Dining Recommendations outside of the parks

[sdd1841]

headed to Disney the first week in April Have Disney dollars to spend but not going into any of the parks Will be traveling with my husband and two boys 12 and 13. What would your top three restaurant locations be? Open to just about anything!

 

[Kae]

headed to Disney the first week in April Have Disney dollars to spend but not going into any of the parks Will be traveling with my husband and two boys 12 and 13. What would your top three restaurant locations be? Open to just about anything!

Boma at AKL if you want to see the Animals maybe do the Night Vision Goggles, Chef Mickeys if you would like a meal with Mickey & the Gang, Whispering Canyon Cafe at WL. Cape May at BC if you like Seafood

 

[TwoMisfits]

AKL to see the animals - pick your favorite concept (buffet might work best if your boys love to eat).
Disney Springs new sites - I'd probably pick Homecoming b/c that seems pretty popular right now.

 

[Barbydoll8]

I'll third AKL. They are some of the best places on property. Now there are so many options in Disney Springs that it's almost over whelming. D-Lux Burger is good. Kids would probably love T-Rex and I've heard Blaze Pizza is amazing.
Kids would also probably like Beaches & Cream on the Boardwalk. You'd probably need ressies though as it's a tiny place.

 

[mousegear]

Where are you going to stay and do you like shopping? do you like to see fireworks from Epcot? or MK?

If you like shopping or looking at things Disney Springs has many options.
If you like to see fireworks after dinner MK resort or Epcot resort area is good option.

 

[sdd1841]

Where are you going to stay and do you like shopping? do you like to see fireworks from Epcot? or MK?

If you like shopping or looking at things Disney Springs has many options.
If you like to see fireworks after dinner MK resort or Epcot resort area is good option.

I love shopping - BUT - I am traveling with my 2 boys and husband who would not be as excited about that! We did Sanaa last time and really loved the entire experience...I thought about Boma but because we just did sanaa was looking for something different. Good food and great atmosphere

 

[Disneypapa]

House of Blues - Shrimp & Grits are awesome
Whispering Canyon - VWL
Olivia's - OKW

 

[yaddakal]

I really loved Ohana ..

 

[bbkangs]

headed to Disney the first week in April Have Disney dollars to spend but not going into any of the parks Will be traveling with my husband and two boys 12 and 13. What would your top three restaurant locations be? Open to just about anything!

#1 'Ohana - Polynesian Village Resort
#2 Art Smith's Homecomin' - Disney Springs
#3 Boma, Flavors of Africa - Animal Kingdom Lodge

These are all MUST DOs for dining!!

 

[Surgie2]

Since you went to Sanaa last time, I might try somewhere other than AKL. Would the kids enjoy watching fireworks from the California Grill deck at the Contemporary? We like the restaurant...some say food is not what it once was but maybe that applies in many places.

 

[mousegear]

We like Yachtsman's or Flying Fish. After dinner, we like to watch both fireworks from DHS and Epcot while having ice cream on boardwalk.

 

[jwfla422]

We do a lot of non-park trips but eat at the resorts a lot or in Disney Springs. Some of our favs include:

1) Beaches and Cream
2) Whispering Canyon Cafe
3) Olivias

Beaches and Cream has a really fun atmosphere and you never get tired of the announcement of the "kitchen sink"!! Whispering Canyon Cafe has a lot of "antics" that go on which can be quite hilarious! We also like Olivia's at OKW. It's a relaxing atmosphere and you can walk around the main area after or even hop on a boat to Disney Springs.

If you click on the restaurant names above you can see photos from each restaurant (lots of ice cream goodies from Beaches and Cream) and some also have reviews.

 

[rosiebean]

Your boys might not like toys shop, but there are a ton of fun things to do at DS...movie theater, live entertainment, etc. Lots of fun places to eat. I think it's worth a visit if you have several park-free days open.

If you've been to AKL for dinner, you know best if you want to go back to try a different place. For venturing elsewhere:

1) Cali Grill at CR for dinner. We went last December and loved loved loved it. Great food, decent service (not as good as Artists Point was for us, but still very good), and a fantastic view as our party of six were seated in a spot where we could see MK beautifully. If you have dinner before, say, 9ish, you can go elsewhere for a bit (we had dinner at 7, left around 8:30, shopped at CR and looked at the Christmas decorations) before heading back up to the deck outside of Cali Grill for an amazing view of the fireworks. It was the highlight of our trip. Really amazing...and I don't think it's stuffy or too formal for boys your age.

2) 'Ohana breakfast or dinner at Poly. I love visiting there even when we don't stay. You could go before a dinner ADR and visit Trader Sam's (if you're inside at the bar, the 'antics' are fantastic), have dinner at 'Ohana, then watch the fireworks from the beach.

3) I love the BC/YC area and Boardwalk, but the restaurants there aren't 'must' experiences to me personally. If you like seafood, Cape May is really good. There are good options along the Board Walk. My favorite restaurant there is Captain's Grille at YC, but they're under renovation and in temporary space...so not sure how that will work while things are under construction.

4) My family loves Boatwright's at POR. If you go there, you can also stroll around POR Riverside and check out the mansion area (really beautifully themed), check out Yee Ha Bob's show, watch the boats to DS along the river, and walk over to POFQ to their QS area and have beignets for dessert.

 

[LaBelleVie]

I definitely agree with Whispering Canyon!

We've mostly only eaten at QS restaurants outside of the parks, but of those we've tried, our favorites are The Mara at AKL, Contempo Cafe at the Contemporary, and Pepper Market at CSR.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Grand Floridian Cafe, Boatwrights Dining Hall, Trails End (has an arcade attached, neat area to walk around Ft WIlderness. Check out the menu though. Is your not a fan of southern food, you might want to skip this one).

 

[sdd1841]

We like Yachtsman's or Flying Fish. After dinner, we like to watch both fireworks from DHS and Epcot while having ice cream on boardwalk.

Love this idea - thinking maybe cape may buffet??

 

[sdd1841]

We do a lot of non-park trips but eat at the resorts a lot or in Disney Springs. Some of our favs include:

1) Beaches and Cream
2) Whispering Canyon Cafe
3) Olivias

Beaches and Cream has a really fun atmosphere and you never get tired of the announcement of the "kitchen sink"!! Whispering Canyon Cafe has a lot of "antics" that go on which can be quite hilarious! We also like Olivia's at OKW. It's a relaxing atmosphere and you can walk around the main area after or even hop on a boat to Disney Springs.

If you click on the restaurant names above you can see photos from each restaurant (lots of ice cream goodies from Beaches and Cream) and some also have reviews.

love beaches and cream too but can not find any reservations

 

[sdd1841]

We like Yachtsman's or Flying Fish. After dinner, we like to watch both fireworks from DHS and Epcot while having ice cream on boardwalk.

Both the yatchmans and flying fish have availability....which would you prefer - we do have 1 non seafood eater in the group.

 

[mousestruck]

'Ohana would be my choice, since you've already experienced AKL. We also enjoy the Cape May Café.

 

[mousegear]

Both the yatchmans and flying fish have availability....which would you prefer - we do have 1 non seafood eater in the group.

If your family love red meat, definitely Yachtsman's but DS 13 liked Flying Fish's steak as well. I like seafood more than red meat, so I prefer Flying Fish. You can't go wrong with either one. I think Boardwalk have a new ice cream shop, Ample Hills. It's on my list this trip since we are doing split stay between Swan and AKL. If you want to see Epcot Illumination better, you could stroll down to the bridge between BC and Boardwalk. You could see DHS fireworks from BC beach or YC lighthouse. In fact, on our arrival day, we plan on eating at Flying Fish, and than to hang around at Boardwalk to soak in the Disney air.