Good family-friendly restaurants around Emerald Island area?

[aprilfoolwed]

Trying to decide between eating at Downtown Disney our first night in town, or just getting something off 192....

While i like the thought of going to DTD and seeing some of the magic on our first night, I am not sure that there is a restaurant that we really want to go to there. We've done T-Rex, and while the kids thought it was cool, I thought it was just so-so and the food was nothing wonderful. And, everything is so expensive!

Going somewhere closer to our home base (Emerald Island) may give us an opportunity to relax more after 20 hours in the car. And it will also give us more time to stop at a grocery store and pick up what we need for the week.

What sort of places are around there? We stayed in the area before and saw so many restaurants, but we never actually ate at any of them!

 

[At World's End]

I would think that after driving for 20 hours, you probably just want some decent food and to get settled. I would save DTD for another time.

We liked Giordano's in the Famosa Gardens shopping center. You can get gc's on restaurant.com (currently 70% off with code MENU, but I have seen them for up to 90% off). The deep dish pizza is great, but it takes about 45 min. to cook. If you don't want to sit and wait, you can call in your pizza order in advance and they will bring it to your table when it's ready. Get an extra pizza and have great leftovers available in your rental. There is a grocery store in the same center, and a Super Target just a little farther down 192. There is an Olive Garden in the Super Target shopping center. Some other places I remember seeing just between Old Lake Wilson and the Super Target: Miller's Ale House, Cici's Pizza, Houlihan's, Cracker Barrel, Carrabbera's, TGI Fridays, Perkins, Outback Steakhouse, Waffle House.

 

[aprilfoolwed]

this is helpful - thank you! Looks like there will be plenty to choose from - and love that there is a restaurant.com option close by!

 

[KayR]

Lots of choice. In addition to the ones mentioned, nearby is Wings, Longhorn Steakhouse (love this one!) and a new Applebees. Also rumors of a Sweet Tomatoes opening in the same area as supertarget, but I don't have a date on that yet. More places from memory include Chick a Fila, Flippers Pizza, Red Lobster. There is a place that has changed names, used to be called Key W Cool, but I can't remember what it is called now. There is a Chili's round by the Walmart on the 27 north of the 192.

If you want groceries, I would recommend Walmart, Target or Publix over the store in Formosa Gardens Plaza. They are a little further out but I have found that they are usually better quality, selection and price.

HTH

--Kay

 

[aaronandterri]

less than a minutes drive away is the outback steakhouse and tgi fridays and a little supermarket, we eat at the outback loads, love the blooming onion...yummy!