Oldies But Goodies – Counter Service Can Be Just Fine

As Oldies, I think we are somewhat notorious for only dining at table service restaurants on our Walt Disney World Visits. On our last visit we decided we wanted to include some counter service restaurants,  just to check them out. I must say we were quite pleasantly surprised in many instances beginning with breakfast. We were staying at Port Orleans Riverside and had breakfast there nearly every day at the Riverside Mill –  1- plenty of variety, 2- good quality, and 3-very convenient to get an early start on the parks. We also found the Sassagoula Float Works at the French Quarter to be quite good for a couple of dinners.

The parks also have quite a few excellent counter service venues but numbers and quality vary from park to park. Oldies generally don’t go for the burgers and fries type menu, we like some variety. I’ll just try to give you some of our favorites for each park so my senior buddies can have some idea where their needs can be met:

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom – There are not a lot of places to dine in general but there are some very good counter service choices. The Flame Tree Barbecue is as good as any here as well as the Yak & Yeti Counter Service (which also has an excellent table service portion).
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios – The Studio Catering Company is among the best here. Fairfax Fare isn’t bad at all either (good chicken and ribs combo). As you pass Mama Melrose’s and head toward the Streets of America keep an eye off to the right for the Writer’s Stop, it’s a great place for a quiet cup of coffee and a pastry.
• Magic Kingdom – Lots to choose from here but the very best are the Columbia Harbour House, Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe (big variety), Tortuga Tavern (formerly El Pirata y El Perico) when it’s open, and Pecos Bill’s Tall Tale Inn & Cafe. There is something for everyone among that group.
• EPCOT – By far the best choices are here and there are really too many to mention but I’ll hit the best starting in Future World and then heading counter clockwise through World Showcase. To be fair, I haven’t tried the new La Cantina de San Angel so I won’t include it here. The Electric Umbrella has the basics (burgers etc.) down pretty well, Sunshine Seasons has a varied menu and it’s good stuff, the Kringla Bakeri og Kafe has light but tasty fare, quick service German food can be had at Sommerfest, and the Liberty Inn at The American Adventure is another basics specialist but good. Now we get to the Best of The Best. The Tangierine Cafe in Morocco, the Boulangerie Patisserie in France, and the Yorkshire County Fish Shop in the UK are as good as any counter service venues at Walt Disney World.
• Downtown Disney – Either Wolfgang Puck Express is excellent, Cooke’s of Dublin is terrific also. The Earl of Sandwich is quite good and don’t you dare pass up the Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop for dessert. We have not tried the two restaurants (Pollo Campero and Fresh A-Peel) that took over from McDonald’s this past Fall.

See fellow Oldies, you don’t have to eat at a table service restaurant for every meal but I will admit that we love them, particularly the Signature restaurants. You can get good, fresh, healthy food at many locations all over Walt Disney World so don’t hesitate to give some of those counter service establishments a try, they are good. As always, enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!

Ken

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