We’ve Eaten at Every Magic Kingdom Restaurant — These Are the WORST

We’ve been to every single restaurant inside Magic Kingdom multiple times, and we know where the BEST places to eat are. But we also know some of the WORST spots.

Magic Kingdom

If you’re heading to Disney World soon, make sure you avoid these Magic Kingdom restaurants!

Here’s the thing — the WORST Magic Kingdom restaurant is going to depend on your group and what you all hope to do in the park. Depending on your plans, there are some restaurants that will be perfect and others that will be…less than ideal.

Magic Kingdom

Let’s dive into which restaurant is the worst for each situation.

If You’re on a Budget: Cinderella’s Royal Table

It’s pretty iconic to get to eat INSIDE Cinderella Castle, but that privilege comes at a hefty cost. This meal costs $65 per adult and $39 per child for breakfast and $79 per adult and $47 per child for lunch or dinner.

Cinderella’s Royal Table

The food is decent at Cinderella’s Royal Table, but you’re definitely paying for location and characters more than the quality of the eats.

Dining Room at Cinderella’s Royal Table

The other restaurant inside a castle — Be Our Guest Restaurant — is also pretty pricey at $67 per adult and $39 per child for lunch and dinner. However, that’s significantly cheaper than lunch/dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table, so if you simply must have a castle, then the Beauty and the Beast one will at least save you a few bucks.

Be Our Guest Restaurant’s Grand Ballroom

Budget-friendly places to go instead: Casey’s Corner or Columbia Harbour House! Both are quick service restaurants, which are generally much cheaper than the table service spots. Both spots are also tried-and-true favorites of Disney World fans. Don’t forget to use Mobile Order to skip the line when you order your food!

If You’re an Adventurous Eater: Pinocchio Village Haus

We’re…not huge fans of Pinocchio Village Haus in Fantasyland. It’s super fun to sit upstairs and look through the big window into the “it’s a small world” ride, but the menu is very limited and the eats aren’t great.

Pinocchio Village Haus

The menu here is pretty much just varieties of flatbreads, salads, and chicken strips.

Pizza Flatbread

There’s usually plenty of indoor seating, and it has Mobile Order, so it might be a good place if you’re desperate for air conditioning and traveling with companions who have non-adventurous palates. But overall, we usually tell our friends to skip this spot.

Upstairs at Pinocchios

Where adventurous eaters should go instead: Skipper Canteen. This table service restaurant is located in Adventureland, and the menu lives up to its location. There are lots of fun, definitely-not-your-average-theme-park-food dishes on the menu.

If You’re a Picky Eater or Traveling with Kids: Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen

On the flip side, the worst place to go if you’re traveling with choosier eaters is Skipper Canteen.

Skipper Canteen

The menu here has all kinds of adventurous eats, like falafel, curried vegetable stew, “Hardy Har Char Siu Pork, and a WHOLE sustainable fish.

Whole Fried Fish(es) at Skipper Canteen

If you don’t like adventurous eats but still simply can’t resist this spot (the Jungle Cruise theming is super tempting, after all), there are a couple of more approachable menu items, such as fried rice and fried chicken. The kids’ menu also has mac & cheese and chicken tenders.

NEW menu items!

Where to go instead for more familiar food: Liberty Tree Tavern or Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe. If you want a sit-down meal with familiar dishes, head to Liberty Tree Tavern, which basically serves Thanksgiving all year round. Cosmic Ray’s has very approachable eats like burgers, chicken strips, and chicken sandwiches.

If You’re Looking for Something Light: Liberty Tree Tavern

Liberty Tree Tavern may have familiar food, but it’s very heavy. This restaurant serves what is essentially a Thanksgiving feast!

Liberty Tree Tavern

The Patriot’s Platter comes with turkey, pot roast, oven-roasted pork, mashed potatoes, veggies, stuffing, and mac & cheese (not exactly a super light snack for your theme park day).

A full spread at Liberty Tree Tavern

We have to admit that the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake is sometimes enough to tempt us to visit even if we’re not incredibly hungry — it’s THAT good. And the price isn’t bad for such a big meal either: $39 per adult and $21 per child. Plus, there’s a plant-based option on the menu, which is Impossible Meatloaf.

Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake

Overall, however, this is definitely the worst possible choice for a quick, light meal.

Where to go to find a light, refreshing lunch: Sleepy Hollow Refreshments or Columbia Harbour House. We love the waffle sandwiches (fruit or chicken!) at Sleepy Hollow, and they make a great, light lunch if you’re not super hungry. Columbia Harbour House has seafood like a lobster roll and grilled salmon, which we’ve really enjoyed in the past.

If You Want a Quiet Meal: Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café

A cavernous dining room with an alien belting out space-themed tunes is not exactly what we’d call a relaxing experience. Sonny Eclipse is the alien animatronic who hosts your meal at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café, and he doesn’t stop singing and talking…ever.

Sonny Eclipse at Cosmic Ray’s

Although Mr. Eclipse has quite the cult following, this spot might not be for you if you’re looking for a quiet break from the busy Magic Kingdom park.

Seating at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe

However, the huge dining room means plenty of indoor seating (that means air conditioning!!), and you can also use Mobile Order here. The menu is very approachable, too, with burgers, chicken sandwiches, chicken strips, etc., so it’s good for kids and choosier eaters.

Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe eats

Where to go for peace and quiet: Be Our Guest Restaurant or Liberty Tree Tavern. Both of these sit-down restaurants have smaller dining rooms and a more relaxed atmosphere. Try sitting in the art gallery room at Be Our Guest for the most peaceful vibe.

If You Hate Typical “Theme Park” Food: Casey’s Corner

This actually physically hurts us to admit, but Casey’s Corner might not be for everyone. Shocking, WE KNOW. It’s a fan-favorite spot, possibly because of its prime real estate right at the end of Main Street, U.S.A., in front of Cinderella Castle, possibly because of those beautiful corn dog nuggets. But if you’re not in love with this restaurant for its nostalgia factor, then you might be underwhelmed by the menu.

Casey’s Corner

What’s on the menu, you might ask? The short answer is hot dogs. The long answer is chili-cheese hot dogs, foot-long hot dogs, Chicago-style hot dogs, plant-based hot dogs, and corn dog nuggets. It’s all pretty much classic theme park fare, which might be perfect for some groups but could be disappointing to others.

Casey’s Corner spread

Personally, we love this spot, and we know lots of Disney fans do too. But if we’re totally honest with ourselves, the restaurant doesn’t have super exciting or unique food available. (If you DO go to Casey’s Corner, don’t forget to get “plastic” cheese to dip your corn dog nuggets and fries in!)

YUM

Where to go instead for more unique eats: Skipper Canteen or Sleepy Hollow Refreshments. Both spots have unusual dishes that we’ve really enjoyed in the past.

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!

Grab the DFB Guide!

Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney news and tips for your upcoming vacation!

Click here to find the BEST restaurants in Magic Kingdom!


What’s your least favorite restaurant in Magic Kingdom? Let us know in the comments.

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