Dining at the DLR

[QueenBeeMB]

Hello All!
This is my first thread post, so please be patient with me (mods if anything is wrong feel free to move or edit my thread )

I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the DL Park itself but feel that I fall flat in the dining aspect of the park. I have my go to eateries and snack places but I tend to be stuck in my ways as far as dining goes.

In Feb 19-25 my boyfriend and I will be headed to the parks. This will be his 3rd visit to DLR as his second was in May, with me. I have been too many times to count, but we now live in VERY Northern CA and it will be fewer times a year we visit the park now. We will have APs for this year and plan on attending as often as $$ allows .

So back to the question-I have listed the places we plan to dine, and I am looking for feed back. I plan everything very meticulously, and this is so far my dining plan. I can switch out places but I cannot simply add. So please feel free to give me other suggestions or pros and cons to a specific place.

Thank you in advance, happy travels !

Sunday-Dinner-Jolly Holiday Bakery
Monday-Lunch-Cucina Cucamonga (DCA) Dinner-Offsite
Tuesday-Lunch-Royal Street Veranda Dinner-Storytellers Cafe
Wednesday-Lunch-Hungry Bear Dinner-PCH Grill (PPH)
Thursday-Lunch-Village Hause Dinner-Trader Sams
Friday-Lunch-Troubadour Tavern Dinner-Wine Country Trattoria (WOC viewing)
**All breakfasts will be from our hotel, we bring snacks with us but do stop for dole whips, mint juleps etc.**

Now I have mapped out meal plans along with scheduled itineraries for the day bases on location and time of day. I don't expect any one who replies to follow that but just giving you the method to my madness.

Thanks for any input and/or help on making this vacation great!

 

[llump41]

Dining is a matter of individual taste. I used to love the Hungry Bear but lately have found their burgers to be overcooked and way too dry. I Liked the food at the Village House but it was only OK. Nothing to write home about.

I still like the Pacific Wharf Cafe and their bread bowls and Rancho del Zocalo. But that's me.

I don't like to over plan. Let the parks take you were they will. Just make sure you have money for food on day 6.

 

[Virgoinab]

That list looks like you would get a wide variety.

Just a question, tho, have you been to Trader Sam's? If you have not, it really is just a bar, no dinning, now it is is fun bar a we had drinks there just about every night while staying at the DLH. But they do not serve dinner, great appies yes, but no dinner. The appetizers are good, but not enough to feed you a meal per se.

However Tangaroa Terrace which is attached to Trader sams does serve dinner, and they are very good. Not a true sit down resturant, sort of a combo between counter service and a service resturant. We had both lunch and breakfast there and the food was better then we expected it to be, and very resonable in price.

 

[calsig31]

I usually just pick a place to eat at the spur of the moment and don't try to over plan. I have a list of places that I want to go, but it is more fun to me to surprise myself by what day I go to them so I am not locked into something.

I think you will enjoy your World of Color dinner at Wine Country. I have eaten there twice off their special menu and not had a bad meal. Much better than Ariel's Grotto where you would be harassed by characters throughout your meal.

 

[Disneyland 1951]

I think that you may be overthinking this.
Your visit will be when it should not be crowded, and reservations wil not be needed for almost any location.

Places that I like that were not listed:

Plaza Inn at the Hub (Similar to Jolly Holiday with fried chicken)
Cafe Orleans (Nice sit down and take your time. Walk up and make a reservation ahead.)
The new Paradise Pier locations: Boardwalk Pasta or Garden Grill. This location is a great spot to relax and listen to live music.
Pacific Wharf Cafe (great Soups in Bread bowls)
Award Weiners (good hot dog varities)​

Places listed that are not as good the above:

Cocina Cucamonga (just Ok Mexican)
Village Haus​

Also, it is OK to visit the same place twice for different dishes! Like the Jolly Holiday
Or visit the high end Steakhouse 55, or Napa Rose.

If you stick to your plan I recommend:
1. Change Cocina Cucamonga - To Pacific Wharf or Boardwalk Pasta
2. Change Village Haus - To Plaza Inn or Cafe Orleans

RELAX and Enjoy........

 

[ArchOwl]

Hello All!
This is my first thread post, so please be patient with me (mods if anything is wrong feel free to move or edit my thread )

I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the DL Park itself but feel that I fall flat in the dining aspect of the park. I have my go to eateries and snack places but I tend to be stuck in my ways as far as dining goes.

In Feb 19-25 my boyfriend and I will be headed to the parks. This will be his 3rd visit to DLR as his second was in May, with me. I have been too many times to count, but we now live in VERY Northern CA and it will be fewer times a year we visit the park now. We will have APs for this year and plan on attending as often as $$ allows .

So back to the question-I have listed the places we plan to dine, and I am looking for feed back. I plan everything very meticulously, and this is so far my dining plan. I can switch out places but I cannot simply add. So please feel free to give me other suggestions or pros and cons to a specific place.

Thank you in advance, happy travels !

Sunday-Dinner-Jolly Holiday Bakery
Monday-Lunch-Cucina Cucamonga (DCA) Dinner-Offsite
Tuesday-Lunch-Royal Street Veranda Dinner-Storytellers Cafe
Wednesday-Lunch-Hungry Bear Dinner-PCH Grill (PPH)
Thursday-Lunch-Village Hause Dinner-Trader Sams
Friday-Lunch-Troubadour Tavern Dinner-Wine Country Trattoria (WOC viewing)
**All breakfasts will be from our hotel, we bring snacks with us but do stop for dole whips, mint juleps etc.**

Now I have mapped out meal plans along with scheduled itineraries for the day bases on location and time of day. I don't expect any one who replies to follow that but just giving you the method to my madness.

Thanks for any input and/or help on making this vacation great!

Wow, you are a very detailed planner! I usually have some ideas about where I would like to eat, but rarely plan it out much.

So just some comments on what you have planned:

Jolly Holiday might not be the best for a dinner, more like lunch. I would swap out with fried chicken at Plaza Inn (which is right across the way).

Cucina Cucamonga is nothing special. I have never had anything that tasty there. I would switch out with Pacific Wharf Cafe or Boardwalk Pasta/Garden Grill area.

I love Royal Street Verandah and Storytellers! Good choices. Side note, Royal Street can become crowded, so eat during off times for quicker service.

Hungry Bear is much improved since the new menu. Although I have not had the burgers, I have had the turkey sandwich and the fried green tomato sandwich and really enjoyed both. Also love the honey lemon cupcake, which has to be the best cupcake in the park!

PCH grill was not very good. I would definitely consider a DTD restaurant (Jazz Kitchen perhaps?) over the PCH Grill. Food was really blah.

Village Haus was fine, the flatbread was tasty.

Trader Sam's, as someone else noted, does not serve dinner per se. Only apps with drinks. Tangaroa Terrace is next door and has mixed reviews, I have not been personally. I have had the apps at Trader Sam's and found them passable, but nothing spectacular.

Troubadour Tavern has very filling potatoes and if you are in the mood for those, then they fit the bill! I would be tempted to do lunch at Jolly Holiday Cafe on this date, however. The Tavern is nothing special on its own. Jolly Holiday has many more options.

The Trattoria has mixed reviews as well. Some people really love it and others don't. I had a bad experience awhile ago and haven't been back. It is probably time to give them another visit to re-evaluate. I would look around for more recent reviews and make a decision.

I hope you have a good time and happy planning!

 

[QueenBeeMB]

I know my planning is over kill to most, but you would not believe my anxiety and OCD if I just hopped in the car and drove there with no plan. If I stepped through the turnstiles with no plan I would probably be in tears by the time I hit main street. (yes it really is that bad) With that said,

Thank you all for your imput!! I am thinking of making the following changes:

Cucina Cucamonga-Change to the Boardwalk Pasta/Grill

And considering adding Tangaroa Terrace to the night we visit Trader Sam's. My boyfriend actually picked Trader Sam's knowing it was all apps, voting for a lighter meal. But who knows how hungry he might be, so keeping another option close by is a great idea.

I picked Jolly Holiday for dinner on Sunday because we will only be in the park for a few hours. And it will be after a day of driving. To us that means eating, a lot, in the car. So a lighter mean will be preferred while watching the fireworks before we run back to the hotel to catch up on our sleep.

Keep the ideas coming I am open for change until we leave ! Thanks

 

[hootey]

One of my favorite places to eat any meal, is the River Belle Terrace. Usually minimal line, good food, fast, and inexpensive. You also get plenty of it. Can sit inside or outside on the terrace. If you like to "people watch", the terrace is a fine place to relax and watch. You also have the paddle boat, the columbia, and pirate island you can look at. Relax and enjoy...