Sadly, there is nothing like those two places in DLR.
DLR as a whole simply does not have as much space for restaurants (only 2 parks and 3 hotels vs. 4 parks, 2 water parks and lots and lots of hotels at WDW). So the fact that there is not as much of an emphasis on dining is essentially because of that fact.
I think there are a lot of good table service/sit-down places to eat at DLR. My favorites are:
Goofy's Kitchen character meal at the DLH (but there are 5 character meals total),
Storytellers Cafe (the non-character meal) at the GCH,
Carnation Cafe in DL and
Wine Country Trattoria in DCA, and even though it is not my favorite, most people will tell you should try
Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square in DL for its location inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and try
Napa Rose in the GCH for its excellent 5-star fine dining. Downtown Disney also offers many non-Disney options -
Naples Ristorante,
ESPN Zone and
Rainforest Cafe are all favorites of mine, while many other folks LOVE
Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen.
Here is the link to our dining thread, so you can peruse the photos and see if anything appeals to you:
Disneyland Dining Reviews and Pictures:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1253888
And here is the link to our Character Meal photo and information thread, so you can see if one of them looks interesting to you - these are always good for small children (and big kids!
):
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2234435
And check out post #338 and post #339 for great, comprehensive photos of the Goofy's Kitchen breakfast/brunch buffet, courtesy of Disneynerd420, in the link below to DIsneynerd420's Trip Report. Goofy's also does a character meal dinner buffet, but we have the most photos of the breakfast/brunch buffet here!!:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread....268157&page=23
Many folks love the
Ariel's Grotto character meal in DCA. It's the fool-proof way to see about 5 Princesses, and they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food items served there for lunch and dinner are different than anywhere else in the Resort - more specialty items or seafood-related things. Other folks love the
Minnie & Friends character meal at the Plaza Inn in DL because of the sheer number of characters there (the food gets mixed reviews). M&F has the most characters out of all the character meals. The
Critter Breakfast at Storytellers in the GCH features several 'woodsy/jungly' Disney characters and an option to order off the menu or from a small buffet. Then there is the new
Surf's Up with Mickey meal at the PCH Grill in the PPH. It is the only meal in all of DLR where you can meet Mickey, and it is buffet-only, but not many folks have done this meal yet.
Goofy's Kitchen has the largest buffet and anywhere from 5 - 8 characters onsite as a general rule.
Having said that we like Storytellers for breakfast (Chip n Dale) and Carnation Cafe has a cool make your own pb and j on a paint palette.
