When you decide to purchase the Disney Dining Plan (or if you snag it during the yearly Free Dining offer!), you want to make sure you maximize your dining credits at every opportunity. With so many one-credit table service restaurants from which to choose, it can be tough to know where to go in order to get the best value for your credits. That’s where the DFB comes in.
Check out our top picks for Disney Dining Plan One-Credit Meals that offer the Biggest Bang for your Disney World Buck!
Kona Cafe
, located at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, recently changed its menu, and now there’s a lunch and dinner item that makes this table service spot the biggest bang for your DDP buck! So if you’re a fan of a 20-oz. Bone-In Black Angus Rib-Eye, prepare to be the master of the DDP! On top of the $55 steak, add a $14 Lapu-Lapu and a dessert selection (up to $9), and you’ve got a $78 value for your table service credit!
Kona Cafe Desserts
Kona Cafe also has the benefit of being in the Polynesian’s Great Ceremonial House, which is a beautiful place to explore. Plus, if you plan your meal for the late evening, you can venture out to the resort’s beach for a view of the Happily Ever After fireworks!
Homecomin’
has that magical combination of not only being a tremendous value on DDP but also being totally delicious. Order the Florida Grouper ($32), a moonshine cocktail ($12), and the famous Hummingbird Cake ($12) for a total of $56. Or get Art’s Famous Fried Chicken ($28) and still come out over $50. You really can’t go wrong with the menu here, plus the atmosphere is really relaxed and fun.
Hummingbird Cake
Frontera Cocina
Another Disney Springs restaurant, Frontera Cocina has earned a reputation for stellar Mexican food and great cocktails. It also happens to be a great one-credit table service value. The Roasted Bone-In Beef Short Rib is a monetary whopper at $44! Add to that a $15 margarita and a $9 dessert, and you’re at $68!
Roasted Bone In Beef Short Ribs
If you’re interested in trying cuisine from Mexico done with careful thought, this is one of the best spots in Walt Disney World.
Morimoto Asia
has made our best values list since it first opened, and that’s with good reason. It’s an incredibly elegant restaurant space to begin with, plus the food is top-notch. Lunch is the only one-credit option here (dinner is a Signature meal), but the menus are nearly the same and packed with winning dishes. Spicy Stir Fried Jumbo Shrimp is $37. With a $16 cocktail and the $13 Churro Fondue, that’s a $66 meal!
Morimoto Asia Churros
This is another Disney Springs location that’s more than worth it’s weight in DDP credits! 😉
Sanaa
This next recommendation should come as no surprise if you’re a DFB fan: Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Kidani Village. Sanaa is another restaurant that has the one-two punch of great food and great atmosphere. Windows look onto one of the resort’s savannas, and you might see zebra, cranes, giraffes, and other creatures during daylight hours.
Savanna View
But no matter what time of day you dine at Sanaa, excellent dishes like Braaivleis ($33), Berbere-Braised Lamb Shank ($31), and Potjie Inspired ($28 — with several vegan options!) plus one of our favorite desserts — the Spice Trade Candy Bar ($8) — and a cocktail (as much as $12.50) can cost diners over $50. Admittedly this is not one of the biggest empirical monetary values, but the overall experience at Sanaa more than makes up for the lower price point. (Plus $50 for one person isn’t anything to sneeze at!)
Potjie Inspired with Butter Chicken and Chickpea Wit
Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill
One of the newest entries in the best one-credit DDP values is Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill in Disney Springs. The novelty of trying a new restaurant is a great reason to use dining credits — particularly if the food is high quality and the cost is a good value. Wolfgang Puck Bar and Grill fulfills all of those requirements! We loved our first visit here, particularly the chart-topping Mesquite Grilled NY Strip Steak Frites ($38)! With cocktails ringing up to $15 and desserts running $10, a meal here could run you over $60. A great monetary value in a super stylish restaurant with awesome food? Check, check, check!
Mesquite Grilled NY Strip Steak Frites at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill
Boatwright’s Dining Hall
is located at Port Orleans — Riverside, and this one-credit option is a total sleeper hit! OK, OK, I know not everyone loves it, but I’ve had consistently good meals here.
Not only is Boatwright’s quieter and less busy than some of the more celebrated restaurants at Walt Disney World, it’s also just a convenient boat ride away from Disney Springs and features one of the best empirical monetary values for DDP in the World! Who knew?! The Big Easy is the biggest spender at $36, and we enjoyed General Fulton’s Prime Rib, which comes in at $35. Cocktails can run up to $12.75, with the delicious-sounding Chocolate Martini ringing in at $12. Order up one of the AWESOME desserts for $8 (BUTTER. CAKE.), and you’ve got a total cost of over $56!
General Fulton’s Prime Rib
Boatwright’s has the added advantage of being easier to get into with an ADR (and often without), making it a terrific alternative when the more popular restaurants are full.
Storybook Dining at Artist Point
Storybook Dining at Artist Point
at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge is a fabulous, elegant (for a character meal!) dining experience that allows guests not only to meet beloved characters from Snow White but also to enjoy truly awesome food. (See our full review here!) And it’s got the added bonus of being a good value on the Disney Dining Plan. Adult all-inclusive meals at Storybook Dining cost $55, and for that price, diners get a selection of starters, a choice of several (really good!) entrees, and a selection of desserts.
Shared Appetizers for the Table
And while $55 isn’t the biggest bang on our list, the opportunity to meet rare characters (Dopey! Grumpy! The Evil Queen!), the lovely setting, and the terrific food make Storybook Dining a wonderful use of a DDP credit!
La Hacienda de San Angel
Our final pick for the best one-credit table service dining options for maximizing your Disney Dining Plan dollars comes direct from World Showcase Lagoon at Epcot! La Hacienda de San Angel makes our list for few reasons. First, it’s a great bang for your buck, with Carne Asada ($34) and Pollo al Pastor ($27) complementing a Dragones Top Shelf Margarita ($21) (or the delicious Orange Mango Fire Margarita for $13.50!) and the Volcan de Chocolate ($10) for a total of $65! And the food here is great!
Orange Mango Fire Margarita at Epcot’s La Hacienda de San Angel
But the biggest draw for La Hacienda de San Angel might just be the view! If you time your meal just right, you can watch IllumiNations from the restaurant! If you get dinner and a spectacular nighttime show, you’ve really maxed your credits!
Fireworks View at La Hacienda
Various Character Meals
And don’t forget: you can always use your Disney Dining Plan credits on character meals which can get expensive (especially if you want to do more than one in a trip!) and that also offer the priceless opportunity to fraternize with your favorite characters! If a character experience means a lot to your family, those memories might just make the use of a credit even more valuable to you!
Donald Duck sends his love!
Deciding where to dine at Walt Disney World is always a complex process, and when you’re on the Disney Dining Plan, it can be that much more challenging. Keep in mind that the value of dining at a one-credit table service restaurant is more than just the cash you’re saving by using a credit. It’s also important to consider food quality, atmosphere, and the overall experience.
Hopefully these suggestions can give you a little guidance about where to go and what to eat to maximize those DDP credits!
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I thought Wolfgang Puck was a 2 credit restaurant. The App says its fine/signature dining
Deak, you’re right that it’s labeled fine/signature. I double checked by clicking on “Some Dining Plans Accepted”, and it’s showing one credit. We’ll keep an eye on this.
We just ate at Kona this past week. The desserts are not good…not at all. 3 of 4 people in our party ordered steak and all were cooked to the wrong temperature. Not to mention the $55 steak comes with nothing! No sides, just the steak. I only eat chicken and the chef had to make it special for me because there was no chicken on the menu. Also they will not include the pineapple with the lapu lapu- they will give you the drink, but only in a glass:( we were quite disappointed:(:(:(
You mention alcoholic beverages with these meals and the dine plans do not include those beverages.
I love your blog but some of your math is off in this article. Just thought you should know
I know you said a kid credit is 2 snacks, but isn’t it true the credits are not differentiated? Like I can order chicken nuggets off the adult menu with the same credit as the kids?
Meghan, as far as we know, quick service credits are not differentiated in the system, so if you’re looking to convert one into snack credits, the quick service should transform into three snacks — kids or adults. (Note that you do have to purchase all three snacks in one transaction!) And likewise you can order an adult meal with a quick service credit even if it’s a child’s meal.
JF, I’ll revisit the numbers.
Janice, since 2018 the Disney Dining Plan allows one alcoholic drink per adult diner. Specialty drinks like smoothies and mocktails are included for those not of age or those who don’t wish to partake.
Is the any way to get a a PDF of this list?
You can use the DDP 1 meal credit at Cape May restaurant for all you can eat seafood. It was well worth it.
Gwenette, yes! Thanks for the comment. 🙂 We have a buffets on DDP post coming soon!
Heather, we haven’t created a PDF for this list. I’ll check with the team!
Coral Reef can give you a good bang for the buck these days, too, with a $40 lobster, $12-$14 cocktails and $9-$10 desserts.
I have the standard dining plan and made reservations at some these restaurants. I definitely want to get my money worth but I don’t think Ill be able to finish all the food in one sitting, are we allowed to take home leftovers?
Dianna, we would expect you to be able to get a ‘doggie bag’, just keep an eye on the temperatures, as that warm Florida sun can really mess with take-out food.
Looks like great values but most of these look to esoteric for my simpleton tastes. How about a 10 Best One Credit Restaurants for Picky Eaters 🙂
I definitely thought you missed a couple on this list. Ohana and Cape May Cafe specifically are amazing one credit dinners.
Pleased to see that we are on the same page as DFB! We have reservations for 3 of these restaurants (Boatwright, Wolfgang, and La Hacienda) for our trip in September. With these 3, we will have been to more that 20 table service restaurants (plus a lot of repeat visits to many!) at WDW and we’ve rarely had anything close to a bad experience.
Coop, sounds like a delicious trip!
With storybook dining you also have a drink the factor into the price, cocktails are around $12 and wine goes up to $14 so $55 + drink = $67 – $69
storybooks says 2 dining credit
Elishia, I just checked DisneyWorld.com’s page for Artist Point, and it’s showing one credit.
We ate at La Hacienda Sept 2019 and were told we could only order drinks up to $15 on the dining plan. Still well worth it and our meal was excellent.
We ate here during our visit in Oct 2019 and the waitress told us they were discontinuing the 20 oz Bone in Ribeye this month.
Thank you, DFB Sarah, for all you do for us DISNEY fans. Much appreciated & Happy New Year!!