Disney Springs is a haven for grown-ups looking to challenge their palates with upscale dining and sophisticated fare, and if you didn’t blink just now when I used the term “grown-ups”, you probably aren’t eating any of that. Not this trip anyway. It’s okay, the kids will be harassing you for sushi omakase before you know it.

Best Kid-Friendly Restaurants at Disney Springs

Meanwhile, here’s a shortlist of Disney Springs eateries that will help all of you enjoy their “mac & cheese and chicken nuggets” years together.   

T-Rex

This dinosaur-themed extravaganza, located in the Marketplace area of Disney Springs, has a simple approach to pleasing young diners: distract them early and often! From the moment your picky eaters get a glimpse of the massive dinosaur skeleton draped over the T-Rex building, they’ll be too excited to demand that everything be prepared the way it is at home. With an enormous gift shop greeting you as you enter, a tremendous aquarium, and animatronic dinosaurs pretty much everywhere, there’s not a lot of subtlety on display. Did I mention that a meteor shower strikes every 20 minutes or so? 

Photo by Judd Helms

The menu is described as “American”, which in this case means generously portioned, meat-centric and familiar. From burgers to ribs to fried chicken to pasta, mom and dad will not be challenged to find a good meal ($15 – $34.99) and a selection of fun themed cocktails are also available for between $13 – $16. Your intrepid dinosaur hunters have a range of kids menu options, all priced around $11.99, at lunch or dinner, and when one of the menu-options for topping their noodles is “butter”, it’s pretty clear that T-Rex knows its audience and how to please them.

Reservations for T-Rex are strongly recommended. T-Rex accepts the Disney Dining Plan on a “one meal, one credit” basis. For more information, read our look at T-Rex on Dad’s Guide to WDW.

Rainforest Cafe

You could be forgiven if you thought you were still in T-Rex when you visit the Rainforest Cafe in the Marketplace area of Disney Springs. Here is a helpful rule to help you remember: Is the roof an enormous, fire-spewing volcano? Yes? Then you are in the Rainforest Cafe, my friend. Things here are on a scale that is not typical in all 23 Rainforest Cafe locations, but parent company Landry’s has clearly borrowed some of Rainforest Cafe’s playbook for T-Rex. The giant aquarium and gift shop feel nearly identical here. The heavily themed dining rooms at Rainforest Cafe are populated by jungle animals, not raptors and every 20 minutes there is a thunderstorm in the dining room, not a meteor shower, but the feel of “adventure dining” is the same, and picky eaters will be just as distracted and delighted.

The menu is the same generous “American” fare, with jurassic jokes in the names replaced by jungle-themed names (Caesar-saurus Salad becomes the Big Island Caesar Salad,for example), but with the same comfortable variety and price as at T-Rex. ($15 – $34.99 per adult, $11.99 off the kids menu). An array of chicken strips, corn dogs and sliders are sure to please any young guests who suddenly stop being deeply distracted by the scale and imagination of the theming.

Reservations for Rainforest Cafe are strongly recommended. Rainforest Cafe accepts the Disney Dining Plan on a “1 meal, 1 credit” basis. For more information, read our look at Rainforest Cafe on Dad’s Guide to WDW.

Splitsville Luxury Lanes Dining Room

Located in the West Side area of Disney Springs, Splitsville doubles down on the philosophy of distracting young diners by offering beautifully retro 10-pin bowling, pool tables, and big TVs pretty much everywhere. Bowling is a great family activity, but be aware that it is not included with your dining reservation. Splitsville Luxury Lanes is a separate reservation from the Splitsville Dining Room, though it is an excellent way to build up an appetite. 

If lunch or dinner is all you are after, you and your picky eaters are both in for a treat. Splitsville has a surprisingly sophisticated menu, starting with the usual array of burgers, salads and tacos, and extending into an excellent sushi menu. At lunch or dinner, grown ups can dine well for $15 – $34.99.

Photo by Danny Shuster

If “team kid” is interested in sharing, there is a nice variety of house-made pizzas available, and if not, kids’ menu items include burgers, hot dogs, chicken tenders, mac & cheese, and more, all available at $10 per head, lunch and dinner.

Reservations for Splitsville Dining Room are strongly recommended. Splitsville Dining Room accepts the Disney Dining Plan on a “1 meal, 1 credit” basis. For more information, visit our look at Splitsville on Dad’s Guide to WDW.

Chicken Guy!

Located in the Town Center area, Chicken Guy! Takes the exact opposite approach to dealing with hungry kids and picky eaters. There is zero attempt to distract or entertain young diners to the point that they don’t fuss over their food. This quick-service restaurant from the mind of celebrity chef Guy Fieri takes a straightforward path to their hearts: with crispy chicken tenders and plenty of them, served hot & fast in this simple, counter-service restaurant. You can have two tenders on a sandwich, or order your chicken tenders in quantities from three to fifty. Even the salad has some crispy chicken tenders in it. Delicious, but simple. Fans of Fieri know that he must have something up his sleeve that’ll punch your ticket to Flavortown, and he does… it’s the sauce!  A dizzying array of sensational sauces are available to lend some jazz-hands to this show, ready to be mixed and matched to Mom and Dad’s delight, and if Baby Bird is happiest with nothing but ketchup, then so be it!

There’s very little else on the menu that isn’t made from chicken tenders, but the french fries are excellent and there are 7 varieties of excellent milkshakes, just to give you something to agonize over. You can’t really miss!

Kid’s Meals are $6.99, lunch and dinner. Chicken Guy! Does not take reservations. Chicken Guy! does accept both the Quick Service Dining Plan and Disney Dining Plan. It will count as one quick service credit for your meal. However, you will want to note that the restaurant’s combos with a side are not included as an option for using your dining credits.