Disney World - Magic Kingdom Taste Test

Ah, the wonder of Disney World - famously known as being "The Happiest Place on Earth" and for its memorable characters and rides.

Among all the families toting around children fully dressed in "Frozen" attire and the seemingly endless lines to favorite attractions like "Seven Dwarves Mine Train", there are a NUMBER of restaurants and food stops featuring various ingredients and some dishes based on Disney movie classics.

Before our trip, we looked at various Disney food blogs and Pinterest boards to see what our food options would be.  We briefly went over what looked good and decided to wing it when we got there, as many of the restaurants needing reservations were on the pricey side.  So you can say we just let our stomachs be our guide.

We planned a 2-day trip at Disney - 1 day at Magic Kingdom and another at Hollywood Studios (previously known as MGM Studios when we were youngsters).

DAY 1 - Magic Kingdom

LUNCH: Golden Oak Outpost, Frontierland

Within this quaint outpost lies specialty waffle fries, including Brown Gravy and Cheese, BLT, and Barbecue Pork and Coleslaw. After shamelessly spying on previous customers' orders, we both decided on the BBQ Pork option. They come with your choice of apple slices or baby carrots. 

Barbecue Pork Waffle Fries
Price: $7.99

As it came out of the window, our first thoughts consisted of "WOW!!  THAT'S A LOT OF FOOD!"  The dish was COMPLETELY filled to the brim with waffle fries, barbeque pork, and coleslaw.  As we walked around looking for a table, it was a daunting task to ensure that nothing fell off.  One wrong move could have meant spilling the fry boat's precious cargo all over the sidewalk, which would then be followed by ugly sobbing in front of numerous passersby.  Thankfully, everything stayed together and all was right in the world.

Pile on that deliciousness!

The waffle fries were cooked golden brown with a gentle crisp. If you are used to getting Chick-fil-A waffle fries, know that the Golden Oak Outpost version is crispier than Chick-fil-A's.  The advantage is that these sturdier waffle fries are the perfect load-bearing construction needed to support the mountain of barbecue pulled pork and coleslaw. You will definitely need a fork to manipulate this mass of awesomeness. The perfect bite is a little of everything (as seen in the picture above), which is necessary to appreciate every delightful aspect of this dish - the crunchiness of the fries, the saltiness and tangy flavor of the BBQ sauce, the tenderness of the pork, and the creaminess of the coleslaw.

SNACK: Aloha Isle, Adventureland

As the Floridian heat and humidity rose, we got pretty hot and thirsty.  To be honest, the water from the water fountains is NOT all that refreshing or tasty.  Pinterest inspired us to search for the Dole Whip Float, which consists of the infamous Pineapple Dole Whip and Pineapple juice.  Luckily, it was not hard to find.

Dole Whip Float
(Ignore Tiff's face as she was unaware that Grace was taking pictures)
Price: $4.99

As mentioned previously, this tropical fruity treat is made up of two parts: pineapple juice on the bottom and a swirl of their signature pineapple Dole Whip on top. The Dole Whip is available by itself, but we strongly recommend the float (and we mean STRONGLY RECOMMEND). Here’s why: the two different components have opposing flavors. The Dole Whip is a smooth, pineapple soft serve that is very sweet. The pineapple juice is super tangy and tart - possibly too tart by itself. But at the juice-whip interface (AKA the horizon of magic), the sweet and tart meet and give meaning to the phrase “the world, for once, in perfect harmony.” Obviously, we love this refreshing, frosty concoction.

A fair warning though - the Dole Whip started melting at an alarming pace just minutes after it was handed to us. Was the Dole Whip not frozen enough? Was the blazing Florida heat too much to handle? Both? Neither? We may never know.....


DINNER: Columbia Harbour House, Liberty Square

While spending almost 2 hours in the “Seven Dwarves Mine Train” line, we had decided that our final meal for the day would be at the Columbia Harbour House, which offers a number of seafood options, including Seafood Macaroni & Cheese and Salmon.

This and other cafeteria-style places of mass food distribution are a testament to what efficiency and crowd control should be. Food is the one thing you won't have to wait a "bzillion" years for (I'm lookin' at you, Seven Dwarves Mine Train and Toy Story Midway Mania!). Special thanks to the workers who direct the lines for not letting us get hangry. It had been a long day, and we just needed to sit down and recharge.

GRACE 

Seafood Macaroni & Cheese
Price: $13.79

This dish was probably one of the more expensive items on this menu, which I think was justified. There was a lot of shrimp and lobster meat (around 6 lobster claws worth of meat) in it. I was actually surprised at the amount of seafood it had. The panko-style bread crumbs on top added a nice, crunchy texture to an otherwise soft dish. That being said, I was not impressed with the mac ‘n’ cheese part of it. As a sharp cheese kind of girl, I was hoping it would be less bland. But that’s a personal preference. They are making this food to for hundreds of people everyday and have to cater to the average taste buds. Overall, this was a good choice, but not to die for.

TIFF

Fried Shrimp Platter
$10.99

As I had already had my share of cheesiness (thanks to extremely cheesy Waffle House cheese eggs from the day before), I opted to get something more on ordinary side.  This particular platter comes with cocktail sauce, a side of coleslaw, and your choice of apple slices, fries, or steamed broccoli.  As Grace had a hankering for fries, I opted for the fries to share.  The plate came with around 6 golden brown fried shrimp along with a generous heaping of fries.  The crunchiness of the shrimp was FANTASTIC and the flavor was what you’d expect from fried shrimp.  The fries were hot and crispy - just the way I like it.  The coleslaw was just.....coleslaw.  My mind wasn't particularly blown by this dish, but it was a nice meal to have after a long day.

Would we prescribe it?
ABSOLUTELY!
Most of the food we ordered was above and beyond what we were expecting.  Prices were pretty reasonable (when compared to other Disney menu items) and the amount of food you got was fantastic.  Overall, everything was delicious!!

As you can see, not booking a reservation at one of the more expensive sit-down restaurants won't make or break your Disney World culinary experience.  You can still enjoy what Magic Kingdom has to offer food-wise and still have time to make it to your FastPass time window without a sweat.  Plus, you'll have some extra cash in your pocket for more food and/or souvenirs.

Tune in next week for our Taste Test of Disney World's Hollywood Studios!
(And if you caught some of our Disney references throughout this post, you, my friend, are an awesome human being!)

      

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