Three Surprising Restaurants We’re Shocked Aren’t Open Yet in Disney World!

We’ve seen lots of spots reopening around Walt Disney World lately.

© @sweetliv_emmie

But others are still closed. We’ve even seen some spots open, close, and then reopen. But we’re particularly surprised that three fan-favorite restaurants have not yet reopened!

We’ve enjoyed lots of food and drinks at a bunch of reopened spots around Disney World including Chef Mickey’s, Grand Floridian Cafe, and Chicken Guy! 

Chef Mickey’s — Meat and Cheese Plate

But three fan-favorite spots are still closed!

1 — Casey’s Corner

At the end of Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom, you’ll find Casey’s Corner — a quick service spot where you can grab some delicious hot dogs and one of our favorites…

Casey’s Corner

Corn Dog Nuggets! Oh boy, do we sure miss these. There’s nothing quite like taking a seat on some grass in the Magic Kingdom hub, with your corn dog nuggets and cheese, and just taking a moment to soak in the magic.

Casey’s Corn Dog Nuggets

Casey’s Corner also used to be home to strange but exciting speciality hot dogs, like the Fried Pickle Hot Diggity Dog.

Fried Pickle Hot Diggity Dog

But, the restaurant did not open when Magic Kingdom reopened, and it has been temporarily unavailable ever since. We’re surprised this spot hasn’t reopened yet, because it truly was a popular place to get a quick, but totally satisfying, meal in Magic Kingdom.

Casey’s Corner — Screenshot from the Walt Disney World Website

With other quick service spots like Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe and Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe open in Magic Kingdom, we’re not sure exactly why this spot has remained closed. The restaurant is definitely smaller in size in the ordering area, and doesn’t have much seating on the inside either. We can see how it would be difficult to maintain social distancing in this tight spot.

Casey’s Corner

But we’d be totally okay with using mobile order exclusively to quickly get some delicious food, and have cast members limit how many guests can enter the space at one time to pick up their meal. Then, we can totally take our treats to a socially distanced spot nearby to enjoy them, even if that means sitting in the grass or on a nearby bench.

Casey’s Corner is Still Closed

We definitely hope Disney finds a safe way to reopen this spot sometime soon, and we’ll be on the lookout for any news about its potential reopening!

2 — Gaston’s Tavern

Over in New Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom, we used to be able to grab a giant cinnamon roll and a delicious LeFou’s Brew at Gaston’s Tavern.

Cinnamon Roll at Gaston’s Tavern

But, this spot did not reopen with the park and is still temporarily unavailable. Again, this one is quite a surprise since it features that signature drink and some fun snacks. It was a great place to get a cool break from the Florida heat.

Gaston’s Tavern — Magic Kingdom’s New Fantasyland

This quick-service restaurant has some indoor seating, but it is pretty small when compared to spots like Pecos Bill. Still, we’ve seen spots, like Sleepy Hollow, open that don’t have the largest ordering or seating areas.

Gaston’s Tavern Dining Room

Recently, we spotted some Cast members just outside the Tavern, who appeared to be measuring lines to mark for physical distancing.

Cast Members outside of Gaston’s Tavern

So, we’re hopeful that this spot will be reopening soon and we’ll get to enjoy those ginormous cinnamon rolls (with five extra sides of icing please) very soon!

3 — ‘Ohana

Last, but certainly not least, is ‘Ohana. ‘Ohana is a table service restaurant in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort that used to serve both breakfast and dinner. At breakfast, you got the chance to enjoy some favorites, like Mickey waffles, served family-style. Plus, you got to say hello to Lilo, Stitch, Mickey, and other Disney friends.

‘Ohana Breakfast

Dinner was an all-you-can-eat feast featuring grilled meats, chicken wings, Hawaiian speciality sides, and the signature ‘Ohana Bread Pudding for dessert. The servers would come around and serve the grilled meats off of their skewers in the same way that they’d be served at a Brazilian style steakhouse restaurant.

‘Ohana Steak

We can practically taste those chicken wings and noodles in our dreams. Getting reservations for this spot was pretty difficult before the parks closed, so we’re surprised it hasn’t yet reopened for its adoring fans.

Ohana Appetizers featuring Honey-Coriander Chicken Wings

We’ve seen lots of spots reopen in the Polynesian Resort including Kona Cafe, Captain Cook’s, and, just recently, Tambu Lounge (which is located just next to ‘Ohana). Some Disney restaurants that serve food family-style, like Garden Grill in EPCOT, have also reopened. We’ve also seen restaurants outside of Disney that serve their meat in a similar fashion, like Texas de Brazil, reopen in some places with some modifications.

‘Ohana Shrimp

So, we’re hoping it’s just a matter of time before Disney finds a way that’s safe for both the cast members and the guests to reopen this fan-favorite spot. While Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows are now open, the Polynesian Village Resort is not set to reopen until October 4th. We’ll definitely keep an eye out for any news that may signal that ‘Ohana will be opening around that time.

Which of these spots are you hoping reopens soon? We’d love to eat at any of them right now. But, since we can’t, we’ll have to settle for some homemade versions of our favorite treats for now!

Click here to check out what Disney hotel unexpectedly started offering room service!

What restaurant do you wish would reopen in Disney World? Chat with us about it in the comments!