Family restaurants near disneyland

[evedein]

We'll be staying at the Grand Californian for our 10/11 trip to Disneyland.
Need recommendations for off-site family friendly restaurants (traveling with a 3 yr old) close to DL. Budget doesn't allow for many sit-down meals on site.

 

[disneyrand]

Denny's, Millie's (similar to Denny's in price, fare, and quality), Mimi's, Quizno's, Subway, McDonalds, Tony Roma's, IHOP are all within walking distance of the main gate.

As enticing as the prices at Captain Kidd's may be, avoid it all costs. Way too many tales of food poisoning and health code violations at that place.

 

[bumbershoot]

We liked Coco's, which is actually closer to the Grand than the other places (go out the *front*, walk towards PPH, continue along the pretty path until you get to Katella and you'll see it.

There's also Tangerine which is part of Anabella hotel, though I haven't had dinner there (and didn't enjoy my breakfast there) so I'm not sure that this is truly a *recommendation* for it, more of an "it exists" mention.

We liked Coco's, though.


FYI the IHOP is generally known to be The Most Expensive IHOP, even including those in NYC...I would avoid it.

 

[DisSarahK]

We love the IHOP near Disneyland! It is THE cleanest IHOP I have ever been in and the staff is so friendly. We never bother with IHOP any more *except* at Disneyland because usually they are dirty and sticky restaurants--the one near Disneyland is an exception! It is clean and nice.

Denny's is decent too--and if you get on their mailing list, you can get a coupon. (I went on their website and put in the local zipcode to get the coupon.)

If you come out of Disneyland and go left through bag check (instead of going straight across to California Adventure) and then walk down the big sidewalk and then across the main crosswalk, that will take you out to the road where Denny's and IHOP are located--right near Desert Inn and Suites and Park Vue Inn--which is also where Cold Stone is located.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

There are several good choices in the vacinity.

Red Robin
Cheesecake Factory
Bubbu Gump
California Pizza Kitchen
Mama Cozi's (Italian place seen on Diner's Drive In's and Dives)
PF Changs

 

[tlovesdis]

Most of the places at Garden Walk are the same price or higher than those at DLR so you probably want to avoid that area. If you have a car Red Robin is down Harbor and has good food with decent prices. Right across the street is Mimi's Cafe, which is very good! I wourld also recommend Coco's as another poster mentioned. Of the 24 hour chain type places, this is my favorite over Denny's and IHOP.

 

[smiles33]

If you're willing to drive and your family likes ethnic food, Little Saigon is just 8 miles south of DLR. Vietnamese food is MUCH cheaper than anything on-site and I find many kids like their noodle and rice dishes. Hong An, Thien An and Pagolac were suggested on the chowhound boards for Vietnamese.

I have read a ton of DL-area restaurant threads on Chowhound and found some Thai and Korean options, too. Thai Nakorn is the Thai place and Cham Sut Gol and Shik Do Rak came up for Korean restaurants.

 

[spiderdust]

I also recommend Millie's... if you sign up for their mailing list, you can get a pretty nice coupon from them. Don't sign up for it until the day or two before you leave for your trip so it doesn't expire before you need it!

When we ate Millie's food, we actually ordered carry-out from them and had someone run over and pick it up and bring it back to the room. Their portions are pretty large, so we were able to save money by sharing 2 meals between 2 adults and 2 kids (we actually ordered 3 meals -- 2 Farmer's Breakfasts and one kid's French toast meal -- but had so much food that the kid's meal went untouched). Another poster on here once mentioned that she, her husband, and 3 year old split Millie's macaroni & cheese entree in their room, and that it came with a huge side salad & lots of garlic bread. Their portions are enormous, and unless you're getting a fridge with your room, you don't want leftovers anyway!

While it's not exactly sit-down service, do keep White Water Snacks (which is conveniently located in your hotel) in mind. Their chicken or beef nachos are very filling and satisfying, definitely a meal on their own. They also have decent burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches, plus some kid's meals. Their breakfast fare is also fairly good and well priced, although I don't recommend going there for breakfast on a day when you're going to the park -- they're not really fast in the mornings and you'd waste precious park time waiting on your breakfast.

Also, while this usually wouldn't seem like something that would be recommended to people who were looking for budget friendly options... do consider GCH's room service menu. When we stayed there, we found that the prices for room service food were comparable to some of the restaurants in the area (Buca di Beppo's, Tony Roma's, Coco's, etc). YMMV, but don't rule it out.

 

[cyclenut]

If you don't mind a little bit of a drive, there is a nice little place called Carolina's on Chapman Ave. in Garden Grove. It is located in a rather dingy looking strip mall and you'd probably want to steer clear of it if you didn't know what was there.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/carolinas-italian-restaurant-garden-grove

It is reasonably priced, family friendly and the food is excellent. We are local and eat there frequently, and we always bring home leftovers.

My wife's favorite is the Chicken ala Anthony (I think it is called).

Don't let the exterior deter you and you won't be disappointed.

 

[tanyaewa]

Quite honestly, the dinner type restaurants in DL are better quality food & as reasonably priced as any chain restaurant outside the gates.
If you factor in time & energy it's a waste to leave DL when you can have a great meal at - Carnation Cafe, Cafe New Orleans, Cove Bar, RiverBelle Terrace, El Zocalo (sp?) even Taste Pilots, Hungry Bear are as good as Red Robins or CheeseCake Factory - and MILES better than Cailornia Pizza Kitchen.

 

[RedRosie]

Where are Quizno's and Subway? I have seen Quizno's on google maps, but when I zoom in, I can't seem to find it again. Are they inside hotels? Thanks!

 

[skiingfast]

Where are Quizno's and Subway? I have seen Quizno's on google maps, but when I zoom in, I can't seem to find it again. Are they inside hotels? Thanks!

Subway is at the intersection of Harbor and Katella, on the east side of Harbor.

Quizno's is in the Carousel Inn.

 

[GoofyDadude]

Highly recommend Minnies, Coco and the IHOP there. Great food and friendly staff.

And as a PP suggested, stay away from CAPTIN KIDD's. We ate there once, it was horrible and then within hours we all had stomache's and cramps. I ended up visiting our bathroom for most of the next day..... but got some reading done regarding DL

 

[cyclenut]

Quite honestly, the dinner type restaurants in DL are better quality food & as reasonably priced as any chain restaurant outside the gates.
If you factor in time & energy it's a waste to leave DL when you can have a great meal at - Carnation Cafe, Cafe New Orleans, Cove Bar, RiverBelle Terrace, El Zocalo (sp?) even Taste Pilots, Hungry Bear are as good as Red Robins or CheeseCake Factory - and MILES better than Cailornia Pizza Kitchen.

I respectfully disagree. The prices at all Disney property restaurants are higher by a few dollars per entree than most of the chain restaurants. I have eaten at Hungry Bear twice and that is twice to many. I do like Taste Pilots Grill though. We like to go to Red Rocket's Pizza Port for the salads and pasta. Cafe Orleans is good but you can get a similar meal at Mimi's Cafe for a lot less money.

Red Robin is so much better that you can't even quantify it. Bottomless fries, incredible burger toppings, and even bottomless root-beer floats are just some of the things that set Red Robin apart from a lot of places, Disney included.

Disney has nothing that even compares to CheeseCake Factory with their extensive menu and wide array of Cheesecake deserts.

You must have had a bad experience at California Pizza Kitchen because we have eaten there several times and have enjoyed it each time. They have a guarantee that if you try one of their pizzas and don't like it, you can ask them to bring you a different one. They also have excellent salads.

A rather unique restaurant to Southern California that is small chain is BJ's Brewhouse. They have a compelling menu that includes outstanding Chicago-Style pizza and a unique desert they call the Pizzookie. It is a cookie baked in a small pizza pan and topped with ice cream. You choose the cookie and ice cream. It comes out fresh baked and is large enough to share.

The truth is that Southern California has some excellent local restaurants. Some are national chains while others are local/regional and like most areas we do have some very good non-chain places as well.

The Disney food quality is good and even better at some of their sit-down restaurants, but it isn't the best value. Now, if you want to maximize your time in the parks, I would suggest staying in park. But if you are looking for a temporary departure and want to try something different, stepping away can provide you good food at more reasonable prices.

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

Look at this this yelp link I included $ & $$ (out of $$$$), 2 miles from the southside of DLR and sorted by rating.

It includes Carolina's that cyclenut mentioned and it also includes the food inside DLR, like the Mainstreet corndog cart, which I like.

 

[PinkBudgie]

A rather unique restaurant to Southern California that is small chain is BJ's Brewhouse. They have a compelling menu that includes outstanding Chicago-Style pizza and a unique desert they call the Pizzookie. It is a cookie baked in a small pizza pan and topped with ice cream. You choose the cookie and ice cream. It comes out fresh baked and is large enough to share.

Actually, there are lot of them up here too in NorCal and also in other states. But I agree, I LOVE that place! I usually don't order dessert in restaurants, but that Pizookie a must have!

We usually don't want to take too much time away from the parks, but I think we will be going to Bubba Gumps this trip because my boys want to try it.

 

[marcemc]

If you end up going to the Cheesecake Factory, try their brownie sundae cheesecake, it's delicious.

 

[disneyrand]

I respectfully disagree. The prices at all Disney property restaurants are higher by a few dollars per entree than most of the chain restaurants. I have eaten at Hungry Bear twice and that is twice to many. I do like Taste Pilots Grill though. We like to go to Red Rocket's Pizza Port for the salads and pasta. Cafe Orleans is good but you can get a similar meal at Mimi's Cafe for a lot less money.

Red Robin is so much better that you can't even quantify it. Bottomless fries, incredible burger toppings, and even bottomless root-beer floats are just some of the things that set Red Robin apart from a lot of places, Disney included.

Disney has nothing that even compares to CheeseCake Factory with their extensive menu and wide array of Cheesecake deserts.

You must have had a bad experience at California Pizza Kitchen because we have eaten there several times and have enjoyed it each time. They have a guarantee that if you try one of their pizzas and don't like it, you can ask them to bring you a different one. They also have excellent salads.

A rather unique restaurant to Southern California that is small chain is BJ's Brewhouse. They have a compelling menu that includes outstanding Chicago-Style pizza and a unique desert they call the Pizzookie. It is a cookie baked in a small pizza pan and topped with ice cream. You choose the cookie and ice cream. It comes out fresh baked and is large enough to share.

The truth is that Southern California has some excellent local restaurants. Some are national chains while others are local/regional and like most areas we do have some very good non-chain places as well.

The Disney food quality is good and even better at some of their sit-down restaurants, but it isn't the best value. Now, if you want to maximize your time in the parks, I would suggest staying in park. But if you are looking for a temporary departure and want to try something different, stepping away can provide you good food at more reasonable prices.

Absolutely this +1000^^^^^

 

[waltdisneymama]

Hello,
I just thought I'd add to the discussion that IHOP on Harbour was the favorite choice for our family for dinner. We would go after 4 p.m. and kids' meals were free with each paying adult entree, so the cost was really reasonable for us, with three adults and three kids on that trip. The kids thought it was great fun to eat breakfast food at dinnertime!