The Walt Disney World Resort has something for everyone when it comes to dining. From great snacks to the finest of dining, you are bound to find something to your liking. Some of the most beloved, and most talked about, are the restaurants that let you eat as much as you would like. These are the buffets and family-style locations.
To find out the best of the best, we asked members of the Mouse for Less Facebook group and compiled the results into this list. These Top 10 Buffet and Family-Style Restaurants offer unique atmosphere, tasty food, and a variety of experiences and options to appeal to many different guests. And since they are located both in and out of the theme parks, they can fit into many parts of your vacation.
Honorable Mention
This location just missed out on the top ten, but we wanted to still mention it as they have a lot to offer.
Honorable Mention: Hollywood and Vine
Dining at Disney’s Hollywood Studios gets a bad rap sometimes, but it has a lot of wonderful “diamond’s in the rough” depending on what you are looking for. Hollywood and Vine is just one of those locations.
The food itself is pretty standard as far as buffets go, but the experience is unique. At breakfast, your meal will be shared with some favorite friends from Disney Junior – often one of the only places you can meet them.
Hollywood and Vine offers “Minnie’s Seasonal Dining” for lunch and dinner. These meals feature themes around the current season, whether that is Spring, or Holiday. These special dinner parties have been very popular and likely will continue to be in the future. If you want some good photo opportunities with characters in seasonal outfits, this is the place to go!
Top 10 Buffet / Family-Style Restaurants in Walt Disney World
10. Whispering Canyon Cafe
Whispering Canyon Café located in Wilderness Lodge. The Wild West theme is apparent in atmosphere, and the food has a Western flair. If you like the service at 50’s Prime Time but want your food a little more rustic and your milkshakes never-ending, Whispering Canyon is for you. This fan favorite gives you a coaster to indicate whether or not you want to “play” with the servers. The all-you-can-eat family style skillets are available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
9. Liberty Tree Tavern
Located in the center of the Magic Kingdom, Liberty Tree Tavern brings the theme of colonial America from the square into the dining room. The restaurant has rooms commemorating an American revolutionary figures including Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Paul Jones, Paul Revere, Betsy Ross, and George Washington.
The food here continues this theme, and while you can order a la carte off the menu at lunch, we are here today for the All-You-Care-to-Enjoy Bill of Fare. This includes a “Declaration Salad,” the “Patriot’s Platter” of roasted carved meats, mashed potatoes, and more, and a finale of the “ooey Gooey Toffee Cake.”
8. Biergarten Restaurant
Biergarten, in Germany in Epcot’s World Showcase, celebrates Oktoberfest every day of the year in the atmosphere of a Bavarian village! The buffet offers traditional German cuisine as well as American fare, and is a hit even with vegetarians. At select times, musicians perform traditional German music, and guests of all ages are welcome to Polka on the dance floor!
7. Garden Grill
The Garden Grill, located in the Land Pavilion in Epcot is great American food done with a twist…literally. Garden Grill offers a harvest feast accompanied by Chip and Dale (and other friends) all while the restaurant slowly spins showing off views of Living with the Land during your meal. In a way, this combination of characters, good simple food, and a unique experience is the epitome of what Disney dining strives to be. It makes perfect sense that this restaurant would make it into the top 10.
6. Sebastian’s Bistro
Sebastian’s Bistro is a family style dinner with Caribbean flavor. It’s located at the Caribbean Beach Resort, and getting there is half the fun if you ride the Skyliner before your meal. The salad gives a burst of flavor with greens and fruit. The bread service includes guava butter and caramelized onion jam. Meat and vegetable platters offer a variety of flavorful foods, and the grand finale is the House-made Coconut Pineapple Pudding.
5. Chef Mickey’s
Chef Mickey’s has been a family staple in the Contemporary Resort for years! Watch the monorail come and go as you enjoy a buffet of a variety of family friendly food choices. For a Fab 5 character meal in walking distance to the Magic Kingdom, this is a great option.
4. Boma
Boma, located in the Jambo House of the Animal Kingdom Lodge, is a non-character buffet that specializes in African flavors. If you ever walk by during a meal time, this restaurant seems to always be packed with a ton of energy. Fans will tell you about the the all you can eat Zebra Domes for dessert.
3. ‘Ohana
‘Ohana, located in the Polynesian Village Resort, features two distinct (and popular) dining experiences. First, the all you can eat breakfast includes visits from Lilo and Stitch. Then, at dinner you can enjoy all you want from a variety of meat skewers, noodles, wings, and more while family friendly games and activities occur. The name ‘Ohana means “family.” While here, your family is invited to participate in coconut races and Hawaiian dancing.‘Ohana exemplifies a restaurant that showcases a variety of experiences in a wonderfully themed environment with unique food. When all of that comes together, Disney fans respond and come back again and again.
2. The Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace located in the Magic Kingdom is a perennial fan favorite for a few reasons. First, outside of holiday parties it is the only real way to meet the whole Winnie the Pooh gang. You can find Pooh and Tigger pretty easily elsewhere, but Piglet and Eeyore are much rarer, and the only safe bet is Crystal Palace.
But while maximizing time in the park with a character meal is a part of it’s popularity, what really maintains interest in a restaurant is the food. In that regard, a big part of Crystal Palace’s appeal comes from breakfast – it is routinely rated one of the best breakfasts on property. Whether that is because of the unique offering of Breakfast Lasagna (which everyone should have at least once) or just that omelets taste better when it’s Friendship Day, Crystal Palace is bound to retain its popularity during all meals of the day for years to come.
1. Tusker House
Tusker House, is a buffet located in the Africa section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It gives guests the opportunity to meet “safari” versions of classic Disney characters. The food choices here combine African, Indian, and American flavors. It gives a lot of delicious choices no matter what palate you come in with. If you are spending a day in the Animal Kingdom, you have to give this place a try.
