Buffet Restaurants at Walt Disney World
Deciding where to eat during your Walt Disney World vacation can be difficult. Especially if you’re travelling with a group that has varied preferences in cuisine. This makes choosing a buffet style restaurant ideal for many guests. There are buffet style restaurants offered at every single park and there are a few found at resorts. Now some of these feature characters but not all. If you are looking for a character dining experience, check this list. Many of these buffet style restaurants book up quickly, so be sure to reserve in advanced. If you find these restaurants are already full, use these tips found on a previous post on how to get a last minute reservation by following this link. For those using the dining plan, all of these buffets only require 1 table service meal credit. If you are paying as you go, these meals typically vary anywheres between $34 a meal to $59 a meal depending on the time of year and the meal. Breakfast will be cheaper than lunch and dinner. Busier times of year will be more expensive then quieter times of year. Check out the list of restaurants that are buffet style.
Magic Kingdom
This buffet style restaurant is also a character dining experience featuring four of the characters from the one hundred acre wood. While you enjoy this delicious buffet meal, Winnie The Pooh and his friends will come to your table, take a picture and sign your autograph book. Breakfast is from 8am to 10:45am, lunch is from 11:30am-2:45pm and dinner is from 3:15pm-9:00pm. For breakfast, guests will enjoy scrambled eggs, pancakes, waffles, pastries and breakfast meat. For lunch and dinner, you can choose between carved meats, chicken, fish, soup and of course a selection of desserts. The Crystal Palace is found at the end of Main Street U.S.A. before you make your way in Adventureland. The only buffet location at the Magic Kingdom.
Epcot
Found in the Norway Pavilion of Epcot’s World Showcase, The Royal Banquet Hall offers a buffet for breakfast only from 8am-11:10am. Just like every other pavilion restaurant, Akershus’ food is influenced by Norway. So you can expect some different offerings then you would find at the other breakfast buffets. This is also a character dining experience, featuring Belle, Snow White, Cinderella, and Princess Aurora. When dining here for breakfast be sure to ask for the Mickey waffles, they are not at the buffet but will be brought to your table at no extra cost. For breakfast you’ll find eggs, breakfast meats, potato casserole and cheeses.
Biergarten Restaurant
This restaurant is an experience found in the German pavilion. When you walk in here you are walking into a German village. This two tiered restaurant features a stage with live performers. Biergarten is open for lunch and for dinner. At the buffet you’ll find traditional sausages, roast pork, rotisserie chicken, spaetzle and schnitzel. Of course there’s an paralleled offering of beer. Lunch is from 12:00pm-3:10pm and dinner is from 4:00pm-9:00pm.
Hollywood Studios
This buffet style restaurant is also a character dining experience. With two different sets of characters. For breakfast you’ll meet characters from Disney Junior and for lunch and dinner you’ll meet Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy. This restaurant is found off of Hollywood Blvd and overlooking Echo Lake. It’s a large restaurant with booths and silver chairs and tables. Very old Hollywood. At breakfast, you can help yourself to breakfast meats, pancakes, fruit and order up an omelette made in front of you. At lunch and supper, you can pile your plate with pasta, fish, chicken, and carved meats. Hollywood & Vine is the only buffet restaurant at Hollywood Studios. Breakfast is from 8am-10:20am, lunch is from 11:20am-3:00pm and dinner is from 3:20pm-8:00pm.
Animal Kingdom
This buffet style restaurant is tucked inside Africa. Donald and all of his friends stop in as they take a break from their safari. They are dressed the part. Donald, Mickey, Goofy and Daisy make the rounds as guests grab their food at the buffet. Just like Boma – Flavours of Africa, Tusker House offers guests a chance to try some Asian and African dishes while still offering some American favourites. For breakfast you’ll find fruit chutney, banana bread pudding, frittata and beef bootie. Along side the expected breakfast meats and waffles. For lunch and dinner, you can enjoy pita, hummus, curries, black eyed peas salad, and peri peri whole salmon. There’s a special section of kid friendly choices, such as corn dogs, mashed potatoes and mac & cheese. Tusker House gives you a chance to try an assortment of dishes. Breakfast is from 8am-10:55am, lunch is from 11am-3:55pm and dinner is from 3:35pm-8:30pm.
Animal Kingdom Lodge
Boma – Flavors of Africa
Want to try some food with Arican and Asian influences and have some other party members not wanting to take the dive. Come to Boma – Flavours of Africa, and you can try some different offerings while your other guests stick to what they’re most comfortable with. Boma has a buffet for breakfast and dinner. For breakfast you’ll find omelettes, bread pudding, quinoa, corned beef hash, waffles, hand-carved turkey, and of course some Kenyan Coffee. For dinner you can choose between a variety of soups and stews, such as chicken-corn chowder, seafood gumbo, spicy nigerian peanut soup, carrot-ginger soup. You can choose between a variety of salads, such as apple jicama salad, pearl couscous salad, Ghana tomato salad, artichoke and preserved lemon salad, chermoula-chilled shrimp. Entrees range from pork ribs, beef sirloin, salmon, roasted turkey. Now of course they will have some choices for the young ones, like mac & cheese, chicken bites and pasta. Boma – Flavours of Africa is a great excuse to come check out Animal Kingdom Lodge, wander the lobby, and enjoy the savanna with zebras and giraffes. A fantastic way to spend a non-park day.
Beach Club Resort
Cape May Cafe is found off the lobby of the Beach Club Resort. This restaurant is a small spot, not an ideal location for large parties. For breakfast, you’ll meet Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck. For breakfast food you can expect those coveted Mickey Mouse waffles, scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, cereals and lots of fruit. For supper, Cape May Cafe offers a seafood spread. Ideal for the seafood lover. You can go up for plate after plate. You’ll find clams, mussels, crab legs, shrimp. For those meat lovers they have ribs and chicken. Breakfast is from 7:30am-11am and dinner is from 5pm-9pm. Cape May Cafe is the only buffet restaurant in the Crescent Lake resort area, making it an ideal place to dine if you’re staying at the Boardwalk Inn & Villas or Walt Disney World’s Swan & Dolphin Resort.
Contemporary Resort
One of the most popular restaurant locations on property, Chef Mickey’s is found in the Contemporary Resort and is not only a buffet but a character dining experience. Guests will meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto. Chef Mickey’s has breakfast, brunch and dinner. That’s right, you can enjoy your breakfast favourites at lunch at Chef Mickey’s. For breakfast you can serve yourself mickey waffles, fruit, eggs, donuts, carved ham, bagels and breakfast dessert. For brunch you’ll find a salad bar, pot roast, western eggs, mickey waffles and of course a selection of desserts. For dinner, guests can help themselves to glazed salmon, prime rib, chilli-cornbread casserole, and there’s a create-your-own ice cream sundae station. Chef Mickey’s opens at 7am, giving guests a chance to dine here for breakfast before making their way to the parks. Breakfast is from 7am-11:15am, brunch is from 11:30am-2:30pm and dinner is from 5:00pm-9:30pm.
The Wave…of American Flavours
The Wave… of American Flavours is a restaurant located off of the Contemporary’s lobby. The Wave offers a buffet option for their breakfast and at no other time of the day. At breakfast, guests can choose between the buffet or an entree. The buffet offers eggs, breakfast meats, pancakes and a selection of fruit. It comes with juice, coffee tea or a soft drink. Breakfast is from 7:30am-11:00am.
Fort Wilderness
This buffet-style restaurant is found at the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground. With a woodsy and western feel, this restaurant’s food is influenced by it’s theming. A huge selection for breakfast: eggs benedict, cheese grits, frittata, a specialty country pork dish and french-toast custard pudding. Breakfast is from 7:30am-12:00pm. At dinner you’ll find a large selection of salads, soups, roasted meats, fish, corn, pork and chilli. The dessert selection is bountiful, with brownies, cakes, pies and a sundae bar. Trail’s End is open from 4:30pm-9:00pm for dinner.
Grand Floridian Resort
This buffet style restaurant is also home to two different character dining experiences. For breakfast you can meet Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too. Alice, Mad Hatter and Mary Poppins. For dinner you can meet Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine and the stepsisters. Breakfast is offered from 8am until 11:50am and dinner is served from 4pm until 9pm. The buffet is plentiful, with a large selection for kids and adults. For breakfast you’ll have fruit, a hickory-smocked ham at the carving station, pancakes, hash browns, bacon and sausage, and my favourite the Floridian Strawberry Soup. The dinner buffet is a mix between seafood and meat offerings. Salmon, Catfish, Curried Chicken and Mongolian Beef. There’s a salad bar and a carving station featuring Rib-Eye and Turkey. 1900 Park Fare is located off the lobby of the Grand Floridian Resort.
With 11 different buffet-style restaurants you could dine exclusively at these dining experiences for the length of your vacation. The Walt Disney World website will show a few more restaurants as having buffet offerings but these restaurants have all-you-care to enjoy offerings that are brought to your table. It’s not your traditional buffet, serve yourself restaurant. Happy Planning, Friends.