2023 Awards: Best of Disney World Dining

This serves as your obligatory reminder that the accuracy of these results fully depends on the number of people that are willing to fill out post-visit surveys after their Walt Disney World vacations. Make sure to submit your thoughts after your WDW vacations so that we can continue providing meaningful insights!

Overall Dining Satisfaction

Which dining locations have the highest satisfaction overall, across all parks and location types? We have almost over 50,000 unique dining ratings to work with, so we can get a pretty good idea. Each of these responses rates a dining location with either a thumbs up or a thumbs down. I can pretty easily get an average of thumbs up responses to get an idea of overall satisfaction. Using that methodology and filtering to locations with at least 50 surveys, the big winners for 2023 are:

1. Tambu Lounge – 99.2%
2. Primo Piatto – 98.8%
3. Aloha Isle – 98.7%
4. The Polite Pig – 98.2%
5. Satuli Canteen – 97.7%

Last year’s winner, Pineapple Lanai, drops down to 7th place and we have a bunch of new entries in our top 5. That’s why it’s always important to look at the most recent results when choosing places to eat. Even an average of the past two years is much muddier than the past year or 6 months because things change so quickly!

What didn’t change from last year is that our top spot is found at the Polynesian resort. But instead of a Dole Whip spot, we get a lounge where you can get Disney-classic drinks like the Lapu Lapu or Backscratcher, as well as some foods shared with the Ohana menu, like wings and dumplings.

Coming in second place is Primo Piatto, which is found at the Riviera Resort. This spot is a quick Skyliner ride away from EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, or any other Skyliner resort, and is worth the effort to find. All of the menu items are well-prepared and reasonably priced (by Disney standards). Plus they have Coke Freestyle machines. Easy win.

Spot 3 has our first in-park entry. Aloha Isle is the place for all things Dole Whip in Magic Kingdom. If you’re looking for “real food” in a park, your best bet is Satuli Canteen at Animal Kingdom (coming in 5th place overall), which is hopefully not a surprise to anyone. The customizable bowls and spacious indoor dining in a humid park make this location an easy recommendation for anyone, anywhere.

And in 4th place, we have our top Disney Springs options – The Polite Pig, which serves counter-service barbecue and a wide selection of bourbon. The stand-outs here are the sides. So even if you’re vegetarian or you don’t like barbecued meat, you’ll still find plenty to love.

Best Dining by Restaurant Type

Best Bar or Lounge

1. Tambu Lounge – 99.2%
2. Scat Cat’s Club – 97.6%
3. Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar – 97.4%
4. Rose & Crown Pub – 97.3%
5. BaseLine Tap House – 97.0%

We’ve already discussed the top option here, since it was also the overall winner. So let’s mosey on along to Scat Cat’s Club, over at Port Orleans French Quarter. As you would suspect, this bar has a very New Orleans feel. And the staff has been known to create southern drink favorites even if they aren’t on the menu. You’ll also find live entertainment here on the weekends. Plus … beignets. Case closed.

In 3rd place is a new entry on the list, Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar over at Disney Springs. For the first couple of years that it was open, Jock Lindsey’s relied a little too much on the “schtick” and theme, and not enough on actual food and drink quality. Things have been shifting recently, and this is now a solid option.

Next we head over to your best-rated bar/lounge in EPCOT, which is the Rose & Crown Pub. Here you can try some interesting concoctions like a “Cider and Fireball” or a “Leaping Leprechaun”. You can also get flights of whiskeys, malts, and more. Or stick with the classic and get a pint of your favorite Imperial Ale, Lager or Stout.

Rounding things out, you can find BaseLine Tap House in Hollywood Studios, with its large pretzels and beef puffs, decent beer selections, and other drinks and cocktails.

And because I know I’ll hear about it from it’s scores of fans, Nomad Lounge dropped into 6th place this year (96.7%). Guess you all need to visit and rate more frequently 🙂

Best Counter Service

1. Primo Piatto – 98.8%
2. The Polite Pig – 98.2%
3. Satuli Canteen – 97.7%
4. Tamu Tamu Refreshments – 97.2%
5. Oasis Bar and Grill – 97.1%

We’ve already talked about our top three counter service options since they made it into the top five overall. All three are solid Disney dining choices, even if it means going out of your way.

Tamu Tamu joins Satuli Canteen in representing Animal Kingdom on the list. Spoiler alert – spots 6 and 7 (Creature Comforts and Zuri’s Sweet Shop) are also in Animal Kingdom. At Tamu Tamu you can get … wait for it … Dole Whips. Which always score well, as you can tell from Aloha Isle’s high rating (it’s categorized as a food stand instead of counter service, by the way). You can also get a wide variety of drinks, or even breakfast if that’s your jam.

Oasis Bar and Grill is really more of a Pool Bar than a true Counter Service option, but Disney categorizes it as a counter-service spot, so we’re going to roll with it. And, to be fair, this isn’t your average pool bar. The food is well-thought out and the menu is quite extensive. Pick from a number of salads or a burger, or branch out with sashimi or fish tacos. Whatever you order, make sure to include the Malasadas (doughnuts with a passion fruit curd – delicious).

Best Table Service

1. Raglan Road – 96.1%
2. Boma – 94.8%
3. Yak & Yeti Restaurant – 94.8%
4. Homecomin’ – 94.6%
5. BOATHOUSE – 94.3%

Interestingly, only one table service dining location repeats in the top 5 compared to last year. And last year I was shocked that I had only personally been to 3 out 5 … and this year I’ve been to 2 out of 5. Bad Disney Adult. Bad.

Raglan Road vaulted itself into first place for the first time that I can remember. And I’m so happy that it’s there! Raglan Road has a menu with enough options that anyone should be able to find something they’ll enjoy. The place-making is next-level with wooden bars and accents carved in Ireland and then shipped over and installed. Add to that an excellent beverage menu and live entertainment in the evenings, and you really can’t beat Raglan Road in Disney Springs.

Boma. Oh Boma. My most recent experience there was wildly disappointing, but the scores here stayed basically the same as last year, and that allowed it to move up to 2nd place (from 4th last year). A meal here will help you appreciate some new African dishes while still offering standard buffet favorites for kids or pickier eaters. Operational issues are becoming more common, so as long as you’re prepared to wait for your table and potentially circle back for food needing to be refreshed, then you’ll enjoy your Boma meal.

Yak & Yeti continues our theme of Animal Kingdom having the best dining options of any park, because it’s the only in-park table service restaurant to make the top 5. Once again, you’ll find a very large and approachable menu at Yak & Yeti, and you’ll frequently be able to get reservations pretty easily here.

Spots 4 and 5 take us back to Disney Springs, with “fancy”-ish dining spots that have pretty great brunch options as well as their dinner offerings. The best dishes at Homecomin’ are southern classics like deviled eggs and fried chicken. At BOATHOUSE (it helps if you scream it in your head), fresh seafood is the star, but the steaks aren’t slacking either.

Best Dining Options in Each Park

Are you headed to a park and just wondering which bars, counter service spots, or table service locations have the highest satisfaction there? I can help with that!

Animal Kingdom

1. Satu’li Canteen (Counter Service) – 97.7%
2. Tamu Tamu Refreshments (Counter Service) – 97.2%
3. Nomad Lounge (Bar or Lounge) – 96.7%
4. Creature Comforts (Counter Service) – 96.5%
5. Zuri’s Sweet Shop (Counter Service) – 96.4%

At Animal Kingdom, counter service reigns supreme. And in general, Animal Kingdom has the highest-rated dining options of any of the parks. In fact, most of those percentages in the top 5 are significantly higher than they were even in 2022. In fact, if I kept the 92% cut-off for fifth place last year, the following dining locations would’ve also made the cut:

• Dawa Bar (95.2%)
• Harambe Market (95.0%)
• Yak & Yeti Restaurant (94.8%)
• Flame Tree Barbecue (94.1%)
• Mr. Kamal’s (93.2%)
• Yak & Yeti Local Foods (93.1%)
• Pongu Pongu (92.2%)

EPCOT

1. Rose & Crown Pub (Bar or Lounge) – 97.3%
2. Kringla Bakeri og Cafe (Counter Service) – 95.3%
3. Yorkshire County Fish Shop (Counter Service) – 95.1%
4. La Cava del Tequila (Bar or Lounge) – 94.8%
5. Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie (Counter Service) – 94.6%

Last year, EPCOT was the queen of table service dining. 3 out of its top 5 were table service restaurants (Teppan Edo, Le Cellier Steakhouse, and Via Napoli) This year, those all dropped pretty significantly. Thankfully, some counter service spots and bars stepped up and filled in the gap.

On your next EPCOT day, you could get your drinks from Rose & Crown or La Cava (the Touring Plans staff favorite). Get your fish and chips from Yorkshire County Fish Shop, and then finish off with pastries from Kringla Bakeri or Les Halles.

Hollywood Studios

1. BaseLine Tap House (Bar or Lounge) – 97.0%
2. Ronto Roasters (Counter Service) – 94.0%
3. The Hollywood Brown Derby (Table Service) – 90.5%
4. Docking Bay 7 (Counter Service) – 90.4%
5. The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge (Bar or Lounge) – 89.6%

These numbers should strike you and pretty different than the satisfaction numbers we were seeing for the top 5 at Animal Kingdom and EPCOT. Things drop down to near 90% very quickly. And even Ronto Roasters wouldn’t have made the top 5 at either of those other two parks. Then you’ve got Hollywood Brown Derby … and it’s lounge that sorta-kinda cheat to round out the top 5. If we throw out the lounge, Hollywood & Vine would get 5th place (89.1%)

Magic Kingdom

1. Sleepy Hollow Refreshments (Counter Service) – 95.2%
2. Columbia Harbour House (Counter Service) – 94.1%
3. Liberty Tree Tavern (Table Service) – 92.5%
4. Main Street Bakery (Counter Service) – 89.8%
5. The Friar’s Nook (Counter Service) – 89.6%

Magic Kingdom also underwhelms with the quality of its dining locations, especially given the sheer number of them spread throughout the park. Still, there are several decent options, like Sleepy Hollow if you appreciate a good waffle. Or Liberty Tree Tavern if you need a good family-style fuel-up for the rest of your day.

What Does This Mean For You?

1. A lot of the food and beverages that people enjoy while on WDW vacations don’t come from stereotypical counter service or table service restaurants. Instead, they’re treats like dole whip, or special beverages served by attentive cast members. So if you can’t get all of the popular reservations, don’t fret.
2. In general, table service restaurants come with higher price points, and therefore higher expectations. You’ll find the highest-quality table service locations in Disney Springs and at resorts. Counter service performs better in the parks.
3. If you want the largest selection of dining locations that score at least 90% or higher, look no further than EPCOT, which has 16 different spots. Compare that to the … four at Hollywood Studios and three at Magic Kingdom. Even better is a resort-hopping day, which gives you 31 different options – 16 of them easily accessible by the Skyliner and 7 on the monorail loop.

Did any of the 2023 winners surprise you? Would you have ranked anything differently? Is there a dining experience you’re most looking forward to experiencing in 2024? Let me know in the comments!