The Best Disney World Restaurants to Use Dining Credits
The Disney Dining Plan can be a great way to make Disney World feel a little more all-inclusive, but only if you use your credits wisely.
Not every restaurant is worth a Table-Service credit, and I definitely wouldn’t use a Snack credit on the first $4 snack I see just because it qualifies.
So if you’re trying to figure out where your Disney Dining Plan credits are actually worth using, here’s exactly where I would spend ours.
If You Only Remember 5 Things…
Save Snack Credits for Starbucks
Use credits on Venti specialty coffees instead of wasting credits on cheap snacks.
Save Snacks for EPCOT
World Showcase is one of the best places to use Snack credits from all around the world.
Skip Expensive Breakfasts
Bring breakfast bars or order groceries, and save your valuable dining credits for later in the day.
Adults: Remember Your Drink
Guests 21+ can choose an eligible alcoholic beverage with table service meals.
Use Resort Quick Service
Grab food to-go and eat by the pool or back in your room on your dedicated resort-only days.
My Favorite Resort Dinner: 'Ohana
USE: Table-Service Credit
If I’m saving a Table-Service credit for a resort dinner, ‘Ohana is one of my top choices. This is an all-you-care-to-enjoy dinner at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and there is SO much food.
- Famous 'Ohana noodles
- Beef, chicken and shrimp skewers
- Dumplings + wings combo
- Legendary Bread pudding
- Polynesian Mai Tai for adults
REAL MOM TIP: Save your appetite! Keep lunch lighter on your ‘Ohana day because this is a LOT of food.
Disney Springs Dining Guide
Disney Springs has some REALLY good restaurants, but this is another place where I would be strategic with our credits.
T-Rex™ Cafe
If your child loves dinosaurs, go. The food is typical American restaurant food — burgers, ribs, seafood and huge appetizers — but the dinosaurs and meteor showers make the experience. My son LOVES this place.
The Chocolate Extinction
Don’t leave without sharing this giant dessert! It is fudge cake, chocolate ice cream, whipped cream, and realistic dry ice ‘smoke’ pouring out of the center.
Morimoto Asia
The strategy: Check the current Dining Plan requirements for lunch before booking dinner, because dinner can require 2 credits, while lunch is only 1 credit.
Entrée: Morimoto “Buri-Bop”
Dessert: Yuzu Pie
Drink: Sake Sangria
Watch Out: Don’t assume every appetizer, dim sum dish, side or sharing item is included. Some specialty dishes can cost extra or require additional credits. Always ask before ordering.
Magic Kingdom Dining Strategy
For Magic Kingdom, I like to keep our dining strategy pretty simple. I don’t want to waste a bunch of time sitting at restaurants when we could be on rides! We save our credits for the meals that are actually worth it, grab Quick Service when we need something easy, and try not to waste credits on food we could easily pay for out of pocket. Here’s how I would use our Dining Plan credits at Magic Kingdom.
☕ Breakfast: Main Street Bakery
🌭 Quick Service: Casey's Corner
One of my favorite easy lunches. Great hot dogs, filling food, and you don’t lose a huge chunk of park time sitting at a restaurant.
Table Service: The Crystal Palace
Table Service: The Crystal PalaceGreat if your kids really want to meet Winnie the Pooh and friends. The food is basic buffet food, so I would book this for the characters, not because the food is amazing.
👑 Skip: Cinderella's Royal Table
Eating inside the castle is magical, but I would only spend two dining credits here if your child is REALLY into Cinderella and the princesses. Otherwise, save those credits.
🦃 Liberty Tree Tavern
Save This Guide
Hollywood Studios Dining Strategy
For Hollywood Studios, I like to keep our dining strategy easy during the day and save our Table-Service credit for a meal that’s actually fun for the kids. We grab Quick Service when we need something filling, use a Snack credit for Starbucks, and try not to spend too much park time sitting at restaurants. There are some really fun dining experiences here, but not all of them are worth using a credit. Here’s how I would use our Dining Plan credits at Hollywood Studios.
🍔 ABC Commissary
Easy. Filling. Indoors. And did I mention…
AIR CONDITIONING.
Sometimes that’s all I need from a Disney lunch.
☕ Trolley Car Café
This is Hollywood Studios’ Starbucks.
Same rule as Magic Kingdom: check which specialty coffees qualify before paying cash.
🤠 Roundup Rodeo BBQ
This is exactly the kind of restaurant where I don’t mind using a Table-Service credit. It’s fun for the kids, it’s all-you-care-to-enjoy and the whole restaurant makes you feel like you’re one of Andy’s toys.
What I'd Get:
- Prospector's Homemade Cheddar Biscuits + sweet pepper jelly
- Buttercup's Beef Brisket
- Banana Cream Chocolate Mousse
- Snake Eye Margarita for adults
🌌 OGA'S CANTINA
Oga’s Cantina in Galaxy’s Edge is really cool, especially if you have a Star Wars fan in your family. But I wouldn’t treat it like one of our big meals. Go inside, enjoy the atmosphere and order a drink.
🚗 Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater
✅ Go for: The atmosphere. Eating inside a little car while old sci-fi movies play on a giant drive-in screen is SO fun.
❌ Not for: The food. It’s pretty basic American food.
📺 50's Prime Time Café
✅ Go for: A really fun restaurant with good comfort food and hilarious Cast Member interactions.
❌ Not for: Younger kids who may not get the old-school theme and jokes.
Save This Guide
EPCOT Dining Strategy
For EPCOT, I like to plan our dining a little differently because there is SO much good food to try around World Showcase! I don’t want to fill up on big sit-down meals and miss all the snacks along the way. We save as many Snack credits as we can, use them whenever we find something worth it, and plan just one Table-Service meal we really want. Here’s how I would use our Dining Plan credits at EPCOT.
Teppan Edo
Dinner + entertainment in one reservation. The chef cooks hibachi-style steak, chicken, shrimp and other entrées right at your table, making the meal feel like an experience instead of just another restaurant reservation.
Epcot: What I Would Skip
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
Garden Grill
Biergarten
San Angel Inn
Coral Reef
Space 220 Strategy
Space 220 isn’t where I would build my Dining Plan strategy. If you want to experience the incredible space-themed restaurant, consider going for a drink or smaller experience rather than automatically committing to an expensive full meal.
EPCOT SNACK AND DRINK GUIDE
SAVE YOUR SNACK CREDITS FOR EPCOT
This is exactly why I like to save some of our Snack credits for EPCOT! There are so many fun drinks and foods to try around World Showcase. Our plan is to grab one drink and one snack in each country and SHARE. That way, we can try way more without getting completely full halfway around the world.
🇨🇦 CANADA
🍺 Moosehead Lager or Blanche de Chambly
🍿 Maple Popcorn
🇬🇧 UNITED KINGDOM
🍺 Snakebite — cider + lager blend
🐟 Fish & Chips from Yorkshire County Fish Shop
🇫🇷 FRANCE
🍺 Kronenbourg 1664 Blanc
🥐 Raspberry Macaron or Crème Brûlée from Les Halles
🇲🇦 MOROCCO
🍺 Casa Beer
🍢 Chicken Kebab or hummus with pita
🇺🇸 AMERICA
🍺 Samuel Adams seasonal brew or Tennessee Lemonade
🧀 BBQ Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese from Regal Eagle Smokehouse
🇮🇹 ITALY
🍺 Moretti or Italian Sangria
🍕 Pizza or Cannoli
🇩🇪 GERMANY
🍺 Schöfferhofer Grapefruit Hefeweizen
🍿 Werther’s Original Caramel Popcorn or Butter Bar
🇯🇵 JAPAN
🍺 Kirin Frozen Draft or Violet Sake
🥢 Teppan Edo for dinner
🇨🇳 CHINA
🍺 Tsingtao or Canto Loopy
🥟 Pork Egg Rolls or Chicken Pot Stickers
🇳🇴 NORWAY
☕ Frozen Viking Coffee — coffee + Baileys + Kamora
🥖 School Bread
🇲🇽 MEXICO
🍹 La Cava Avenger or Classic La Cava Margarita Flight
🌽 Elote or tacos from Choza de Margarita
Animal Kingdom Dining Strategy
For Animal Kingdom, I like to keep our dining strategy easy and flexible because there is already SO much to see and do! I don’t want to spend a huge part of our park day sitting at restaurants. We grab Quick Service when we’re hungry, use a Snack credit for Starbucks, and save our Table-Service credit for Tusker House, where we get good food AND characters. Here’s how I would use our Dining Plan credits at Animal Kingdom.
Tusker House Restaurant
If I want character dining, this is one of my favorites. You get Mickey and friends in safari outfits plus an all-you-care-to-enjoy meal with more interesting food than many traditional character buffets.
Tusker House Highlights
- Mickey & Friends Safari Characters
- Lots of food (All-you-care-to-enjoy)
- Kid-friendly choices
- More adventurous options for adults
- Air-conditioned break from park heat
Creature Comforts
Use the same Starbucks strategy here to maximize your snack credit values while getting your essential morning coffee.
Keep Lunch Easy
How to Maximize Every Single Credit
Best Credits at a Glance
If I were planning our trip right now, this is where my credits would go:
🌺 Resort Dinner.
🏰 Magic Kingdom Table Service
🛍️ Disney Springs
Don't Waste Your Credits
Dining plan credits act as pre-paid currency. Avoid these common traps to ensure you aren’t leaving money on the table.
Dining Plan Pitfalls to Avoid
- DON'T: Use Snack credits on cheap bottled drinks or tiny snacks.
- DON'T: Use expensive dining credits just because a restaurant accepts them.
- DON'T: Spend meal credits on breakfast every morning when you can bring easy food from home.
- DON'T: Forget that table-service adult meals include an alcoholic beverage for guests 21+.
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