Hi Brooke,
Thank you so much for visiting the Disney Parks Moms Panel with your question. I am happy to help you with your questions about
Walt Disney World dining.
You will be glad to know that you do not need to have a Disney Dining Plan to eat at any of the Walt Disney World dining locations. Guests both with and without dining plans, who are staying at a Walt Disney World resort hotel or who are staying elsewhere, are welcome to dine at any restaurant!
While there are many different types of dining at Walt Disney World, I think of the restaurants as broken down into two main categories: table-service and quick-service. Table-service are establishments where you are seated at a table and a cast member takes your order and serves you. I also include buffets in table-service. Quick-service are are generally locations where you order from a counter, get your food, and take it yourself to your table. From the link I provided earlier, you can filter under "dining experience" to see the different restaurants available of each type. If you click on any of the dining locations, toward the upper right of the page you will see a link to "View Menu," so that you can see the offerings at each restaurant.
Table-service restaurants do take reservations, and I suggest that if you have somewhere that you know you want to dine, go ahead and make a reservation. That way you will not be disappointed if you walk up and cannot get a table. Again, guests with or without Disney Dining plans, regardless of where you are staying, are able to make reservations. You are welcome to walk up to any table-service restaurant to inquire if tables are available as well. For quick-service restaurants, these are always walk-up.
I hope that this information is helpful for you, Brooke. Please do write back if you have any further questions!