9. House of Blues

Image: DisneyHowever, Disney Springs exists for tourists. And many of them prefer the comfort of the known over the illicit dangers of the unknown. For this reason, the nightclub and restaurant, House of Blues, does exceptionally well due to its combination of live music and remarkably good food. 

No, I’m not joking. This place actually possesses slightly better reviews than ‘Ohana on TripAdvisor. The Gospel Brunch is especially entertaining for those of you visiting on Sunday. One final weird fact: House of Blues is a Live Nation Entertainment property.

8. Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria

Image: DisneyThe middle child of Patina Group’s Italian trifecta is Via Napoli, an extremely popular pizza place at Epcot’s Italy pavilion. This restaurant embraces its roots and history with a clever three-faced oven named after active volcanoes. Mount Etna, Mount Stromboli, and Mount Vesuvius will slow-cook your pie to a perfect temperature, giving it a crisp crust along with mouth-watering melted cheese. It’s seriously the best cheese I’ve ever eaten on a pizza and proof that the rest of this list is incredibly strong.

7. Tutto Italia Ristorante

Image: DisneyThe fourth and final Patina Group restaurant is Via Napoli’s more heralded twin. While everyone loves a good slice, Italian cuisine covers so much more. At Tutto Italia, you’ll discover the very best of it, along with a wine list that will dazzle you with its depth and quality. I strongly suspect that the reason why Maria and Enzo’s seems so bland is that it came after Tutto Italia, which had already perfected the craft of Sicilian dishes.

6. T-REX Café

Image: DisneyLandry’s Inc. has grown in reputation in recent years, at least partly because its CEO, Tillman Fertitta, has developed something of a cult following. He's become the owner of the Houston Rockets and the star of a reality show, Billionaire Buyer. More importantly, Fertitta has earned a much-deserved reputation as a quality control freak. Anything with the Landry's name on it had better embody excellence. 

I absolutely believe that’s true at Walt Disney World. Landry’s operates four different locations, and three of them claim a spot in the top half of the list. Sorry, Rainforest Café. As much as I love the Patina Group, Landry’s is demonstrably better, at least in Orlando.

T-REX Café is the silliest of these offerings. It’s a child-friendly location that relives the destruction of the dinosaurs every 20 minutes. The ground shakes, as the ceiling turns into a laser lights show that ends poorly for Team Jurassic. And what I like best about this place is that it features one of the most robust menus at Disney Springs.

5. Morimoto Asia

Image: DisneyI loved Iron Chef back in the day, and I’m talking about the Japanese version, not the less cheesy American one. Oddly, both programs starred one Masaharu Morimoto, whose decidedly Asian fusion became a staple of his New York restaurants.

Eventually, the Iron Chef became a celebrity chef, and Disney persuaded him to open a place in Orlando, one that he visits often. The cuisine here packs a wallop into small bites and is clearly the best of its kind at Walt Disney World. Even allowing for the fact that the Japan pavilion is a foodie's dream, Morimoto Asia is still better.

4. Todd English’s bluezoo

Image: DisneySpeaking of Iron Chefs, Todd English once appeared as one on a short-lived version of the show hosted by – I swear to you – William Shatner. He’s perhaps best known as one of the first celebrity chefs to sell out and hock his wares on QVC. And you’ve probably tasted some of his recipes whether you realize it or not. He designs the menus for Delta Airlines flights.

Todd English’s bluezoo is an upscale eatery at the Walt Disney Dolphin Hotel. It’s a luxurious setting with an understated blue backdrop that reinforces the subtle theme. It’s a fish place, and the titular bluezoo references an aquarium. The food here is sublime; bluezoo is a place where foodies simply must dine at some point during their lives. It's one of the true unsung masterpieces of Disney dining.