One of the Most Underrated Character Meals at Disney World

There are some character meals that are talked about more than others, and rightfully so! There are so many great options at Disney World. However, we BEG you to consider this underrated meal!

Character Dining

Everything is magical at Disney World – even eating! Disney offers the opportunity to eat with our favorite friends in all four parks and almost every deluxe resort.

While these meals are almost always more expensive than restaurants without characters, they do provide a more unique experience. Who wouldn’t want to meet Mickey or a princess as they fill up on food?

Here is a quick list of every character meal you can find at Disney World. Click on the links below to see our reviews!

• Magic Kingdom: Be Our Guest, Cinderella’s Royal Table, Crystal Palace
• Epcot: Akershus, Garden Grill
• Hollywood Studios: Hollywood & Vine
• Animal Kingdom: Tusker House
• Contemporary: Chef Mickey’s
• Polynesian: ‘Ohana
• Grand Floridian: 1900 Park Fare
• Beach Club: Cape May Cafe
• Wilderness Lodge: Story Book Dining
• Riviera: Topolino’s Terrace

Out of the 13 restaurants listed above, some are talked about more than others. Everyone loves Topolino’s Terrace (and rightfully so) and dining with princesses at Cinderella’s Royal Table. But, there is one that just doesn’t get the same attention.

Story Book Dining

Nestled away in Wilderness Lodge, you will find a restaurant called Story Book Dining at Artist Point with Snow White (shortened to Story Book Dining for the purposes of this article). As the name suggests, this meal is completely centered around Snow White!

Story Book Dining is only open for dinner from 4:00 to 9:00 pm, which can make this a difficult reservation to obtain.

Dinner is $65 per adult and $39 per child ages 3-9, plus tax and gratuity. Or, you can use 2 Table-Service Credits if you are on the Disney Dining Plan. This meal is expensive, but I recommend paying out of pocket so you aren’t spending 2 credits at one meal.

I (Monica) recently dined there and wanted to share my thoughts. Originally, I had some concerns about this meal (specifcally the food), but I have now eaten at every character meal at Disney World which was a goal of mine.

I regret making Story Book Dining the very last character meal because I was pleasantly surprised! Let’s dig in to the theming, food, and characters.

Theming and Atmosphere

We MUST start this off by talking about the theming and atmosphere. While every character meal has a theme, not all are executed as well as Story Book Dining. As mentioned above, this meal is centered around Snow White.

The rustic setting will immediately transport you to the woods. There are lit up trees that create a canopy over the restaurant and chandeliers with lantern lights.

There are giant pieces of artwork on the walls and wood accents everywhere to provide a rustic romp in the woods with Snow White, the Evil Queen, Dopey, and Grumpy. I had a fantastic view of the feature pool from my seat by the window.

Characters

Speaking of the characters, this is an opportunity to meet some rare characters! While Snow White is common and can be found year-round in the parks, the others are not. The Evil Queen only makes appearances during the Halloween season, and the 7 dwarfs only meet at Magic Kingdom for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

Each character meets separately throughout the meal. Snow White and the dwarfs will come to your table. However, you have to be invited to meet the Evil Queen. Your server will hand you an invitation at some point throughout the meal (usually toward the end), and you will wait to be greeted by her. She has a backdrop, which I wish more character meals would do. No one wants to see half-eaten food in pictures, right?

Like all character meals these days, you will be given an autograph card, but characters do still sign for you if you have a book or other item that you would like filled out.

Periodically, Snow White and dwarfs will come out and dance to a little song as is the case at most other character meals. This is usually during the time the Evil Queen has retreated for a quick break.

Menu and Food Review: Appetizer

The menu at Story Book Dining is prix fixe. Each person receives their own appetizer sampler, which consists of Wild Mushroom Bisque, Hunter’s Pie, and Wicked Shrimp Cocktail.

I enjoyed the turkey and chicken meatball (for lack of a better word that’s what it reminded me of) and mushroom bisque, although the bisque was a little too salty for my liking. However, I do not eat shrimp so that one went untouched. All three were presented beautifully on the tree stand in the middle of the table. These are small portions, but you do get three.

Children ordering off the kids menu will get their own sampler, which includes vegetables, fruit, and cheese. The vegetables come out presented in a cute little planter.

Menu and Food Review: Entree

Then, choose one entree from the following: Beef Stroganoff, Prime Rib Roast, Gnocchi, Pork Shank, Herb Chicken Breast, Fish, and Plant-Based “Chicken”. I decided on the Gnocchi, which is actually called the “Stroll Through Nature” because it is vegetarian.

Though not a vegetarian, I chose this entree because it is featured in Delicious Disney: Walt Disney World: Recipes & Stories from The Most Magical Place on Earth. It consists of Asparagus, Leeks, Arugula, Gnocchi, Sage, and Parmesan.

I really enjoyed this dish! You could argue it is not a good value for the price you pay because there is no meat. However, it was noted on the menu that it is featured in the Delicious Disney cookbook. When in Rome.

The gnocchi was very soft and pillowy. Plus, I felt a little healthy eating the vegetables and that has to count for something after several days of eating a lot of unhealthy snacks.

Kids can choose from Chicken Tenders, Grilled Fish or Chicken, or Prime Rib Roast. They have the choice of two sides as well: potatoes, carrots, broccoli, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese.

Menu and Food Review: Dessert and Drinks

For dessert, everyone gets their own dessert sampler: Cookies ‘n’ Cream Panna Cotta, Goosberry Tart, and Apple Mousse. The desserts were small but also very cute! Many character meals do not go as far as theming with the food, but Story Book does and I really enjoyed that.

My favorite was the cute Dopey custard followed by the Poison Apple. I did not care for the Gooseberry Tart at all, but to each their own. The nice thing about the desserts is you don’t have to decide between them!

There are several beers, wines, and specialty themed cocktails, which you can purchase in addition to the prix fixe price. I’ve seen that the Smoking Mirror has a fantastic presentation, but I would be stumbling out of the restaurant with straight whiskey, so I opted for the Enchanted Apple which is basically an Appletini.

Overall Thoughts

I was pleasantly surprised with Story Book Dining. I try to stay away from buffets or prix fixed meals when I’m with all of my kids because I can’t justify the cost, so I decided to wait to try it until I was by myself.

Speaking of kids, you may feel the same way! This is definitely an expensive meal. But, after eating here I would absolutely bring my kids. The menu can look a little intimidating for adults with pickier palates, but the kids menu is pretty basic. With that said, you can get chicken tenders and macaroni and cheese from anywhere, so you may have to think about whether the characters are worth the price tag.

Everything is just themed so well. I love the rareness of the characters, how the food is tied in to the story and atmosphere, and the sparkling lights would look so pretty if you visit when it’s dark outside. This would be a great meal to enjoy when it gets darker earlier in the day, especially during the holidays! Plus, you could take in the beauty of Wilderness Lodge during Christmas.

See a video here highlighting the restaurant, including food and characters below. Watch until the end for a fun surprise from Grumpy!

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Have you ever eaten at Story Book Dining? Would you consider it for a future trip after reading this review? Let us know in the comments below, and share this post with a friend.