children's menus

[mhsjax]

The buffets at Disney aren't like buffets anywhere else, really. Try not to picture "Super Grand China" when you think of it. They're nicely laid out and don't look like troughs. It is a great option for kids who like normal food.

My little girl doesn't like meat, by nature. She is even starting to not like fish. It's weird, but she has an adversion to animal. I'm like you.. I could eat BBQ everyday, so it doesn't come from me! LOL

Narcoosee's is a signature restaurant, but has filet mignon on the kid's menu, also baked fish.

Liberty Square inside the Magic Kingdom is a "family style" restaurant, and if you eat there for dinner, your kids can eat from the food brought out for everyone. Chicken, pork, roast... those type things.

Tony's Town Tavern inside the MK has a decent looking child menu.

Definitely look at the menus at allears.net and make sure to look at the "family style" restaurants and buffets for your widest variety.

Narcoosee's does have filet mignon, about 3 bites worth, It may fill up a child that has just gotten in enough teeth to chew it, otherwise the kid will be starving.

 

[ktlm]

I agree, but at least you kid will eat cheese, What the heck are you to do when you r kiddo can't eat cheese or dairy, It becomes extremely difficult. My kids also have much more mature taste than what is offered on the kids menu.They really do need to think about adding some different things.

Ooh, I have a little bit of an idea how hard that must be for you. DD isn't allergic to dairy, but on DD's 1st trip she was dairy restricted because of some withholding/potty training issues. She could not have cheese or anything with much dairy more than once a week, and even that was taking a risk of causing problems. It was irritating at WDW how many of the kid's items were heavy with cheese. Luckily, DD's issue has resolved itself. Also, my MIL is allergic to dairy, so I know how rough it can be at restaurants. With her, I'm used to having to sit there and ask not only to be sure there is no cheese, but to make sure any bread was not toasted with butter, nothing was cooked with butter or milk, butter was not used to grease the pans etc. We've been to restaurants where there is trouble finding absolutely anything she can eat. She actually loved WDW because they were so great about her allergy and a chef at one of the restaurants even worked some magic and specially modified and cooked a menu item so she could eat it. The kids menu is so limited though, it must be so much harder for you.

 

[mhsjax]

Ooh, I have a little bit of an idea how hard that must be for you. DD isn't allergic to dairy, but on DD's 1st trip she was dairy restricted because of some withholding/potty training issues. She could not have cheese or anything with much dairy more than once a week, and even that was taking a risk of causing problems. It was irritating at WDW how many of the kid's items were heavy with cheese. Luckily, DD's issue has resolved itself. Also, my MIL is allergic to dairy, so I know how rough it can be at restaurants. With her, I'm used to having to sit there and ask not only to be sure there is no cheese, but to make sure any bread was not toasted with butter, nothing was cooked with butter or milk, butter was not used to grease the pans etc. We've been to restaurants where there is trouble finding absolutely anything she can eat. She actually loved WDW because they were so great about her allergy and a chef at one of the restaurants even worked some magic and specially modified and cooked a menu item so she could eat it. The kids menu is so limited though, it must be so much harder for you.

Thanks, we actually don't have it as bad as your MIL. DS just becomes violently ill about 2 hours later and throws up for about 1 hour. with him it is hard, no real clear cut answers on what he can tolerate, for example, bread toasted with butter is no problem for him. Really the only time it is a REAL problem is when we use the free dining and he has to order off of the kids menu, otherwise we just order something off of the adult menu. Now my son sounds like your daughter, doesn't like cheese pizza really prefers something a little more meaty.

 

[MariDisney]

Add me to the list of people who think the kids menus are lacking. My DD was still 9 on our recent trip, but I upgraded her to a Disney Adult to get the adult DxDDP for her. Last year (she was 8) she begged me not to make her do the kids' plan again. She was much happier this year with the adult plan. She enjoyed lobster at Narcoossees and potato wrapped snapper at Flying Fish to name a few. It was well worth the extra money.

 

[ribica]

Hi everyone,
Thought I'd toss in my thoughts on kids menu's....my DD8 is a very adventurous eater, so the kids menu is very limited. However, we do mostly buffet lunches or dinners, and that way she can pretty much chose what she wants to eat.
I wonder, since many parents seem to feel that the kids choices are not reallly that good - is there some way to express that to Disney? I mean, if enough people complained I would think they would want to make guests happy, right?

Any thoughts?

 

[danielle.st]

We're another family that greatly prefers buffets, especially for our oldest dd8 who is an adventurous eater

 

[Windmill]

Yak and Yeti has something a bit different. It has egg rolls and vegetable lo mein plus it has chicken rice as a side disk

Mama Melrose has the following interestingish dishes;

Grilled Fish of the Day served with whole-grain pilaf, veggies and yogurt parfait

Grilled Chicken Strips with macaroni topped marinara sauce and mozzarella served with veggies and fruit salad​

I'm sure your girls would also greatly appreciate the dessert being a bit different from a single-scoop ice cream sundae They also have vegetable minestrone soup as an appetizer choice if you order off the normal menu. They also offer a meat sauce with spaghetti or penne pasta, so your daughters can have some meat with pasta too along with the soup

Shutters also has the fish option.

Coral Reef also offers the fish option. You can also order grilled fish off of the menu and pick other appetizers/desserts instead. One of the appetizers is soup of the day which is nice from the normal chicken noodle soup

Chefs de France has a cheese puff pastry as a appetizer option, and also has the following unique looking entrees;

Croquette de Boeuf en Brioche - Ground beef steak in a brioche bun, served with French fries

Filet de Limande Saute avec Haricots Vert et Tomates - Pan roasted flounder served with green beans and tomatoes​

The desert is sorbet, so that is also a nice change from the usual ice cream, though not a spectacular change.

Nine Dragons has all completely unique stuff for appetizers, deserts and entrees. Check out a menu online, I don't have enough posts to link you to it as does Tokyo Dining.

Marrakesh has vegetable couscous as an entree option.

Rose and Crown has some good options here they are;

Shepherd's Pie - seasoned ground beef with carrots, mashed potatoes and melted cheese

Bangers and Mash - traditional English sausage, mashed potatoes and gravy​

Plus to be different one of the entrees is potato and leek soup! Uymmy

San Angel Inn has some good choices! All options are served with mexican rice instead of the usual appetizers;

Chicken Quesadillla - grilled flour tortilla filled with low-fat cheese and chicken.

Flautas - fried corn tortilla filled with chicken and topped with sour cream and fresh cheese

Pressed Mexican Sandwich Torta - bolillo (mexican bread) filled with ham and cheese ​

Tonys Town Square has some nice pasta options.

The Wave has chicken nacho's as an option.

Citros is a good deal. It has the following meals which are different from the usual mac and cheese, pasta and marina sauce etc;

Grilled Beef Tenderloin - with Mashed Potatoes and Broccolini

Grilled Chicken Breast - with Mashed Potatoes and Broccolini

Pan-Roasted Fish - Roasted Potatoes and Broccolini ​

Plus a dessert option is a chocolate eclair. Yummy!

Grand California Cafe has the following options for entrees;

Grilled Chicken Breast

Grilled Salmon

Grilled Steak​

Plus they have a unique dessert, worms in a cup

All of the signature resturants have good options for kids. You can't go wrong there. But you would expect that wouldn't you for the price of 2 TS credits!​

So there we go, I help that helps you find some real food for your kids, or at least something a bit different, at restaurants

 

[brergnat]

Just don't get the dining plan and order WHATEVER your kids want to eat. There is MUCH MORE than chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and pizza at WDW for kids and adults to eat. However, as a first timer, you'll likely end up at all the same places the hoards go to, and those are the ones with the worst menus...

The truth is, though, the MAJORITY of kids in this country (excluding the few hundred here whose parents post on the Dis), live off of the stuff that WDW offers for kids. That's why THOSE items were chosen. They keep the items that have the highest demand.

I can tell you this: I WISH my kids would eat "normal food", but they have sensory issues due to ASD. One of them LIVES off mac and cheese and pizza (he is not picky what kind it is, so even if I think it's disgusting, he gobbles it up) and the other one lives off Chicken Nuggets and plain hamburgers (of course they can't like the same things...). My older one eats more "normal" foods at home (pasta dishes, mexican food, soups, grilled chicken and steak, etc. because he is used to how I make those foods), but when we go out, he REFUSES to eat anything other than mac and cheese or pizza. He gets anxiety at restaurants and reverts to his "comfort" foods. The other one cannot eat other foods due to speech issues and co-morbid oral sensory issues. It stinks, but I am HIGHLY appreciative that the foods they WILL eat are readily available at WDW.

Just the other side of the coin.

 

[brergnat]

Hi everyone,
Thought I'd toss in my thoughts on kids menu's....my DD8 is a very adventurous eater, so the kids menu is very limited. However, we do mostly buffet lunches or dinners, and that way she can pretty much chose what she wants to eat.
I wonder, since many parents seem to feel that the kids choices are not reallly that good - is there some way to express that to Disney? I mean, if enough people complained I would think they would want to make guests happy, right?

Any thoughts?

They tried that. Failed miserably. No one "really" wants to eat healthy on vacation...is the mentality of the masses. You would get a similar reaction if you tried to take away burgers, fries, hot dogs, and pizza from the ADULT menus.

Just look at the outcry here from the switch to whole wheat buns...and turkey hot dogs.

 

[thaggie]

They are NORMAL eaters. I am by no means a HEALTH nut. I will eat anything and everything! However, my kids are not nugget, burgers and mac and cheese eaters. One of them could survive on that type of fare for a week if she had to, but the other would just not eat. Why eat so poorly on vacation if you don't eat that way at home. Our girls both 8, have always ate what we made. They learned to eat what they were fed and learned to try new things. However we don't force them to eat things that they obviously don't like.

We are on the Deluxe dining plan and with the exception of a few of the signature places, I am pretty disgusted with the options for the kids. I know a lot of the previous posters have suggested buffets, but that is really not my cup of tea for a decent dinner. We do the buffets soley for character meals for our girls.

I will make up for Disney's lack of decent kid food, by ordering appetizers that my girls like or sharing my meals with them. We also have the CL options that they can snack on before we go to dinner. But I do agree that it is not Disney's fault - it is the typical American family that eats like this and that is why kids eat like this and therefore why these types of options dominate 95% of Disney dining options for kids.

 

[brytorlyn]

My DD8 isn't a kids' menu kind of kid but she usually likes Le Cellier (kid's steak), Teppan Edo (rice, udon noodles, chicken , shrimp and yes....VEGETABLES) and also 'Ohana (kids eat the same as adults including a selection of meats and salad).

As previously mentioned the buffet restaurants offer more variety for the kids. We like Boma.

Has anyone ever asked for half portions of adult meals for kids on the DDP?

 

[snookiedoodles]

My son has a heart condition. This means that he HAS to eat healthy. I tend to do all buffets, so he can have some fish or chicken. Also, I choose restaurants according to the childrens menu. LeCellar, Chef de France have some good options.

Most of the countries have one childrens option that is healthy...that being said, I am lost at the counter services. But I did find some soup at the noodle station, other than that, I order something healthy and give it to him!!

I did mention this to the CM when I was making ressies. She said that she is putting this on my ADR and a chef will come out to talk to us about what he can and cannot eat. We will see, I have never done this before. I will keep you posted.

Disney did have some healthy options for the children at one point, I hope that at least some counter services have something healthy....???

 

[mhsjax]

Just don't get the dining plan and order WHATEVER your kids want to eat. There is MUCH MORE than chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and pizza at WDW for kids and adults to eat. However, as a first timer, you'll likely end up at all the same places the hoards go to, and those are the ones with the worst menus...

The truth is, though, the MAJORITY of kids in this country (excluding the few hundred here whose parents post on the Dis), live off of the stuff that WDW offers for kids. That's why THOSE items were chosen. They keep the items that have the highest demand.

I can tell you this: I WISH my kids would eat "normal food", but they have sensory issues due to ASD. One of them LIVES off mac and cheese and pizza (he is not picky what kind it is, so even if I think it's disgusting, he gobbles it up) and the other one lives off Chicken Nuggets and plain hamburgers (of course they can't like the same things...). My older one eats more "normal" foods at home (pasta dishes, mexican food, soups, grilled chicken and steak, etc. because he is used to how I make those foods), but when we go out, he REFUSES to eat anything other than mac and cheese or pizza. He gets anxiety at restaurants and reverts to his "comfort" foods. The other one cannot eat other foods due to speech issues and co-morbid oral sensory issues. It stinks, but I am HIGHLY appreciative that the foods they WILL eat are readily available at WDW.

Just the other side of the coin.

I completely understand your situation, I have a friend that has a child with sensory issues. I have a friend whose child has that. I could skip the dining plan and we usually do, but when available with 5 people in the family, I would be a fool to do that. I do understand that these are the foods that most kids eat, however with so many kids having allergies these days to dairy and other things, I just don't see why almost everything has to involve some sort of cheese, I mean really cheese pizza, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, guess what, my son can't eat any of those without having sever stomach cramps and vomiting about 2 hours later. I just wish they would offer a few more things other than those with so much cheese. thats all. I do have to admit he loves chicken nuggets and hotdogs but he does get tired of those and also I want him to eat a little healthier.

 

[mhsjax]

They tried that. Failed miserably. No one "really" wants to eat healthy on vacation...is the mentality of the masses. You would get a similar reaction if you tried to take away burgers, fries, hot dogs, and pizza from the ADULT menus.

Just look at the outcry here from the switch to whole wheat buns...and turkey hot dogs.

I actually love whole wheat, I just would like it to not fall apart when I eat it. That seems to be the major complaint. Not the whole wheat itself. But I do agree, and I do also want my junk food on vacation.

 

[mrodgers]

Yup, the typical "American" family has ruined a lot of things in this country. For instance, I am extremely limited in the cars I can buy because I can't find one that doesn't have an automatic transmission unless I get the bottom-of-the-barrel car.

It's not that my kids don't like mac n cheese or chicken nuggets. My oldest daughter can actually eat an entire box of Kraft MnC and still look to see if there's more. It has to be Kraft though, she doesn't actually even like cheese, so all the cheesy "homemade" looking stuff I am seeing in the photos she wouldn't eat. My youngest LOVES chicken nuggets. But they eat these things for a quick lunch, not for dinner. My oldest is on athsma pills and it make her hungry all the time. My youngest is as tiny as tiny can be and she eats constantly all day long. When we eat dinner, which is many times grilled chicken that I fancy up on the grill, they not only eat what we the parents eat, but they also eat the same portions. They will each eat a whole boneless chicken breast with a big portion of brocolli. We never eat junk dinners, it's always a sit down dinner with chicken, roast, pork chops, and spagetti, all usually on the grill and sometimes roasted in the over (except for the spagetti.) The MnC and nuggets are for a quick weekend lunch.

As a joke, I posted on the BBQ/Grilling forum, a picture of my youngest getting ready to dive into her plate. The shirt she is wearing is her sister's hand-me-down from the same age. You can see what a difference in size they are. My oldest is only 9 and she is already nearly 5 foot tall (4' 10" or 4' 11" as of now, turned 9 two weeks ago.....)

 

[mhsjax]

Yup, the typical "American" family has ruined a lot of things in this country. For instance, I am extremely limited in the cars I can buy because I can't find one that doesn't have an automatic transmission unless I get the bottom-of-the-barrel car.

It's not that my kids don't like mac n cheese or chicken nuggets. My oldest daughter can actually eat an entire box of Kraft MnC and still look to see if there's more. It has to be Kraft though, she doesn't actually even like cheese, so all the cheesy "homemade" looking stuff I am seeing in the photos she wouldn't eat. My youngest LOVES chicken nuggets. But they eat these things for a quick lunch, not for dinner. My oldest is on athsma pills and it make her hungry all the time. My youngest is as tiny as tiny can be and she eats constantly all day long. When we eat dinner, which is many times grilled chicken that I fancy up on the grill, they not only eat what we the parents eat, but they also eat the same portions. They will each eat a whole boneless chicken breast with a big portion of brocolli. We never eat junk dinners, it's always a sit down dinner with chicken, roast, pork chops, and spagetti, all usually on the grill and sometimes roasted in the over (except for the spagetti.) The MnC and nuggets are for a quick weekend lunch.

As a joke, I posted on the BBQ/Grilling forum, a picture of my youngest getting ready to dive into her plate. The shirt she is wearing is her sister's hand-me-down from the same age. You can see what a difference in size they are. My oldest is only 9 and she is already nearly 5 foot tall (4' 10" or 4' 11" as of now, turned 9 two weeks ago.....)

She is too cute, my little guy is like that, he is in 3rd grade but people think he is in first. He eats like a pig. 35 shrimp one time. People were amazed, also foot long subs on the weekends after his soccer game. Just think before too long we won't be able to afford to feed them if they keep on this track. lol

 

[TDC Nala]

I would agree that the best options are:

1) Book buffets.

2) Don't use the dining plan.

 

[aksivers]

I have a 2 and 8 year old. We ordered off the childrens menu and shared our adult meals. There was always plenty of food and there usually was at least one "healthy" or meal item similar to the adult menu on the kids menu.