Arrival day resort lunch recommendations please

[vtwep]

We will have a couple hours after we get to the Disney area before we meet up with friends. Looking for a resort restaurant recommendation for lunch. We're looking for something simple - grilled chicken sandwiches, salads, burgers, etc. Sort of like a Chili's simple menu - but at a Disney resort. Hoping to hit a resort we haven't been to. Most of the ones I've looked at don't have chicken sandwiches and burgers, etc. Hopefully there's something out there. Thanks.

 

[Best Aunt]

Check out the menu at The Fountain, on the Swan/Dolphin app. It is in the Dolphin. Depending on how much time you have to kill, you can look around Swan, Dolphin, Swan Reserve, Boardwalk, Yacht Club and Beach Club.

But I don't know which resorts you've already seen.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We really enjoyed the Wailulu Bar/Grill at the new Poly Tower. It's got the kind of food you might be looking for with a beautiful view of the lake and castle. I don't think they take reservations, though, so I'm also not sure if they'll let you drive in and park to eat there without a reservation. Similar nice options at the Geyser Point located at the Wilderness Lodge - the food you might like, a beautiful setting, but not sure about parking without a res.

 

[zackiedawg]

Primo Piatto at Riviera has hearth-made pizzas, chicken sandwiches, burgers, salads, etc - and they're a step above the fast-food quality ones at the park quick serves. Not sure if you've been to Riviera, but that could be a nice choice.

Geyser Point also has burgers and chicken sandwiches over at Wilderness Lodge.

Rix Grille at Coronado is standard bar food - wings, burgers, salads, etc.

Grand Floridian Cafe does 'brunch' until 2pm, with a mix of breakfast and lunch items including some burgers and sandwiches.

Of course, Disney Springs has dozens of spots serving typical American fare, with DLuxe Burger, Polite Pig, House of Blues, Chicken Guy, Cooke's of Dublin, Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex, and more...I know it's not AT a resort, but you can easily get there to and from Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter...so could visit one of those resorts, and boat over for lunch.

 

[vtwep]

thanks for the suggestions so far. Definitely some resorts we have not visited listed above. Much appreciated!

 

[Nayan]

Mara at AKL has what your looking for, plus the resort is gorgeous and you can wander outside to view some of the animals.

 

[_19disnA]

Not clear where you are staying. If staying near Epcot (for example), I don't think there is much point in traveling to the other side of the property to one of the monorail resorts just to have a casual lunch. I would assume all Disney resorts have at least one casual dining restaurant.

If arriving by car, many of the Disney resorts require you have an ADR to park there. Many older threads on the subject of parking. Disney Springs has lots of restaurants depending on where you are going after you eat.

 

[beccasmom]

I think WL is a great choice. Roaring Fork has both grilled cheese sandwiches and burgers and I’m sure chicken is also on the menu. Geyser Point is terrific with lovely views. The menu is a bit limited, but everything is tasty.

Cafe Contempo is another choice over at the CR. The menu is pretty varied, with the flatbreads usually being especially good. Tons of dessert choices as well. And Steakhouse 71 is one of our favorites; the lounge has a limited menu as well. Also, I have heard good things about the Grand Floridian Cafe (although I know construction is going on there right now).

 

[NYCgrrl]

I know it's not AT a resort, but you can easily get there to and from Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter

Also the bus from BW, BC and YC is a straight run (depending on the starting resort) to Disney Springs as well.

 

[jimmymc]

Steakhouse 71, Geyser Point, or Beaches and Cream are all good options for a table service with that type of food.

 

[swummyh20]

Mara at AKL has what your looking for, plus the resort is gorgeous and you can wander outside to view some of the animals.

I tried this in September. The guard wouldn’t let us in even though we had ordered food. He was actually wildly rude about it and quite frankly, nasty. Our uber turned us around and we went to AK instead for lunch, luckily we still had a ticket for the day. It was really annoying.

 

[vtwep]

I tried this in September. The guard wouldn’t let us in even though we had ordered food. He was actually wildly rude about it and quite frankly, nasty. Our uber turned us around and we went to AK instead for lunch, luckily we still had a ticket for the day. It was really annoying.

As I'm researching these options, I'm finding a lot that we would like. But I think we'll run into the same issues as you did since some of them do not take ADRs. So we're still deciding.

Thanks again for all the replies/recommendations!

 

[zackiedawg]

Remember if you're worried about being able to get into any resort to park, you could just park at Disney Springs and hop a bus to the resort of choice...it only adds maybe 20-40 minutes waiting for the bus and traveling to/from the resort each way and then you don't have to worry about it. It's hit or miss with parking at resorts when you're not staying there and don't have an ADR - often you can get right in, but sometimes you may get a guard who wants to enforce more and you might get unlucky. Typically, the resorts connected to theme parks are the ones that are more difficult to park at randomly - Contemporary, Boardwalk, Beach, Poly, and GF...sometimes Wilderness.

 

[_19disnA]

I tried this in September. The guard wouldn’t let us in even though we had ordered food. He was actually wildly rude about it and quite frankly, nasty. Our uber turned us around and we went to AK instead for lunch, luckily we still had a ticket for the day. It was really annoying.

There are some other threads that discuss this. People who were trying to 'game' the parking system would create a mobile order so they could park for free and then cancel the order. Disney got wise to that scheme and you need an ADR at many resorts to be able to park there.

 

[swummyh20]

There are some other threads that discuss this. People who were trying to 'game' the parking system would create a mobile order so they could park for free and then cancel the order. Disney got wise to that scheme and you need an ADR at many resorts to be able to park there.

We weren’t parking.