Best restaurants for kids visiting WDW for first time

[flexoidar]

Daughters are 7 and 4. They are still in the princess phase so I do have reservations at CRT and Storybook. That may be all the princess themed meals mom and dad can handle.

What are other restaurants would you consider "must-dos" for kids this age?

 

[chris benton]

Teppan Edo.
Hoop De Doo

Non - princess character meals if they like them?
What kinds of foods do they like?

 

[Orionreplay]

I always beat the Garden Grill drum. My kids are 12 and 9 and both love it!

 

[CynBeth]

Be Our Guest for dinner. Crystal Palace for breakfast. 50’s PTC at DHS.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Other than CRT, my daughter at 7 loved the Bon Voyage breakfast (Ariel, Eric, Rapunzel, and Flynn). I know it's more princesses, but everyone actually really enjoyed the food and it was neat meeting a couple princes. Should you decide to do this one, have your girls ask Flynn where he put the crown. She also adored HDD, and thought Sci Fi was really neat. My 2 yo son also loved HDD and his absolute favorite was Garden Grill, where he really bonded with Pluto, plus Chip and Dale are a riot. They also both enjoyed the endless noodles at Ohana dinner and thought it was fun watching the skewers of meat getting cooked (and I really enjoyed my large alcoholic pineapple drink ). Oh, and Raglan Road was really fun too. We were in a side room and couldn't see the stage, but one of the dancers came over, gathered all the kids and taught them a little dance, then gave them a cute certificate.

 

[Nancyg56]

I like Garden Grill breakfast a lot. It is a nice way to begin an Epcot day. I also think that Hollywood and VIne dinner is Fun if you like to meet the classics in seasonal attire. Crystal Palave for lunch or dinner if you want a meal in the MK.

I balance the character meals with conventional TS meals. The character meals are fun, but I do not think children find them relaxing, so I always booked a few with the kids, but then booked a quiet meal in a resort in between.

 

[DrunkJam]

my son strongly recommends Tusker House breakfast - he says EVERYONE likes that - and I agree, the food was yummy and the characters were great!
my daughter strongly recommends anything with princesses (personally, I would say CRT over Akershus, I wasn't a huge fan of the food at Akershus)

 

[Minniemoo15]

We love restaurants that have some sort of special entertainment - my kids are kept occupied throughout the meal and we adults can sit back and relax. Our favourites include:

Teppan Edo - hibachi-style. My kids love seeing the chefs cook right in front of them

Biergarten - German buffet with live band and dance floor. This might be their #1 favourite

Sci Fi Drive In - Themed like an outdoor drive in theatre. my girls love eating in cars. There are somewhat weird Sci fi movies playing on the big screen but my 4 and 6 year olds aren’t frightened by them.

Raglan Road - Irish pub - my girls love watching the dancers. They always invite kids up and teach them a dance too which they adore.

have a great trip!

 

[Soccer Fan]

We really like 'Ohana for breakfast with Stitch, Lilo, Mickey, and Pluto outside. The food is good, the Polynesian is such a great atmosphere, and nothing beats seeing Mickey.

 

[Jacq7414]

My husband always loves Crystal Palace breakfast

 

[a742246]

Another vote for Crystal Palace for breakfast. It's a nice bright restaurant for starting a day, and the characters and food are very good too!

 

[disny_luvr]

I’d recommend Garden Grill for breakfast. It’s one of our favorite character meals and a great way to start a day at Epcot.

 

[KMarston]

Love Garden Grill Breakfast and ‘O’hana breakfast with Lilo and stitch. You might consider 1900 Park Fare as an option for dinner. The food is buffet and ok, lots of options but the character interaction is awesome! Cinderella, step sisters, stepmother and Prince. There’s also a photopass photographer there that took great family pictures.

 

[JodyLynC]

The three places we always hit when we visit the world: Scifi for lunch, Ohana for dinner, Boma for dinner

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

Daughters are 7 and 4. They are still in the princess phase so I do have reservations at CRT and Storybook. That may be all the princess themed meals mom and dad can handle.

What are other restaurants would you consider "must-dos" for kids this age?

If you're open to more character meals...

I enjoy Tusker House, Garden Grill, and Trattoria breakfast as well (as an adult). Both have decent food along with good character interaction. The latter does have a couple more princesses but they also have princes which is a rarity for WDW. Garden grill, the characters will come by multiple times. Tusker house has a good mix of kids food and unique items that those with a slightly adventurous palate may like without being off the wall in terms of tastes.

If you don't mind hitting a resort, 1900 Park Fare breakfast has Mary Poppins, Alice, Mad Hatter, Tigger, and Winnie the Pooh. If you're open to it and don't mind doubling down on Cinderella, 1900 Park Fare Dinner also typically has Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, and the Step Sisters. I went to the dinner and the villains (particularly the two sisters) really made the experience unique. My dad complimented Drizella but she refused him when he told her he only had two castles. Anastasia and I through shade regarding Cinderella talking to and dressing mice.

For non-character meals, I will also bang the Boma drum, though it's out of the way if you're not staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Similar to Tusker House regarding food but no characters and a more extensive menu. Still very accessible in terms of flavors and plenty of kids menu items.

 

[NiceOneSimba]

My daughter absolutely loved it when the waiter at 50s Prime Time chastised me for not eating my vegetables. When I protested that corn is NOT a vegetable, he fed it to me like I was 3. She was 9 at the time. It's one of her favorite Disney memories....and she really liked her food.

She has also really enjoyed 'Ohana, Sci-Fi, Tusker House (at breakfast and at lunch), San Angel Inn (she loved the ambiance and liked the food just fine), and Be our Guest for breakfast. She liked watching the animals at Sanaa, but wasn't crazy about the food. She definitely enjoyed the princesses at Akershus, and scarfed down the meatballs.

In all honesty, she has been able to find something she wants to eat at every WDW restaurant we've gone to. She seems to enjoy the restaurants that have characters or memorable ambiance the most.

 

[JZCubed]

Daughters are 7 and 4. They are still in the princess phase so I do have reservations at CRT and Storybook. That may be all the princess themed meals mom and dad can handle.

What are other restaurants would you consider "must-dos" for kids this age?

Sci-Fi Dine-In.

Sanaa - if Animal Kingdom Lodge is part of your itinerary.

 

[disneybliss2]

Our favorites include: *all of these are for dinner as we don't like to lose morning park time for a meal.

'Ohana: they give the kids leis, do a hula dance with them, coconut broom race, etc.. The meal is delicious too!
Akershus: great character interaction and delicious meal
Garden Grill: fun rotating restaurant, great meal and character interaction
1900 Park Fare: always had a great meal here and the characters are the absolute best on property; the stepsisters are hilarious
Teppan Edo: my kids have always enjoyed the show the chefs put on and the food is very tasty
If you enjoy breakfast, Crystal Palace is a good choice.

 

[B-Ride]

Crystal Palace for Pooh and Friends. Out kids favourite when they were young. Even my wife had a bit of a soft spot for Pooh and Tigger.

 

[rg35]

Teppan Edo.

Teppanyaki restaurants exist almost everywhere. I don't think this is really a Disney specific must do.