The Diamond Horseshoe is a full service dining restaurant located in Liberty Square at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Similar to Disneyland’s Golden Horseshoe, the Diamond Horseshoe is styled as an Old West music hall. Open for lunch and dinner, the restaurant serves a full BBQ buffet or individual platters.
We dined at the Diamond Horseshoe for the first time back in August 2019. As we aren’t huge eaters, we opted for the individual plates which were perfect for lunch. We enjoyed the food and the ambiance. The following review below will analyze the Diamond Horseshoe’s theming and food.
Theming
As I said above, the Diamond Horseshoe is themed to an old west music hall (not a saloon unfortunately). The restaurant has a stage in the middle for performances, balcony seating surrounding the stage and tables in front. It kind of reminds me of the music hall from the film, Tombstone, but without the raunchiness. Although that would be awesome. But it’s Disney.
When we dined, we didn’t see a performance (like one would see at the Golden Horseshoe at Disneyland) but the old timey piano played various songs as we ate. The servers wear conservative western dress and have all of their teeth, unlike the real Wild West.
Overall, the theming is pretty neutral. It’s a enough to know you’re in a recreation of a romanticized recreation of a western music hall. By neutral, I mean it was enough to tell me what I should be thinking for theming, but it didn’t take me away like Galaxy’s Edge. It was a clean cut version of the west. I pray everyday Disney will turn into West World but in the meantime, this will have to suffice.
I also think it’s weird its official location is in Liberty Square even though it’s themed to the Old West. It’s on the edge of Frontierland so I would have just put it in Frontierland. Anyway, don’t be confused by the location. It’s themed to the frontier, not colonial America despite the official location.
Food
The Diamond Horseshoe serves both lunch and dinner. Unlike most restaurants that serve lunch, the Diamond Horseshoe opens later, at 1PM. It may seem like a small detail but it’s important to remember for your travel plans. 1PM is pretty late for lunch, especially during a busy day at the Magic Kingdom. But, it’s after the lunch rush and we didn’t find it busy when we dined.
The Diamond Horseshoe serves a full buffet or individual plates. It also serves a small selection of beer and wine. Labeled as the “Saloon Feast”, the buffet includes the following for $39/person (soft drinks included):
- Mixed Green Salad
- Creamy Potato Salad
- Fresh Watermelon Salad
- Carved Beef Brisket
- Smoked Sausage
- Citrus-Marinated Chicken
- BBQ Pulled Pork
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Harvest Baked Beans
- Seasonal Vegetables
- Mashed Potatoes
- Creamy Coleslaw
- Corn on the Cob
If you don’t need to eat an excessive amount of food, here is a list of the individual plate options:
- Grilled Chicken Salad
- Cowboy Macaroni
- Mixed Green Salad (with brisket, chicken, or pork)
- Smoked Beef Brisket Sandwich
- Pulled Pork Sandwich
- Carved Beef Brisket Platter
- Grilled Chicken Platter
- BBQ Pulled Pork Platter
- Smoked Stuff Peppers Platter
- Sides
- Mac and Cheese
- Corn on the Cob
- Seasonal Veggies
- Mixed Green Salad
- Mashed Potatoes
- Creamy Coleslaw
- Harvest Beans
- Campfire Apple Cake
- Layered Cherry Cheesecake
- Banana Puding
When we visited, I ordered the beef brisket platter and Stella ordered the mixed green salad with brisket. Each platter comes with two sides and a slice of cornbread. For sides, I ordered the harvest beans and potato salad.
We each found our meal to be good, not great, but enjoyable. It was the perfect amount of food. Had we ordered the buffet, I would have wasted my money as I can’t eat enough to justify the cost. Since a platter comes with two sides and cornbread, I recommend skipping the buffet and ordering a platter.
The food came out hot and tasted fresh. Buffets are always up in the air if the food is fresh but the platters came right from the kitchen. I’ve been to Austin, TX too many times to count and I’ve grown accustomed to their brisket. It’s obvious the Diamond Horseshoe doesn’t smoke their brisket for 14 hours, but it’s fine. It still tasted good and I was full afterwards. That’s all I want after I eat.
Conclusion
So, should you dine at the Diamond Horseshoe? As I said above, we enjoyed it. I enjoyed my brisket, the service was great and the atmosphere pleasant. Now, is it my favorite restaurant at the Magic Kingdom? No, as Be Our Guest transports you magically into the world of Beauty and the Beast.
When we planned our trip, the Diamond Horseshoe was the only restaurant we could score reservations to that day. And we’re glad we tried it. However, in the future, I would try to find a reservation at a different sit down restaurant. Would we go back? Maybe. Like I said, the food was good, not great. If Be Our Guest was available, I would take that over the Diamond Horseshoe in an instant.
If you want a quiet sit down restaurant with American cuisine and an inmate atmosphere plus a buffet, go for the Diamond Horseshoe. Don’t expect a lot but you’ll enjoy it. It’s hard to have a bad meal with brisket, mac and cheese and some cornbread.
Thoughts?
Thanks for reading our review of the Diamond Horseshoe! Please read our Magic Kingdom One-Day Itinerary HERE for the best tips and tricks at Magic Kingdom or our review of Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria HERE if you are visiting EPCOT!
Have you dined here before? Did you eat from the buffet or select a platter? Sit upstairs or downstairs? Get into a saloon fight with the table next to you?
Let us know in the comments below!
