Your guide to the best restaurants to use the Disney Dining Plan, giving you the best bang for your buck at Disney World.

For some Disney Dads and Moms, the Disney Dining Plan is a must-have. For others, it’s more of an occasional pickup if there’s a promotion on. In any case, you know Disney folks… give us a chance to get the best value and we immediately take it as a challenge and make a game of it! Here then is now, I made my picks for the best restaurants to use the Disney Dining Plan at in DIsney World.

The Best Disney Dining Plan Values

It isn’t as easy as a straight-up financial calculation, but there’s no denying that value is at the heart of this endeavor. You paid a lot of money for this dining plan, and you’re not going to be satisfied unless you go home feeling a little bit like you picked poor Walt’s pockets at least a little. But even if you get the best deal imaginable, if the fun has to stop, the price is too high. Nobody in my family wants to put on long pants (or as I call them when in Florida, Floor-Length Shorts) to go to a restaurant that is delicious but no fun. A great meal is only the Best Disney Dining Plan Value if it makes memories for the whole family of Supers! Not an easy get, but it’s deeply impressive how many restaurants in Walt Disney World make a run at it! Here’s my picks:

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Breakfast Only)

Is it still a Walt Disney World trip if you didn’t meet some Princesses? This Disney Dad doesn’t know and he doesn’t plan to find out. But meeting half a dozen royal superstars while enjoying a delicious family-style breakfast platter? That is some high-efficiency magic, my friends. Be careful! Akershus Royal Banquet Hall only accepts the Disney Dining Plan on a “one meal equals one credit” basis at breakfast – come any other time and it’ll cost you two! Tell the truth, just knowing that makes the breakfast feel like an even better deal, doesn’t it? Even at breakfast  without a Dining Plan you could expect to pay $59 per adult (ages 10 and up), plus tax and gratuity, and $38 for each child. So that’s a pretty big win for this round! (Read more about Disney Princess Dining HERE )

Chef Mickey’s (Breakfast or Dinner)

I know what you’re thinking: “Chef Mickey’s CAN’T be only one credit on the Disney Dining Plan”… But it is! This is a really remarkable value on several fronts. First of all, character dining is pricey, and Chef Mickey’s is absolutely one of the best stops to combine meeting Mickey and pals with breakfast or dinner. Set in the stunning main lobby of the Contemporary Resort, with Monorails buzzing by and massive, iconic Mary Blair artwork decking the mighty halls above, this is magic and memories for every member of your party! What’s more, the food at Chef Mickey’s is delicious, and there is as much of it on the buffet as you care to enjoy. Breakfast or Dinner, you get an excellent meal, though for sheer value, you can’t beat that dinner menu! Without the Dining Plan, adults could expect to pay $58+ at breakfast and $69+ at dinner, with children under 10 costing $37+ or $44+. That’s a dynamite value for a magical meal! (Read more about Chef Mickey’s HERE and HERE!) 

Sebastian’s Bistro (Dinner)

The first time my family went to Sebastian’s Bistro at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, the odds were stacked against us loving it, because for us it was the answer to the question “what if, this time, we DIDN’T go to ‘Ohana?” There was a good deal of grumbling up to and including on the Skyliner ride over, but it took just seconds for Sebastian’s to win us over with its charming, relaxed atmosphere and delicious Taste of the Caribbean Menu, served family-style. From the Buttery House-Baked Pull-Apart Rolls that will have you ready to break Mama Bear’s golden rule and “fill up on bread”, to a truly royal sampler of Citrus Chicken, Mojo Pork, Grilled Beef and Baked Fish. It was a tremendous hit with the whole family even before the stunning dessert of Coconut-Pineapple Bread Pudding appeared. Sebastian’s Bistro played its way onto our increasingly crowded “must-do dinners” list, with a meal that is a great use of the Disney Dining Plan. To be fair, it’s a pretty good value even if you aren’t using the plan, with dinner for adults coming in at $39+ and kids under 10 at $21+.  

‘Ohana (Dinner)

Of course, our breakup with ‘Ohana couldn’t last! Too many memories… too much magic and too much outstanding value on the Disney Dining Plan. Somehow ‘Ohana has managed to stay off the list of dining picks so pricey that they cost multiple credits on the dining plan, and that means not one, but two outstanding value propositions for you! ‘Ohana is open for breakfast and dinner, and the experiences are so dramatically different that you could easily enjoy both options. In the mornings, ‘Ohana offers one of the most beloved character breakfasts in Disney World, with Lilo, Stitch and friends welcoming you to a delicious Best Friends Breakfast. No question, this is a great character breakfast, but if you must choose one, you should not miss the dinner service, which is just an excellent value all around. Let the kids try and fill up on chicken wings and pork dumplings, they’ll still be there with plates at the ready when the family style, all-you-care-to-enjoy skillet arrives, laden with Teriyaki Beef, peel-and-eat shrimp and more. Somehow you’ll all still have room for the Bread Pudding with Ice Cream and Caramel sauce. This is a masterpiece of family dining that would cost an adult $65+ with no dining plan, or $42+ for a child under 10. This is truly one of the very best restaurants to use the Disney Dining Plan at! (Read more about ‘Ohana HERE!)

Rodeo Roundup BBQ (Lunch or Dinner)

When you visit Buzz and Woody at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the theming works overtime to commit to the illusion that you have shrunk to the size of a toy and all of Toy Story Land fits in Andy’s playroom. That illusion never breaks if you pay a visit to Rodeo Roundup BBQ. If this restaurant were any more completely themed it would be a ride, and that is part of what makes   Rodeo Roundup BBQ one of the Best Restaurants to use the Disney Dining Plan at. You absolutely do not need to check the magic at the door… this place runs on it! Rodeo Roundup BBQ is available for lunch or dinner, but there is no difference between the meals in terms of content or price. You’re looking at salads and sides that are geared to pleasing young cowpokes, and a big ol’ platter of sweet, sweet treats of BBQ meats; Smoked Ribs, Beef Brisket, Pork Sausage and BBQ Chicken. By the time dessert comes you’ll be well and truly stuffed and delighted at what a wave of your Dining Plan has brought you at such great value! If you were to dine here without the plan, adults could expect to pay $49+ and children under 10 would pay $27+, so you can feel extra-good about  this use of your Disney Dining Plan.