By: Chris Loechel

Sometimes, you want to plan ahead for a nice, full-service sit-down meal at one of Walt Disney World’s fantastic full-service restaurants (and your Royal Carriage Vacations travel agent can help with that!).  Other times, you might want to grab food in a quicker, most cost-conscious way and this article is for you!

We are going to share with you our single favorite Quick-Service restaurant at each of the four WDW parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.

Magic Kingdom

Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Café

Type of Food:

• Mexican
• Burgers
• Salads

Where it is:    

• At the juncture between Adventureland and Frontierland.  From the park entrance, just walk past Pirates of the Caribbean and it will be on your right.

Why it’s great:  

• Menu – Pecos Bill’s menu is unique compared to the other Magic Kingdom Quick-Service restaurants in it’s diverse menu.  You’re not limited to burgers, hot dogs, and chicken fingers.  Their Mexican fare including their beef or carnitas nachos or their chicken or pork rice bowls are huge hits.  They have some unique dessert options as well including the Powdered Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnut Holes. 
• Seating – Pecos Bill’s always has available seating as it’s a sprawling dining area, including overflow seating.  Better yet, it is fully air conditioned and covered to help you escape the elements. 
• Service – There’s a good separation between the ordering area and the dining area which leads to an efficient process to place and pick up your orders.  I highly recommend using the Disney app to make the process even easier.  Place the order on your phone.  When it says the food is ready, walk up and pick it up!

Things to know:

• The patio at Pecos Bill is also great for parades to so check your parade schedule and route.

EPCOT

La Cantina de San Angel

Type of Food:

• Mexican

Where it is:    

• Mexico Pavillion.  From the park entrance, enter the country showcase and head to the left.  It will be the first restaurant on your right. 

Why it’s great:  

• The food is fantastic!  You get table-service quality Mexican food in a flash.  Their Tacos de Barbacoa is a personal favorite.  They come with 3 tacos, served with rice and beans.  They are street taco-sized, so make sure to order enough for your group.  Their sauces are fantastic as a flavor enhancer as well.  In addition to tacos, they have bowls, empanadas, nachos, and guacamole.   

Things to know:

• Seating can be tough to come by as it’s a small patio area.  If you are going at a peak time or have a very large group, you may need to plan ahead to be able to get enough table space for your party.
• It’s a tight area between the entrance and the food order/pickup area.  It is best to have a single member of your party ordering/picking up with the rest of your party finding a place to sit.

Hollywood Studios

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo

Type of Food:

• Star Wars themed American

Where it is:    

• Star Wars Land.  It’s tucked away at the very back of the Star Wars area of the park.  As you enter the area, head to Smuggler’s Run and then take the ramp to your left. 

Why it’s great:  

• Theming – the dining area is fully themed out to be an inter galactic meetup place you would see in a Star Wars film.  From the seating to the tables, to the surrounding décor, Disney did not skip a beat in putting this together.
• Unique Food – The menu can be daunting at first for selective eaters as everything is themed to sound like it’s from another world.  However, upon closer inspection, you’ll find that they are simply unique twists on food favorites.  For example, the Fried Endorian Chicken Tip Yip is just chicken with mac & cheese and veggies.  My personal favorite is the Pirjanad Hot chicken Tip Yip which is fried chicken glazed with chipotle sauce for a WDW flavor unique to this restaurant.  I think you’ll be able to find something for everyone as you read the description of each menu item.

Things to know:

• This can be a great meeting/waiting area if you splinter your party for either of the Star Wars rides.  It is air conditioned and covered and is not too chaotic with the traffic in and out. 

Animal Kingdom

Flame Tree Barbecue

Type of Food:

• Barbecue

Where it is:    

• On Discovery Island.  As you enter the park and see the big tree, head to the right.  It will be on your left before you cross the bridge into DinoLand U.S.A.

Why it’s great:  

• Complete BBQ Experience – the menu offers ribs, rotisserie chicken, and pulled pork with many menu options to create combos between the three.  There’s a salad option as well as a pulled pork mac and cheese which is a favorite for our crew.  Onion rings as a side is somewhat unique as well and goes perfectly with the entrees.  For the adult beverage enjoyers in your party, they have an excellent menu of options.
• Ambiance – the dining areas are a large collection of covered outdoor patios.  Just off the water, this leads to a very tranquil and relaxed dining experience where you can escape the elements and the noisy chaos of a theme park for a calm and relaxing dining experience. 

Things to know:

• Oftentimes, you can see Disney characters riding on boats in the water.  Your kids may enjoy waving at them and seeing their favorites!

All Disney quick-service options have something to offer, but these four are our favorites when looking for a substantive meal.  It can be helpful to try to plan your pathing through the park to be in the general areas of your planned quick-service lunch/dinner spots for ease of logistics.

Stay tuned as we’ll probably do a similar article in the future more dessert-oriented – Yum!