Four Disney Dining Picks for 2025
A brand new year is upon us, and with it, all of us Disney parks fans get a fresh slate. There are restaurants to try and experiences to have, and, just in case you’re beginning to compile a list of must-do Disney dining for your 2025 visit, I thought I’d share my top picks. Ready for the character dining experience, table service restaurant, quick service location, and Disney snack that you need to try in 2025? Grab a pencil and get ready to add them to your list.
Disney Table Service Restaurant
I’ve extolled my great love for Toledo in a past article, and nothing has changed my great love for the restaurant in the weeks since. While their menu has recently been altered slightly (Classic Crema Catalina, I’m looking at you), I still believe that it’s worth the planes, trains and automobiles it takes to get there.
That being said, in 2025, I’m asking you to give a Magic Kingdom table service location another try. It’s my firm belief that Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen is worthy of one of your Disney Dining Plan credits, and it’s certainly worthy of your hard-earned vacation dollars. Yes, over the years, this restaurant has gotten a bit of a bad rep, and, in my mind, it’s only due to its somewhat eclectic offerings. It’s not every day that you find a sustainable fish dish that pairs said delicately prepared fish with lotus root and serves it in a lemongrass broth, not to mention it’s all offered by a restaurant located in a theme park. But order that fish dish you should, and, while you’re at it, please also order the secret menu Pao de Queijo. Your server will give you a little wink and a nod and bring out the most adorable and delicious version of Brazilian cheese bread that you’ll find in a Disney park. And when it comes time for dessert, be sure to order the Enchanted Orange Dream. I’ll come and share it with you.
The icing on the cake of Jungle Skipper Canteen can be found in the cast members – I mean Skippers – taking your order. The Jungle Cruise jokes and puns have made their way across the walkway to the Canteen, and it’s so much fun.
Character Dining Experience
If you’ve yet to enjoy dinner at Tusker House, located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, please let 2025 be the year that you correct that. Tusker House can be found in the heart of Harambe, and it’s truly an opportunity for guests to step into another world entirely. Upon entering the restaurant, you’ll find yourself in an African outpost, with the greatest details being found in the ephemera that covers the walls. From train schedules to authentic-looking signage to the fabric draped from the ceiling, this is Africa, and you’ll know that you’ve landed somewhere very special.
The food offered at Tusker House is African-inspired, but before you write this location off as featuring a flavor profile that might not be your favorite, let me implore you to give it a try. The dishes are incredibly good, with warm flavors given to familiar ingredients. Kids will find their usual dishes being offered; what would a Disney buffet be without macaroni & cheese and chicken strips?
The characters who visit your table (Mickey, Goofy, Donald and Daisy) are outfitted in their safari best, and they love a good dance party as it turns out. One note: Tusker House can get quite loud at times. If you have fellow diners with sensitive hearing, I would suggest a meal at EPCOT’s Garden Grill Restaurant instead.
Quick (Counter) Service Dining
My favorite in this category is always Animal Kingdom’s Satu’li Canteen. Always and forever, amen. However, it occurs to me that if I’m asking you to stretch and add new things, I should, too. It’s with this in mind that I suggest you make a beeline toward the 4 Rivers Cantina Barbacoa Food Truck in Disney Springs’ West Side.
I don’t know about you, but my hubby and I typically find ourselves at Disney Springs just a beat or two after we should have eaten dinner, meaning we’re hovering somewhere in the I need to eat NOWWWW territory. And it’s always in these moments that we find very lengthy lines at the typical quick service choices. It’s in these times that you and I need to remember what awaits us at the 4 Rivers truck.
Yes, you can get a handheld Taco Cone, a Burrito Bowl or a Birria Quesadilla, but my top choice of entree at the truck is their Street Tacos. You’ll get three tacos in total packed with your choice of filling, and if you’re like me, you’ll choose 4 Rivers’ delicious Chicken Tinga. The freshness of these gorgeous tacos hits me every time. The walk to Disney Springs’ West End will be worth it, I promise.
The Snack to Try in 2025
I’m always struck by guests who make their way around EPCOT’s World Showcase without actually walking into the pavilions. It happened again just the other evening as I overheard a mom say to her kiddo “Oh look, we’re in France” as they continued their walk along the Showcase. Please enter the pavilions, see what they offer, and, most importantly when you’ve got snacks on your mind, eat what’s featured.
I could make an argument for you to try each and every pavilion’s snacks, but I’ll cull them down to just one for purposes of this article. Please, for the love of all things Disney snacks, enter the Norway pavilion and step inside Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe. Once inside Kringla, please inhale deeply and let that scent lead you to something delicious. And please don’t talk yourself out of stopping in the bakery; doing so might just expand your understanding of Norwegian favorites and flavors. You’ll never go wrong with snacking on the fan-favorite School Bread, but, no matter what you choose from the bakery’s pastry case, you won’t go wrong.
So, the question now comes to you: if you needed a Disney character dining location, a table service and a quick service restaurant, and a Disney snack to recommend to a friend, which ones would you pick and why?
Happy 2025, friends. And happy Disney eating!
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