best places to eat that do not need ADR

[neastguy]

we are going in a little over a month and the thought of planning ADR's doesn't sound like fun... especially since this is the first time at Disney.. I think we will be doing a lot of just wandering around.. other than our 3 FP's we get.. are there any suggestions for places that don't require ADR's? thanks

 

[sharonabe]

There aren't many places that you can just walk up. Your best bet will be resort restaurants that are NOT character meals. How many are in your party?

The other tip is to just check the app on your phone in the morning or throughout the day to see what is available. Making an ADR the day of is better than trying to just walk up. There have been many, many reports of people who walked up to the podium to see if there was anything availabe, they were told no, and they walked away and checked the app and found an open ADR for that exact time. USE the app!!

 

[Nancyg56]

agree with sharonabe. Walkup's are almost nonexistent. That does not mean you won't be able to eat, but that you will need to use your Ap to find out what is open and the make the ADR.

 

[PSUGuy]

We've successfully walked in to Cape May for dinner and 9 Dragons and Teppan Edo for lunch.

Bill From PA

 

[Hopefully]

For your first trip, wandering around hungry looking for somewhere you can get a seat, does not sound pleasant. Very few IN park restaurants - with the possible exception of the less popular Epcot restaurants - accept walkups.
I agree with the others, at least check the night before or during the day.
Personally, I would plan an ADR for dinner at least
Good Luck

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I'm going to qualify the walk-up statement.

There are two types of restaurants: Table Service, which are restaurants where you are seated, have a waiter, there might be a buffet, etc. etc. Your odds of walking up to most of these is low. Skipper Canteen, at the Magic Kingdom, takes same-day and walk-up reservations only. At Animal Kingdom, you might be able to get same-day for Rainforest Cafe or maybe Yak & Yeti's table service. Epcot's World Showcase has some less popular options that are a maybe, particularly at non-peak hours, such as Spice Road Table, Marrakesh and 9 Dragons.

Quick Service restaurants are a counter service, where you order at the counter and take your tray. Many of these are very good! Only one QS in all of Disney takes actual ADRs, which is to say the rest do not! At Magic Kingdom, Columbia Harbour House is delicious. You can get pizza at Pinocchio's Village Haus and overlook Small World. Cosmic Ray's is its own experience, ahem. At AK, Flame Tree BBQ is QS and fab. You can eat around the world at Epcot quick service stands. At HS... well, uh, there is food. (QS there is weak.)

If you are on Disney Dining Plan and have Table Service credits, make ADRs. At least look the night before and book. If you're paying all OOP and are okay with not having wait-staffed meals, character options or big ol' buffets, QS is always an option, and can often be a tasty one.

 

[saskdw]

The previous post was very good.

A tip I would ad is eat at off meal times.

Eat lunch at 11am or 2pm, not at noon.

Eat supper at 4pm or 8pm, not at 5pm-6pm.

This will especially help at the quick service places.

 

[21stamps]

Epcot- Tangierine Cafe!!!

It's a quick service restaurant and the food is quite good. My only complaint with them is their children's menu (I think Disney should realize that not every kid live on hamburgers and hot dogs!) so I order from the adult menu for my child.

Wanted to add this- I know a lot of people who only do 1-2 "table service" meals. You can also get delivery from garden grocer for snacks and breakfast in your room. No need to drive yourself crazy with ADRs. As soon as my son is out of the character stage I won't have to drive myself crazy either!

 

[joannamet]

There are Quick Service options in every park that have wonderful food and do not require ADRs. Columbia Harbour House and Pecos Bill's in MK. Flame Tree BBQ and Harambe Market in AK. DHS has Starring Rolls and Backlot Express. Epcot has too many to name: Sunshine Seasons, Yorkshire Co. Fish Shoppe, Tangerine Cafe, La Cantina de San Angel. Those are just a few. You can make no ADRs for your whole trip and you'll still have great dining options and save time and money.

 

[Jennasis]

ESPN club doesnt take reservations on the Boardwalk and was a delight this past weekend. We swam, got hungry, and went right in! I think Big River Grill and Brew is the same.

On Saturday we walked up and got seated at Via Napoli at 8pm. In fact we were seated faster than we were sat for any of out ADRs. Plus we we done eating in time to wander out to the promenade for a perfect view of Illuminations.

While waiting for our lunch ADR at scifi we watched 2 families walk up and get. Seated.

 

[maryandtyson]

You have gotten some really good advice so far. The last thing you want to do is wander around hungry. Since you are not very familiar with the parks and restaurants, I would absolutely make ADRs. I have done this day of or night before. As long as you are flexible on time, you should be okay. Use the My Disney Experience app and just spin the wheel. I hope you have park hopper tickets to allow for more options or look to eat at the resorts. Transportation can be a major challenge, however. Do you have a car? Use Uber if you need to.

Have fun!!

 

[samsteele]

If you can make a few basic ADRs I would do this. Even early am on same day. But I have had luck with lunch and early dinner at Epcot's Marrakesh and also Tokyo Dining. Mid weekday walk-ups at restaurant opening for Kona at the Poly are possible (but not a guarantee). Kona is a quick monorail ride to/from MK.

 

[wilkeliza]

Some table service that we have had luck getting into with no reservation is Grand Floridan Cafe at the Grand Floridan and The Wave at the Contemporary. Both were enjoyable meals and almost never packed. You do have to leave the MK for them though.

There are many great "quick service" options at every park. If you eat during off times you will have less of a crowd to deal with so it is manageable. Still I find the QS in Animal Kingdom to always be busy during a meal time. We frequently eat at different times than normal (1 or 2 for lunch and 8 or 9 for dinner) and still find DAK incredibly busy no matter when we eat.

If your family is okay with the menu keep Skipper's Canteen in your mind at MK. It is a table service that only does same day (possibly next day now) reservations.

 

[neastguy]

thanks everyone, we will be offsite guests and have a car and park hopper.. we are not big eaters so maybe we will be fine with QS meals .. maybe plan one or two sit down meals when we are there using the app.. guess I better install it on my phone .. we are going the week of June 25th.. yes I know.. hot and crowded.. but we got free hotel room and figured .. we should finally do it.. we have a 7 and 9 year old girls... worried about all the walking and heat..

torn on doing the park hopper thing, even though my wife purchased it.. I guess we will find out once we get there....

 

[brooke789]

We're doing QS only. Our last trip we had originally booked a TS (character meal) for lunch each day. After the first one we realized it just wasn't for us. So, this time we are going with no ADRs. If we decide we want a TS we'll check the app. Otherwise, we'll eat at QS the whole time. It really doesn't have to be hamburgers or hotdogs the whole trip. There is a lot to choose from. I did look at all of the QS restaurant menus on Easy WDW and took notes on which ones looked good for us.

 

[Grumpy92]

The key to summer visits to WDW. Afternoon breaks. Go early to the park (rope drop) and leave around lunch. We either eat at the park or nearby resort or return to our hotel. We swim or nap then return to the parks for dinner or after dinner. Hydrate, drink lots of water and don't forget the sunscreen.
As for ADRs I agree with the others pick a few restaurants and make an ADR. With little girls I would reserve one character meal. It is so worth it. Summer will be very busy.
You might want to check out the menus.
http://allears.net/dining/menu/

 

[cornflkgrl]

La Halles Boulangerie Patisserie France (i hope I got that right) in Epcot!!! Really good soup last trip. Lunch time. Plenty of seating. Walked right in. Delicious desserts. One of the best places we ate.

 

[tomatecerise]

Tokyo dining and nine Dragons have a lot of availability In Epcot. Biergarten for lunch can take you too (you have to share A table, They have just communal 8 seats tables)
In magic Kingdom Skipper canteen is 1 day reservation or walk up
At Animal Kingdom you can have a chance for lunch at Yak and Yeti but prepare to wait