Walt Disney World With Kids (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [112]
Whispering Canyon Café
Kids can saddle up and ride stick ponies to their table at this family-style eatery in the Wilderness Lodge. All-you-can-eat barbecue dinners are brought to the table in cast-iron buckets, or you can order à la carte. If you like home cooking in a casual atmosphere where the kids can get a bit rowdy, Whispering Canyon is a good bet.
Yachtsman Steakhouse
We’re not sure how a yachtsman gets his hands on so much good beef, but this restaurant is one of the premier steak houses in Disney World. Hand-cut steaks and chops with your choice of sauces are served in a clubby dining room.
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Restaurants in the Rest of the World
Bongos Cuban Café
Founded by singer Gloria Estefan, Bongos delivers an Americanized version of Cuban dishes (e.g., black bean soup and grilled pork), a wildly tropical decor, and loud Latin music.
ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill
This sports bar is the only full-service restaurant at the ESPN complex. Televisions broadcast events from every wall. Expect pasta, pizza, sandwiches, and burgers.
Fulton’s Crab House
Fulton’s, on the Empress Lilly riverboat, offers seafood flown in daily from all over the world. Try the raw oysters.
House of Blues
Dan Aykroyd’s House of Blues serves up Cajun and Creole cooking while a nightclub attached to the restaurant serves up jazz, country, rock and roll, and, yes, blues music. The Gospel brunch on Sunday is an especially good choice for families. To find out who’s playing or to purchase tickets call 407/934–2583 (407/934–BLUE).
Paradiso 37
The “37” in the restaurant name refers to the fact that the menu features cuisine from 37 different countries in North and South America. The “paradiso” no doubt refers to the tequila bar, which offers plenty of variety, too. The food here is ethnic-lite, hearty, and generally very good. The appetizers are designed for sharing tapas-style and this can be a fun way to sample several things. And because Paradiso 37 is located in the perpetually-under-refurbishment section of Downtown Disney that was formerly known as Pleasure Island it doesn’t yet draw the crowds that are common at some other Downtown Disney restaurants.
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood’s giant blue globe holds numerous movie props, including the bus from Speed, which hovers menacingly overhead. Film clips run constantly and even the menus, which are printed with the high school graduation pictures of stars, are entertaining. The food is just what you’d expect.
Portobello Yacht Club
A recent revamp transformed the Portobello Yacht Club into a Tuscan country trattoria with an attractive interior and a wide variety of authentic Italian dishes. It’s a bit quieter and more adult than many of the Downtown Disney restaurants. The patio is especially pleasant in spring and fall.
Raglan Road
A life-size bronze statue of Irish poet Patrick Kavanaugh sitting lost in thought on a bench greets you outside this Downtown Disney Irish pub. Inside are four huge wooden bars that were crafted in Ireland in the 19th century. There’s often live music and, although there’s no cost to get into the bar, the music and dancing bring a lot of excitement into the pub. As for the food, the classics go upscale, with Angus-beef shepherd’s pie and Colorado lamb in a sophisticated port-wine sauce.
Rainforest Café
This sister restaurant to the Animal Kingdom location serves casual food in a jungle-theme atmosphere. Most kids love the Rainforest Café, but the music can get very loud, which may bother babies and toddlers. Waits can be long in the evening and advance reservations are not presently available, so take a buzzer and shop around the Marketplace while you wait.
T-Rex
Managed by the same company that runs the Rainforest Café, T-Rex offers casual, family-friendly dining in the form of pasta, pizzas, seafood, and salads, plus giant Audio-Animatronic dinosaurs,