Which Disney World Restaurant Splurges Are Worth the Money?
A Walt Disney World restaurant recently earned a Michelin Star.
That’s sort of like the neighborhood kid winning the Nobel Prize.
You don’t believe that sort of thing is possible until it happens, but that’s Disney magic for you. Any wish can come true!
Of course, eating at any Michelin Star restaurant comes at a high cost, which got me wondering.
Which Walt Disney World restaurant splurges are worth the cost?
Be Our Guest Restaurant
Beast cordially invites you to his castle, where you’ll dine on all the finest meats and cheese.
Along the way, your host may even find a moment to hustle across the room, waving warmly at you as he performs his royal duties.
Sometimes, Beast will pose for pictures in his study!
When you dine here, what matters is the ambiance and the food.
Disney has meticulously constructed three different dining sections, each of which is so good that I hope you’ll discover each during your lifetime.
In terms of the menu, Be Our Guest serves a Prix Fixe meal with ample options for even the pickiest eaters…and I should know.
Most importantly, Disney somehow got The Grey Stuff right, which is the icing on the cake for a meal at Be Our Guest.
Currently, you’ll pay $70 per person, which isn’t cheap by any stretch.
Despite that fact, we generally dine here at least once per trip.
I’m sentimentally attached to the place and loooove The Grey Stuff.
This is a meal that I believe is worth the cost at least for every Disney vacationer. And you may fall in love with it, too.
California Grill
You’ve heard of a room with a view. This place provides a table with a view, and it’ll take your breath away. Err, the view, not the table.
Anyway, you’ll know that California Grill is fancy right from the start.
The regular people don’t even get to visit this place. Instead, you must be on the list before you can take the private elevator to the restaurant.
While there, you’ll feast on some of Disney’s best California cuisine, and you’ll pair it with the tastiest wine.
In the days before Disney Springs became something of a hotbed for wine connoisseurs, California Grill started the theme park trend.
While you eat and drink, you’ll gaze at Magic Kingdom from an inimitable view.
You’re 15 stories high, looking down at the park. It’s arguably the most novel way to watch Disney’s nightly fireworks displays.
As is the case with every restaurant we’re discussing today, the drawback is the cost. You’ll spend $89 per person for a meal.
Notably, that price doesn’t include the wine pairing, which you’ll pay either $41 or $72 more, depending on how much of a vino fan you are.
Due to the sticker shock price, I only recommend California Grill for special occasions.
Even then, you’ll find better values on this list…but you definitely will NOT find a better view.
Cinderella’s Royal Table
Let’s lean straight into the magic here.
The best benefit of a meal at Cinderella’s Royal Table is that you dine inside Cinderella Castle.
As far as views go, there’s no beating this one anywhere at Disney World…and I include California Grill in that.
Sometimes, at night, you can eat your meal against the backdrop of Happily Ever After playing outside. Nothing beats that!
While you’re there, you’ll also meet your hostess, Cinderella, along with several other Disney Princesses.
Royalty will arrive at your table throughout your meal, keeping you entertained throughout the experience.
A meal here costs $84 per person, which will definitely take a bite out of your vacation budget.
Personally, I find this meal more of a special occasion option.
We ate here for our tenth anniversary, and I don’t think we’ve returned since then.
I don’t have anything against Cinderella’s Royal Table, as our experience was a ten out of ten. It’s more that I prefer Be Our Guest.
Space 220
The newest upscale Disney dining experience isn’t for everyone.
You enter the Mission: SPACE building’s companion site and ride a “Stellarvator” 220 miles into outer space.
Imagineers showed tremendous attention to detail in crafting the illusion that you’re lifting off at EPCOT and arriving in orbit.
Once you exit this unique entrance, you’ll discover several agricultural facilities, whose ingredients you’re supposed to believe you’ll eat.
This part is an illusion, as is the rest of Space 220. Disney has cleverly integrated wall-to-ceiling digital displays to set the tone.
The displays reveal an outer space setting, complete with astronaut walks and the occasional starship.
Basically, you’re dining in outer space, which NASA fans like me will consider something akin to the mothership calling us home.
The trade-off is that you’ll spend $55-$79 per person for the privilege.
Since lunch vs. dinner doesn’t matter against an outer space backdrop, I’d strongly recommend lunch.
It’s cheaper, and you lose sense of time in the vacuum of outer space.
For $55 a person, I consider Space 220 definitely worth the cost. At $79 each, well, I’d paid it, but I don’t think it’s for everyone.
Victoria’s & Albert’s
Out of everything discussed today, this restaurant is the only one where I lack personal experience.
While I’ve heard many stories about meals at Victoria & Albert’s, I’ve yet to have the pleasure.
I recently broached the subject with my wife as we vaguely planned ideas for our 20th anniversary next year.
However, we both think that Victoria & Albert’s would be kind of a waste for me since I possess such a childlike palate.
I’d be dining there for the experience and to check the meal off my still-extensive Disney bucket list.
As a Disney obsessive, I still might do that, but let’s be clear. This restaurant is more for you than for me.
I presume that you’re a foodie or a food lover or at least someone who likes food. If so, you’re different from me.
I’d just skip every meal and run an IV all the time if I could.
That’s a long way to go to say that even *I* want to eat at Victoria & Albert’s.
This place’s reputation boggles my mind. Throughout the 21st century, it has claimed staggering honorifics.
I thought nothing could top what happened in 2023, when one site declared this restaurant the best in America.
That’s debatable, though. What nobody can take away from Victoria & Albert’s today is that it has a Michelin Star.
We’re talking about a Disney hotel restaurant! It should be impossible for such a place to earn such a prestigious honor!
Alas, Victoria & Albert’s isn’t for everyone due to its high cost.
At the absolute minimum, a couple would probably pay $600 plus tax tip for a meal for two.
Realistically, a meal for two will be $800 or so, more if you get the wine pairing. And you want the wine pairing.
For this reason, I’m uncomfortable telling anyone they should pay that much for one meal.
What I’ll say instead is that you do have the money to spend on a one-time special occasion event meal, this is the place.
TripAdvisor voters give it five stars out of five, which is all but impossible under the site’s scoring system.
You’ll get what you pay for here, but you’re paying a LOT!
Yachtsman Steakhouse
As a baseball fan, I have a soft spot in my heart for Disney’s Yacht Club Resort.
Major League Baseball sometimes hosts its MLB Winter Meetings here, which leads to hilarious anecdotes.
Players get traded or signed while their agents are slurping Dole Whips.
MLB and countless other organizations favor Yacht Club for its location (Disney World), meeting facilities, and restaurants.
Specifically, you’ll sometimes spot a billionaire or a celebrity dining at Yachtsman Steakhouse, where many hotel guests dine.
People inevitably go here for one simple reason. The steak options are exquisite.
You get your pick of Enhancements and Sauces, albeit at upsell prices. And you can eat some choice seafood here as well.
My pro tip is to skim your budget and dine at Cape May Café if you want to do that, though. It’s cheaper but shares the same ingredients.
In terms of pricing, Yachtsman Steakhouse serves something of a mixed message. Its steaks aren’t that much more than at other Disney restaurants.
Some of the alcoholic beverage options, like the Scotch Flight, will surgically attack your vacation budget.
Overall, I think Yachtsman Steakhouse is worth the cost only for steak lovers and Scott Boras…and that dude can get bent.
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Feature Photo: Disney