Must do restaurants for 5 year old?

[Andrea0710]

November will be my first visit to Disneyland. Are they any must do restaurants for a 5 year old as far as theming and interest? He is a huge fan of Carsland, so we already know we are doing Flo's Cafe the first night. Any other ideas of places he would enjoy? Thanks!

 

[mom2rtk]

Find out when sunset occurs and arrive at Flo's about 15 minutes before that time. Hang out outside and wait for the neon lights to come on.

 

[mom2rtk]

Really, any of the other character meals is fun for this age. They all have strengths and weaknesses. Best interaction might be Surf's Up at PPH. But I wouldn't leave the park for it. Most variety of characters is Plaza Inn, but you have to be in the park. Goofy's is the only character dinner, and it's good for the classic Disney experience.

 

[Andrea0710]

Find out when sunset occurs and arrive at Flo's about 15 minutes before that time. Hang out outside and wait for the neon lights to come on.

Oh my goodness! He will absolutely love that!

 

[mom2rtk]

Oh my goodness! He will absolutely love that!

If he loves Carsland that much, eat in the back room where you can watch the ride in action while you eat.

 

[Andrea0710]

If he loves Carsland that much, eat in the back room where you can watch the ride in action while you eat.

That sounds awesome! He has been obsessed with Cars since he was around 2 and has been begging to go to Disneyland. This visit will be a surprise with him finding out the day before!

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

Our daughter is almost five and we went in February! Here are some things she enjoyed:

• On day one, we had lunch at Jolly Holiday so I could get a grilled cheese and tomato soup. I don't remember what my daughter had (I know she liked it) but she LOVED picking a dessert form the case. So that was a fun lunch.
• My daughter's favorite character meal was Plaza Inn breakfast. We did a lunch at Ariel's Grotto and she enjoyed the princesses, but she really loved the variety of characters and the interactions at Plaza Inn. We did a late breakfast (10:30) and some characters we saw upon arrival left before making it to our table, but we still had a great time. My daughter is one who cares about meeting new and "rare" characters, so meeting Perla was a real treat.
• Ice cream on Main Street was another favorite. We took our ice cream to eat at the cafe on the corner and were surprised by Alice and Mad Hatter, so my daughter got to play games with them. This is probably not regularly scheduled, but maybe other characters pop in there, too? It was a fun surprise.
• You already mentioned Flo's V-8, but my daughter had a lot of fun there. She has seen Cars but is not a serious fan, but she still enjoyed the theme and the food.
• This might be irrelevant depending on where you are staying, but we ate two breakfasts in the counter service restaurant at Disneyland Hotel (where we stayed) and my daughter loved it both times.
• Pizza slices at the Napoli counter service place were another hit for my kiddo! It was quick, not expensive, and she enjoyed the outdoor musicians during and after the meal.

 

[agamble]

If you've never been to one before, the Rainforest Cafe is a pretty neat place for kids. Be sure to make a reservation for dinner by calling them directly. If you're traveling from out of state, but have transportation, many people like to visit In and Out.

Another note, there is a Lego store in DTD near the Rainforest Cafe that your son may enjoy visiting if he's into LEGO.

 

[azdisneylover]

Your son would enjoy getting a snack from the Cozy Cones in Cars Land. I like getting the dill popcorn and a pear o dice drink myself. Mickey's Kitchen Sink found in Clarabelles connected to Fidler's Fifel and Practical on Buena Vista St ( is liked by many! (Hubby now eat his ice cream out of it!). To get a few minutes out of the crowds and heat, Whitewater Snacks in the GCH has a good variety of food choices and lots of seating inside and outside. We eat at least 4 times a visit. You may even see a cat. I second Rainforest Cafe in DTD. The fish are so calming to watch.

 

[Hojoanaheim]

Another vote for Mickeys Kitchen Sink at Clarabelles. You get to keep the sink! Its styled to look like Mickey Mouse's pants, super cute!

Have fun!
Kriss

 

[Simba07]

We second Plaza at 10:30am. Good food . Great characters.

 

[minniecarousel]

Our 3 yr old grandson loves StoryTellers breakfast at the Grand Californian. Chip & Dale, and others that I can't remember now. Low-key, which is good for little ones.

 

[Angrose]

My DS was 5 when we first took him to DLR because he was a HUGE Cars fan. We spent most of our time there because he loved it so much. I think we rode Mater's 10 times that day! Getting snacks from the Cozy Cones is fun. They have soft serve, churro bites with dipping sauce, pretzel bites, and popcorn. Back then you could get your popcorn in a Lightening McQueen shaped bucket. I don't know if they have those anymore but they still have the Dinoco sippers that look like oil cans, very cute. They also do the DJ's dance party which is super fun. The car DJ comes out and plays fun songs and gets everyone dancing. It's more fun at night, so something to do after dinner maybe since they do it right at the intersection by Flo's.

If your son is a Star Wars fan there is the Jedi Academy over in DL. You have to sign up in advance. My son was too nervous to do it when he was 5, but it was still fun to sit at Tomorrowland Terrace to watch the show while having lunch or a snack. It's always very dramatic when Darth Vader emerges!

 

[Andrea0710]

My DS was 5 when we first took him to DLR because he was a HUGE Cars fan. We spent most of our time there because he loved it so much. I think we rode Mater's 10 times that day! Getting snacks from the Cozy Cones is fun. They have soft serve, churro bites with dipping sauce, pretzel bites, and popcorn. Back then you could get your popcorn in a Lightening McQueen shaped bucket. I don't know if they have those anymore but they still have the Dinoco sippers that look like oil cans, very cute. They also do the DJ's dance party which is super fun. The car DJ comes out and plays fun songs and gets everyone dancing. It's more fun at night, so something to do after dinner maybe since they do it right at the intersection by Flo's.

If your son is a Star Wars fan there is the Jedi Academy over in DL. You have to sign up in advance. My son was too nervous to do it when he was 5, but it was still fun to sit at Tomorrowland Terrace to watch the show while having lunch or a snack. It's always very dramatic when Darth Vader emerges!

Wow! Just hearing the special treats from Cars Land make me so excited for this trip! I can't wait!

 

[Angrose]

Wow! Just hearing the special treats from Cars Land make me so excited for this trip! I can't wait!

Oh, and I didn't even mention the bacon mac 'n cheese and the pomegranate limeade! Both at also at the Cozy Cones
You will have a great time!

 

[Jaylens Papa]

Find out when sunset occurs and arrive at Flo's about 15 minutes before that time. Hang out outside and wait for the neon lights to come on.

" Life Could Be A Dream" She boom.
We love this, then soon after DJ the car comes out and kids can dance in the street to the music.

 

[AndreAggie]

We took our son when was a about 3 months shy of being 5. On our last day (of 4), we scheduled character breakfast at Surf's Up because I knew Mickey would be there. We must have just timed it perfectly because as we were entering the dining room, Mickey waved and gestured to my son to dance, and we had several minutes of one on one time with Mickey....hugs, high fives, dancing, autographs, etc. It was amazing! Such great memories!