Dining Suggestions (every park) for 1st Trip?

[JenniferH]

We are planning our family's first trip to DW and have at least one day planned for each park. What are your lunch/dinner suggestions for each park? Oh, and Chef Mickey, Cinderella's Table and other hard-to-get meals are not an option right now. I'd like at least 1 counter service recommendation for each park as well as sit downs. TIA!

 

[Minnie824]

MK: TS- Plaza; CS-Caseys
EP: TS- Tutto Italia; CS- Boulangerie (france bakery)
AK: TS- Yak & Yeti; CS- Flame Tree
HS: TS- Sci-Fi; CS-?? we don't like any. Maybe Starring Rolls.

 

[The Great Oz]

For MK I would suggest either Columbia Harbor House or Cosmic Ray's for CS and Liberty Tree Tavern for TS. I have not been to Be Our Guest yet, so that could be an option for both. At Epcot it would be Sunshine Seasons at The Land for CS and Coral Reef, if you like seafood for TS. At Studios I would suggest Starring Rolls Café or Fairfax Faire for CS and 50's Prime Time for TS. Hollywood and Vine is good as well if you like buffet food. At AK it would be Flame Tree Barbeque for CS and Tusker House (buffet) for TS. These are only my opinions. I would check out the menus on the WDWINFO website for more research on selection and prices.

 

[rbonneau]

MK: TS- Plaza; CS-Caseys
EP: TS- Tutto Italia; CS- Boulangerie (france bakery)
AK: TS- Yak & Yeti; CS- Flame Tree
HS: TS- Sci-Fi; CS-?? we don't like any. Maybe Starring Rolls.

For MK - if you don't like hot dogs, try Pecos Bill's for a great burger with toppings bar.

For HS - We enjoy the sandwiches at Min & Bill's Dockside Diner.

 

[magicbob]

Some of our favorites:

MK: CS- Columbia Harbour House TS - Plaza Restaurant
EP: CS- Sunshine Seasons TS - Teppan Edo
DHS: CS- I got nothin' TS - Mama Melrose
AK: CS- Flame Tree TS- Yak & Yeti

 

[CareHeartsDisney]

Parks
MK: TS - Crystal Palace, CS - Columbia Harbour House/Pecos Bill
EP: TS - I've only eaten at Coral Reef and Via Napoli (wasn't very impressed with either one), CS - Yorskshire County Fish Shop
HS: TS - 50's Prime Time Cafe, CS - Fairfax Fare (not too bad but no great CS options at HS)
AK: TS - Rain Forest Cafe (had a great meal there in Feb.), CS - Flame Tree BBQ

Resorts:
Poly - 'Ohana dinner, GF - 1900 Park Fare breakfast

Downtown Disney:
Wolfgang Puck Express - It's a counter service credit on the dining plan. It's wonderful food and a great use of a credit. You order at the counter and your food is served at the table.

 

[NC Disney Fan]

Your responses will be varied for sure as so many people vehemently hate a restaurant while other will LOVE it. DO some research after the suggestions, look at the menus on either Disney dining reservations or http://www.allears.net/menu/menus.htm. Then make your decision based on what you all will enjoy the most from the menu choices and the responses from us all. WIth that said, after 6 years of a week of free dining and trying almost all the restaurants at Disney, here are our favorites (our being me, DH, DD 10 & DD 12)

Magic Kingdom-
Lunch-Columbia House
Dinner- Leave park, ride monorail to Grand Floridian to 1900 Park Fare (they have cinderella, prince charming, and supporting cast plus a picture and all for the normal TS price. i.e. not a signature dining).

Epcot
Lunch-Tangirine Cafe (Morrocco). Great food and they have hamburgers for the kids meal which they don't even have at USA.
Dinner-This is a hard one. So many choices!
Coral Reef (awesome food and the whole wall of the restaurant is an aquarium. If you book at 5:30, you will get to see the scuba divers in the tank. Also, check in about 10 minutes early and offer to wait for a window seat. They will accommodate!)

Hollywood Studios
Lunch-Studio Catering Company--one of the biggest menus for CS
Dinner-Sci Fi Diner-The greatest for ambiance and wonderful desserts. This restaurant is a mock drive-in but inside. You sit in cars as tables while you watch old B movie clips. WE love this one.

Animal Kingdom
Lunch- no suggestion--not a huge fan of the options
Dinner--my strong suggestion is to leave AK and head to another restaurant on property for a sit down meal. Most of the time the park closes at about 5 or 6 so doing this is very attainable. This is the time to leave as the animals are in and there is just not that much to do. The restaurants here just aren't anything to write home about! This opens up such options for your dining pleasure. I would have to say that if you are to do that, you will find one of the most popular places to eat in all of Disney is Ohanas at Polynesian. It is a beloved restaurant with incredible food, and even some entertainment for the kids. So my suggestion would be leave AK, catch the bus to Polynesian and eat dinner at Ohanas

Hope this all helps! If you have any other questions, just ask. We have been to almost all of them.

 

[Cafeen]

MK - CS: Anywhere (Peco's Bills or Cosmic Rays will have largest selection, Columbia Harbor House will have some different items, depending on when you go, Be Our Guest for lunch may be an option, it's super super busy right now though and you can easily expect a 30-60 minute wait even during off-hours), TS: Crystal Palace (Winnie the Pooh characters), Liberty Tree Tavern (Lunch for normal menu, dinner for Thanksgiving-esque dinner), or The Plaza (simple, basic menu)

EP - CS: N/A (not that I don't like any, I just don't know. I haven't had CS here in years). TS: San Angel Inn (Traditional Mexican, NOT Tex-Mex), Via Napoli (Italian with good super-thin crust pizzas)

DHS - CS: N/A, TS: Mama Melrose (Simple Italian and offers Fantasmic Package), '50s Prime Time (home cooked meal type of menus, server antics)

AK - CS: N/A, TS: Tusker House (Breakfast/Lunch offer character meal, menu is a bit more exotic than other character buffets), Alternatively, Sanaa over at Animal Kingdom Villas is very very good.

 

[jjl181]

MK - CS - Cosmic Rays
TS - Crystal Palace

EP - CS - Sunshine Seasons
TS - Teppan Edo

HS - CS - Pizza Planet for kids; Min & Bills
TS - 50's Prime Time Cafe

AK - CS - Flame Tree BBQ
TS - I would go to a resort hotel for better options after park closing. If you really want to eat inside the park, I'd vote for Tusker House.

Here are a couple of my family's favorite hotel restaurants:
Resorts - Cape May Cafe - Beach Club
- Whispering Canyon - Wilderness Lodge

 

[NC Disney Fan]

MK - CS - Cosmic Rays
TS - Crystal Palace

EP - CS - Sunshine Seasons
TS - Teppan Edo

HS - CS - Pizza Planet for kids; Min & Bills
TS - 50's Prime Time Cafe

AK - CS - Flame Tree BBQ
TS - I would go to a resort hotel for better options after park closing. If you really want to eat inside the park, I'd vote for Tusker House.

Here are a couple of my family's favorite hotel restaurants:
Resorts - Cape May Cafe - Beach Club
- Whispering Canyon - Wilderness Lodge

Have you tried Whispering canyon in a while? We used to love it but last year we went there, looking so forward to the sugar cookie apple pie. They changed their menu and it was terrible. It was so bad, i wrote a letter of complaint and we didn't even pay for it (had free dining! but it was that nasty). I think they had just changed from their old menu to how it used to be long ago. So I was wondering if you have been there recently to know if they got their act together and changed the awful desserts they had? I would love to go back on our next visit if they have returned to the days of the recent past.

 

[jjl181]

Have you tried Whispering canyon in a while? We used to love it but last year we went there, looking so forward to the sugar cookie apple pie. They changed their menu and it was terrible. It was so bad, i wrote a letter of complaint and we didn't even pay for it (had free dining! but it was that nasty). I think they had just changed from their old menu to how it used to be long ago. So I was wondering if you have been there recently to know if they got their act together and changed the awful desserts they had? I would love to go back on our next visit if they have returned to the days of the recent past.

We did not go last year, but we went the two years before that and really enjoyed it. We are staying at VWL this trip and really looking forward to going back. Hoping that it was just 'one of those days'? Guess we will find out in November!?!?!

 

[wiigirl]

MK: TS- Plaza; CS-Caseys
EP: TS- Tutto Italia; CS- Boulangerie (france bakery)
AK: TS- Yak & Yeti; CS- Flame Tree
HS: TS- Sci-Fi; CS-?? we don't like any. Maybe Starring Rolls.

Good list!

 

[Hopefully]

MK Columbia Harbour House/Pecos Bill CS Plaza TS or take Monorail to CR for 'OHana
DHS Backlot Express CS 50's Prime Time Cafe TS
AK Flametree Barbeque CS Yak & Yeti TS
EC I will have trouble here as we love many, many of both the CS and the TS restaurants of World Showcase. Some of what we love are
CS La Cantina in Mexico, Sommerfest in Germany, Katsura Grill in Japan, Tangerine Cafe in Morrocco, the bakery in France, and Yorkshire County Fish & Chips in the UK
TS La Hacienda in Mexico, Biergarden in Germany, Teppan Edo in Japan, Via Napoli in Italy, Restaurant Marrakesh in Morrocco, Rose & Crown in the UK and Le Cellier in Canada.
Good Luck

 

[figment_jii]

Are you interested in Signature restaurants?

MK: TS - LTT (lunch), CS - Cosmic Rays (I would have said CRT at least once in a person's life and BOG, but both are "hard to get")

Epcot: TS - Via Napoli, CS - Patisserie

DHS: TS - Sci Fi or HBD (if you want a Sig), CS - Starring Rolls

AK: TS - Yak & Yeti (lunch or dinner), CS - Flame Tree

DTD: TS - Raglan Road (lunch or dinner), CS - Earl of Sandwich

Resort: TS - Boma (breakfast, AKL) or 'Ohana (hard to get, Poly) or Narcoossee's (if you want a Sig, GF), CS - Mara (AKL)

 

[NC Disney Fan]

We did not go last year, but we went the two years before that and really enjoyed it. We are staying at VWL this trip and really looking forward to going back. Hoping that it was just 'one of those days'? Guess we will find out in November!?!?!

I would strongly suggest checking out the new menu. We LOVED that place and the new offerings were just not good. We were so sad because we had brought a first time family there and were so disappointed in the new style/offerings. Again, the incredible desserts--gone!! Check out the menu and you may want to have a back up plan. I pray they get enough negative feedback and return to the Whispering Canyon that you and I remember and love. Just wanted to warn you--wishing someone had warned me on that one but they had JUST changed the menu style about a week before our last visit in September. Hope you have fun in November. That's when we traveled a couple of years ago. It was enjoyable.