Disney’s Best Hotels Have the Worst Quick Service Restaurants

Some of Disney’s very best hotels have one major problem. They have some of the WORST counter-service dining options. If quick, delicious dining is something you want, here is what you need to know!

Disney Dining

One of the nice things about visiting Walt Disney World is the vast expanse of food options. Whether you want to sit down and enjoy fine dining, grab a snack off a cart, or have a quick bite at a counter-service restaurant, there are options for you.

You can also find dining options at your Walt Disney Resort Hotel. But, if a mix of great table service and counter-service options is important to you, proceed with caution. Some resorts have a fantastic mix of options, while others are surprisingly limited, especially given the price point such resorts carry.

If you have a picky eater in your travel party, or you like to enjoy a quick lunch or dinner at your resort between jaunts to the theme parks, we know some places that are NOT for you.

Here is a rundown of the WORST quick-service dining options you will find at Walt Disney World hotels. We will also explore a few options for where to eat instead.

Yacht Club

First up is Disney’s Yacht Club Resort. Yacht Club is a great resort. The location is fabulous with its proximity to both EPCOT and the Disney Skyliner. Also, the access to Stormalong Bay, which is hands down the best pool at any Walt Disney World Resort, certainly makes the hotel attractive.

However, it is also home to one of the weakest counter-service food options in Walt Disney World. The Market at Ale & Compass is adequate, but not great if you plan to try to grab quick meals at your resort.

Its primary downfall is that it has a pretty limited menu. For example, during lunch and dinner, the choices are a few sandwiches, a hot dog, and a few relatively generic salads.

Some of the hot sandwiches are tasty, but the cold sandwiches are grab-n-go style, and nothing remarkable. What’s more, the kids’ menu is also limited to a couple of sandwiches, Uncrustables, and mac n cheese.

Can you find something that’s fine to eat once? Sure. But if you have a longer trip planned, this is not a restaurant you will want to visit multiple times, especially if you like variety.

Beach Club

Disney’s Beach Club Resort is similar to Disney’s Yacht Club. It is a glorious resort with access to both the Disney Skyliner and Stormalong Bay. Moreover, it is even CLOSER to EPCOT, which is nice at the end of a day of walking the parks.

However, the two are also similar in that Beach Club Resort also has a relatively weak dining offering in its quick-service/gift shop combo. Beach Club Marketplace is adequate if you are pressed to find something to eat, but it is not great.

During the lunch/dinner period, Beach Club Market offers hotdogs, soups, generic salads, and sandwiches. It does add a little bit more variety than its Yacht Club counterpart because it offers a few Mac and Cheese dishes.

But, I have given the mac n cheese a few tries, and it is typically pretty dry and lacking in flavor. I cannot say I’d recommend it. The kids did not care for the kids’ version of the dish either.

Here again, it might be fine to eat here once for a quick bite. However, isn’t going to be something you look forward to eating multiple times in one trip.

More Options for Beach and Yacht Club

Fortunately, there is food at the pool bar at Stormalong Bay! Hurricane Hanna’s Waterside Bar and Grill has some additional offerings you can grab even if you are not technically planning to go for a swim. It is not a huge mix, but it does expand on what you will find inside.

You WILL have to grab a pool armband to get to Hurricane Hanna’s, so this is not a place you can access if you are just popping by Beach Club or Yacht Club to check them out.

Diners can find cheeseburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, and chicken tenders here. The place also serves a variety of wraps, and the same salads you can get inside. Love fries? Hurricane Hanna’s has chili cheese fries to share or keep all to yourself. There are also fun fruit options including frozen grapes.

The kids’ menu has more options as well. Cheeseburgers and chicken tenders join the lineup of Uncrustables, hot dogs, and turkey sandwiches.

Boardwalk

Disney’s BoardWalk is another fun resort. In addition to the proximity to EPCOT and the Disney Skyliner, the nighttime entertainment cannot be contended with. The BaordWalk is a delight with the entertainment acts that pop up on select evenings.

But the quick service food options might leave something to be desired. BoardWalk Deli is a newer place to grab a bite to eat. The breakfast options are more plentiful here.

However, it is still limited during other meal periods. It offers salads and sandwiches for lunch/dinner. Also, there are just 2 half-sandwich options for children.

If you do like sandwiches, the offerings here are pretty tasty all things considered. You can read a full review HERE. However, it remains disappointing that this is the available option.

Of course, there is also an option for pizza at the BaordWalk Pizza Window. It’s an easy thing to grab, but interestingly a box of pizza here is twice as expensive as what you would pay for a pizza at the value resorts.

Currently, the pizza window offers the same pepperoni or cheese super slices you can find at counter service restaurants at the value resorts. You pay about $40 for the four slices in one box.

However, many of the value resorts also offer large pepperoni or cheese pizzas for a little over $20. These are not the super slices you find at the counters. They are typically puffy Disney pizzas sliced into 8 pieces. And, a lot of people would argue this pizza tastes better than the super slices. It would be nice to see these boxes offered at the pizza window.

More Options for ALL EPCOT Area Resorts

Or, you can easily hop on the Disney Syliner and stop for a quick bite at Primo Piatto at Disney’s Riviera Resort. It is one of the BEST quick service options at any Disney Resort Hotel. This works especially well if you are on the way to or from Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Or, since you are in such close proximity to EPCOT, you may prefer to pop over there for a bite to eat, too! Of course, this doesn’t help you if you want to enjoy a meal as you relax in your room.

However, when it comes to great dining options, Disney’s EPCOT area resorts do a much better job with Table Service options. You will find enjoyable meals at Beaches and Cream, Trattoria al Forno, Flying Fish, Yachtsman Steakhouse, and Cape May.

The downside is these all take a considerably longer time to enjoy. Also, you typically need to secure Advanced Dining Reservations to eat at one of these places. Reservations can certainly limit flexibility when it comes to enjoying the parks.

Lastly, you might prefer to simply make meals in your hotel room. We have some tips for you HERE.

Where to Book Instead

If having access to better quick service options is important to you when you are selecting a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel for your travel party, you might enjoy this list. You can find a rundown of the BEST quick-service options at Walt Disney World Resort hotels HERE.

Do you agree that the EPCOT area resort quick service locations leave a lot to be desired? What do you like to do for a quick meal when you are in Disney World? Let us know in the comments. And, be sure to pass this along to friends who are trying to decide where to stay on their next Disney vacation.