Dinner Suggestions?

[MickMan]

Looking for Dinner Suggestions for DCA, Disneyland and Downtown Disney. I know about Blue Bayou and am planning on going there for lunch. We are going to be staying at the Disneyland Hotel for 6 nights and any help we can get on sit down restaraunts would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[tinagirl]

Well, if you are looking for table service here are my favorites.

Note: These aren't in any sort of order, and remember that these are my preferences. I am 22, have no kids, and typically go with folks my own age, so what is great for me, may not be good for you.

DL Hotel-
Hook's Pointe - Very contemporary artwork, and styling, and a great place for steaks. It is a bit pricey, but in my opinon it is the best steak in the entire DL resort. It's the kind of steak that you can still taste, everytime you remember the restaurant - it's that good.

Paradise Pier Hotel-
Yamabuki - Has a great little sushi bar. You can get 8 pieces of California Roll for only $5! That's less cost than most "normal" sushi places in the area, and the quality is far better. Keep in mind that the other food is great, but a bit pricey. The reason is that it is really a banquet. I went in and paid a little over $20 for Chicken Teriyaki, which I thought was ok, as it was a one time thing. I got 2 LARGE Chicken breasts, Miso Soup, House Tempura, Rice, shrimp, vegetables and sushi, so the value was much better than I thought it would be.

PCH is quite good too, my favorite being the wood fired pizzas.

GC Hotel -
Napa Rose - I STILL haven't eaten there...just never have the budget for it, but I've heard it is very good.
Storytellers - VERY good food, but not the best bang for your buck, unless you haven't eaten all day and decide to get the buffet for $24.95 per adult. If you are hungry, but don't want to break the bank, I reccomend getting the corn bisque soup, and an appetizer such as the chicken quesadillas, as they are both very filling and very good.

DL -
Blue Bayou - 'Nuff Said!

DCA -
Avalon - Character Dining, that I now prefer above all others. So far, I've had the penne pasta and the chicken pot pie, and they were both phenomenal! Some folks don't like the character interaction here. Maybe it's because I go during lunch, but we have always spent a good amount of time with at least 5 characters during the 4 times that we have been there. (Seen goofy and Minnie both times, and the other three rotated between Donald/Chip/Dale/Pluto) We also saw Ariel every time, but she is a "greeter" and doesn't come around to tables. I LOVE this place.

Soap Opera - Only open on weekends and high crowd days, but this is good food, and an interesting atmosphere. Even if you don't go for dinner or lunch, stop in for desert. Ask for the fondue...Note: it's not on the menu, but believe me, it's there...just ask. (Kind of an In N Out Hidden Menu type of thing).

Downtown Disney:
Rainforest - Good food, but a bit pricey...also it is a chain, so if you've had it before, you may want to try something else.
La Brea Bakery - Most folks don't even know this is a restaurant, but the food is great, although I don't prefer the ambience to many places.
Catal - Never been, but I've heard it's good - been to the uva bar, great place to nab a quick bite.
Jazz Kitchen - Yummy, spicy, nice balcony...maybe my favorite sit down table service at Downtown Disney.

Since you'll be here so long, you may want to venture out of DL.

Knotts is great chicken (been great forever) and is on beach Blvd. Medieval times is fun, and is also on Beach.

The block has lots of restraunts and unique stores (such as the only Hilo Hatties in California - This is the best Hawaiiana store ever! - Get your kids Lilo lookalike clothes here, as they don't have them in DL!) It also has a Krispie Kreme doughnuts, with a drivethru, open 24 hours - great for a late snack.

To get to the block, take Katella and turn right on State College. State College will turn into The City Drive, and it will be on your right hand side. - As an alternative, you can take the 5 south to the City Dr Exit, and turn right, and it will again be on your right hand side.

Can you believe these are all table service! If you want me to go into an oration on Buffeteria, or Counter Service let me know....

Oye Veh! I'm long winded!
All the best
~Tina

 

[LuvTigger]

We were there in October and we ate GOOD!! Below are some of the places we ate. You may also want to look at the restaurant reviews on the top of the list of posts (I go into great detail, including prices). www.mouseplanet.com is a good source for menus.

Disneyland:

* Blue Bayou: If you have a ressie for the first seating, get there EARLY. We had a Noon seating (first one) and got there about 15 minutes ahead, and it was a mad house. Hopefully they are more organized during your visit. The food was pretty good, but it was better on previous visits. Probably just an off day though, since everyone else has nothing but good things to say. The atmosphere definitely cannot be beat!

Disneyland Hotel:

* Hook's Pointe: We had dinner here and really enjoyed it, especially the bread! Caesar Salad was excellent, as was the seafood chowder. My BF had some really great tasting pork loin chops, and they are known to have a great chocolate souffle.

* Goofy's Kitchen...I haven't been there myself, but I know several people who raved about it.

Grand Californian:

* Storyteller's Cafe, Dinner: They have a buffet and a menu, and we ordered off the menu. I had a really great corn chowder, and a nice salad with pear, pecans, and blue cheese. BF had ribs which he really enjoyed.

* Storyteller's Cafe, Breakfast: Again, they have a menu and a buffet, and we had the buffet, which was excellent. They had many choices, and I didn't get to try everything I wanted to try. This is a character breakfast with Chip, Dale, and Pluto.

Downtown Disney:

* La Brea Bakery Cafe Express, buffeteria: This was really great for breakfast, I had lox and bagels which were great.

* Naples, sit down: We had lunch here and it was terrific! The portions were HUGE. BF had pizza, and he only finished half. I had lasagna which was excellent...I probably could have shared it, but it was so good I ate almost the whole thing!

* Y Arriba Y Arriba, sit down: We really enjoyed this place because it serves tapas, or appetizer sized portions, so you can order lots of different things. We ordered two tapas, a side salad, and chips with guacamole and salsa, and we were satisfied. There is also entertainment here in the form of latin-theme dancers.

* ESPN Zone, sit down: I actually don't know if I'd go back here, but I'll throw it out anyway. My main problem was the service (very slow and kind of strange procedures--there was a 20 minute wait, and they asked to hold an ID of ours to hold the table). The food was okay in terms of taste (certain things were very good). However, the portions here are HUGE!

I was very impressed with the quality of the food, especially in DD. Happy planning!

 

[MickMan]

Thanks for the info it will help us out alot.

 

[rcyannacci]

I can offer a second to both the Storyteller's Cafe and Y Arriba Y Arriba- we just got back, and had great meals at both these places.

My husband and I went for the buffet at SC and had a great meal (we ate an early dinner having not had much earlier). They had great prime rib and chicken, a nice selection of salads, the roasted corn soup (very good). And, a huge selections of desserts, including a strawberry shortcake that rivals the one they serve at the Hoop de Doo at WDW.

Y A Y A was also great- we had a selection of 3 tapas plates (a tamale, something with plantains, and a cheese pastry thing) with rice and black beans. I loved the variey. Don't miss the sangria!

 

[saturday97]

I can vouch for Goofy's kitchen, but mainly if you have kids. The food is good, but I think the character interaction is the main draw. And LaBrea Bakery has the best cafe mocha I've ever had. It's nice to grab breakfast there while you're waiting for the parks to open. I know you said you know about the Blue Bayou, but I must reccomend the mint juleps there!

 

[indigo]

I agree with most of the places mentioned above. Just beware of sticker shock at the DTD restaurants (excepting rainforest cafe which is exensive, but no more expensive than their other restaurants).

There are also some nearby restaurants that are worth checking out.

Mimi's Cafe is across harbor and to the left. About 10 minutes walking time. Good food at a reasonable price.

Tiffy's is great for a simple lunch sandwhich and has great ice cream. It's on the Corner of West/Disneyland Dr and Katella.

If you have a car consider going down Harbor to Chapman. There you'll find a small collection of great restaurants including Buca Di Beppos, Outback, Red Robin, and a few others.

 

[tinagirl]

I agree with indigo on Mimi's. I go for breakfast quite a bit, and am addicted to the oueff's and Pain perdu (Sausage, Eggs, Juice, And a delicious french toast stuffed with orange cream sauce) SO GOOD!
~Tina (You know, all this reading about food must be making me hungry...I almost typed my name as "Tuna" AHH! - My own name!)
hehe