5. Egyptian Kushari – Jiko: The Cooking Place, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

Image: Disney

If you haven’t noticed, a good amount of the items on this list bear some relation to African food. Disney has admittedly done extremely well with their ventures to introduce African flavors to guests through locations like Tusker House, Boma, Tiffin’s, and of course, Jiko: The Cooking Place.

Similar to Tiffin’s, we could pull almost any item off the menu at Jiko and put it on this list. They are undoubtedly one of the most excellent restaurants on property, and your dining experience there will be wholly unique compared even to other African and South Asian offerings at Walt Disney World. A perfect example of this is actually a dish that isn’t even a main course (unless you order off the vegan or vegetarian menu)—the Egyptian Kushari.

This ancient grains and pasta dish is positively bursting with flavors from a zesty blend of chakalaka, olives, roasted vegetables like summer squash and peppers, and rich spices. It bears some similarities to Moroccan couscous dishes, but the Kushari is leagues above anything you would get at Restaurant Marrakesh or Spice Road Table. You just want to go on eating it forever. It is delicious all by itself as a vegetarian entrée, but paired with one of Jiko’s eclectic entrees, you have a double winner. There’s really nothing on the menu at Jiko that we wouldn’t recommend, but this unassuming side remains one of the best things we ever ate at Walt Disney World.

6. Potato-Wrapped Red Snapper (and basically anything on the menu)– Flying Fish, Disney’s Boardwalk

Image: Disney

No exploration of spectacular food at Walt Disney World is complete without a mention of the Boardwalk’s Flying Fish—formerly the Flying Fish Café. This oft-overlooked culinary gem has remained a culinary standout since its opening for its innovative takes on seafood, steakhouse favorites, and New American cuisine. The restaurant has historically maintained a menu that regularly changes to match seasonal and sustainable ingredients, so you never can fully guess what you’ll get until you visit. They’re able to do this because every menu at the Flying Fish brims with world-class culinary delights.

One favorite from the restaurant’s old menu was a potato-wrapped red snapper with creamy leeks. In every way, it was the picture of perfection. The potato wrapping added a wonderful texture to the perfectly fresh snapper, with the addition of a red wine reduction to add a zip of extra flavor. Creamy leeks paired marvelously to create a guest favorite that remained one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes for years.

With the Flying Fish’s recent transformation, the potato-wrapped snapper is no longer a regular item on the menu, but don’t fret. Any visit to the Flying Fish is guaranteed to treat you to a refreshing culinary experience you would never expect to find within walking distance of a theme park.