Can’t Get the Reservations You Want? Try These Restaurants Instead!

Dining at the Walt Disney World Resort is one of the highlights of any vacation as Guests have hundreds of locations to choose from. Each Disney dining location features its own unique theme and menu, and Guests love to spend plenty of time sampling as many delicious bites as possible. Table service restaurants in particular are popular with Guests as they offer up more formal opportunities to kick back and relax for a bit while indulging in absolutely delicious menus, but some restaurants are so popular that reservations literally disappear.

Not being able to score a reservation at a coveted table service restaurant can be a bummer, but there are plenty of other amazing locations to try! Can’t get an advanced dining reservation to a particular popular table service restaurant at the Walt Disney World Resort? Try these restaurants instead!

Can’t Get: Storybook Dining at Artist Point with Snow White

Try: Whispering Canyon Café

Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is home to several amazing Disney dining locations including Storybook Dining at Artist Point with Snow White. This immersive table service restaurant invites Guests to dine on a prix-fixe dinner menu in an enchanted forest while favorite characters from Snow White in the Seven Dwarfs greet them. This popular spot is often booked far in advance, and very hard to score a reservation to, but Guests can instead opt to try another wonderful location just steps away.

Whispering Canyon Café can be found just off the main lobby at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and welcomes Guests into a rustic and large dining room featuring wooden accents, colorful cowboy scenes, and plenty of antics. Open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Whispering Canyon Café features a hearty menu of American favorites, including All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Skillets loaded with meats and sides. While enjoying their meals, Guests can also participate in the good-natured antics that the servers create, including a hilarious bit involving many, many bottles of ketchup.

Can’t Get: Be Our Guest Restaurant

Try: Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen

The most coveted Disney dining reservation that Guests try to get in the Magic Kingdom is for Be Our Guest Restaurant in the very heart of Fantasyland. This immersive and stunning restaurant invites Guests to step into Beauty and the Beast and enjoy traditional French cuisine inside of the Beast’s Castle while dining in famous locales, including the West Wing and Grand Ballroom where Belle and the Beast shared their iconic dance.

Since Be Our Guest Restaurant is a hard reservation to come by, Guests who can’t get in should instead opt for the nearby Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen in Adventureland. This unique and quirky table service restaurant is operated by the skippers from the Jungle Cruise and welcomes Guests into an airy and bright interior filled with incredible details that continue the theming of Adventureland. The lunch and dinner menus at the restaurant focus on international cuisine with bold options and Guests are sure to chuckle at a few of the unique names that the skippers have given each dish!

Can’t Get: The Boathouse

Try: Paddlefish

Disney Springs is one of the busiest dining locations at the Walt Disney World Resort and many Guests try to grab a reservation to The Boathouse in The Landing area. This nautical and airy restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner and features a massive interior as well as several outdoor decks that overlook Lake Buena Vista. The Boathouse features a very lengthy menu of sea and land favorites as well as delicious cocktails and wine.

Since The Boathouse has become so popular with Guests, there tend to be very limited reservations available and a great alternative option nearby in Disney Springs is Paddlefish. This unique table service location is housed inside of a docked steamer ship on Lake Buena Vista, so Guests still get stunning water views with their lunch and dinner. The menu at Paddlefish leans much more heavily on seafood, featuring an indulgent menu of fresh options each day that seafood lovers will absolutely love.

Can’t Get: Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’

Try: Morimoto Asia!

Another extremely popular table service restaurant in Disney Springs is Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ in The Landing. This restaurant has become well-known for its decadent Southern classics infused with fresh Florida favorites served up for brunch, lunch, and dinner. Guests can dig into options including fried chicken while sipping on moonshine creations and enjoying the laid back and relaxing atmosphere throughout any meal.

Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’ is very hard to get a reservation for, but there is another great table service location nearby that is also run by a famous chef. Morimoto Asia is a modern and beautiful restaurant spanning two floors operated by Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. Open daily for lunch and dinner, the menu at Morimoto Asia serves up pan-Asian cuisine inspired by the many different regions of Asia and Guests can sample unique and delicious options, as well as some of the best sushi at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Can’t Get: Beaches & Cream Soda Shop

Try: Flying Fish

Guests can’t get enough of Beaches & Cream Soda Shop, a table service restaurant at Disney’s Beach Club Resort that brings the charm of the Atlantic seaside to life. Open daily for lunch and dinner, Beaches & Cream Soda Shop evokes the laid-back feel of an old-time seaside diner with pastel colors, vintage touches, and over-the-top portions of American favorites. While the entrees are wonderful, the restaurant is beloved for its truly indulgent ice cream creations that are big enough to feed an army.

Since Beaches & Cream Soda Shop is often fully booked, Guests looking for a wonderful meal can head just minutes away to the other side of Crescent Lake to Disney’s BoardWalk Inn. Flying Fish is a table service restaurant open for dinner only that features a beautiful and upscale interior decorated with hues of deep blue to create the feeling of being under the sea. The menu focuses heavily on fresh seafood and Guests are sure to feel totally relaxed and satisfied after enjoying both the ambiance and cuisine found at Flying Fish.

Can’t Get: Tusker House Restaurant

Try: Yak & Yeti Restaurant

Tusker House Restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a very popular table service restaurant in the village of Harambe where Guests can enjoy an extensive menu of African and American favorites while dining amongst beautifully themed artifacts and artwork. Throughout breakfast, lunch, and dinner Guests can even meet favorite characters, including Mickey, Goofy, and Donald, who are ready to head out to nearby Kilimanjaro Safaris in their specialty gear!

Tusker House Restaurant is a really hard reservation to grab since it is the only character dining option in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and those who are not able to secure a spot can instead opt for Yak & Yeti Restaurant in the Asia area of the Disney Park. This wonderful table service restaurant spans two beautifully themed floors that are broken down into smaller, intimate dining rooms filled with beautiful props. Yak & Yeti Restaurant features an extensive menu of pan-Asian favorites ensuring that there is an unforgettable meal for every Guest who dines there!

Can’t Get: California Grill

Try: Steakhouse 71

Amazing views and unforgettable cuisine can be found at a popular table service restaurant at the very top of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. California Grill is open each night for dinner and welcomes Guests into a modern dining room that features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Seven Seas Lagoon and the Magic Kingdom. While enjoying a truly indulgent and inventive menu of contemporary American cuisine, Guests can even step outside of California Grill onto exclusive viewing decks to take in unparalleled views of the nightly fireworks over Cinderella Castle.

California Grill often books up immediately when the reservation window opens up, but Guests who can’t get in can enjoy another wonderful restaurant found on the opposite end of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Steakhouse 71 can be found on the lowest level of the Disney Resort and is open daily for all three meal periods. The restaurant celebrates the year that the Walt Disney World Resort first opened with a menu of throwback American favorites that pair perfectly with a retro and modern blend of décor. Guests can enjoy vintage recipes from the 1970s for breakfast and lunch before indulging in a traditional steakhouse menu of butcher’s cuts and sides for dinner each evening at Steakhouse 71!

Can’t Get: The Hollywood Brown Derby

Try: 50’s Prime Time Café

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the perfect blending of new and exciting Hollywood hits and the golden age of Hollywood where it all began and a throwback table service restaurant near the front of the Disney Park is a favorite of many. The Hollywood Brown Derby celebrates the style and elegance of art deco décor and Hollywood’s elite with a charming interior filled with caricature sketches of famous faces. Guests who are able to score a reservation at The Hollywood Brown Derby for lunch or dinner can enjoy this beautiful restaurant while dining on contemporary American cuisine that feels miles away from the crowds just outside.

Since The Hollywood Brown Derby is often totally booked, Guests can instead opt for a table service meal at the 50’s Prime Time Café in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This immersive dining experience brings the 1950’s to life and invites Guests to dine inside of a family home from the era for lunch and dinner. The menu features favorite family recipes from relatives and all servers are cousins who get in on the fun and remind Guests to mind their manners and finish their vegetables. With delicious food and a fun setting, any meal at the 50’s Prime Time Café is sure to be memorable!