Big meals can save you big money at Disney World — we graded them all!
Buffets and all-you-care-to-eat options at Walt Disney World are quickly becoming one of the best deals you can find at the resort. With the rising costs of food across the parks and the hotels, an adult staying inside the parks all day can easily spend $75 – $100 just to stay hydrated and eat enough calories for the 10,000 – 30,000 steps likely to happen. Don’t forget, a side of French fries went up to about five bucks with taxes at Disney World. And those aren’t a large portion either.
But for the buffets and all-you-can-eat spots, their prices are still mostly locked in where they were. So, for now, it can make some serious sense to eat a big breakfast or dinner at one of these restaurants and snack the rest of the day on smaller items. Perhaps you have plenty of cash-on-hand and don’t care about this sort of thing, but families of five or more are going to probably want to pinch some pennies where they can. So, given how much buffets can actually save you this time at Disney World, we thought it would be nice to grade those places at Disney and let you know what you’re looking at in terms of quality.
For this list, please note that we’re not going to include restaurants which are exclusive to specific types of guests. For example, we’re not including the Garden Gallery at Shades of Green, even though we believe it is the very best breakfast restaurant (little alone buffet) at Walt Disney World. Not everyone can go to Garden Gallery, so we’re not including it. That extends to other restaurants such as at the Swan and Dolphin.
Alright, let’s get started:
1900 Park Faire — Currently Closed
Akershus Royal Banquet
Whether or not you like the Norwegian themed buffet in Epcot likely depends on whether or not you are into princess meet ‘n greets. If not, I definitely do not recommend this restaurant to you. There is a better all-you-care-to-eat option in Epcot that doesn’t involve characters. Well, there’s also a better all-you-care-to-eat option in Epcot that does feature characters, they’re just the Mickey Mouse crew. But if you have a child who wants to see princesses, this is a fine way to do it. It’s expensive for what you get, but you’re paying for things other than the food. The food itself is very average. It’s not bad, but it’s also neither exciting nor inspired. It’s just okay.
Grade: C
Biergarten Restaurant
Some people absolutely adore this restaurant, others not so much. It’s likely going to come down to your opinion on German food. If you’re into sausages, sauerkraut, potatoes, and all the cuisine associated with that part of Europe, you’re going to be having a really good time here. In fact, you might even go so far as one of our writers and try to claim this is the best restaurant in Epcot. Even if you’re not into German food, just try to walk by the open air façade and see if you can keep going without your mouth watering. It’s decently priced for what you get, it’s delicious, it’s worth your time. No characters are involved though.
Grade: A-
Boma: Flavors of Africa
Everyone here at That Park Place loves Boma. Sometimes you’ll hear a mixed review out of the breakfast offerings and on occasion someone will say they expected more for their dinner (note that Boma rotates menu items on a three-day carousel). But honestly, you just cannot beat the price for a meal at Boma and the offerings that you’re getting. A couple of weeks ago we were there and one of our staff members ate about three pieces of prime rib that was cooked to perfection. There is no telling what that would cost at any other Disney restaurant by itself. Yes, you’ll end up paying sixty dollars per person for dinner at Boma. But if you add up what you’re getting versus what you would pay at other places in Disney, it’s quite impressive. Most of the food here is also at the very highest level you can expect at Disney Parks, and that’s something you don’t find at many buffets. One of the desserts, the Zebra Domes, have been voted by our staff to be the best chocolate dessert at all of Disney World. We recommend this restaurant highly.
Grade: A+
Cape May Cafe
For the money, and for what you’re getting, I don’t think that we can recommend Cape May Cafe unless you are staying at a resort near The Boardwalk. In that case, it’s a convenient breakfast spot. The problem with Cape May is that it’s rather expensive, the food is rather average (at best), and nothing here truly stands out as a reason you just have to go. It’s just okay. For breakfast, it might be worthwhile. For everything else, it’s not high on our list. And if you’re going for seafood, there are better options out there.
Grade: D+
Chef Mickey’s
I don’t think there’s any buffet at Disney World that is more divisive. Some people love it, some people have serious nostalgia for it, and some people can’t figure out why in the world anybody would ever want to go back. If you’re going for high-end cuisine, think again. If you’re going for a bargain, you’re in the wrong place. If you have picky eaters who want to see Mickey Mouse and his friends, you’re in chicken nugget heaven. So that’s a very specific crowd that’s going to have a good time, but there are plenty of picky eating toddlers and small children at Walt Disney World. If you’re okay with spending that money to eat chicken nuggets, French fries, and basic breakfast items, have at it. You’ll bypass lines later on to see the Fab Five characters, so that’s a plus.
Grade: C-
Crystal Palace
There are perks to the Crystal Palace that you don’t find with any other restaurant at Disney World. For example, if you reserve an early breakfast there, you’ll find yourself inside Magic Kingdom before any other guests. That’s worth a lot in our books. Taking your photo with nobody around in the morning just outside Cinderella Castle has to be baked into the price and the value. In the evenings, some tables give you an awesome view of the fireworks, the castle, the crowds, as well as parades when they’re running. So there’s much to like about the restaurant. In my opinion, the breakfast here is far superior to the lunch and dinner options. But overall this is not a bad spot for food. It’s just that you’re getting so much more here than at other buffets in terms of intangible items.
Grade: A
Garden Grill
There’s nothing else like this at Disney World. Slowly rotating to different views, the restaurant is farm-themed and features Mickey and friends in “rural attire.” The food is mostly grown in green houses nearby. Everything is fresh. This is another one of those spots that some people are going to love and others are going to think is just okay. I can’t imagine anybody truly hating it though in the way that they might with Chef Mickey’s. But if you go here, eat your vegetables — they’re the star of the show!
Grade: B
Hollywood and Vine
Nope. I can’t endorse anybody going to this place because the service and the quality of the food is just too different depending on the day, the time of the year, and even the hours that you go. We’ve heard many people be quite displeased with the breakfast offerings here. Others have enjoyed dinners. And though there are no other all-you-can-eat options at Hollywood Studios, we still don’t suggest you go here. If we sent you and you were one of those unlucky guests that came away eating food that tastes like it just came out of a can, we’d feel awful about that. If you’re reserving it in the future for a Fantasmic! package if it’s offered then… maybe? Probably still not though.
Grade: D-
Trail’s End Restaurant
This is one of my favorite buffets to try to review. So, I guess what I would say is that if you’re okay with stepping back in time about thirty years and getting food that is slightly better than Golden Corral, there’s not a thing wrong with Trail’s End. If you’re okay with doing all of that, this is the least expensive buffet at Disney World. That means you can have a great breakfast and pretty decent dinner on a much lower budget that will satisfy your kids and save you money in the long run. Kids can eat all they want for breakfast for twelve bucks here. That’s cheaper than many single item breakfasts all over Disney World. Part of the reason is that this place is tucked away at Fort Wilderness and relatively few people know about it. If you’re trying to make it on a budget, this may be your favorite restaurant. If you’re not, it’s worth a single trip at least.
Grade: C+
Tusker House
We tease that this is a “poor man’s” Boma. It’s not. It’s actually really good. In fact, it’s probably the best all-you-can-eat restaurant in any of the theme parks. You’re going to find much of the same stuff as you’ll find at Boma, but you also usually get a character meet and greet to go along with it. The options aren’t as plentiful, but again, this is some of the best food you’ll find in any theme park anywhere in the world. And ultimately, if you assume that this allows you to skip a meal by eating here, you’re coming out with a major wallet win. Is Boma better? Yes. But if you can’t go over to Animal Kingdom Lodge, this is a great alternative inside Animal Kingdom proper. One thing about this though, I don’t know that I would recommend reserving both of those buffets on the same trip — there’s just too much overlap in offerings.
Grade: A
Alright, so what do you think? Let me know in the comments below if you agree with our reviews. As always, keep reading That Park Place for all the news and reviews that should be fun!
