wood floors.  Each room is themed around a president.  We've only had dinner here, which is basically, a Thanksgiving Feast served family style.  I really enjoy this meal.  Almost everything (except rolls, gravy, mac and cheese, and stuffing) is gluten-free.  They will give you gluten-free rolls and gravy if you want it.  They will also give you ice cream (instead of craisin cake) for dessert.  They food is always quite delicious, and plentiful.  You can eat as much as you would like.  Highly recommended.  Also recommended for gluten-free diets.

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