Halloween is here, but we’re not going to sugarcoat things: Magic Kingdom is Walt Disney World’s worst park for counter service food. Most of the restaurants are chaotic cafeterias with basic burgers, pizza, and chicken tenders or glorified snack spots with limited menus.
As covered in our list of the Best & Worst Magic Kingdom Counter Service Restaurant Rankings, there’s only one fast food option that we’d consider truly great, and even that is going to be a complete non-starter for a lot of families. It’s also a non-starter during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party since it’s only open until 5 pm on party nights.
The good news is that there are seasonal exceptions to this when special menus are offered, including during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP). In this post, we’ll quickly share our favorite option during MNSSHP, which is not-so-coincidentally one of our favorites on regular days. We’ll also quickly cover a few honorable mentions and dining strategies that consume minimal party time!
Our favorite meal at Magic Kingdom during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is at Sleepy Hollow at the edge of Liberty Square. This restaurant is in the shadow of Cinderella Castle, right along the parade route.
Notably, Sleepy Hollow is also a quick walk from Casey’s Corner on Main Street and the Spring Roll Cart at the entrance to Adventureland. It’s also not that far from both Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe and Golden Oak Outpost in Frontierland. Every single one of these locations also have special menus for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (or in the case of Casey’s Corner, all-day Halloween menus).
I haven’t dined at all of these locations during the 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, but several of their menus are returning from past parties. And as a general matter, we’ve found these spots to have the best MNSSHP offerings–certainly superior to heading the other direction into Tomorrowland, and also usually better than Fantasyland fare.
We’d also add that the all-day menu at Sleepy Hollow has gotten better in the last few months!
Not to embrace the macabre, but there was a massacre in the Magic Kingdom last year: Sleepy Hollow’s Scandal of Summer ’24. I remember it like it was yesterday. Some brainiac at Walt Disney World majorly messed up the one (and only!) Magic Kingdom counter service menu that didn’t need any changes.
The good news is that the proprietor of Sleepy Hollow (Ichabod Crane, I guess?) finally got the memo and undid the damage this summer, just in time for the debut of Disney Starlight Night Parade. The old waffles are now back, more or less, as covered in Waffle Win at Sleepy Hollow. Notably, most of these options are also available at Sleepy Hollow during the 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Moreover, Mobile Order does work during the event–so don’t be dissuaded if you spot a long line to order at Sleepy Hollow. There’s no downside to placing a Mobile Order. You just might want to do so a bit in advance, as return times aren’t always immediate if the restaurant is overwhelmed.
For my recommended meal at Magic Kingdom during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, let’s start with the Creepy Kimchi Corn Dog.
This is a hand-dipped corn dog rolled in malt vinegar and scallion with hades relish and kimchi-mayonnaise dipping sauce. The differences here are the toppings; the underlying hand-dipped corn dog is the classic Sleepy Hollow snack (or entree).
This is unlike other corn dogs at Walt Disney World in terms of its higher quality. This is freshly-battered and is the best corn dog I’ve had at Magic Kingdom. Maybe even in all of Walt Disney World. We’re talking quality approaching Little Red Wagon at Disneyland here.
I would even argue that this corn dog is better, cheaper, and bigger than the options served over at the “viral” Blue Ribbon Corn Dog. Those last two points aren’t even up for debate. It is cheaper and it is bigger. Only question is whether it’s better–and I say it is.
As for the unique toppings, I could take or leave the so-called hades relish; it doesn’t add much on the flavor front and looks overly artificial. On the other hand, that kimchi-mayonnaise dipping sauce is addictively delicious. It’s basically volcano sauce (which I also love). I’m not sure why something like this isn’t offered everywhere. I’d dip fries in this, put it on top of hot dogs, burgers, pizza…pretty much everything!
For dessert, I ordered the Pumpkin-spiced Funnel Cake Sundae. This is a Pumpkin funnel cake topped with pumpkin gelato, whipped cream, pumpkin-spiced caramel, marshmallow pumpkins, and sprinkles.
Over the last ~15 years, Sleepy Hollow has served up over a half-dozen different pumpkin/waffle/funnel cake combos. I’ve ordered every single one of them. There were some “dark days” when it was just vanilla or chocolate ice cream served on a normal funnel cake or waffle, and just topped with candy or some other junk.
The last couple of years, though, Walt Disney World has honed this concept to perfection. At least, for pumpkin-lovers like me.
I don’t love Sleepy Hollow funnel cakes as well as I like the waffles, but they’re still fantastic. It helps tremendously that these are freshly-made, and there’s nothing quite like a crispy funnel cake fresh out of the fryer.
The pumpkin spice flavor is prominent, and the dense funnel cake withstands the weight of the pumpkin gelato quite well. Probably better than a waffle would have. The gelato itself is smooth and creamy, and even though it’s the same as what’s served over at Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, I’d recommend this above that sundae.
The gelato and funnel cake are fantastic on their own and work really well together. This dessert is very filling, with perfectly satisfying flavors and textures. Even though I’d be fine with less whipped cream and no candy, this is still a 10/10 dessert for me.
The value proposition of the Pumpkin-spiced Funnel Cake Sundae is unrivaled, too. This is a full-sized funnel cake with a generous gelato portion, and all for only $9. It’s really unfortunate that this isn’t an all-day dessert during Halloween at Magic Kingdom, because I’d order this on a daily basis. But to paraphrase one dearly-departed CFO, perhaps paywalling this is better for my wallet and waistline. Thanks for looking out for me, Disney!!!
As noted above, Sleepy Hollow is in the shadow of Cinderella Castle and right along the parade route.
This presents a couple of strategic opportunities for eating here, which we feel compelled to share since party time is money! (Seriously, there’s a very good chance your time, on a per minute basis of the MNSSHP ticket price, will cost as much or more than these dishes.)
My recommendation would be to grab Sleepy Hollow towards the start of Boo to You Parade. Watch the Headless Horseman pass from here, then grab and eat your food. This is what I did, and there was more than ample time for picking up the Mobile Order and eating between the two. I even crossed the parade route and relocated to the edge of Liberty Square and had a great view of the parade approaching (see below).
Another option is grabbing a meal while waiting for or even “watching” Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular, the Cinderella Castle stage show. Now, you won’t be able to actually see the show (very well) from the seating area here, but the side view is unique with projections on Cinderella Castle and other effects.
You could also order at the very beginning of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, selecting a Mobile Order return time right at 7 pm. I kind of like this option, as I view the beginning of the event as the least valuable party time. And starting in October, there should be a Hocus Pocus show right at 7:35 pm, so you can eat and then stake out a spot.
At the other end of the spectrum, placing a Mobile Order for 11:55 pm and then taking this to the hub to watch the final midnight Hocus Pocus show is one of my favorite power moves. Extend your evening past the official end of the event, and reward yourself after a long night with a refreshing savory and sweet one-two punch. (I’m also a big fan of this approach with Casey’s Corner.)
Ultimately, Sleepy Hollow is one of a few worthwhile food options at Magic Kingdom during the 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Another recommendation we’ve made elsewhere is the Halloween Menu at Be Our Guest Restaurant. I had hoped to try the special menu at Cinderella’s Royal Table, but couldn’t find anyone to go with me…and a middle-aged dude eating alone at CRT is a bit, ahem, awkward. Then there are all of the aforementioned counter service options on this side of the park.
The other meal I ended up doing was Beak & Barrel, which was a lot of fun. Not a special menu since it’s brand new, and not really a realistic recommendation since that Pirates of the Caribbean tavern books up 60+ days in advance. Nevertheless, worth mentioning for next year or even Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. I’d aim for mix-in if at all possible, but if your only option is the beginning of the event, consider taking it. You won’t feel too badly about the 45 minute time limit since you’ll want to get out the door to the event, anyway.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about the Halloween menu at Sleepy Hollow in Magic Kingdom? Are you excited for these spook season savory snacks & sweet treats? Do you agree or disagree with my assessment that this is the best Magic Kingdom meal during MNSSHP? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
