Best Counter Service Restaurants

[xoxbear]

We are going to Disney on a budget for our honeymoon. My fiance lost his job in January. What are the best counter service restaurants?

 

[kctinkerbell]

This is what we enjoyed on our trip last week to WDW:

MK-Pecos Bill; great burgers and they have a toppings bar that is excellent at no extra cost. They also have wraps and a salad.

AK-Tusker House-Don't miss this. They have wraps, salads, soups, and real fresh fruit. We really enjoyed this counter service.

These would be our favorites!!

kctinkerbell

 

[SamanthaL]

I love Columbia Harbour House at MK. They have a diiferent menu like chowder in a bread bowl. Also the chicken and fish strips are very good. Eat upstairs for less crowds.

 

[amymouse]

Don't fret. They have terrific counter service restaurants. Don't forget that the portions are usually large even at the counter service restaurants, so you and your honey can keep your costs down by splitting meals. You may also be able to squeeze a couple sit-down meals into you budget by sharing entrees. I do this all the time when I travel with my Dad or sister. All of my servers have been happy to even bring an extra plate to make it easier for us. No problem.

My favorite counter service restaurants are (in no particular order):
1) Columbia Harbour House at MK because of the variety of foods.
2) Pecos Bill's at MK because of the toppings bar.
3) Flame Tree BBQ at AK because the food is so good and the seating areas seem relaxing and "away from it all."
4) Tusker House at AK because of the variety of food. The chicken half tastes SOOOOO good and is enough to feed two people.
5) Tangierine Cafe at Epcot because their food is worlds away from your typical "fast food," is very tasty and their portions are way too much for any average eater to finish off by themselves (IMHO).

OK, those are my top picks but there are bunches more to choose from. Don't forget to look at the WDW menus on Deb Wills site AllEarsNet.com. They are a priceless tool for helping you budget.

 

[sanilacjack]

Mk - Cosmic Ray's -

and

AK -Flame tree bbq



-Kim

 

[katerkat]

We love:

MK - Columbia Harbour House and Cosmic Ray's (so many choices there!)
TAK - Pizzafari
D-MGM - Backlot Express and Sunset Ranch
EPCOT - where to start? Most countries in the WS have a quick service/food stand option, so whatever you're interested in, try!

 

[Gagebre]

We love this place. Plenty to choose from!

 

[100%Disney]

I vote for Cosmic Ray's at MK, their topping bar is SO good they even have sauteed onions and sauteed mushrooms. Very goog variety, burgers, hot dogs, chicken strips, baked half chicken (my favorite, you get mashed potatoes, real ones and green beans), salads and sandwiches. I also say Columbia Harbour House, excellent fish. In AK it's hands down Tuskerhouse. I have tried many counter service at MGM, wasn't impressed at all, we do 50's Prime Time for lunch. At Epcot it is limitless. We try something different every time. The fish and chips in England are VERY good. I bet you know by now, we like fish. Epcot is the best place to experiment, at World Showcase.

 

[100%Disney]

Go to www.allearsnet.com all the menus are there.

 

[100%Disney]

A word of caution about Pecos Bill's in MK, food is great, birds are not. You have to eat outside and the birds will fly down and steal your food, sounds cute, it isn't. It is rather scary at times. We saw a bird fly down and steal a hamburger right out of a woman's hand, she freaked out. These are little finches, they are big birds. They are on the boardwalk also so be aware, don't feed them and try to go to another area to eat your food.

 

[WDWMomof3]

There are tons of great counter service places in the World Showcase in Epcot. Snacking around the World is a must do for us. The portions are large at a lot of counter service places - especially the french fries! Pecos Bill's is probably our favorite counter service. I must be losing it though because the previous poster said you have to eat outside and I remember eating indoors.

 

[Planogirl]

I remember eating inside at Pecos Bill's too. Maybe there's an outside area?

Anyway, I like Pecos Bill's for the toppings bar (especially the mushrooms) and Columbia Harbour House (love the tuna sandwich) at MK, the Norwegian bakery and the Land food court in Epcot and Flame Tree Barbecue in AK. MGM is a problem though.

 

[WDWMomof3]

Originally posted by Planogirl
.
MGM is a problem though.

I agree. We have yet to find good counter service at MGM so when there we take the boat over to the BC and have either an early or late lunch at Beaches and Cream. It's not that much more expensive, we LOVE the food, and it gives us a break from the park for a bit.

 

[WDWLVR]

We love Columbia Harbor House and like a previous poster said - go upstairs to eat as it is a lot quieter up there.

Another option is that many of the hotels have 24 hour places where you can get take-out. Maybe hit one of those some day and have a quiet lunch by the lake or the pool at one of the resorts. A nice way to get away from the crowds.

If you have a little extra in the budget we would rent one of the pontoon boats and take out a takeout lunch. We did this two different days on our honeymoon and it was great to be out on the water for a little alone time.

 

[pammy1027]

Another vote for Pecos Bill's at MK- sitting inside of course You're much closer to the toppings bar and it's air conditioned...

Also, another vote for Flame Tree BBQ at AK

We chose to eat a sit down meal at 50's Prime Time at MGM- the cost is very moderate for a huge down home meal ! Great place to share.

 

[Harambe]

Also try the Plaza Restaurant in MK. It is a sit down place but for sandwiches and sundaes. They are HUGE!!! Split a sandwich and a sundae. It is cute inside!

All the places in AK are excellent (FlameTree is the best!).

At MGM - we liked the pizza at Pizza Planet, altho it won't blow your socks off. The veggie pizza is tasty IMO. The counter places over by Tower of Terror are pretty gross.

At MK - Columbia Harbour house is excellent. As is Casey's for super hotdogs and fries.

At Epcot - Yakitori House has a nice combo plate that you could share. Carry it outside to eat in the garden, complete with waterfalls and koi fish. Very relaxing . . .

 

[Gary M]

Casey's in the MK and Flame Tree BBQ at AK are two of my favorites.

 

[aladdinsgirl]

Some our favorite counter service restaurants are:

MK--El Pirata y el Perico, Columbia Harbor House, Casey's
AK--Flame Tree BBQ
Epcot--Cantina de San Angel, Yorkshire County Fish Shop

Have you considered maybe eating lunch at a sit-down restaurant. In most restaurants, the lunch and dinner are the same entrees, or very similar, but smaller portions for a cheaper price. I was looking at lunch menus for our up-coming trip in December, some restaurants had some very reasonible prices that are just a little more than counter service and the food is so much better. For example, Le Cellier had many lunch entrees for around $10 and the Plaza Restaurant is about the same. Check out menus at www.allearsnet.com and see what you can find.

By the way, congratulations on your marriage! DH and I honeymooned at WDW in 2000, we had the best time!! It's the perfect place to honeymoon.

Krista

 

[arizonacolbys]

MK - El Pirata y El Perico - we really like this place - great taco salads, but it's not always open when we go

Epcot - Cantina de San Angel in Mexico - this is our favorite counter svc in WDW - we usually eat here twice every trip

We had many good meals at the All Star Movies Food court when we stayed there. Some resorts also offer a pizza delivery that isn't too bad. We usually only eat 2 meals a day when at WDW - usually one sit down & the other counter service or snacks. You can usually get cheaper food at sit-downs for a late lunch & you'll miss the crowds this way too. HTH!

 

[iloveeeyore]

Epcot - Yorkshire Fish Shop - best fish & chips anywhere and fairly priced. Also Tangerine Cafe.

MGM - Pizza Planet, believe it or not. Our kids wanted to eat there, DH and I were like, "Yuk!" but we were pleasantly surprised, possibly because our expectations were so low!
WE just don't like counter service in general at MGM.

MK - they're all fine; Peco's Bill's has great fixin's.