Best DL Food?

[kristindavis]

Wondering what the best place to eat is in DL? I'd like a sitdown atmosphere- more of a restaurant than fast food.

 

[Sherry E]

This question comes up frequently.....and we always love to answer it!

Okay, I am giving you table service suggestions only - not the counter service meals or buffeteria-style meals, nor am I suggesting any character buffets right now (but if you want counter service, buffeteria or character buffets, we can all help with that too!). I will stick with table service only.

In Disneyland, Carnation Cafe on Main Street is nice. It is in a nice location for people watching, breakfast, lunch or dinner (or dessert only!). If you are a meat eater, then you may enjoy the meat loaf stack. They have good apple pie a la mode with strawberries and whipped cream. They also serve what is called the Matterhorn Sundae. I hear the potato soup is excellent too.

In California Adventure, I like Wine Country Trattoria. They have a good meatball sandwich that I like as well as a pizzetta salad which is huge. They serve a nice orange sorbet in an fresh orange peel. Nice outdoor seating.

In Downtown Disney, I like Rainforest Cafe (lots of things to choose form on the menu), Naples (generously-sized pizzas and other good Italian food) and ESPN Zone (it is a very busy place and not exactly quiet, but the food is really good).

In the Grand Californian Hotel, Storytellers Cafe is good for lunch or dinner. Great spaghetti (dinner), good sandwiches and burgers (meat or veggie) for lunch. Nice, cozy atmosphere.

 

[Rivergallery]

Sherry do any of these.. I know Rainforest does... need reservations?

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry do any of these.. I know Rainforest does... need reservations?

Yep, you are right about Rainforest - that is one of those places that can get extremely busy and you could be waiting an hour for a table, so best to make a Priority Seating - especially for late lunch or dinner. We ate breakfast there once, and an early lunch another time, and the seating was ample. But late afternoon on to evening - we waited an hour once and that was crazy!

In my experience eating at Carnation Cafe, there is limited seating so a line is always forming with people waiting for tables. I have never gone there where I have been seating immediately, though I have heard that it does happen from time to time. I would suggest making a PS for Carnation, no matter what meal you are having there, just to be on the safe side. Because it is right on Main Street, it gets a lot of walk-ins and fills up very fast.

Wine Country Trattoria usually seems to have plenty of seating available, inside and outside. But they do take PS's so it wouldn't hurt to make one just in case.

ESPN Zone is super busy and it can be a very long wait for a table without a PS. The thing is, I think Disneyland Dining can only take PS's for ESPN during certain times, like afternoons or some such thing. For PS's at night, I think you have to make them through ESPN Zone. And I don't think they take PS's at all on weekends, but could be wrong. Of course, you can still walk up and hope for a table, but you may cut your wait down with a PS.

And Naples usually seems to have plenty of seating available too, both inside and outside. I made PS's with them to be safe, but there were always plenty of table available in the daytime. Nighttime might be different.

We ate lunch at Storytellers once and had a PS, and there was almost nobody in the restaurant - this was on a Saturday afternoon at around 2:30 p.m. in October last year. However, when we went back on a Friday night in December 2008, at aorund 6:00 p.m., it was packed. So I would make a PS for that one just in case!

 

[c&m]

For dinner, we like going to Goofy's Kitchen (in DLH) and Storytellers Cafe (in GCH) with our DDs. For Goofy's Kitchen in particular, you should definitely make advanced dining reservations 60 days before you plan to dine. For Storytellers Cafe, we drop in and always manage to get a table -- however, we like to eat at around 5-5:30pm, before the crowds arrive.

For lunch, we like going to Cafe Orleans in DL. We also make reservations here too.

To view menus of all the restaurants, go to allears.net.

 

[Sherry E]

I should throw in that Goofy's Kitchen is my favorite of all the restaurants in DLR, so I agree with c&m about eating there, but I didn't suggest it because it is buffet and I was sticking with table service-only suggestions for now. But, yes, if you don't mind buffet or character meals, go to Goofy's. Great food, great variety, great quality.

 

[disneydawn6]

Don't forget the Blue Bayou... I love the atmosphere and the Monte Cristo for lunch. Sitting by the water is a must.

 

[mystic_path]

If you want a cool atmosphere then I would say the Blue Bayou. That place is soooooo cool atmosphere wise. Although there are mixed reviews and others would disagree with me, the food & service is TOTALLY left to be desired.

If you want good food, service, and atmosphere then I would highly recommend the Rain Forest Cafe in DTD. It is always best to make reservations, but I have walked up, put my name down and have been sat in 20 minutes. Its not a typical "Disney Park" restaraunt which would need reservations. I dont even think its affiliated with Disney to be honest. So you can probably just walk up day of, and put your name down.

 

[Itinkso]

Sherry do any of these.. I know Rainforest does... need reservations?

If you go to ESPNzone dot com, you can make priority seating reservations up to three days in advance. Also, you can apply for the MVP card; it is valid for 40 points of free play in the arcade area! It is a great deal; though the website may say it is only for those over 18, they activated our free points without any age questions.

 

[Sherry E]

If you want a cool atmosphere then I would say the Blue Bayou. That place is soooooo cool atmosphere wise. Although there are mixed reviews and others would disagree with me, the food & service is TOTALLY left to be desired.

If you want good food, service, and atmosphere then I would highly recommend the Rain Forest Cafe in DTD. It is always best to make reservations, but I have walked up, put my name down and have been sat in 20 minutes. Its not a typical "Disney Park" restaraunt which would need reservations. I dont even think its affiliated with Disney to be honest. So you can probably just walk up day of, and put your name down.

I agree with you about Blue Bayou, Mystic - it is not my favorite. I think it's overrated. It is a cool atmosphere, but seeing it a couple of times in my life is enough. I don't need to revisit it unless someone in my group REALLY has a need to go there.

My experience with Rainforest Cafe, as I stated in an earlier post, is that it can be risky to walk up and give your name and expect to be seated soon. No, they are not associated with Disney in any way, but they take the Priority Seatings too because they get SOOOOOOOO busy in the late lunch and dinner hours. I would always suggest to anyone that they make a PS for dinner because you can literally wait for an hour to get a table, which we did, and why do that if it can be avoided? Breakfast was very quiet there so then it is more likely to walk up and get a table right away. But for many people, even waiting 20 minutes is too much time. But I definitely think the food and atmosphere are great there and it is wortha visit.

 

[Sherry E]

If you go to ESPNzone dot com, you can make priority seating reservations up to three days in advance. Also, you can apply for the MVP card; it is valid for 40 points of free play in the arcade area! It is a great deal; though the website may say it is only for those over 18, they activated our free points without any age questions.

I think there are limitations on the ESPN Zone PS's though, as I stated earlier. You can make some of them through Disney Dining, but only for lunch, I believe. And through the ESPN Zone website, I think you can only make PS's for lunch or weeknight dinners, but no weekend PS's at all, from what I was told (unless that has changed). They don't take them for weekends because there are too many games on and they get most of their business from guys walking in to watch games, so the PS system would complicate that.

 

[LisainCalifornia]

We typically go to Goofy's Kitchen for dinner one night of our trips. I know you don't particularly like the buffet style, but theirs is pretty good. Prime rib, great salads, soups, sides, etc.

Our last trip we went to Storytellers for dinner for the first time (we have been for breakfast many times)---and it was really good. I didn't get the buffet, and neither did my daughter--which worked out great. It is cheaper this way and you can just order single items from the menu. I really felt like having a big salad and soup after all of the rich food we had been eating, and mine was very tasty. My daughter got the spaghetti and meat sauce, which she LOVED beyond all reason. She still talks about the meal and asks if we can go back there (she is 12).

Inside the park itself, we have eaten pretty much every where. Carnation Cafe is very good. The only issue is that it is only outdoor seating. Sometimes I just really want to eat inside after walking around the parks all day. This is something that I actually think Disneyland lacks--good sit down restaurants with plenting of indoor seating. They just don't have much of it. Blue Bayou is just okay as far as food. We have eaten there many times and for us the expense just doesn't justify the price. I know you are paying for atmosphere, and that is why we still eat there every once and a while. My daughter loves Pirates, so we ate there last time. The food is really sub-par and salty and not very fresh tasting. Although when we eat there I just eat and say it is good because I don't want to seem like a killjoy!

 

[Itinkso]

I think there are limitations on the ESPN Zone PS's though, as I stated earlier. You can make some of them through Disney Dining, but only for lunch, I believe. And through the ESPN Zone website, I think you can only make PS's for lunch or weeknight dinners, but no weekend PS's at all, from what I was told (unless that has changed). They don't take them for weekends because there are too many games on and they get most of their business from guys walking in to watch games, so the PS system would complicate that.

The ESPN Zone website for Anaheim is showing reservations all day on Sunday and Monday even though it is a holiday. ESPN Zone priority seating is better than using PS through Disney Dining and you have a much better chance of being seated in the Video Room if you book prior to a game starting...either way, 40 free game points is worth it to try out the various games...

 

[Sherry E]

We typically go to Goofy's Kitchen for dinner one night of our trips. I know you don't particularly like the buffet style, but theirs is pretty good. Prime rib, great salads, soups, sides, etc.

Our last trip we went to Storytellers for dinner for the first time (we have been for breakfast many times)---and it was really good. I didn't get the buffet, and neither did my daughter--which worked out great. It is cheaper this way and you can just order single items from the menu. I really felt like having a big salad and soup after all of the rich food we had been eating, and mine was very tasty. My daughter got the spaghetti and meat sauce, which she LOVED beyond all reason. She still talks about the meal and asks if we can go back there (she is 12).

Inside the park itself, we have eaten pretty much every where. Carnation Cafe is very good. The only issue is that it is only outdoor seating. Sometimes I just really want to eat inside after walking around the parks all day. This is something that I actually think Disneyland lacks--good sit down restaurants with plenting of indoor seating. They just don't have much of it. Blue Bayou is just okay as far as food. We have eaten there many times and for us the expense just doesn't justify the price. I know you are paying for atmosphere, and that is why we still eat there every once and a while. My daughter loves Pirates, so we ate there last time. The food is really sub-par and salty and not very fresh tasting. Although when we eat there I just eat and say it is good because I don't want to seem like a killjoy!

Lisa, you and I are totally on the same page - about our feelings on Goofy's and about Blue Bayou! And, I agree with your daughter about that Storytellers spaghetti - it rocks!! Truthfully, I couldn't find much else on their dinner menu that I was in the mood for that night (I like the lunch menu better), but I ordered the spaghetti and it was sooooooo good! I would go back there just for the spaghetti. And it is a cozy ambience.

I have to agree with you also about Carnation Cafe and the seating. While I do enjoy the people-watching opportunities from the tables they have, they just need more seating. Period. It is too long of a wait if you don't have a PS and there just are not enough tables. Do you remember in the old days they used to have an indoor seating area at Carnation as well as the outside tables? In fact, the menu was different back then too, but you could definitely sit inside or outside.

I still think Carnation is a nice, charming, quaint little place with some good items on the menu, but I wish they had more places to sit.

 

[Sherry E]

The ESPN Zone website for Anaheim is showing reservations all day on Sunday and Monday even though it is a holiday. ESPN Zone priority seating is better than using PS through Disney Dining and you have a much better chance of being seated in the Video Room if you book prior to a game starting...either way, 40 free game points is worth it to try out the various games...

40 free game points is worth it. And I say, even if you don't get a PS through ESPN or Disney, the food is so good that it is still worth it to go there once, but just prepare to wait a while for a table (which we did). It is in no way quiet or intimate or calm in there - it is very active and busy and noisy - but the service was great (Amy was a fantastic waitress) and the food was excellent. And they usually give you a little scratch card to get a discount off of ESPN Zone merchandise.

 

[LisainCalifornia]

Lisa, you and I are totally on the same page - about our feelings on Goofy's and about Blue Bayou! And, I agree with your daughter about that Storytellers spaghetti - it rocks!! Truthfully, I couldn't find much else on their dinner menu that I was in the mood for that night (I like the lunch menu better), but I ordered the spaghetti and it was sooooooo good! I would go back there just for the spaghetti. And it is a cozy ambience.

I have to agree with you also about Carnation Cafe and the seating. While I do enjoy the people-watching opportunities from the tables they have, they just need more seating. Period. It is too long of a wait if you don't have a PS and there just are not enough tables. Do you remember in the old days they used to have an indoor seating area at Carnation as well as the outside tables? In fact, the menu was different back then too, but you could definitely sit inside or outside.

I still think Carnation is a nice, charming, quaint little place with some good items on the menu, but I wish they had more places to sit.

Sherry,
I do remember when Carnation had indoor and outdoor seating! I remember when we went back one time a requested indoor, and they said they only had outdoor and I was shocked. I thought I had dreamed the indoor seating!

I know part of the problem is just "space". They don't have the space to have a lot of indoor restaurants, but I think they could do better. CA has some good indoor spaces, but even those are a little loud and crazy and not relaxing. Wine Country is pretty good at CA, but you had better have reservations ahead of time, because the wait can be brutal for a table. I now make all of my reservations 60 days prior for any restaurant who takes them, because it saves such headaches while there.

Storytellers is a very nice space that is relaxing and quiet. I really enjoyed that on our last trip for dinner.

Take care,
Lisa

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry,
I do remember when Carnation had indoor and outdoor seating! I remember when we went back one time a requested indoor, and they said they only had outdoor and I was shocked. I thought I had dreamed the indoor seating!

I know part of the problem is just "space". They don't have the space to have a lot of indoor restaurants, but I think they could do better. CA has some good indoor spaces, but even those are a little loud and crazy and not relaxing. Wine Country is pretty good at CA, but you had better have reservations ahead of time, because the wait can be brutal for a table. I now make all of my reservations 60 days prior for any restaurant who takes them, because it saves such headaches while there.

Storytellers is a very nice space that is relaxing and quiet. I really enjoyed that on our last trip for dinner.

Take care,
Lisa

I was thinking for a while that I had also imagined the indoor Carnation seating, but no. we are not crazy! When I think back, I can clearly recall eating indoors there back in the early to mid-'90s, like between 1992 - 1994. And the menu they had at that time was a little more expansive - now it seems kind of limited. They had a wider variety of soups, sandwiches, salads, burgers and ice cream things like milkshakes, various sundaes, etc. Then, we went back in late 2000, and I think the indoor seating may have been gone by that time, but the menu still had more options on it. And then the menu whittled down over the years to a few key items (but good ones) and only outdoor seating. I guess when the Blue Ribbon Bakery moved in, the indoor part of Carnation left forever! Now, don't get me wrong, I do like the Blue Ribbon Bakery, but miss the old version of Carnation too.

I think that after too many experiences of waiting for loooooong periods of time to be seated at Rainforest Cafe, Carnation Cafe, ESPN Zone and Goofy's in the past, I will always make PS's wherever we eat (table-service or buffet-wise) from now on. It is free, it is not a real reservation so the restaurants don't lose anything if you don't show up, you don't lose anything by making a PS, and you could save yourself soooooo much wasted time in line. I know it kills some spontaneity in deciding where to eat, but I would rather have a plan and be seated right away than be spontaneous and wait for 20 minutes or longer when I am hungry!

 

[A-T-G]

I totally forgot about the indoor seating for Carnation! Thanks for reminding me of those glory days! DL really could use more "sit down" restaurants, imo. There really aren't enough to go 'round.

All the suggestions are excellent! I love the Storyteller's Cafe (the corn chowder is TDF!), and cafe orleans has become something of a tradition for DH and I. Who can resist the Monte Cristo for dinner?

I'd like to put my two bits in for the Wine Country Trattoria over in DCA as well. I've gone for lunch a few times and haven't had to wait for a table (in the 'off' season). The food is very good and the service was excellent.

 

[Itinkso]

40 free game points is worth it. And I say, even if you don't get a PS thorugh ESPN or Disney, the food is so good that it is still worth it to go there once, but just prepare to wait a while for a table (which we did). It is in no way quiet or intimate or calm in there - it is very active and busy and noisy - but the service was great (Amy was a fantastic waitress) and the food was excellent. And they usually give you a little scratch card to get a discount off of ESPN Zone merchandise.

My DD and I were so disappointed when ESPN took the Fresh Mozzarella/Tomato salad off of their menu! That was the main reason why we always went. Now, our first choice is Storytellers Cafe - Lobster Cobb Salad was new to me (at least) and was delicious. DD always gets and loves the spaghetti. DH had a fish entree and said it was quite good! I always love the bread pudding from the buffet; I should try just ordering it for dessert sometime and wonder if they would allow?

 

[Sherry E]

I totally forgot about the indoor seating for Carnation! Thanks for reminding me of those glory days! DL really could use more "sit down" restaurants, imo. There really aren't enough to go 'round.

All the suggestions are excellent! I love the Storyteller's Cafe (the corn chowder is TDF!), and cafe orleans has become something of a tradition for DH and I. Who can resist the Monte Cristo for dinner?

I'd like to put my two bits in for the Wine Country Trattoria over in DCA as well. I've gone for lunch a few times and haven't had to wait for a table (in the 'off' season). The food is very good and the service was excellent.

I am glad to know that other people do remember the glory days of the indoor Carnation seating and that I wasn't losing my mind. I knew I sat indoors at least twice, but seeing Blue Ribbon Bakery there now - which looks like it has been there all along - it is hard to imagine that you could ever sit indoors. I like the sit down restaurants in DLR. Even though places like Bengal BBQ and Taste Pilots Grill are good (and people love Whitewater Snacks!), I like the table service experience best.

My DD and I were so disappointed when ESPN took the Fresh Mozzarella/Tomato salad off of their menu! That was the main reason why we always went. Now, our first choice is Storytellers Cafe - Lobster Cobb Salad was new to me (at least) and was delicious. DD always gets and loves the spaghetti. DH had a fish entree and said it was quite good! I always love the bread pudding from the buffet; I should try just ordering it for dessert sometime and wonder if they would allow?

Oooohhh....I never had the salad that you are referring to at ESPN. That sounds good though. What I had at ESPN Zone was the chicken strips and BBQ sauce - and I don't what they did to the BBQ sauce, but it was outstanding and the chicken strips were about the size of small chicken breasts. So good. My friend also said that her burger was excellent. I had a strawberry milkshake, which was thick and rich and yummy. I have not tried the Storytellers dinner buffet. I have eaten at the character breakfast buffet, I have eaten lunch and regular dinner there but have not tried the dinner buffet yet. I might have to do that on the next trip.