Must Do dining for kids

[Mindy Marie]

My DH and I are taking our DS who will be 4 1/2 to Disney in September. We have four nights to make dinner reservations. I was wondering if anyone could share what restraunts they would recomend. Thanks in advance!

 

[anne0866]

Great question - we have a 4 1/2 year old son and are going in sept too!!
Looking forward to the responses you may get.

 

[3princesses4us]

Character meals are a must. Chef Mickey's is probably the most popular because you get to see the fab 5 (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto & Goofy) all in the same place.
If they like Pooh and the gang, then Crystal Palace buffet is nice.
Donald's Breakfastosaurus at the AK seems to be a big hit with boys especially.
If he's not afraid of quasi-scary B movie film clips, the Sci-Fi Dine In at MGM is a hoot. You sit in cars to eat and watch a big screen like you're at the drive in movie theater.
Liberty Tree Tavern has a character dinner in the MK with everyone dressed in colonial garb.
MGM is just starting a new Playhouse Disney breakfast for the younger crowd this month at Hollywood & Vine.
At Epcot, the Garden Grill is pretty neat. Farmer Mickey, Pluto, Chip & Dale greet you while you eat in a rotating restaurant overlooking "the Land". It's different and should keep his attention.
And if he likes Lilo & Stitch, 'Ohana at the Polynesian has them at breakfast.
Everything else I can think of are princess meals geared towards little girls. That should be plenty to keep him entertained and give you some great photo ops! Good luck!

 

[have2getaway]

Great question - we have a 4 1/2 year old son and are going in sept too!!

Us too!! It will be me, dh, and ds (4 1/2) in September. I'm starting to see a pattern. I am subscribing as I would like to know too.

 

[belle&beast]

Well, we were there in January with 4 1/2 yo DD and DS who turned 2 on our trip. We had wonderful experiences at all the places we went and I will give a quick run-down:

Akershus for PSL: We chose this for our DD and DS stole the show! He left with cheeks and forehead full of princess kiss marks! Food was great, too. We like to experience different food in Epcot and it was yummy! We saw Aurora, Belle, Ariel, Mulan and Jasmine.

Crystal Palace dinner: Again great food/ service and lots of character interaction. Kids loved to parade around the restaurant with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet!

Cinderella's Royal Table: The food was excellent and the dining room was beautiful! This was before it changed to 2 TS credits and there were not characters at the dinner. We did meet Cinderella in the lobby and had a family photo with her.

Crystal Palace breakfast: Again food and characters were wonderful! This was an additional reservation because the Spirit of Aloha show was cancelled. This was DS's 2nd birthday and they decorated the table and brought him a b-day card from the characters and a b-day cupcake!

Chef Mickey's: DS's 2nd birthday party was celebrated at Chef Mickey's for dinner! This was the most fun of all and the food was great too. It is a real party atmosphere with music and napkin swinging to celebrate. We saw Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Chip and Dale.

I hope this is helpful- we had a blast and I'm sure you will, too!

 

[slduck]

We did Chef Mickey's with out 4 yo, and she loved it.

 

[Jrabbit910]

Another pick for Chef Mickeys... Kids love it and so do adults.. Its in the CR and its so easy to get to the parks using the tram. Another suggestion is 1900 Park fare... again its easy to get to using the tram and its Cinderella Theme is great for little girls.
Inside AK is Donalds breafast which is really cute and the food is good, Epcot I think a great place is Coral Reef so they can watch the fish tank, and the Garden Grill, in MGM, you cant go wrong w/ the burgers at SCI Fi. Its great sitting in the cars, having the kids sitting in the front in a drivers seat is great so they think they are driving! Have a great time & I hope these suggestions helped!

 

[ktink]

Our dds LOVED CM. They enjoyed dinner there more so than at Cinderella's Royal Table. They can't wait to go back and the youngest was 4 on our last trip. It was right up her alley.

 

[Kae]

We first took DS when he was 4, of course he loved all the Char Meals. His favorite was a late breakfast at Cape May 10:30ish he had Goofy, Chip & Dale all to himself. So think about a late CB at any of the resorts. Aside from CM he enjoyed The Plaza at MK-first Shake, Kona, & most countersrvice places. We did try to eat at off times so we could miss the rushes. He also like Brown Derby & Chefs de France but I think it was because we did those at lunch & he could wind down form the WDW "overload".

Kae

 

[Tam1067]

On our last trip, my kids' favorites were Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace, and Whispering Canyon (all for dinner). We liked these so well we're returning to these spots when we go in July.

 

[Anniegirl]

Another vote here for Chef Mickey. The character meals are fun but consider others as well. Our son really enjoyed Tepanyaki in Japan, the grill chef put on quite a show. Although I've never been, I've heard good things about Biergarten in Germany. Kids seem to like the Oompa band and dancing. If he's a Toy Story fan, give Toy Story's Pizza Planet a try for counter service at MGM. We like eating upstairs at the Columbia Harbor House and letting the kids people watch. Most restaurants will provide an activity menu and crayons for the little ones to help keep them occupied. We found the boys sometimes morphed into monsters in the evenings from fatigue/stimulation and the counter service restaurants are quicker and more forgiving after a full day. Enjoy your trip!

 

[momofdbsdc]

We adore Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace!!!! Donald's is ok, but not our favorite. Food was good, but I didn't like the set up.

 

[MomofKatie]

Any of the character meals are, of course, great for little ones. Some of the others I would consider fun for kids are:

Biergarten in Germany, Epcot- they have an oompah band that plays, and kids can get up and dance on the dance floor in front of the stage. DD loved doing the Chicken Dance. Food is also pretty good- nothing weird or spicy.

Marrakesh in Morocco, Epcot- The kids' menu has "normal" food, and there is a band that plays Moroccan music and a belly dancer.

Teppenyaki in Japan, Epcot- If you get a good chef, they can put on quite a show. It's a Benihana-cook-at-the-table style restaurant.

Coral Reef, Living Seas, Epcot- fun for kids who like to watch the fish in the big tanks.

Sci Fi, MGM- The restaurant looks like a drive-in theater, and you sit in old convertibles and watch silly old 50's sci fi clips on the big screen.

50's Prime Time, MGM- Mom's kitchen in the 50's setting, and the servers get into character, telling you to eat your veggies, etc. Especially fun if you are the type that likes to play along with the antics.

Rainforest Cafe, DTD and AK- not on the Dining plan, but fun. Rianforest theme complete with storms, animal noises, etc.

'Ohana dinner at the Poly- Hula hooping, coconut races, and Hawaiian singing- and good food. If you are there late, you can see Wishes from the windows.

Whispering Canyon Cafe, WL- The servers really like to play here- ask for a LARGE drink, a straw, or some catsup and see what happens!

 

[wendypooh]

We first took our DS when he was 3, he's 6 now. His fav's are Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace. Those are both really good for little ones. We are going in Sept. too, and we are going to;

Chef Mickey's
Donald's Breakfast
Coral Reef
50's PT
Le Cellier
Kona Cafe
Boma


The first 4 are basically for DS. I have to agree though, any of the character meals are a good choice. We went this Feb. to Cindy's (the day before it changed to 2TS credits, so no characters) DS actually LOVED it!!!! I thought he might not since it was a "princess" thing, but he really enjoyed it and we got a fantastic pic of him and Cindy in the lobby!!! Our waiter, Scott, was really good, he was totally into making DS feel like the "prince"!

 

[wendypooh]

At Epcot, the Garden Grill is pretty neat. Farmer Mickey, Pluto, Chip & Dale greet you while you eat in a rotating restaurant overlooking "the Land". It's different and should keep his attention.

I don't mean to hijack, but could you tell me more about this restaurant?? It might be something DS would like. Thanks!!!

 

[Fionasmommy]

It's not a character meal, but my DD (then 4) loved the sticky wings and kiddie kone dessert at Kona Cafe. It was awesome!! The food was sooooo much better than you'd get at a character meal - we actually cancelled a ressie at Crystal Palace to go back to Kona for second time!

She actually loved Le Cellier too.

 

[wendypooh]

My DS really liked LeCellier also!!! We are going to Kona in Sept!!! Gotta get the kiddie kone!!!

 

[MomofKatie]

I don't mean to hijack, but could you tell me more about this restaurant?? It might be something DS would like. Thanks!!!

It is a revolving restaurant in the Land pavilion- you view different scenes from the Living with the Land ride as you dine. Lunch and dinner are served family style, and Mickey, Pluto, Chip, and Dale are dressed up as farmers. The food is mainly American comfort food- flank steak, pork loin, catfish, salad, veggies, potatoes, etc. The kids' menu is the norm- mac&cheese, chicken fingers, etc. Lunch is $21 for adults, 12 for kids, and dinner is $28 and $13.

 

[Eeyore2003]

I really think a perfect 3-some in dining for little ones for their first time are

Chef Mickey-best Mickey atmosphere, always fun

Cinderella's Royal Table-For a boy, I don't know how important this is, but I think it's always neat to eat at the castle

Ohana's-it's a really fun non-character meal, they have coconut/broom races for the kids and hoola hooping. I think this is the "funnest" non character meal for kids.

If he likes the Pooh characters, then I would add Crystal Palace to round out the 4 days.

I think those meals cover alot of "fun" areas-IMO-the best Mickey meal, the best Cinderella meal, the most fun non-character meal for that age, and the best Pooh meal.

 

[Deborah_Mary]

Another CM must-doer here! We gave our dd-7 a choice of any meal and she picked CM over CRT & PSB and she is a BIG princess lover!! Last year we did Ohana instead since we were staying at the Poly and not CR and even though we enjoyed the food we were disappointed with the character interaction.

Kids... of all ages... boys & girls... and even adults love CM!!

Have a ball!

Deb*