DLR Dining. Biggest bang for your buck poll

At DCA, what is your fav. soup? Also - do you know if you get the same amount of soup if you ask for your bread on the side? Is the soup in a styrofoam container if you ask for it on the side?

Thanks!

I've only tried the corn chowder soup and it was on my first visit to DLR with my DBF in '09, which was before I knew to ask for the bread bowl on the side. I didn't really like it but my DBF did. When we went to DLR last week we both tried different salads (Shrimp Louie and Sonoma Chicken and Apple) and it came in a seashell-shaped plate. They were both very filling so I think it's the same portion as what you would get in the bread bowl, if not more. I assume they would do the same for the soup, but I don't know what kind of containers they use for it since we got ours in a bread bowl last time. I would guess that since the bread bowl wouldn't be absorbing any of the soup you may actually get a bit more in any container, but I suppose it depends on how small the container is. I'll be posting pictures on the food thread soon and that meal was one of the few I remembered to photograph, so keep your eyes peeled for that. I took pictures of both the bread and the salads.
 
Must hit up Whitewater Snacks. And the fried chicken sounds like a great deal. One of the people coming on this trip LOOOOVES fried chicken so we'll make that a must do too :D
 
Great thread! We are heading down in a month & I am always on the look out for great places to feed all 5 of us!
 
I'm gonna add that last time we were there, Taste Pilots was good bang for our buck. HUGE burgers. DH and I could have split (but didn't). I'm thinking we could get two adult meals and split for the 5 of us.
 

best bang for your buck is definitely Hungry Bear. The food is large, reasonably priced and I really enjoy sitting on the patio area there.

to me, and I know this is hard to believe based on what people on the boards write, I find Bengal BBQ to be a poor value. I just don't find the skewers to be that good, they're tiny and the line is long. Plus, there's no where to sit.
 
The Blue Bayou isn't one of our favorites. It was so dark we couldn't see to read the menu. I had to ask for a flash light.

Carnation Cafe is a favorite. Along with Goofy's kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel. Good food every time.
 
to me, and I know this is hard to believe based on what people on the boards write, I find Bengal BBQ to be a poor value. I just don't find the skewers to be that good, they're tiny and the line is long. Plus, there's no where to sit.
I would have to agree. While it's one of the more unique food choices in Disneyland, it's also one of the worst values.
 
to me, and I know this is hard to believe based on what people on the boards write, I find Bengal BBQ to be a poor value. I just don't find the skewers to be that good, they're tiny and the line is long. Plus, there's no where to sit.

I agree too, for the cost of the skewer it is definitely not worth it. Not filling at all and PP is also right, no seating.
 
Disclaimer: My Disneyland party usually consists of DS14, DD10, DS9 and me so we do a lot of grazing as we make our way from ride to ride. We tend to spend a lot more money on food when hubby comes with; probably because we do less racing to the rides, more sit down meals, and I know he can help with leftovers. Also, we like food, but aren't foodies. I thought I'd share what works for us that doesn't break the bank. Note that we haven't tried any of the new-ish restaurants yet, either.

I'm in agreement on Hungry Bear as a good value; two of us can share a sandwich & sweet-potato fries and that's just the right amount of food. If I'm being nice mommy, we also get a couple of their yummy bumble bee cupcakes to split...they're too big and rich to eat a whole one!

I'm also in agreement that the Bengal Barbecue skewers are not a good value, but if we decide we have to have some I usually pair it with an order of rolls from there and that works out OK. The problem is that the skewers smell so much better than they actually taste...even knowing this I get drawn in by the smell every once in a while.

I'm in agreement that the Blue Bayou is pricey. We eat there only for special occasions, and for that reason alone it's worth it. We don't usually finish our plates here because the servings are pretty good sized and since it's a special occasion I don't make the kids order from the kid menu.

I agree that the sandwiches at Taste Pilot's Grill (at California Adventure) are big enough to share, and you can add chilli cheese to your fries for a small charge which is my favorite! Even a plain burger here is pretty good because they have the little fixings bar so if we're sharing a sandwich we all get exactly what we want on it. This is my go to place for food in California Adventure.

When we just need some sugar, the Mile High chocolate cake at the Golden Horseshoe is HUGE and is enough sugar to help us through the mid-afternoon slump (and I get a chance to rest my feet while we eat it)!

If you're into Mexican food, many of the meals at Rancho del Zocalo are large enough to share, which we do if we eat there.

My kids absolutely love Disneyland's chimichanga burritos. One is enough for my almost 15 year old garbage disposal and the younger ones share one. They're not that expensive as far as food at Disneyland goes, and this usually keeps them from getting hungry for a couple more hours.

I like the Plaza Inn as well. It's been a while so hopefully the menu hasn't changed, but a children's pasta dish is just right for me. An adult's pasta meal is a good size to share among or with the kids. If you time your evening meal correctly, you can even watch the fireworks while you eat dinner!

We ate at the Lucky Fortune Cookery (at California Adventure) for the first time a few weeks ago. The food came in a little Chinese takeout box which was a little bigger than the standard size. It was a lot of food, but we weren't that into it. We could have easily shared one dish per two people and been fine.

We like that the hot dog stands give you a chips or apples with your dog and you can save the "side" for later.

If you are coffee drinkers, the Market House on Main Street gives free refills on a regular cup of coffee all day. You just have to buy your first cup there and show the receipt to them (at the Market House) to get another cup. Don't bother saving your old cup- they won't actually refill a cup or mug for sanitation reasons. I've done this once, but the time vs cost savings just wasn't worth it to me because the line is usually pretty long.

The bags of pretzels found inside the gift shops are also a great value. We also sometimes buy one of those sourdough breads at California Adventure to carry around and snack on. At the very least, my kids love to get their free sample of sourdough. The kids also like to share popcorn, which isn't expensive.

Hope this helps. Enjoy your trip!
 
note to self: do not read food threads an hour before lunch break at work.
ugh.

That said, I cannot wait to try the chicken bbq potato at Troubador Tavern I've heard so many good things about it and somewhere on these boards is a picture of it oooohhhh my yummy goodness!
 
After eating at many places throughout DLR, the best value for the money is still dinner at the Storytellers Cafe inside the GCH for us. You get a nice sit down quality meal. Free basket of bread. Grilled salmon kids meal is under $8 and comes with a drink. Adults can order off the menu to keep cost down. We never leave here hungry.

For lunch, fried chicken at Plaza Inn is our favorite too. Each platter can feed 2 people.
 
We're big fans of the plaza pasta! I love that I get so full I can't finish and I get to sit inside. It's almost like a sit down.

Dh just told me that the nachos from white water are all he's been thinking about since we started planning our next trip.
 
Our best food values -

Plaza Inn - DH and I share the fried chicken with an extra salad. He eats the biscuit (yuck) and it's plenty of food. Our DS15 loves the chicken pasta from there and eats that all by himself! ;) Remember to ask for extra sauce if you like your pasta "saucy"!

Taste Pilots - DH and DS 15 love the ribs. DS orders the 5 and shares one with me, DH orders 3 and eats them or shares one with a smaller kid. I order the full throttle fries and share those with DH. I get to eat DS's coleslaw since he doesn't like it. Our two littles order the sliders or nuggets and may eat a bite or 2 of Dad's ribs.

We love Cafe Orleans - DH and I went there (no kids) and I had the salmon salad and he had something else, we ordered a basket of pommes frites. It was a good meal and nice to sit and be waited on. We weren't stuffed when we left - but neither of us likes to be stuffed so it works for us.

Our worst food value -

Bengal BBQ - yuck, just yuck. Tough meat, very little of it and you have to order a LOT of food to fill anyone up. Their Tiger tails (breadsticks) are nasty and there's no where to sit. One caveat - I did like their asparagus skewers, but they aren't worth the line.

Pizza Port - for the pizza, we think the pizza is yucky and it takes a lot of nagging for us to buy the little kids a slice. I think the price is too high for the size of the pizza

Any chicken nuggets meal, kid or adult. You get small okay, tiny pieces of chicken and in the kid's meal you only get 4. Even when my youngest DS was little it didn't fill him up. You used to get chicken strips - but they discontinued them several years ago.

Blue Bayou - we like the ambience and we liked the cookie dessert boat that they don't serve anymore, we thought their offerings (3 yrs. ago) were meh...nothing to write home about.

Things that even out -

Corn Dogs - DS15 and DH love the spicy ones in DCA, the other boys like the regular. I don't like corn dogs, so I don't eat them. :confused3

Award Weiners - pretty average hot dogs, average prices, average servings, seating area is great when it's hot outside.

Big Thunder Ranch BBQ - our little people don't like it, they find it too spicy. The rest of us thought it was a good value. They will give you more to take away with you, but you have to carry it around. But, I hate having our kids leave hungry and/or watch us eat when they don't like it.

Hungry Bear - we tried them before the menu change and they were okay. The burgers are big. We ate them while we waited for Fantasmic to start. It was a decent value for the price.


Things I want to try -

Troubadour Tavern, Tangaroa Terrace, the new bakery (Jolly Holiday?), and anything else that piques our fancy. We're willing to try things, we just have pretty strong opinions of what we like.
 
We like the chicken fusilli at pizza port-$9.50 feeds two of us, and it's pretty tasty and filling.

Blue Bayou is a very poor value, IMHO. Overpriced, and food is very mediocre.

Loaded baked potato was very yummy at Carnation Cafe.
 
For me and my family, here are my two cents.

I always feel happy when I leave the following places :love: :

-Plaza Inn- Good size portions for the price, food is good and I love to watch fireworks here with sleepy kids.

-Hungry Bear- Great portions, food is always good and for me, the line is never too horrible. I feel like they're pretty quick here.

-Cafe Orleans- Love it! The food is great and to me, for sit down, the prices aren't too bad. I like French Market, but not as much as here.

-Tangaroa Terrace- If you're staying at DLH, great bang for your buck, especially for breakfast. Even if you're not staying here and you're at the far end of DTD, worth the extra steps, I say anyway.

-Carnation Cafe- Great food, great portions, good prices. Also, a run in with Oscar can make any person extra peppy!

- I do enjoy a corndog now and again, they are big (with batter), but some people swear by them over counter and sit down service. They are a little expensive IMO.


Places that make me NOT happy :sad2: :

-Pizza Port- Blah food at blah prices with blah portions. Same with tomorrowland terrace.

-Rancho Del Zocolo- Portions are good, but the food and prices are ehhh IMO.

- I don't think any of the places in Toontown are a good value, aside from the cart in front of city hall. I love their pickles!! I know you can also get them other places in DL and I assume DCA.
 
Bumping this thread for more great opinions on where you can good (and not so good) values. This is all very useful, especially when you guys specify what kind of diner you are, what your preferences are (really want to be full, etc.), so I can see how like or unlike mine are. ;-) (For example, I don't think any ambiance at Blue Bayou will overcome the prices for me, especially when some of the menu items can be found for less elsewhere in the park or similar ones are at DTD restaurants.)
 
I want to add the turkey leg to the good value column! I'm kind of a foodie and am pretty picky, but I really like this-like the smoky flavor of
The meat, we can feed Two people with one, it's a good way to get a bunch of protein in my eldest, and my kids love eating like cavemen :)
 
Thanks for this thread! I've taken down some notes for when we make our first visit in May! <3 :).
 
I agree with the others that have posted about Whitewater Snacks in the Grand Californian Hotel. The nachos are very good, the individual pizzas (cheese or pepperoni) come with a small salad. DH liked the nachos, chili dog, the kids loved the pepperoni pizza and chicken nuggets. I loved the salads and the nachos!
We got food there to go, and they it was very hot when we got to the room.
 




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