Need non-park Disney restaurant recommendation for a family

[queenofhartz]

Hi everyone! I am planning a very last minute trip to Disney to attend MVMCP. I am going on a business trip, so my husband and son decided to come along so that we can go to the party Friday night (November 13), and then we're spending Saturday at 1900 Park Fare for Breakfast (so he can hopefully see Pooh, one of his favorites), Downtown Disney (Christmas shopping!!), and exploring the resort at AKL. So....

Here's my question:

I'm looking for a restaurant that we could eat at Saturday night for dinner. Our son is 2 years old. He is a patient kid, so we can take him in to nice restaurants usually with no problems. We will not be going to the park on Saturday, so we cannot eat a restaurant the requires park entrance. I do not think I want to take him anywhere super upscale like Cali Grill. I prefer to do something a little more casual - but probably not a character dinner (unless you really recommend it.) We're doing the character breakfast, so I thought 2 character meals in one day might be pushing it for a 2 year old. We're open to going to any of the Disney resorts, the Boardwalk, or Downtown Disney. I thought about Boma or O'hana (if I can get a reservation at either of these), but i'm totally open. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Well, Boma is usually pretty nice. They have a different selection of food there than at the other Disney buffets so that makes it a bit interesting.

Cape May's buffet for dinner is quite decent too. We love shellfish in our family so it's a favorite of ours, but there are loads of other choices on the buffet too. They have some particularly nice children's selections from time to time too.

If you want something extremely simple, Beaches and Cream is good fun. Decent burgers (and other limited selections). Ice cream, of course.

TRex and Rain Forest in DTD, but they are loud and the five year old we took didn't like the food.

If you want something a bit nicer, Flying Fish on the boardwalk is quite popular and gets pretty decent reviews. Kouzzina is the new spot. Reviews are mixed, but they always are with new restaurants.

Hope some of those help a bit.

 

[queenofhartz]

Thanks DVC OKW 96! After speaking to my DH, we're considering Boma and I've now added Cape May's to our list of options due to your suggestion (we also love shellfish). I'm going to check out the menu now to see what they offer.

We were considering WCC until my DH said, "yeah, but we can get barbeque and corn on the cob anytime...let's get something we don't regularly eat." I tried to explain the "atmosphere" thing as he is a bit of a ham and I thought he would enjoy it, but he has the flu and nothing seems very funny to him right now. I think he would really enjoy Cape May's. Thanks again!!

 

[Silver Queen]

I second Boma. As a bonus your 2 yr. old would probably enjoy viewing the animals on the savannah at AKL. It's a wonderful resort with a lot to see. We really enjoyed the food at Boma too!

 

[Jeanieblue114]

Ok, I think the animal viewing at the AKL is a nice idea. I just did a culinary tour of Boma and you kinda have to be an adventurous eater to enjoy it. If so, go for it. (plus, we took the tour 1/2 hour before the place opened and the food was already sitting out on the buffet..i didn't like that)

Other recommendations.
Our best meal was at Captain's Grille at the Yacht Club...all FRESH!
There were kids next to us really enjoying it (we made friends with their family).
They have a crab leg dinner included on the dining plan even...people next to us got it and it was a HUGE pile of FRESH crab, not sitting on a buffet like Cape may.
Our server was a lot of fun too (Ryan).
The kids next to us got these big 'kabob (rice crispy treat, fruit, marshmallows, etc) desserts and they were giving him the thumbs up and saying RYAN THIS IS GREAT!
He way telling them how he made them JUST for them.

My other suggestion, Trail's End Buffet at Ft. Wilderness Campground. It is the same food out of the same kitchen as the Hoop Dee Do show. BBQ chicken, ribs, sausages, chili, cornbread, peel and eat shrimp on the salad bar too. If paying OOP, it's really reasonably priced.
It's just a fun area over there.
They have games to play out on the porch of the restaurant.
They have horse drawn carriages for a ride around the area (for a small fee).
They also have a Chip and Dale campfire sing along (free) and you can make smores (small fee for the smores kit unless you bring your own stuff or get it at the little general store there).
If you go to Ft. Wilderness, TAKE THE BOAT from the MK. Don't do the bus to there, it's SLOW.

 

[mcco5543]

Boma...for sure!

Lots of friendly kid foods, really fun and beautiful atmosphere..all sorts of foods for the adventurous as well...have fun!

 

[skyshelder]

I agree! Boma is the best!

 

[mjhd]

I vote for Kona. Great food! IMO it is Disney's hidden gem. Have fun wherever you go!!!

 

[bluesky225]

We did both Boma and Ohana on our last trip, and both were great! Ohana had more of the types of food we like though.

 

[prncess674]

I would check out any of the restauarants in the Boardwalk area, you can stroll around and see the entertainers and such on the Boardwalk. I would stay away from two buffets in one day, but that is just me.

 

[queenofhartz]

Thanks everyone! Boma is getting some really great reviews. I went ahead and snagged an ADR here. However, I didn't think about prncess 674's suggestion that 2 buffets in one day may not be the best idea. That's actually a really good point. I am going to check into Captain's Grille a little more. Thanks again! I'm sure we won't be disappointed with wherever we go. The atmosphere is always fun in Disney.