Did you know that there are over 400 dining options at Disney World?
And almost every restaurant has its own theming and story! For example, the restaurant inside Cinderella Castle is Cinderella’s Royal Table, where you can dine with Cindy IN her grand castle. Or consider Liberty Tree Tavern, where you can FEAST on a meal fit for patriots in colonial rooms where it’s Thanksgiving ALL YEAR. But with all the over-the-top themed dining, there are several ideas that we’ve wanted to see that just haven’t happened! So here are the restaurants we think Disney needs to build ASAP.
Tiana’s Place
Gumbo, Shrimp Etoufee, Bananas Foster. Imagine the possibilities if the princess of Cajun cooking got her own joint in Disney World. Technically, Tiana’s Place does exist on the Disney Wonder cruise ship. But the idea of a Princess and the Frog restaurant was also a concept rumored for Reflections — A Disney Lakeside Lodge (which Disney has covertly removed from its blog posts). And that concept included a waterfront “on the bayou” dining experience.
One great reason for putting in a Tiana’s Place at Disney World is that Disney is about to give Tiana a lot more exposure — Splash Mountain is due for a refurb that will retheme it to The Princess and the Frog. The movie gave you a blueprint for exactly what miss Tiana had in mind for her gran eatery. If that’s too big of a scope, it could mimic the one on the Disney Wonder, which features Louisiana-inspired food and live jazz music.
How much fun would that be? Over at Disneyland, THREE restaurants (Blue Bayou, French Market Restaurant, and Cafe Orleans) are themed to Louisiana cuisine (they DO have a New Orleans Square, after all), so would it hurt Disney World to put in ONE great sit-down restaurant with New Orleans staples like Red Beans and Rice and beignets?
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Zero To Hero Gyros
Here’s a question for ‘ya: why does Disney World not have a Greek restaurant? Yes, there is often a popular Greek Festival Booth at the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival — and the Spanakopita turned up at the Wine and Dine Featuring Festival Favorites booth last year. There certainly seems to be enough of a demand for Greek food at Disney World.
So we came up with a great idea for a Greek restaurant at Disney World: Zero to Hero Gyros. Yes, it’s Hercules-themed. Yes, there will be Pegasus Sippers. And it will feature a menu of Greek favorites, including gyros, souvlaki, moussaka, Greek salads, and stuff loaded with tzatziki sauce! And of course, that Spanakopita would be on the menu, too!
Greek food tends to fare on the healthier side, so this would be a great option for those wishing to dine healthier at Disney World! Call us, Disney, we have IDEAS.
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Snuggly Duckling
Hey, Disney, we’ve got a dream — a Snuggly Duckling Pub in Magic Kingdom! Rapunzel’s Tower is RIGHT THERE (ahem…as a bathroom), so this totally makes sense! And now alcohol is available in some restaurants at Magic Kingdom, so why not have a place to grab a drink and meal that’s themed around the pub in Tangled?
First, Shanghai Disneyland already has something very similar — the Tangled Tree Tavern, a quick service location that serves up various rice dishes, such as Roasted Chicken with Rice. Meanwhile, Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Magic features Rapunzel’s Royal Table, a sit-down restaurant set in the Kingdom of Corona on Rapunzel’s birthday.
Fantasyland desperately needs more dining options and putting a Tangled– themed pub in there somewhere just really makes sense. Even better? Add in some entertainment (we wouldn’t say no to a Tangled musical theatre experience)!
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Mudka’s Meat Hut
We’re sure we’re not the only ones who think that The Emperor’s New Groove needs more of a presence at Disney World! And although we don’t think we’ll ever get an awesome roller coaster like the tunnel that leads to Yzma’s secret lab (really, Disney, it’s a no-brainer!), could we at least get an Emperor’s New Groove-themed eatery? How about Mudka’s Meat Hut?
Not only should the menu feature Kronk’s signature spinach puffs, but the iconic Meat Mug is a merchandising opportunity READY to happen. It could be something like a shepherd’s pie baked into a mug, and guests get to take the mug home (for a price, of course). We’re geniuses!
And yes, we would so eat at a place with the words “Meat Hut” in the name, but there’s also a real opportunity to bring in meatless recipes, with ingredients using one of Disney’s many plant-based meat alternatives. Disney World needs some more good vegan dining options, after all, and Mudka’s Meat Hut could be a place where both vegans and non-vegans could share a great meal!
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Star Wars Dinner Show
So this next one actually came pretty close to happening. How close? Like, “concept art was made” close:
This sit-down restaurant was (very VERY briefly) shared early on in the initial release of info about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It was cut as the land developed. This left us with a wonder of what could have been? Oga’s Cantina is WILDLY popular, so wouldn’t it make sense to have more ways for guests to immerse themselves in Star Wars (in a park lacking in sit-down dining options)?
We know there WILL be dining experiences, like Silver C Lounge, at Disney’s Star Wars hotel, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. Here’s hoping that maybe one day we can all experience an out of this world galactic dining experience on Batuu.
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So despite Disney already having SO many restaurants, we think these five ideas are unique enough to work at Disney World. Maybe the Imagineers are paying attention, so we’ll see what new restaurant projects get announced over the next year or so!
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Do you have any ideas about a Disney restaurant that needs to be built? Share it in the comments!
The only thing I can think of when it comes to a Star Wars dinner show, is that they’ll bring back that horrible Jedi Rocks song from the special edition of ROTJ! Or Bea Arthur’s cantina number or Carrie’s LIfe Day song from the Holiday Special – NOOOOOOO! 😀 But I LOVE the idea of the Snuggly Duckling! YES!
Yes for a hercules themed restaurant
I really hope they at least add a quick service beignet stand when they retheme Splash Mountain. There’s a lot of food opportunities with the Princess and the Frog story.
Bring in a Chipotle. Except for the flour tortilla, the menu is all Gluten Free. Food is served fast and hot and not overly priced like the rest of the parks offerings. Even a Taco Bell would be great
Great article and all fantastic ideas (I’m personally not a fan of Greek cuisine, but I certainly understand that many others are). Each of these ideas would be fun and, at least in theory, delicous!
Tokyo Disney Sea is getting the Snuggly Duckling Restaurant as part of Fantasy Springs next year.