DL restaruant suggestions for sit down dinner?

[BBsMom]

Hi everyone! My name is Steph, and this is my first post (Woot!)

I am trying to plan our first family Disneyland trip for this summer. My daughter is turning 3, so we are going for her birthday. Along with the four of us (we also have a 7 year old son), my sister and her family are going as well as my parents. There will be 10 of us all together.

I would like to plan a sit down dinner or lunch for all of us and have the Mini Cake Surprises brought out for the 4 kids. We have picky eaters, so regular "kid food" would be great. (You know, hot dogs, chick nuggs, pasta, pizza, etc...). Also, if there is a restaurant that will give us a great view of the parade, we will opt for dinner and try to book that.

Any suggestions? I believe that the Mini Cake Surprises are only done at sit down, full dining places.

I am very "green" when it comes to Disneyland since this is the first trip I've planned myself, so any tips are welcome!

 

[ScooterL]

There aren't any sit-down DL restaurants that will give you a view of the parade, but you might be able to see the Electrical Parade from the Wine Country Trattoria at DCA if you time it right (you'd have to eat late, though). Or you could see the Pixar Play Parade if you ate there around 5:00. For either of those you'd have to have an outdoor table near the wall, and that might be a "luck of the draw" kind of thing.

 

[BBsMom]

Thanks Scooter. So if the parade is out, then any restaurant suggestions for a sit down lunch or dinner? Thanks! (Carnation Cafe maybe?)

 

[dvschem]

I really liked the restaurants in Downtown Disney for more than anything insode the park - especially Nales Risorante. It's about a five or ten minute walk from the main entrance to Disneyland.

 

[pixiewings71]

But at the DTD restaurants you can't have the treasure chests delivered. We had an OK view of the parade from Ariel's Grotto but not great. The only place is Wine Country Trattoria. In DL there's the Carnation Cafe on Main Street but the view is iffy, especially if you get seated in the back, there are only a few seats available up front by the sidewalk. Maybe at the Plaza but again, not perfect as it's not really close to the sidewalk.

 

[bumbershoot]

Cafe Orleans is nice. Looking at allears menu page, I see mac and cheese and a plain chicken thing, if those would do for your kidlets.

I had their ratatouille in March and it was so very very good. And the little cake chests (and the cakes are indeed little) are sold at "full-service restaurants", so I imagine they'd have them there.

 

[ScooterL]

I saw the cake chests in the Blue Ribbon Bakery several weeks ago - they were in one of the cases, so I assumed they were for sale rather than just decoration. You might also ask at the Plaza Inn - they have that other big birthday thing, and they might have the chests available, too.