What I ate in Disney

(I didn’t get many food pictures because, let’s face it, why take a picture of the food when you can eat it?!). F. Y . I Pictures I do include are either by own, or the owners name will be credited.

I visited Walt Disney World in Florida over the summer, my third time in the most magical place on Earth. I’ll probably write a post about my time there, if I can bring myself to write the post even though – sat here in boring, mostly rainy Liverpool – every time I think about Disney I get nostalgic (and, I’ll admit, a little teary!).

Disney, Disney, Disney. Beautiful scenery, lovely (if expensive) shops, thrilling rides and – above all – some of the most exciting and delicious food I’ve tasted in a very long time.

We stayed off property whilst we were there, so our breakfasts were either stuff from Starbucks (mainly banana bread or lemon pound cake), stuff we’d bought from nearby shops or – one occasion- iHop.

Strawberry pancakes @ iHop, Lake Buena Vista

I was disappointed with my choice when we went here. I’d hyped iHop up so much before we went and, considering a combination of jet-lag induced tiredness and a bad choice (strawberry crepes, very heavy on the strawberry syrup!), I was disappointed. The crepes themselves were really tasty, the strawberries were delicious but that sauce. I think the combination of the yellowish almost custard coloured sauce and the strawberry sauce was just too rich and sickly. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t finish them.

I think, if I was going to visit iHop again, I’d make a different decision. My Mum got pancakes with peaches and, when I think about it, I would’ve much preferred that.

Main Street Popcorn @ Epcot, Walt Disney World

We got stuck in the shop as you come in to Epcot (due to really bad storms) and saw the big bags of popcorn. It wasn’t until Illuminations (Can’t. Believe. It’s. Over.) that we bought our popcorn because you can’t watch fireworks without it. We picked your regular popcorn and then a bag of popcorn with caramel and pecans.

They were both so. Good. Granted, the pecan popcorn was kind of tough on your teeth but it was so good. I might have nearly dropped a bag when the fireworks started (Fun fact: I love the colours and spectacle of them but I hate how loud they are!) but I can safely say the bits I didn’t drop on the floor were very good.

Chicken dumplings and fries, Mr Kamal’s @ Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World

The last time we visited Disney World, we went with my Grandma, Grandad and our parents. Unfortunately, this time, we went without my grandparents. Though, we made sure to call and text Grandad as much as we could. To honour our Grandma, we grabbed the incredible seasoned fries over at Animal Kingdom.

My Grandma said on our last trip, though I have the memory of a sieve so I don’t remember this, that the Animal Kingdom chips were the best chips. Turns out, she was right. They’re light, seasoned so well and just delicious. Considering I was starving, I also got an order of the chicken dumplings. They, too, were amazing – though messy!

I thought about my Grandma a lot whilst we were there, considering she’s no longer here, and being exactly where she was last time made my heart swell with loss, longing and this bitter sweet feeling.

Those fries, image copyright ©(the wonderful) Disney Food Blog

The 2319 Cone, Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies @ Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World

Ah the humble character cone. I watched so many Disney Food Blog vlogs before I went to Disney and I knew, of all the things I wanted to try whilst I was there, a character cone was one of them. The second day I went to Magic Kingdom, we popped into Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies and that’s when I saw it.

An orange cone, yellow-ish soft serve and an adorable shortbread sock. Cute and delicious! The soft serve was reminiscent of Dole Whip (another thing I tried, for the first time, this holiday – though I didn’t manage to get a picture!) and I loved the addition of the shortbread. The only problem was how messy I got after eating it!

Penne, chicken and broccoli @ Planet Hollywood, Disney Springs

Ah, Disney Springs. Part cool eating, drinking and shopping destination, part busy, hot haven. It didn’t really help that we went to Disney Springs on a really hot night, as it completely ruined my experience of what actually is a brilliant place. I laugh about it now but I remember myself, absolutely sweating in the outside bit of Planet Hollywood – both because a dish so suited to me was about to be delivered and because Florida’s 20-something degrees feels like 40!!

Anyway, the penne with chicken and broccoli was absolutely perfect. I’m a big fan of anything carby and meaty – not really good for me or the planet! This definitely fit the bill, I was just annoyed I couldn’t finish it (and the server took away our souvenir glasses before we could grab them!)

Shrimp Teriyaki Bowl @ ABC Commissary, Hollywood Studios

Not only is the decor in ABC Commissary something to behold, the food isn’t bad, too. It was pretty crowded in there when we visited, so I was kinda worried the server wouldn’t get to us! Of course, eventually my meal got there and it was delicious. It was kind of nice just to have something less stodgy and maybe healthy for a change. Saying that, there was enough flavour in that dish to make me feel like I wasn’t eating something healthy!

Strawberry peanut butter ice cream @ Florean Fortescue’s, Universal Studios

Even though that bloody dragon is enough to make your heart drop out of your chest, I (luckily) didn’t drop the absolutely divine glass of ice-cream. I’ve heard a lot of bloggers, vloggers and people I know who’ve visited Universal Studios rave about this ice-cream and – well, in short – they were absolutely right to rave. I thought it wouldn’t work at all, flavour wise, but it really did. Even now, in British weather, I would happily have a scoop (or two of this!).

This is not an exhaustive list, and by no means a complete list of what we ate. It just shows you, whether you’ve been to Walt Disney World one hundred times or not even once, that there’s so much on offer. Against the dreary reality of being a post grad out of motivation and out of work, I’m comforted to know that when I do get money, Disney and so much wonderful food still exists.

What is your favourite thing to eat at Disney World? What’s your least favourite? I’d love to know!