Dining at DCA ~ DISers Reviews

[WebmasterMaryJo]

<font face="Comic Sans MS"><font color=navy>Please post your reviews of the various restaurants and eateries at Disney's California Adventure.

What's your favorite place? Which place has the best ambience for your family, and why? Share your memorable experiences with us.

 

[nickglover]

The Fortune Cookery (or something like that) - we were there September 10. We originally had planned to eat at the place with sandwich wraps in the Bountiful Garden area, but not only had there menu changed and they were not offering the interesting wraps described on Laughing Place's DCA menus section, they were also closed for the day. So, we went to the Fortune Cookery nearby and ordered some spring rolls and a teriyaki beef bowl and a teriyaki chicken bowl. The spring rolls were good, although the sauce was on the sweet side. The teriyaki bowls were acceptable but not much better than that. The meat on both was below average and the teriyaki sauce was not very good. The Teriyaki Hut at the Japan exhibit at Epcot has much better food. We were not impressed and would not recommend this place, except for a spring rolls snack, or possibly the California rolls, which looked pretty good. The food should have been much cheaper for what we receeived. It was not. We paid about $25 with cokes!

 

[almostGoofy]

I have to agree with nickglover on this one. The Lucky Fortune Cookery is not the place to go for food. I had a Terriyaki Chicken Bowl and my daughter had the childs meal. The chicken in the chicken bowl were slivers of boiled chicken with a terrible terriyaki sauce poured over it. My daughter's kids meal was an egg roll on a stick with rice and a fortune cookie. She was fine with the egg roll but I didn't think much of it.

 

[daannzzz]

When DCA first opened Taste Pilots Grill had a good breakfast sandwhcih and these potato thingies that were sort of like thick mashed potatos covered with corndog batter and deep fried. They were so good. I don't know if they are serving breakfast anymore.
I have eaten at Avalone Cove 3 times since Disney Took it over from Wolfgan Puck. I really like it. They have an outdoor covered pier that sticks out into Paradise Bay and has great views of Paradise Pier and the SF area but I like the interior better. It has an under the sea theme but isn't overdone. The tables are set far apart so it doesn't seem as crowded. All of the food I have had there has been great. Both teh Fish and Chips and Meat Loaf are real goof. The french fries are nice and crunchy. The Chicken soup was tasty. The salads are more of the eclectic kind with a combination of leafy lettuces ( no iceburg). Very light and airy. The dressings are good.
Plus you get the charaters roaming around. Ariel is there to greet you when you first come in (obviously she doesn't move from table to table) and Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dal and even Captain Hook are there. I dined alone each time and everyone of them cam over for a visit.
The Pizza at Pizza OO MOW MOW is okay. A rustic surfing theme is imparted here and works decently.
I would like to try the Winery but have yet to make it in there.

 

[tinagirl]

I'm very much a fan of the Happy Chicken at Hollywood & Dine. I think that it is much better Asian food than the Cookery (even though, unlike some, I do like the cookery's teriyaki bowls). I like the popcorn chicken & happy potatoes kids meal at Taste Pilots, and it is a good half portion item for when you aren't that hungry. (This isn't to start a discussion on whether you think it is ok to get kids meals or not, that was already covered in another thread, I'm just saying what I like.)

I do like the new Paninis at the Terrace (The Winery that Disney took over from Mondavi). We also consider Whitewater snacks in the Grand Californian Hotel for lunch, and just leave through that exit (explaining we want to eat in the hotel) and come back in. Some CM's are more picky than others, about letting you come back in through that entrance if you aren't a Hotel Guest, but if that happens, just go back through Downtown Disney and re-enter DCA through the front (make sure to get your hand stamped). I love the Grilled Chicken with fresh guacamole and fries at Whitewater. It is really good and a very reasonable price.

If Soap Opera is open when you go, do yourself a favor and go for dessert. You can eat lunch there if you wish, but the place they really shine (and isn't even on the menu) is the fondue. It is a bit of a secret, but very delicious. Everybody likes to dip the dessert items in the dessert fondue. Believe me, it's good!
~Tina

 

[dsneygirl]

We ate at Avalon Cove a couple of weeks ago and it was really good. Very quiet so lots of character interaction. We both had fish & chips. I had salad and DH had the french onion soup which was yuymmy.
I especially loved the cotton candy for dessert.

 

[SillySymphony4me]

Character dining at Ariel's Grotto was better than Goofy's - more spacious, beautiful interior, excellent service and the food was quite good. The characters aspect was more fun too - they came in with a guy with amazing energy who'd get everyone up to limbo or cha cha. My kids are past the age for this, but he had every under 6 in the place having a blast.

The Boudin Bakery had generous portions of very good clam chowder and shrimp cocktail served in French bread bowls, we ate there three times we liked it so well.

Coffee was quite good at the Zephyr, you can talk to the roaster too. The pastry was good here too.

Cheers,
Lisa

 

[cjsmom5]

Ariels- Didn't care for this restaurant. Characters were in and out. Did one "dance" around the restaurant and then gone. Food was mediocre and unfortuantely cold. They dumped a tray of drinks all over me and barely apologized. Didn't even offer to clean my white shirt .... but we went ahead and did the birthday thing with my son as I didn't want to spoil it. Just wasn't our favorite place.

Goofy's - We really like this character breakfast and also the dinner. Food wasn't stellar but offers a nice selection at both meals. Of course, I'm not sure I"ve been to many buffets were the food is stellar but for buffet food this is pretty good. The characters have always been wonderful. There is a good variety and the "show" they do in the middle with the kids is lots of fun. Service has been good for us the past two years and we've always had a good time there. Price is okay if you keep in mind you are paying for characters and the meal ... kinda like show and meal. Plus, it is worth something to us ... not to have to stand in line at the parks for pictures with characters and autographs. Last meal there August/Sept 2004

Storytellers - GF - We didn't care for this character breakfast. Service was horrible. We ordered pancakes to go with the buffet for my son. AFter 45 minutes we finally told them to forget it. The characters were rushed and stopped at the table but almost not long enough to even take a picture. A couple were too rushed to bother with the autograph book, even after being asked to do so. Food was okay but below what we found at Goofys. We haven't been back for a second chance so perhaps it has gotten better. This was in 2003.