Help w/ a 4th dinner option!

[peaches0313]

Looking for a restaurant the last night of our stay. We are eating dinners at Wine Country trattoria, Rainforest Café, Tortilla Joes.... and having a hard time looking for a 4th. Considering House of Blues (too adult), or the Blue Bayou Fantasmic dining package. Any thoughts on those two or other options? We have kids ages almost 4 and 6 at the time. Thanks!

 

[figment_jii]

I'd start by asking what you mean by "too adult" in regards to House of Blues. I enjoyed my meal there and didn't really think of the venue as being "adult" in terms of atmosphere.

Of the places you have listed (and given the ages of your children), I would definitely go to RFC (I went with an almost 3 year old and an almost 5 year old) and they both really had fun looking at everything. Of the other places, I think Blue Bayou would be fun (and not having to wait so long for F! is a plus with kids). You'll see other kids at Blue Bayou, the only caveat is that the restaurant is on the dim side, so video screens are very distracting to other guests (we often used videos to amuse the 3 year old at restaurants when he starts to get fidgety, but we didn't want to ruin the atmosphere for other guests so we forwent Blue Bayou on this last trip).

I didn't find Wine Country Trattoria or Tortilla Joe's to be very memorable and there really wasn't much to amuse/entertain children. I would consider looking into Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in DTD as an alternate. The food is very good and atmosphere is fun (lively). Another good option for kids is the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ in DL. It's all you can eat BBQ and they have some entertainment. Kids are often asked to participate, so it can be fun. It's entirely outdoor seating, so that can be an issue depending on when you go.

 

[maltdizzy]

People are split on Blue Bayou. The restaurant is cool and well themed, part of the Pirates attraction. I side with those who feel the prices are high and the food has never been great enough to justify them, and worse the food has been inconsistent at times. I might do a snack there for the ambiance, but not a dinner anymore. I know the hosts on the DIS DL Podcast say similarly (they recommend Belle River Terrace for F! packages)

That said, plenty here rave about their BB/F! combo. And it keeps you in the park on that last night.

Places I like and used to take a 4yo to? Ralph Brennan's (DTD), Naples Ristorante (DTD), Plaza Inn (DL), Café Orleans (DL) and, at the extreme high-end...Roy's (Anaheim Gardenwalk), where I watched my son devour a $30 order of sashami. Though, DL's CS options were always what we lean toward, DL has great CS food (better than WDW), and it was flexible.

 

[NiceOneSimba]

I did the Fantasmic dinner package at BB and thought it was quite good. If your kids are used to nicer restaurants, I am sure they will be fine. The seating for Fantasmic! honestly can't be beat, and if you were planning to eat there anyway, it's a decent value. If you wanted to do Fantasmic! but weren't sure about Blue Bayou, you could always look into the other dining options. Riverbelle Terrace may be more kid-friendly in terms of venue and menu options.

That said, the Big Thunder BBQ is awesome for kids. We went when my DD was 5, and the entertainment is great for kids in your age group. My daughter loved going up on stage for the big finale!

 

[peaches0313]

thanks everyone! Since our kids are fairly young, I'm torn on even doing Fantasmic (and that's the only reason we would do Blue Bayou). Never had considered Ralph Brennan's before but the menu looks really good!!!! Wanted something fun our last night and we are doing 2 other restaurants in Downtown Disney already (tortilla joe's and Rainforest, which our family loves both).

 

[Abbey1]

Have you considered Cafe Orleans? It's my family's favorite by far! We enjoyed the Blue Bayou Fantasmic! Package, but mostly for the awesome seats for Fantasmic! The atmosphere in the restaurant is awesome and lovely, but none of us loved our food. It was good, but nothing stands out as amazing.

 

[ktlm]

If you want to do Fantasmic, the Blue Bayou dining package would be worth it to get a good spot and to be able to sit during the show (most other areas are standing only, but Blue Bayou you get a cushion and get to sit). If you are not doing Fantasmic, the atmosphere at Blue Bayou is fun (the POTC boats going through), but in our opinion, the food is a bit so so, and overly priced for the quality you get. It is very dark in there, so if either of your kids is sensitive to that, it could be an issue. When DD was those ages, she usually fell asleep on the table before the meal was over, but she did get a nice short nap which got her ready to go again! If you are not going to do Fantasmic, I second that Café Orleans is great. We had given up Blue Bayou entirely in favor of Café Orleans, until DL got rid of the Fantasmic dessert package and went to Fast Pass and the dinners. Now, we feel like we are kind of stuck back at Blue Bayou!

 

[4Siamese]

Another good option for kids is the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ in DL

Another big tip of the Stetson for Big thunder BBQ. Fun laid back atmosphere and really good food make for a winner in my books.

People are split on Blue Bayou

Good way of putting things for this one. Personally I have never had a bad meal there (the steak I always find extremely good.) but it is on the pricey side. We always eat at BB during our trips.

 

[jina]

We did a F! dining package at WDW when DD had just turned 4. She really did not like F! - she was screaming through most of it. And it wasn't too late at night for her as we were still on Pacific time. Now that she's 5 1/2 we tried WOC and she was finally old enough to want to watch the whole thing (and she took a rare nap earlier in the day) - when she was 3 she HATED WOC just like she hated F!. If your kids can stay up late w/o melting down and have long attention spans then never mind.

Having said that, DD5 loves BB - especially to get out of the heat and bright light of day. We always check in 20 min early and wait for a water side table. She first started going there when she was 3 1/2.

For a last night @ Disneyland, one option is Goofy's Kitchen over at the Disneyland hotel. It's not the best food but for kids it's food heaven and there are so many characters who come to your table. We also love BTRBBQ but it may be chilly if you're doing a dinner reservation - even in August. We also really like Storyteller's Cafe although its' less exciting at dinner since there are no characters, but it has nice ambiance and a good menu for all.

For us, Wine Country Trattoria was OK food-wise and ambiance-wise - nothing special. We much prefer Carthay Circle when dining inside DCA or having counter service over at Pacific Wharf - although the last few times we've just trotted over to GCH and eaten at Storytellers.

 

[Disney Kidd]

I would also suggest Goofy's Kitchen. Kids that age would have a blast there!

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

My youngest two are basically the same age as yours and the places that have been hits for us are Naples, Jazz Kitchen, and Big Thunder BBQ. They like Goofy's Kitchen, but rarely eat very much (and the limited characters now has be never wanting to eat there again). They like Carthay Circle & Blue Bayou as well.

 

[coaches24]

BTRBBQ is the best place in the parks to eat IMO and their kids price is reasonable for DL.

DTD option to consider is ESPN zone. Foods pretty good and the kids love the arcade.

 

[GoBears 1980]

Are you there on a Sunday? The House of Blues Gospel Brunch is the best meal/show on the property.

Skip Tortilla Jo's and give Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen a try. The kids will be blown away by Banana's Foster.

Agree about Big Thunder. It is a fun cool spot.

 

[peaches0313]

We are there on a Sunday. Never heard of the Gospel Brunch. Sounds fun! BUT, we would have to skip our Plaza breakfast reservation to do it

 

[Indiana Scott]

I would not go to DLR without eating at The Plaza Inn. It's pure Disney history and the only place designed and decorated by Lillian Disney.
The chicken dinner is fantastic!

 

[4Siamese]

having counter service over at Pacific Wharf

One word for eating at Pacific Wharf.....Ghirardelli