9. The Polite Pig
This counter service eatery and fellow member of the famed Florida lineup of “swine” restaurants is a crowd-pleasing pick for those visiting Disney Springs. Renowned for dishing up classic smoked favorites and boast-worthy barbecue comforts with all the works, it’s hard not to pig out at The Polite Pig. From hearty sandwiches to plated entrée selections, these are just a few of the best-loved fan favorite items to be found on the menu: Baby Back Ribs, Polite Rub Chicken Wings, USDA Prime Brisket, the Smoked & Fried Chicken Sandwich, Pork Shoulder, Half Chicken, Cedar Plank Salmon, and the BBQ Sausage Hoagie. Savory sides give even more added comfort to your selections, like Mac and Cheese with aged cheddar and breadcrumbs, house special Polite Baked Beans, Southern Potato Salad, Sweet Potato Tots, Grilled Street Corn, BBQ Waffle Fries, Crispy Brussels Sprouts, BBQ Cauliflower, and so many others. Just be sure to save room for dessert with such ending endeavors as the Buttermilk Chess Pie, Orange Blossom Honey Cake, and Carrot Cake.
10. Chef Art Smith’s Home Comin’
Another renowned comfort food favorite located right in the heart of Disney Springs is Chef Art Smith’s Home Comin’. In fact, renowned celebrity chef Art Smith has built a reputation around his own masterfully concocted comfort cuisine hits, bringing forth the best of savory southern picks that everyone knows and loves while also adding his own personalized unique touches along with house specialty offerings. All the food here is fresh, as this well-loved full service restaurant makes evident by their farm-to-fork initiative. Start off lunch or dinner with one of several delectable options like Church Lady Deviled Eggs, Bee Haven Bay Fried Green Tomatoes, Thigh High Chicken Biscuits, Bunch of Puppies (house-made hushpuppies with pimiento cheese and jalapeño jelly), Hot Legs (a lollipop-style breaded chicken legs option), the Key West Shrimp Cocktail, or the Jasper Board featuring an assortment of southern-style samplings. From the served-on-a-bun goodness of sandwiches and such to enticing entrée plates, some of the restaurant’s most notable claims to fame include: Art’s Famous Fried Chicken, The Art Burger, Addie Mae’s Chicken & Dumpling Soup, Fried Chicken & Doughnuts, Braised Short Ribs, Fried Catfish, Grilled Pork Chop, Shrimp & Grits, Florida Grouper, and so many others. All your favorite side accompaniments are here too, like Southern Slaw, Grilled Corn Succotash, Momma’s Mac and Cheese, Creamy Mashed Potatoes, and other fixings. The restaurant also presents a bountiful brunch featured on weekends, which boasts its own unique menu, delving into home-style breakfast traditions and original concoctions alike. Some of the famed favorites offered for this occasion include: Short Rib Hash, Hush Puppy Benedict, the Hallelujah Biscuit, and the Grand-daddy Plate, to name just a few. And as always, Chef Art Smith’s Home Comin’ also offers an array of delectable dessert offerings as well, from their signature Hummingbird Cake to the well-loved Hamilton County Chocolate Pecan Pie, the adult-only Shine Cake featuring moonshine, and several other appealing selections to boot.
11. 50’s Prime Time Cafe
This Hollywood Studios-based full service restaurant is, for many, the number one go-to spot for comfort classic cuisine fixings. Themed for that seemingly perfect, idolized time in Americana culture that we all like to think of as “the good old days,” 50’s Prime Time Café offers diners the ultimate trip down memory lane in both décor as well as nostalgic cuisine. From those once-modern TV dinners that were newfangled hits back in the day to those delicious home-cooked classics you enjoyed at the table with the whole family, 50’s Prime Time Café pays tribute to American comfort food styles all around. Savor traditional family favorites, like Grandpa’s Crab Cake, Dad’s Stuffed Pork Chop, Mom’s Old-fashioned Pot Roast, Grandma’s Chicken Pot Pie, Cousin Megan’s Traditional Meatloaf, Aunt Liz’s Golden Fried Chicken, Cousin Harold’s Vegetable Lasagna, Cousin Amy’s Iceberg Lettuce Wraps, and so many others. For hearty appetites or those who cannot decide, there’s even a Sampling of Mom’s Favorite Recipes platter, which includes fried chicken, pot roast, meatloaf, and all the traditional fixings. Be sure to clean your plate because, there are plenty of decadent home-baked desserts to enjoy after your lunch or dinner here. Some of the restaurant’s most celebrated options include Traditional Apple Crisp, Dad’s Favorite Chocolate-Peanut Butter Layered Cake, Mom’s Brownie, and the classic Ice Cream Sundae, to name just a few.
While we’ve highlighted our top favorite comfort food finds around Walt Disney World Resort, keep in mind that there are many other options to look into in addition to all these. This is especially true if you are hankering for a specific type of cuisine, as Disney is known to cater to any and every specialty you can dream up. All in all, like everything else here, the food scene at Walt Disney World is simply magical.