Lunch suggestions not in a theme park?

[bangzoom6877]

We're going to be at WDW in mid-July for 10 nights. It will be me, DH, DS5 and DS3 (almost...his b-day is May 1st!!). We have some really terrific resort dinner ADRs (Sanaa, Captain's Grille, Cape May Cafe, Chef Mickey's for the characters, Kona Cafe). We have some really great lunch ADRs in the parks too (Chefs de France, San Angel Inn, 50s Prime Time, Sci-Fi).

On arrival day, we will be going to Earl of Sandwich for lunch and Chef Mickey's for dinner. We have 2 days throughout the trip when we are not going to a theme park at all, besides arrival day. We are staying at Boardwalk Villas, and we will have the car with us so travel is not a problem. One of our non-park days we have a later breakfast (9:25AM, late for us) at 1900 Park Fare so I doubt we will be very hungry for a huge lunch, but the kids will definitely need some kind of lunch. The other non-park day, we are just going to eat a light breakfast in the villa whenever the kids wake up (usually around 7 on the weekends at home). This is a day I would like to find a good place for lunch.

We were thinking about trying for Beaches & Cream when they first open, but now I'm not sure. Then I was thinking about The Fountain at the Swan/Dolphin (I forgot which one specifically it is in), and then there is the option of the Boardwalk Bakery, but I know they have limited seating. We are not on a dining plan, but we will have the Tables in Wonderland card.

Any lunch suggestions? Any place where we may not need an ADR for lunch?

 

[Bev J]

some of the resturants in the resorts would be a good choice. Whispering Canyon at the WL is fun and the food is good. Rainforest Cafe, T-Rex Cafe at DTD are fun for kids but kinda hard on Mom and Dads wallet...
Since you have a car you could try just about any resturant in Orlando!

Maybe just a simple lunch poolside would be good too.

Bev

 

[countingmomma]

We had lunch at Whispering Canyon & our kids (9 & 15) really enjoyed it. The food was very good, too.

 

[Greta]

A simple lunch at poolside like one post said sounds great! Don't lock yourself into a plan for every meal, let yourself go with the flow on some days, sometimes those Serendipity moments turn out to be the best!

 

[bangzoom6877]

I forgot to mention that we are also going to Whispering Canyon for dinner one night! Sorry about that.

T-Rex is a nice idea, my boys may like it there. I really don't want to have to make another ADR though, so I am wondering about places that are good for lunch, not too expensive (think prices comparable to 50s PT lunch, for example), and places that are easy to get into without booking far in advance. A place where I can just call that morning to see if there is availability for lunch that same day, but at a restaurant we are not already going to for dinner.

Poolside is something we have considered too. We really wanted to try Beaches & Cream, but it seems like an overhyped place, and we can get burgers at other places (i.e., Sci-Fi when we go there for lunch). Plus, I think if we are going for some special ice cream, I would be more inclined to go to Ghirardelli in DTD. And we may end up doing that our first day after lunch at Earl of Sandwich.

How is The Wave for lunch? Is it easy to get into there at the last minute?

 

[goofygal531]

How is The Wave for lunch? Is it easy to get into there at the last minute?

I've heard it's very good. Why not make an ADR and just cancel it should you change your plans. It's better to be safe than sorry, especially when traveling in the summer months.

Usually walk-ins are possible for lunch, but keep in mind that with the Disney Visa promotion kids eat free so many people will be on a dining plan this summer. I've learned from experience to always make an ADR for each meal, then just cancel should your plans change.

As for the Boardwalk area, that was my least favorite resort due to the food options. The Bakery has prepackaged sandwiches as well as their pool area. It was fine, but not what I was expecting. My DH and DS#1 ate at Beaches & Cream one day and really enjoyed it. They went to the BC to play in their arcade and stayed for lunch. It wasn't planned. Which left me to find something on the Boardwalk. I would have much prefered to join them for burgers had I of known

Do you have Cape May Cafe for breakfast? That's a great breakfast and worth it since you're in the area. Personally, I don't think 1900 Park Fare is worth the trip. The breakfast buffet is so limited. It's our least favorite out of all the character breakfasts.

 

[goofy4tink]

Are you DVC members? If so, you can head over to Picabu at the Dolphin and get 20% off there. It's cafeteria style dining, but it's really very pleasant. If they make you up something special, they will bring it out to your table. There is plenty of seating and the atmosphere is terrific. We love eating there when at the BW. If you wanted to, you could always go over there, grab some sandwiches and stuff, and then walk back over to the pool area at BW.

 

[Neverland98]

If you wanted to spend some time checking out Fort Wilderness during an off day - pony rides, hiking, fishing, etc., you could catch a lunch at Trails End (TS) or Crockett's Tavern. They also have a take-out window for a fried chicken meal or pizza and I think you can take it down by the water to eat.

Another option is DTD. Wolfgang Puck Express (CS) or Wolfgang Puck Cafe (TS) for lunch. You can stroll, shop, and even check out the Build-A-Dino at T-Rex Cafe without having to eat a whole lunch there!

Or...as PP suggested, just hang out at the resort and grab a quick bite. I think there are plenty of places you could go if you need something more (even head off-site for a bite, if you find the on-site booked).

Enjoy your visit!

 

[ROEDISNEY]

T-Rex the boys would love it there

 

[BCV23]

How is The Wave for lunch? Is it easy to get into there at the last minute?

We've had breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Wave. All three were very good. It should be very easy to get a reservation there or any resort restaurant that is open for lunch. Kona Cafe and GF Cafe are also very good.

Have you been to Earl of Sandwich yet? I know lots of people love it but my DH and I are not fans. Only the price is right IMO.

Wolfgang Puck Cafe, Paradisio 37 and Raglan Road are all good at lunch. No need for reservations then.

Captain's Grille at the YC is another good choice. BTW, the last I knew you had to pay to park at the S/D. Does anyone know if that has changed?

A very quiet place with good food and reasonable prices is the Sandtrap which is by Osprey Ridge golf course.

 

[Greg K.]

...but one of my favorite off-site vacation-y places to eat is Steak & Shake! We don't have it here in New York City, so it's always a treat for me (though not so much for my waistline...).

 

[mousekelicious]

I think it's nice to have some days without an ADR or anywhere you HAVE to be, it keeps your options open. When we were at boardwalk, we found a table with a great view and everyone kind of got their own thing-a couple got sandwiches at the bakery, a couple did coneys and a funnel cake from the stand there and then we got ice cream from seashore sweets to eat while we walked back to HS (although at that point we wished we would have taken the boat!) have a great trip!

 

[chocolateMinnie]

For a quick lunch on a 'free' day or otherwise we really like Gasparillas grill at the GF. We take the boat over to GF and then the monorail back. Sit outside and watch the boats mooring, the fireworks going off at the castle during the lunch time shows and the monorails going passed. It is a very pretty area and although just a CS they do some awesome sandwiches.

 

[jdisnut]

I'll list a few of my favorite lunch places, grouped by location:

Magic Kingdom area: Kona Cafe, Grand Floridian Cafe
Epcot area: Beaches & Cream, Captain's Grille
Downtown Disney: Wolfgang Puck Cafe, Wolfgang Puck Express

Can't go wrong at any of these wonderful restaurants. Good luck!

 

[AppleSister1]

I think it's nice to have some days without an ADR or anywhere you HAVE to be, it keeps your options open. When we were at boardwalk, we found a table with a great view and everyone kind of got their own thing-a couple got sandwiches at the bakery, a couple did coneys and a funnel cake from the stand there and then we got ice cream from seashore sweets to eat while we walked back to HS (although at that point we wished we would have taken the boat!) have a great trip!

We used to do this on our first night for dinner. There were (at that time) corndogs, hot dogs, pizza slices from Spoodles window (Is Kouzinna still doing that?) , the bakery, etc. It was lovely and easy, and then we would simply stroll around and make our way into Epcot for Illuminations.

Another sit down option at the Boardwalk is the Big River Brewery. Not anything special, but if fine and if it's not crowded you can sit near the window and watch the Boardwalk.

 

[bangzoom6877]

We've had breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Wave. All three were very good. It should be very easy to get a reservation there or any resort restaurant that is open for lunch. Kona Cafe and GF Cafe are also very good.

Have you been to Earl of Sandwich yet? I know lots of people love it but my DH and I are not fans. Only the price is right IMO.

Wolfgang Puck Cafe, Paradisio 37 and Raglan Road are all good at lunch. No need for reservations then.

Captain's Grille at the YC is another good choice. BTW, the last I knew you had to pay to park at the S/D. Does anyone know if that has changed?

A very quiet place with good food and reasonable prices is the Sandtrap which is by Osprey Ridge golf course.

I'm not worried about parking at S/D because we could just walk over there from BWV.

Earl of Sandwich is on our list for lunch on arrival day. We've never been there yet but want to try it and the prices are very reasonable.

I will check out the other places you mentioned. All sound like good possiblities!

The Big River Brewery is a great idea too, and I believe they give a discount for lunch for DVC members (maybe 10%?). ESPN Club is another one I thought of. Neither of these take ADRs so they are good options. They're both convenient to BWV too.

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!!

 

[keishashadow]

im not a fan of big river brewery, would rather stroll down the BW to ESPN where the food is decent bar food. It's easy to get into for lunch, dinner can be quite the wait

 

[bangzoom6877]

im not a fan of big river brewery, would rather stroll down the BW to ESPN where the food is decent bar food. It's easy to get into for lunch, dinner can be quite the wait

Thanks for letting me know...the menu at ESPN actually looks a little better anyway. So we may end up over there for lunch.

Still may end up going to either Beaches & Cream or The Fountain. They are so close to BWV and would make for a nice, easy, lazy, non-traveling day! We could walk to either one or take the boat if we feel lazy, but don't have to drive or wait for a bus!