The Ten Best Monorail Restaurants in Walt Disney World

Magic Kingdom fans should know by now that the monorail resorts are the place to be.

Disney operates three different deluxe hotels in this area, and they’re the most luxurious and iconic in the Walt Disney World lineup.

You’re always a monorail ride away from your choice of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

Each hotel hosts several Quick Service and Table Service restaurants. You can eat very well at these monorail restaurants without ever setting foot in Magic Kingdom.

Also, you can escape the parks for a hard-earned respite at one of Disney’s best eateries. Here are the best monorail restaurants at Walt Disney World.

10. Citricos

Let’s start with two rules. The first is that the restaurant must be open right now, eliminating some places like Narcoossee’s and 1900 Park Fare.

I’ve also excluded Kona Café since it will close indefinitely starting on August 15^th. We’ll reevaluate the list later when these eateries return in their new form.

Bars, lounges, and pool shops are out as well. I’m assuming you want a decent meal, not the most convenient one or pretzels and beer.

The other is that we’re also considering bang for the buck, not just food quality. Otherwise, we all know what would win this discussion.

With those criteria in mind, let’s talk about Citricos, the restaurant Disney recently re-themed.

While the new look remains subtle, it’s embracing the recent Disney movie Mary Poppins Returns.

 

Imagineers obviously have a soft spot for the moderately successful movie, as Disney had previously announced a flat ride at the United Kingdom pavilion.

We’re still waiting for the Mary Poppins attraction, but you can dine at Citricos right now…as long as you’re willing to pay for it.

Appetizers here cost $14-21, while entrees range from $34-$58. So, for a couple, you’ll likely spend more than $100 on your meal.

Sure, the food’s great, but we can do better at this price.

9. Gasparilla Island Grill

Over the years, MickeyBlog has reviewed most of these places.

I described a Gasparilla Island Grill experience about two years ago as “the hidden gem that everyone has apparently forgotten.”

So, the fact that I’m ranking this restaurant so low on the list speaks volumes about the dining options on the monorail line.

The menu here is remarkably deep and inexpensive, especially by Grand Floridian standards.

However, I must confess that the most memorable parts of my meals here have historically been desserts. So, again, everything’s fine here, but we will do better.

8. Chef Mickey’s

This one’s so challenging to evaluate because every Disney fan will love Chef Mickey’s.

Various members of Disney’s Sensational Six come to your table and interact with you. Some of them are wearing chef/dinner outfits that are soooo charming.

You can take pictures and mess around with Mickey and Minnie Mouse, which should bring joy to adults and children alike.

However, the current price for Chef Mickey’s is $55 per adult and $36 per child. There’s no getting around that charge, which is a problem because…

The food is just okay.

Look, I’ve eaten at Chef Mickey’s more than most people have eaten at KFC. I’m an evangelist for this meal experience and wouldn’t keep going if the food were terrible.

That’s a different statement from arguing that the cuisine is of the highest standards because it’s not.

The most memorable items I’ve eaten at Chef Mickey’s were desserts. Otherwise, it’s pizza slices, chicken nuggets, and mashed potatoes.

To me, that sounds like a Quick Service dining experience with Disney characters…which is probably how we should think of Chef Mickey’s.

7. Grand Floridian Café

 

Here’s the opposite of Chef Mickey’s. The Grand Floridian Café really only has two things going for it.

One is location, as it resides just beyond the hotel lobby, one of the best hangout spots at Walt Disney World.

The other is the food itself. Grand Floridian Café has become something of an insider place for foodies.

People who dine here know that they’ll eat well at a reasonable price. Also, they can order brunch throughout the lunch course. Even at dinner, Shrimp and Grits is an option.

So, Grand Floridian Café works well as the fallback option when the best places aren’t available.

6. Capt. Cook’s

Confession: Every instinct I have is to flip this outcome with the next one. However, I didn’t do so for reasons I’ll explain in a moment.

Personally, Capt. Cook’s is my favorite Quick Service restaurant on the monorail and my overall top choice in the Magic Kingdom area.

I don’t think I’m alone in this opinion, either, at least not at MickeyBlog.

Capt. Cook’s is our most frequently reviewed restaurant, meaning we eat here A LOT!

The prices are affordable, the Polynesian flavors are exquisite, and it smells like the hotel lobby. This place is wonderful!

5. Contempo Café

Remember what I said about Gasparilla? It applies here as well.

 

Contempo Café sells such great desserts that it leaves a display of them sitting beside the restaurant.

The sole purpose of this place is to lure unsuspecting monorail guests into walking over to Contempo Café.

Speaking of which, I felt the compulsion to rank this restaurant over Capt. Cook’s because it’s a ranking of monorail eateries.

At the Contempo Café, the actual monorail runs ten feet above the beverage station. So I had to give it bonus points for that!

4. California Grill

The following two rankings may prove controversial. I think we can all agree that they serve some of the best food on the monorail overall.

However, neither place is cheap. At California Grill, Disney adds a kind of hidden cover charge.

If you want to ride the exclusive elevator, you must pay for an expensive meal. In fact, the restaurant currently serves a prix fixe meal for $89 per person.

I like California Grill just fine – I spent my 10^th anniversary here! – but I don’t $89 like it.

3. Victoria & Albert’s

Yes, the food is even better at Victoria and Albert’s than at California Grill. Realistically, it’s better than the cuisine anywhere in the south.

The crown jewel of Grand Floridian dining often wins honorifics for its delicious, upscale cuisine.

You must decide for yourself whether the juice is worth the squeeze. Victoria & Albert’s prices make $89 per person look positively quaint.

The prix fixe menu here costs $295 per person, and that’s before we factor in a wine pairing. Those run from $110-$150 each.

So, you can eat here, or you can buy a new HDTV/laptop/smartphone. The choice is yours.

I love the place as a special occasion option, but it just doesn’t provide the financial value of the top two.

2. Steakhouse 71

I really debated this one. Everyone knows what will win this list, but the outcome is closer than you might think.

Last year, Disney closed The Wave… of American Flavors, thereby outraging its loyal fans. Everyone braced for the worst, a rumored Incredibles Steakhouse.

Now, I have nothing against The Incredibles. In fact, I named one of my cats Jack-Jack.

However, we’re all accustomed to Disney raising prices dramatically when it repurposes spaces, especially with popular intellectual properties.

Instead of Incredibles Steakhouse, Disney surprised us with Steakhouse 71, which features some of The Wave’s old menu items plus delicious steaks.

Most shocking of all is that the prices didn’t increase dramatically. You can order some apps here for $9-10, while entrees start at $24.

My wife and I can eat here for $60 before tax and tip. She gets the Vegetable “Wellington” while I order the 10-ounce New York Strip.

That’s legitimately cheaper than when we eat at our favorite “nice” restaurant in the town where we live.

Steakhouse 71 resides by the lobby of the Contemporary! It shouldn’t be this cheap!

1. ‘Ohana

 

Once we factor in value, the number one choice on this list becomes clear. Yes, I thought about elevating Steakhouse 71, but it hasn’t closed the gap that much.

‘Ohana remains the premier monorail dining experience for most guests.

When you dine here, you feast on the finest in Polynesian cuisine. Servers deliver wave after wave of courses, each one more delicious than the last.

Since this eatery works as All You Care to Enjoy, you can order as many skillets of food as you desire for each course.

No place at Disney causes you to loosen your belt like ‘Ohana. At $55 per adult, it’s the most satisfying meal and the best bang for the buck on the monorail.

The only sticking point here – other than the sticky coriander wings! – is that everyone else knows this, too.

So, you must act aggressively to book an ‘Ohana dining reservation.

Which of these monorail restaurants are your favorite? Let us know in the comments!

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Feature Image: Disney