How to eat on the cheap in DLR?

[julluvsdisney]

How do you eat on the cheap without eating crappy while in DLR? I know the good values in WDW but no clue in DLR! TIA!!

 

[MommyLove]

I saw your other post about hotels - a huge way we save $$ on food is by taking advantage of a hotel's free breakfast. Of the 4 hotels you listed in your other thread, BWPPI has by far the best continental breakfast since it includes hot/protein (eggs every day and usually rotates sausage & bacon). You can see in my sig how many times we've chosen that hotel... it's so close and the free breakfast saves time & money, so that makes it a great value for us.

 

[amyg1975]

Sharing food at quick-service places helps. Take snacks with you, because they tend to be the thing that adds up quick!

 

[KateDrake]

I'll echo the food-sharing advice. We usually get two adult meals/entrees and share between our family of 4. And we still often throw food away! We also tend to stick to places that offer something other than burgers. For example, you can get a huge "Jolly Holiday Combo" of tomato soup and grilled cheese and an entree salad for about $20. Much less than getting every family member their own meal, and it keeps us from over eating. For me it's less about the money and more about wasting food, but it certainly helps! Here are some of my favorite places for shareable, non-burger meals:

Jolly Holliday
Plaza Inn
Red Rocketts
Rancho del Zocalo
Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta
Pacific Warf Cafe
Flo's V8 Cafe

Another thing that will save money is to get water instead of soda for drinks, or bring some juice boxes or pouches for kids.

 

[CandMmommy]

I second plaza inn chicken. We ordered and extra size of green beans and my girls were 3 and 6 and they gave me a breast and 2 legs at no extra charge. The girls ate the legs and green beans and split the bread. I ate the rest and it was plenty.
Most places I found would bring a side of fruit or veggies for a few bucks...and even split a kids meal at carnation cafe.

 

[goooof1]

Do not miss Paradise Garden Grill in DCA.....great Mediterranean kabobs..... As previously mentioned, many of these CS places have large servings and one entree can easily serve two.

 

[Disneyluvr2]

I'm a big fan of ordering kids meals! Here's a pic of the chicken dinner kids meal at Plaza Inn, which is plenty for me. The kids meals include drinks too. Ordering water instead of soda is also a good way to save money.

I also agree with MommyLove's post about staying at a Park Place Inn, since they serve a free breakfast. That can save quite a bit of money on a trip!

 

[julluvsdisney]

Awesome! Thank you so much! Would you recommend going anywhere outside of the parks to eat? Or is that a time waster? I have no idea how difficult it is to go in and out! At WDW its such a pain to leave so we prefer to stay but it seems like it might be easier? Or maybe some places in DTD? We are there for such a short time that I dont want to waste time but this is such a side trip I have to be aware of every penny! Basically we will be heading back from my brothers wedding so we decided a 4 day stop in DLR would be fun but DH says it has to be as cheap as possible!

 

[CandMmommy]

It was easier for us to eat in the park. We did one character breakfast and then had granola bars, bagels, bananas in our room each morning. We would have lunch before we headed back to our room for the kids to nap or swim, then come back around 530, watch parade at 6, then eat or get a corn dog or something on mainstreet to eat during the parade.

 

[Dismoml3]

I would check out the Dis podcast from Disneyland. They did a few different shows about where to eat inexpensively for breakfast lunch and dinner. That Podcast has been a great help for me in planning our 1st trip in Jan.

 

[taniahappy]

Agree on staying at a place that offers the free breakfast. Also, we always bring snacks like carrots, almonds, etc, water, sandwiches, a couple of chocolate bars inside the park.... plus Earl of Sandwich and or Mimis Cafe are just 2 of the places that constantly offer 2-4-1 coupons so we take advantage of those as well.

 

[Princessleia]

A few of our lower-cost and still good food favorites are Cozy Cone in Cars Land and the walk up dining at Naples/Napoli (pizza slices, sandwiches, salads) and Tortilla Joes in DTD. And I second getting water instead of soda - you can get a free cup of ice water at any food service location, just ask!

 

[tlovesdis]

My youngest niece and I always share meals. We love the cheese enchiladas and steak at Rancho. It's like $13 and we get water, so pretty cheap for two! The fried chicken plate at Plaza Inn is great to share too!

We also love to get corn dogs in DL or cheese dogs (no hot dog just cheese) in DCA, although we don't share those, but still pretty cheap at about $7 each.

 

[Bud Ice]

In the park, food sharing is your best bet. You can also stash food:

1) Lockers: in the Picnic Area lockers outside the Park.
2) Car. Park in DTD or Mickey & Friends. Have a quick lunch there.
3) Hotel Room. If you Vons deliver or find a grocery store. Stock up there.

For drinks, Starbucks Cups are allowed through security and the Park.


For a sitdown restaurant, there's buffets right nearby the park..

- Shakeys $8.99 Lunch Buffet (Harbor/Ball)
- Captain Kidds $10 Buffet
- Asian / Mexican places for $10 per person

 

[meggles]

If you're staying on Harbour, head over to pizza press for lunch or to grab a late dinner when heading back to the hotel. They are open late and their pizza is actually quite good and cheap as well- $10 for a pizza that easily feeds two people.

 

[NiceOneSimba]

Plaza Inn chicken--you can ask for just white meat. It's a little more expensive, but you get two breasts that way. For us, that makes it much more sharable. And I think the kids meal is different chicken--roasted, not fried--but still a great value.
Love, love, love Paradise Garden Grill in DCA. I'm not sure it's shareable for adults, but maybe with side items. Definitely fresh and delicious, though. (They'll put the sauce on the side.)
We also really like the sundried tomato pasta at Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta in DCA.

Outside of the park, I cannot say enough good things about Pizza Press, at the Carousel (I think) Hotel on Harbor. It's like $10 for a pizza. They're bigger than personal sized, maybe more like a traditional small? You get to choose your toppings! It's SO yummy, and a great value, especially for the area.

I'd avoid Captain Kidd's. Check out their Yelp--eek!

You can also order grocery delivery from Von's. We order soda and bottled water, as well as portable snacks like granola bars. Major cost savings over park prices, and you can carry drinks in with no problem as long as they're not in glass bottles.

 

[Kiwigirls]

We left the parks reasonably often for dinner - mostly because we wanted to try those restaurants or were heading back to the motel (BWPPI) to grab a sweater or something. I-hop, Denny's, McDonald's are all really close by and easy to go to.
We didn't go to Pizza Press but I've heard really good things so plan to this time!

 

[ADLFAN]

Yes, definitely share! I loved our pizza from Pizza Press! It was delicious and you can customize your toppings however you like! My husband and I each got one, but wish we would have split one because they were big enough. Also, they'll split topping choices, too.

We treated ourselves to a shared meal at Cafe Orleans and split the Monte Cristo, the Pomme Frites, and the French Onion Soup and it was a perfect meal!

The meals at Rainforest Cafe in DTD are gigantic and easy to split, too.

There is a super close McDonald's on Harbor if you are going to eat burgers and chicken nuggets anyway, but I don't know that the cost savings would be worth leaving the park! Maybe if you're already heading back for the night, or a hotel break.

Free pancakes at IHOP if you sign up for their email club!

Split snacks like a Mickey Pretzel, Churro or Frozen Lemonade to save money and space for more goodies!

Maybe consider a late breakfast or brunch character meal around 10-11 that counts as two meals, plus character interaction!

Have fun planning!

 

[CallieMar]

If you're staying on Harbour, head over to pizza press for lunch or to grab a late dinner when heading back to the hotel. They are open late and their pizza is actually quite good and cheap as well- $10 for a pizza that easily feeds two people.

We loooove Pizza Press! We usually grab a couple pizzas for a late night nibble. Do rope drop to noon-ish the following day, then go back to the room and have leftovers for lunch and to rest. So good (and I totally eat it straight out of the fridge, lol).

Try to find a hotel with free breakfast, or bring your own breakfast stuff to eat in the room. Even if it's just bagels or granola bars, it's enough to get you going through the first few hours of the day.

The coffee in most motel rooms is pretty terrible. We bring the freeze dried coffee packets, similar to Via but much cheaper - about $10 for 50 packets at our Asian grocery store for the kind that already have cream and sugar in them, and cheaper for plain. It might not work if you're very particular about your coffee, but it's cheaper than going to Starbucks every morning, and it's usually better than the stuff provided in the room (as noted above you should be having breakfast at your hotel anyway!)

As others have mentioned, there are meals that you can share, like the Fried Chicken at Plaza Inn. This doesn't work for us, mainly because we are absolutely starving after walking around the parks all day! But it can definitely be done.

I carry around a collapsible water bottle, much easier to carry around when not in use. There are several filtered water stations around the park, and Anaheim tap water is very drinkable. You can also ask for a free cup of ice water at most food locations.

 

[starry_solo]

If you want to eat at the parks, I suggest Plaza Inn fried chicken. You can also order meat only (for less price) if you don't like the green beans or mashed potatoes.