Best restaurants outside the resort

[Evita_W]

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!

No, but if you ever find out, I would love to know! There really aren't a lot of places available after the parks close for the night.

 

[Evita_W]

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.

Honestly, I find both of those have very lackluster food. It's not terrible, but it's nothing to write home about and found their prices to be quite high. Farmer Boys around $15 per person before tax, for fast food that is quite high. Katella Grill was about $20 per person, again for what they are this seems quite high. I mean we are talking Disney prices without the quality that Disney has.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

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!

Have you tried contacting the DLH to see if anyone remembers this place? Perhaps it is a place they recommend regularly to guests?

 

[Ladyslug]

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!

There is a ”Day and Night Taqueria and Market” over on Harbor north of Ball Rd. that is open until 3am, serves street-style tacos, and has reviews that mention delivery (although there is also some indication that they may have recently stopped that practice). There are a few other taquerias in the area that stay open late (especially on Friday and Saturday nights), but that’s the only one I saw that mentioned delivery. Looked good!

 

[LAS2AMS]

Honestly, I find both of those have very lackluster food. It's not terrible, but it's nothing to write home about and found their prices to be quite high. Farmer Boys around $15 per person before tax, for fast food that is quite high. Katella Grill was about $20 per person, again for what they are this seems quite high. I mean we are talking Disney prices without the quality that Disney has.

Farmer Boys isn’t traditional fast food. It’s farm-to-table produce, all natural grass fed beef, locally baked bread, etc. The lion’s share of meals are under $10 and will easily feed two. The burgers, for example, are 1/2 lb. meat and nearly 600 calories of fries. The salads are huge. Etc. For the same price as one of these meals, you can get a corn dog at Disneyland. FB is actually a solid bargain... next time you’re in the grocery store, check out the pricing on grass fed beef.

At Katella Grill, you can easily perpetually purchase a Groupon or Reaturants.com certificate that will save you half off. And the Blue Plate specials are probably the best value in Orange County, even without a coupon. It’s another farm-to-table joint, and everything is prepared in house, including sauces and dressings.

If you’rE a picky eater and are indifferent between processed bagged salad and freshly prepared salads, none of this matters .

 

[felice]

If you have access to a car, do consider visiting the nearby Orange Circle area for restaurants. These are very good value and may well end up being a bit cheaper than those in DL & also DTD. One which my wife and I can recommend is the 'Filling Station' close to the rather cool antique stores which are also in the area.

 

[Creen14]

Our mornings we just wanted to get out of the room asap so we picked up some food at the Walgreens and random hotel shops. Things like yogurt parfaits, fruit, cookies, cheese strings, hard boiled eggs, etc. We would often eat on the go as DD is not much of a morning person/eater. Lunch we would usually have in the park but we would usually just purchase two meals for the three of us to share. There was plenty of food to go around. Dinner we ate at places like Earl of Sandwich, Bubba Gump Shrimp, and a Mexican place at Downtown Disney.

 

[Ksims616]

There is a ”Day and Night Taqueria and Market” over on Harbor north of Ball Rd. that is open until 3am, serves street-style tacos, and has reviews that mention delivery (although there is also some indication that they may have recently stopped that practice). There are a few other taquerias in the area that stay open late (especially on Friday and Saturday nights), but that’s the only one I saw that mentioned delivery. Looked good!

Thank you so much! I think this may be it! You’ve saved the day!

 

[jlmarr]

We like the Karl Strauss brewery on Orangewood Ave adjacent to Angel Stadium. Great food and a large assortment of their own beers.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Thank you so much! I think this may be it! You’ve saved the day!

If you try this place, report back on whether this was the right place and on how you liked the food this time around!

 

[BeachtoDisney]

For a little pricier option, I suggest Roy's at GardenWalk. Hawaiian Fusion. The Butterfish and Chocolate Lava Cake are excellent. It's about a 10 to 15-minute walk from DL entrance.

 

[MrLincoln]

Off-property recommendations:

Walking distance:
Tony Roma's (love that baby back sauce) on Harbor.
PF Chang's at Gardenwalk (amazing, cheap Dim Sum weekdays from 2 to 5)

Driving:
There is a wonderful Claim Jumper in Buena Park that served the best Thanksgiving meal my DW said she ever had last year. Great produce bar. Beach Blvd. and Knott Ave.
The Taco Stand, Chapman Ave. and Lemon St., the City of Orange. Carne asada nachos, a diverse salsa bar, the most amazing California burrito and fish tacos ever and at below fast food prices! An extension of two existing San Diego locations.

 

[mentos]

A bit of a drive, but I was always a fan of Felix Continental in old town Orange (in the circle) for Cuban food. Haven’t been in years, though.

we sometimes drive to Irvine for food at the Diamond Plaza...there’s a Coco Ichibanya (curry) and Pepper Lunch (sizzling steak plate) as well as a SomiSomi (soft serve/custard in a taiyaki/soft waffle cone) + an 85C.

There’s also a Baekjeong in Buena Park if you want some good Korean bbq.

 

[Mark9]

a vote for Fire and Ice at the Anaheim Gardenwalk. It is walking distance from the parks. Fell in love with it during our first DL visit last July

 

[nicole88s]

Reunion Kitchen + Drink on Santa Ana Canyon Rd. It's a good 20 minutes away, but if you have a car it's definitely worth it. Everything on the menu is so good! There's also one in Laguna Beach. I wish I could eat here every meal. There are so many things I want to try!

Ruby's is good for classic food at reasonable prices. I always like to hit one up while I'm in town because I used to live in South OC and it always brings back good memories.

Anaheim Packing House is good. They have a good chicken sandwich and some good grilled cheese and soup.

 

[MillauFr]

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

Seriously? You think $1 to $2 million is a big expense for a Chipotle in that location? They would make that back in 6 months. A Chipotle would have 10 x the profits the Captain Kidds has in that location. The only problem the Chipotle would have is managing all of the crowds. They would have to automate the ordering and figure out how to triple the number of burritos they could crank out to meet the demand.

 

[Jason2015]

a vote for Fire and Ice at the Anaheim Gardenwalk. It is walking distance from the parks. Fell in love with it during our first DL visit last July

+1 for Fire and Ice.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Seriously? You think $1 to $2 million is a big expense for a Chipotle in that location? They would make that back in 6 months. A Chipotle would have 10 x the profits the Captain Kidds has in that location. The only problem the Chipotle would have is managing all of the crowds. They would have to automate the ordering and figure out how to triple the number of burritos they could crank out to meet the demand.

Chipotle doesn’t franchise, so it wouldn’t be an option. Nonetheless, I think you’re overestimating the potential profit of Chipotle and underestimating the profit of Captian Kidd’s.

 

[MillauFr]

Chipotle doesn’t franchise, so it wouldn’t be an option. Nonetheless, I think you’re overestimating the potential profit of Chipotle and underestimating the profit of Captian Kidd’s.

Kidd’s is one food poisoning lawsuit away from bankruptcy

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Just popping in here to remind posters to keep this thread on track with restaurant recommendations for places that actually exist near DLR, not posts about places that don't yet exist or should exist. Thank you!