Best Part of the Trip: Disney Dining!

[princess_momma]

Hello!!

I am Kimmy and obsessed with Disney food! This was our 5th trip so I think we are a bit overdue for our first dining TR!

This was our first trip not on the Dining Plan but we used our DVC discount when we could! We love Disney food and had some surprising favorites on this trip and can't wait to share them all with you! Hope you join along for the ride and if you want to read my actual TR, you can catch up with it here!

ESPN Club - Dinner
Be Our Guest - Lunch
Kona Cafe - Dinner
ESPN Club - Lunch
Boardwalk Pizza Window - Dinner
San Angel Inn - Lunch
Boulangerie Patisserie les Halles - Dinner
Grand Floridian Cafe - Lunch
Raglan Road - Dinner
Flame Tree Barbecue - Lunch
Captain's Grille - Dinner
ESPN Club - Lunch, but no food pics just PRIZE pic!
Wishes Dessert Party
Boardwalk Bakery - Lunch
Boardwalk Pizza Window - Dinner

Wrap up! Our fav's and what's ahead!

 

[princess_momma]

Our first meal of the trip was a repeat favorite - that would be repeated again!

Seriously, if you haven't eaten at ESPN Club, you need to get yourself over there! We love it so much, and yes, we do love sports but we didn't go over there only to watch sports...we would go just for the food, it's that good!

Landon ordered a kid's cheeseburger with fries and a worms & dirt cupcake for $8.59. Simple, but this was probably one of his favorites.

Garret and I split 2 apps - the wings and the nachos!

These wings are the main reason that we came back - we love the flavor and really love that we get the WHOLE wing! So good! I think we have only EVER found one place back home that has wings we would even compare. The wings are only $12.99 and may be found on the apps menu, but could definitely be a full meal as long as you aren't sharing!

The nachos are amazingly good as well...and another repeat order from our last trip! I think the thing that sets them apart from other nachos is the delicious addition of pulled pork. There was a ton of chips AND toppings and we loved it all. The only thing we would've done different is perhaps order the pico on the side because neither of us are too crazy about raw onions but do enjoy the tomatoes. It was still good though and $14.99.

ESPN Club was a home run for us. Such good food and fun, plus we were staying at the Boardwalk so it was really convenient to enjoy too! To top off everything, we got a 10% DVC discount! I highly recommend ESPN Club to anyone!

 

[AlohaAnnie]

ESPN is a favorite for us. We really enjoy the food and the sports theme.

We are also DVC members and have not had the dining plan for our past 2 trips but we used tables in wonderland. I had considered using DVC meal discounts for our next trip but then we decided to go twice within a year and get annual passes so tables in wonderland makes sense this time again. But I would not hesitate to use my DVC discount on foods. I would love to see how it worked for each restaurant you ate at that accepted the DVC discount.

I am looking forward to reading more.


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[goofy4prez]

Count me in and following. We also make dining a big part of our plans and like you have been there several times but with our upcoming trip in June we will be DVC members for the first time and also not on the DDP.

 

[vettegirl]

Sounds like a great place for us to try on a future trip! I might try the one at DL on my next trip there.

 

[princess_momma]

ESPN is a favorite for us. We really enjoy the food and the sports theme.

We are also DVC members and have not had the dining plan for our past 2 trips but we used tables in wonderland. I had considered using DVC meal discounts for our next trip but then we decided to go twice within a year and get annual passes so tables in wonderland makes sense this time again. But I would not hesitate to use my DVC discount on foods. I would love to see how it worked for each restaurant you ate at that accepted the DVC discount.

I am looking forward to reading more.

I think one of these times I am definitely going to have to get Tables in Wonderland! I didn't research it enough before this trip. Oh well. Live and learn! I did remember to take pics of all the receipts so you can definitely see how just the DVC discount worked!

Count me in and following. We also make dining a big part of our plans and like you have been there several times but with our upcoming trip in June we will be DVC members for the first time and also not on the DDP.

It was our first DVC trip...loved having the discount. We kind of missed the dining plan but we were never starving or anything. It also felt much less wasteful as we were stuffing ourselves to the gills every meal and ordering things we didn't actually feel like.

Sounds like a great place for us to try on a future trip! I might try the one at DL on my next trip there.

We love it...when we go there again, I end up finding something I liked even more there! So stay tuned!

 

[princess_momma]

Before our trip, I finally scored a Be Our Guest lunch fast pass! I opted for the order once you arrive option, which we regretted. Basically, once our fast pass was verified, we were directed into a line on the bridge. Everyone who had pre-ordered was waltzing right in. Then we waited in the hall with knights. The whole ordeal took around an hour.

It was so crowded and loud but gorgeous inside. Shocker, I know.

It was pretty hard to find a seat. We had wanted to sit in the West Wing but that wasn't happening. We did find a table right near the drinks in the ballroom. It felt like it took a while for our food to come out, but it probably felt longer because we had felt like we had done nothing but wait!

We had originally planned on getting Landon the Maurice macaroni but the picture showed it as a pasta-lump which looked very unappetizing, so we got him the Carved Turkey Sandwich instead, substituting french fries on the side with cookies for dessert. He was a little hesitant to eat it because of the red things (tomatoes? I don't know, didn't try or look to closely at the time!). He said he liked it, but we could tell it wasn't his favorite.

Garret got the Carved Prime Chuck Roast Beef Sandwich. He said it good, the sauce on it was good. The meat was good quality. He would order it again.

My selection was the Croque Monsieur, which was probably the winner of the bunch. I really enjoyed it. The ham was thick, warm and delicious and I really enjoy Gruyere cheese. The béchamel really sent it over the top. The "pomme frites" were really thin and delicious...I love them that way, so it was perfect for me! I do know we all wished we had more ketchup! I'm pretty sure I ran out first.

No discount here, but oh well. I doubt we would return for lunch. Not really worth the wait and it was probably the most expensive quick service. It actually cost about the same as ESPN Club!

Landon was eating pretty slowly, so Garret stayed with him while he finished and I wandered and took pictures!

It was so beautiful to see the snow falling with the Christmas decorations up! It was festive and beautiful! And I love the chandeliers!!

 

[pumba]

LOVE THE LOOK of the roast beef sandwich..

and also the nachos at ESPN..my granddaughter got that last May and thought it was wayy to much..she coudlnt even eat half of it..

thanks for taking the time to show us the great meals

 

[vettegirl]

We been for dinner but were able to get a fast pass this last time to eat there. I really want to try it for lunch as your pics look wonderful.

 

[princess_momma]

LOVE THE LOOK of the roast beef sandwich..

and also the nachos at ESPN..my granddaughter got that last May and thought it was wayy to much..she coudlnt even eat half of it..

thanks for taking the time to show us the great meals

I don't think I could eat the nachos by myself! I have only ever shared them and even then it's a challenge!

We been for dinner but were able to get a fast pass this last time to eat there. I really want to try it for lunch as your pics look wonderful.

Lunch was good, you should definitely do it at least once if you can! I would highly recommend utilizing the pre-order option as it seems to expedite things!

 

[princess_momma]

Our next meal was one that had been a former must-do for me and was highly anticipated! We were heading over to the Polynesian to dine at Kona Cafe! I really hyped up this meal. I remembered only good things about it! My 2 previous experiences were in August 2010 and June 2011.

Kona is located at the monorail-level of the Polynesian, right next to Ohana. When you arrive, they start you off with some bread and pineapple-macadamia butter. I remember this bread being life changing but this time, it was just okay. I was a little let down and I was the one who had gone on and on about it. Dang. I don't even know if anything changed.

Garret ordered the Grilled New York Strip served with roasted fingerling potatoes and seasonal vegetables. I knew from the past that this strip was teriyaki flavored and warned Garret but it wasn't mentioned on the menu. He was prepared but still underwhelmed because he doesn't really like steak with flavors like that. He could eat it and be completely satisfied if it was only seasoned with salt and pepper. He really enjoys that pure steak flavor and the teriyaki sauce really masked that, so he didn't really enjoy it. (I really enjoyed it but still enjoyed my meal more.)

I ordered the Togarashi Spiced Ahi Tuna served with Tempura Fried Vegetable Maki Roll and Red Wine Reduction. I didn't eat the maki roll because I'm really not into vegetables but I LOVED my tuna. It was so good. It was SO GOOD but I thought something was missing and requested soy sauce for it and just a little really made it something special. I would order this again! YUM.

Landon got (another) cheeseburger and fries. He loved it.

Overall...Kona fell short of my past experiences. Or maybe it was just my cup of tea and no one else's because I still loved my entree. I doubt we will return anytime soon (simply because there are so many other great places to at least try first!) Also, no DVC discount here. Even with it, this still probably would've been one of our more expensive meals.

 

[princess_momma]

Our lunch the next day would already be a repeat from the same trip...BUT I found an AMAZING new item that I'm OBSESSED with and may or may not be re-creating for Super Bowl Sunday. But let's not get ahead of ourselves...

Staying at the Boardwalk is SUPER convenient if you are a huge fan of ESPN Club, like we are. We just strolled right over, and we were right there at opening. We actually had to enjoy some sunshine out on the Boardwalk waiting for them to open. It was perfect. I would trade sitting out on the Boardwalk for sitting most anywhere else! lol

Landon went wild and shocked everyone by ordering another cheeseburger with fries (and cupcake with worms). Another shocker...he loved it.

Garret and I also went wild and shocked everyone by ordering some wings. We did go up a level in spiciness and they were even more amazing.

In addition to his share of wings, Garret got the PB&J burger. This has bacon, a little peanut butter, and while the menu says jelly AND jalapeños, we found that it was really more of a jalapeño jam. I did try a bite and it was good. It wasn't EXACTLY dry but did make us thirsty? Not from saltiness. Am I making any sense? Who knows? But it was good. Garret rated it at 7.8 out of 10, saying that most bacon burgers averaged a 6.

I got something...life changing. OMG. I dream of my sandwich. I don't even see it on the menu (not on Allears or the Disney site) and I've never seen it on any dining tr. It was hidden on the menu but if you go, you MUST look for this and order it and then thank me later. It is so good. Without further adieu...I give you the Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese.

OMG. This sandwich...SO SO GOOD. It was like the best, most perfectly toasted grilled cheese ever with amazing delicious pulled pork with a wonderful BBQ sauce. What's not to love? (I see pulled pork on the menu but you NEED it with the grilled cheese.)

I basically cried because I couldn't finish it but thank heavens we were staying in a DVC resort that was connected to the restaurant WITH a kitchenette so I could save it. And it was just as good later. I want one of these now. Grilled cheese with pulled pork... I love you.

Our bill was a few bucks more expensive this time. Still not bad with 3 entrees and an app.

 

[princess_momma]

With no real meal plans for the night...we took a risk on our next meal. We went to the Boardwalk Pizza Window and ordered a pepperoni. We wondered how good it could be and thought it could really taste like crap, but at least fill our family for cheap.

At least the box is cute.

But wait...

What is this? Actual good, delicious, amazing pizza???!? It was! We all loved it and raved about it. What a great, cheap option for an easy meal for the family. We ate it back in our room and had the best time.

 

[khcruise]

Joining in. Enjoying the reviews and now can't wait to try ESPN for the first time in August. I have toyed with the idea on past trips but we never seem to make it over there. Will be sure to this time

 

[StirlingSilver83]

We will be eating at ESPN club on our arrival to Orlando night bc it's next to the arcade and my son loves arcades and bc I have never been to the Disney Boardwalk and the third reason being after driving a looong distance to get to fl I want a nice relaxing night. That pulled pork grilled cheese thing looks sooo yummy!!! Is it something that you had specially made or is it an actual item on the menu? I know my hubby would go crazy for it!

 

[princess_momma]

Joining in. Enjoying the reviews and now can't wait to try ESPN for the first time in August. I have toyed with the idea on past trips but we never seem to make it over there. Will be sure to this time

We really, really enjoy ESPN! I hope you like it!! I believe it's worth the trip!

We will be eating at ESPN club on our arrival to Orlando night bc it's next to the arcade and my son loves arcades and bc I have never been to the Disney Boardwalk and the third reason being after driving a looong distance to get to fl I want a nice relaxing night. That pulled pork grilled cheese thing looks sooo yummy!!! Is it something that you had specially made or is it an actual item on the menu? I know my hubby would go crazy for it!

Yay! I hope you enjoy both the Boardwalk and ESPN Club!! We love it over there! The Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese was on the actual menu when we were there. Now that I'm home I just don't see it online on AllEars or the WDW site. You should definitely order it when you go!

 

[pigletgirl]

This is probably a silly question, but does the ESPN club take ADR's?

 

[StirlingSilver83]

This is probably a silly question, but does the ESPN club take ADR's?

No unfortunately they don't take adrs

 

[Danserusse]

It all looks wonderful, but my girls are dying to try the BOG dinner, I will try for FP+ at 27 days out.

 

[princess_momma]

This is probably a silly question, but does the ESPN club take ADR's?

The only thing they really have is a reservation where you have to spend like $60 or something per person, including alcohol. It also guarantees a spot in front of your game of choose.

It all looks wonderful, but my girls are dying to try the BOG dinner, I will try for FP+ at 27 days out.

Just starting to read all over that they are going to start taking ADR's for lunch? Haven't read about it too much yet but you should definitely look into that!