Disneyland Food- 3 nights, 4 days

[SteffyLou]

Hi Everyone,

My family and I are Disney World junkies. Truly, we go about 4-6 times a year and have done so for the past 20 years. We are taking our 3 and 5 years old to Disneyland for the first time in November and are very excited. We will be staying at the Disneyland Hotel.

I'm sure this question has been asked before, but what restaurants and quick services would you recommend? We want things that are found only in Disneyland, not WDW restaurants.

We will be arriving late on a Thursday and departing Monday afternoon. We would like to eat all meals within Disney property. We are thinking 3 sit-down meals (lunch or dinner), 1 buffet, and the rest quick service. Right now, the kids do okay with sit-down meals. While we would love to try a finer dining, I don't think we are ready for that yet.

What would you choose?

 

[FutureDisneyEventPlanner]

I'm going for the first time in September! This is my list as of right now after reading blogs and such...

• Breakfast
  • Carnation Cafe (Mickey Waffle)
  • Flo’s V8 Cafe
• Lunch/Dinner
  • Cafe Orleans (Monte Cristo, Pomme Frites)
  • Carthay Circle
  • Plaza Inn (Fried Chicken)
  • Jolly Holiday (Grilled Cheese/Tomato Soup)
  • Alfresco Tasting Terrace
  • Carnation Cafe (Fried Pickles)
• Snack
  • Mint Julep Bar
  • Cozy Cone
  • Cove Bar (Will be Lamplight when we go)
  • Little Red Wagon (Corn Dog)
  • Hearthstone Lounge (Grand Californian)
  • Trader Sam’s (Disneyland Hotel)
  • Bengal Barbecue
  • Holly Jolly Bakery (Matterhorn Macaroon)

 

[VandVsmama]

Hi Everyone,

My family and I are Disney World junkies. Truly, we go about 4-6 times a year and have done so for the past 20 years. We are taking our 3 and 5 years old to Disneyland for the first time in November and are very excited. We will be staying at the Disneyland Hotel.

I'm sure this question has been asked before, but what restaurants and quick services would you recommend? We want things that are found only in Disneyland, not WDW restaurants.

We will be arriving late on a Thursday and departing Monday afternoon. We would like to eat all meals within Disney property. We are thinking 3 sit-down meals (lunch or dinner), 1 buffet, and the rest quick service. Right now, the kids do okay with sit-down meals.

You're going to have an amazing time! My recommendations:

Friday:

• lunch or dinner at Flo's V-8 Cafe (CS).
• lunch or dinner at Carnation Cafe or Cafe Orleans in DL (both are TS). Pick whichever TS place has food options that your family will enjoy the most.

Saturday:

• use your EMH at DL on this day.
• do a later character breakfast at the Plaza Inn. Try for something like a 10:30 am reservation. By this point, your 3 & 5 yr olds will be ready for a break and you'll have characters come to you. Plus, it's IN the park and it's the least expensive character meal option. Be sure to spend your morning starting in Fantasyland. Toon Town opens 1 hr after regular park opening.
• lunch - this can be CS and/or snacks
• dinner - if you want to see Fantasmic! consider a dining package for this. Least affordable is Blue Bayou. Hungry Bear isn't a TS package (just CS). So if you want TS, go with River Belle Terrace.

Sunday:

• lunch or dinner at Carnation Cafe or Cafe Orleans in DL (whichever you didn't do on Friday).
• If eating at Blue Bayou is a must do, eat there for lunch instead of dinner.

 

[figment_jii]

For Table Service, my family really likes Cafe Orleans (pomme frites and gumbo), Carnation Cafe (fried pickles, loaded baked potato soup, and the meatloaf), River Belle Terrace (ribs), and Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen (popcorn calamari, shrimp & grits). Cafe Orleans and River Belle Terrace have outdoor seating options that let you watch the NOS/Rivers of America areas while you eat. I would personal do either of those as lunches because by November, dinner time can be a bit cold to eat outside. Carnation Cafe has a nice comfy feel and its one of the less expensive locations. It has both indoor and outdoor seating, so it could work for either lunch or dinner. Ralph Brennan's also has a mixture of indoor/outdoor seating. Of these, it's possible that the ribs at RBT might be similar to something in WDW (maybe HDDR). Other than that, I feel like CO, CC, and Brennan's are all pretty unique to DLR.

For buffets, my we like Storytellers dinner buffet (no characters) at the GCH. I've also had the breakfast buffet at PCH Grill (Paradise Pier). The food was pretty good and there were characters. My friend recently went to Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast with characters and she really liked the food.

For counter service, we like the French Market (French Dip), Plaza Inn (fried chicken), and Red Rose Tavern (this one looks rather like Gaston's Tavern on one side, but the menu is very different). For atmosphere, Flo's V-8 is very good; you feel like you're in Radiators Spring and depending on where you're seated you can see different parts of Carsland.

For snacks, we like the Mint Julep Bar (Mickey shaped beignets), Jolly Holiday (almost any of the desserts, but the Raspberry Mickey Macaron is a favorite), Award Wiener (Funnel Cake Fries), and Clarabelle's (Oswald Sundae).

 

[tzeitel]

I love Cafe Orleans, but if it was our first trip I would go to Blue Bayou instead. Nothing like it at WDW - although the Mexico pavilion at Epcot is pretty close.
At DCA I would do Carthay Circle. We went for lunch and it was so nice and relaxing.

The Plaza is a cs at DLR but it has the feel of the ts at WDW, the fried chicken is pretty famous around these boards
Bengal BBQ for skewers - could be a snack or make a meal out of them, we get skewers and tiger tails.
Cozy Cones in Carsland is pretty fun - I like the mac n' cheese cone.
The Pacific Wharf area has several different places to chose from, more like a food court if you can't decide what to get.

We really like Ralph Brennan's. We went for lunch at the ts and for breakfast we like their cs. I love their beignets, they are not Mickey shaped but I like them better than the ones in DL.
The only buffet we have done is Storyteller's, we went last year for my birthday. Liked it fine, the food was good but nothing I would do again. I rather have the more "fun" food in the parks.

Next trip we are planning on trying Smokejumpers, and Red Rose Tavern. Have been trying to get to SJ for years but are never near it when we are hungry
Also hoping to try Whitewater Snacks at GCH, and the Carthay Lounge.

 

[smartlabelprint]

For the 3 yo our best tip is get a high chair. Ours eat great at any restaurants in high chairs.

My faves are: DCA-Boardwalk pizza & pasta. Veggie sandwich at award wieners.

DL plaza inn, French market, Bengal bbq, jolly holiday, blue bayou.


I like the menus at allears.net

 

[LilyJC]

You’re in for a real treat staying at the DLH! I’d definitely take advantage of the restaurants at the DLH - Steakhouse 55 for TS; Tangaroa Terrace is one of our favorite QS options on property; and The Coffee House has snacks, dole whip (also with rum).

We’re local so almost never bother with TS - many popular choices have already been listed.

Here are some of our favorite QS:

DCA: Pacific Wharf Cafe for sourdough bread bowls; Paradise Garden Grill for chicken/protein skewers; Cozy Cones for chocolate dipped soft serve (usually their other options look nasty, but they have a new taco salad cone that I’d like to try); and Ghirardelli for a variety of sweet treats and free sample for each family member. I believe by November the holiday food booths will be up as well!

DL: Jolly Holiday for seasonal salad options plus their tomato soup is yummy. I don’t like the grilled cheese, so I get it with a breadstick. They also have great sweet treats as does Pooh’s Corner.

DTD: Jazz Kitchen Express for beignets/breakfast burritos; La Brea Bakery for bread bowls (not sourdough) and sandwiches.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

You can find the DLR menus at allears.net. This is a great resource for researching what dining locations will work best for your family. If you want to do one buffet, which characters do your kids like? Mickey is found at breakfast at Surf's Up at the PPH (along with Stitch, too, and a few other characters). He's also at dinner for now at Goofy's Kitchen (the only character dinner). Goofy's has a character breakfast without Mickey. Storyteller's has the woodland creatures. Minnie's at the Plaza Inn has the most characters.
CS at DLR is really quite good -- lots of choices! You should find lots of things that will work for your family. If you eat at Flo's in Cars Land, make sure to get a table with a view of RSR so your kids can watch the cars race.
And, just for fun, this thread has lots of good information: A DLR Guide for WDW Vets. Have a great trip!

 

[SteffyLou]

Thank you for all of the help! I have a feeling we are going to get the DL big after this trip. I’m excited for all of the differences and new options!

 

[azdisneylover]

Like others have suggested, Carnation Cafe in DL on Main St. You will find something for everyone there. It is a nice place to eat. Flo's is another good place for both food and ambiance. They serve a great fruit platter there we order and share. Whitewater Snacks in GCH is a great counter service place. Location is good, you can enter the hotel from DCA around Grizzly Rapids' exit. Nice place to relax in peace and quiet. Love sitting outside in the patio area. Once in a while, we have spotted a cat! I will suggest keeping your kids on their nap schedules. It is so important.