Our brief series ranking the Disney theme parks (that we’ve been to) by individual categories is wrapping up. At least, until we think of a different category to rank! So far, the series has ranked the Disney theme parks by theme and by ride quality. It’s time to move on to the greatest category of all – food! Some theme parks excel in the food category, others forget to have restaurants. In this post, I’ll rank the 10 Disney Parks I’ve been to based solely on their food.

As if the first two posts in the series weren’t subjective, this is about as subjective as it gets! It likely goes without saying but food tastes differ. You say tomato, I say tomato. That saying doesn’t work in writing. It doesn’t really work out loud either – if you said “toe-mah-toe” in a casual conversation then you’ll get some funny looks. Anyway, some people like tomatoes and others don’t so you may like my food theme park rankings or you might not.

Our ride quality rankings included equations and tried to take into account several factors. I debated on how deep into the weeds to get on the food side of things. On one hand, every Disney theme park on this list has a really bad restaurant. On the other, does that matter if there are 5 or 10 really good places to eat before that.

I’ll let Animal Kingdom be a quick example, as most generally agree that the park has good food. I’ve eaten in almost every restaurant in Disney World but have never summoned the courage to eat at Pizzafari. I’m sure it’s totally fine counter-service pizza but why would I go there when Animal Kingdom has 4 or 5 of the best quicker options in all of WDW? Trying to factor all of that in probably matters a lot more to me than to you.

All that to say, I’m going with a less calculated list this time around. I have factored in how many good restaurants (or snacks) a park has before you reach the “meh, I’d rather not eat here” phase. Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney Studios Park do get a short end of the stick, as I’ve had significantly less meals there than I have on the others on the list. Without spoiling the rankings, I can’t say that I was excited to eat more food at either of them. Let’s get to it!

10. Walt Disney Studios Park

Positives: Bistrot Chez Remy
Negatives: Pretty much everything else.

It’s no surprise that Walt Disney Studios Park finishes last place in all three of these lists. The park is in dire straits. Thankfully, that should get better in the next year or. For now, the park has a total of 2 table-service restaurants and 3 counter-service restaurants. That’s not enough restaurants There’s a few snack stands to go along with them but the quick options close very early and are more miss than hit. We do like Bistrot Chez Remy quite a bit but the rest of Walt Disney Studios Park is a food wasteland.

9. Disneyland Paris

Positives: One of the best theme park restaurants we’ve been in – Walt’s, some decent buffets.
Negatives: Bad counter-service options and frustrating hours.

How heavily should I factor in Walt’s – An American Restaurant is what this ranking comes down to. Our meal there was one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had in a theme park. Agrabah Cafe is a strong buffet option, Captain Jack’s is pretty well thought of and some of the counter-service atmospheres are well done. But that’s where the compliments end, as we had some of the worst counter-service food we’ve ever tried in Disneyland Paris. Moral of the story: Splurge on table-service food here and then you’ll have a good experience. That won’t have a park ranking very high though!

8. Magic Kingdom

Positives: Iconic snacks, Columbia Harbor House, A couple decently priced table-service options.
Negatives: Bad counter-service food, Mediocre and high priced table-service options.

Magic Kingdom dining bottomed out shortly after the pandemic, with the counter-service options being bland and the table-service spots either being mediocre or overpriced, sometimes both! But there’s enough decent options now to have hope. We like Columbia Harbor House pretty well and the menu change at Pecos Bill is encouraging. Crystal Palace, Plaza, Skipper Canteen are decent table-service options. After those listed, Magic Kingdom’s options are very flawed. The park is redeemed a little bit thanks to some good snacks, notably the waffles and Dole Whip.

7. Hollywood Studios

Positives: Some surprisingly good restaurants (ABC Commissary, Hollywood & Vine, Docking Bay 7) in both the counter-service and table-service options, fun lounges and strong atmospheres.
Negatives: Once you’re past the top options, the list goes downhill fast.

Hollywood Studios might have the most drastic difference in the highs and lows of their food. That makes sense when you factor in how much the dining scene has improved at Hollywood Studios in the last 5 or 10 years. There’s still a few remnants of how bad the park once was (Backlot Express and the options down Sunset Boulevard) but why eat at those when there are plenty of really good options! The Brown Derby (and lounge) is a strong signature restaurant and the cheaper options are pretty versatile from Woody’s Lunch Box to Docking Bay 7 and everything in between.

6. Tokyo Disneyland

Positives: Good food quality throughout, some of the best (and cutest) snacks you’ll ever have.
Negatives: Table-service restaurants don’t stand out as much.

Tokyo Disneyland was a hard one to place, so landing in the middle felt right. Like a few other parks on the list coming up, bad meals at Tokyo Disneyland are few and far between. The food quality is extremely high, regardless of snack, counter-service or table-service. But there seems to be a ceiling at this park for whatever reason, where I’ve never had a table-service meal that blew me away. In fact, I’ve liked counter-service spots like Hungry Bear Restaurant and China Voyager more. Snacks here are elite and the dining scene in general is strong.

5. Disneyland

Positives: Counter-service food largely punches above its weight, Table-service restaurants have a charming atmosphere, great snacks
Negatives: Could use another table-service restaurant in Fantasyland or Tomorrowland, prices.

While many of the theme parks on this list have improved over the last few years, Disneyland has stayed somewhat stagnant. That’s not as bad as it sounds, as the park has always had strong options across the board. Due to the lack of space, Disneyland doesn’t have as many table-service restaurants as other parks and the ones that are there are above average but not amazing. The counter-service options are wide ranging though and generally quite good. Plus, you have the classic snacks – Dole Whip, churros and some modern fan favorites.

4. Animal Kingdom

Positives: The counter-service restaurants are really strong (Satu’li Canteen, Flame Tree BBQ, Harambe Market), Tiffins & Nomad Lounge are exceptional.
Negatives: There aren’t enough table-service spots for Disney World’s hottest park.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad meal at Animal Kingdom. Others like Yak & Yeti more than me and Tusker House is good but not great. I’ve also stayed away from Pizzafari and the soon to be extinct Restaurantosaurus. Everything else is fantastic, whether that’s Dawa Bar and Nomad Lounge for a drink or Flame Tree and Satu’li Canteen for counter-service. Tiffins is an exceptional table-service restaurant. To level up, Animal Kingdom could use another great sit-down restaurant but it’s already one of the best theme parks for food.

3. Disney California Adventure

Positives: A made over counter-service roster that is fantastic, Lamplight Lounge and Carthay Circle.
Negatives: There’s a few bland options

Theme and ride quality might be low, but California Adventure has figured out the dining scene. There’s exceptional table-service restaurants in Lamplight Lounge and Carthay Circle, with both offering lounges in case you want something a little faster. Counter-service is fantastic as well, with the San Fransokyo area offering three really good places to eat among other good restaurants. Yes, there’s still a few duds in the lineup but DCA is one of the best theme parks to go have a meal at.

2. Epcot

Positives: An incredible quantity of diverse options, some of the best snack and drink options anywhere.
Negatives: Many of the table-service restaurants leave something to be desired.

No theme park offers more food than Epcot, World Showcase makes sure of that. World Showcase alone gives Epcot the best snacks of any park. Counter-service isn’t far behind, with some excellent bakeries and specialty items offered. Moving to table-service is where things get a little dicey. Epcot definitely offers a lot of options but many of them are hit and miss. We love Chefs de France and some of the more expensive options are really strong. But quantity doesn’t always mean quality here. In the end, that feels like picking nits as no park’s identity is quite as wrapped up in food as Epcot’s is.

1. Tokyo DisneySea

Positives: Exceptional atmosphere and food in the counter-service and table-service restaurants.
Negatives: The snack options aren’t quite as strong as the other top finishers in this ranking.

It makes sense that the best park in terms of atmosphere also has the best atmospheric restaurants. Royal Banquet Hall, Vulcania, Magellan’s, Ristorante di Canaletto and Teddy Roosevelt Lounge are among our favorite themed restaurants anywhere. They also taste really good! I’d add Restaurant Sakura and Casbah Food Court to the list of excellent places to eat in the park. The snacks might not keep up with other places (although they aren’t bad) but DisneySea is as strong as any park when it comes to restaurants!

What do you think of my theme park rankings by food? Let us know, along with any questions you have, in the comments below! Planning a Disney trip? Check out our Travel Guides to help get you there! Here’s a link to discount tickets at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. If you enjoy what you’re reading here on Wandering in Disney please subscribe to the blog via email or WordPress and like our social media pages. You can find all of those things on the right side of this page. Thank you very much for reading, we appreciate it!