WDW Daily News

Walt Disney World fans have their favorite tastes, from a chilly Dole Whip to the indulgent Cheddar Cheese Soup at the Canada pavilion at Epcot. We’ve rounded up the Top 10 tastes that have never left menus.

Crispy Fried Chicken at Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, Pioneer Hall, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. On the menu since the dinner show opened in 1974, servers dish up about 900 pounds of fried chicken every night, and cooks spend about six hours each day just breading the chicken. Add 400 pounds of pork ribs, 120 pounds of corn, 400 pounds of mashed potatoes and 30 gallons of baked beans. Three shows nightly.

Strawberry-Chicken Salad, Plaza Inn, Magic Kingdom. This simple salad has been tossed every day since the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971. Forget hot dogs and hamburgers, fans head to this little restaurant on Main Street, U.S.A., for a generous bowl of greens with grilled chicken breast, strawberries and Gorgonzola with white zinfandel vinaigrette. And you can end with a classic banana split or hot fudge sundae. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Cheddar Cheese Soup, Le Cellier Steakhouse, Canada pavilion, Epcot World Showcase. One of the most-requested recipes is for this creamy bowl of soup that’s made with Canadian beer, cheddar and Applewood-smoked bacon. It’s so popular that it’s also now a mainstay on the menu at the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Canada Marketplace. Le Cellier Steakhouse is open daily for lunch and dinner.

Creamy Lobster Soup, Coral Reef Restaurant, Epcot. With an amazing view of a coral reef with sharks, turtles, rays and fish (the largest inland saltwater environment ever built), the menu at this Future World restaurant changes often to reflect the seasons and sustainable seafood. But the Creamy Lobster Soup has never left the menu, an indulgent starter with fresh tarragon and a splash of Brandy. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Mom’s Old-Fashioned Pot Roast, 50’s Prime Time Cafe, Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Classic American comfort food and 1950s kitsch make this a favorite stop for families, with a menu that reflects the theme: pork chops, chicken pot pie, meatloaf. But it’s Mom’s Old-Fashioned Pot Roast that’s received the most praise since the restaurant opened in 1989. The slow-cooked beef is served with garlic mashed potatoes, brown gravy, carrots, celery and onions. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Cobb Salad, The Hollywood Brown Derby, Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This salad was iconic before it was even on the menu at the Disney re-creation of the historic California restaurant. As the story goes, Brown Derby owner Bob Cobb tossed the first version for a late-night snack for a Tinsel Town movie star. The Disney version sticks to the original with finely chopped greens, turkey breast, eggs, blue cheese, bacon and avocado. Open daily for lunch and dinner.

Potato-Wrapped Red Snapper, Flying Fish Cafe, Disney’s BoardWalk. While the chefs at Flying Fish Cafe cook with seasonality and sustainability in mind, this elegant dish has never left the menu since opening day in 1996. Fresh snapper is wrapped in thinly sliced potatoes, then pan-fried until crisp and golden. The fish is served over a rich leek fondue with veal glace de viande and red wine-cassis butter reduction. Open daily for dinner.

Cedar Plank-roasted King Salmon, Artist Point, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. You can smell the roasting cedar planks when you walk enter the spacious dining room that pays homage to America’s national park lodges. The menu incorporates tastes from coast to coast, but the most-ordered entrée is the Cedar Plank-roasted King Salmon served with seasonal vegetables, on the menu since opening day in 1994. Open daily for dinner.

Tonga Toast, Kona Cafe, Disney’s Polynesian Resort. Kids of all ages keep coming back for their favorite “only on vacation” indulgent breakfast treat: deep-fried banana-stuffed sourdough French toast rolled in cinnamon sugar and served with strawberry compote. The Tonga Toast has been a favorite since the Polynesian opened in 1971. Open daily for breakfast.

In the midst of transforming Downtown Disney into Disney Springs, plenty of dining spots satisfy every sort of craving – add a side of fun with everything from bowling to live concerts.

AMC Dine-In Theatres, Downtown Disney West Side. Forget popcorn, try the blackened chicken Alfredo, fish and chips or a mushroom Swiss burger. Seat-side, table-top service and the latest movies.

Bongo’s Cuban Cafe, Downtown Disney West Side. Look for the 2-story pineapple and you’ll find Bongos, the creation of singer Gloria Estefan. The menu features Cuban classics from ceviche and Cuban sandwiches to ropa vieja and picadillo. Add a side of fried sweet plaintains or black beans. Some guests just sip a mojito on the outdoor patio.

Cooke’s of Dublin, Downtown Disney Marketplace. For a quick bite of the Raglan Road favorites, Cooke’s offers fish and chips, beef and lamb pie, Georges Bank Atlantic scallops and other tastes of Ireland. But they serve burgers, too.

Earl of Sandwich, Downtown Disney Marketplace. Generous sandwiches like the Original 1762 (warm roast beef with creamy horseradish sauce and Cheddar cheese). Also wraps, salads and housemade desserts.

Exposition Park, Downtown Disney West Side. Exposition Park is the permanent home for the popular Disney food trucks. Two or more of the Disney food trucks will be at the park most days: Superstar Catering (featuring favorites from Disney’s Hollywood Studios), Namaste Café (Disney’s Animal Kingdom dishes), Fantasy Fare (Magic Kingdom tastes) and World Showcase of Flavors (Epcot Food & Wine Festival). The park is next to Bongos Cuban Cafe and also include an area for live entertainment, seating for diners and shade from the new elevated “highline” that’s part of the Downtown Disney expansion.

Fulton’s Crab House, Downtown Disney Marketplace. On a re-imagined riverboat, Fulton’s Crab House flies in seafood from around the globe, but also celebrates Florida’s waters with seasonal catches such a stone crab claws. Choose from the nautical dining room or one of three outdoor decks. Fulton’s is an 11-time wine of Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence, with more than 2,000 bottles in the cellar.

Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop, Downtown Disney Marketplace. If ice cream is your idea of a meal, this spot offers everything from scoops to floats, sundaes and malts. Of course they make the fudge for their “World-Famous Hot Fudge Sundae.”

House of Blues, Downtown Disney West Side. Contemporary comfort food is a rustic dining room with lots of folk art, plus a live concert venue next door. Pulled pork sliders, shrimp and grits, blackened fish and other Southern specialties. New Smokehouse walk-up window for quick service pulled pork or chicken sandwiches, smoked turkey legs and ribs.

Paradiso 37, Downtown Disney Marketplace. Great waterfront seating, 37 kinds of tequila and ice-cold beer. The menu features “street foods” of the Americas, such as quesadillas, chorizo and beef skewers, ceviche, Baja fish tacos and other casual bites.

Planet Hollywood, Downtown Disney West Side. The iconic globe is built on three levels and packed with movie and TV memorabilia. The menu features generous burgers, sandwiches and pastas. Part of the fun is wandering through the restaurant to check out authentic costumes and props, creatures from aliens to King Kong and, of course, Disney characters.

Portobello, Downtown Disney Marketplace. Grab a seat on the waterfront porch for the best views in this trattoria that serves wood-burning-oven pizzas, antipasti, and hearty dishes like ravioli filled with ricotta and spinach, gnocchi and penne Bolognese.

Raglan Road, Downtown Disney between Marketplace and West Side. Noted Irish Chef Kevin Dundon opened this outpost to share his Irish cuisine including fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, braised lamb shanks and Irish Mist-glazed loin of bacon. Lively bar, live music, Irish dancing.

Rainforest Café, Downtown Disney Marketplace. Fluttering butterflies, tropical rain showers, talking banyan trees, live birds and animated gorillas bring the outdoors inside at Rainforest Café. Guests can sample a meal with tropical flair or a refreshing beverage at the Mushroom Juice and Coffee Bar.

Splitsville Luxury Lanes, Downtown Disney West Side. A bowling alley and a restaurant – the food is impressive, including sushi, gluten-free pizzas, cheeseburger sliders and veggie rice bowls. With 30 bowling lanes, you can burn up the calories.

Two new Starbucks locations include a storefront at Downtown Disney West Side and a kiosk near World of Disney at Downtown Disney Marketplace. Look for the familiar green roof at the West Side flagship Starbucks, part of the company’s commitment to be environmentally conscious.  The design includes a covered patio overlooking the waterfront and a fireplace, as well as the new Clover Bar, featuring special reserve coffees brewed to order. A high-tech screen behind the Clover Bar will show images from coffee regions around the globe, and a new Human Connection Wall will include large touch-screen monitors that allow guests to use their finger to draw images.

T-Rex Café: A Prehistoric Family Adventure, Downtown Disney Marketplace. Enter a world of prehistoric creatures in this dinosaur-themed family eatery that serves up pizzas, pastas, sea bass and more, and features life-sized animated dinosaurs that dwell among bubbling geysers, waterfalls and a fossil dig site.

Wetzel’s Pretzels, Downtown Disney Westside: Grab a warm pretzel or a hot dog wrapped in one at this walk-up window.

Wolfgang Puck Cafe, Downtown Disney West Side. Noted Chef Wolfgang Puck’s fusion of Asian-California cuisine is on the menu, with everything from gourmet pizzas to sushi. Upstairs, the more formal The Dining Room takes food to fine-dining level: Florida Gulf catch of the day, miso-glazed salmon, wild mushroom pappardelle. Or grab a quick bite, Wolfgang Puck Express – pizzas, sandwiches, salads.

– See more at: http://wdwnews.com/releases/2014/12/09/from-food-trucks-to-fine-dining-eclectic-eats-at-downtown-disney/#sthash.cbiiDZVb.dpuf