Best restaurants outside the resort

[jlmarr]

Original House of Pancakes on Lincoln east of Harbor Blvd. Open 6am - 2pm daily, always busy.

Los Sanchez - counter service Mexican (Sonora style) on Garden Grove Blvd just west of West St aka Disneyland drive. Open 9am - 10pm, always busy.

 

[GoingSince1990]

PSA: While you'll get different opinions on the "best" places to eat outside (or even inside) the parks, you should get a pretty unanimous opinion on the WORST place to eat (or NOT eat) outside the parks: DON'T eat at Captain Kidd's! Not worth the health risk (once voted "Worst Restaurant in Orange County, Winner, Winner, Don't Eat Dinner: The Worst Restaurant in the ...www.ocweekly.com › winner-winner-dont-eat-dinner-the-worst-resta...). People have posted here about eating there (so cheap for AYCE!), then spending all night in the bathroom with Pepto Bismol and/or Immodium. Not the way most people want to spend their Disneyland vacation...

Yep, reading the Yelp review page for Captain Kidd's is horrifyingly fascinating, kind of looking at a car crash!

Oh my... I made the mistake of going before reading the reviews. Luckily, I did not get food poisoning as many claimed. I did however have a less than desirable experience with their food. On the plus side, everything was hot-ish. On the bad side, food quality was poor. There were too many little things with food quality to name, but it was not good. We each ordered a beer and they were warm and not very tasty.

To say that it looked like industrial cafeteria food is an understatement; while there's good portions of sausage, eggs, ham, bacon, and breakfast potatoes, it just looks so... unappetizing. Even the cereals and breakfast breads weren't that great.

I was lured in by the price being so low. After eating expensive Disney food the past couple of days, my son and I decided to check out this place. The food was ok. Not great, not terrible- kind of what you'd expect from a buffet. Staff was super nice as well. I give this 1 star because I contracted food poisoning. Just want to give anyone who considers eating here a head's up!!! That last thing you want on your Disney trip is to be praying to the porcelain god while your children run rampant waiting to go back to the park!

All of the food was covered with Saran Wrap. I thought that was a little strange, but there was nobody else there! They took the Saran Wrap off after we ordered. I grabbed a biscuit and gravy. The biscuit was hard as a rock, gravy separated from the heat of the buffet. In fact, everything was like that. The hashbrowns were those little individual ones. They were hard too.

This place has moldy mac & cheese. Also found black hair in our Mac & cheese. Never again will we eat there they only gave us comp for 1 plate my daughters 20th birthday dinner ruined... Food was disgusting cold & Stale. I give this place 1 star only because the waitress was nice.

First, The food was horrible, way over cooked or way undercooked! I took a bite and just couldn't eat the bland food. The ham was soggy, The meat was so over cooked like reheated way to many times!

The floor was so sticky from the time you walk in to our booth I mean I felt like glue.. The table was so sticky and unclean.. Horrible restaurant Should be inspected by health department!
etc....

https://www.yelp.com/biz/captain-kidds-family-restaurant-anaheim?start=20

 

[ParkHopper1]

Yep, reading the Yelp review page for Captain Kidd's is horrifyingly fascinating, kind of looking at a car crash!

Which amazes me from a business standpoint...that place could be a cash cow if properly managed with its location.

 

[MillauFr]

Which amazes me from a business standpoint...that place could be a cash cow if properly managed with its location.

That is what I can't understand. Why operate a crap restaurant in a high value location. That location could triple profits if they opened a Chipotle there.

 

[Raech]

We eat at In-N-Out and at Portos Bakery ( the spicy pork tamales and the cuban sandwich are our faves) mostly because we are addicted to them.

 

[roxy72]

Will you have a car or be willing to use ride share? If walking, look at the website for GardenWalk on Katella, a short walk east of Harbor. There are lots of restaurants there which are popular with posters here. Ruby's Diner on Lincoln is very popular with families -- kids love Ruby's! The Anaheim Packing District is a sort of upscale food court with lots of different options -- about 10 minutes from the parks.

What do ya'll recommend from the Anaheim Packing District? I was following them on IG for awhile, but haven't been there before.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Last week we went to Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles which is a 5 minute drive away on Harbor. Tasty food that’s inexpensive and we followed up with dessert across Harbor at Joe’s Italian Ice!

 

[crystal1313]

What do ya'll recommend from the Anaheim Packing District? I was following them on IG for awhile, but haven't been there before.

We had drinks at the Blind Rabbit. SO cool! We went with friends that live in Anaheim and they got reservations.

 

[Indiana Scott]

When ever questions like these are posted, I have to state one thing..
Under no circumstances should you eat at Capt Kidds buffet and freerange cockroach breeding ranch, which is across the street from DLR on Harbor.
Absolutely disgusting.

 

[Disney_Alli]

Last week we went to Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles which is a 5 minute drive away on Harbor. Tasty food that’s inexpensive and we followed up with dessert across Harbor at Joe’s Italian Ice!

We did Roscoe's on our arrival night during our last trip and really enjoyed it: yummy, filling and (relatively) cheap! Plus we were staying at the Best Western on Harbor and it was an easy walk.

 

[Evita_W]

Little Caboose Taco Shop has great breakfast burritos, be sure to add potatoes. Just know they are cash only.

 

[Evita_W]

That is what I can't understand. Why operate a crap restaurant in a high value location. That location could triple profits if they opened a Chipotle there.

Yep and make it 24 hours with the chipotlanes that bring food to your car if you order online. And like the location at La Guardia, offer breakfast as well.

Seriously so few places are open after the parks close for the night and there are lots of hungry people, so a 24 hour fast food could make a killing near the parks. Even McDonalds is usually closed by the time Disneyland closes.

 

[Evita_W]

What do ya'll recommend from the Anaheim Packing District? I was following them on IG for awhile, but haven't been there before.

Pretty much everything.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

What do ya'll recommend from the Anaheim Packing District? I was following them on IG for awhile, but haven't been there before.

Give yourself plenty of time to wander around to look at the different menus and to see what looks good to you. If you are with a group, split up so that everyone can try different things and you can share a little bit of everything. The Packing District is lots of fun!
Also, across from the APD parking lot is the Anaheim Brewery and Umami Burger -- more fun!

 

[MillauFr]

Yep and make it 24 hours with the chipotlanes that bring food to your car if you order online. And like the location at La Guardia, offer breakfast as well.

It would be very expensive to accommodate a parking area. You could make far more money if you built 5 restaurants rather than 1 with a parking lot. Property at that locations is probably going for 50 million dollars an acre.

 

[Ksims616]

I’m going to piggy bank off this and ask a really obscure question... but desperate times cause for desperate measures .

A couple years ago my husband and I arrived to the Disneyland hotel around midnight after a loooong day of travel and we were hungry. The sweet CM checking us in told us nothing in Disney was open but suggested a street taco place that regularly delivers to the resort. We did, and we’ve been dreaming of those tacos and guac for two years. We now have a trip planned next month to VGC and have no clue where to get these tacos. Any ideas?! I know it’s a long shot, but we’re hoping to have them again!

 

[LAS2AMS]

I don't find most off-site restaurants all that cheaper or better in general. We would rather stay in the parks (or DTD or DLR hotel) than travel somewhere else. Way too many good choices on DLR property...... including many of the counter service places.
Our experience at Mimi's has been meh.... ok, but nothing to speak of. Def. would not go out of my way to go there or off-site in general.

Except for the fact that the surrounding area is full of "farm-to-table" restaurants. I can order a salad that's made with fresh, local produce that's cut onsite to be served for immediate consumption. Meanwhile, at Disneyland... Disney primarily uses bagged salad that's often comprised of the cheapest produce of the day (whether it's from CA or Mexico) that's often processed in Mexico with added preservatives then shipped back to California, to be served at a higher price point than the local, farm-to-table restaurant (of course, select Disney restaurants offer farm-to-table, but at a much higher price point). Honestly, there's nothing magical about it.

Here are a couple suggestions ->
o Katella Grill offers "farm-to-table," with all food prepared onsite. Their best deals are daily "Blue Plate Specials," in which one entree (rotating based upon the day) is offered at a discounted price. For example, on Saturdays for $14, you get soup or salad, tri tip steak with veggies and gravy, two sides and rice pudding for dessert. Katella Grill offers coupons on Groupon and Restaurant.com, so you can get an even larger discount.

o Farmer Boys is a local, fast casual chain utilizing the "farm-to-table" concept. Meals are around $10, the same price point as McD, Wendy's, BK, etc., but portions are much larger (burgers are 1/2 lb.), meaning you can split. The Entertainment app has a BOGO at most locations.

 

[LAS2AMS]

That is what I can't understand. Why operate a crap restaurant in a high value location. That location could triple profits if they opened a Chipotle there.

I'd bet that the place IS a cash cow (it's been there forever). A mainstream franchise like Chipotle incurs large costs -- $1M to $2M for the build-out, increased expenses on maintenance, cleaning and upkeep to meet corporate appearances, and then all the fees -- franchisee, royalty, advertising, etc. Plus, there's generally high food and paper costs, since standards are strict and proving adherence using alternate options is challenging (and often inconvenient, costing time & money to source the product).

Meanwhile, at Kidd's, they can barter for whatever food Von's is throwing out and sell it as their daily special. They only have to worry about meeting country regulations regarding cleaning and appearance, which are much more liberal compared to corporate policies.

That said, the food is okay. It reminds me of Johnny's Incredible Pizza, which has several buffet-style locations nearby... cheap, ok food sold at cheap, ok prices. Kids seem to like it, at least...

 

[DharmaLou]

Golden Road has a great menu which also includes lots of vegan options, and they have great beer. I know people who don't drink at all who go there just for the food. I love it.

I also like Iron Press which is at Anaheim Packing House.

Coco's is a decent local chain. Mimi's is a national chain and I wouldn't waste money at it with all the other great options around.

 

[Evita_W]

It would be very expensive to accommodate a parking area. You could make far more money if you built 5 restaurants rather than 1 with a parking lot. Property at that locations is probably going for 50 million dollars an acre.

There is already a parking area at Cap'n Kids, so not really an issue and there are already lanes that could be repurposed. Really wouldn't cost a lot to change it over.