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Best of the Best At Disney World: Foodie Edition – 13 Things You’ll Love

Toffee Cake -Liberty Tree Tavern

Disney food options have come a long way from their humble hamburger and French fry beginnings. Sure, they still have hamburgers and French fries, but now those burgers are topped with things like lobster meat or fried eggs, and those French fries are loaded with unique fixings like barbeque pork and coleslaw. Lately, there is no better place for a foodie than at Disney World, where there are seemingly limitless ways to satisfy any and every food craving. We’ve scoured the Parks and Resorts, tasting and sampling the latest and greatest foods. We corralled the best of the best flavors around, crowning a winner and runner-up with each of our playful and unique food-related categories. Though these categories might not exactly reflect it, we take our food finds pretty seriously and awarded winners based on a combination of our own personal experiences as well as fan favorites. Here is “Part One” of our Best-of-the-Best: Disney World Foodie Edition.

13. Best Food Worth Killing Your Diet Over –

Winner: Tonga Toast (Kona Café, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort)

Here’s the skinny—though trust me, there isn’t anything “skinny” about this massively delicious breakfast indulgence at the Kona Café—Tonga Toast is made up of super thick slices of Sourdough bread which sandwiches sliced bananas. The “sandwich” is then dipped in an egg batter and deep-fried to a crispy golden perfection, finalized with a cinnamon-sugar coating. If you aren’t drooling yet, there may be something seriously wrong with you. Served with strawberry sauce, this is breakfast bliss on a plate. Runner Up: Bread and Butter Pudding (Raglan Road, Downtown Disney)

12. Best Shareable Food You Won’t Want to Share –

Winner: Colosso Nachos (T-Rex Café, Downtown Disney)

Everything is gargantuan here, really driving home the dinosaurs-are-larger-than-life theming. The piled-high plate of Colosso Nachos—though meant for sharing—might just prove that your bark (or should I say “roar”) is bigger than your bite as every delicious crunch of each loaded tortilla chip will have you smacking away foreign hands to get more for yourself. Loaded with cheese, seasoned ground beef, black beans, pico de gallo, green onions, cheddar cheese and sour cream, these nachos are practically begging to be inhaled.

Runner Up: Sweet Potato Nuggets (Golden Oak Outpost, Magic Kingdom)

11. Best Eat-Until-You-Wanna-Pass-Out Meal –

Winner: Dinner Feast at Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (Ft. Wilderness Resort and Campgrounds)

Endless buckets of all-you-care-to-enjoy fried chicken and smoked BBQ pork ribs, baked beans, fresh-baked sweet cornbread and scrumptious strawberry shortcake. This is the kind of food that has you licking your fingers and motioning for more before you’ve even finished with what you’re working on. Even though the meal alone is worth every penny, you get entertainment too! Win win!

Runner Up: All-You-Can-Eat Thanksgiving Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern (Magic Kingdom)

10. Best GASP-inducing Dessert –

Winner: Sparkling Volcano (Rainforest Café, Downtown Disney)

This dessert drawing eyes from all over the restaurant often makes its way to “Top 10” lists featuring the greatest Disney desserts. The three gigantic slabs of brownie cake stacked to resemble a volcano and accompanied by about a zillion scoops of vanilla ice cream with an “eruption” of flowing chocolate fudge sauce is “sparkling” with—you guessed it—a sparkler positioned on top. Cue the “oohs” and “aahs” from jealous nearby patrons who are eagerly plowing through their meal just to get to this point. The only question remaining: Is this plate an insurmountable feat or simply the most deliciously delicious dessert known to mankind? You be the judge!

Runner Up: The Kitchen Sink (Beaches and Cream, Disney’s Beach Club Resort)

9. Best What-Will-They-Think-Of-Next Dessert –

Winner: The Grey Stuff (Be Our Guest Restaurant, Magic Kingdom)

Have you tried The Grey Stuff? It’s delicious! Don’t believe me? Then you obviously haven’t tasted it yet. Wonderfully unique and oh-so-harmoniously in sync with the theming of the restaurant based on the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast, one tantalizing spoonful of this cookies and cream mousse will have your taste buds cheering in response. This dessert serves as a reminder of the detail-driven, creative force behind the team of Disney Imagineers who know how to breathe life into these beloved Disney stories.

Runner Up: The King Cupcake (Everything Pop Food Court, Disney’s Pop Century Resort)

8. Best Food You Can’t Stop Eating –

Winner: Popcorn (Various food carts around the Walt Disney World Resort)

Your first buttery crunch of this salty snack will have you clamoring for more…and more…and more. The smell alone is spellbinding, hypnotically drawing park guests to these popcorn carts and before they know it, they’re testing the limit on just how many pieces will fit into their mouth at the same time. Addictive? Yes. Delicious? Compellingly so.

Runner Up: Cinnamon-Glazed Nuts (Various food carts around the Walt Disney World Resort)

7. Favorite Trendiest Food Craze –

Winner: The Croissant Doughnut (Refreshment Port, Epcot’s World Showcase)

We began hearing the word “cronut” and seeing the drool-worthy images of this cross between a croissant and donut in 2013. The popularity of this unique marriage of our favorite indulgences has only increased since then, and Disney dove headfirst into this global food fad. Served a la mode or plain, this treat is just heavenly.

Runner Up: Gluten-Free ‘Babycakes’ Donuts (Erin McKenna’s Bakery, Downtown Disney)

6. Most Refreshing Disney Treat –

Winner: Dole Whip (Aloha Isle, Magic Kingdom/The Pineapple Lanai, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort)

This legendary ice cream-like treat is so popular Disney even carries a line of Dole Whip inspired merchandise (i.e. air fresheners, t-shirts, etc.). Hot, sunny days are a dime a dozen at Disney, and there really is no better way to cool off than with this creamy, chilly, pineapple-y dessert. One sumptuous spoonful will take you from zero to refreshed in no time flat.

Runner Up: Kaki Gori (Japan Pavilion, Epcot’s World Showcase)

5. Favorite Food Featuring Cheese –

Winner: Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup (Le Cellier Steakhouse, Epcot’s Canada Pavilion)

Despite the fact that Florida sees far more blisteringly hot days than cold days, this hot soup remains one of the most popular menu items at Le Cellier. Made with Moosehead Beer and Nueske’s applewood-smoked bacon, the velvety richness of this impossibly creamy and cheesy dish will have you debating whether licking your bowl clean to get every last drop is really all that improper.

Runner Up: Jalapeno Cheese Stuffed Pretzel (Various Food Carts around the Walt Disney World Resort)

4. Greatest Need for Wet-Wipe Post-Meal –

Winner: ANYTHING from Flame Tree Barbeque (Animal Kingdom)

Slow-cooked, smoky goodness on a plate dripping with the tastiest, messiest BBQ sauce you can imagine. Chicken and ribs are the specialty here and everybody loves ‘em! Warning: Make sure you’ve got plenty of napkins or the sleeves of a shirt you don’t care about because your face is about to bathe itself in barbeque.

Runner Up: Turkey Leg (Various food stops at the Walt Disney World Resort)

3. Most Cringeworthy Food or Drink –

Winner: The Beverly (Club Cool, Epcot)

Have you ever tried a free sample of this carbonated soda-like beverage originating from Italy? If not, you must add it to your bucket list just to say you’ve tried it. And if you keel over in absolute disgust the minute the bitter substance that tastes like liquid burps hits your tongue, you’re not the only one. Surely, SOMEONE out there in the world enjoys this stuff as I’d imagine it wouldn’t have been produced in the first place, but I certainly haven’t met anyone who does. Positively awful, this drink.

Runner Up: Nothing else…just The Beverly.

2. Funniest Meal You’ll Eat on Property —

Winner: 50’s Prime Time Café (Hollywood Studios)

Sit up straight, elbows off the table. No texting, no slurping, and for goodness sakes, chew with your mouth closed. And no matter what, eat all of your vegetables! These are just some of the “scoldings” you might receive from your lively, sassy, old-fashioned server at this unique themed diner. It’s all in good fun, and a little back-and-forth banter here is entertaining and almost as satisfying as the chicken pot pie.

Runner Up: The Whispering Canyon Café (Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort)

Bonus Tip!

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1. Best Dessert Worth the Ticket Price Alone —

Winner: Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake (Liberty Tree Tavern, Magic Kingdom)

Hands down one of the best desserts on Disney property, the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake is such a showoff.
It really isn’t fair for a dessert to taste this good, because once you try it you crave it every day thereafter as well as dream about it at night. Mouthwateringly delicious, the base of this dessert is a toffee chocolate chip cookie-ish cake with a mound of melty vanilla ice cream on top. Heath bar bits are sprinkled on the ice cream. Chocolate and caramel sauce is then drizzled on top of that. Every gooey, buttery, crunchy, ice cream-y bite is total and complete euphoria.

Runner Up: Grapefruit Cake (The Brown Derby, Hollywood Studios)

Have you tried any of our winners? Let us know in the comments below! Check out “Part Two” of our Best of the Best: Disney World Foodie Edition!

BONUS TIP: Consider planning and booking your next Disney trip with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner you can trust like Mickey Travels. They’ll help you get the best price for your vacation, share expert advice and their services are totally FREE! It’s genius!

About Kelly B

Full time mommy and writer. I love to eat dessert first and have dance parties in my living room with my two kiddies. I have an affinity for strong coffee, Disney and dreaming up fantastical bedtime stories. I love pointing to the night sky and telling my daughter the crescent moon is the Cheshire Cat smiling at us.

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