Jeff Houck

The Tampa Tribune’s food writer since 2005, Jeff Houck covers the way people live through their food. He also hosts the Table Conversations food podcast and believes that everything crunchy is good.

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Slurp. Nibble. Swallow. [Favorite Treats At Disney World’s Magic Kingdom]

Posted Oct 7, 2011 by Jeff Houck

Updated Oct 7, 2011 at 08:54 AM

This month marks the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. And since you can’t really escape going to Disney World without sampling its food, I thought I’d offer a guide to where to get great tasting and relatively cheap eats in the park.

It’s not easy. The Orlando theme parks can vacuum money from your wallet in an instant. But it can be done.

Mickey Mouse Ice Cream

Poets say the ears are the windows to the soul. Actually, it’s the eyes, but this ice cream bar, covered in a chocolate shell, has two ears, so go with it. It literally is impossible to resist biting the ears off first. It’s not great chocolate. It’s not great ice cream. On hot days, the ice cream bar becomes a melted mess. But the sum of the parts enhances the pleasure of eating in the Magic Kingdom by a factor of 10. So devour it fast and feel decadent, or eat it slowly and wear it home. Either way, you win.

Mickey Crispy Pops

Do the math: Melted marshmallows + butter + Rice Krispies = Love. Pressing it into a Mickey Mouse shape + a stick + sprinkles and other decorations = Mega Love. The only way these pops could be better was if they had bacon. Or vodka. You can find them for $4.95 in the sweet shop on Main Street U.S.A., just inside the main gate. Buy one on the way out of the park and we guarantee they won’t make it to the monorail.

Lobster Roll

After you’ve had the bajeezus kinda sorta scared out of you at the Haunted Mansion, walk a few feet over to Columbia Harbor House. The sit-down restaurant’s fare is relatively healthier than normal theme park food. (Salmon with steamed broccoli, anyone?) For our money, it’s hard to beat the satisfying and filling Lobster Roll with a side of potato chips. The rolls are to die for, if you haven’t already died at the Haunted Mansion.

Mickey-shaped waffle

Legend holds that Walt Disney wanted to name his cartoon mouse Mortimer. His wife wisely suggested Mickey instead. Which is good, because no one would want to eat a Mortimer-shaped waffle covered in strawberries and whipped cream at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments near Liberty Square. The waffle is big enough to cover your head in a rainstorm, if your head is on the tiny side. And mouse-shaped.

Pineapple Dole Whip

On a hot afternoon, the pineapple ice cream float served at Aloha Aisle in Adventureland makes for a soothing treat for adults and kids. (At $4.49, it’s a steal.) Even better, you can sit on nearby benches as you spoon your way through the creamy and refreshing dessert and play a people-watching game we call “Count the Unfortunate Tattoos.”

Got a favorite spot where you like to get your treat on at the park? Leave it in the comments.