Walt Disney World Quick Service Dec 21- Jan 22

Written by CUBBin the Kitchen Published on March 1, 2022 in Disney Food, Food On My Travels

Walt Disney World Quick Service means any meal that you can go and buy over the counter. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule. However generally if you have to order it by a till and pay before you eat it is quick service. The range of food you can get from quick service at Walt Disney World is truly something else. You can of course get the staple chicken nuggets but there are so many other things you can get. Keep reading to discover what we tried. I have grouped these in terms of their location Epcot area together then Animal Kingdom and so on, to provide a little organisation.

EPCOT Area

Regal Eagle Smokehouse

I am starting with one of the newest Walt Disney World quick service restaurants in Walt Disney World, Regal Eagle Smokehouse. You will find Regal Eagle in The American Adventure Pavilion in the World Showcase. When I say new it opened in February 2020 just before the closure of the Parks due to the global pandemic. We actually missed the opening of this in 2020 as we were there the first week of February that year, so it was one of my must do’s. The name Regal Eagle comes from one of the much loved franchises ‘The Muppets’ and specifically Sam Eagle. This restaurant has, as you can imagine a humorous backstory and there are nods to Mr Sam Eagle and the Muppets on the walls. The backstory sees Sam the Eagle as the host and judge of the barbecue competition, ‘Sam’s Centennial Cookoff- A Salute to All Cook-Offs, But Mostly Barbecue’. Suitably muppet-esque. The atmosphere here was loud and fun with metal trays clattering onto tables and a hubbub of chatter. You can chose to try any of a variety of sauces each championed by a muppet – which is your favourite? I think my wife and I are team Rowlf. Now let’s talk about food.

The menu at Regal Eagle Smokehouse is very meat heavy, with only one option listed under plant based entrees. I do not feel this is sufficient personally, for there not to be a choice is not good. We picked up the ‘North Carolina Chopped Smoked Pork Butt Platter. This was made up of chopped pork butt, topped with North Carolina vinegar sauce served with garlic toast and your choice of a side – we chose onion rings. Now let me tell you this was really delicious, the pork butt was soft and tender the sauce had a nice tang. The garlic toast is absolutely standout, I believe they serve their burger in garlic toast instead of a bun which is a winning move. It was really a very nice meal we tried al the sauces to pick our favourite. This is a solid option for people who don’t want to eat ‘challenging’ food. It is after all fairly simple food done well. Would I go back? I absolutely would not only because it is Muppet themed but the food is good too.

BoardWalk Bakery

Now the reason I have titled this Epcot Area is because we are now outside of Epcot but at the resorts in the Epcot area. This trip we stayed at the Dolphin Resort and so we were able to walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. This is an area we have stayed before and really enjoy it. A visit to Disney World without setting foot on the BoardWalk doesn’t happen for us. This brings us to the BoardWalk Bakery, a counter service bakery with no seating but there is plenty outdoors. This bakery case is always full of goodies and sometimes has things that aren’t on the official menu.

Usually we have grabbed breakfast here or a sweet treat. However on this day We were both hungry and decided to grab lunch. We decided upon a ‘Gobbler Sandwich’, packet of crisps (chips for our American friends) and a sweet treat each. I had a cannoli and my wife picked up a Berry Scone. The Gobbler Sandwich is made up of Oven-roasted Turkey, Cornbread Stuffing, Turkey Gravy, and Cranberry Mayonnaise on Ciabatta. This was that leftover festive meal in a sandwich served warm. it was really very good, I mean you can see whats in it how can that be bad? Full of flavour with enough moisture to hold up to the ciabatta. Something that was delicious whilst not being ground breaking. The Cannoli was crisp and the filling just sweet enough but not too sweet. A soggy cannoli this was not, for which, i was thankful. We always hit up the BoardWalk Bakery and we have never regretted that choice.

Beaches & Cream – To Go Window

Now I am including Beaches & Cream here. Now I know many of you will be screaming this is table service. Yes that is true it is a table service restaurant. However it does have a to go window. Which is why I’m including it here in my Walt Disney World Quick Service list. The window allows you to grab ice cream and shakes here and take them to sit or stroll along the edge of the lake. It can be tricky to get a reservation for Beaches and Cream so if you just want to try the ice cream then go here. The cast members working here were super helpful and accommodating.

You get a double scoop of ice cream in a cone or cup. We ordered a cone and asked for one scoop of Mint Chocolate Chip and one scoop of Coffee. We got these in separate cups with the cone on one. Let me tell you these scoops are huge so one scoop is plenty! this makes it sharable and you can choose the flavour you want without it being contaminated by another flavour. Minty coffee…I think not. The ice cream was creamy and smooth and full of flavour. I had coffee and it was a hit of flavour and one I would go back for. Now if I had to choose between the BoardWalk Ice Cream Shop or Beaches and Cream Window, I think it would depend on which was closest. Neither is a bad choice as they are both good, likewise there isn’t one that stands out above the other. You try both and let me know which you prefer.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Mr Kamal’s

We now find ourselves deep inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom, more specifically in Asia. If you know the park we are near the ‘UP! A Great Bird Adventure’ theatre at an unassuming food kiosk. Here you can find a small menu comprising of Mr Kamal’s Chicken Dumplings as well as Mr Kamal’s Seasoned Fries as well as water and soft drinks. Interestingly you will not find any mention of Mr Kamal’s on the Walt Disney World Website. I do not know why as this is a delicious spot. We picked up the Chicken Dumplings, more than once. They are fried wonton wrappers filled with a chicken and spring onion filling that stays wonderfully moist. If they are fresh from the fryer than beware their interior may be hotter than the sun. They come with a dipping sauce of ponzu the citrus notes in this give these a real lift and make them feel light. Not easy for a fried food. We had these as a snack one day and then we decided to have them as a lunch. Now we could have chosen the simple route and had the Chicken Dumplings and the Seasoned Fries. However we did not want fries as it can be easy to end up eating fries a lot at Walt Disney World, or any theme park. So we picked up an order of Fried Rice from the near by Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes on the way to Mr Kamal’s. This was a delicious lunch and one that my become a go to Disney World Quick Service lunch. If you are at Disney’s Animal Kingdom then I encourage you to search out Mr Kamal’s.

Yak & Yeti Local Food Cafes

Also commonly known as the Yak & Yeti Quick Service, here you can find Asian inspired food. You can get breakfast here but it will be standard American fare. The Asian inspired food is available for lunch and dinner. Offerings include Teriyaki Chicken Salad, Sweet & Sour Tempura Shrimp, Vegetable Tikka Masala, Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich. We have had a full meal here and you can find my thoughts in my Disney World Quick Service June 2019. This time we picked up Chicken Fried Rice, this is actually a side however I find it plenty for lunch. We paired this with the Chicken Dumplings from Mr Kamal’s and and both felt satisfied. The box you get might not feel huge however they pack in the Chicken Fried Rice. This is pretty standard food akin to your local takeaway. This is absolutely not a criticism as I adore Chinese takeout. but if you are looking for a higher end then you want to try either the Yak & Yeti Table Service Restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom or Morimoto Asia in Disney Springs. The street food window at Morioto Asia is full of delicious food. Now back the the rice it is something that will please almost everyone, there is not any over powering seasoning. Maybe a touch more seasoning would be welcome but certainly a lovely bite. The rice doesn’t feel heavy and they do not skimp on the chicken there is plenty. I would happily get this again although I recognise that $5.99 for a side of rice is pretty hefty. But that is something I expect at Walt Disney World the food is not cheap.

Satu’li Canteen

Now if someone asked me where they should grab quick service from in Disney’s Animal Kingdom then definitely Satu’li Canteen would be the top of the list. The food I’ve had here has always been pretty excellent. They do a customisable bowl you choose your protein from Beef, Chicken, Shrimp & Tofu next select your base one of the following; Red & Sweet Potato Hash, Noodles, Rice & Beans, Salad or No Base. You also choose what sauce you want Charred Green Onion Vinaigrette, Black Bean Vinaigrette, Creamy Herb Sauce or No Sauce. These bowls come topped with a Crunchy Vegetable Slaw and Boba Balls. We had the combination bowl that includes Beef & Chicken with the Potato Hash and the Herb Sauce. This was truly tasty it felt fresh and light, in no way typical ‘theme park food’. The potatoes were well cooked and the creamy herb sauce was really delicious with a bit of zip. I felt the chicken was moist and had a lovely flavour. The beef was more on the chewy side so if I went back maybe I would skip the beef.

Another meal we got here was the Cheeseburger Pods these are steamed buns with a cheeseburger filling. The filling is made up of ground beef, ketchup, mustard, pickle and cheddar cheese it tastes very similar to a Big Mac. So if you like them you will like these. The texture of the steamed bun is fluffy, soft, pillowy and lovely. These come in a kids meal or and adult portion. The kids meal has one Pod and the adult two. The sides that come with these are vegetable crisps and vegetable slaw. You can have double slaw or double crisps which we did. This is one of my favourite restaurants at Disney’s Animal Kingdom so is always a must do for me. The quick service options are vast at Animal Kingdom and you won’t go wrong if you eat here.

Magic Kingdom

The Friar’s Nook

This delightfully named establishment is located in New Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom. It is named after Friar Took from Robin Hood one of those Disney Films that will always transport me back to being 6 years old. Here we picked up breakfast. Now there are some people in this world who do not eat in the morning. I am not one of those people. Here we went for their two snacks featured on their breakfast menu. One is savoury so we shall start there, Sausage & Gravy Tots. These are Tater Tots topped with Sausage Gravy. A tater tot is like a mini hash brown here in the uk. These were hot crispy and delicious. The gravy was very savoury and creamy. You can often find this gravy over biscuits (a savoury scone like baked good) I think the tots added much needed texture and I would happily have these again. The serving is not huge but really I would not have wanted any more. Perfect size when combined with another snack and shared.

Speaking of other snacks we had a second from the Friar’s Nook and this was Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts. Now these were small ball shaped doughnuts and were cake doughnuts rather than yeasted. I would not get these again whilst the flavour was fine I felt they were really quite dense and heavy. I find cake doughnuts can easily become dense. The portion size was 5 and we did not finish the final one. Very sweet with a nice touch of cinnamon but the texture let these down for me. Stick with the tots or go for the multigrain croissant, the people around me seemed to enjoy them and they did look fairly decent.

Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe

Next I’m taking you to Frontier Land inside Magic Kingdom. This restaurant is one we have tried before and were not enamoured with. So this was us trying it again a few trips later. Currently Disney World is encouraging you to use mobile order, in some places we found you could not enter unless you had already ordered your food. This was the case here. It was very busy and we luckily managed to find a table outside, here we were able to enjoy our meal whilst the character cavalcades rolled past. I will say the wait time from clicking the we are here prepare my food to getting the notification to collect our food was almost 40 minutes! This was very long and when we got the food it was not hot. It felt as if it had been sitting there for a while. This was a real shame as all the flavours and textures of this meal were really good. It would have been great if it had been hot. We chose the Fajita Platter with a side of Tortilla Chips. The Fajita Platter comes with Pork Carnitas and Seasoned Chicken with Yellow Rice, Black Beans, Fajita Vegetables, Lettuce, Tomato, Sour Cream, Salsa & Flour Tortillas. As I have said this tasted fantastic. It was mild enough that most would enjoy but there was still a little hint of spice. This was messy to eat but thats half the fun of fajitas, right? The Tortilla Chips were good and crisp and moreish. Would I go back maybe but I would definitely try to choose a quiet time, if there ever is one in Magic Kingdom.

Disney Springs

Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza

Finally in my list of Walt Disney World Quick Service meals we had I am taking you to one of my must do’s, Blaze Pizza. Yes this is a chain restaurant so not exclusive to Walt Disney World. However we do not have it here in the UK so it feels Disney to me. Here you can create your own pizza picking everything from the crust, sauce, cheeses and any of the numerous toppings. I have a staple that I go for that is not adventurous but is delicious. Regular crust, red sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, Italian, sausage, Italian meatball and oregano. Truly my comfort food that makes my tummy very happy. But I can report that since I last went they have brought something onto the menu that is a game changer for my wife. Their Cheesy Bread. This is the high rise dough topped with mozzarella, oregano and extra virgin olive oil. Pillowy and soft with plenty of cheese and served with marinara dipping sauce this is something my wife still talks about. It is delicious and firmly cements Blaze as a must visit for each time we find ourselves stateside.

I hope you enjoyed this run down of Walt Disney World Quick Service meals we tackled on our trip over New Years 2021-22. If you want to keep reading what we ate take a look at the WDW Snacks we ate and the Festival of the Holidays 2021.