How to avoid the amusement park fare and eat well at Disney World

Actually eating well in the Disney World parks themselves has often proved dire – a culinary landscape dominated by turkey legs, Dole Whips and assorted Mickey-shaped confections. Not any more.peterbystrom/Getty Images/iStockphoto

When someone tells you a restaurant offers the best food inside an amusement park, it's important to consider the context. It's like saying, "Yeah, it's pretty tasty … for airplane food" or "This is a hospital-cafeteria dish so divine … that it will not even make you want to vomit … that much." It's a classic case of damning with faint praise.

Such is the case with Disney World's newer expeditions into fine (and fine-ish) dining. It's always been easy enough to get a decent meal "on property" (to use Disney World lingo). The Orlando megaresort has long been outfitted with great steakhouses (Shula's, Yachtsman), modern restos (California Grill, La Luce) and other great eateries (Jiko – The Cooking Place, at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, is especially good and varied). But actually eating well in the parks themselves has often proved dire – a culinary landscape dominated by turkey legs, Dole Whips and assorted Mickey-shaped confections. Not any more.

Tiffins, recently opened at the Animal Kingdom, is easily the most-recommended in-park restaurant. Offering choice cuts of beef, fresh-fried local fish, seared scallops, charcuterie boards and an extensive wine list (all at eye-popping fine-dining prices), it feels like an upmarket riff on the nearby Rainforest Cafe. Again: This is not necessarily an insult. The food is good, if not mind-blowing, falling a bit short of its lofty and painfully obvious pretensions. But between wagyu short ribs and a hot dog left puckering in the Florida sun, it's no contest.

Another, more modestly priced reprieve is the Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen located in Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom. With South American- and Asian-inspired dishes (including delicious dumplings), the casual will satisfy more discerning park-goers. Even better is Satu'li Canteen at Pandora, the newest attraction at the Animal Kingdom. The quick-service cafeteria offers astonishingly good food at the price point, with Chipotle's-inspired grain-and-protein bowls, served with Avatar-themed cocktails. It's a bit cheesy, sure, but Satu'li Canteen offers the best value of Disney's upscale-aspiring eateries.

Of course, there's always Le Cellier, Disney's French-Canadian steakhouse at Epcot's Canada Pavilion. But unless you book a table months in advance, it's likely dommage for you and yours.

The writer was a guest of Walt Disney World Resort. It did not review or approve this article.