12 Popular Disney Restaurants You Don't Need To Stress About Booking

If you've been to Disney World in the past decade, you know that almost every single thing you do needs to be planned out meticulously. Restaurant reservations open 60 days out, and for some of the most popular restaurants at Disney World, the reservations can get snatched up very quickly. As someone who recently planned a Disney vacation with my family, I know how stressful those 60 days before can be. Many people strategize by making lists that rank their restaurant choices, and also stay flexible enough to move their park days around to accommodate certain restaurants if needed.

As I was planning my Disney trip, it felt like every single restaurant that I wanted to go to was going to be a struggle. Then, as I began to research, I realized that for a lot of popular restaurants, you don't need to stress about booking a reservation ahead of time. As an avid Disney World visitor and lover, I decided to make a list of 12 popular restaurants that fit this bill. All of these restaurants are some of my personal favorites, have great reviews online, and have open availability.

As I searched the Disney World website, I looked up reservations for a party of four. That way, it was realistic to the most common dining size for visitors.

When people think of character dining, they immediately think that the restaurant will be a battle to get a reservation for. That's definitely the case for some restaurants, but not all. One of my family's go-to restaurants for character dining is Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom. This is located right at the end of Main Street, facing Cinderella's Castle.

The restaurant looks like a Victorian greenhouse both on the inside and outside, with tons of windows, white decorative accents, and hanging vintage ball lights. While it is a table service restaurant, it's actually a buffet. Your waiters will come around for drink orders or any special needs, but other than that, you can go up and eat as much as you'd like. The cuisine is American, and has options like country-fried chicken, shrimp Creole (my personal favorite), and seasonal pasta.

While you're enjoying your meal, the characters from "Winnie the Pooh" will come around and spend time at each table, one by one. The characters are celebrating "friendship day," and they march around the restaurant to music, encouraging children to join them. It's absolutely adorable. The Crystal Palace is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; however, the breakfast reservations do get taken up quickly. Lunch and dinner, however, tend to have ample availability.

While there are definitely restaurants in Magic Kingdom that are incredibly hard to get into (Cinderella's Royal Table, anyone?), there are also a good number that aren't. Another secret favorite of mine is Tony's Town Square Restaurant. It's located on Main Street USA, and many people walk by without realizing it's an actual table-service restaurant. However, for those who know, it's highly well reviewed. The restaurant is "Lady and the Tramp" themed, designed after the adorable pups' date where they (very famously) shared a bowl of spaghetti. The menu is filled with tons of pasta options as well as Italian appetizers and desserts. If anyone in your party has an allergy, the restaurant is able to make accommodations — like gluten-free pasta for me. And let me tell you, it's delicious.

While I do love the food at Tony's Town Square Restaurant, my favorite thing about it is the ambiance and location. Magic Kingdom can be a very overstimulating park. It gets very crowded, there are the most children on a day-to-day basis, and there is just so much to see and do. This restaurant is perfect if you want a relaxing break from all of that. With its location right at the front of the park, it's much quieter. There is seating on the porch of the building, which offers adorable views of Main Street. The interior transports you directly to an old restaurant in Italy. For lunch and dinner, it's a great spot.

Epcot is known for its themed food from all over the world, and there are numerous sit-down restaurants in the park. Many people come to Epcot with one of these two goals in mind: to eat around the world or to drink around the world. To satisfy both goals, I highly recommend grabbing a meal at Chefs de France. As you can tell by the name, this is a French restaurant in the France section of the World Showcase in Epcot. I don't say this lightly, but this is my favorite restaurant in all of Disney World — and that's coming from someone who has been to France!

The restaurant is located in a building that looks like it was plucked from the streets of Paris. Inside, it's filled with red leather booths and chairs, warm lighting fixtures, high decorative ceilings, and large green-trimmed windows where you can see out into the park. On the menu, you can order French classics like escargot, ratatouille provençale, and steak frites. Everything I've ever eaten here has been exquisitely flavorful and rich, and I dream of going back constantly. I'm surprised that reservations are so easy to come by for such a great spot — but alas, take advantage of it! For lunch or dinner, you could have a gorgeous, reservation-free meal.

Dining with the Disney princesses is a coveted experience for many, and many of the restaurants where you can do that tend to get booked up incredibly quickly. There's one, however, where you don't need to worry about that. Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Epcot is a table-service, buffet-style restaurant that you can almost always guarantee a few lunch or dinner spots to be open every single day.

This restaurant is located in the Norway pavilion of the Epcot World Showcase. The menu is a mixture of both Norwegian and American options, with the lunch and dinner menus being the same. You can get dishes like Norwegian meatballs, kylling (chicken served with apple and fennel preserves), and macaroni and cheese. This is a great restaurant to try out some unfamiliar dishes — if you've never been to Norway, that is. 

For the picky eaters, there are still many familiar options as well. What I like most about Akershus Royal Banquet Hall is that it still gives the excitement of dining in a castle, like at Cinderella's Royal Table or Be Our Guest, but it's a cozier, more casual setting. The walls are made of a cream-colored brick, there are wood beams that accent the tall ceilings, and beautiful chandeliers and candelabras that make it feel very royal. If you're not interested in waiting in lines to meet the princesses in the parks, dining here could be a great option to get it done.

There are only a few sit-down restaurants in Animal Kingdom, and only one of them is a character dining experience. With that being the case, you'd think that restaurant would be incredibly competitive to get reservations for, but that's not so. The restaurant is Tusker House, and it's located in the Africa section of the park. It's a table-service buffet spot, serving African and American cuisine.

The interior of Tusker House is very open and airy, with sheets that are hung on the ceiling with different patterns and colors. The food is served in the center of the restaurant, and there are various seating areas that branch off from that main room. While you're eating, Mickey and friends make their rounds to each table, one by one. What's extra special about this meet-and-greet is that the characters are dressed in safari attire, which is absolutely adorable.

The menu offers unique dishes, like tandoori chicken, green curry shrimp, and watermelon-feta salad. For the more American-leaning dishes, you could choose from things like macaroni and cheese, chicken strips, and meatballs. Eating here is very lively and fun, and it's definitely a nice place to get out of the sun and recharge before heading back out.

Heading over to Hollywood Studios, we have 50's Prime Time Café. One of my favorite things about Hollywood Studios in general is that old-school Hollywood vibe. To keep that energy going, the 50's Prime Time Café actually transports you into a classic '50s home, with a black-and-white checkered floor, funky wallpaper, and tons of pink and blue accents. Each table is treated like its own kitchen area and home, so the styles vary throughout the restaurant. There is also an old TV at the end of each table, which plays sitcoms, commercials, and cartoons from that time.

The menu is filled with items that families used to make for each other for dinner. Things like Grandpa Jean's Chicken Pot Pie (my favorite) or Cousin Megan's Traditional Meatloaf are what you can expect. To finish up your meal, dessert here is a must — with an admittedly delicious traditional warm apple crisp. This is definitely a great spot to go to if you want a cozy meal with a cozy atmosphere, and you will most likely be able to find openings for both dinner and lunch daily.

Moving away from the restaurants in the actual theme parks and expanding to the rest of the Walt Disney World resort, we're heading over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge resort. There, you can find one of my favorite restaurants, Sanaa. This is another restaurant that has African cuisine, similar to Tusker House. However, this is a much more upscale dining experience. The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated, with funky lantern lights, bright yellow walls, and artwork strewn throughout. The best part, however, is the savannah view you get of the animals that live on site.

Many people would think that a restaurant with such a coveted view would be hard to get a reservation at, but somehow that isn't the case. Every single day, you will most likely be able to snag a lunch or dinner spot with no problem. Once you're inside, enjoying the views of zebras and giraffes, you will also get to experience some delicious food. Samosas, pork tenderloin, and mbavu ya chuma (a flatiron steak dish) are just some examples of the African-Indian fusion you can get at Sanaa.

Another highlight at Sanaa is the cocktails. They are incredibly imaginative and filled with various types of African spirits. When I last dined here, I had the Marula Espresso Martini, which was such a fun, slightly fruity, and extra creamy twist on a classic espresso martini. So, even if you don't want to fully dine here, definitely stop by for the cocktails and the view.

The BoardWalk resort at Walt Disney World is one of my favorite places to end a day at "the most magical place on earth." It tends not to get overly crowded (like Disney Springs does), and it has a ton of restaurants, shops, and bars to visit. To fuel up for the evening, I love to go to Flying Fish. This is a fine dining restaurant, so be prepared to dress a bit nicer and pay a bit more than other, more casual restaurant spots in Disney.

The cuisine here is (obviously, by its name) seafood. However, you can also get a variety of steakhouse specialties. To start, some appetizers are absolutely decadent. I particularly love the lobster bisque, which is perfectly creamy and packed with flavor. For the mains, there are dishes that feature scallops, Chilean sea bass, red snapper, organic duck, filet mignon, and more. You will definitely leave with an incredibly full stomach, so come hungry.

The interior of this restaurant is also absolutely gorgeous. A rich blue color is accented throughout; large wine cases showcase its offerings, and chandeliers resembling bubbles in the ocean hang above. Dinner reservations are usually easily available, so you can often book a spot on the day of.

Disney is known for its top-tier entertainment, and when most people think of it, they think of the extraordinary parades or shows at the base of Cinderella's Castle. There are also places to dine and enjoy a show, too, and one of them has been around for over 50 years. That dinner show is called the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, and it's located at the Fort Wilderness resort. The show is Wild West-themed and features upbeat songs and skits that are great for both adults and children.

As for the food, it aligns with the show's theme as well. Items like crispy fried chicken, cowboy beans, cornbread, mashed potatoes, and barbecue ribs are some of the tasty things you'll get to eat. Everything is served family-style at your table, so you can get a taste of everything. Each day, there are three showings: 4:00, 6:15, and 8:30. The 6:15 slot is definitely one you'd want to grab a reservation for, along with the 4:00. The 8:30, however, is almost always available the day of.

Disney Springs is a gold mine for restaurants. Since this is a free space to explore featuring tons of shops, bars, and places to eat, it tends to get quite crowded. If you want to go to a popular spot like Chef Art Smith's Homecomin' or the T-Rex Cafe, you might need to strategize a little bit about booking a reservation ahead of time. For a popular yet not a reservation-coveted spot to grab lunch or dinner, I highly recommend The Edison.

This spot stands out to me amongst other Disney Springs restaurants, particularly in its theming. It's designed after a 1920s electric company, with dark furniture and walls, exposed pipes, and beaming staircases that feel like a maze, plus several themed areas to explore. On top of that, there are always live entertainers who perform. From burlesque dancers to aerial artists and a live band, it leads to a very atmospheric night.

The cuisine at The Edison is American, with classics like burgers, steak, ribs, chicken and waffles, and Buffalo wings. With food this classic, it's bound to appeal to everyone in your party. There is also an enticing cocktail menu called "Edison's Elixers," which features old-school cocktails with a twist.

If you're looking for a more relaxing dinner at Disney Springs, head over to Jaleo. This is a fine dining establishment that serves Spanish cuisine at a fairly reasonable price. This restaurant is extremely large, which is possibly why it's easy to get a reservation. It spans two floors, with various tables, booths, and bars to sit at. It's vibrantly decorated in red and yellow, and features large glass windows that let diners look out at Disney Springs while they eat.

The menu at Jaleo is truly the star of the event. One option that your party can choose is to do one of the chef's tasting menus, which there are four of. Two of them are food-focused, and two are drink-focused. If you want to skip the tasting menu and choose each dish individually, you are welcome to do that as well. There are truly pages and pages of tapas to go through, and they are meant to be shared with others at your table. There are also large dishes that you can get individually, if you prefer to just have one dish. With options like a full rack of lamb and even paellas that feed several people, it's hard to choose.

The Polynesian Resort is not only a gorgeous place to stay but also a great spot for a meal. It is home to a restaurant that is difficult to get reservations for — Ohana, which features characters from "Lilo and Stitch." Across the way from Ohana is a restaurant called Kona Cafe, and that one is just as highly reviewed (by me as well as customers online). 

This restaurant immerses you in Hawaiian vibes, with sleek yet inviting decor featuring artwork of Hawaiian flowers on the walls and ceilings, and murals of the land and sea. The colors and ambiance of Kona Cafe are all very calm and inviting, which is one of the reasons it's one of my favorites.

The cuisine at Kona Cafe is American with an Asian flair. Reservations are fairly easy to get for all three meals of the day, and one of the most popular dishes on the menu is the Tonga Toast for breakfast. It's a banana-stuffed sourdough French toast that is covered in cinnamon sugar and strawberry compote. The lunch and dinner menus are also exciting, with a full sushi menu, poke bowls, and many cooked seafood entrees as well. If you want something more land-based, there are various chicken, steak, and rib dishes offered as well as burgers and sandwiches. Everything at Kona Cafe always tastes extremely fresh, and I always pair it with a fruit-forward option from the cocktail menu.