Since coming back from Disney World in May and sharing my daily blogs over on my YouTube channel, one thing I’m being asked more and more is where I recommend eating while there. So I thought I’d write a post (or two) about my favourite places to eat. In this post I’ll be focusing on our Top 5 Table Service Restaurants at Disney World.
A table service meal is the name given to a meal when you sit down and have a waiter attend to your needs. This differs from a quick service meal which is counter service, where you put your order in at the counter, then wait for the food at the counter as well. If you’re on the Disney Dining Plan you could have an allowance of table service and quick service meals depending on your plan.
So onto my favourites (and these are in order)! Obviously I haven’t eaten at every table service meal at Disney but I’ve eaten at a fair few now. Everybody is going to have their favourites but these are mine (and The Northerner’s) Top 5 Table Service Restaurants at Disney World.
Top 5 Table Service Restaurants at Disney World
1. The Yachtsman Steakhouse – Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
If you’ve watched my Day Two, Part Two and Day Twelve, Part Two) vlogs, it’s pretty evident that we LOVED The Yachtsman Steakhouse – we went twice on our last holiday. As one of Disney’s Signature restaurants, it’s on the pricey side, but both The Northerner and I have both said it’s not just one of the best meals we’ve ate on Disney, but one of the best meals we’ve ever ate. Located at the beautiful Yacht Club, The Yachtsman Steakhouse, as you may have guessed offers a wide range of steaks. But let’s start with the bread course. You haven’t tried garlic bread until you’ve tried The Yachtsman’s garlic bread. It’s plain bread served with a side of butter and baked, caramelised garlic which you can spread on yourself. And you’ll want to be generous! It’s the tastiest garlic bread I’ve ever eaten! We both went for a filet mignon which came with mash potatoes and we ordered some creamed spinach and mushrooms for the side. If you’re having one or two sides, it’s more than enough for the family to share.
For dessert we opted for ice cream and Creme Brûlée which were equally as good. On our very first visit we received the best service from our waiter that we received all holiday. He recommended meals and wines and was super attentive throughout the whole visit. It was lovely to sit there, overlooking the Yacht club pool and have a relaxed date night before heading over to the Boardwalk.
We’ll certainly be heading back to The Yachtsman when we head back to Disney World.
2. California Grill – Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Being honest, we only booked California Grill for the view of Wishes but we’re both really glad we did, because the food was excellent. This time we opted for a starter, which we had to pay extra for because it was outside of the dining plan allowance.
For mains, again we both had the same (e both hate having food envy) and went for a filet steak on a bed of red onion risotto. I had it because I love risotto, The Northerner had it because he thought it was a really weird combo… Steak with risotto! But what a combo it was! The sweetness of the red onion complimented the steak excellently, even if the dish was a little plain to look at, it made up for it in the taste.
Dessert was served after watching Wishes fireworks on the balcony with champagne. So many people time their reservations so that they can do this but you can go back up to the balcony regardless of what time your dinner is at CG – you just show your receipt.
3. Yak and Yeti – Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Yak and Yeti is the first restaurant on this list that I visited way back in 2013 on my last trip to Disney World. From the very first bite of the very first meal, I was obsessed. I’ve had so many people message me to tell me they’ve booked themselves in to Yak and Yeti and have loved it which makes me so happy. This year I opted for the Kalbi Steak and Coconut Shrimp ($28.99) and I certainly DID NOT regret it! It consisted of grilled marinated flat iron steak, pineapple-mango salsa, coconut shrimp, chili plum sauce, wasabi mashed potatoes, stir-fried vegetables and it was like a flavour party in my mouth.
I find Yak and Yeti one of the most flavoursome meals that you will eat on Disney World. Another thing worth mentioning is that they do really GOOD quick service at Yak and Yeti too and we always add it to our plist to visit when we’re in Animal Kingdom.
4.’Ohana – Disney’s Polynesian Resort
‘Ohana is a bit of an odd one in this list. There is a set menu which is bought to you as individual dishes as the meal goes on. You start off with the sweetest pineapple bread followed by salads, sea food and a meat course. My favourite dish was the fresh flame grilled shrimps – I had about ten and could of eaten 10 more!
Another thing we need to talk about at ‘Ohana is the dessert. I think it’s officially called bread and butter pudding but it is not like the bread and butter pudding us Brits know. It was sweet and had a toffee like sauce on – super tasty.
‘Ohana is probably the loudest restaurant on the list with a host that serenades people on a ukalale and regular sweeping coconut races around the entire restaurant. On the plus side though, the food is delicious and the view of Seven Seas Lagoon is spectacular. If you time your meal right, you’ll get a lovely view of Wishes over Cinderella Castle.
5. Sanaa – Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Resort
The final restaurant I wanted to shout about was Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Of course I couldn’t mention Sanaa without mentioning the bread course which is an Indian Style Bread service. We sampled this on our last visit and loved it. Now, being from Birmingham, I don’t find naan bread anything to shout about usually but this was delicious! It comes with nine different dips all ranging in spiciness and they were more than I am use to back home. It was a thumbs up from us!
For mains I had the Potjie which was two curries (I chose butter chicken and seafood curry) and basmati rice. I wasn’t blown away but it was still good. However, Adam has been congratulating himself on his choice ever since we went which is why Sanaa has made our top 5 restaurants at Disney World. He opted for the Lamb Shank (Berbere Braised Lamb Shank, Hominy Mash, Scented Greens, and Tandoor Vegetables) which he said was the tastiest Lamb he ate all holiday.
We headed to Sanaa quite late so didn’t get to take full advantage of the view over the Savannah. If we went back, I’d make sure we went in daylight sow e could dine while over looking the animals.
So there you have it, my top 5 table service restaurants at Disney World. Of course there are so many that I haven’t tried that are on the list – Flying Fish and Teppan Edo to name two.
Don’t forget, reservations for Disney restaurants open 180 in advance and you can book online, via the app or over the phone.
If you’re not salivating at the mouth by now, perhaps you’d like to hear me talk about these places in more detail on my Top 5 Table Service Restaurants at Disney World video – OK we went for 7 because if you combine mine and Adam’s lists, we just couldn’t narrow it down! There’s also more footage of the food… who can say no to that?
If you’ve been to Walt Disney World, what would be in your Top 5 Table Service Restaurants at Disney World?
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