What Is the Best Quick Service Restaurant at Magic Kingdom Right Now?
Magic Kingdom still hasn’t reopened all its restaurants yet.
We’re still awaiting the triumphant return of beloved institutions like Columbia Harbour House and Casey’s Corner.
Until then, you may struggle in choosing the right spot to dine at the park.
What is the best Quick Service restaurant at Magic Kingdom right now? Here’s how I would rank them…
7) The Lunching Pad
Dining at the Magic Kingdom isn’t as simple as usual during the pandemic.
With several reliable meals off the table, at least for now, we must adapt to changing circumstances.
Ordinarily, I view The Lunching Pad as a place to sit down when I’m tired at Tomorrowland.
Sure, I’ll sometimes grab a snack or something to drink, but that’s it.
Photo: Disney
Right now, I evaluate the place differently. The Lunching Pad serves two entrées that I like, a pulled pork sandwich and a footlong hot dog.
With Casey’s unavailable, The Lunching Pad actually serves the best hot dog in the park right now. If the menu were deeper, I’d rank it higher.
6) Sleepy Hollow
This place is sneaky-great for breakfast, thanks to its funnel cakes and waffles.
At lunch and dinner, it’s technically a snack shop, albeit with a crucial caveat.
You can order a Turkey Leg here! What other reason do you need to walk here when you’ve got the munchies? The Turkey Leg is iconic!
Don’t sleep on the corn dog or chicken and waffle sandwich, though.
When you want to eat cheap and fast, Sleepy Hollow works well.
5) Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café
So, I faced some challenges in ranking the options here. I don’t view any of the food at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café as special.
Sure, I love the place, which is why I often eat here. If Disney sold more Sonny Eclipse merchandise, I’d buy it all.
The generic cheeseburgers tell a different story, though. I’ve legitimately had a couple of the worst burgers of my life here.
When I rank the place, I remember all the happy times I’ve spent watching an alien Audio-Animatronic perform.
Yes, I’m the person who is a sucker for the Chuck E Cheese pizza band.
Still, I cannot in good conscience recommend some of the food here. It’s potluck, but the deck seems stacked against you.
Really, I’m talking about the burgers more than anything else, though.
The chicken strips taste pretty good with ketchup, which admittedly isn’t most people’s favorite condiment for those.
The hot dogs and spicy chicken sandwiches are the other viable options. I’d recommend either of those over a cheeseburger.
I say this as the moron who will totally order the burger the next time I go there. I kinda have a toxic relationship with Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café.
At least the music’s fun.
4) The Friar’s Nook
Here’s a place where I don’t eat often. However, it exemplifies the way that fortunes have changed at some Magic Kingdom restaurants this year.
The Friar’s Nook at Magic Kingdom has earned a strong reputation for its weird tater tot offerings.
You can get Creamy Bacon Macaroni & Cheese Tots, Brat and Tots, All-Beef Hot Dog and Tots, or Loaded Buffalo Chicken Tots.
The trick here is that the entrée will pile on top of the tots, creating a potato pile that vaguely resembles decadent nachos.
Recently, Disney has incentivized guests to order these by tossing the tots in a Mickey hat!
So, you scoop out the inside of Mickey’s head and eat it. Once you’re done, you’ve got a keepsake chip bowl that looks like Mickey Mouse!
Photo: TouringPlans.com
By the way, the Bratwurst also comes unstacked. The Friar’s Nook qualifies as one of the few places at Walt Disney World where you can just order a brat.
3) Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café
The Old West saloon vibe at this restaurant sets the tone for the kind of cuisine you should expect here.
You’re eating south of the border flavors, which means spicy flavors and familiar dishes.
Photo: MealTrip.com
Tacos and nachos are all over the menu, but Disney chefs have added some twists.
The Pork Carnitas Nachos works well as a standalone dish.
Still, you may prefer them with a salad or rice bowl, though. You have your choice of pork carnitas three ways here.
Yellow rice comes with several of the dishes, as does a Southwest Salad.
Photo: Disney
Probably the most popular entrée is the Fajita Platter. However, you can order a burger if you’re like me and have a low tolerance for spicy food.
Of course, the real reason you’ll prioritize this restaurant is the dessert.
Image Credit: Disney
Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café serves churros! They come with a chocolate dip that will leave you salivating.
Also, you can order Powdered Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnut Holes if you want a second option as your sweet treat. Both are decadent.
Next on our journey of fall treats is the Cinnamon Donuts (Available at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Café) – Served in a Hitchhiking Ghost Novelty container pic.twitter.com/2wX6Ij9P43
— universaldisneynutz (@UnivDisneyNutz) September 1, 2020
2) Pinocchio Village Haus
Do you like flatbreads? If your answer is yes, come here to eat. If you said no, avoid this place like the plague.
I’m only mostly joking. Pinocchio Village Haus serves five flatbreads and two salads.
If you don’t want any of that, your only option for an entrée is Chicken Strips.
Otherwise, you’re ordering Garlic Knots while everyone else at the table eats. Then, you’ll pick something up later.
Photo Credit: MealTrip.net
I happen to like flatbreads…and Chicken Strips. So, I eat here regularly. I fully understand why some people don’t love it, though.
1) Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant
Wow, right? Who saw this coming?
Disney thinks so highly of the Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant that it often sits abandoned throughout the week, at least during normal times.
Lately, Disney hasn’t operated Columbia Harbour House, though. So, the company ordered a lot of seafood it couldn’t use.
Somebody clever at Disney turned a negative into a positive by selling the Columbia Harbour House menu at Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant.
The results speak for themselves. Menu staples like the Fried Fish Platter, Lobster Roll, and Fish and Shrimp Platter will confuse frequent Disney guests.
You’ll order food that you know and love…but from a different place on the opposite side of the park.
Yes, you’ll miss the immaculate theming of Columbia Harbour House. However, you’ll find ample seating at Tomorrowland Terrace Restaurant.
Overall, the switcheroo works as a lateral move location-wise.
From a foodie perspective, it’s easily the best thing at Magic Kingdom, though, at least for Quick Service. Let us know the next time you eat at a quick service at Magic Kingdom!
