The Best Restaurants At Disney Springs (Ranked)

Best Disney Springs Restaurants Ranked

Below are the locations we’ve ranked as the best Disney Springs restaurants. We started with our top choice. However, these options are all stellar, so they aren’t necessarily in strict order. The first eight are table-service restaurants, and the final three are counter-service restaurants.

• Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’
• The Boathouse
• Morimoto Asia
• STK Orlando
• Wine Bar George
• Frontera Cocina
• Jaleo by Chef José Andrés
• Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill
• The Polite Pig
• D-Luxe Burger
• Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza

Toward the bottom, we’ve added a section with honorable mentions. These restaurants didn’t quite make our top ten (well, eleven), but they are still worth noting. Lastly, we’ll finish with a few stops for sweet treats like ice cream, cake, and chocolate! So make sure to save room for dessert.

What makes these restaurants “the best” at Disney Springs?

You may already know, but Disney Springs underwent a massive refurbishment a few years ago. The outcome led several celebrity chefs and niche investors to open specialty restaurants at the Lake Buena Vista destination.

Among these well-known chefs are names you are probably familiar with, like Art Smith, Rick Bayless, Masaharu Morimoto, Wolfgang Puck, and José Andrés. So naturally, having these chef’s restaurants at Disney Springs brings even more traffic to the popular venue and raises the bar for dining.

Before we look at each option individually, I wanted to point out that four are considered signature dining, the same as fine dining. However, Disney Springs is a fairly casual place, so there’s no reason to worry about a fancy dress code at these locations.

#1 Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’

Fried chicken, anyone? If you’re in the mood for southern comfort food, you’ll want to secure dining reservations for Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’. Since moving to Florida, this restaurant has become our favorite dining experience at Disney Springs. It’s so yummy!

• Location: The Landing
• Serves: Lunch and Dinner (Brunch on the Weekends)
• Menu: Homecomin’ Menu
• Type: Table Service

Homecomin’s menu boasts Southern favorites like Church Lady Deviled Eggs, Thigh High Chicken Biscuits, and Country-Fried Steak. Sides range from grits smothered in cheese to down-home mac and cheese.

For dessert, there are a few tough choices: the Hummingbird Cake, Hamilton County Chocolate Pecan Pie, and the Shine Cake. I love them all, but I’ll take a slice of that pie any day.

We’re talking moonshine by Shine Cake, and there’s plenty of that on the menu. A few specialty drinks include the Blue Hooch and Sweet Tea Shine.  

And don’t be surprised if you run into Chef Art Smith himself. He frequents his Disney Springs restaurant. Good luck choosing an entree; that’s why we keep eating here. We haven’t had everything yet!

A few other things about this location: the restaurant usually offers a brunch menu on Saturdays and Sundays between 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. We have a separate review of brunch at Homecomin’.

Also, if you want to order a vegan item and think chicken probably wouldn’t work, think again. They’ll fix you right up with a “Chik’n” sandwich by substituting the real deal for Gardein crispy tenders.

Tip: You might want to visit this best Disney Springs restaurant after spending a few days in the theme parks. After logging all those miles on Disney property, you won’t feel guilty about these indulgent menu items. Here’s a look at the fried chicken platter.

Here is the famous Hummingbird Cake, the restaurant’s signature dessert. It’s massive, so you’ll want to share it with someone! But when it comes to that chocolate pecan pie, warning–I’m not sharing it with anyone. You probably won’t want to share it, either. If you would like to learn more, we have a Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ Review.

#2 The BOATHOUSE Restaurant

Our next stop for the best restaurant at Disney Springs is The BOATHOUSE. Here are a few of the specifics you’ll want to know:

• Location: The Landing
• Serves: Lunch and Dinner
• Menu: The Boathouse Menu
• Type: Table Service, Disney Signature Dining

The BOATHOUSE is a steak and seafood restaurant with a nautical theme. Near the restaurant’s entrance is a fun gift shop, the Boatique. Additionally, the restaurant has boats called Amphicars available for rent. A driver will escort you on a tour around the lake.

Since The BOATHOUSE offers waterfront dining, many tables provide scenic views of the lake. Menu items consist of fresh seafood, steaks, sandwiches, and burgers. A raw bar sits inside the restaurant’s entrance.

You’ll usually need to secure an advanced dining reservation for this restaurant. Given its popularity, the restaurant is often booked, especially during high-traffic times.

However, if you don’t have a reservation and don’t mind dining outside, you can see if there’s any available seating at the Dockside Bar. This separate bar area is behind The BOATHOUSE and offers the restaurant’s full menu.

One of the fun things about dining outside is that you can enjoy your meal while watching others drive amphicars out onto the water. Who knows? You might even want to take one of these unique vehicles out for a spin yourself. For more on this restaurant, see our review of the Boathouse Restaurant at Disney Springs.

#3 Morimoto Asia

If you like Asian cuisine, you’ll love our next pick for the best Disney Springs restaurant. Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Iron Chef and Food Network TV star, opened this location a while back.

Here are a few of the specifics:

• Location: The Landing
• Serves: Lunch and Dinner
• Menu: Morimoto Asia Menu
• Type: Table Service, Signature Dining

I love a meal at Morimoto Asia for several reasons. The main one is that they serve good food prepared with quality ingredients while consistently providing excellent service. Below is one of many entree items I’ve enjoyed at Morimoto Asia. This Duck Ramen comes packed with noodles and duck meat. It was a huge serving.

We’ve had the good fortune of eating at Morimoto many times and never left wishing we had eaten elsewhere. Other favorite dishes we’ve tried include the Buri-Bop, Morimoto Spare Ribs, and the Japanese A-5 Wagyu Beef. All of which were excellent options.

Another perk of Morimoto Asia is that the restaurant offers a variety of dining options. If you want something more fast-casual at a price that won’t break the bank, try Morimoto Asia Street Food. It’s a walk-up window on the far side of the restaurant with a separate menu and an outdoor seating area. It’s a fun stop for a counter-service meal at Disney Springs when you don’t have a reservation.

In addition to delicious food, Wine Bar George is known for having an extensive wine selection. You might pair a glass of wine with one of their famous charcuterie boards. I doubt there’ll be any complaints at the end of the meal.

Like most of our best restaurant selections, Wine Bar George has a quick service called The Basket. The Basket offers picnic basket selections, French fries, hand pies, desserts, and more. You can check their website (Wine Bar George) for more menu items.

#6 Frontera Cocina

Frontera Cocina is not only one of the best Disney Springs restaurants; it’s also a personal favorite. When someone mentions it, I immediately want to go!

Here are a few details:

• Location: Town Center
• Serves: Lunch and Dinner
• Menu: Frontera Cocina Menu
• Type: Table Service

Frontera Cocina is not just another Mexican restaurant. It’s anything but that. Frontera Cocina is one of the first restaurants you’ll run into when you enter Town Center from the bus stop or Lime parking garage.

As far as food goes, you can expect unique Mexican cuisine made from high-quality ingredients. It’s also prepared with attention to detail. This restaurant serves Mexican food like you probably haven’t had, and it’s just plain old good. From the seasoned chips to special margaritas, we’ve yet to make a wrong choice.

If you are looking for a tasty salad at a reasonable price, try their Taqueria Ensalada. It’s perfect the way it comes, but you can add a topping of carne asada, shrimp, or chicken if you like.

Here’s a look at one of our recent meals, the pork belly tacos. When was the last time you had pork belly tacos?

#7 Jaleo by Jose Andres

We consider Jaleo to be another one of the best Disney Springs restaurants. Since this restaurant has a few locations in larger US cities, you might know it. However, if you’ve never heard of Jaleo, it’s time to get familiar!

• Location: West Side
• Serves: Dinner
• Menu: Jaleo Menu
• Type: Signature Dining

Chef Jose Andres is the chef and owner of Jaleo and is to be commended for his humanitarian efforts in providing meals for those in need. For that reason alone, a meal here is worth your patronage.

Jaleo offers Spanish cuisine in the form of small plates and tapas. Make sure to try one of their fancy cheese plates! You’ll also want to try something Jose’s Way (it’s the only way.)

#8 Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill

Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill is our last table service recommendation for the best Disney Springs restaurants. If you like Italian cuisine, this is more than likely where you’ll want to secure a reservation.

• Location: West Side
• Serves: Lunch and Dinner
• Menu: Wolfgang Puck Menu
• Type: Signature Dining

Wolfgang Puck’s menu boasts California cuisine with Mediterranean influences. It includes items like calamari, pizza, pasta, steak, and seafood.

#9 The Polite Pig

We’ll transition from table service to quick-service dining for our next stop. The Polite Pig is a contemporary barbecue joint, but you probably already deduced that from the name, right?

• Location: Town Center
• Serves: Lunch and Dinner
• Menu: The Polite Pig Menu
• Type: Counter Service

We’ve enjoyed dining at The Polite Pig several times over the past few years, and while I’m probably a harsher critic of their menu than most, I couldn’t leave it off our list of best Disney Springs restaurants. (I’ll be honest. I dine here often.)

Below is their brisket with two market sides. You can probably tell there’s a lot of food involved. Depending on how hungry you are, you might want to consider sharing. If you enjoy seafood, the cedar-planked salmon is perfection! As of this update, I’ve also enjoyed the cedar-planked salmon add-on with their Polite Caesar Salad, which is another great option.

#10 D-Luxe Burger

D-Luxe Burger is another excellent option for anyone wanting a hamburger. The patties are made from quality meat and come with tasty sides. The El Diablo burger combines chorizo with their signature beef blend. They prepare their signature beef blend in-house and make fresh buns daily!

One of the things I love most about this location is that it keeps things simple. Their menu offers burgers, chicken, a plant-based burger, fries, onion rings, and shakes.

• Location: Town Center
• Serves: Lunch and Dinner
• Menu: D-Luxe Burger Menu
• Type: Counter Service

This restaurant is family-friendly and has excellent options for kids’ meals, including chicken fingers and a grilled chicken sandwich.

Tip: D-Luxe Burger is one of our favorite places to use Disney’s mobile order service. We will order on the way if we take a bus to the venue. Then, when we arrive, I’ll select “I’m here, prepare my order” in the app. By the time we get to D-Luxe, our order will be ready.

On our last visit, I tried the Barbecued Burger, which comes topped with barbecue sauce, Muenster cheese, and an onion ring. It was delicious! Yes, that’s a regular-size order of hand-cut fries.

#11 Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza

Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza is the perfect quick-service restaurant at Disney Springs. The food is so good (and reasonable) that we knew we had to include it on our list of best restaurants.

Here are the specifics for picking up a quick meal:

• Location: Town Center
• Serves: Lunch and Dinner
• Menu: Blaze Pizza Menu
• Type: Quick Service

Blaze Pizza allows you to order individual custom pizzas or create your own. Their variety of options and quality make this an excellent stop for anyone, especially when dining with picky eaters.

Best Disney Springs Restaurants (For Dessert)

Before we wrap things up, I wanted to share a few of the best places to pick up dessert at Disney Springs. Of course, all table service restaurants we’ve discussed have excellent dessert options. But often, by the end of the meal, you might not be ready for dessert. Maybe you’ll pick up something later after you’ve walked around the venue?

Perhaps you have another treat in mind. For instance, Gideon’s Bakehouse has fantastic chocolate chip cookies. Warning: this location usually has a line, or you can request to join their virtual queue if you get there early enough. This location has become so popular that guests often wait hours to pick up a treat!

Amorette’s Patisserie is a go-to for bakery items like cake or pastry-style desserts. You really can’t go wrong here, no matter what you choose.

Salt and Straw is a fun stop for ice cream. With unique flavors like pear and blue cheese or strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper, this stop will surely be a treat to the taste buds. One of my favorites was a seasonal flavor called the Miso Blondie with Basil Peach Jam.

Lastly, my favorite stop is The Ganachery. It is THE place for chocolate. Good luck deciding which flavors you want to try. I’m a sucker for the coconut and orange ones. We usually pick up a box with six selections and savor one each night afterward.

Securing Reservations

Do you need a dining reservation for table service restaurants at Disney Springs? Yes and no, let me explain.

All of the restaurants at Disney Springs take walk-ups. So, if you’re going for lunch on a Monday through Friday, you can likely get a walk-up without waiting longer than 30 minutes.

However, these restaurants sometimes stop taking walk-ups on nights and weekends (especially during high crowd/tourist times). We have been on evenings when the restaurants put signs on the sidewalks letting guests know they’ve reached capacity for the evening.

All table service restaurants offer reservations in the My Disney Experience app, and some are available on OpenTable. However, you might want to call the restaurant to make advanced reservations if you have a large party.

Looking for something new? A couple of restaurants have opened in the last few years at Disney Springs, including Summer House on the Lake. This restaurant sits on the West Side near Starbucks and the Aerophile Balloon.