Afforable food for 2 adults and 4 kids?

[Huff]

Trying to figure out where to get good eats without going broke for our upcoming trip!! We're 2 adults and 4 kids ages 10-13. Everything seems absurdly priced with small portions. Last time we ate pizza in CA. Large pepperoni pizza was $32!!! It did feed 1 adult and 3 kids but now we have 6.

Any great ideas for really good food at reasonable prices? Both counter and sit downs in both parks, DTD and maybe GCH?

 

[farmgirljen]

I was just there for the first time last week, and I felt that Carnation Cafe was very affordable, and the servings were good sized- We had both lunch and Breakfast there...LOVED it! Also, the chicken skewers at Bengal BBQ were really good - My 8 yr old son and i each had a skewer and split a bread stick, and it filled us up at that time.... I brought alot of snacks and carried them in my pack each day for my son to save money, and keep him hydrated/filled up... I brought fruit cups, chips, snack packs of cookies, etc.. We ate at hungry bear restaruant too an it was pretty big portions as well- good food too, and price was not too bad... if you can split things and share them you will save more $ the popcorn tubs will feed several people for a snack, and the dole whips are huge, and can be shared too.... I would skip the ice cream bars next time- they are frozen rock solid, and took about 15 minutes before they thawed enough we could eat them- not to mention they were $5 each!

 

[teatime]

I say get out of the park and go along harbor.... mimi's and milli's is pretty c heap and I hear they have large portions. ( they have web sites to and prices) Also do white water snacks if your wanting to eat in the parks, there pretty good priced. and over in dca tasters pilot grill . we always ate out of the park, it was just more economical . We had grocerys we picked up, kids made sandwitches they had in there back packs ( peanut butter and jelly) and juice drinks. when we went to Walt disney world we had grocerys delivered. but in Anaheim you can take a taxi to the store and get all you need. bread, lunch meats, milk pop juices, etc. we did that and had cereals and muffins for breakfast to. we had only 1 meal in the parks a day.
This trip is special, we will have a few in the parks, but still only have breakfast out side the park.

 

[teatime]

even a cheap meal can add up, for just burgers alone could set you back 50.00 to 60.00 a day for lunch I say pack a lunch, go get grocery's for your room, for breakfasts and sandwiches and then maybe you can get 1 meal in the park you like for dinner or head on over to milli's or mini's

 

[LuLusApple]

My plan when traveling with all my kids is one big meal a day at the park. Not expensive just big. in April we stayed for 7 days , we ate breakfast in the hotel every morning. We brought our own water. We ate at pizza port, French market and rancho cucamonga (sp) mostly. We had turkey legs and had wetzels pizza pretzels for lunch mmmm
I think we did well $ wise I planned on 35-40$ each person per day and stayed under we were never hungry

 

[hhoman]

Raph Branon's Jazz kichen and El Country Tratorri comes out to about $10 per person (Yes still expensive) but the food is much better than counter service which is the same price.

 

[Sherry E]

I agree with Farmgirljen - I think Carnation Cafe (for any meal of the day, even dessert only) is affordable - and they serve full-size Mickey waffles at breakfast. It is table service, but it won't break the bank.

I also agree about Bengal BBQ - good skewers and healthier options but not a full meal price.

River Belle Terrace for breakfast (famous Mickey pancakes) is not too bad, pricewise.

Taste Pilots Grill is tasty and not too $$$.

People say that the soups and chowder at Pacific Wharf Cafe are good and not too expensive.

I don't think WIne Country Trattoria in DCA is terribly expensive, and Plaza Inn in DL is not too costly.

 

[pixiewings71]

My plan when traveling with all my kids is one big meal a day at the park. Not expensive just big. in April we stayed for 7 days , we ate breakfast in the hotel every morning. We brought our own water. We ate at pizza port, French market and rancho cucamonga (sp) mostly. We had turkey legs and had wetzels pizza pretzels for lunch mmmm
I think we did well $ wise I planned on 35-40$ each person per day and stayed under we were never hungry

I think you mean Rancho Del Zocalo, Rancho Cucamonga is a city in CA. Rancho is good, so is French Market. And don't forget that DTD has a lot of places eat as does the Garden Walk area.

 

[Disney*Happy]

Last we were at DLR, we ate at the PCH Grill for dinner. We ordered off the menu and I thought they had good prices. We ordered two pizzas, two salads, and one order of cheesy fries. It was only about $40 and it fed 2 adults and 2 children with almost a whole pizza left over. The pizzas are listed as individual but they were more like small pizzas. We could have gotten by with only one pizza and no fries!

 

[Sherry E]

I think you mean Rancho Del Zocalo, Rancho Cucamonga is a city in CA. Rancho is good, so is French Market. And don't forget that DTD has a lot of places eat as does the Garden Walk area.

Isn't there also a Cocina Cucamonga in DCA? I don't eat at Rancho or Cocina so I am all confused!

 

[Husker Mickey]

In the parks - well almost in Cal. Advent. - try White Water Snacks in Grand Californian. Enter from the shortcut in Cal. Advent. The portions are huge and easily shared. We also order pizza out of the parks and have eaten at Millie's and Mimi's. Both are very good and nice sized portions. Take your own water to the parks, it'll save you a mint. I buy a gallon at the Minni Mart on Harbor in the front of one of the hotels and refill two bottles each day that we are at the parks. There is also a Quizno's, IHOP, & Denny's on Harbor.

 

[spiderdust]

Don't forget that Pizza Hut has that $5-$5.99 value menu going on right now. You could split a P'Zone and one of the Pizza Mia pizzas among all of you and be pretty full, and you'll have spent only $10.99 (plus tip).

Where are you staying?

 

[Grim_Grinning_Girl]

Well we're usually a big group and have developed some tricks along the way to help save money, here's a few:

We usually bring in a ton of snacks & sodas to help us get through the day, and only eat one official park meal. Don't rat me out, but we also smuggle in several $0.99 cent Carl's Jr. hamburgers and chicken sandwiches. Cold smold! , they hold up well throughout the day. And again don't rat me out, but if you're brave enough, you can go into the Taste Pilot's Grill (Calif Adventure) and raid the salad bar to freshen up your fast food contraband - we do buy fries from there.

The park turkey legs are $7.00 each and are pretty big, enough for two moderately hungry adults to split. And if you bring in bread rolls, you'll have an instant turkey sandwich.

The Golden horseshoe meals are about $6 to $8 and decent, and you can get a huge slice of chocolate cake there for $5.00 - it's easily close to 12 inches long.

The personal pizza at Stamboli's?? in Fantasyland has a thick crust which will fill you up, the pizza has changed a little and is not as tasty, think it's about $6 ish.

I would suggest bringing in your own drinks and snacks, and smuggle in a hamburger or two. The fast food is the only thing we tend to hide, the drink and snacks are out in the open and have never received a complaint from security. We have asked if it's okay, and they have told us yes as long as it's not alcoholic or in a glass container. I once saw a guest's KFC bucket of check denied, which is why I'm not so sure about bringing in fast food or huge deli sandwhiches.

They don't search all that well so it is possible to bring in a more affordable solution.

 

[pixiewings71]

Isn't there also a Cocina Cucamonga in DCA? I don't eat at Rancho or Cocina so I am all confused!

Ah yes, I do believe you are correct! I know there is something over there that's Mexican but I've never eaten there....lol

 

[Huff]

Don't forget that Pizza Hut has that $5-$5.99 value menu going on right now. You could split a P'Zone and one of the Pizza Mia pizzas among all of you and be pretty full, and you'll have spent only $10.99 (plus tip).

Where are you staying?

Not sure if I can get everyone to want to walk along Harbor except maybe directly across the main gate such as IHOP. May need to stay in parks or DTD but who knows, they may be up for a walk.

We're staying at Holiday Inn on Manchester just south of Disney Way along I-5. About 1 1/2 miles from Mickey & Friends.

The girls started a Disneyland tradition of stopping at Del Taco on the way to hotel after Disneyland closes for a late night snack. They're open 24 hours.

 

[Brady's Mom]

We travel with either 3 or 4 children, regularly. We found this last time that splitting meals between DH and I and buying a side salad for us gave us a good amount of food and filled us up without leftovers or feeling overstuffed. I picked up the fried chicken dinner at Plaza Inn while we were waiting for the fireworks and it was a 1/2 chicken with mashed potatoes and vegies and a biscuit and ordered a salad and it was just perfect for us. I had a bunch of people ask me where I got my food - since I was sitting at the top of the hub eating on a real plate with real silverware. I think people were surprised!

We always take snacks and that helps with buying snacky things that can get expensive. We usually have one splurge sort of snack when we are there - a mickey rice krispie or ice cream or whatever, but not every day. We don't do it at home, so we don't feel the need to do it there. I usually buy snacks that they don't always get at home. And beef jerky is a big hit for a snack for my kids. We try to mix up food choices when we are there since my kids would just as soon choose chicken nuggets or cheeseburgers for every meal. But it can get hard.

We have ordered pizza from Papa John's for delivery to our hotel before and that was good, but it was way too much and the hotel didn't have a micro, so it was cold pizza (yuck!) if you wanted any leftovers.

We did go to Mimi's for dinner and they have such big portions that DH and I split again and they don't charge a split plate fee. Our server did give us a little more salad than he might have normally, but everything else was just split in half.

You could also consider a fruit plate or at Whitewater Snacks they have a smaller fruit portion that makes a great snack for later and helps everyone stay hydrated and it's a little healthier.

My DSis went a little before we did in May and they only did one purchased meal per day. They had breakfast at their hotel - they had a fridge and micro in their room and had cereal or the micro breakfast sandwiches or bagels or whatever. They made sandwiches and brought chips/crackers, juice boxes and some other snacky things with them into the parks and did just fine. My sis had a soft-sided cooler that is a little bigger than a lunch box that she used and had frozen water bottles to keep her food cold.

We also eat breakfast in our hotel room since we stay at HoJo and have a fridge and micro in our room. That can save a bundle. My kids eat cereal at home for breakfast most of the time anyway. DH and our DS 13 like the breakfast sandwiches.

You might have a harder time with your teen ish kids and sharing since teenagers, in my experience, seem to always be hungry! One fun thing that we always get when we go to DLR is the Kettle Corn in DTD. There is a stand right near the tram stop and we always get the biggest bag. It's a huge hit for our fam.

 

[wvnative]

Normally when I go I travel with one or two teenagers. It's always girls who aren't opposed to sharing though so that may make a difference.

My daughter's favorite lunch is a corn dog and apple slices from the red cart on Main St. I think that's around $6. We always do one breakfast in the park. It's always Carnation Cafe. I get the croissant sandwich. She gets the parfait and we share. Last time I was there I traveled with a friend and we split the monte cristo and pomme frittes from Cafe Orleans one evening. It was more than we could finish. We've eaten at Red Rockets too but I'm honestly not impressed although I've been told the chicken fusilli is big enough to split. We just don't care for pasta and I think the pizza is overpriced. With a group the size of yours it may work out better if you bought a whole pie there and a salad or two.

We always take stuff for breakfast in the room. Cereal, hard boiled eggs and pop tarts for her since she can't eat when she first gets up. We take cocoa too because we go in the off season and sometimes it's a little cool in the mornings. I too pack in a cooler for lunch. A couple of frozen water bottles, sandwiches, fruit, and either chips or cookies. We always get a locker anyway as we never know when we're going to need to stow jackets. I usually carry enough snacks that we don't have to buy them at the park. I don't know about other people but we find we don't eat as much when we travel to DL.

Since we go in the off season, it's not unusual for the park to close at 8 or 9 pm. On those nights, we grab some sort of fast food or order a pizza on our way back to our room.

 

[reynmagsmom]

Not sure if I can get everyone to want to walk along Harbor except maybe directly across the main gate such as IHOP. May need to stay in parks or DTD but who knows, they may be up for a walk.

We're staying at Holiday Inn on Manchester just south of Disney Way along I-5. About 1 1/2 miles from Mickey & Friends.

The girls started a Disneyland tradition of stopping at Del Taco on the way to hotel after Disneyland closes for a late night snack. They're open 24 hours.

The IHOP outside DLR's gates is the most expensive IHOP I have ever been too we had a typical breakfast for 4 and our check was almost $100 that is way too much for that kind of breakfast. I know as much as I love IHOP we will never eat at that one again!!!

 

[Sherry E]

The IHOP outside DLR's gates is the most expensive IHOP I have ever been too we had a typical breakfast for 4 and our check was almost $100 that is way too much for that kind of breakfast. I know as much as I love IHOP we will never eat at that one again!!!

Oh my goodness! I have heard horror stories of that IHOP being the most expensive IHOP around, but I had no idea how bad it was! That is absurd to spend that kind of money on a regular breakfast at IHOP! I can't even imagine what they must charge for dinner (like their steak dinner, for example)! Yikes! They are really trying to capitalize on Disney business, in hopes that people won't want to spend the money to eat on the Disney property, but you can eat a LOT of places throughout DLR for less than 4 people at that IHOP can, that is for sure! I have an IHOP down the street from where I live and I am certain their food is much, much cheaper so if I get a pancake craving, I will stick with my local IHOP and avoid that Anaheim one.

 

[pixiewings71]

Not sure if I can get everyone to want to walk along Harbor except maybe directly across the main gate such as IHOP. May need to stay in parks or DTD but who knows, they may be up for a walk.

We're staying at Holiday Inn on Manchester just south of Disney Way along I-5. About 1 1/2 miles from Mickey & Friends.

The girls started a Disneyland tradition of stopping at Del Taco on the way to hotel after Disneyland closes for a late night snack. They're open 24 hours.

The IHOP outside DLR's gates is the most expensive IHOP I have ever been too we had a typical breakfast for 4 and our check was almost $100 that is way too much for that kind of breakfast. I know as much as I love IHOP we will never eat at that one again!!!

This is our experience too, we won't eat there ever again. We went on a kids eat free nite and for 2 adults and 2 "free" kids we spent over $50! NEVER again.....go to Denny's, their prices are normal, go to Mimi's, their portions are HUGE, go to Millie's, they have big portions/good prices/food, don't go to Captain Kidd's, even if they are handing out free food vouchers, just don't do it, the grossest, nastiest food on the planet, disgusting!!!!