Best Restaurant in the Boardwalk/Epcot Resorts Area

[Heather Petrillo]

Need advice on the best restaurant for dinner thats walkable to the Boardwalk We stayed at BWI our last trip 3 years ago and my daughter (8) loved walking around and exploring after my then 2 year old went to bed every night. This trip we will be staying at the Polynesian but she really wants to do a night at the Boardwalk. Planning on going there on our "off park" day in the middle of a weeklong trip and do not have park tickets that day. My husband and I adventurous eaters and my 8 year old loves seafood/steak/sushi/pasta but my 5 year old only eats chicken nuggets and pizza. We are planning on doing mostly counter service meals and snacks most of other days of our trip. Last trip we ate at Beaches and Cream and loved it but looking for something different.

 

[ColonialMouse]

There are lots of great options. If you’re looking for a nice meal with only modest Disney theming, I would try Flying Fish. (it’s been way too long since we’ve been there…)

Bruce

 

[BrianL]

I really enjoyed Ale & Compass recently. I don't know that the menu would appeal to your pickly eater, but they do have a burger on the kids menu (and the adult menu too - I hear it's excellent!).

 

[Suzabella]

I 2nd Flying Fish.

 

[ChimneyJim]

We ate at Trattoria al Forno last Thursday night and loved it. The gnocchi was amazing.

 

[Her Dotness]

Trattoria al Forno. We had a fabulous dinner there last fall, much better than in prior years. Also had breakfast which was very good, too. DH loved the tiramisu french toast and still talks about how tasty it was.

 

[Marthasor]

Need advice on the best restaurant for dinner thats walkable to the Boardwalk We stayed at BWI our last trip 3 years ago and my daughter (8) loved walking around and exploring after my then 2 year old went to bed every night. This trip we will be staying at the Polynesian but she really wants to do a night at the Boardwalk. Planning on going there on our "off park" day in the middle of a weeklong trip and do not have park tickets that day. My husband and I adventurous eaters and my 8 year old loves seafood/steak/sushi/pasta but my 5 year old only eats chicken nuggets and pizza. We are planning on doing mostly counter service meals and snacks most of other days of our trip. Last trip we ate at Beaches and Cream and loved it but looking for something different.

IMHO, other than Big River, The Fountain and Cape May (I think they are all pretty bad), you can't go wrong in the Boardwalk area. My favorites are bluezoo at the Dolphin and Flying Fish at Boardwalk. If you prefer Italian, I would do Il Mulino at the Swan over Trattoria al Forno. If you would like steak, I would do Shula's over Yachtsman. Ale & Compass is also very good if you want to stick to a lower price point than a signature. We love Kimono's, but it's almost all sushi, so probably wouldn't work for your 5-year old. I would peruse the menus at bluezoo, Flying Fish, Il Mulino, Shula's, Trattoria and Ale & Compass and see which one appeals most to your family.

 

[Heather Petrillo]

Trattoria al Forno. We had a fabulous dinner there last fall, much better than in prior years. Also had breakfast which was very good, too. DH loved the tiramisu french toast and still talks about how tasty it was.

thanks. We had breakfast there before covid when it was a character meal and we loved it. But without the character interaction we will probably skip it this trip

 

[Heather Petrillo]

IMHO, other than Big River, The Fountain and Cape May (I think they are all pretty bad), you can't go wrong in the Boardwalk area. My favorites are bluezoo at the Dolphin and Flying Fish at Boardwalk. If you prefer Italian, I would do Il Mulino at the Swan over Trattoria al Forno. If you would like steak, I would do Shula's over Yachtsman. Ale & Compass is also very good if you want to stick to a lower price point than a signature. We love Kimono's, but it's almost all sushi, so probably wouldn't work for your 5-year old. I would peruse the menus at bluezoo, Flying Fish, Il Mulino, Shula's, Trattoria and Ale & Compass and see which one appeals most to your family.

thanks for the feedback, I was curious how the restaurants in the Dolphin and Swan compared to the Disney ones. I will check those out.

 

[nwandless32]

thanks for the feedback, I was curious how the restaurants in the Dolphin and Swan compared to the Disney ones. I will check those out.

Most of them are better than Disney restaurants, but that's just my opinion.
Shula's is good but expensive
I have never had a bad meal at Il Mulino. Eaten there 4 times.
The Fountain had decent meals but very good ice cream.

 

[gharter]

Flying Fish has been very good in the past, looking forward to it finally being open again.
Il Mulino is very good for Italian.
So many really places to eat in World Showcase, it depends on the type of food that you enjoy.

 

[loves to dive]

I'm a fan of the Fountain at Dolphin, but that might be because I stay there and I love a good milkshake. I've always found the service good, a lot of food (almost too much) and the prices are pretty good. It's nothing fancy but if I had to choose between that and B&C at YC, I'd go the Fountain every time.

 

[Heather Petrillo]

I'm a fan of the Fountain at Dolphin, but that might be because I stay there and I love a good milkshake. I've always found the service good, a lot of food (almost too much) and the prices are pretty good. It's nothing fancy but if I had to choose between that and B&C at YC, I'd go the Fountain every time.

We may have to try that for dessert. We loved Ample Hills Creamery but thats now closed.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

thanks for the feedback, I was curious how the restaurants in the Dolphin and Swan compared to the Disney ones. I will check those out.

One of our favorites is BlueZoo at D&S (I think Dolphin!). We have had consistently wonderful meals there over the years. We're also excited to try Amare at Swan Reserve next trip - a new experience we're looking forward to. In our opinion, most of the best dining around the BW loop are at S&D.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We may have to try that for dessert. We loved Ample Hills Creamery but thats now closed.

Ample Hills closing still has me depressed!!

 

[kc51570]

Flying Fish. Even my picky eater enjoys it there and is requesting it again for our next trip.
Shula‘s is very, very good but I’m not sure if they have a children’s menu.

 

[Princess Merida]

Our favorite places at crescent lake are Trattoria, Yachtsman, Beaches and Cream, and Il Mulino.

 

[mrsap]

Yachtsman. Their food is delicious! Good luck deciding!

 

[Her Dotness]

thanks. We had breakfast there before covid when it was a character meal and we loved it. But without the character interaction we will probably skip it this trip

Don't skip it solely for no characters unless characters for the kids was largely why you ate breakfast there.

We loved the character breakfast ourselves but thought the food more varied and just as good now, in some ways better.

 

[Her Dotness]

Yachtsman. Their food is delicious! Good luck deciding!

Agreed. We've never had a bad meal there.