Best restaurants and QS on a budget!

[Magnus Warness]

Hey guys!

Me and my fiancé are coming over from Norway for 19 days now on january 30th. We're both DVC Members, and will be staying in deluxe studios.

As we have had a family crisis to take care of, that has unfortunately eaten away at our budget so we're going to have to save a fair bit. We've cancelled most of our signature and table service ADR's and are going to be relying on QS and more reasonable TS locations.

We are ordering groceries to our rooms to have some meals there as well, but what I want to know is; Where would people say that you get the most bang for your buck food wise around WDW? It can be any type of restaurant, as long as it will feed us and give good value.

Any ideas?

Kind regards,
Magnus from Norway=)

 

[gottalovepluto]

Don't forget to order snacks and water bottles as well with your groceries to take into the parks. Amazing how much snacks and water bottles add up to!

 

[katt789]

PECOS BILL IN MAGIC KINGDOM...seriously... they have a free toppings bar (tomato, lettuce, guacamole, cheese, etc) to put on their nachos & fajita's! We usually order the fajita platter, ask for some extra tortillas (super cheap) and LOAD up on toppings and its more than enough food for us! Even without the extra tortillas, you can each have 1 wrap and then "taco salad" the rest!

-Morocco in WS has some good platter meals as well.
-Casey's has a HUGE hotdog you could split
-Flame Tree BBQ at Dak has a couple different platters, one chicken & ribs, one chicken, ribs & pulled pork, that would definitely be enough for sharing!


Sharing adult portions is a good idea most QS places, at least to me, portions are large! Otherwise, I do a lot of eating kids meals instead, especially if I'm feeling like a burger or nuggets! Saves on money, and you can get a fruit for dessert and save it for later for a snack!

As for ordering groceries, definitely do it! (we've found it's more practical for us to uber to the closest walmart, but that's just us) We usually stock up on bagels/english muffins, jam/peanut butter, some fruit/veggies, cheese strings, granola/protein bars, and always a little bit of wine/beer as its SO much cheaper!

 

[neverlandsky]

Sunshine Seasons @ Epcot. Food & desserts were so good enough to split.
Pecos Bill, yet we did it wrong. Next time we'll just order tortilla chips, queso dip and build our own nachos with the Salsa Bar and grab churros elsewhere.
Columbia Harbour House, The Trio Platter is enough to split with 2 people.

 

[JessicaW1234]

Hey guys!

Me and my fiancé are coming over from Norway for 19 days now on january 30th. We're both DVC Members, and will be staying in deluxe studios.

As we have had a family crisis to take care of, that has unfortunately eaten away at our budget so we're going to have to save a fair bit. We've cancelled most of our signature and table service ADR's and are going to be relying on QS and more reasonable TS locations.

We are ordering groceries to our rooms to have some meals there as well, but what I want to know is; Where would people say that you get the most bang for your buck food wise around WDW? It can be any type of restaurant, as long as it will feed us and give good value.

Any ideas?

Kind regards,
Magnus from Norway=)

More reasonable TS are Via Napoli in EP and the Plaza in MK
Columbia Harbor house in MK is a QS but has an upstairs for a more relaxed seating & meal (also more than burgers)
Cosmic Rays has large rotisserie chicken dinners & is a QS if that appeals to you
In Disney Springs Wolfgang puck express is a very good QS that has more "dinners" (my DH loves their meatloaf)
Also Earl of Sandwich in Disney springs has excellent subs/sandwiches in the $5-8 range

 

[kymom99]

More reasonable TS are Via Napoli in EP and the Plaza in MK
Columbia Harbor house in MK is a QS but has an upstairs for a more relaxed seating & meal (also more than burgers)
Cosmic Rays has large rotisserie chicken dinners & is a QS if that appeals to you
In Disney Springs Wolfgang puck express is a very good QS that has more "dinners" (my DH loves their meatloaf)
Also Earl of Sandwich in Disney springs has excellent subs/sandwiches in the $5-8 range

I was looking at the menus and didn't see the chicken on cosmic ray's anymore. Do they still have it? My husband has food allergies and that's one thing he can eat.

 

[Magnus Warness]

Don't forget to order snacks and water bottles as well with your groceries to take into the parks. Amazing how much snacks and water bottles add up to!

Cheers! We will absolutely remember that! We will also bring water bottles to fill up at quick service locations!

 

[ktate82]

In Disney Springs, we love Blaze and Earl of Sandwich. Both were cheaper and filling. At Blaze, the pizzas can easily be split and when we were there in October last year, a pizza was only about $10. We have also split entrees at TS meals as well since they often have large portions as well. Like PP said, I will also get children's meals at some places since they are smaller portions.

 

[JessicaW1234]

I was looking at the menus and didn't see the chicken on cosmic ray's anymore. Do they still have it? My husband has food allergies and that's one thing he can eat.

Hi- I just looked and saw it on their menu 1/2 rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes & green beans

 

[twoolle]

Pizza delivery is also an option!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We did OOP last trip and stayed away from buffets since they are so pricey. Some of the more reasonable priced TS places were Kona, Via Napoli, GF Café, Beaches and Cream.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

We never do the DDP anymore, and rarely eat anywhere that requires an ADR as we find it a hassle. There are 6 of us, so a few hundred dollars for a subpar buffet is not my idea of smart spending.

We loved that new place in pandora...sautili canteen or something like that. I can never quite remember the name correctly. haha! We also always eat, usually several times, at the Crews Cup Lounge at Yacht club. I think they have since decreased their food offerings, though, so check before you go. We always got several appetizers and shared them. I like Beaches n Cream but it is hard to get in now with ADRS (super annoying as a BC/YC guest). GF Cafe is a good one. The wave breakfast was yummy. I am from the south, so I know my grits, and theirs are the best I have ever had!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We never do the DDP anymore, and rarely eat anywhere that requires an ADR as we find it a hassle. There are 6 of us, so a few hundred dollars for a subpar buffet is not my idea of smart spending.

We loved that new place in pandora...sautili canteen or something like that. I can never quite remember the name correctly. haha! We also always eat, usually several times, at the Crews Cup Lounge at Yacht club. I think they have since decreased their food offerings, though, so check before you go. We always got several appetizers and shared them. I like Beaches n Cream but it is hard to get in now with ADRS (super annoying as a BC/YC guest). GF Cafe is a good one. The wave breakfast was yummy. I am from the south, so I know my grits, and theirs are the best I have ever had!

Next trip we are only doing 3-4 ADR's for 9 nights. Since we are staying at BWV I am planning on using the lounges in the area for lunches and dinner. More reasonably priced and no ADR's needed!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Chicken nacho's at Big River Grill on the boardwalk is large enough it can feed 3 people and very filling. Cost is $12.00

 

[LovesTimone]

I would uber over to the Wal-mart on turkey Lake road, and get what you need there. Or there are several Publix stores right out side the gates depending on were your staying I would look up the closet one to you. or for delivery Insta-cart with Publix. - make sure to include water and snacks to carry into the park this alone will save you a lot.

In most case's you should be able to share more QS meals, you can always get a burger or side paying only for them to beef up the meal if you need a little more.

Over in Epcot you could eat around the world snacking as you go. Which DH and I do a lot..Just stop in one of the QS and pick something to share.

Think about appetizers and dessert instead of getting each of you getting entree's. A lot of the TS restaurant offers some type of appetizer platter, which is a lot of food. For instants at Rainforest you could order the Awesome appetizer for 19.99, or beef lava nachos for 17.99 both are huge portions and can easily be shared. There is one at DS and another one over inside AK.

Earl of Sandwich has what we think is the best deal around for great sandwich and their soup is pretty good, they are located at Disney Springs.

If this is your first trip I would splurge on one nice meal, you are on vacation... or maybe even a character meal for breakfast might be fun...

Don't rule out going over to some off the other resorts and checking out what their food courts have to offer. Both Port Orleans Resort food court have some great make you own options.

For TS, skip the appetizer and desserts and get them in the parks at a cart... Suggestion for dessert Mickey Ears who doesn't love them for dessert.

 

[jmmess]

PECOS BILL IN MAGIC KINGDOM...seriously... they have a free toppings bar (tomato, lettuce, guacamole, cheese, etc) to put on their nachos & fajita's! We usually order the fajita platter, ask for some extra tortillas (super cheap) and LOAD up on toppings and its more than enough food for us! Even without the extra tortillas, you can each have 1 wrap and then "taco salad" the rest!

-Morocco in WS has some good platter meals as well.
-Casey's has a HUGE hotdog you could split
-Flame Tree BBQ at Dak has a couple different platters, one chicken & ribs, one chicken, ribs & pulled pork, that would definitely be enough for sharing!


Sharing adult portions is a good idea most QS places, at least to me, portions are large! Otherwise, I do a lot of eating kids meals instead, especially if I'm feeling like a burger or nuggets! Saves on money, and you can get a fruit for dessert and save it for later for a snack!

As for ordering groceries, definitely do it! (we've found it's more practical for us to uber to the closest walmart, but that's just us) We usually stock up on bagels/english muffins, jam/peanut butter, some fruit/veggies, cheese strings, granola/protein bars, and always a little bit of wine/beer as its SO much cheaper!

Agree with Pecos Bills. We all enjoyed eating here.

 

[wendow]

Yup, another vote for Pecos Bills! Their toppings bar is awesome. You can just buy chips and make your own no meat nachos or each get a kid's order of nachos and build the plate much bigger at the toppings bar (that's what we do).

We also do kid's meals for all of us much of the time. We love to snack so we'd rather either share adult meals (even having our boys share an adult meal is less than two kid's meals) or each get a kid's meal so we can get more snacks later

Like a pp mentioned, we also just snack our way around Epcot, sharing all the way.

The Wave and Trail's End have the best breakfast buffet on site.

We make good use of the free cups of water that are available everywhere!

Our family goes to WDW for between 9-11 nights each year and we only do 2-3 TS meals.

 

[dminnie]

Pizza delivery is also an option!

This might seem like a dumb question, but can you order pizza delivery from anyplace or do you have to order from Disney if you're staying at one of their resorts?

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Favorite QS: Contempo Cafe, Satuli Canteen, Sunshine Seasons
Favorite moderately priced TS: The Wave, Sci Fi Dine In, Skipper Canteen

This might seem like a dumb question, but can you order pizza delivery from anyplace or do you have to order from Disney if you're staying at one of their resorts?

You can order from anywhere, but be careful to verify that you are dealing with a legitimate business, as there have been reports of scammers leaving leaflets at the resorts, claiming to be pizza delivery companies but then they don't actually deliver.

 

[RangerPooh]

These are QS locations where our family shares meals. Plates are huge and still satisfy when shared.

-Pecos Bills- fajita platter or nacho platter. Ask for extra tortillas (around $2+). There's also a toppings bar to beef up your meal.
-Cosmic Rays- burgers, chicken and ribs combo. Toppings bar too.
-Casey's Corner- huge hotdogs.
-Flame Tree BBQ- chicken and ribs platter
-Sunshine Seasons- various plates to choose from

Remember, ice water at QS locations is free. Just ask when you pick up your meal.

As for the person who asked about pizza delivery- you can order form anywhere but be leary of the companies who slip fliers under your door. We stick with chains like Pizza Hut and Dominoes or pick up from the food court in order to be safe.