When is a restaurant more than just a restaurant? When it’s so immersive that it’s practically a ride!
More than anything else, a Walt Disney World experience is all about stories – the ones we share about our adventures with friends and family, and also the ones that are told to us in a hundred different ways as we participate in the world that’s been created for us to enjoy. If the good folks at Disney can create a layered narrative with roller coasters and animatronic pirates, it shouldn’t surprise us this much that with the time and space of an entire restaurant to work with, it’s possible to create a story as immersive as any ride.
Disney World is a foodie’s dream, and you can expect any restaurant you visit to be delicious. There are some, however, that create such a towering feat of storytelling in the process of serving you a good meal, that they become an attraction in their own right! Here are a few of my favorites – how many are in your vacation plans?
Space 220
Photo by Cliff Wang
Located in World Discovery at EPCOT
Come for the view, stay for the… well, also the view, probably. Did we mention the view is amazing?
You might have thought you were just having lunch, but you’re also having an experience that is literally out-of-this-world, or at least in low Earth orbit. It’s possible to have a space-themed restaurant that is no more immersive than Cosmic Rays, but that restaurant would not be Space 220, which is frankly stunning. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the moment that you step onto the lift and discover you’ve boarded a space elevator that will transport you in minutes to the Centauri Space Station, you’re unmistakably experiencing more than just a meal. I wouldn’t have been surprised if a projection of a former sitcom actor broke in and told us that we had to liberate the station from marauders or rescue a baby alien, or something like that, but instead, the doors opened to reveal… a restaurant.
But WHAT a restaurant it is! Massive observation windows everywhere reveal the glorious view of our fragile blue planet, far below. Nothing can beat that first reveal of the dining area and lounge, and the world of imagination that has been created for you to experience. Truly, an immersive experience you will never forget.
Learn more about Space 220 HERE!
Sci-Fi Dine-In Restaurant
Located in Commissary Lane in Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Escape the heat of Hollywood when you step into the perpetual twilight and enjoy a classic American meal in a classic American roadster!
Stepping into the Sci-Fi Dine-In Restaurant is absolutely one of the most immersive experiences you’re ever likely to have before lunch! You suddenly find yourself far from the hustle and bustle of Commissary Lane, ready to enjoy the trailers for some not-at-all-classics of the silver screen, drive-in-movie-style.
Your chariot for this adventure in time and space? A magnificent combination of restaurant booth and classic convertible automobile. A fantastic exercise in world-building awaits you and also cheeseburgers. Delicious, nourishing cheeseburgers.
Learn more about the Sci-Fi Dine-In Restaurant HERE!
Cinderella’s Royal Table
Photo by Laurie Sapp
Located in Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom Park
You don’t get more immersive than being welcomed to the royal court as an honored guest. Oh, and did we mention that you’re INSIDE the castle?
I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right. All character dining is immersive, absolutely, but Cinderella’s Royal Table just can’t be beat for creating a complete experience that is as immersive as any attraction could be. From the moment you step inside, you are clearly playing on a different level. Suddenly we were INSIDE the castle – the place where my little girl most wanted to be, welcomed by a town crier as “The Royal Taylor Party!” The castle is fantastic… massive arched ceilings and pillars and tapestries and spiral staircases, it really creates a world for you.
Add a selection of the very finest princesses to meet, plus magic wands and swords for boys and girls to swear fealty upon… it’s truly majestic. And if you are very lucky, like me, your little girl will shoot you that look – the one that says you got everything just right. A guy would go a long way to get that look. At Cinderella’s Royal Table it’s practically a lock. A magical, regal full-on attraction that must be experienced, at least once.
Learn more about Cinderella’s Royal Table HERE!
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue
Located In The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
A Dinner Show That is the Best Dinner, the Best Show, and as Immersive as any attraction in Disney World.
Six terrifically talented performers bring their old-timey vaudeville stylings to Pioneer Hall, where they will make you laugh hysterically, sing along with the Great American Songbook and absolutely ruin “My Darling Clementine” for you, perhaps permanently. Meanwhile, you will be as stuffed as you care to be with a delicious meal including fried chicken and smoked BBQ pork ribs, cowboy beans, fresh-baked cornbread, macaroni-and-cheese and… well, you get the general idea. It’s delicious, there’s tons of it and you’ll be so busy hootin’, hollerin’ and laughing your heads off that you might forget to eat it. (Not likely, I admit, but it could happen). Is that immersive? Well, at Hoop-Dee-Doo there is an excellent chance that you could wind up in the show, particularly if you are celebrating an occasion, can make “Toot Toot” noises or bear a passing resemblance to the ghost of Davy Crocket. And even if you aren’t in the show, your desert will be! The waitstaff doesn’t come up on stage to dance your Strawberry Shortcake to your table any more, but they still sing the song, and that’s a brush with fame your sweet tooth will enjoy!
Learn more about Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue HERE!
Roundup Rodeo BBQ
Photo by Laurie Sapp
Located in Toy Story Land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Reach For The Sky! Or, possibly, just more delicious BBQ!
You absolutely cannot fault Toy Story Land for anything less than total commitment to the bit. The “rules” of the world say that you have been shrunk to the size of a green army man and are experiencing the massive playset that Andy has built for his toys from TinkerToys, Mechano, Christmas Tree Lights, you name it. It’s one of the most unified, immersive lands anywhere to be found in Disney World, and Roundup Rodeo BBQ is not simply a restaurant in Toy Story Land; it’s as committed to the bit as every other part of the land, which makes the collective imaginative power pretty remarkable.
The Toy Story design within Roundup Rodeo BBQ is a monument to excess. You are unquestionably dining in Andy’s backyard, right down to everyone freezing whenever a “human” is heard nearby. This is a great place to play and pretend while enjoying an all-you-can-eat extravaganza of barbecued meats (or non-meats, if that’s more your thing).
