When it comes to dining in Disney World, some people may seriously exaggerate the quality of their meal or over-hype their experience. After all, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment! At the end of the day though, you’re paying a lot of money for your Disney World vacation and you might not want to waste your time on a subpar meal.
We asked our readers on Facebook, Which Disney World restaurants would you say are “one-and-done?” It turns out our readers had a lot to say — we received hundreds of responses! Let’s take a look at some of the most popular answers.
We’ll start off with one of the most common answers. A large number of people declared that Chef Mickey’s was a “one-and-done” restaurant. Sorry, Mickey!
Here, guests are treated to an all-you-can-eat character meal with Mickey and friends, though the high price tag, noisy location, and somewhat basic entrees may turn people away from coming back. That said, this is a fun location, especially for kids, that might make it worth it to visit Chef Mickey at least once.
Click here to learn more about Chef Mickey’s Restaurant
Another wildly (un)popular response was Coral Reef, which has earned a rather poor reputation over the years. While the unique atmosphere provides some amazing aquatic views, the food usually receives low ratings.
You might also feel a little funny chowing down on a seafood dish right in front of live fish. If you’re more interested in a fun location than the food itself, the Coral Reef might be a neat place to eat, but otherwise, our readers suggest dining elsewhere!
Click here for our full review of the Coral Reef restaurant
Speaking of fun locations with average-quality foods, many readers said that the Sci Fi Dine-In Theater isn’t worth repeat visits. *insert dramatic music and loud gasps here*
Admittedly, the dark, drive-in theater atmosphere is pretty cool here, but thanks to the configuration of the seating/tables, this restaurant was completely designed around the large projector screen with retro sci-fi films. If you were hoping to have a conversation with your family during your meal, don’t count on it at the Sci Fi Dine-In Theater.
Click here to check out the menu at the Sci Fi Dine-In Theater
Similarly, the ’50s Prime Time Cafe in Disney’s Hollywood Studios was another “one-and-done” restaurant for many readers.
At this point, you might be sensing a theme here — this restaurant is known for its retro theming and interactive service (keep those elbows off the table!), though many feel it’s not good enough to keep coming back for more.
Click here to read more reviews of the ’50s Prime Time Cafe
So many people dream of dining in a real-life castle, but even Cinderella’s Royal Table (which is inside the iconic Cinderella Castle), was deemed unworthy of multiple visits.
As you can probably imagine, it’s not cheap to dine in Cinderella’s castle. Some readers also complained that the decorations were a little underwhelming, while others felt unhappy with their meal. Still, if you want to be able to say you dined inside the Cinderella Castle, we wouldn’t blame you!
Click here to read more reviews of Cinderella’s Royal Table
Finally, we’re traveling to another castle for the last restaurant on our list! Over in Fantasyland, Be Our Guest is another pricey restaurant our readers wouldn’t recommend visiting more than once.
There are three different dining rooms at Be Our Guest: The West Wing, The Ballroom, and the Rose Gallery. While each room is extremely well-themed, many wish that the food was less expensive.
Be Our Guest is Serving BRUNCH in Disney World (With a Catch)
There you have it; what do you think? Do you agree with these hot takes? A big thank you to everyone who commented, and if you missed out on our original Facebook post, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! In the meantime, stay tuned for all the latest Disney news and park updates.
Click Here for Our List of 11 Most Controversial Disney World Restaurants!
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Which Disney World restaurants would you say are “one-and-done”? Let us know in the comments!
Be our guest
I agree with Be Our Guest. It’s beautiful but we had lunch there and I didn’t care for it. We’ve also eaten at the 50’s Prime Time, and while cute, and it’s not a “must do”. The food was just okay for me. Cinderella’s Castle I’ve done more than once. The food is okay but you mostly go there to see the princesses. Although I wouldn’t pay for it right now without the dining plan and princesses going around like pre-covid days.
Prime Time every time!!! 📺💕 This is one of our favorite things to do in WDW, and the source of many family funny stories and inside jokes. Agree with the rest though.
Even apart from the fact that Prime Time has better food than Sci-Fi, the main difference between Sci-Fi and Prime Time is a big one. Sci-Fi just has a loop of clips that plays over and over and never changes, whereas your interactions with your servers at Prime Time is different ever time.
I am surprised by Cinderella’s Castle. While expensive, the filet with garlic mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables has been outstanding. Plus you get to actually be in the castle. no that my kids are older I probably won’t go back, but they loved it when we used to go. I have been several times.
The beast’s restaurant on the other hand is a joke. The food is fine, but its basically a glorified large cafeteria designed in the beauty and the Beast theme.