Over the years, we’ve eaten a LOT of food in Magic Kingdom. Like, seriously. Probably more food than you can fathom!

And throughout those hundreds (or thousands!) of meals, we’ve learned quite a bit. Menus change all the time and restaurants go through periods of ups and downs, but there are still four essential meals that you’ll eat in Magic Kingdom. And today, we’re breaking them down for you!

The Pre-Fireworks Meal

First up, we’ve got the pre-fireworks meal. This is the meal that you eat quickly before you head to stake out your fireworks spot, or perhaps even the meal that you take on-the-go to eat in front of Cinderella Castle while you wait. There are a few spots near the castle hub that are great contenders for this meal!

The most obvious choice (and one of our personal faves!) is Casey’s Corner, right on the end of Main Street, U.S.A. There, you can order hot dogs, french fries, and the famous corn dog nuggets. (Don’t forget to add a side of plastic cheese for $1!) It’s almost always a challenge to find seating indoors at Casey’s Corner anyway, so if you’re going to have to sit outside…do it when it’s getting dark!

Another great option for your pre-fireworks meal is Sleepy Hollow, which is located just outside the castle hub in Liberty Square. A lot of the foods here are hands-on, which makes for good eating while standing up waiting for the fireworks. You can get the Sweet-and-Spicy Chicken Waffle Sandwich, the Hand-dipped Corn Dog, or the delicious Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich (which has Nutella!). They also have funnel cakes, beverages, and coffee, if you need a little pick-me-up.

And our third recommendation for your pre-fireworks meal? Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe! This is one of those crowd-pleaser spots with burgers, sandwiches, and chicken tenders — something for everyone. It gets REALLY busy in here during mealtimes, so you’ll want to watch out for that in your planning, but if you can’t find a table, you can ask for to-go containers at the counter, pack up your meal, and take it to the castle hub.

Just know that if you don’t eat INSIDE Cosmic Ray’s, you’ll be missing out on a stellar performance from the resident alien crooner, Sonny Eclipse.

The Unique Experience Meal

There are quite a few unique ways to dine in Magic Kingdom, and we recommend trying out at least one of them for the full experience in the park. The first choice is an obvious one — Cinderella’s Royal Table! This pricey meal allows you the chance to dine INSIDE the castle and meet princesses while enjoying a view of Fantasyland. It’s not usually our top choice based on the menu, but the experience is one-of-a-kind.

Another in-castle dining experience can be found over at Be Our Guest Restaurant. This spot has guests stepping into Beauty and the Beast, and boy is it realistic! You’ll be seated in either the grand ballroom, the Rose Gallery, or the West Wing. The menu is prix fixe and during the meal, The Beast will walk through the restaurant, but doesn’t come up to individual tables. We definitely miss the days when you could dine in this spot for a fast casual breakfast or a quick service lunch, but right now, your only choice is the expensive prix fixe for lunch or dinner.

If you’re interested in meeting some rare characters, the experience you’re looking for is at Crystal Palace! This buffet spot is home to character meals with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore. The atmosphere is bright and airy and the food is good enough to please most people in your group. Plus, at breakfast they serve churro waffles!

And finally, our fourth “unique experience” meal that we recommend is over at Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen! (The name’s a mouthful, right?!) Skipper Canteen is a Jungle Cruise-themed restaurant where the iconic skippers have become your servers. That means that you’re getting your meal with a side of punny humor. The food here makes this one of our favorite spots in Magic Kingdom, and it’s a bit more exotic than the other spots on this list.

Plus, if you’re a fan of Disney history and the “secret” club, the S.E.A., you’ll find lots of nods and fun mentions around Skipper Canteen. It’s a must-do for a die-hard Disney fan.

The On-the-Go Breakfast

Let’s be honest here — mornings in Magic Kingdom are unbelievably hectic! You’re running around at rope drop trying to get from ride to ride, and sometimes it’s easy to forget about breakfast until everyone in your party is just a little bit hangry. That’s why we’ve got some on-the-go breakfast recommendations!

One of our first picks is Gaston’s Tavern in New Fantasyland, where you’ll find the iconic (and huge!) cinnamon roll topped with caramel sauce and icing. It’s delicious and fluffy, plus you can get it with a LeFou’s Brew on the side.

If you’re in the mood for some tots, you can head to The Friar’s Nook and get their Sausage and Gravy Tots that are, seriously, quite delicious. They also serve Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnuts and a breakfast sandwich (although we’re not huge fans of the sandwich) if you’re not in a tot mood. You can Mobile Order here, and they have some Joffrey’s coffee on the menu as well.

We mentioned Sleepy Hollow earlier, but what’s a better way to start your day than with a Mickey waffle?! Here, you can order giant powdered sugar and strawberry-topped Mickey waffles in the morning, along with funnel cakes and that beloved Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich. Breakfast service ends at 11AM, but they have Mobile Order as well.

And finally, let’s discuss a relatively new addition to the breakfast party. A while back, The Lunching Pad started offering breakfast for those rope dropping Tomorrowland, and there are some yummy options. You can get the Breakfast Bowl with tots, a cheese omelet, chili, queso, and sour cream or you can order the Sticky Bubble Bread, which is rolled in cinnamon, caramel, and warm spices. YUM!

It’s best to plan ahead when it comes to breakfast so that you’re not left scrambling in the morning! And if all these options fail, we also love grabbing a Cheshire Cat Tail from Cheshire Cafe. It’s easy and quick!

The “Entirely Made Up of Snacks” Meal

If there’s one thing we’re always gung-ho about here at DFB, it’s Disney World snacks! And if that means you’re eating an entire meal made up of snacks? Well, we’re here to support that! There are plenty of ways to accomplish this goal with the best treats that Magic Kingdom has to offer.

Starting on Main Street, U.S.A., you could get a scoop of ice cream from the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor (we love topping it with peanut butter sauce — it’s not on the menu all the time, but they usually have it!) or try a yummy sundae. After that, you’ll want to head over to the Spring Roll Cart at the entrance of Adventureland and try out whatever seasonal flavors they have on the menu. The cheeseburger ones are a favorite here at DFB!

From there, we go into Adventureland and look out for the many flavors of Dole Whip at Sunshine Tree Terrace and Aloha Isle. Sunshine Tree is also home to Citrus Swirl and Aloha Isle has the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake that we love!

Including snacks we’ve already mentioned, Liberty Square has those amazing waffle sandwiches at Sleepy Hollow and Fantasyland has the Gaston’s Tavern Cinnamon Roll. There are also usually some fun flavors of Dole Whip and unique cones at Storybook Treats.

We can’t forget the loaded tater tots at The Friar’s Nook (including ones topped with mac and cheese and BACON) or the Cheshire Cat Tail at Cheshire Cafe. And then to wrap it all up, we’ll head back to Main Street to grab a sweet treat from the Main Street Confectionery.

There are LOTS of delicious snacks to be discovered in Magic Kingdom — in fact, there are so many that you might even spend the whole day just eating snacks!

Honorable Mention — The Crowd Pleaser Meal

When making this list, there was one last meal we wanted to talk about, so we’re including it here as our honorable mention! What do you eat when you’ve got people with varying tastes or some picky eaters in your group? There are a few choices available.

For table service meals, The Diamond Horseshoe and Liberty Tree Tavern have very classic American, Thanksgiving-esque meals that will please most picky eaters. You could also try The Plaza Restaurant, where you can order American homestyle classics.

For quick service, Casey’s Corner is great if everyone likes hot dogs, but if not, we recommend Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe. There you’ll get burgers, chicken sandwiches, and chicken tenders. If your group is a bit more adventurous and open to Tex-Mex, then Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe is a good choice as well.

So there you have it — the four meals you’ll eat in Magic Kingdom! We hope that this post is useful when you’re deciding where to eat on your next vacation. We’ve tried ALL these spots and have reviews on our individual restaurant pages, so make sure to check those out before your trip!

With DOZENS of places to eat at Disney World, we know it can be tough to plan your meals. That’s why we wrote the DFB Guide to Dining at Walt Disney World. We have reviews, pictures, and details about every restaurant all in one digital download – along with ALL of our best tips and strategies from decades of Disney World trips. We’ve got a special discount code for DFB readers, too! Use WDW2023 at checkout for 25% off!

We’ve Eaten at Every Magic Kingdom Restaurant — These Are the Best — Click Here!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

What’s your favorite thing to eat in Magic Kingdom? Tell us in the comments!

The post 4 Essential Magic Kingdom Meals first appeared on the disney food blog.