Best Places to Eat at Disney Springs: Top Restaurants

For those who love food, Disney Springs at Walt Disney World makes a fabulous place to visit. What are the best places to eat at Disney Springs?

The Disney Springs complex offers plenty for a Walt Disney World guest to do. With over 50 different Disney Springs restaurants, how do you choose? We have been faced with that dilemma on many occasions. It is a good problem to have. Disney Springs has a few excellent options for you, regardless of your dining preferences.

The Disney Springs complex at Walt Disney World covers about 120 acres, almost the size of one of the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks. This property opened in 1975 and offers plenty to see and many areas to walk around. Over the years, the name of the complex, the shop, and the restaurants have changed.

However, it became known as Disney Springs after several name changes and expansions. The facility includes four sections: Marketplace, The Landing, Town Center, and West Side. Buses and water taxis provide transportation between Disney Springs and other Walt Disney World Resort areas.

Disney Springs

Though this entertainment and dining complex covers a vast area, one notable advantage comes with Disney Springs. This facility offers free parking. Free parking can be tricky to come by in the Orlando area. However, guests should not see this as a way to avoid the theme park parking fees since guests cannot take a direct Walt Disney World bus to any of the four Disney theme parks from Disney Springs.

Nevertheless, Disney Springs makes an ideal place to take a break from the theme parks or enjoy a relaxing afternoon or evening during your vacation. With over 60 dining options at Disney Springs, guests will indeed find something that fits their dining needs. We will start with the quick service dining options for this resource. After that, we will move on to the table service restaurant choices at Disney Springs.

Best Places to Eat at Disney Springs: Quick Service Restaurants

Using Walt Disney World terminology, quick service dining involves a few things to distinguish it from table service. Quick service restaurants are where you walk up to a counter, order and pay for your food, pick it up, and then take it to a table. This process may change slightly with mobile ordering, but counter service options do not involve dedicated wait staff.

Unlike table service dining, you cannot make advanced dining reservations. In other words, you can walk up to order food without making reservations in advance.

The Polite Pig

For those entering Disney Springs from the Green Garage, you might smell the aroma of barbecue before you even see this restaurant. The Polite Pig stands as one of the top quick service dining options at Disney Springs. It also stands as one of the top quick service restaurants in all of Walt Disney World Resort.

This barbecue place serves table service quality meals in a counter service format. The Polite Pig offers tasty appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and any barbecue you can imagine. This place is so well respected that the prestigious Michelin Guide recommends it

The highly respected Michelin Guide wrote glowing words about The Polite Pig. They said, “If the name of this Disney Springs destination doesn’t warrant your attention, its waterfront setting and soulful cooking will do the trick. The space is casual with an industrial vibe; guests may order at the counter or large, full-service bar to avoid a wait—et voilà —everything is magically delivered to your table. Exposed ductwork, a glassed-in kitchen and “farmer’s market” sign put diners in the mood for rustic-meets-contemporary food, complete with condiments aplenty. Flavors are nuanced yet balanced in these dishes. Meat reigns supreme on the menu and there’s no going wrong with the brisket—sliced thin, black pepper-rubbed and served with sides like creamy potato salad. Beers and cocktails, like the Texas tea, are available on draft.”

In fairness, you might have equal barbecue dining depending on where you live in the United States. Still, this exposure to United States barbecue dining will be some of the best for most guests.

Quick Service Pizza at Disney Springs

Walt Disney World Resort is not known for high-quality quick service pizza. In fairness, several table service restaurants offer quality pizza. For those needing a pizza fix while at Disney Springs, you have two decent quick service options: Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza and Pizza Ponte. Like most Disney Springs restaurants, these are third-party operated, so they are not directly Disney-run, which might explain the higher quality of the pizza.

Blaze Pizza might be in your local area. However, for Walt Disney World guests without a location near their home, the Disney Springs location provides a decent option for pizza. Blaze Pizza makes an excellent choice for picky eaters and those with dietary concerns like gluten-free or vegan.

Pizza Ponte serves pizza by the slice. This location offers the best pizza by slice at Walt Disney World Resort. Also, guests can order large slices for under eight dollars.

Everglazed Donuts and Cold Brew

This donut shop serves more than just sweet treats. You can order sandwiches, burgers, chicken tenders, and fries. In fact, this counter service location creates the best quick service or fast casual burger, in our opinion, at Disney Springs. We tell people to imagine one of Chef Art Smith’s restaurants making burgers, and you have the burgers at Everglazed. Since Everglazed Donuts and Cold Brew is operated by the same company as Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’, the connection is easy to make. Also, the fairly recent addition of chicken tenders makes this a more appealing fast-food dining spot. In addition, do not forget you can get sandwiches and burgers using donuts as the bun!

eet by Maneet Chauhan

Despite the lack of capitalization in this quick service restaurant’s title, eet by Maneet Chauhan provides excellent Indian street food. Guests will find this fast casual option on the far side of Disney Springs in the Marketplace area.

The restaurant’s name is a play on the celebrity chef’s name. Maneet Chauhan stated in a casual interview that she felt excitement about this new restaurant concept (her first counter-service dining option). She noted that, since it was counter service, families could pay a lower price than at many table service options at Disney Springs and elsewhere. This allows more people to experience this new restaurant.

If you want upscale Indian cuisine, this quick service option might not be for you. However, the clever play on bread service, rice bowls, and pizza make this dining option worth many guests’ time.

Cookes of Dublin

Over at Cookes of Dublin, guests will find Irish classics like Fish & Chips and Chicken & Wild Mushroom Pie. Guests can also order entrees like the Fried Chicken Sandwich, Dubliner Burger, Sweet N’ Spicy Loaded Chips, and Chicken Tenders & Chips. All these entrees cost under $17. In addition, the onion rings and cheesecake desserts receive high marks from guests visiting Cookes of Dublin. This quick service location partners with the long-standing Irish restaurant at Disney Springs, Raglan Road.

Best Places to Eat at Disney Springs? Gideon’s Bakehouse?

Including Gideon’s Bakehouse in our list is cheating a bit. Still, have you seen the constant queue at the Disney Springs location? Despite this place only serving cookies, cakes, merchandise, and cold brews, we felt it needing to be considered one of the best places to eat at Disney Springs

This very popular cookie and cake shop changed the landscape of snacks at Disney Springs. Since opening in 2021, this location has created long queues to buy cookies, cakes, cold brew coffee, and merchandise at Gideon’s Bakehouse.

Even though another Gideon’s Bakehouse location exists in Orlando’s East End Market area, the Disney Springs location draws a big crowd. Why would people wait in line for cookies and cakes? In simple terms, these almost half-pound cookies taste lovely. The cakes might be better. Some guests feel Gideon’s Bakehouse products are overrated. However, most guests gladly pay $6+ per cookie and $9 per slice of cake. Everything is made fresh at Gideon’s Bakehouse. Guests can even visit during “Hot Cookie Hour” (2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) to receive a warm cookie with a scoop of ice cream

For more excitement, each month, Gideon’s Bakehouse involves the release of a limited-time cookie and cake. With social media groups built around the fandom of Gideon’s Bakehouse, your next trip to Disney Springs should involve a stop there.

Best Places to Eat at Disney Springs: Table Service Restaurants

 

Walt Disney World Resort presents over 100 table service restaurants for guests to explore. These are within the four theme parks. Disney Springs, Disney’s Boardwalk, and the Walt Disney World-owned hotels. All guests can visit these table service restaurants no matter where you are staying.

These dining options will involve making an advance dining reservation and checking in with a host or hostess before being seated. Guests at table service restaurants will have a dedicated server with an expected gratuity for their service.

Disney Springs hosts over 20 table service restaurants. No matter your dining preferences, Disney Springs has something for you!

This resource will suggest the five best table service options at Disney Springs. These should meet the needs of almost all guests looking to dine here. Though we have our preferences regarding these five table service dining options, we did not rank them. We felt that different groups would desire different levels of service and menu styles.

Morimoto Asia

This celebrity chef restaurant builds on the skills and talent of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. His unique expertise in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean dishes is prominently showcased at Morimoto Asia, which also boasts incredible beauty in its Disney Springs location.

Although this restaurant is priced slightly higher than other Disney Springs options, it is undoubtedly worth it. The service here will be outstanding, and you may even enjoy a lovely view. Based on our many visits to Morimoto Asia, we found nothing to dislike on the menu.

We suggest trying the Morimoto Spare Ribs and the signature Morimoto “Buri-Bop.” The pork ribs have achieved legendary status at Morimoto Asia. The glaze and quality of the meat consistently impress guests, making these ribs arguably the best on Walt Disney World’s property.

The “Buri-Bop” is prepared right in front of you, showcasing the distinctive style of Morimoto Asia. Since Iron Chef Morimoto honed his skills as a sushi expert, this dish combines Korean-style yellowtail fish served in a hot clay pot with rice and an egg yolk, consistently leaving us in awe. The staff at Morimoto Asia will prepare this dish in front of you and share the story of its creation by the Iron Chef.

For those seeking upscale Asian cuisine, Morimoto Asia offers numerous menu items for you to explore. This restaurant could easily be considered one of the top dining spots in any area.

Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant

Raglan Road offers Irish-themed food. This restaurant has stood the test of time at Disney Springs through the many changes there. In addition, Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant offers a great brunch menu on weekends. This lively Irish restaurant provides an extensive menu with something for everyone.

Raglan Road is known for live music and Irish dancing. Some guests feel this place offers dinner and a show. However, those aspects may lead to a higher price point for entrees and appetizers. Either way, dining at Raglan Road in the evening and on weekends will not be a romantic meal. The evening will be entertaining but possibly loud with music and dancing.

Though all the expected Irish standards can be found here, we continue to be amazed by the chicken entrees at Raglan Road. The use of Bell and Evans chicken breasts starts these entrées with significant advantages. Then, the chicken becomes well prepared for your enjoyment. We have experienced this with many entrees at Raglan Road. For example, the Bell and Evans chicken works perfectly in the current menu item, Chicken Salad in the Garden.

Raglan Road offers an amazing evening filled with fun and good food. If you’re seeking an entertaining night out, making a reservation at Raglan Road should be on your agenda.

The Boathouse Restaurant

This seafood restaurant offers excellent views of the water around Disney Springs towards the Walt Disney World-owned hotels. The Boathouse provides outstanding service and food. Also, this restaurant serves more than just great seafood.

In fact, this restaurant does most things well. The Boathouse is run by the well-respected Gibsons Restaurant Group, which is internationally celebrated for its exceptional food and extraordinary service. Several Gibsons Restaurant Group locations specialize in serving high-grade steaks. The Boathouse does this as well. You can find a better steak at Walt Disney World. Still, we doubt guests will be disappointed with one at The Boathouse.  Guests who enjoy a quality surf and turf-style meal should visit The Boathouse.

For those seeking a more straightforward meal, The Boathouse has you covered. This place serves less extravagant dishes like mahi sandwiches and burgers. Also, do not forget to try the rolls at The Boathouse.

Finally, one of the best weekend brunches happens at The Boathouse. In addition to the great food, you can enjoy entertainment and music at these weekend brunch events. The Boathouse at Disney Springs created a loyal following for so many reasons.

Best places to eat at Disney Springs: Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’

This celebrity chef restaurant remains the most challenging advanced dining reservation to acquire at Disney Springs. Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ opened back in 2016. Since then, this southern comfort food restaurant has provided excellent hearty meals for Walt Disney World Resort guests.

The menu features fried chicken brined for 24 hours in buttermilk and hand breaded. The extra time creates some of the best fried chicken many guests have ever enjoyed.

Still, the menu does not stop with chicken. An excellent Country Fried Steak provides excellent preparation, portion size, and robust flavor. The Momma’s Mac and Cheese ranks as the best mac and cheese on Walt Disney World property. The appetizer menu features some of the best food around. For appetizers, guests can order Thigh High Chicken Biscuits, Church Lady Deviled Eggs, and Bee Haven Bay Fried Green Tomatoes.

Moonshine

Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ also serves some excellent moonshine. Yes, you read that correctly – moonshine. Five varieties of these alcoholic beverages are served at your table or the indoor and outdoor bar. You can even order a moonshine flight. If you choose to take on this challenge, please share with others or ensure you have at least one designated driver. Speaking of bars, the patio area at Homecomin’ creates a beautiful environment for guests. The views and service elevate this restaurant to a new level.

Though the weekend brunch here may not be as good as at The Boathouse, it is close to that level. Of course, the weekend brunch at Homecomin’ involves some chef Art Smith style and touches. The weekend brunch advance dining reservations at Homecomin’ fill up quickly due to the high demand for its brunch items. Even if you dislike fried chicken and southern comfort food, Homecomin’ will have something for you. Many guests stop at this place on every Walt Disney World trip feeling this is one of the best places to eat at Disney Springs

Summer House on the Lake

Summer House on the Lake is the most recent table service restaurant addition to the packed lineup of table service restaurants at Disney Springs. It opened in late 2023. The Disney Springs location of Summer House is the fourth location for the California-inspired restaurant from Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, joining restaurants in Chicago, Illinois, North Bethesda, Maryland, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Cookie fans will surely rejoice because the brand’s first-ever “Cookie Bar” is arriving in Disney Springs, which will be featured front and center at the restaurant’s entrance. This place and Erin McKenna’s Bakery offer the best vegan and gluten-free sweet treats at Disney Springs.

The Cookie Bar will serve a selection of sweets, including oversized cookies with flavors like Sea Salt Chocolate Chip, Birthday Cake, Oatmeal Scotchie, Apple Oatmeal, and Vegan Snickerdoodle. Like Gideon’s Bakehouse, this new restaurant will offer rotating seasonal cookie flavors.

Summer House on the Lake offers a weekend brunch and weekday “Martini Hour.” The menu matches what guests would expect from a California-themed beach restaurant.

The restaurant space, designed by renowned architecture and design firm Rockwell Group, has three bars, a light-filled dining room centered around a tree reaching toward a skylight, and greenery throughout. With indoor and outdoor dining, Summer House on the Lake offers freestanding tables and banquettes ideal for families and large groups.

We have visited Summer House on the Lake many times since it opened at Disney Springs. The laidback vibe attracts many guests. The food quality does not match our four other table service restaurants on this list. Still, the entire experience elevates this dining option to be one of the best places to eat at Disney Springs

Best Places to Eat at Disney Springs: Ready to Plan Your Next Visit to Walt Disney World?

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