Let’s face it, a trip to Walt Disney World Resort can be quite exhausting, but well worth it. Getting up and moving or even after a long day in the parks, it’s nice to sit down for a meal that doesn’t require ordering from a menu or getting up from the table and visiting a buffet. Walt Disney World Resort has several table service restaurants that feature “family style dining” and it’s a great time to sit and talk about what you want to see and do that day or recap the happenings of your day.
What is Family Style Dining?
A family style dining meal is one where multiple platters and bowls of food containing the majority of the items on the menu are brought to your table by your server. There’s no having to decide what you want to order because you can have it all! You can help yourself to any or all of the delicious food items placed before you. The servers are more than happy to replenish any of the food items that you wish. Have special dietary needs? That’s not a problem at all! Just let you server know and they’ll be happy to accommodate your needs. There’s a picky eater in your group? Disney realizes that there are lots of picky eaters out there. Servers are more than happy to bring out something to tickle their picky taste buds.
I’d like a home-style cooked meal. Can I find that type of family style meal at Walt Disney World?
Absolutely! While it can be fun to try something new, it’s comforting to have a good home-style meal to look forward to. At Liberty Tree Tavern, you’ll step back in time to the days of Colonial Williamsburg and sup in splendor on the fall harvest bounty. Dinner service includes a full-on family-style feast: the all-you-care-to-enjoy Patriot’s Platter, piled high with roasted turkey breast, sliced prime rib and tavern ham, and traditional sides. For a sweet finish, Guests will love the bread pudding or melt into the Ooey Gooey toffee cake with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream.
Liberty Tree Tavern features 6 historically themed rooms in this beautiful table service restaurant in the Magic Kingdom park. Every day is Thanksgiving when you have dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern!
DIStracted Tips:
- Liberty Tree Tavern was very helpful with Magical DIStractions team member, Connie’s, gluten free diet. You can read her article about gluten free dining at Walt Disney World here.
- Advance reservations are strongly recommended and can be made up to 180 days prior to your visit.
- You must have park admission to access the park and Liberty Tree Tavern
Looking for a bit of Polynesian culture?
‘Ohana is one of the most popular restaurants on Walt Disney World property. Not only does it offer great family style dining but Guests will experience a bit of the Hawaiian culture during the dinner meal service. During dinner service, your “cousin”, “aunt”, or “uncle” will be your server for the evening. Starters are warm coconut-pineapple bread and a freshly tossed mixed greens salad with Lilikoi dressing that is oh so tasty! Next come the pork dumplings, stir-fried vegetables, and lo mein noodles. You could make a meal on just what is brought to your table first but there’s more! Servers appear from behind the tikis and tropical greenery to bring skewers of sweet and sour chicken, oak-grilled shrimp and steak to your table.
You’ll want to save room for the mouth-watering good dessert: ‘Ohana bread pudding a la mode with bananas-caramel sauce. This dessert is off the charts of deliciousness!
Remember the culture that I mentioned? During your meal, Lipoa, a fixture at ‘Ohana since its earliest days, strolls around the restaurant playing a ukulele and singing traditional Hawaiian songs. Birthdays and anniversaries are sometimes recognized as well! When she’s not serenading diners, Lipoa engages the littlest diners by coordinating coconut races around the restaurant.
DIStracted Tips:
- Advance reservations are highly recommended and can be made up to 180 days prior to your visit. If you are set on snagging a reservation for this highly sought after reservation, make those calendars and use our calculator as a planning tool.
- If you time your advance dining reservation just right, you may be able to listen to, and maybe even watch, Wishes at the Magic Kingdom. The restaurant lights dim and Wishes music is piped into the restaurant as the show begins in the park.
- ‘Ohana is located in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. If you aren’t staying at the resort, you can use Disney transportation, drive yourself if you have a car at your disposal, take a taxi or use Uber to get you there. Be sure to factor in travel time when you make you reservation.
Are there characters are any of the family style dining restaurants?
You betcha pal!
Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo and Stitch
I told you about the ambiance filled dinner at ‘Ohana but now I can tell you about the character filled family style Best Friends Breakfast featuring Lilo & Stitch! Lilo and Stitch, along with other friends, invite you and your ʻohana to an American breakfast influenced by Polynesian flavors.
You will feast family-style on a bountiful breakfast of scrambled eggs, Island-style fried potatoes, Hawaiian pork sausages, and smoked bacon. There’s also fresh fruit, assorted breads and famous waffles! And while you are filling your tummies, the characters are making their way around the restaurant and to your table! They will dole out hugs, post for pictures and sign autographs.
DIStracted Tips:
- Advance reservations are highly recommended and can be made up to 180 days prior to your visit. If you are set on snagging a reservation for this highly sought after reservation, make those calendars and use our calculator as a planning tool.
- Keep those autograph books handy, open and ready for the characters to sign.
- ‘Ohana is located in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. If you aren’t staying at the resort, you can use Disney transportation, drive yourself if you have a car at your disposal, take a taxi or use Uber to get you there. Be sure to factor in travel time when you make you reservation.
The Garden Grill
There’s another family style dining restaurant that features characters, and that’s The Garden Grill. Located in The Land Pavilion of Epcot‘s Future World, the restaurant is unique in that it actually moves while you dine! Don’t worry, it’s not spinning around like Mission Space but, rather, it moves very slowly and Guests get a glimpse or two of Living with the Land.
Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Harvest Feast offers Character Dining for breakfast and lunch—as well as dinner! Bring your camera and autograph books to capture the merriment of up-close Character greetings with Chip, Dale and other favorite Disney Characters! (Excerpt from the Walt Disney World site)
Breakfast includes such hearty food as sticky bun bake, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, homestyle potato barrels and fresh fruit. That’s everything that you’d need to give you the boost of energy to start your day off right!
Lunch and dinner highlights include: the farmer’s salad, char-grilled beef filets with a red wine demi-glace, all-natural roast turkey and the sustainable fish of the day with buttermilk mashed potatoes.
DIStracted Tidbit: Did you know that much of the food served around Walt Disney World is actually grown in the Living with the Land? DIStracted fact!
DIStracted Tips:
- Advance reservations are strongly recommended and can be made up to 180 days prior to your visit.
- You must have park admission to access the park and The Garden Grill
Is Family Style Dining For Me?
Only you know your family and their wants and needs. Some foodies would rather order from a menu and others want to have it all! For my family, a family style dinner is a great way to kick off our day or end it sharing stories and giggles about the adventures we had that day.
Have you tried family style dining while on your Walt Disney World Resort vacation? Do you have questions about the restaurants that feature this style of service? Please feel free to post your thoughts and comments in the comments section below. We love to hear from our readers and interacting with them!
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