Where to dine when it’s raining in Disney World

We all know that April showers brings May flowers. Well, in Orlando it rains regularly and many times it’s a small storm that will blow over in an hour or so. There are several things that you can do when it’s raining outside at Disney World that are fun. One way to get out of the rain is to grab a bite to eat. Table service restaurants offer the best choice for getting out of the rain but most are booked up with advanced dining reservations, making counter service your best bet. It can be difficult to find a restaurant that offers indoor seating or seating that is covered well enough that you won’t get wet. So, where to dine when it’s raining in Disney World? We’ve got your options!

Magic Kingdom

• Tortuga Tavern across from Pirates of the Caribbean. Tortuga is open seasonally so it may not be an option. When it’s open it’s usually only until 4 pm.
• Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe in Frontierland near Splash Mountain. This is one of the best choices because the restaurants has a lot of seating and tons of it are located inside.
• Columbia Harbour House across from the Haunted Mansion. There is a lot of indoor seating (they have a second floor) making this an excellent choice, especially if you like seafood and fish.
• Pinocchio Village Haus in Fantasyland. This is another restaurant with a lot of indoor seating and a second floor.
• Be Our Guest Restaurant in the New Fantasyland. Right now there are typically very long lines for lunch here (which is when it’s a counter service option), but once there lines are gone this restaurant will be a fantastic choice because of the three dining rooms inside.
• Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. This restaurants has a lot of seating and most of it’s inside. There are three sections of seating and the main section is where you can catch Sonny Eclipse.

There is really no need to worry when it comes to dining in the rain at Magic Kingdom. Of the four parks it offers the most quick-service locations with indoor seating.

Epcot

• Electric Umbrella outside of Innoventions East. This Future World restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating but there is a good bit of it inside. If you’re caught in the rain near Mission: Space, Test Track or Universe of Energy, this is the place for you.
• Sunshine Seasons in the Land pavilion. This restaurant sits in the middle of the pavilion on the bottom level. It has an incredible amount of seating and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant offers a variety of foods including many healthy options and choices for those with special dietary needs.
• Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie located in the back of the France pavilion. The restaurant was moved to a new location in 2013 with an expanded menu. It now offers some seating inside but it’s very limited.
• Katsura Grill located in the Japan pavilion. Katsura has both indoor and outdoor seating. Both are very limited but you can usual find a table, as it’s often overlooked.
• Liberty Inn in The American Adventure pavilion. There is tons of seating here, most of it is outside, but you’ll be able to find a seat inside the large dining room.
• Lotus Blossom Cafe in the China pavilion. This small quick service location has limited seating with two dining rooms but it’s not very popular so you should be able to snag a table.
• Spice Road Table in the Morocco pavilion. Spice Road isn’t a quick service location, it’s table service but doesn’t except reservations.  There is both indoor and covered outdoor seating available.
• Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar is located in the Italy pavilion next to Tutto Italia Ristorante. It too is a table service restaurant but like Spice Road Table, it is first come, first service.

Epcot serves up a wide variety of dining choices and many of them offer refuge from the sun and rain. There are two dining options that I didn’t include, Sommerfest in the Germany pavilion and Kringla Bakeri og Kafe in Norway. Why? The seating is extremely limited, it’s outside and covered, but often taken up by guests trying to stay dry rather than dining. Chances of getting a table in the rain are very slim.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• ABC Commissary located on Commissary Lane. There is a lot of indoor seating here. There are some tables outside that are covered but unless it’s a light rain, it’s not enough to keep you dry.
• Backlot Express located next to Star Tours. This restaurants has an abundance of indoor seating!
• Pizza Planet located in front of Muppet Vision 3D. There is a decent amount of seating. However, it’s difficult to find a table here during typical dining hours.
• Studio Catering Co. located near Lights, Motor, Action. Seating is outdoors but it is completely covered so if you find seating closer to the middle you’ll stay dry. This restaurants isn’t always open either. You may find it closed during the slow season.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the second hardest places to find a place to eat that is out in the rain. All of the dining located on Sunset Blvd. is outside and covered only by table umbrellas, so it eliminates a lot of dining choices when it storms.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

• Flame Tree Barbecue is located before the entrance to Dinoland U.S.A. and offers covered outdoor seating. There is an endless amount of seating but none of it is indoors. It’s a great option as long as it isn’t pouring and windy.
• Pizzafari is located near the entrance to Camp Minnie-Mickey has indoor and outdoor seating. There is an abundance of seating inside.
• Restaurantosaurus is located in Dinoland U.S.A. near Dinosaur. There is plenty of indoor seating and the outdoor seating is covered, but most of it isn’t enough to keep you dry.

This is the hardest park to find seating that isn’t outside. If you are looking to grab a beer, wine or cocktail, Dawa Bar located outside of Tusker House Restaurant has covered outdoor seating.

What do you do when it’s raining outside? Do find an attraction, go shopping or grab a bite to eat?

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