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The 18 Best Disney Springs Restaurants to Visit on Your Next Trip to Orlando

These are the cream of the crop

Author image: Candace Davison, PureWow executive editor
By Candace Davison
•
Published Sep 7, 2023
Additional reporting by

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Best Disney Springs restaurants: two women in mouse ears and a man headed into a restaurant
Walt Disney World

Whether you’re planning a Disney vacation or you happen to be in the Orlando (OK, technically Lake Buena Vista) area for a few days—you’ve got to stop by Disney Springs. A cornucopia of shops, live music and of course, restaurants, Disney Springs was originally a marketplace before being rebranded and divided into Downtown Disney (the family-friendly shopping area) and Pleasure Island, the “nightlife district” full of clubs and bars—but since 2008, it's had quite the facelift in the family-friendly direction. Today, it offers a cornucopia of shops, live music and restaurants, making it a fun way to unwind between days jam-packed with thrill rides. Better yet, parking is free 24/7.

But when hunger strikes, what do you eat? Fear not, friends—we’ve snacked our way through the many dining options that have sprouted up in the area to bring you the 18 best Disney Springs restaurants to suit every mood and palate.

The Best Disney Springs Restaurants at a Glance

Breakfast/Brunch

Lunch/Dinner

Dessert

How We Chose the Best Disney Springs Restaurants

We chose our list of the best Disney Springs restaurants based on our personal experiences (we can *still* taste the fresh crab guacamole at Paddlefish), intense research, with deep dives into customer ratings and reviews of each eatery, and word of mouth. Beyond looking for the obvious—aka spots with insanely mouthwatering food—we considered each restaurant's ambience, be it for date night or family time, price range and meal type, so as to fit different budgetary and service needs, from the über-fancy Morimoto Asia, to the quick and easy Disney Food Trucks.

Check out our top picks below.

RELATED

The 19 Best Disney World Restaurants to Visit in 2023 (at Every Price Point)

Breakfast/Brunch

Best Disney Springs restaurants: A Southern comfort food dish
Chef Art Smith's Homecomin'/Walt Disney World

1. Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’

Best Comfort Food

  • Yelp Rating: 4.5 stars
  • Genre: Southern comfort food
  • Price Range: $$
  • Meal Type: table service
  • Reservation Required? strongly recommended

Casually poll a local on the best spot to eat in Disney Springs, and the restaurant helmed by Oprah’s former longtime personal chef comes up almost immediately. Homecomin’ is known for its Rise N’ Shine Southern Brunch, served on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Don’t miss the Hallelujah Biscuit, an open-faced biscuit piled high with fried chicken, two eggs, pecan-smoked bacon, pimiento cheese and sawmill gravy. There’s also the slightly more virtuous Fried Egg and Avocado Toast, which includes a fried egg sandwiched between two pieces of grilled Cuban bread dolled up with arugula, radish, pickled red onion, olive oil, lemon, and, the star of the show, avocado. Cocktail aficionados will want to try the moonshine flights, which are infused in-house with fresh fruits like watermelon, pineapple and lemon and served with candied pecans and spiced pickle juice.

407-939-5277, 1602 E. Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830, homecominkitchen.com

Make a Reservation
Best Disney Springs restaurants: A man and woman enjoy a coffee and a donut in front of Everglazed
Everglazed Donuts & Cold Brew/Walt Disney World

2. Everglazed Donuts & Cold Brew

Best Fast Casual Breakfast

  • Yelp Rating: 4 stars
  • Genre: fast food
  • Price Range: $
  • Meal Type: quick-service
  • Reservations Required? no

You’ve got too much to do to sit down for a big breakfast! We hear you. That’s why you should beeline it to the 3-inch-thick behemoth donuts served at Everglazed. Tucked between Splitsville and AMC Disney Springs 24 Dine-In Theatres, this little shop serves some of the most over-the-top treats you’ve ever seen. We’re talking mouthwatering flavors, like the toasted-marshmallow and Golden Grahams-topped S’mores Galore, or the brow-raising Café Mocha Donut (pictured), a caramel iced confection with chocolate chips, coffee buttercream, caramel and chocolate icing. (They also serve pillowy classic iced and glazed donuts, too.) Each one ranges from $5 to $6.50, but they’re large enough to share.

888-354-5293, 1504 E. Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830, everglazed.com

SEE THE MENU
Best Disney Springs restaurants HOB
House of Blues/Walt Disney World

3. House of Blues Restaurant & Bar

Best Variety

  • Yelp Rating: 4 stars
  • Genre: American
  • Price Range: $$
  • Meal Type: table service
  • Reservations Required? strongly recommended

Overall, this nighttime music venue has a pretty robust, Southern-tinged menu, offering everything from breakfast burritos to chimichurri-drizzled, bacon-wrapped-shrimp-topped grits. It's also fairly reasonable in price: We've seen Avocado toast at some Disney Springs restaurants for $17 or more, making House of Blues’s Tennessee Toast ($13, topped with avo, roasted corn salsa, sea salt and honey) is a more fiscally palatable.

407-934-2623, 1490 E. Buena Vista Dr., Orlando, FL, 32830, houseofblues.com

make a reservation

4. Wine Bar George

Best Upscale Brunch

  • Yelp Rating: 4.5 stars
  • Genre: American
  • Price Range: $$
  • Meal Type: table service, to-go
  • Reservations Required? strongly recommended

Whether you’re a bacon and eggs kinda’ gal or you prefer your morning meals on the sweeter side, Wine Bar George has you covered. On Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., it serves up everything from Sausage Gravy with house-made biscuits to the much-lauded French toast with fresh strawberries compote and honey-whipped cream cheese. (Are you drooling? We’re drooling.) What sets it apart from the rest of the brunch pack however, is the accompanying drink menu: The dishes are served up with your choice of more than 200 wines, served by the glass (it is a wine bar, after all). There's also Aperol rosé spritzes, or, for hardcore Disnerds, “Frozcato,” which is the restaurant’s own pineapple Dole Whip concoction with frosé. What better way to start your day out on a relaxed foot before you step into the chaos of the parks?

407-490-1800, 1610 E. Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830, winebargeorge.com

make a reservation

LUNCH/DINNER

Best Disney Springs restaurants Paddlefish
Paddlefish/Walt Disney World

5. Paddlefish

Best Views

  • Yelp Rating: 4 stars
  • Genre: seafood
  • Price Range: $$ to $$$
  • Meal Type: table service
  • Reservations Required? strongly recommended

If it’s rooftop views you’re after, you can’t beat Paddlefish. Not only is it situated directly on Lake Buena Vista with a deck overlooking Disney Springs (and offering primo viewing of the Rainforest Café’s sporadic pyrotechnics), it’s designed to look like an anchored steamboat. Needless to say, much of the menu revolves around—you guessed it!—seafood, albeit with a fresh twist. The crab guacamole, for instance, topped with blue crab, onion, tomato and avocado, and paired with specially seasoned (read: delicious) Tajín tortilla chips, are light, fresh and tasty enough to make even our guacamole-loathing Commerce Director a fan. Take special note of the now-famous Stuffed Cod: Executive Chef Steven Richards borrowed the shrimp and scallop corn bread stuffing from an old family recipe. Land lubbers will also appreciate the tangy house-made steak sauce.

407-934-2628, 1670 Lake Vista Buena Dr., Orlando, FL, 32830, paddlefishrestaurant.com

make a reservation
Best Disney Springs restaurants The Boathouse
The Boathouse/Walt Disney World

6. The Boathouse

Best Seafood

  • Yelp Rating: 4.5 stars
  • Genre: American
  • Price Range: $$$
  • Meal Type: table service
  • Reservations Required: strongly recommended

Sit right on the water and take in the breeze at The Boathouse (as long as it isn’t 1 p.m. in August), and you’re pretty much guaranteed to have a great afternoon—especially if you’re a seafood fan. Between the Yellowfin Tuna Poke, which has an unexpected bit of mango, and the Dockside Shrimp Boil, which is chock-full of corn, red potatoes, Andouille sausage and shrimp, this is one place you definitely won't leave hungry. You can also go all out with a classic surf and turf of filet mignon and lobster tail. And while the Duck Duck Razz gets all the attention on TikTok for looking like a bubble bath in a coupe glass (complete with a mini rubber duckie garnish), we’ll be honest: Unless you like very sweet drinks, opt for the Bramble & Rye or one of the restaurant’s martinis instead.

407-939-2628, 1620 E. Lake Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830, boathouseorlando.com

make a reservation
best disney restaurants: morimoto asia with its 20-foot chandeliers
Morimoto Asia/Walt Disney World

7. Morimoto Asia

Best Date Night Restaurant

  • Yelp Rating: 3.5 stars
  • Genre: Pan-Asian
  • Price Range: $$$
  • Meal Type: table service
  • Reservations Required? strongly recommended

Yes, the name refers to Iron Chef alum Masaharu Morimoto, and the menu doesn’t disappoint. It’s *the* spot to visit in Disney Springs for ramen, though the sushi rolls and vegetarian options (hello, Blistered Shishito Peppers with wasabi crème fraiche and Kung Pao Cauliflower) are noteworthy, too. The elevated experience and chic, dimly lit space feels miles away from the House of Mouse, making it a great choice if the kids are with their grandparents for the evening. (Or you’re a childless millennial at Disney, which, hey, we respect.)

407-939-6686, 1600 E. Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830, morimotoasia.com

make a reservation
large spire atop a 1920s industrial-inspired building that houses The Edison, one of the best disney springs restaurants
The Edison/Walt Disney World

8. The Edison

Best Late-Night Hangout

  • Yelp Rating: 3.5 stars
  • Genre: American
  • Price Range: $$
  • Meal Type: table service
  • Reservations Required? strongly recommended

This Roaring ‘20s-themed restaurant, which is open until 11:30 p.m., features all kinds of live acts, from aerialists to musicians, but it’s more than a bunch of eye-catching theatrics: The cocktail menu and food are no joke. If you’re there after 5 p.m. and are looking to treat yourself, order the Barolo Short Rib. Topped with red wine mushroom gravy and served alongside glazed rainbow carrots and ultra-creamy mashed potatoes, it’s the food coma you’ve been dreaming of. For lighter fare, consider the Blackened Mahi or Grilled Salmon with citrus herb butter. But, whatever you're planning to order, consider making a reservation in advance, as seats fill up quickly.

407-560-9288, 1570 E. Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830, theedisonfla.com

make a reservation
jock lindsay's hangar bar, which looks like an old airplane hangar and is inspired by Indiana Jones
Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar/Walt Disney World

9. Jock Lindsay’s Hangar Bar

Best Bar

  • Yelp Rating: 4 stars
  • Genre: American
  • Price Range: $
  • Meal Type: quick-service
  • Reservations Required? no

If you want to grab a drink and some apps, you’ll love this Indiana Jones-themed bar. Snacks like Queso Fundido, flatbreads and the Air Pirate’s Loaded Pretzel (essentially, a charcuterie board with a jumbo pretzel as the base, covered with prosciutto, sliced bratwurst, two kinds of cheddar, pepperoni and pickles and served with spicy mustard and beer cheese fondue for dipping), are TikTok-famous. There are four mocktails on the menu, along with 19 boozy libations. If you don’t have an early wakeup call the next morning, check out the Wrong Island!—a blend of rum, vodka, gin, orange liqueur, sweet-and-sour mix and Coke.

407-939-5277, Pleasure Island Boat Dock, Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830

SEE THE MENU
Best Disney Springs Restaurants: A family sits in front of a neon STK sign
STK Steakhouse Orlando/Walt Disney World

10. STK Steakhouse Orlando

Best Fine Dining

  • Yelp Rating: 3.5 stars
  • Genre: American
    Price Range:     $$$
  • Meal Type: table service
  • Reservations Required? strongly recommended

For fancier fare, STK Orlando has basics, like Bone-In Filet, plus more complex steak profiles, like Japanese A5 Strip Wagyu and Dry-Aged Porterhouse, in spades—all of which Yelpers say are generally cooked to perfection. Decadent truffle sauce, Roasted Lamb Rack, King Crab Oscar and Lobster Tail are also on the menu for those who don’t love beef. The circular, wooden dining tables, padded booths and low lighting let you know you’re in a fine-dining establishment, and elevated drinks, like the Dirty Pearls—STK’s Ketel One dirty martini, complete with blue cheese olives, Strawberry Cobbler (a muddled strawberry delight with Graham cracker crust) and Spiced Watermelon (Patron, watermelon water, St. Germain and fresh lime and jalapeño) seal the deal.

407-917-7440, 1580 E. Buena Vista Dr., Orlando, FL, 32830, stksteakhouse.com

make a reservation

11. Pepe by José Andres

Best on a Budget

  • Yelp Rating: 3.5 stars
  • Genre: Spanish
  • Price Range: $
  • Meal Type: quick service
  • Reservations Required? no

OK, maybe you can’t spring for the $95-per-person tapas tasting menu at Jaleo, José Andres’s marquee restaurant at Disney Springs. But attached to the building is Pepe, a soup and sandwich shop where meals range from $9 to $18. Here, you can enjoy a Bikini de Jamón y Queso, a pressed sandwich featuring Serrano ham and Manchego cheese, or a Pepito Ternera, which features caramelized onions, roasted green peppers, steak, cheese and mayo on sourdough-like Pan de Cristal, among other options.

1494 E. Buena Vista Dr., Orlando, FL, 32821, pepebyjoseandres.com

SEE THE MENU
Best Disney springs restaurants: A dinosaur in a dark blue room
T-Rex Cafe/Walt Disney World

12. T-Rex Café

Most Kid-Friendly

  • Yelp Rating: 3.5 stars
  • Genre: American
  • Price Range: $$
  • Meal Type: table service
  • Reservations Required? strongly recommended

Listen, you’re not going to the T-Rex Café for the chickpea-crusted salmon (though it is available!)—it’s all about the experience. You'll find gigantic animatronic dinosaurs everywhere, simulated meteor showers as you eat and a gift shop with a fossil-dig sandpit and water mill for mining gems while you wait. (Not to mention, a dino-inspired Build-a-Bear area.) That said, the café offers a wide-ranging menu featuring grain bowls, pastas, steaks and seafood, and kids have 11 options to choose from—a far cry from the typical “Kraft mac, burger or chicken nuggets” approach. It’s such a draw for families that you’ll want to book a reservation—as early as possible.

407-828-8739, 1676 E. Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830, trexcafe.com

make a reservation
Best Disney Springs Restaurants: A group of friends hangs out outside a mac and cheese truck
Disney Springs Food Trucks

13. Disney Springs Food Trucks

Best Quick-Service Dining

  • Genre: American
  • Price Range: $
  • Meal Type: quick service
  • Reservations Required: no

When it’s mid-day and you want something fast and delicious, head to the west side of Disney Springs (toward Cirque du Soleil) for Exposition Park. You’ll find a range of food trucks there, and what they offer can vary, but keep an eye out for Local Green Orlando, which features an almost entirely plant-based menu that includes Beyond burgers, elote and smoothies, as well as some surprising pescatarian picks, like a Salmon Philly Sandwich. 4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa Food Truck is another popular pick, featuring Birria Tacos, burrito bowls and eat-on-the-go Taco Cones.

West Side, 1486 Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830

see the menus

Dessert

Best Disney Springs restaurants Gideons Bakehouse
Nicole Briese

14. Gideon’s Bakehouse

Best Sweets

  • Yelp Rating: 4.5 stars
  • Genre: bakery
  • Price Range: $
  • Meal Type: quick service
  • Reservations Required? virtual queue

With an aesthetic inspired by Edward Gorey, Gideon’s Bakehouse has quickly become the stuff of legend at Disney Springs. More than admiring the shop itself (a Victorian gothic experience that Haunted Mansion fans will adore), however, fans flock to this quick-service spot for its half-pound, small-batch cookies, which are absolutely covered in chocolate chips and take a full 24 hours to make. It doesn’t matter what time you go; there will be a wait, and it’s likely to be more than an hour long. But honestly? It's worth it, if only once, to try these crowd-pleasers—they’re so rich and gooey that you’ll find yourself immediately wishing you took advantage of the six-cookie maximum. Apart from the East End Market in Orlando, you can't get them anywhere else, either: As owner Steve Lewis explained via Instagram in February 2023, he has no plans to start shipping his baked goods, as he enjoys being a small local business. But mercifully, it’s a virtual queue, so you can simply walk up to an employee and give them your name and phone number to receive a text when it’s nearly your turn—all while you stroll the Springs. (Oh, and the line tends to be shortest on weekday mornings, our insiders tell us.)

1600 Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830, gideonsbakehouse.com

See the menu

15. Salt & Straw

Most Unique Flavors

  • Yelp Rating: 4.5 stars
  • Genre: sweets
  • Price Range: $
  • Meal Type: quick service
  • Reservation Required? no

A relative newcomer to the Disney Springs scene, Oregon ice cream transplant Salt & Straw joined the entertainment center’s dining roster in April 2022. Boasting some of the wildest flavors you’ve never heard of (Arbequina Olive Oil or Salty Donut Guava and Cheese ice cream, anyone?), it’s got a whopping six brand new creations for July, including a limited-edition option, the Exquisito Guanabana Stracciatella, that was concocted special for Disney Springs’ Flavors of Florida event through Aug. 13, 2023. If you’re wondering how it tastes, it’s got a light hint of citrus and is described as a “tropical guanabana sherbet, swirled with enticing ribbons of dark chocolate stracciatella, imbued with a roasty, floral undertone.” Other new options include a Wild-Foraged Berry Slab Pie, Birthday Cakes and Blackberries, Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero, GoNanas Strawberry Caramel Banana Bread and GoNanas Banana Blueberry Crumble.

689-208-0255, 1610 Buena Vista Dr., Orlando, FL, 32830, saltandstraw.com

See the menu
Best Disney Springs Restaurants: A spread of chocolate squares
The Ganachery/Walt Disney World

16. The Ganachery

Best for Chocoholics

  • Yelp Rating: 4.5 stars
  • Genre: sweets
  • Price Range $
  • Meal Type: quick service
  • Reservations Required? no

If you want something to end your night on a decadent but not toothache-inducing note, The Ganachery is the place to be. The artisanal chocolates are top-notch (seriously—you’ll never look at Reese’s the same way after tasting the company's milk chocolate-covered peanut butter square). But the real splurge will be on its seasonal treats, which tend to have all kinds of surprise-and-delight moments, like the Key Lime Pop, which offers up a bit of zest in your dark chocolate, or the seasonal chocolate piñatas (essentially, a chocolate shell filled with treats).

407-939-5277, Marketplace, Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830

see the menu
pink boxes from Erin McKenna's NYC Bakery surround a server holding a tray of pastel cupcakes
Erin McKenna's Bakery/Walt Disney World

17. Erin McKenna’s Bakery NYC

Best Gluten-Free Bakery

  • Yelp Rating: 3 stars
  • Genre: vegan, gluten-free
  • Price Range: $
  • Meal Type: quick service
  • Reservations Required? no

The popular NYC bakery has an outpost at Disney Springs, and it’s a great spot for vegan or gluten-free treats. You’ll find donuts, cookies, cinnamon rolls and even pizza biscuits here for those with food sensitivities, but the real player are the cupcakes. The cakes are moist, and the frosting strikes just the right balance of sweetness with a smooth texture you’ll be thinking about hours after you’ve had the last bite.

855-462-2292 x 3, 1642 E. Lake Buena Vista Dr. B., Orlando, FL, 32830, erinmckennasbakery.com

SEE THE MENU
Best Disney Springs: A candy-coated apple with a ghoulish face
Disney's Candy Cauldron/Walt Disney World

18. Disney's Candy Cauldron

Most Whimsical

  • Yelp Rating: 4.5 stars
  • Genre: bakery
  • Price Range: $
  • Meal Type: quick service
  • Reservations Required: no

Your kids’ eyes will pop out of their heads the moment you pass by the windows at Candy Cauldron, where they’re sure to take in the sights of a seemingly magical confectioner transforming caramel apples into shapes that resemble beloved Disney characters (think Mickey Mouse, Olaf and Cinderella). The shop also features an array of cookies, plus fudge, cupcakes and mouse ear-shaped crisped rice treats (you know, in case Snow White ruined apples for you).

407-939-5277, 1780 Buena Vista Dr., Lake Buena Vista, FL, 32830

SEE THE MENU

How Many Restaurants Are in Disney Springs?

At the time of publication, there were 67 places to grab a bite to eat in Disney Springs between its table- and quick-service offerings. Chicago-based restaurant group Lettuce Entertain You’s Summer House on the Lake is set to open in late 2023, which, according to the Disney Food Blog, which will raise the total count to 68.  

Does Disney Own All the Restaurants in Disney Springs?

Just like the eateries found inside the Disney Parks, many of the restaurants at Disney Springs are owned by restaurant chains, like the Landry's-repped Boathouse, or individual restauranteurs, like Steve Lewis (Gideon's Bakehouse).

Do Disney Springs Restaurants Take Walk-Ins?

While there are some table service restaurants that accept walk-ins, like Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, heading to your destination without a reservation is not something we’d advise: Because you’re in Walt Disney World, you can expect crowds, so they’re strongly recommended for most sit-down restaurants. However, it’s also worth checking the cancellation policies for each—some, such as Morimoto Asia and The Edison, charge a $10-per-person fee for no-shows and cancellations made within two hours of the reservation.

If you’re not the type to plan your grub in advance, you’ll do better to check out one of the quick-service spots, carts or kiosks on our list, all of which provide walk-up service.

RELATED

The 8 Best Disney Character Dining Spots for a Mickey, Goofy or Donald Sighting

candace davison bio
Candace Davison

VP of editorial, recipe developer, kitsch-lover

Candace Davison oversees PureWow's food and home content, as well as its franchises, like the PureWow100 review series and the Happy Kid Awards. She’s covered all things lifestyle...
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Nicole Briese

Commerce Director

Nicole is PureWow's Commerce Director. With a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Michigan State University and more than 15 years of experience writing and editing shopping...
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