My Disneyland dining reviews, with pictures

[Zbugz]

Can I just say that I'm a little....no, I'm waaaay jealous of Figment. That little guy seems to eat the best stuff at Disneyland. And it does it ALL THE TIME!

I need to go buy a lotto ticket.

And he never seems to gain an ounce

 

[BriannaRuth]

I am thinking it would be nice to do one meal at a table service restaurant during our trip but I'm having trouble picking one.... I am having a hard time picking a place everyone will enjoy.. We are a family of four, kids are 15 and 11. Any suggestions? Is Ariel's Grotto nice inside? I love Ariel so that is one of my top picks for ambiance alone

If I could only pick one TS restaurant, it would be Blue Bayou hands down. Don't know about your kids, but I have a 12 and a 16 year old -- we've done Ariel's in the past but this year I think they're too old for the princesses. Although you could go to Ariel's for dinner without princesses, which might be a better fit. It is pretty cool on the inside. But I'd still do BB personally. Wait for a waterside table if you go.

 

[chrisaman]

I am thinking it would be nice to do one meal at a table service restaurant during our trip but I'm having trouble picking one.... I am having a hard time picking a place everyone will enjoy.. We are a family of four, kids are 15 and 11. Any suggestions? Is Ariel's Grotto nice inside? I love Ariel so that is one of my top picks for ambiance alone

I second blue bayou but if you think ur kids would really need or want to see the princesses and what not then ariels grotto is cool. Blue bayou has better food and better atmosphere, just no characters. Carnation cafe is my favorite affordable sit down meal cuz the food is so good and the view of main street is great but kids would prob see it as an ordinary resturant.

 

[lindyv321]

We don't care about seeing princesses at all... So if we did Ariels it would be for dinner. I really want to eat at BB but the menu is what's stopping me. My daughter is 15 and son is 11. Could they order from the kids menu? Neither would want what's on the adult menu

 

[BriannaRuth]

My daughter ordered off the kids' menu when she was 14.

 

[mmmears]

My daughter ordered off the kids' menu when she was 14.

I have read that you can order a kid's meal at the Blue Bayou, but they give you a larger portion and charge you for an adult meal. Is that true?

 

[keahgirl8]

If I could only pick one TS restaurant, it would be Blue Bayou hands down. Don't know about your kids, but I have a 12 and a 16 year old -- we've done Ariel's in the past but this year I think they're too old for the princesses. Although you could go to Ariel's for dinner without princesses, which might be a better fit. It is pretty cool on the inside. But I'd still do BB personally. Wait for a waterside table if you go.

We don't care about seeing princesses at all... So if we did Ariels it would be for dinner. I really want to eat at BB but the menu is what's stopping me. My daughter is 15 and son is 11. Could they order from the kids menu? Neither would want what's on the adult menu

I'd definitely do Blue Bayou if you've never done it. You can't beat that atmosphere.

 

[smiley_face2]

I am thinking it would be nice to do one meal at a table service restaurant during our trip but I'm having trouble picking one.... I am having a hard time picking a place everyone will enjoy.. We are a family of four, kids are 15 and 11. Any suggestions? Is Ariel's Grotto nice inside? I love Ariel so that is one of my top picks for ambiance alone

For sure, Blue Bayou!! you can not beat the atmosphere and the kids will love it!! if you ask for a waterside table, they will tell you it will be a 40 minute wait or something, but we have never waited more than an extra 20 min and it is so worth it!! And they will not charge you extra if your kids order off the kids menu. They would never be so rude as to question the age of your child, unless they were an obvious adult!! lol!
by the way, because my husband and I don't eat too much, and always want dessert, we pay the extra fee to split the main entree, this way you each get your own choice of gumbo or salad, and full portion of vegetable and potatoe or rice, the only thing they split is the meat portion. that saves quite a bit of money if your kids do decide to order off the adult menu, or you and your partner are light eaters like us
Ariels is very nice inside, but nothing compared to eating inside the pirates of the caribbean ride!

 

[BriannaRuth]

I have read that you can order a kid's meal at the Blue Bayou, but they give you a larger portion and charge you for an adult meal. Is that true?

They didn't charge us when my daughter was 14.

 

[Disney_Alli]

I have read that you can order a kid's meal at the Blue Bayou, but they give you a larger portion and charge you for an adult meal. Is that true?

I think it depends - if you just want a child's portion for a young teen you'd probably just be charged the child's price but if you want a larger portion the rule of thumb used to be twice the portion for twice the price.

 

[figment_jii]

Continuing with Figment's Diamond Sparkling Summer Trip, 2016

Storyteller's Cafe, Dinner
Figment went back to Storyteller's for the third time and things went much better (the servers didn't seem quite so overwhelmed). All of his family opted for the buffet this time.

Bread Service - The corn bread muffins were very good.

Roasted Corn Chowder - This is Figment's favorite soup at Storyteller's (actually, it's probably his favorite item on Storyteller's menu). It's very rich and creamy and really yummy!

Dinner Plate with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Arroz Con Pollo, and Herb Roasted Casino Roast - Figment really liked the Casino Roast and the green beans. The garlic mashed potatoes needed more garlic (Figment really couldn't taste any garlic in them). The arroz con pollo was kind of dry.

Dinner Plate with Green Beans, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Honey Mustard Chicken, Arroz Con Pollo, and Herb Roasted Casino Roast - The honey mustard chicken was very moist, but kind of bland. The roast was really good, especially with the mushroom wine sauce!

Dessert Plate with Pina Colada Cupcake, White Chocolate Pot de Creme, and Chocolate Pate - The Chocolate Pate was by far Figment's favorite dessert. It was so rich and chocolatey! The white chocolate pot de creme was his second favorite. The pina colada cupcake didn't really have much flavor.

Dessert Plate with Banana Cheesecake and Chocolate Caramel Tart - The chocolate caramel tart was okay, but it needed either more chocolate or caramel. The banana cheesecake had a very strong "cheesecake" flavor (needed more banana flavor).

Fruit - The watermelon and pineapple were both surprisingly good!

These are a few others things that were on the buffet, but Figment didn't try them.
Macaroni & Cheese and Chicken Strips

Pasta Salad and Potato Salad

Honey Mustard Chicken

Salad Bar

Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, Sunday Brunch
This is Figment's traditional last meal at Disneyland.

Popcorn Calamari - Creole mustard aioli and marinara sauce. This is Figment's favorite appetizer at Brennan's!

Creole Caesar Salad - Romaine hearts, Roma tomatoes, parmesan cheese, Creole caesar dressing, rosemary ciabatta toast, and sautéed crawfish. This is Figment's favorite salad at Brennan's!

Crab Cakes & Eggs - Figment likes the crab cakes and eggs, but he gets it with a side of fresh fruit (instead of the pontalba potatoes).

BBQ Shrimp & Grits - “New Orleans” barbecue sauce and andouille sausage grits. After unsucessfully trying something new last time, Figment returned to his favorite shrimp and grits. So good!

Plaza Inn, Dinner
Fried Chicken - Three pieces of Chicken Fried to a Golden Brown and Seasoned with Distinctive Herbs and Spices and Served with Mashed Potatoes, Vegetables, and a Buttermilk Biscuit. Figment always gets a couple of chicken dinner to take home with him. One last bit of Disneyland after he gets home!

Can I just say that I'm a little....no, I'm waaaay jealous of Figment. That little guy seems to eat the best stuff at Disneyland. And it does it ALL THE TIME!

He's been lucky getting to go to DLR a lot these last few years!

And he never seems to gain an ounce

 

[franandaj]

Plaza Inn, Dinner
Fried Chicken - Three pieces of Chicken Fried to a Golden Brown and Seasoned with Distinctive Herbs and Spices and Served with Mashed Potatoes, Vegetables, and a Buttermilk Biscuit. Figment always gets a couple of chicken dinner to take home with him. One last bit of Disneyland after he gets home!

I never thought of doing this! I'm sure that I could reheat the chicken in the oven so that it would be nice and crisp, and the rest would microwave well.

We need to do this next time we go!

 

[sweethannah]

I had the shrimp and grits during my last trip!

I was perusing the menu and couldn't decide what to have. Something about it seemed familiar so I thought what the heck and tried it.

It was soooo good. If I could have licked the plate I would have. I've never had grits before and wasn't sure what to expect but I would order it again. That said, I felt a little be off for a while after that - could be the combination of rich sauce and too many trips on Star Tours, who knows!

 

[lindyv321]

Thanks for all the advice about BB. We have decided that's where we want to go on our last night in the parks! Splitting meals may be the way to go too!

 

[figment_jii]

I never thought of doing this! I'm sure that I could reheat the chicken in the oven so that it would be nice and crisp, and the rest would microwave well. We need to do this next time we go!

I take a couple of plastic disposable containers (like the ones by Ziploc) to put the mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans and then a Ziploc bag for the chicken and biscuits. One trick I found last time was to ask for the gravy to be on the side. They put it in a little bowl (which was easy to pour into the Ziploc) and then it won't accidentally get on the chicken and make the skin soggy by the time you get home. I used my toaster oven to re-heat the chicken and the microwave for everything else. It comes out pretty good!

 

[Astylla]

I just came to add we are a lovely lunch at Blue Bayou today and love their new menus. They feel more upscale and they light up from behind so very easy to read !

I couldn't get the best photo but now they open up and are illuminated from behind like a computer screen background with the menu on top. Very cool.

 

[keahgirl8]

I never thought of doing this! I'm sure that I could reheat the chicken in the oven so that it would be nice and crisp, and the rest would microwave well.

We need to do this next time we go!

We did that on the last trip with that and the corn dogs! My dad didn't go, so we we brought food home for him. It was fun eating Disneyland food in my house!

 

[keahgirl8]

I just came to add we are a lovely lunch at Blue Bayou today and love their new menus. They feel more upscale and they light up from behind so very easy to read !

I couldn't get the best photo but now they open up and are illuminated from behind like a computer screen background with the menu on top. Very cool.

It took them long enough to come up with that! It's so hard to see in there!

 

[mmmears]

I just came to add we are a lovely lunch at Blue Bayou today and love their new menus. They feel more upscale and they light up from behind so very easy to read !

I couldn't get the best photo but now they open up and are illuminated from behind like a computer screen background with the menu on top. Very cool.

Did they just change the physical menu (sounds really cool) or did they also change the items on the menu?

 

[Astylla]

The items are the same just the menu is illuminated and gives a more elegant vibe