Magic Kingdom Best Snacks: My Ranked List After Way Too Many Taste Tests

If you have typed "magic kingdom best snacks" into your phone while standing in the middle of Liberty Square, I have been there too. There are something like forty quick service windows in this park and most lists just say "Dole Whip!" and call it a day. So here is my actual ranked list, by land, with where to order and what it runs you. 🍦

The top five, if you only have room for a few

1. Dole Whip swirl at Aloha Isle (Adventureland, around $6.50). The pineapple and vanilla swirl is the right order. Get it in a cup, not a cone, because the Florida heat is undefeated.
2. Fresh fruit waffle sandwich at Sleepy Hollow (Liberty Square, around $8). Nutella, fresh strawberries and bananas, pressed in a waffle. Eat it on the bridge with Cinderella Castle right there. It is the single most photogenic snack in the park.
3. Cheshire Cat Tail at Cheshire Café (Fantasyland, around $6.50). A twisty chocolate chip pastry with purple and pink icing. Warm, enormous, easy to split two ways.
4. Warm cinnamon roll at Gaston's Tavern (Fantasyland, around $6.50). It is roughly the size of your head and the icing is still soft. Worth every bite.
5. Hand scooped ice cream sandwich at Plaza Ice Cream Parlor (Main Street, around $8). Two chocolate chip cookies and real scooped ice cream. Underrated and always has a shorter line than you expect.

The rest of the list, by land

Main Street U.S.A. - Main Street Bakery does a solid cold brew plus a cinnamon roll if you want the Starbucks version. Good rope drop fuel. - Confectionery caramel apples are more fun to look at than to eat, but the chocolate covered Rice Krispies treat with Mickey ears on it is genuinely good.

Adventureland - Citrus Swirl at Sunshine Tree Terrace, around $6. Orange slush swirled with vanilla soft serve. If the Aloha Isle line is long, come here instead. Honestly I might like it more. - Spring rolls at the Adventureland egg roll cart near Pirates. The cheeseburger one is strange and great.

Frontierland and Liberty Square - Churro at the Westward Ho cart, around $6.50. Classic, and the seasonal flavors in fall are usually worth trying. - Loaded waffle fries at Golden Oak Outpost, around $11. More of a mini meal, but if you are sharing it is a great afternoon stop.

Fantasyland - LeFou's Brew at Gaston's Tavern, around $7. Frozen apple juice with a mango foam top. Very sweet, very fun, best shared with a kid. - Peanut butter and jelly milkshake at Storybook Treats. Tastes exactly like it sounds, in the best way. - Pot roast mac and cheese at Friar's Nook. Heavier than a snack but my favorite cold-weather order in the park.

Tomorrowland - Cream cheese stuffed pretzel at The Lunching Pad, around $8. The sleeper hit of Tomorrowland. Also the shortest line of anywhere on this list.

Two I think you can skip

The Mickey ice cream bar is iconic and I will never stop buying one, but you can get it at every park and resort, so do not spend a Magic Kingdom window on it. And the giant caramel apples in the Confectionery are a lot of money for something that is genuinely hard to eat standing up.

Three tips that make this easier

• Mobile order everything you can. Sleepy Hollow, Gaston's, Storybook Treats and Friar's Nook are all on mobile order in the My Disney Experience app. Place it while you are in line for something else.
• Snack at 2pm, not noon. The snack windows get slammed right at lunch and again after the parade. Mid afternoon is your window.
• Split everything. Two people can taste six snacks in a day if you share. One person ordering six snacks will make it to about three.

If you are mapping out a full day, I put my favorite ride order and timing in the Magic Kingdom park guide, and there is more on sit down restaurants over in dining. And if you want the snack photos to look extra good, my ears roundup has the pairs I reach for most. Happy eating. 💛