Looking for the best sit-down meal at Magic Kingdom? Look no further! As part of our Magic Kingdom Dining Guide, Guide2WDW is here with a ranking of every Magic Kingdom table service restaurant.
This park features dining that can be as magical as the rides and shows. You can go on a flavor safari in Adventureland or dine like royalty inside two different castle restaurants. But which restaurants are actually worth it?
Here’s why you should trust our ratings: We’ve eaten at every restaurant at Magic Kingdom multiple times over our decades of going to WDW. Plus, we’ve received a lot of feedback from our millions of readers over the years sharing their opinions on where to eat at MK.
Plus, we have recommendations on what to order, and the pros and cons of every sit-down restaurant in the most popular theme park in the world.
Every Table Service Restaurant at Magic Kingdom, Ranked
8) Tony’s Town Square Restaurant
Nestled just past the train station is Tony’s Town Square Restaurant. It’s the first eatery you’ll walk past as you enter Main Street. First impressions are important, so this restaurant is good, right?
Wrong. Sadly, Tony’s Town Square is among our least favorite restaurants at Disney World. While the beautiful dining room has the romantic charm of Lady and the Tramp, the menu does not live up to the fantastic ambiance. The food at Tony’s is some pretty average Italian fare. Tony’s offers Shrimp Scampi, Chicken Parmigiana, and, of course, Spaghetti and Meatballs. However, a standout dish is the Garlic Bread for the Table.
But these pale in comparison to what you can find at other Italian eateries around property, like Tutto Italia in EPCOT or Il Mulino at the Swan hotel. And at $26-$32 per pasta dish, the prices are comparable to those better restaurants.
Now, we’ve been down on Tony’s for many years. But it’s not all bad news. Disney refreshed the menu here recently, and reviews have noted that it’s a big improvement over the past. On our Guide2Disney Instagram account, we got this comment from yaribayc:
“Hahaha I liked Tony… We even saw the parade from the restaurant. It wasn’t the best food ever, but it was good. Better than chicken nuggets.”
She brings up a good point. The terrace provides some of the best outdoor dining at Magic Kingdom, with an opportunity to see the parade roll by as you eat. The improved menu and the parade route view save Tony’s from being a “never ever ever” recommendation.
However, it still remains at the bottom of our list.
Tony’s Town Square Highlights
- Great interior
- A fantastic patio with parade viewing
- Revamped menu is an improvement
Drawbacks
- Food is just okay
- Too pricey for the quality, especially compared to other WDW restaurants
Guide2WDW’s Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
What to order at Tony’s Town Square: Tony’s Garlic Bread for the Table, Chicken Parmigiana
7) The Diamond Horseshoe
Saddle on up to a Wild West feast in this Fronteirland saloon.
While The Diamond Horseshoe used to consistently feature live entertainment, it’s been cut in recent years. This venue feels like it should host a dinner and a show, like the Hoop-Di-Do Revue. However, the stage is criminally underutilized now. The lack of performers removes a ton of the charm of the dining hall.
The family-style platters can be hit or miss. Some of the food is good, but some is fairly underwhelming. I’ve seen complaints of food arriving cold or just being mediocre. It’s one of our least favorite family-style restaurants at Disney World, with many others doing it much better. Including a restaurant that’s just a short walk away!
But don’t just take my word for it. With just 3.5 stars on Trip Advisor, Diamond Horseshoe is one of the lowest rated restaurants at Disney World.
Magic Kingdom Tip:The Diamond Horseshoe actually serves the same menu as the Liberty Tree Tavern, which we prefer. If you can’t get a table at Liberty Tree, try getting a table at Diamond Horseshoe and ordering off that menu.
Diamond Horseshoe Highlights
- Serves Liberty Tree Tavern’s better food
Drawbacks
- Inconsistent food
- Expensive for what it offers
- Stage isn’t used
Guide2WDW’s Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
What to order at The Diamond Horseshoe: The Liberty Tree Tavern menu.
6) The Crystal Palace
If you head to the end of Main Street and take a left, you’ll come upon our next restaurant. The Crystal Palace is one of Magic Kingdom’s two character dining locations. You can have all-you-can-eat buffet dining as Winnie the Pooh and friends make appearances. Unfortunately, they don’t serve giant honey pots that you can eat just with your hand.
Since there was a lot of negativity in that section about Tony’s, let’s start off with some positivity. With the lively company of Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore, this is one of the best character meals for little kids. Plus, it’s significantly less expensive than the princess meal at Cinderella’s Royal Table. As a bonus, the Crystal Palace is absolutely beautiful on the inside.
We would rate the food here as “good for a buffet,” especially breakfast’s assortment of Mickey Waffles, biscuits, and pastries. But here’s where we start getting into some of the downsides of this meal: As is often the case with buffet-style dining, consistency can be a toss-up. The quality of the food on your plate can just be a matter of if the platter was freshly put out or sitting there for half an hour already. So the food can range from delightful to just decent.
Recent price increases also shifted this from an easy recommendation as a budget-friendly character meal to something that warrants a bit more consideration. If you have small children who love Winnie the Pooh, this a definitely worth the money to get some great time with those characters.
For everyone else, consider a restaurant lower on this list.
Crystal Palace Highlights
- Character dining with Winnie the Pooh and friends
- Good for a buffet
- A great option for breakfast
Drawbacks
- Pricey
- Buffet is a bit of a roulette
Guide2WDW’s Rating: 3/5 Stars
What to order at The Crystal Palace: It’s a buffet, so you can try everything, but we’d recommend breakfast with Mickey waffles!
5) Cinderella’s Royal Table
Dining inside Cinderella’s Castle is a dream come true. That’s the unique experience that Cinderella’s Royal Table provides. Out of every restaurant at Disney World, there’s nothing quite as enchanting as being able to step inside the castle and dine like Disney royalty.
The food has exceeded our expectations over our last few visits to CRT. We’re particularly fond of the Beef Tenderloin or the Spice Rubbed Tenderloin. For non-meat eaters, you can opt for the gnocchi. Which brings us to a downside that doesn’t feel so magical: This is a prix fixe meal, meaning that it costs the same no matter what you choose to order for your three courses.
So the beef tenderloin costs the same as the gnocchi which costs the same as the chicken. This is true of other prix fixe character meals, like Topolino’s Terrace. However, at $79 per adult, this is the most expensive character meal at Disney World.
Two things keep this from being higher on the list: the interior and the price. The interior looks good, but it lacks the wow-worth theming of newer restaurants like Be Our Guest. The price places it firmly next to some of the best Signature Restaurants at Disney, like California Grill or Citricos. While the food at CRT is good, it doesn’t quite live up to other dining locations. You definitely pay a premium for both the appearances of the princesses and the castle location.
For awhile, character dining was paused at Cinderella’s Royal Table. The meal featured a distanced sighting of just Cinderella. However, it retained the full price tag of the character meal, which felt like a terrible deal. This is a much stronger recommendation since it was restored to a full character meal in early 2023.
Ultimately, Cinderella’s Royal Table is great as a splurge experience. Get a reservation well in advance for a special meal for the princess lover in your family.
Cinderella’s Royal Table Highlights
- Princess dining with Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, and more.
- Very good food
- Enchanting setting inside the castle
Drawbacks
- Very pricey
Guide2WDW’s Rating: 4/5 Stars
What to order at Cinderella’s Royal Table: Braised Beef appetizer, Grilled Tenderloin
4) Liberty Tree Tavern
Take a culinary journey back in time at Liberty Tree Tavern. Themed to a colonial-era tavern, this restaurant feels quaint and cozy. Similar to something you’d see in Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia.
While the family-style platters at Diamond Horseshoe disappoint, we have no complaints with the food at Liberty Tree. It’s really tasty! They basically serve a Thanksgiving feast all year ’round. It’s all-you-care-to-eat roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing for $39 per adult, which is one of the better deals at Disney World.
Plus, the Oooey Gooey Toffee Cake is a crowd pleaser.
The food and value make it a really great pick for a sit-down meal at Magic Kingdom. Liberty Tree currently has a 4-star rating on Trip Advisor, and I’ve heard from several people who consider it to be the best restaurant in the park.
What keeps it from getting into the top three is how often we’re in the mood for a heavy Thanksgiving-like feast, especially in the middle of a park day. Every time we go to Liberty Tree, we have a great time. But we find ourselves not opting for this feast on every trip because it’s so much food.
Liberty Tree Tavern Highlights
- Very good Thanksgiving-style food
- Great value
Drawbacks
- Heavy meal
- Not a ton of variety
Guide2WDW’s Rating: 4/5 Stars
What to order at Liberty Tree Tavern: The Patriot’s Feast
3) Be Our Guest
Be Our Guest has the most stunning dining room at Disney World. It feels like you have been transported into the famous ballroom scene from Beauty and the Beast. When you factor in the eerie West Wing, Be Our Guest is one of the best themed restaurants in the parks.
We’ve always found the food to be very good at BOG. With unparalleled ambiance and dishes that often surprise and satisfy, this used to be our top recommendation for dining at MK.
What changed?
First of all, Be Our Guest shifted to a Prix Fixe menu-only. They completely got rid of the breakfast and lunch options, which were both more affordable than what’s offered now. With meals going for $62 per adult and $37 per child, Be Our Guest sits firmly in the realm of a special splurge meal.
While the experience can be enchanting, when stacked against other WDW heavy-hitters, Be Our Guest doesn’t always shine as brightly. The French flair in the dishes is commendable, with moments of brilliance, but it doesn’t hold a candelabra to Chefs de France or Monsieur Paul over in EPCOT. For the price, we’d opt for other signature restaurants like Le Cellier or California Grill.
But Be Our Guest is still superb in its own right. The value proposition takes it down a couple of notches, but we still recommend trying the Grey Stuff at least once. It’s delicious.
Be Our Guest Highlights
- Stunning theming
- Feels like you’ve been transported into a movie
- Great food
Drawbacks
- Very pricey
- They removed the unique breakfast and lunch menus.
Guide2WDW’s Rating: 4/5 Stars
What to order at Be Our Guest: French Onion Soup, Dry-Aged Pork Chop, Filet Mignon
2) The Plaza Restaurant
The Plaza Restaurant is Magic Kingdom’s hidden gem, and one of our favorite places to grab lunch at Disney. With an elegant and cozy interior that harkens to the turn of the century, this feels right at home on Main Street — even if it’s a bit hidden at the very end of the pathway.
Over the years, the Plaza Restaurant has been our reliable go-to for a tasty and reasonable lunch. But the menu just got a big update, and the food is as good as ever. Their sandwich game is on point, ranging from the classic Turkey Sandwich to the irresistible Crispy Chicken Sandwich to the unique Crab Cake Sandwich. Our favorite new addition is the hearty and delectable Pot Roast Stack. Plaza also offers burgers, meatloaf, and salads.
Plus, Plaza has the best desserts of any table service restaurant at Magic Kingdom, thanks to sharing a freezer with the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. From the artisanal Key Lime or Strawberry Shortcake shakes to the incredible Plaza Restaurant Sundae, this is one of the few restaurants where it’s worth getting a sweet treat rather than opting for a Mickey Bar.
With entrees priced between $19-$25, Plaza Restaurant isn’t cheap, but it’s very reasonably priced compared to other restaurants at the park. A little heads up: its intimate setting means seating is at a premium. Reservations are not just recommended – they’re essential.
Plaza Restaurant Highlights
- Great selection of sandwiches
- Beautiful dining room
- Incredible desserts
Drawbacks
- The small dining room can feel cramped
Guide2WDW’s Rating: 4/5 Stars
What to order at The Plaza Restaurant: The Onion Rings, Pot Roast Stack, Crispy Chicken Sandwich, Plaza Sundae
1) Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen
At this Jungle Cruise-themed eatery, the dishes are even better than the puns.
Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen is our favorite table service restaurant at Magic Kingdom. While the exotic fare put off some guests after it initially debuted, Disney has reworked the food to create a menu full of crowd pleasers. Fusing cuisines from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, Skipper Canteen has some of the most unique and memorable dishes in all of WDW.
This restaurant just features ingredients and flavor profiles you don’t usually find in a theme park. Here are a few highlights of your culinary cruise around the world
- The spiced-rubbed Lamb Chops featuring Chermoula and Harissa sauce.
- Curried Vegetable Crew Stew with seasonal vegetables, pineapple tofu, and coconut rice.
- Jungle Green Salad with shishito peppers and Aji Pepper-Yogurt Dressing
I highlight these to show the variety of ingredients used, which results in some of the best dishes in the park. I personally love the “Tastes like Chicken” Because it is, which is perfectly fried and juicy chicken with a chili glaze with vegetables and jasmine rice. It’s sweet, savory, and has a little kick.
Skipper Canteen is also one of the best restaurants for gluten allergies that we’ve dined at. A vast majority of the menu is gluten-free, including Brazilian cheese bread and the fried chicken!
As a bonus, this restaurant is very easy to get dining reservations for, and we’ve had luck in the past joining the Walk-Up Waitlist in the app.
Skipper Canteen Highlights
- Delicious menu with a ton of variety
- Most flavorful food in the park
- Fun atmosphere with Jungle Cruise theming
Drawbacks
- The small dining room can feel cramped
Guide2WDW’s Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
What to order at Skipper Canteen: “Tastes like Chicken” Because it is!, Fried Rice
Discover more of the best places to eat at Disney World
If this list whetted your appetite, don’t miss our other Disney World Dining Guides to help you pick the best places to eat and drink around the parks!
- Magic Kingdom Dining Guide – Best Restaurants, Snacks, and Desserts
- EPCOT Dining Guide – Best Restaurants, Snacks, and Desserts
- Hollywood Studios Dining Guide – Best Restaurants, Snacks, and Desserts
- The Best Bars and Lounges at Disney World
Let us know in the comments: what’s your favorite sit-down restaurant at Magic Kingdom?
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