By If you are a foodie and love sampling some of the best restaurants in the country, you will want to target some of the restaurants in the Signature category. They are the best of the best, the ones that are highly in demand… and with a price tag to match.
Additionally, these fine dining establishments will generally require a more upscale dress code, so if you plan a meal in one of these locations, you should check their requirements and pack accordingly.
Finally, if you are using the Disney Dining Plan, the restaurants on this list will require TWO entitlements per person, assuming that they accept the Dining Plan. Read on to learn more about the magnificent restaurants in the Signature dining category.
The BOATHOUSE®: Great Food, Waterfront Dining, Dream Boats™
This restaurant is our favorite at Disney Springs, and the locals adore it, too. The BOATHOUSE® features an impossibly deep menu, an idyllic view, and a piano bar that takes requests. We highly recommend this place.
Bourbon Steak – A Michael Mina Restaurant
Celebrity chef Michael Mina recently opened this steakhouse, which has replaced the previous Shula’s Steakhouse at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel. We haven’t eaten here yet, but reviews are quite good. Disney old-timers definitely miss Shula’s, though.
California Grill
One of the classic dining experiences at Disney World, you’ll enter California Grill from the second floor by the escalators. You’ll check in and then take a private elevator to the top of Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Here, you’ll enjoy a fine dining experience rivaling anything else on the campus. Even better, your table will feature a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Magic Kingdom. This is an ideal place to watch the nightly fireworks. We ate dinner on our tenth anniversary at California Grill.
Capa
The Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World® Resort positions itself as the most luxurious hotel on the Disney campus. Capa, a steakhouse, is one of its fine-dining options and a well-regarded one at that.
Cinderella’s Royal Table
We said that Be Our Guest is Magic Kingdom’s most popular restaurant, but Cinderella’s Royal Table is a close second. When you eat at this character meal, you dine inside Cinderella Castle!
When else could you ever say you’ve done that? You’ll also meet several Disney Princesses, including a special photo op with Cinderella, the hostess.
Cítricos
Themed to Mary Poppins, albeit in a subtle way, Citricos has been a staple at the Grand Floridian for many years now. Disney revitalized the dining room in the 2020s, though. So, it merges classic elegance with a more modern style.
Flying Fish
One of the best dining experiences in Orlando, Flying Fish won’t impress you with theming or interior design. What it will do is deliver one of the best meals of your life. This BoardWalk eatery claims some of the best reviews in Orlando.
The Hollywood Brown Derby
You can relish in the ambiance of Hollywood’s Golden Age when you dine here. The Hollywood Brown Derby was a very real restaurant where celebrities and power players hobnobbed in the 1930s and 1940s.
It most famously gifted the world with the Cobb Salad, which the Hollywood Studios restaurant serves. The menu here is extraordinary, and we highly recommend dining here on some special occasion. Still, it’s a BIG meal for a Hollywood Studios park visit.
Il Mulino
Traditional Italian cooking populates the menu at this incredibly well-reviewed restaurant at Walt Disney World Swan. Other places here steal headlines due to hype and celebrity, while Il Mulino simply serves a delicious meal.
It’s pricey but exceptional. Still, we deem other Signature Dining experiences as superior options.
Jaleo® by José Andrés
A well-loved Disney Springs spot for shareables and Iberico ham, Chef José Andrés is both a celebrity chef and multiple-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize as a humanitarian. This place is excellent for larger groups.
Jiko – The Cooking Place
Animal Kingdom Lodge hosts an astounding number of well-reviewed restaurants. Three of them are ranked in the top 100 of more than 3,000 (!) dining options in Orlando. So, you can’t go wrong with any of them. Jiko is famous for its wine menu and spicy African entrees.
Le Cellier Steakhouse
Here’s where we spent lunch on our tenth anniversary. It’s a steakhouse at EPCOT’s Canada pavilion, and it’s a dream come true for fans of maple and cheese flavors. In fact, the charcuterie board here has steadily remained in the conversation for the best on the Disney campus.
Knowing EPCOT fans eschew the more hotly discussed options and go here for a high-quality fine dining experience.
Monsieur Paul
Earlier, we mentioned Paul Bocuse. He’s the applicable Monsieur in the title. This is one of the fanciest and best meals you can eat in Orlando. The late chef founded the Bocuse D’or, the most famous cooking competition in the world.
The menu at this France pavilion restaurant has evolved into a love letter from Jerome Bocuse to his late father. It’s an excellent option to celebrate special occasions.
Morimoto Asia™
The legendary Iron Chef, Masaharu Morimoto, has found a second home at Disney Springs. He’s intimately involved with the community here and happily serves his Japanese delicacies.
The restaurant also hosts several annual events. If you’re visiting during one of these activities, prioritize a stop here.
Narcoossee’s
This unforgettable spot at the Grand Floridian sells coastal cuisine with an emphasis on seafood delicacies. The menu’s outrageously great, but the best part is the view.
It’s right by the waters surrounding the hotel. So, during a late dinner, you can watch Magic Kingdom’s fireworks from some of the tables here.
Paddlefish
You’ll say, “I’m on a boat!” when you eat here. You’re dining on the Empress Lilly, a very real ship created to pay tribute to Lillian Disney, Walt’s wife.
Obviously, seafood is on the menu here, and it’s a fascinating place to enjoy a meal. As far as dining experiences go, this one’s pretty high on the list.
STK® Steakhouse
We’ll level with you that we favor Steakhouse 71. However, STK has earned a glowing reputation for its fine dining steakhouses, with the Disney Springs location at the top of the list.
So, you’ll love eating here, although you won’t love it when the bill arrives. STK Steakhouse sometimes hosts live music, which makes the place that much more vibrant.
Takumi-Tei
Here’s one of the priciest meals at any theme park in the world. The Prix Fixe menu costs $250 per adult for the full course or $150 for the half-course. So, you can eat elsewhere at the Japan pavilion for much cheaper…and the food’s really good at those places, too!
Still, sometimes we all want to eat fancy. On those dates, Takumi-Tei has established itself quickly as a premier fine dining experience. Please note that when you order the fancier sakes, the price can surge above $1,000 for the table. And for those prices, you may prefer Victoria & Albert’s, which we’ll discuss in a bit.
Tiffins Restaurant
The fanciest dining option inside Animal Kingdom, Tiffins serves international cuisine with a focus on African and Asian flavors. It’s also renowned for its interior design.
Todd English’s bluezoo
The former Iron Chef America on the short-lived American adaptation of Iron Chef, the one with William Shatner, Todd English is a famous chef. We’d argue he’s most famous for hocking skillets on QVC.
Still, this restaurant has earned a glowing reputation and won several accolades. You’ll need to visit the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel to eat here, but it may be worth the trip.
Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera
At the Riviera, Disney duplicated the premise of California Grill. So, you’ll head to the rooftop and then enjoy a fine dining experience unlike any other. Topolino’s features a view of three different theme parks, everywhere but Animal Kingdom.
At night, you can catch glimpses of the various nighttime presentations. Still, we prefer breakfast due to the character meal. At Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends, your Disney favorites like Mickey & Minnie Mouse dress like artists. It’s indescribably adorable and such a winning experience.
Victoria and Albert’s
Okay, you’ll pay roughly the same price as a new iPad to eat here, but you’ll think it was worth the price…once. Victoria & Albert’s isn’t really a place most people go during every Disney vacation. So, unless you just signed a multi-year extension to secure your future as QB1 for your NFL team, it’s the breathing definition of a special occasion restaurant.
Still, on such occasions, you’ll eat at the only theme park restaurant in the world to earn a Michelin Star. Victoria & Albert’s has done that multiple times. It’s that good. Prices start at $295 per person and go much higher. We generally tell friends to expect the meal to cost $1,000… so, yeah. It’s the price of an iPad.
Wolfgang Puck® Bar & Grill
How great is Wolfgang Puck? He once appeared as a celebrity judge on Top Chef. During a conversation about the hardness of a donut, Puck charmingly threw said donut across the floor, wryly noting that if anybody served that to guests, they’d never come to visit again.
So, it was more of a tactical rock-hard donut. Puck’s charm and elfish sense of humor permeate every facet of the menu at this, one of the oldest restaurants at Disney Springs.
Yachtsman Steakhouse
Major League Baseball sometimes hosts its ownership meetings at Yacht Club. On those occasions, you’ll find some of the richest people in the world happily eating at Yachtsman Steakhouse. To an individual, even these one-percenters will exclaim, “That’s one of the best steaks I’ve ever had!”
While Yachtsman doesn’t serve our personal favorite steaks at Disney, it’s favored by the crème de la crème. To them, the best two steakhouses on the Disney campus are here and STK Steakhouse.