There are a lot of restaurants we love around Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, very few of them are actually in the castle park, which is Walt Disney World’s worst food park. But that’s fine, because we love taking midday breaks as a reprieve from the chaos and crowds, and a chance to enjoy the monorail or boats across Seven Seas Lagoon or Bay Lake. Transportation around Walt Disney World is an attraction unto itself that too many fans sleep on, but that’s another topic for another day.
Anyway, a lot of our Top 25 Restaurants at Walt Disney World are located at the monorail loop or over in the ‘wilderness’ resort region. Since we spend more time at Magic Kingdom than anywhere else at Walt Disney World and do little of our ‘for fun’ dining within the park, we have a lot of opportunities to revisit familiar favorites.
When it comes to personal picks, I could easily rattle off a half-dozen different ‘best in class’ restaurants near Magic Kingdom: character dinner, character breakfast, waterfront lounge, indoor lounge, haute cuisine, bang for buck BBQ, fancy-but-approachable fine dining, elevated counter service, etc. Today’s restaurant tops the category: “guilty pleasures where I eat by myself quite often because Sarah won’t be the least bit disappointed if I dine there without her because the menu is mostly mediocre, but there are a few standout meals I love.”
Technically, there are several winners in this category, which might seem rather niche but is actually fairly expansive. In any case, the restaurant near Magic Kingdom that fits the bill here is Capt. Cook’s, the main counter service restaurant in the Great Ceremonial House at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
Captain Cook’s participates in the Disney Dining Plan as a counter service credit. Menu prices are fairly cheap by Walt Disney World standards, with most of my top picks being in the $11-13 range. Because of those price points, it’s a much better value when paying out of pocket and is definitely not one of the better value quick service restaurants for value on the Disney Dining Plan.
Capt. Cook’s has both indoor and outdoor seating, the latter of which is very necessary because the indoor seating area is about half the size of what’s necessary given modern demand. Suffice to say, Capt. Cook’s is popular. I’m not the only Walt Disney World guest who appreciates a good guilty pleasure indulgence!
Here’s a look around the two different seating areas inside the restaurant:
Note that these photos are not representative of what you can expect to encounter at Capt. Cook’s. I took these thirty minutes after the restaurant closed at like 12:30 am, waiting out the final tables to clear and the last guests to leave while waiting on my ‘Late Night Dining’ Mobile Order.
I seldom eat inside Capt. Cook’s because the inside is so cramped and chaotic, and that’s exactly what I’m leaving Magic Kingdom to escape. The outdoor seating area is much nicer, even on a triple-digit feels like day. It’s shaded and there’s always a nice breeze coming off the water, so it usually still feels fine.
In nicer weather, I’d recommend taking your food down to the beach and enjoying it along the waterfront with a view of Magic Kingdom in the distance. This is my preferred way to enjoy Capt. Cook’s, especially on late nights or around the holiday season.
In any case, the level of theming in Captain Cook’s is minimal. This seems to be fairly common with counter service locales in Deluxe Resorts, and I’m not really sure why. The seating area has a bamboo motif, and is decorated with graphic posters representing the various islands of Polynesia, but that’s about it. This is actually an improvement over what it used to look like about a decade or more ago.
Functionally, Capt. Cook’s is now big on Mobile Order and that’s definitely the best option. Since I’m old school, I typically order from the couple of cashiers that are still available in the restaurant. (The real reason I do this is so the food is plated in a more photogenic way than Mobile Order, which still often doesn’t happen.)
Let’s turn to some of my favorite dishes at Capt. Cook’s…
Superfoods Salad: Kale and Cabbage tossed with Quinoa and Edamame, Walnuts, Grapes, Blueberries, and Mandarin Oranges served with a side of Apple Cider Vinaigrette.
This is Sarah’s go-to at Contempo Cafe. She appreciates how well-rounded it is, with a healthy and delicious mix of vegetables and fruits. It’s not quite on the level of the Kale Power Greens Salad (what’s up with Walt Disney World trying to make salad names sound like Marvel characters?), but it’s far superior to the salads Walt Disney World used to serve.
I do not purport to be a salad connoisseur, but I’ll also reluctantly admit that I order this with decent frequency and enjoy it.
The salad is fairly “on-theme” for the Polynesian, and it also makes a nice counterpart to the heavy and indulgent dishes at Capt. Cook’s, and Walt Disney World more broadly. I’ve grabbed this at the end of a long night and at the end of a long trip when I was feeling a bit “yucky” and lethargic from lengthy stretches of eating poorly. This hit the spot, and made me feel “super.”
At the other end of the spectrum is the Spicy Korean Chicken Bowl: Crisp Chicken Strips with Gochujang Sauce, Steamed Rice, and Cucumber Namasu.
I like this. This makes me feel better about enjoying the guilty pleasure of chicken strips, as the Gochujang Sauce and Cucumber Namasu elevate this dish into something a bit more inventive and exciting.
Emphasis on “a bit.” At the end of the day, these are still just regular Walt Disney World chicken strips on a bed of rice and with a different sauce.
Still, I like them. The sauce provides a bit of a kick, while everything else is exactly what you’d expect. Nothing mind-blowing, but reliably tasty.
Next up is the Hawaiian Flatbread: Marinara Sauce with Mozzarella and Parmesan Blend topped with Ham, Pineapple, and Red Onion.
This is part of the “Late Night Dining” menu, which is pretty much just flatbreads. I had this after Starlight on a night when Capt. Cook’s was absolutely slammed (probably because of the post-Starlight exodus). My order took forever, but to the credit of the Cast Members at Capt. Cook’s, they were absolutely churning out these pizzas.
There’s absolutely nothing special about this flatbread. It’s fine, I guess. But it’s very cookie-cutter and basic, and not recommended. What I would instead endorse for late night dining is Gasparilla Island Grill at the Grand Floridian. You can take the boat there and then walk to the Polynesian.
We now arrive at the all-star of the menu, one of the finest foods in all of Walt Disney World: the Pulled Pork Nachos Topped with Cheese, Spicy Mayonnaise, Pico de Gallo, and Pineapple Salsa.
The nachos are incredible. These consist of a plate of house-made Polynesian Chips topped with tender and tasty pulled pork, plus a medley of melted cheese and spicy mayo, veggies, and pineapple salsa. These have a unique and delicious taste. They may not look like much, but if you know, you know.
These are one of the most crave-worthy dishes in all of Walt Disney World, and something I’ve been ordering with regularity since our first visit to the Poly as adults in 2007. These have changed a bit over the years and also gone up in price, but they are still fundamentally the same and relatively reasonably priced at $11.
Honestly, these little beauties are the whole reason this Capt. Cook’s re-review exists in the first place. Can’t exactly write a whole post around the Pulled Pork Nachos themselves, especially since the message would just be: “yep, they’re still delicious!” Nevertheless, I feel these are worth bringing to the attention of first-timers and newer Walt Disney World fans who may not have them on their radar.
To be even more honest, it pained me to have to order the other stuff just for the sake of a more well-rounded review. If left to my own devices, there are only two things I’d ever order at Capt. Cook’s. The Pulled Pork Nachos and the next entry.
That other item is the iconic Tonga Toast: Banana-stuffed Sourdough Bread, Battered, Deep-fried, and Dusted with Cinnamon-Sugar served with Bacon or Sausage.
When it comes to delicious food, the Tonga Toast is never a disappointment. It’s one of the most famed foods among Walt Disney World fans for good reason. This banana fried awesomeness in dough form has a light crunch on the outside that immediately gives way to a doughy and gooey center. It’s moist and flavorful, and the inclusion of bananas makes it heart healthy! (Citation needed.)
Seriously, Tonga Toast is one of the absolute best breakfasts at Walt Disney World. This isn’t just my opinion, either. It’s a fan-favorite dish and has been for decades. Almost everyone seems to love it, and the hype is very deserved.
The one insight I will add here is that Tonga Toast is served at both Kona Cafe and Captain Cook’s, but is $7 cheaper at the latter. The key difference is the Tonga Toast at Kona is served with strawberry compote. My hot take is that’s overkill, and results in a sweetness overload. Even if someone gave me the strawberry compote for free, I wouldn’t use it or would apply it very sparingly. Tonga Toast is perfect on its own.
Finally, I want to quickly cover a couple of additional items.
One of these is the Aloha Pork Sandwich Pulled Pork with Cheddar, Asian Slaw, Cucumbers, and Tomatoes on a Brioche Bun served with French Fries. It’s been a while since we’ve had this, to the point that the presentation has changed a tad. It’s a good option if you’re in the mood for a sandwich, but I far prefer the pulled pork in nacho form. This used to be Sarah’s go-to pick and one of her favorite counter service entrees anywhere.
Another is the Thai Coconut Meatballs: House-made All-Beef Chili-Garlic Meatballs cooked in a Coconut Cream served over White Rice. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve had these, but thought they were reasonably good, especially the coconut cream slathered on the meatballs (and by extension, the rice). The meatballs themselves were a bit on the mushy side, but on balance, this is probably the superior entree to the Spicy Korean Chicken Bowl. I can’t track down my photo of this and I didn’t like it enough to order it again over the nachos. Do with that info what you will.
Finally, it’s also been ages since we’ve had the Pan-Asian Noodles and Vegetables, but we were underwhelmed. The portion was really small and there was nothing all that interesting about the dish. You’re better off with the Superfoods Salad. (To be clear, these noodles are basically a glorified salad.)
As you might be able to gather from these photo-less capsule reviews, the primary purpose of my many visits to Capt. Cook’s is for one item at breakfast, and another at lunch/dinner. Ask a dozen different diehard Disney fans who love Capt. Cook’s, and at least 10 will probably be doing you the same thing. The other two will still be bitter about the demise of the Adult Grilled Cheese–and they’re not wrong!
Ultimately, it’s a rather unassuming location with several only okay dishes and an arguably mediocre menu as a whole, but Captain Cook’s is also home to a couple of the most iconic meals in all of Walt Disney World. Both are delicious, filling, and reasonably priced. Once you get past that dynamic duo, Capt. Cook’s also has a couple more dishes that are fairly good. If anyone in your party doesn’t like indulgent dishes or guilty pleasures, the salad is a fantastic option for them. And although the Pulled Pork Nachos are the all-star, the meat translates well to the sandwich, too.
The menu may not be as deep as Contempo Cafe or Gasparilla Island Grill or even just about any food court at the Value or Moderate Resorts, but the two top-tier dishes more than make up for it. The handful of good to great options alone coupled with its great location and outside atmosphere mean Capt. Cook’s is well deserving of a place on our list of the Top 20 Counter Service Restaurants at Walt Disney World. Oh, and for dessert there are Dole Whips right around the corner, and all of this is enjoyable in a delightful island setting. What more could you ask for when making a midday escape from the chaos and crowds at Magic Kingdom?!
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Your Thoughts
Do you think that Captain Cook’s is one of the top counter service restaurants at Walt Disney World? What menu items here do you like? Any that you don’t like? What do you plan on trying? Do you think the Tonga Toast and Pulled Pork Nachos live up to the hype? Agree or disagree with our review and restaurant redemption tale? 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!
