In Park Dining Suggestions/Opinions

[CJJenkins]

A little about me. I've been to Disney twelve times, most of those times when I was single with no children. I'm a bit of a foodie, not in that I know anything about gourmet food, but that being from Louisiana, I love to eat! I will plan my day around eating a good meal or trying something new, and I will try just about anything at least once. Before kids, I would plan nice dinners at Sanaa and Shula's and Le Cellier and the lot, but now we have kids, the youngest of which will be 5 during our next trip. I am gonna plan a few nice dinners (10 day trip), but will also be open to doing sit down meals in the park. I have never been really blown away by any of the sit down meals in any of the parks, and I have been to most locations. I am willing to sacrifice quality of the food for something my family will enjoy and make a memory at.

Any of the parks are an option. First thing that came to mind was 50's Primetime Café. I'm not a fan of Sci-Fi, but might consider it if you guys have had awesome recent experiences. Give me some suggestions you have and WHY you think it would be a winner. Eating in the parks is just gonna be so much more convenient than trying to get the little ones back to the hotel, cleaned up, and then off to another hotel again for a nice dinner.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

A little about me. I've been to Disney twelve times, most of those times when I was single with no children. I'm a bit of a foodie, not in that I know anything about gourmet food, but that being from Louisiana, I love to eat! I will plan my day around eating a good meal or trying something new, and I will try just about anything at least once. Before kids, I would plan nice dinners at Sanaa and Shula's and Le Cellier and the lot, but now we have kids, the youngest of which will be 5 during our next trip. I am gonna plan a few nice dinners (10 day trip), but will also be open to doing sit down meals in the park. I have never been really blown away by any of the sit down meals in any of the parks, and I have been to most locations. I am willing to sacrifice quality of the food for something my family will enjoy and make a memory at.

Any of the parks are an option. First thing that came to mind was 50's Primetime Café. I'm not a fan of Sci-Fi, but might consider it if you guys have had awesome recent experiences. Give me some suggestions you have and WHY you think it would be a winner. Eating in the parks is just gonna be so much more convenient than trying to get the little ones back to the hotel, cleaned up, and then off to another hotel again for a nice dinner.

In DHS, I would consider Hollywood Brown Derby. It doesn't have antics like 50's, but you are transported back to the golden years of Hollywood and the food is good.

In EP, Biergarten comes to mind if you don't mind buffets or sitting with other families (they have communal tables there). Food is pretty good and they have a German band that plays during the meal. Your kids may also get a kick out of the big aquarium at Coral Reef or the atmosphere at San Angel Inn.

In MK, consider Be Our Guest, Liberty Tree dinner or Spice Road Table. No real antics at any of these, but the atmosphere and theming are nice.

 

[disneycountrygirl]

I consistently hear good things about the food at Skipper Canteen in Magic Kingdom, so we booked that one this coming trip.

Teppan Edo (along with Ohana) are our must-dos. Both are memorable because the chef grilling at the table and the kid-oriented games respectively.

Coral Reef is a good memory if you ask to be seated right next the aquarium. We did that our first trip back in 2007 and it is a standout memory (but we haven't been back cause the lackluster food).

Garden Grill has the characters and the fact that it is a revolving restaurant makes it fun.

Biergarten always comes up because of the fun polka band and San Angel Inn because of the ambiance. We are trying Biergarten this trip because of other's reviews.

 

[CJJenkins]

We are doing Garden Grill for breakfast one morning to get into the park early and get that extra Soarin ride! We are going to be there for Christmas and I'm considering doing LTT for dinner on Christmas day. I've done Biergarten before and I liked it. That might be a good option. Done Coral Reef a few times, and like you said, the food is meh...

 

[yorkieteacher]

If you are in MK you are a short boat ride away from Wilderness Lodge-they have their own boat transportation to and from the Kingdom. Snow White's Storybook dine is in a beautiful location in the lodge(used to be Artist Point) and had really good food. It is a character meal, but was still calm and quiet. Also Akushus in Epcot with all the princesses had good food and was more low key for a character meal. If you have girls, they would love these two.

 

[Oneanne]

Another vote for Biergarten... it's a totally immersive experience with the village decor, dancing and band show, and will be decorated for Christmas. And as other's have mentioned, Teppan Edo is a good choice, with the little show the chef puts on. If your kids learn a couple words of Japanese before hand (like please and thank you) they can have fun interacting with the hostesses.

 

[AuntJamelle]

One of our better meals was at The Plaza in MK for lunch - food was good, large portions, very kid (and husband) friendly. And even if you are not on a dining plan the prices are pretty decent. I would totally recommend it! Ice cream is from the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor next door and VERY good.

For that matter, if you were willing to take that short boat ride to Wilderness Lodge as mentioned above - I highly recommend the Whispering Canyon Cafe - we had breakfast there 3 times but our one dinner there was excellent! Menu had choices to please adults and kids. You can also ask for be seated in the quiet area if you don't want to be in the thick of all the noise and antics - but kids might love it - a lot do. Bonus was how easy it was to get an ADR there last minute.

Breakfast or dinner, food there was some of the best on our trip - Artist Point was the very best followed by Whispering Canyon. Service was great too.

 

[gharter]

MK- Skipper Canteen. If you have a good server, its a great experience if you enjoy bad Jungle cruise type jokes. The food was good.
HS - Prime Time - same as Skippers.; The food is always good. The servers have been hit or miss. A good one is priceless.
EPCOT - If you don't have a Beni-hana type restaurant near you, its fun to watch them cook on the grill. Very entertaiing for kids. Biergarten also is another good option.
Our kids loved Coral Reef, seeing the fish. haven't been there in years as the food was marginal, but have read that it has gotten better.
AK - with kids Tusker House may be the best option. Personally, enjoy Tiffins more, but not much fo rkids entertainment there.

 

[PracticallyPerfectLOL]

MK:
The Plaza. Order ice cream 1st and then eat dinner. A tradition from childhood that I still do. Great memories.

 

[NYCgrrl]

A little about me. I've been to Disney twelve times, most of those times when I was single with no children. I'm a bit of a foodie, not in that I know anything about gourmet food, but that being from Louisiana, I love to eat! I will plan my day around eating a good meal or trying something new, and I will try just about anything at least once. Before kids, I would plan nice dinners at Sanaa and Shula's and Le Cellier and the lot, but now we have kids, the youngest of which will be 5 during our next trip. I am gonna plan a few nice dinners (10 day trip), but will also be open to doing sit down meals in the park. I have never been really blown away by any of the sit down meals in any of the parks, and I have been to most locations. I am willing to sacrifice quality of the food for something my family will enjoy and make a memory at.

Any of the parks are an option. First thing that came to mind was 50's Primetime Café. I'm not a fan of Sci-Fi, but might consider it if you guys have had awesome recent experiences. Give me some suggestions you have and WHY you think it would be a winner. Eating in the parks is just gonna be so much more convenient than trying to get the little ones back to the hotel, cleaned up, and then off to another hotel again for a nice dinner.

Epcot: Most anywhere that strikes your fancy. DGD (now 14)'s favorites are VN, CdF, and TD for TS. Yorkshire County's fish and chips, Katsura Grill, and Sommerfest for QS.

HS: HBD. Of late we prefer the lounge over the restaurant since I'm not interested in making daily ADRs anymore. ABC Commissary or a burger from Rosie's and salad from Catalina Eddie's are fine for us at the QS eateries.

AK: Sanaa has become a favorite lunch for an all day park visit. Mr. Harambe's Market allows everyone to pick and chose their favorites than sit together. Nothing wrong with Y+Y's QS.

MK: We don't eat at this park anymore as we prefer the food at the nearby resorts.

The restaurants above are regulars for us and enjoyed by all the age groups we visit WDW with.