Favorite offsite restaurant

[taffy]

bubba gump, cheesecake factory, pf changes and in and out all get our business when we visit DL

 

[ZanderMan]

The Crab Cooker is our Family favorite! There's one in Tusin and it's about 13 Minutes away from Disneyland. It's a local family run business. My wife's Salmon was killer too. Here's the link: http://crabcooker.com/mobile/index.htm

Here's a pic of my Dinner.

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

Oh yeah, I think they opened a Zankou Chicken in Anaheim. When I lived there they were mostly in LA, but it's a quick service restaurant that serves chicken swarmas. Pretty tasty.

The Crab Cooker is our Family favorite! There's one in Tusin and it's about 13 Minutes away from Disneyland. It's a local family run business. My wife's Salmon was killer too. Here's the link: http://crabcooker.com/mobile/index.htm

Here's a pic of my Dinner.

That looks good! I've never been there before. There are these Cajun seafood restaurants where you could order shrimp, crawfish, other seafood by the pound. They cook them in cajun spices and put them in your table. Boiling Crab was the popular one back in the day, but there have been a bunch of copies since then. I feel like there are those restaurants on every block in SoCal now.

I'm a Northern California person, and I love it here, but I really miss the food down there.

 

[tlovesdis]

If you are eating off site to stay within a budget, then PF Changs, Bubba Gump's and Joe's Crab Shack are not going to be good choices. You are going to pay the same or even more than places in the park!

Even Subway, you will pay just a bit less than say Earl of Sandwich in DTD, which has amazing sandwiches and salads (and we love their mac and cheese).

 

[DharmaLou]

Just because you do not enjoy them does not mean others don't.

and that makes me very, very sad!

 

[mich311e]

Pizza Press!!

 

[hlbtimes2]

We like Mimi's, on Harbor, near the Hojo. not to be confused with Millies. If you sign up online at Mimi's they will email you some good coupons. Just don't do it too far in advance or they will expire. We love the breakfast menu, and muffins.

Exhusband used to love the Tony Roma's bbq. At one time they were a good, small, chain. Most locations have closed, at least here in WA. Last time we ate at the one on Harbor it seemed a bit dirty and service was not great.

We typically eat in the parks. We find that it doesn't really save much to eat out side the gates and the time spend coming and going cuts to deeply in to our park time. Park time is expensive, and shouldn't be wasted to save a buck a person on a meal.

 

[GatorChris]

I went The Catch on Katella right next to Angels Stadium and it had one of the best steaks I've ever had. The Mac'N'Cheese is really good, and even the brussel sprouts were tasty. It's a bit on the pricey end, so keep that in mind. But for the most part, we just eat in the parks or at DD.

 

[jzuzphreek]

That's our situation as well Olive Garden is downright exotic when you live in Canada.

Every time I think of Olive Garden, I think of this!

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

I completely get this!

We don't have Dennys or Ihop in Australia so it's somewhere we make a point of going when we visit. Even a trip to McDonalds is exciting as you guys have different things on your menu. The thought of going to a Walmart is enough to get these Aussies jumping up and down with excitement!

Haha, I love it when we go to a place where McDonalds has a special menu item. Hawaii is our favorite so far. Spam/Portuguese sausage/eggs/rice. Mmmmmm...

 

[ClaraOswald]

Is saving money the only reason you're planning to eat off-site? I'm not really sure how much money you're going to save because local areas aren't necessarily priced much lower. And if you're having to leave the parks and then go back to eat...you'd waste a lot of time.

Now if you are talking for non-park days...that's a different story, I suppose.

We don't usually eat at too many places near the park. The closest one would be Coco's. We also like to go to Villa Park to eat at a little place called China Panda. We also go to places like Denny's and Panera. Not too exciting.

 

[amyg1975]

I agree, eating off-site is not always cheaper. Feel free to ask how to eat at the parks on a budget- everyone will offer a lot of advice!

 

[crystal1313]

We really enjoy pizza press, will never order from Marri's again after finding a hair in our food. Also, we got take out from PF Changs one night and it was SO much food! It was great, and relaxing for all of us to eat in the quiet comfort of our hotel. I've always wanted to check out the Anaheim packing district as well.

 

[LizzyS]

Please do yourself a favor and DON'T eat at Joe's Crab Shack or Bubba Gump. They're nationwide chains, and you're on vacation where you can eat almost anywhere, especially great locally owned businesses. (not to mention they're really not that good).

I ate at the Bubba Gump in Denver and had a swell time and food, thanks!

 

[Jajone]

I agree, eating off-site is not always cheaper. Feel free to ask how to eat at the parks on a budget- everyone will offer a lot of advice!

I am a well seasoned WDW veteran and know how to eat budget in the park. I also know that there are deals to be had outside the park. We are planning afternoon breaks and returning in the evening. Pizza outside the park is definitely cheaper than in the park. Earl of sandwich is on our list. We love this option in Florida. I am looking for family friendly sit down type places because those are definitely cheaper than table service in the park.

 

[Disney_Alli]

We like Mimi's, on Harbor, near the Hojo. not to be confused with Millies. If you sign up online at Mimi's they will email you some good coupons. Just don't do it too far in advance or they will expire. We love the breakfast menu, and muffins.

Exhusband used to love the Tony Roma's bbq. At one time they were a good, small, chain. Most locations have closed, at least here in WA. Last time we ate at the one on Harbor it seemed a bit dirty and service was not great.

We typically eat in the parks. We find that it doesn't really save much to eat out side the gates and the time spend coming and going cuts to deeply in to our park time. Park time is expensive, and shouldn't be wasted to save a buck a person on a meal.

My dad loves ribs so on our December trip in 2013 when the parks closed at 7pm we headed to Tony Roma's... Service was slow the restaurant was not very clean and they have the cheapest, crappiest wine glasses I've ever been forced to drink out of in a restaurant - which hugely affects the flavor of the wine!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We really enjoy pizza press, will never order from Marri's again after finding a hair in our food...

Agree that hair in your food is gross, but accidents happen. One time doesn't mean it is the norm. I found a hair in my potatoes at CCR. Pointed it out to the server who then reported it to the kitchen. Did you call Marri's to tell them about this incident? At CCR, the CM who had plated my food and the CM who cooked the potatoes were tracked down and addressed on the issue. A one time incident does not mean I won't ever eat at CCR again. (Now if it happens on a regular basis? Whole 'nother story!) Always report things like this or the problem won't get fixed. The kitchen can't address what they don't know about.

 

[amyg1975]

I am a well seasoned WDW veteran and know how to eat budget in the park. I also know that there are deals to be had outside the park. We are planning afternoon breaks and returning in the evening. Pizza outside the park is definitely cheaper than in the park. Earl of sandwich is on our list. We love this option in Florida. I am looking for family friendly sit down type places because those are definitely cheaper than table service in the park.

Many of the restaurants people are listing are good, but with a family of 5, you may or may not save money. There is a Panera nearby, that could work for you as well. If you do go to table service restaurants, you might look at their websites for clubs/rewards to sign up for, and usually they send out coupons. We did this with Mimi's, and they send out buy one, get one coupons frequently (however, breakfast there cost a small fortune, and one of our meals was a kids meal!). The farther you move away from Harbor/Katella, the better luck you might have with family restaurants that are probably cheaper.

How old are your kids? At DCA, the mexican restaurant serves LARGE portions, and that can help keep costs down with kids. At Cafe Orleans, my husband and I always share the Monte Cristo, because it is too big for one person to eat. My daughter is only 4, so we often stop at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta because they have uncrustables (PB&J) and applesauce at the pay stations.

 

[Indiana Scott]

It's about this time that I like to warn any potential budget sensitive guest not to try Captain (gag) Kids buffet across the street. The low price is tempting but trust me, that "stuff" is the oldest, nastiest muck in the area.
Avoid at all cost.

 

[MNtwinsplus1mom]

Our family of 5 loved Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles. Yummy & large portions.