Dinner suggestions for preschoolers?

[molenda]

We're staying at the Poly in May and I am looking for suggestions for dinners. I don't necessarily want character meals or big buffets--just nice (moderate) places to eat. My two youngest barely eat anything so I am actually trying to avoid buffets. I made a PS for Ohana for our first night but am kind of at a loss for other ideas. Is it better to not eat at the parks?

Thank you!!

 

[krystyana]

We've been with our three year old a couple of times already. He's a very picky eater....that being said we found something to eat for him at almost all of the restaurants and the themeing in them all was wonderful and kept him entertained. we've enjoyed both park and non park. Sci fi was one of his faves. He loved anything with characters too. I wouldn't necessarily rule out the buffets...most i've been to were the most kid friendly and there was plenty for him to eat there.

 

[LibertyLover]

My DH and I have a DD2. While we had been to WDW several times before she arrived, our first trip with her was in January, 2005. While she is generally not a really picky eater, we found that she really liked the Chinese restaurant at EPCOT (not surprising given that she is originally from Hubei province), Boma and Kona Cafe. We stayed split our stay in half - first at AKL and then at Poly. At Poly we ate dinner at Ohana once, Kona Cafe once and in our room, the last night, once. The room thing was because DD was exhausted and would have been a handful if we had gone to a restaurant.

Boma was good for us because we could get DD rice and meat and fruit. Ohana was good because we could get her rice, meat and shrimp. 9 Dragons was good because we could get her rice, meat and hot and sour soup. Are you seeing a pattern here?

You might want to check out Beaches and Cream at YC/BC. It's pretty basic hamburger/hot dog fare, but that might appeal to preschoolers' tastes. And I understand that the Earl of Sandwich in DTD is good and relatively inexpensive.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

[rcraw45425]

I agree about the Sci Fi. It is really a neat place to grab a sit down burger. Really campy, sit two to a seat in a car inf ront of the movie screen. Good burgers & fries and they had grilled chicken on the kids menu. 9 Dragons has sweet & sour chicken on the kids menu. Ohaha is great! They have fried rice, skewer shrimp, turkey, steak and pork. Go to www.allearsnet.com and go to food. There is a section with updated menus for the resort and theme park restaurants, even counter service. Chef Mickey's is okay, there is also a Cinderella buffet dinner at 1900 Park Faire at the Floridian.

 

[jenjersnap]

We gravitate toward Disney buffets just so we can get ANY healthy food into our two little guys, but I understand not wanting to pay so much when they only eat a thimble-full! One of ours still eats free though.

We had a wonderful moderately priced meal at Kona Cafe in the Poly. The waitstaff was wonderful to our kids too. It was a highlight of our December trip. Haven't tried Ohana yet - very much looking forward to trying it!

Here are some other places my 4-year-old gave a thumbs up to:

Whispering Canyon Cafe in WL - really, really fun!

Garden Grill (think it will still be closed when you come though, foodwise this was his favorite)

Liberty Tree Tavern in MK (it's plated all you can eat, but very basic stuff like turkey, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese - think Thanksgiving dinner),

Spoodles on the Boardwalk (pizza and things to dip, always a pre-schooler hit)

Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club (I think the entrees are terrible there, but he loves it. Ice cream sundaes are fantastic though)

the buffets Boma, Hollywood & Vine, Trails End (super cheap for a Disney buffet and homestyle food) and Crystal Palace for the many choices.

We haven't made Teppanyaki at Epcot's WS yet but, looking at the menu and hearing from others, I think it will be a hit - teriyaki chicken and rice, that kind of thing. I've heard mixed things about both 50's Primetime & SciFi at MGM so we haven't tried either. Besides, I think my kids would be scared of the film clips at SciFi at this age. Also, bear in mind, if you are ordering a kid's meal or two, the menus at most Disney restaurants are the same. So look through the menus on allearsnet.com and pick the places YOU want to eat, knowing that, if nothing else, your kids can get the old (mostly unhealthy, unfortunately) standbys mac & cheese, chicken nuggets, etc. in a pinch.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[marcyinPA]

We did Teppanyaki when my youngest DS was 3. He and my older DS shared a kids meal, and the server was gracious enough to add an additional kids drink and ice cream dessert on the house. They LOVED Teppanyaki and ate that chicken (using chopsticks!) right up!!

We also did Chef Mickey's on that trip, and my little guy ate one chicken finger. One. That's it. We were not charged for him, even though he was 3. Thank Goodness!

This past trip, my boys were 5 and 9, and we found them something to eat at every restaurant we ate at. The youngest is pretty picky, but even at BOMA, he ate chicken, mac and cheese and lots of strawberries!

We also did Sci Fi at this past trip, and they both had burgers. They LOVED the atmosphere and it was honestly the most quiet dinner we had had in a long time! LOL

If your kids are really little and eat next to nothing, how about letting them either eat off your plate or let them share a meal?? We've done that many times and Disney is very accomodating to it.

Have a great trip!