Best DL restaurant

[lana772]

Someone else's thread sparked my curiosity.

When we vacation we spend a huge chunk of our budget on food. On a daily basis I am very careful with our food intake, but when we are on vacation all rules are off. There have been days that my girls have had a weekly ration of sugar by noon and my husband has had steak at every meal. We love to eat at restaurants at DL that we would otherwise stay away from.

So.... my curiosity question.....

What is your favorite restaurant at DL resort? What is the one meal that you think about for days leading up to your trip?

Personally, I love Blue Bayou's gumbo and crab cakes...
and I think about a Dole Whip for months.

 

[Tiradan]

For me, Napa Rose wins every day and twice on Sunday. Unfortunately, I won't be there until 9/3. Can someone make time go faster please?

 

[suevr]

We ate at Carthay Circle and Steakhouse 55 last week and CC was definitely our favorite!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Lana, thanks for starting this thread! I was wondering the same thing and am very interested in fellow DISers' answers. Trying to decide on restaurants to try for my trip in October!

 

[Mackie Mouse]

As I'm making my first trip to Disneyland in March, I'm excited to see that some restaurants we've picked are on your lists! The plan is to kick things off with dinner at the Napa Rose chef's counter, then have a dinner at Carthay Circle and a lunch at Blue Bayou! I'm drooling already just thinking about it....

 

[lana772]

I'm going to add one more food question for you....

What is your favorite DL dessert?

I LOVE the pumpkin muffin they have during Christmas time. The cream cheese filling and frosting is to die for! They have the same muffins several places in the resort. I have gotten them at White Water, Blue Ribbon, DLH coffee shop and Pooh's Corner.
Mmmmmm yummy!

 

[QueenBeeMB]

My favorite is the simplist of things. The Royal Street Veranda steak gumbo in a bread bowl.

I eat it multiple times during our stay

 

[lana772]

QueenBee -
I have to try that next time. I am a major gumbo fan, but have never had the steak. It sounds right up my alley.

 

[Blue32]

I'm going to add one more food question for you....

What is your favorite DL dessert?

I LOVE the pumpkin muffin they have during Christmas time. The cream cheese filling and frosting is to die for! They have the same muffins several places in the resort. I have gotten them at White Water, Blue Ribbon, DLH coffee shop and Pooh's Corner.
Mmmmmm yummy!

Cream cheese filling AND frosting? This sounds more like a cupcake.
Either way.... I WILL hunt one down!

 

[lana772]

Cream cheese filling AND frosting? This sounds more like a cupcake.
Either way.... I WILL hunt one down!

It does seem like a cupcake and depending on where you get it they would call it that. White Water and the coffee shop sold quite a few at breakfast and called them muffins, but inside the park they were sold as cupcakes. I think I just call them muffins because it makes me feel like I'm not being so sinful. lol . ... but then that goes back to my "no rules at DL"... haha DL calories don't count... right?

 

[DisneytheKid]

Unfortunately I was never really a DL Foodie until I started to read these boards... I'll have so many places to try in December!!!

 

[Girimama33]

My favorite, favorite, favorite meal at DL...which I obviously can't have every visit, is the chateaubriand at Club 33. I can probably get a reservation for our next trip, but DH said I already spent our extra splurge on HP tickets...oh well....maybe I can get a group of gals together to go in the winter.
Dessert wise...I love the beignets and the Mickey rice crispy treats dipped in chocolate.

 

[ArchOwl]

Of the signature dining restaurants, Napa Rose has long been number one in my heart. Knowledgeable servers, thoughtful and delicious cuisine paired with excellent wines, and the ability to watch it all at the Chef's Counter makes Napa Rose very special. Steakhouse 55 was pleasant, the food was good, but it didn't offer anything new or unique in my opinion. Club 33 was so much fun, but the food was not the most special part of that experience. I am looking forward to trying Carthay Circle in a few days, which is the newest of the signature dining options.

Of the regular table service options, this is a category I find lacking. I do enjoy Cafe Orleans most times, but find the seafood there abysmal and the service spotty at the best of times. We have been comped our apps several times (never asked for it, but they realized we had been waiting) because of the loooonnnnngggg wait between ordering and receiving food. I honestly think the kitchen is just too slammed. The Blue Bayou has a great ambiance, but the kitchen has the same problems here, bad seafood and less than inventive cuisine. I need to give Wine Country Trattoria another try, but was less than impressed the last time we went. I found Carnation Cafe to be the best in this particular category, with consistent service and solid breakfast and lunch fare. I think Disney could look at giving more options for a mid-level table service restaurant with consistent service and fresh, good food.

The next category for me would be counter service restaurants. I favor Plaza Inn for the fried chicken (split plate with a side salad is perfect for DH and I). A perfect slice of Americana. I find Hungry Bear's fried green tomato sandwich to be one of the most well balanced bites on property, crunchy crust, crispy slaw, and soft bread. Well done, Disney. Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta doesn't get much love here, but I find the sundried tomato pasta to be surprisingly zingy and adore the outside eating area and the real silverware. Paradise Garden Grill next door has interesting choices for a theme park and the sauces are quite good. I look forward to seeing what new stuff is in DCA!

For snacks, the Mickey premium bar is best! DH loves Bengal BBQ for a quick carnivore treat, I think they are way overpriced, but do enjoy the veggies. And of course, the churro.

 

[Momrow]

For my family, Napa Rose. Service was great, and they were accomodating. My younger dd was still having a nap at our reservation time, so dh stayed with her and older dd and I went down. No questions or strange looks from the staff. What I liked was that it was fancy and child friendly at the same time. We also really like Goofy's Kitchen. So much fun for the kids, and the food, for a buffet, was pretty good.

 

[pixiewings71]

My favorite, favorite, favorite meal at DL...which I obviously can't have every visit, is the chateaubriand at Club 33. I can probably get a reservation for our next trip, but DH said I already spent our extra splurge on HP tickets...oh well....maybe I can get a group of gals together to go in the winter.
Dessert wise...I love the beignets and the Mickey rice crispy treats dipped in chocolate.

I had the chateaubriand when we ate there earlier this month, best.meal.ever. So amazing!! So I would agree 100%!

Of the signature dining restaurants, Napa Rose has long been number one in my heart. Knowledgeable servers, thoughtful and delicious cuisine paired with excellent wines, and the ability to watch it all at the Chef's Counter makes Napa Rose very special. Steakhouse 55 was pleasant, the food was good, but it didn't offer anything new or unique in my opinion. Club 33 was so much fun, but the food was not the most special part of that experience. I am looking forward to trying Carthay Circle in a few days, which is the newest of the signature dining options.

Of the regular table service options, this is a category I find lacking. I do enjoy Cafe Orleans most times, but find the seafood there abysmal and the service spotty at the best of times. We have been comped our apps several times (never asked for it, but they realized we had been waiting) because of the loooonnnnngggg wait between ordering and receiving food. I honestly think the kitchen is just too slammed. The Blue Bayou has a great ambiance, but the kitchen has the same problems here, bad seafood and less than inventive cuisine. I need to give Wine Country Trattoria another try, but was less than impressed the last time we went. I found Carnation Cafe to be the best in this particular category, with consistent service and solid breakfast and lunch fare. I think Disney could look at giving more options for a mid-level table service restaurant with consistent service and fresh, good food.

The next category for me would be counter service restaurants. I favor Plaza Inn for the fried chicken (split plate with a side salad is perfect for DH and I). A perfect slice of Americana. I find Hungry Bear's fried green tomato sandwich to be one of the most well balanced bites on property, crunchy crust, crispy slaw, and soft bread. Well done, Disney. Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta doesn't get much love here, but I find the sundried tomato pasta to be surprisingly zingy and adore the outside eating area and the real silverware. Paradise Garden Grill next door has interesting choices for a theme park and the sauces are quite good. I look forward to seeing what new stuff is in DCA!

For snacks, the Mickey premium bar is best! DH loves Bengal BBQ for a quick carnivore treat, I think they are way overpriced, but do enjoy the veggies. And of course, the churro.

They have seafood at CO? LOL We always get the same thing, 1 Monte Cristo, 1 bowl of Gumbo and 1 salad, we share. The kitchen at BB and CO are shared so that's probably why you aren't happy with the food you've had. I pretty much agree 100% with everything else you said. DD and I went to Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta, I had a salad, she had pizza, both were very good and we loved the real silverware.

Best meal ever was Club 33, for everything involved, the service, the ambiance, the food. It was just perfect. But I know many people can't experience that so here are my choices for best in parks~
DL~
Best TS~ Blue Bayou, food is good, ambiance is amazing, service is usually very good, we've had issues but they are usually resolved quickly and without hassle.
Best CS~ Plaza Inn, DBF and I get a chicken dinner or even the Alfredo pasta, add a side salad and we are full at the end of the meal. Very satisfying.

DCA~ please note, we have not eaten at many of the new places in CL so this review excludes thos~
TS~ CCT & AG. CCT was amazing, the service, the food, the ambiance, it was so neat to be there to eat. And I loved the glass of vino I had as well.
AG has great food and the Princesses are perfect. I had to choose both because I have kids and AG is the perfect meal for that.
CS~ Taste Pilots Grill, love the Wild Bleu Yonder Burger, no steak sauce on mine thanks, I'll be adding loads of BBQ sauce, onions, pickles from the condiment bar! I get onion rings instead of fries with my burger here.

Snacks, churros and Mickey ice cream sandwiches, can't beat those! I used to love the Tigger Tails but they use sugar now instead of orange chocolate so they aren't the same.

 

[lana772]

No one has mentioned PCH Grill. It has great food and a fun atmosphere. We went there for my DD12's birthday a couple years back. She had a blast. She got a "Kitchen Sink" for her birthday. It was so much fun watching her try to eat it.

The character breakfast there is lots of fun, too.

 

[elaw]

...My favorite, favorite, favorite meal at DL...which I obviously can't have every visit, is the chateaubriand at Club 33...

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