Disney World Table Service is any restaurant you sit down then someone comes and takes your order. Now there are a couple of different types of restaurant that offer table service. You can have a standard sit down meal, where a server brings your food and drinks to you. Another type is buffet service, so your drinks are brought to you but you go to a buffet and help yourself. Buffet meals at Disney World are usually eat as much as you wish. This trip we didn’t actually do any buffet meals we did however do one ‘family style’ meal but I’ll talk about that when we get there. Each of the restaurants on this list would cost you 1 Disney World table service credit on the Disney dining plan. All of the restaurants we tried this trip were new to us so this is our first reaction to them and whether or not we will be returning. Now let’s see what we ate.
The first table service restaurant we visited was Spice Road Table. This restaurant is located in the Morocco Pavilion in Epcot. It is on the edge of the World Showcase Lagoon. We requested a table by the window as we had booked the time just before the nightly firework show – Illuminations – Reflections of Earth (that is being replaced this September). Our view was fantastic and the decoration in this restaurant is beautiful. Every booth has a different decorative lantern casting pretty shadows into the corners. The service here was very friendly and attentive. We decided to get 2 small plates and one main course to share and of course a dessert. We had Moroccan Lamb Sausage that was served with tomato, red onion and coriander salad; As well as Hummus Fries served with a preserved lemon Aioli as our small plates. Our main was Mix Grill Skewers, this was one chicken and one beef skewer that had been marinated then grilled. This came with green beans, toasted almonds and potatoes. I can tell you this meal was one of the best meals of the trip. Not only was the setting beautiful but the food was brilliant. The lamb sausage was firey without being overwhelming so you could taste all of the different spices within. The hummus fries were a revelation to me Hummus that has been fried! Yes please! These had a pleasing kick to them and such a great texture; these are a must now every time we are eating at Spice Road Table. The skewers were both lovely the beef though out shone the chicken. The beef was so flavourful and so easy to eat. I’d be tempted to ask for two beef skewers were I to have it again. But to be completely honest this meal was good that it makes you want to order it every time. Our dessert was the intriguing sounding Chocolate Pyramid, served with Ice Cream. This was a chocolate mouse with an almond truffle filling dusted in cocoa powder, the ice cream it was served with was also almond. This was a great end to our meal trying to break bits of the truffle off to share brought us to laughter just before the music went off, the lights dimmed slightly and the fireworks show started. This is definitely recommended and we will be returning I’m sure. I still dream about those hummus fries!
The following day found us in Magic Kingdom ready to try another new restaurant with possibly the longest name in Disney World – Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen. So we knew the name was a mouthful now to try the food. If you have ever been to Magic Kingdom and ridden on the Jungle Cruise, Skipper Canteen is themed as if the skippers of the jungle cruise boats would eat here. So expect to be laughing and groaning at your server’s jokes and puns. This was a lot of fun from the service and theming point of view – With lots of different rooms with different themes and artefacts on the walls that have been discovered. In fact we were sat underneath a map that depicted the different types of dragon you could find around the world. I had the ”Hardy Har Char’ Siu Pork’ You can see the clibre of jokes your getting. It was served with Jasmine rice and seasonal veg in this case it was bok choy. The pork and sauce were really flavourful with sweet Asian style barbeque notes coming through. The rice and bok choy were fine nothing to write home about but in no means terrible. It was a nice meal in a new restaurant. I will say I think I enjoyed the experience of the setting more than the food which always puts me off slightly as surely the focus should be placed on the food. I’d give it another go but maybe not on my next trip.
Next on this list is in a resort. The Grand Floridian is one of our favourite resorts and we always visit when we are nearby. It is on the list of ‘wish we could stay there’. We ate at the Grand Floridian Café. This is a beautiful restaurant off the corner of the main lobby. This particular evening the Floridian weather had decided it was going to hammer down with rain. This restaurant was an oasis of calm compared to the busy lobby with people rushing in from the rain. We were seated and our drinks order placed then along with our drinks came the bread service. This was warm freshly baked bread rolls that you tore to separate, served with salted butter. For my main I had a grilled pork chop served with apples, sweet potato and green beans. The pork was really tender and obviously has a natural affinity to apples, so that was particularly pleasing. The sweet potato came with a pat of cinnamon butter on. Now, this might just be my palate but for me the sweetness of the potato combined with the sweetness of the cinnamon butter sent this over the edge. I’m not saying I didn’t finish it, of course I did. However it was a touch bizarre I’d say. I will note that the accompaniments change regularly and with the seasons at Disney World. Currently the pork chop is being served with pappardelle pasta, mushrooms and a Marsala sauce. Definitely going to revisit the Grand Floridian Café and maybe try breakfast there. The food was lovely and all cooked to perfection, for me the cinnamon just pushed my sweet potato to a place I wasn’t so sure about. But this should be on your list as it gets overshadowed by the other restaurants in the resort so you can usually get a reservation, plus the food is brilliant.
From one deluxe resort to another, this time Animal Kingdom Lodge. More specifically Kidani Village and to Sanaa. This restaurant serves dishes inspired by Africa and India and has the extra pull of having views outside where you might see giraffe, zebra, gnu and many more sauntering past. The inside is highly themed with African artwork and carved wooden pillars. The roof looks like an artist’s take on a forest with wooden tree canopies in parts and others looking like the top of a tent. The smell alone will force your stomach to rumble. We were greeted by our server who was one of the friendliest servers we had. He took us through the menu and pointed out some things of note. We ordered and the food started to come out. This may have been a case of eyes bigger than our bellies but it was so good all of it. We started with the Indian-Style Bread service that Sanaa is known for. This was exceptional, 5 different Indian breads with NINE accompaniments arranged from mildest to spiciest. I could eat that every day and be happy. Garlic nann bread with red pepper hummus or spicy nann with tomato-date jam, just thinking about it I’m feeling hungry. For our mains we both chose from the Potjie Inspired. This meant you picked one dish from ‘the journey’ and one from ‘the harvest’ I chose Butter Chicken (journey) & paneer tikka (harvest) and this came with basmati rice. This food was fantastic and if I hadn’t stuffed myself with the bread service I would have finished it. The spicing was not over powering at all you could taste every layer and the meat fell apart. The dessert we had to share was the Spice Trade Candy Bar. Our server described this as the worlds best snickers. Honestly this is the dessert to pick at Sanaa. Coconut, Apricot, Caramel, Pistashio, Cashew Bar coated in Milk Chocolate, topped with Chai Cream, Pistachio Crumb and Apricot Gelee – This is a long list of your way straight to dessert heaven. If you think you can’t fit in any more food share this you need to try it. Sanna was a beautiful restaurant and the food was truly excellent. I think particularly picky eaters may struggle but there are some great options for you to be as adventurous as you want. Put it on you list and check it out, eating fantastic food with animals just outside your window.
The first of our breakfast table service reservations was a last minute booking. We were in Magic Kingdom and we were hungry and so we booked a reservation at the Plaza Restaurant. Being spontaneous in Disney World isn’t always possible so these impulsive decisions are something to grab hold of. We were sat in the conservatory part of the restaurant with views across the hub with Cinderella Castle standing proudly getting her photo taken by hundreds of people. The food here was really good. I’d say it was a fairly standard Disney World breakfast. Having said that breakfast at Disney World is often my favourite meal of the day. I got a cold brew coffee and their All-American Classic Breakfast Platter. This is a huge dish with 2 Mickey Waffles, Scrambled Eggs, Breakfast Potatoes, Sausage, Bacon and a Buttermilk Biscuit. This came with syrup for your waffles. I managed to finish this completely and would happily do so again. Those mickey waffles are delicious and I wish I knew what they did to their breakfast potatoes – one for the test kitchen (when I know, you’ll know).
Apart from being a beautiful setting and delicious food I also found this to be very relaxing. Enjoying time together whilst people watching. Definitely somewhere worth checking out and you can get a last minute reservation! If you can get yourself seated in the conservatory for tons of natural light and gorgeous views. I want to try their milkshakes next time, not only do they look fantastic but they are also bottomless – free refills!
Heading over to Hollywood studios and back to the 1950’s. We ate at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre. This is a heavily themed restaurant where you eat in cars at a drive in movie theatre in the 50’s. The Cars allow you enough room to sit two next to each other. We were sat right in the centre of this restaurant. So we were directly in front of the movie screen showing science fiction clips. It was a great experience to be there and if you have kids they will go crazy for this place. It is American fare at Sci-Fi Dine-In and so suitably I went for the Dine-In BBQ Burger. This was a beef and BBQ spice patty, in a brioche bun with bacon, BBQ sauce, cheddar and topped with an onion ring and crispy fried jalapenos. This was a really great burger. The jalapenos added a kick of heat that the cheddar soothed and the burger was juicy. I had it served with fries. As the theme of this restaurant is that you are at a drive-in theatre it feels like its night-time and so the lighting is low making photographing this food impossible. So you’ll have to believe that it was delicious and I finished it. I would definitely head back and certainly if you are heading to Disney World with kids this should be on the top of your list.
We find ourselves back at Epcot, this time it’s for breakfast and we are in a restaurant that rotates slowly giving you an ever changing view. The view you get is of The Land Pavilion and as you rotate you go through a couple of scenes from the Living with the Land attraction. This is a character dining experience meaning that whilst you are eating Disney characters will stop by to say ‘hi there’. At Garden Grill Restaurant they host Chip and Dale’s Harvest Feast. You can meet Chip & Dale as well as Mickey Mouse and Pluto. Garden grill is the only place in Epcot to meet Chip & Dale. The food here is all you care to enjoy and is served family style. This means a server will bring it to your table and it will arrive in dishes for you to serve yourselves. Just like being at home – I know many of you consider Disney World to be one of your homes. For breakfast you get a choice of drinks I went for coffee (safer for the characters and everyone if I’ve had my morning coffee) There is no choice on the food though, you get what is served. Just like being at home for some then. We got started with a bowl of fresh fruit and Chip’s Sticky Bun Bake – this was what a cinnamon roll wants to be when it grows up. This was sticky, sweet, and oh so good. In fact that alone would be an awesome breakfast. But we are just beginning. Then out comes a skillet full to overflowing with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, hash brown potato barrels and mickey shaped waffles. Oh and not forgetting a side of ketchup and warm chocolate-hazelnut sauce. You can ask for more of anything, not that we had to we ate our fill and practically rolled out of the revolving restaurant of dreams. This has become a firm favourite of mine not only because the food and service were incredible but also meeting these characters in a relaxed way with no queuing or hanging round and meeting chip and dale is always fun such cheeky chipmunks. I found out as well that any food that people don’t eat instead of just being thrown away they compost and use it as fertiliser to grow many of the vegetables eaten in Disney World. Definitely check this place out to get your fill of Mickey waffles in Epcot – this is one of the only places to get them.
Finally on this list we are in Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Nomad Lounge. This is a new lounge were you can relax in some much needed air-con and enjoy a cool drink as well as some food. They have their own small plates menu, but you can also order off the menu of Tiffins, the signature restaurant that shares it’s kitchen with Nomad Lounge. You can walk in and find a seat and someone will take your order. The service here was quite slow so it’s not somewhere I’d say you could dash in and grab a quick drink. But if you want to chill out for a while and take the weight off your feet this is a lovely place to do that. We ordered our drinks the appropriately named Lilly Gorrill-ie that was a strawberry lemon and lime mocktail, this really tasted great and was just what you need on a hot summer’s day. The food we decided upon was the bread service from Tiffins and Chicken Satay. The chicken was good and the sauce was full of flavour. It wasn’t as spicy as I expected but was enjoyable. The bread service was nice. There were three accompaniments Tadka, Spiced Coriander Yoghurt and Fig Tapenade. These each had a very unique viewpoint, the fig was sweet the yoghurt was cool and the tadka was fragrant and deep. The different breads were also individual and it was fun working out which pairings went best together. I will say that if you want a killer bread service then take yourself to Sanaa. This was great but by this point we had been spoilt by Sanaa. I’d definitely recommend this as a place to get away and relax. It’s quiet and peaceful and could be your oasis of tranquillity in a busy Animal Kingdom.
That’s the Disney World table service food we managed to eat this time round. We had a lot of fun exploring new menus and experience different restaurants. I hope you found this interesting and want to try some of these places yourself. Next time I’m sharing everything we tackled at the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. So keep your eyes peeled for that one.
Use the link below to explore what else we ate in Disney World.
Disney World June 2019
Snacks
Quick Service
2019 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival
