After each trip we take to Disney World, I always seem to get asked a lot of questions from friends and family. One of the most popular questions I get is ‘what restaurants would you recommend for first-timers?’ I’m not going to lie to you, this was actually a hard question to answer. There are seriously so many wonderful table service options at Walt Disney World but I have narrowed it down to my top 5 favourites that first-timers should visit.

Teppan Edo

You can find this restaurant at EPCOT’s World Showcase, just head straight to the Japan pavilion. If you have no idea what a teppanyaki restaurant is, you should definitely check out this restaurant. “Teppanyaki is a style of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food. The word teppanyaki is derived from teppan, which means iron plate, and yaki, which means grilled, broiled or pan-fried.” So you get great food and entertainment. Not only is this a great restaurant for first timers, but I can also tell you that we visit this restaurant on every trip, just because it’s that good. You can check out the video below from my last trip to Disney

Teppan Edo is a hidden gem at Epcot. It’s reasonable in price, offers great tasting food, and entertainment. I would personally recommend getting the steak and chicken combo. It’s cooked to perfection right in front of you. Dip it in a little bit of the white yummy sauce that they provide and truly amazing.

Raglan Road Irish Pub

Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant is another favourite of ours. GET THE BREAD PUDDING. They offer plenty of delicious meals, but it’s their bread pudding that I get every single time because it’s amazing. Along with a great dessert, the atmosphere at Raglan Road Irish is lively. If you go for dinner, you’ll get to see talented dancers, musicians, as you enjoy your delicious meal. Plus it’s located at Disney Springs, where you and your family could stroll and do some shopping and get those last minute souvenirs.

Crystal Palace

I recommend this place to everyone, at least once. It’s a character buffet meaning you’ll get to meet some of the Winnie the Pooh characters as you sit and enjoy your meal. It’s great for young families who don’t want to wait around in lines all day or use up fastpasses on character meets.

The buffet has a nice array of food from roast beef (cooked to perfection) to melt-in-your-mouth roasted carrots. Plus the dessert table is actually really good. You need to try the toffee chocolate brownie, it is amazing. I seriously debated getting more but was way too full.

Ohana

Some of the best restaurants on property are actually located at Walt Disney World resorts, like this one. During the morning hours, Ohana’s is a character family-styled breakfast. You’ll enjoy the usual breakfast favourites brought to your table. AND you’ll get to meet Mickey, Pluto, Stitch, and Lilo while you enjoy your meal.

Character meals are great for getting all those character photos in without waiting in long lines. So take advantage of that one.

And if you plan to go for dinner, just note there are no characters, however, the honey-coriander chicken wings and bread pudding are AMAZING. So it makes up for the lack of characters.

Garden Grill

My final recommendation for Disney restaurants every first-timer must try is the Garden Grill at Epcot.  It’s another character family style restaurant. You’ll get to meet and greet with Chip, Dale, Mickey, and Pluto. Out of all our character interactions, the best ones have actually come from this restaurant.

The meal itself is always fresh and comes with a variety of flavours that’ll sure to please everyone in your party.

So there you have it, the top 5 must-try restaurants for your next Walt Disney World vacation. These haven’t disappointed us ever, so I’m sure they won’t disappoint you.

Do you have any recommendations for restaurants that first-timers must-try? Do you have any favourites that I missed?

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