5 Best Magic Kingdom Sit Down Restaurants You’ll Love

Crystal Palace” by HarshLight licensed under CC BY 2.0

If you’re planning a trip to Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, then you’ll soon want to know where you should book reservations for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  So, if you’re seeking the best Magic Kingdom sit down restaurants for you and your family, have no fear, as we count down our five favorite restaurants that perfectly blend theming and atmosphere with amazing meals and tasty dishes!

Best Magic Kingdom Sit Down Restaurants

Let’s begin with Be Our Guest restaurant.  

Be Our Guest Restaurant

If anyone in your traveling group loves Beauty and the Beast, this restaurant should be on your must-do list. Located at the foot of the Beast’s castle in Fantasyland, this restaurant is elaborately themed and looks just like scenes from the classic film. 

There are three themed dining rooms inside: the Grand Ballroom, the West Wing, and the Castle Gallery. Each one is highly detailed and offers great photo opportunities. The Beast has even been known to walk through the restaurant on occasion, making sure everyone is enjoying their food.

This is one of the most expensive restaurants in the Magic Kingdom, as well as one of the most popular and difficult reservations to snag. Currently, lunch and dinner are both offered here, with a prix fixe 3-course menu for children and adults. 

In keeping with the theme of the film, the menu is French inspired. Highlights include the French Onion Soup, Center-cut Filet Mignon, and the dessert trio: a Lemon Jam Macaron, a Dark Chocolate Truffle, and a Chocolate Tart. If you’ve seen the film and ever wanted to “try the grey stuff,” you can here – it’s on the chocolate tart! The plant-based Vanilla Cake with Lemon Curd can be substituted for the dessert trio. There’s also an extensive list of wine, beer, and champagne options, which is notable since the Magic Kingdom is mostly a dry park.

Don’t forget to take a picture with the beautiful stained-glass window of Belle and her newly human prince on your way out, it looks just like the one at the end of the film!

Cinderella’s Royal Table

There is no beating the location of Cinderella’s Royal Table – it’s inside Cinderella Castle! How often do you get the chance to dine inside a castle?

This is another favorite of princess-loving park visitors. You will enter the Grand Hall on the ground floor of the castle and then ascend the spiral staircase or gilded elevator to the upstairs banquet hall, which provides a beautiful view of Fantasyland through the stained-glass windows. Popular attractions like It’s a Small World can be seen nearby.

Cinderella’s Royal Table has historically offered character dining with fan-favorite princesses like Ariel and Aurora, but this aspect is currently on hold. At this time, only Cinderella is available. She is greeting guests and taking physically distanced photos in the lobby of the restaurant before your meal.

Alongside Be Our Guest, this is the other most expensive and most popular restaurant in the park. You will definitely need to plan ahead to get a reservation here! This is another location with a prix fixe 3-course menu. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all offered. Breakfast highlights include the Royal Avocado Toast and the Caramel Apple-stuffed French Toast. Lunch and dinner favorites are the Charcuterie, Magic Carpet Ride (a pork tenderloin meal), and The Clock Strikes Twelve (a dark chocolate mousse).

If you’re looking for one of the best Magic Kingdom table service restaurants, look no further than Cinderella’s Royal Table.  You’ll be glad you did.

The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace is the best choice if you’re looking for a mix of delicious all-you-can-eat buffet style dining, a convenient location, and a fun atmosphere. This restaurant’s décor is themed like a Victorian greenhouse of the late 1800s and is easily found towards the castle-facing end of Main Street, U.S.A. If you dine here during a parade or fireworks show, you can catch some glimpses of them here through the large windows facing Main Street.

This is another location where character dining has been put on hold. Winnie the Pooh and his friends typically make their home here, as well. If characters are present during your visit, you can typically expect playful interactions with Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore. Be sure to grab some photos!

This restaurant is less expensive and a better value than many of the other options on this list. The menu changes often, but you can expect to find a carving station, seasonal salads, fresh vegetables, and several dessert options. Lunch and dinner are both served here.

Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen

This is one of the newest restaurants at the Magic Kingdom and has quickly become a fan favorite. The Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen (or just the Skipper Canteen for short) can be found further back in the Magic Kingdom, in the Adventureland section of the park. While it’s a cult favorite among theme park fans, it’s not as well-known to the general public and is therefore one of the easier dining reservations to get in the Magic Kingdom.

The theming of this restaurant is a continuation of the storyline of the nearby Jungle Cruise attraction. The skippers of the Jungle Cruise have opened the kitchens of their headquarters and are now going to serve you lunch or dinner! The décor is styled like a museum full of artifacts discovered by the infamous Dr. Albert Falls on his adventures. Just like the skippers driving the boats on the Jungle Cruise, the staff here are full of corny jokes and puns.

The Skipper Canteen is one of the least expensive table service restaurants in the park and offers a traditional plated menu. The puns continue here with the names of the African, Asian, and South American inspired dishes. Highlights include the “Hardy Har Char” Siu Pork, “Tastes Like Chicken” Because It Is!, and the Kungaloosh! (an African inspired chocolate cake). 

The one major drawback of this restaurant is many “picky” and less-adventurous eaters struggle to find something they are willing to eat here. I encourage you to check the Skipper Canteen menu online before you visit to make sure everyone in your traveling party can find something to their liking.

Liberty Tree Tavern

If you’re looking for a hearty meal and unique theming that does not involve Disney characters, the Liberty Tree Tavern is a great option. If you have small children in your traveling party who get easily bored by history and more muted décor, this might not be your best choice. However, no matter your feelings on the theming, park visitors of all ages will enjoy the food.

This restaurant is located in the Liberty Square section of the Magic Kingdom and is decorated like a colonial-style inn. There are six themed rooms commemorating significant figures in United States history: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Paul Jones, Paul Revere, Betsy Ross, and George Washington. They are all decorated with candelabra chandeliers, large brick fireplaces, and wood paneling. This is a cozy spot to relax with a filling meal at the middle or end of a long park day.

As far as pricing goes, it is right in the middle of the pack and on par with the Crystal Palace. You will pay more here for your meal than you will at the Skipper Canteen, but far less than at Be Our Guest or Cinderella’s Royal Table.

Lunch and dinner are served family-style here. Servers will bring your party the Patriot’s Platter, with some of everything on the Thanksgiving-inspired menu. This includes a tossed salad, roasted turkey, pot roast, oven-roasted pork, mashed potatoes, stuffing, macaroni and cheese, and seasonal vegetables. Dessert is the ever-popular Oooey Gooey Toffee Cake. Visitors that require a plant-based menu can substitute in the Impossible Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and mushroom gravy.

Conclusion

There are of course a ton of pros and cons of Magic Kingdom restaurants, especially when we begin factoring in price, but I believe the benefits far outweigh any negatives or disadvantages.  From the cozy colonial dining rooms of the Liberty Tree Tavern to the grand ballroom of Be Our Guest, it’s really amazing to know that your search to find the best Magic Kingdom sit down restaurants provides five truly excellent dining options for the entire family!

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