Best Quick Service Restaurants for the Disney Dining Plan in 2024

It’s official. The Disney Dining Plan is BACK as of January 9th, 2024.

We know a lot of folks who are very excited about it, too, especially now that you can get the dining plan FREE as part of a new Disney World promotion. However, you’ll want to use the Dining Plan in the smartest way possible to make sure you get the most bang for your buck. So if you’re looking for the best quick service restaurants to visit with the dining plan, we’re going to help you out.

If you want to take advantage of the FREE Disney Dining Plan offer, or any of the recently announced hotel discounts, we highly suggest getting in touch with our friends at Mouse Fan Travel! Their services are free to you, and their experienced travel agents will be sure you’re getting the very best price available for your trip!

What Is the Disney Dining Plan?

In case you’re not familiar with the Disney Dining Plan (because it has been a hot minute since it’s been available), we’ll spell it out for you. With the Disney Dining Plan, you pay a certain amount per day to get credits that you can use on food throughout your vacation. You redeem those credits for quick service meals, table service meals, or snacks (depending on the type of credit and dining plan you select).

Basically, it’s a way to pre-pay for your food at Disney World. When you eat at a Disney World restaurant, you’ll use those credits to “pay” for your food (which is technically already paid for).

How Do You Get the Disney Dining Plan?

You purchase the Disney Dining Plan when you buy your Disney vacation package. Note that you can only purchase the Dining Plan if you’re also booking a vacation package with a Disney World hotel stay and at least a one-day ticket to the theme parks.

What Dining Plans Are Available?

The Disney Dining Plan offers two options: the Quick-Service Dining Plan and the Basic Disney Dining Plan. The Quick-Service Plan gets you the following per person per night:

• 2 Quick Service Meals
• 1 Snack

The Basic Disney Dining Plan gets you the following per person per night:

• 1 Table Service Meal
• 1 Quick Service Meal
• 1 Snack

Best Quick Service Restaurants for the Disney Dining Plan in 2024

You might wonder why it’s important to plan where you want to eat. If you want to get the MOST out of your dining plan (and recoup the cost of it), you’ll want to pick dining spots with more expensive items. This is particularly important for quick service restaurants so you can get a better value out of what you paid for the plan. So here’s where we suggest you consider eating when you’re looking for fast food in Disney World on the dining plan.

Columbia Harbour House — Magic Kingdom

Our first suggestion is Columbia Harbour House in Magic Kingdom. Not only is this one of our favorite quick-service restaurants that has a little something to satisfy everyone in your party, but it offers great value when you’re using the dining plan.

Some pricier options here that you can use your quick service credits for include the Lobster Roll for $16.99, the New England Shrimp Boil for $16.29, and the Maple-Mustard Glazed Salmon for $14.79.

Connections Cafe & Eatery — EPCOT

Connections Cafe & Eatery is one of our favorite quick service spots in EPCOT. It’s also great if you have picky eaters in your group — you’ll find things like burgers and pizza on the menu here.

Go for the French Bistro Burger for $14.29 or the American Classic Burger for $12.29. Want to spend a snack credit? The Liege Waffle or one of the Shakes is a sure bet.

Regal Eagle Smokehouse at EPCOT

Another of our go-to counter service locations in EPCOT is Regal Eagle Smokehouse. How can we resist a BBQ joint with a Muppets theme? The food here is consistently good, and if it’s BBQ you’re craving, you can’t go wrong.

You’ll also get good value with the dining plan here, especially if you order the Memphis Dry-rub Pork Ribs for $16.49, the Kansas City Smoked Half-Chicken for $14.79, or the BBQ Burger for $14.79. Use a snack credit and grab the S’mores Brownie.

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Over in Hollywood Studios‘ Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, you’ll find Docking Bay 7, This Star Wars-themed restaurant offers comfort food with a space flare. However, you’ll find some pricey menu items here that will help you get the most out of the dining plan.

For example, the Batuuan Beef and Crispy Topato Stir-fry is $18.99, while  the Peka Tuna Poke is $18.49 and the Smoked Kaadu Pork Ribs is
$16.99. This might be the BEST value you’ll find for quick service when using the dining plan.

Flame Tree Barbecue in Disney’s Animal Kingdom

We’ve got two favorite quick service spots in Animal Kingdom. The first is Flame Tree Barbecue, which is highly popular with Disney World visitors for a reason. The food is consistently good, and the value is even better, especially when it comes to the Disney Dining Plan.

Grab the Ribs, Chicken, and Pulled Pork Sampler for $18.99 and share it (it’s a LOT of food) to save a credit or two. You can also get the St. Louis Rib Dinner for $16.49 and a Ribs and Chicken Combo for $15.99.

Satu’li Canteen in Animal Kingdom

We’ll never not recommend Satu’li Canteen in Animal Kingdom. First, this is the home of those Cheeseburger Pods we talk a lot about. But it also has more unique dining options, including some delicious bowls.

The most unique item here is on the pricier side, the Ocean Moon Bowl for $17.99. But you can also make those dining plan credits go further with the Combination Bowl: Smoked Chimichurri-braised Beef and Wood-grilled Chicken for $17.49.

The Polite Pig at Disney Springs

Yes, there are several Disney Springs restaurants on the Disney Dining Plan, and that includes one of our favorite quick service joints, the Polite Pig. The food here is SOLID, but you’ll also get a GREAT value if you’re using credits for it.

We’re talking spending one credit for the Cedar Plank Salmon which costs $26 or grabbing the USDA Prime Brisket for $22. Of course, you can grab sandwiches for $15 and under, but why not get the most expensive thing on the menu if it’s available through the dining plan? It’s already paid for.

The Mara at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

The Mara at Animal Kingdom Lodge is already a very underrated dining spot. You want to grab a quick African-inspired bite to go? The bowls here are delicious, but you can also grab the standard burgers and fries, too — a little something for everyone.

For the best value, use your credits for something like the Combination Bowl for $15.49, the South African Vegetable Bowl for $12.99, or the Signature-blend Bacon Cheddar Burger for $13.49.

Capt. Cook’s at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

If we’re going to eat quick service at a hotel, it might just end up being at Capt. Cook’s at the Polynesian Resort. For starters, you can get that famous Tonga Toast without a reservation at Kona Cafe. But there’s also good value to be had here when spending dining plan credits.

For breakfast, you can grab the Bounty Breakfast Platter for $12.99. For lunch and dinner, the Bacon Cheeseburger for $13.49 and the Flatbreads for $13.29 are a good use of credits.

Roaring Fork at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

Put your meal credits to good use at Roaring Fork if you happen to be staying at Wilderness Lodge. Start with the most expensive breakfast item, the Roaring Breakfast Platter which goes for $12.99.

Or dive into lunch and dinner by using those credits wisely on menu items like the Barbecued Brisket and Burnt Ends for $18.99, Country-style Baked Meatloaf for $14.99, and Bacon Cheeseburger for $13.49.

With the right amount of planning, you can make sure that your Disney Dining Plan works FOR YOU to get you the best value out of the plan. We suggest checking menus of where you want to eat (and we have them right here on AllEars) and making sure you’re using the dining plan to get the best value.

We’ll be in the parks using the Disney Dining Plan on the first day it’s back in operation, so we’ll be sure to update you with all the ins and outs! Check back with AllEars again soon for more!

The Disney Dining Plan Is CHANGING for EPCOT Festivals in 2024 —  Here’s How!

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