I ATE MY WAY THROUGH DISNEY IN 72 HOURS—THESE ARE THE MEALS WORTH TRYING

For Disney fans, traveling to the Orlando theme parks with limited time can be a lot. Between the rides, the merch, and tracking down characters in each park, there’s so much to do and see. And if you love food—like every editor at Delish—there’s even more to pack into your trip. While we can’t necessarily help you navigate the lines or decide which resort has the best pool situation, we can help you decide what to eat.

I recently had the opportunity to spend a long weekend at the most magical place on Earth and ate (and drank!) my way through all four parks. Other than Expedition Everest and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure—my favorite thrills of the weekend—here are the highlights of my trip and the best eats and sips to try if you only have 72 hours in Disney World.

Day One: Animal Kingdom

Pongu Pongu Kiosk

For a snack before hitting Avatar Flight of Passage, opt for the Pongu Lumpia ($3.79). The crispy fried spring rolls are filled with a delightful pineapple-and-cream-cheese mixture and rolled in sugar. Despite sounding like dessert, the treat is relatively light and not too sweet. It comes with two, so it’s perfect for sharing (and trust me, you don’t want to fill up too much before riding a mountain banshee).

Satu’li Canteen

Hungry after your expedition? Try the Cheeseburger Steamed Pods ($13.99), a full meal served with crunchy vegetable slaw and chips. The richness of the ground beef is cut with a healthy amount of pickle, and the portion is generous.

The trek from Pandora to Africa can be long, so fuel up with some caffeine before heading out. The Specialty Cold Brew Flight ($9.29) features a few sips each of the following: regular cold brew, matcha cold brew, and ube cold brew. It’s great for sharing—or for downing all by yourself if you really need a boost.

Tamu Tamu Refreshments

You simply can’t leave Animal Kingdom (or Disney, for that matter) without trying the iconic Dole Whip ($5.79). The soft-serve frozen treat is magically dairy-free and the perfect way to beat the heat. You can get it as a float or a sundae, but the classic is my go-to.

Nomad Lounge

After a long day on safari, unwind at this tranquil cocktail bar overlooking the water. I ordered the Boto-Rita ($17.50), a pretty pink drink made with mezcal, grapefruit, guava, and lime juice, and blissfully sank into one of the bar’s comfy couches.

Churros ($11) are a Disney must-have, and these are some of the park’s best. The crispy, cinnamon-sugar-dusted sticks come with vanilla crema for dipping, as well as a seasonal sauce (mine was chocolate).

Day Two: Epcot

Space 220

This was my favorite restaurant of the weekend, hands down. Not only is the A/C outer-space cold, but the theatrics were some of the best I’ve experienced in a dining setting. Before you enter the restaurant, a guide takes you into a “rocket” that “launches” you into “space.” While it’s just a screen whirring by as you climb higher into the atmosphere, it felt so realistic that my fear of heights started to kick in. Luckily, the journey is short, and soon the rocket lets your group into the dining room. Diners look through massive “windows” into a screen depicting a starry, pitch-black sky. You’re looking down at Earth, and every now and then an astronaut floats by.

The menu is pre-fixe—lunch for adults starts at $55, and dinner is $79.

For something refreshing and light enough to keep you awake after lunch, go for the Galaxy Spritz ($18). A blue drink feels appropriate for outer space and pairs nicely with the upscale bar-food fare.

For starters, I shared the Starry Calamari, Apollo 16 Shrimp Tacos, and Luna Antipasti with my space companions, but the Blue Moon Cauliflower is what I kept thinking about on my journey back down to Earth. Crispy, fried knobs of cauliflower are paired with homemade hot sauce and blue cheese “dust” that had me booking my next trip to space.

Now, I wasn’t expecting much from rare tuna at a theme park, but I wanted a lighter entree after my fried starter. The fish, though, was perfect: crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. I didn’t even need a knife.

Day Three: Magic Kingdom

The Beak & Barrel

One of Disney’s newest lounges, this pirate-themed tavern serves up stiff sippers and bar bites. I got the Siren’s Whisper ($20), a sweet-tart blend of white rum, blue curaçao, peach liqueur, lime, and cinnamon. The drink was surprisingly sophisticated for a bar staffed by waiters in pirate costumes.

The star of this menu is the Cook’s Corn Griddle Cakes ($14). You can get them with chipotle-braised chicken or roasted corn and poblano peppers, but either way, the warm patties stuffed with melted cheese were among the best bites I had at Disney.

Monorail Crawl

For our third night, we embarked on the Monorail Crawl, an unofficial Disney World experience where guests use the free monorail system to visit lounges at the three Magic Kingdom-area resorts: Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. We ate dinner at California Grill at the Contemporary Resort, but what was more interesting was what we drank during the bar crawl. Here are the details.

California Grill

California Grill, on the 15th floor of the Contemporary Resort, is a classic Disney spot. I got The Newgroni ($19.50), a fruity mix of gin, pomegranate liqueur, Aperol, yuzu, and mint. Considering a Negroni is typically a boozy, bitter drink, California Grill’s pink twist strays pretty far from the original recipe, but it was still delightful to sip while watching the sun set over Cinderella’s castle.

Wailulu Grill

Located in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, this tropical getaway might have been my favorite of the three bars we visited. Sitting outside under twinkle lights next to the Seven Seas Lagoon, sipping a sweet-spicy Banana Old Fashioned ($18.50) was a highlight of my trip.

Enchanted Rose

We ended the night at the charming Enchanted Rose, a lounge inspired by Beauty and the Beast. After two sweeter cocktails, I wanted something more savory: the Gibson ($20.50), a simple gin martini with cocktail onions. It was smooth, with just enough kick from the pickled onion garnish.

2026-03-02T22:09:25Z