Budget Friendly Table Service

[BUFtoMCO]

Looking for suggestions for a good mix of value and good food/atmosphere. We have two trips planned with having the DDP for the first. We'll be knocking out most of the character meals that trip. To give an example we have Beaches and Cream booked for a dinner for trip number two. The trip is my wife, myself, 3 yr old girl with great appetite and not particularly picky and at the time of the trip a 8 month old. We tend to enjoy traditnal american and Americanized ethnic food (ex pasta, tex-mex, chinese). Thanks for any suggestions that you all have.

 

[shortnsassy730]

Via Napoli is great for paying out of pocket and I love their pizza. The Plaza at Magic Kingdom is good. Also, it's not table service, but I love Wolfgang Puck Express at Disney Springs. The food is very good and it's pretty close to a table service atmosphere.

 

[brittanidp]

Kona at the Poly doesn't seem too bad

 

[bigbabyblues]

It isn't TS, but you might check out the Pepper Market at Coronado Springs resort. We had a great meal there last week. Hubby got some kind of pork, rice, veggies and cornbread. It was a huge portion and really good. They also had tacos, enchiladas, etc.

 

[iloveeeyore]

Eat your main meal at lunch time. Many restaurants have lower prices at lunch for the same food, for example, Biergarten, the buffet in Germany, and many restaurants offer HUGE portions (Mama Melrose, 50's Prime Time Cafe) so that an entree can easily be shared between 2 people.

 

[NJlauren]

The plaza was really good and very reasonable!

 

[OKW Lover]

"Budget Friendly" and WDW don't really go together. Some of the better values we've found though include the Plaza at the MK, Olivia's at OKW, Trails End at Ft Wilderness and the Dolphin Fountain at the Dolphin.

 

[HopperFan]

MK:
Plaza
LTT for lunch

DHS:
SciFi Dine In
50's Prime
Mama Melrose depending on what you order

AK:
Yak & Yeti depending on what you order
Rainforest
But honestly they have some great QS I would rather eat

Epcot:
Biergarten for lunch
Marakeesh or Spice Road - appetizers shared makes great meals (saw Marakeesh serve kids meals)

Resorts:
Olivias
Wave
Grand Floridian Cafe for lunch
Kona

DS:
Lots now with new openings
D Luxe Burger (really QS)
Splitsville
House of Blues
Wolfgang EXPRESS (really QS)

 

[BUFtoMCO]

Thanks everyone....great suggestions. In a way this is fun to plan. With the DDP we feel pressured to eat at the more expensive places. For this trip is fun to try these other places.

 

[BUFtoMCO]

Loving the kona suggestion. We're staying at Shades of Green which is a walk over to the polynesian. I think it's going to make the list.

 

[rg35]

Eat your main meal at lunch time. Many restaurants have lower prices at lunch for the same food, for example, Biergarten, the buffet in Germany, and many restaurants offer HUGE portions (Mama Melrose, 50's Prime Time Cafe) so that an entree can easily be shared between 2 people.

Much harder to find these days. The majority of TS restaurants have the same menus (and prices) for lunch and dinner now.

 

[GrumpyDad1974]

Sharing a pizza at Via Napoli is the cheapest TS we have found.

 

[mikeyg1479]

the relatively "less expensive" table services I've seen at each resort (since nothing is ever cheap at Disney) are:

Rose and Crown- Epcot
50's prime time- Hollywood
Magic Kingdom- the plaza
Animal Kingdom- Rainforest, (can be economical, just depends what you order of course- burger = cheap, steak = expensive)

Other places with good food and reasonable prices (though some are counter service) are: Wolfgang puck café (table service quality food at a counter service), Columbia Harbor House- Magic Kingdom (basic seafood dishes on the cheap), Earl of Sandwich- Disney Springs, excellent $6 sandwiches- maybe the cheapest quality meal to be had on the property, flametree barbecue (animal kingdom)- all are great spots for great counter service that isn't the usual cheap burger/pizza dreck you usually get at theme parks.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I agree with sharing a pizza at Via Napoli. its quite affordable and the pizza is amazing!

Portions at 50's prime is HUGE! Big enough to share.

I agree with the above poster who recommended Wolfgang Puck Express (market place side). Its like a table service, portions are huge, and the food is INCREDIBLE.

 

[rlovew]

Loving the kona suggestion. We're staying at Shades of Green which is a walk over to the polynesian. I think it's going to make the list.

If you want a cheaper way to eat - the breakfast buffet at Shades of green was really cheap and filling- if you did that and then a TS lunch/dinner at about 3pm you could probably get away with just snacks in the evening and only pay for 2 meals each.

 

[NeverTooOldForWDW]

I agree with the above poster who recommended Wolfgang Puck Express (market place side). Its like a table service, portions are huge, and the food is INCREDIBLE.

Are reservations required at Wolfgang Puck Express? This is in Disney Springs, right?

 

[wdw&sonny]

Agree with many suggestions above but mostly wanted to input to SHARE meals...especially at lunch
My family of four often shares 2 entrees and 2 apps.
Especially, like at 50s PT where we LOVE the fried chicken. Even for lunch this is 4 pieces of chicken. We split that and have a shake.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

Kona is our top choice! We LOVE Kona...we have eaten Breakfast and Lunch there and they seriously never disappoint! Via Napoli is also good for paying OOP bc you can just get a large pizza a split it between everyone (It is extremely expensive pizza), but when you look at Disney in whole Via Napoli is reasonably priced compared to the rest of Disney World, LOL. The Plaza in MK is also a great place to go for reasonably priced food and the food is consistently ok (I wouldn't say its amazing, but its good). Sci Fi Dine in is another reasonable priced location in a park. Animal Kingdom has Rainforest Cafe which is actually a chain restaurant but its a cool place to eat if you don't have access to that place around where you live and their prices aren't too bad...but like a PP mentioned Animal Kingdom does have a ton of cool quick service places, more so than any other park I think (and I am not a fan of quick service, lol).

 

[Hopefully]

With the most recent price increases, the Plaza at the MK increased their prices quite a bit. It is no longer as economical as it once (recently) was. We enjoyed it very much 2 years ago.
I agree, sharing pizza at Via Napoli is a good suggestion.

 

[pooch]

Are reservations required at Wolfgang Puck Express? This is in Disney Springs, right?

Nope, WPE is a counter service location. But, although you order at a counter, your food is brought to your table just like a TS restaurant. I heartily agree with this suggestion. WPE is one of our favorites!