Dinner suggestions for 1st timers with 2 girls 10 and 8

[Peace Mickey Lovers]

Hi everyone, I am headed to DL for the first time with my 2 daughters. We will be there for 4 days and I was wondering if you have any must do's for places to eat. I am thinking of Minnies breakfast and then Ariel's for colors of the world dinner but not sure where else to eat the other days. We are staying at CGV. Any suggestions are welcomed.
Lisa

 

[DTDkettleCORNfan]

I love Hungry Bear.....way in the back of the park. They have a new menu:
http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/men_hung.htm
and I have not tried anything since they have changed things up. But I really just love the atmosphere. We usually sit down below on the bottom level, along the water. Its nice to sit and watch the ducks and boats.....and to take a break before hitting more rides.

My kids are 7 and 10, and I think they would probably choose the Pizza Port in Tomorrow Land (if we asked them where they want to eat):
http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/men_red.htm

They also LOVE going to the Rainforest Cafe. Its in Downtown Disney (by the Disneyland Hotel). If you have never eaten there, its kind of fun. I would call ahead there though, as it gets pretty crowded:
http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/men_rfc.htm

Another place we usually eat at is Whitewater Snacks. Its in the Grand Californian hotel, and my kids like getting their own refill-able sodas....or hot chocolate (and putting their own whip cream on it). You can get there from inside DCA...the entrance/exit is just outside the big River Rapids water ride:
http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/men_wws.htm

DCA also has some great looking new restaruants...which we are hoping to try on our next trip:
Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta:
http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/men_pasta.htm
and Paradise Garden Grill:
http://allears.net/dlr/din/menu/men_grill.htm

We never do full service at the parks, so I can't comment on those. Happy planning and have a GREAT trip!

 

[jdb in AZ]

We like White Water Snacks too. For a sit down meal in Disneyland we like Carnation Cafe for breakfast, and Cafe Orleans for dinner.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

Pizza Port in Tomorrowland, a counter service place, is a big favorite of my boys, ages 10 and 11. None of our family is a fan of the pizza, but the pasta dishes are good, particularly the tomato basil and chicken fusilli.

We did try the Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta place in the Paradise Pier area of the Disney California Adventure park last month and really enjoyed it. This place can compete with Pizza Port for my boys' taste buds. The Boardwalk place has tasty flatbread pizza and good pasta dishes. This also is counter service.

If you like fried chicken, you can get that at the Plaza Inn, and the portions are big and easily shareable. My boys like the chicken and potatoes but not the green beans. You can ask for a double portion of potatoes though and skip the beans, so buying one plate done up this way works for a shared meal for my sons. Then they still have room for dessert. If you're looking for a different kind of grease, there's the Little Red Wagon corn dog cart right outside the Plaza Inn. You can get your corn dog with chips, apple slices, or a la carte.

 

[MyYearWithTheMouse]

Other than the character meals and WOC you don't need dining reservations in the park in advance. The Blue Bayou is closed, unfortunately. I recommend taking your first day and walking around, checking out the dining options along the way and making your decisions from there (I personally don't like making dining reservations sight-unseen). You can make a reservation for that day or for the subsequent days of your trip. Outside of the park I agree with Whitewater and think it's the best value for your money. If you'd like to splurge, the Napa Rose in the GCH is really top-notch.

 

[narsel]

We usually go to the Plaza Inn and order 1 fried chicken plate and one pasta plate and share between 4 or even 5 of us. We time our dinner around the time of the fireworks so we can sit and eat and watch fireworks.

 

[larina]

I highly recommend the Mickey's Surf's Up breakfast at the Paradise Pier. Lots of character interaction with the kids there. They can go up and dance if they want, which is nice. Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Pluto, Stitch and one more I can't remember where all there when we were there in May.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I'll also vouch for Carnation Cafe (any meal there is GOOD FOOD) and Plaza Inn, we love those.

Whitewater Snacks (in GCH) is good for the freshly made stuff. However, years ago I made the mistake of buying the boxed lunches, and they were all dried out. Those might be fresher/better sealed by now, but the made to order stuff is good.

If you love BBQ, check out the one at Big Thunder Ranch. We ate there once before and the food was good; I'm taking my two boys (aged 7 and 11) for the all-you-can-eat on our next trip.

And the kids love corndogs, and the ones at DL/DCA taste soooo good! So we're going to need to have some of those while we're there, too. You know, for the kids...

 

[TahoeMom]

My kids always love Rainforest Cafe and ESPN Zone (they like to play the games upstairs). And Goofy's Kitchen was always our favorite character meal - we don't tend to do it anymore because they are older now (12 and 16).

 

[GenGen22]

Rainforest Cafe in DTD was awesome. The decor is really cool, there is food for the whole family and they have a really cool giftshop too. Make sure to make a ADR as soon as possible as this place gets busy.

 

[StyledSugar]

We really liked the Rainforest Cafe as well. Food was very good and it was just really cool inside. The service wasn't all that great though but we still enjoyed it.

We never miss Minnie & Friends Breakfast. LOVE IT!!! We'll be doing it again when we are there next month.