Need recommendations on DL restaurants please...

[ImagineEar]

I am a WDW veteran who has been to DL once, just for a day. I will be back in DL for 2 a day stay in April. I have a good idea of what to expect Theme Park wise but would like some help on the Restaurants.

We have 4 adults - 5 kids (all good eaters). I would like to eat most meals on property to round out the Disney experience and am open to Disney Hotel and Theme park suggestions. I do not need to do any Character meals - but would like a fun atmosphere and good food.

Any advice would be appreciated

 

[hawky7]

You have to go to the Pacific Wharf Cafe in DCA, they have the BEST breadbowls...yes they do have breadbowls in DL, but not as many soup choices!!! They are a must do for us everytime. Its right on the little lagoon and you can feed the ducks, and people watch. one of my favorites.

I know you said you didn't need character dining, but if you change your mind, goofys kitchen at DL hotel, is by far the best. They have the BEST food out of any buffets IMO. We also go there everytime. And you get to see a ton of the characters, without waiting inline!! I don't have kids, and we love it there!

There is a place right across from Indiana Jones, ohhh what is the name. Its the place that you go inside, not the one next to it with the chicken scewers (sp???) (but those are good too!) and you order and then find a seat with your food, you can eat outside on the back part, and it overlooks Tom Sawyer island, that one is fun.

Also Blue Bayou is a great atmosphere. Thats the one inside POTC ride. Thats probably the best atmosphere. We never eat there soley due to the fact that we have our breadbowls and so many other snacks we never have room for more food! LOL.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions! Have a great trip.

 

[cheshiregirl]

Hello and welcome to DLR!

You will quickly find that DL dining is very, very different than WDW in many ways.

First, it is important to note the placement of Downtown Disney and the 3 resort hotels as being right next to the 2 theme parks, and the fact that DCA and DL are only separated by an entrance plaza that is maybe 500 feet across. This makes it incredibly to park and hotel hop in order to get to the best restaurants.

Additionally, in case you are not already aware, please note that DLR does have a dining plan, but it is nothing like WDW. Basically here you pre-pay for vouchers that you use instead of cash. Most people do not like or utilize the dining plan out here.

Also, instead of ADRs made 90 or 180 days in advance (depending on what Disney is feeling like at the time!), at DLR you make Priority Seatings (PSs) up to 60 days out. And, with a few exceptions, there is no need to call at 7 am in order to get what you want. Oh yeah, and there is no 10 day rule--if you are making your PSs at the 60 day mark you have to call each day to make your PSs for the day that is just opening up for reservations.

As with WDW, there are lots of differing opinions about which restaurants are best. Since you said that character dining is not important to your group and you want to stay mostly on site, I will skip those categories--although imho there are some great experiences to be had.

Okay, with all that out of the way, here are a few of my recommendations:

1. Best atmosphere--Blue Bayou. Located inside the POTC attraction, no other restaurant at either DLR or WDW can even possibly compare to the experience of dining waterside "outside" under an eternally twilight sky and watching all the POTC boats drift by. BUT, many people (myself included) do not think that the food quality or selection is high enough to merit the spendy prices that come with a BB PS. My recommendation is that dessert is the best part of any meal, especially at BB. So, make either a mid afternoon or late night reservation and order the cookie boat and the creme brulee trio to share.

2. Best food (table service)--Storyteller's at GCH. We particularly like this restaurant for dinner because they have the choice of ordering off a menu or ordering a buffet (no characters however). My favorite thing is the nebraska corn chowder--it is simply amazing and can be ordered off the menu & is usually on the buffet as well.

3. Best food (counter service)--it's a 3 way tie!

Whitewater Snacks at GCH. Try the nachos with steak or chicken or the french dip. Or, do what my DH and I do--order both and share!

Red Rocket's Pizza Port (in tomorrowland). Skip the pizza and head to the pasta station for the countdown chicken fusili pasta and an order of the focaccia bread. Not only is it delicious, but it is also a very generous portion and you won't leave hungry!

Pacific Wharf at DCA. Soups and salads served in sourdough bread bowls and sandwiches too. Everything I have had is wonderful, but my faves are the broccoli cheese soup and the sonoma chicken salad. One tip is to order the bread served separately and get your soup in a regular bowl instead. That way the bread doesn't get soggy (unless you like it that way, which i don't!)

4. Best snack (savory) Bengal BBQ (in adventureland). Skewers of meat and/or vegetables make a healthly (by DL standards at least) quick pick me up. My favorites are the sweet beef and the chicken.

5. Best snack (sweet) Pooh's Corner (in critter country). Everything here is mouthwateringly amazing, but the best of the best is a Tigger Tail, which is a delightful creation of marshmallows covered in caramel and then dipped in orange flavored chocolate and finally drizzled with dark chocolate stripes. Order at least 2--one to eat now and one to take with you.

6. Best drink--frozen lemonade with a shot of cherry. Found in several locations including a cart in fantasyland and one in frontierland right by the Mark Twain loading docks. Honorable mention--frozen apple juice found in Toontown and BY the Maliboomer in DCA.

I am sure that lots of others have opinions to share, so I will leave it at that, but enjoy your first visit to Walt's park!

 

[TinkerbellTris]

Hello there. I thought I'd chime in with some reccomendations as well. We have been to Disneyland a ton of times, as well as WDW and there is no comparison to how much better the food and restraunts are in WDW. With that said, we have noticed a decline in food quality as well as service over the last 2 years. We now only choose the following places to eat, cause we know we can count on good food and good service at these places. For the record it is me (very light eater), my DH (says he goes to DL only for the food), and DS age 10 (who is a good eater).
For breakfast:
We love the blue ribbon bakery for something quick (muffin and juice or coffee)
Carnation Cafe for table service is the best, on Main Street. Breakfasts are very good.
Riverbelle Terrace: Counter service but the food is fantastic. Famous Mickey shaped pancakes, eat outside in front of rivers of america. Very nice.
For Lunch:
WE LOVE Wine country trattoria in DCA, this is table service, the atmosphere and food and service is great.
La Brea Bakery in downtown disney is great as well.
For quick service (fast food) In dca we like Taste Pilots grill the ribs are awesome, so is the chicken sandwhich.
In DL we like coca cola corner(there is one similar in WDW), good hot dogs.
In DL pinocchios village Haus (same as in WDW): They have some good food for fast food.
For Dinner:
Table service:
#1 Steakhouse 55 at Disneyland Hotel: Get ready for a large bill, but it's worth it. Usually around $110 for the 3 of us. But we never skip this place.
Naples in Downtown Disney: If you love pizza or italian food this is the place to go. I wouldn't eat pizza anywhere in the parks it's gross. This place has authentic pizza that is worth the money.
Espn: Has great food and an arcade upstairs for the kids.
Storytellers Cafe in Grand California hotel: The buffet is gross, but the menu to order stuff is great, great service also.
Rainforrest cafe in downtown Disney: Great food, Best atmosphere for kids.
Have a great trip!

 

[pixiewings71]

You have to go to the Pacific Wharf Cafe in DCA, they have the BEST breadbowls...yes they do have breadbowls in DL, but not as many soup choices!!! They are a must do for us everytime. Its right on the little lagoon and you can feed the ducks, and people watch. one of my favorites.

I know you said you didn't need character dining, but if you change your mind, goofys kitchen at DL hotel, is by far the best. They have the BEST food out of any buffets IMO. We also go there everytime. And you get to see a ton of the characters, without waiting inline!! I don't have kids, and we love it there!

There is a place right across from Indiana Jones, ohhh what is the name. Its the place that you go inside, not the one next to it with the chicken scewers (sp???) (but those are good too!) and you order and then find a seat with your food, you can eat outside on the back part, and it overlooks Tom Sawyer island, that one is fun.

Also Blue Bayou is a great atmosphere. Thats the one inside POTC ride. Thats probably the best atmosphere. We never eat there soley due to the fact that we have our breadbowls and so many other snacks we never have room for more food! LOL.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions! Have a great trip.

River Belle Terrace. You can do breakfast lunch and dinner here. There are 2 entrances, 1 on the Indy/Adventureland side and 1 on the Frontierland side. RBT is a good place to eat with a big group, the portions are huge (we share 2 plates with our 2 kids) and the food is good!

 

[Sherry E]

I think that food in DLR is looked upon as being not that great, especially when compared to WDW food/restaurants. However, I have never been to WDW to be able to compare, and besides, WDW and DLR are two different resorts altogether. All I know is what tastes good to me, and I like a lot of the food in DLR. The quality of DLR has improved 110% from what it was prior to, say, 1992. The 1980s DLR food was not good at all. Now, I think it is very underrated and it is much better than food you find in other amusement parks like Universal, etc.!

That said, my choices are very much along the same lines as the previous posters' choices (great minds think alike )!

In DL, I like Blue Ribbon Bakery for sweet treats (cinnamon rolls!) and blended Mochas. Carnation Cafe is a good restaurant for breakfast, lunch, dinner (try the meat loaf stack) OR dessert only (try the apple pie a la mode with strawberries and whipped cream or the Matterhorn sundae), and is in a prime location on Main Street - perfect for people watching and catching glimpses of parades. Bengal BBQ is good for those yummy skewers. River Belle Terrace has great breakfasts and is in a charming little spot between Adventureland and New Orleans Square. Plaza Inn has good fried chicken.

In DCA, I really like Wine Country Trattoria (great meatball sandwiches and a HUGE pizzetta salad big enough for 3 people). Taste Pilots Grill has excellent BBQ chicken sandwiches and soft criss-cross fries.

In GCH, I like Storytellers Cafe, but not for the character buffet. I like it for the off-the-menu lunch or dinner choices and the woodsy atmosphere (great burgers- both beef and veggie, thick turkey and bacon sandwiches, and really delicious spaghetti with garlic bread).

In DLH, I love Goofy's Kitchen - my favorite of all the DLR restaurants. Great buffet with a wide variety of choices.

In DTD, I love ESPN Zone (fabulous chicken strips and thick milkshakes). Naples has really good and generously-sized pizza (even the smallest pizza can feed 2 or more people). And Rainforest Cafe has great food for breakfast, lunch or dinner (try the chicken fried chicken).

 

[TinkerbellTris]

I think that food in DLR is looked upon as being not that great, especially when compared to WDW food/restaurants. However, I have never been to WDW to be able to compare, and besides, WDW and DLR are two different resorts altogether. All I know is what tastes good to me, and I like a lot of the food in DLR. The quality of DLR has improved 110% from what it was prior to, say, 1992. The 1980s DLR food was not good at all. Now, I think it is very underrated and it is much better than food you find in other amusement parks like Universal, etc.!

That said, my choices are very much along the same lines as the previous posters' choices (great minds think alike )!

In DL, I like Blue Ribbon Bakery for sweet treats (cinnamon rolls!) and blended Mochas. Carnation Cafe is a good restaurant for breakfast, lunch, dinner (try the meat loaf stack) OR dessert only (try the apple pie a la mode with strawberries and whipped cream or the Matterhorn sundae), and is in a prime location on Main Street - perfect for people watching and catching glimpses of parades. Bengal BBQ is good for those yummy skewers. River Belle Terrace has great breakfasts and is in a charming little spot between Adventureland and New Orleans Square. Plaza Inn has good fried chicken.

In DCA, I really like Wine Country Trattoria (great meatball sandwiches and a HUGE pizzetta salad big enough for 3 people). Taste Pilots Grill has excellent BBQ chicken sandwiches and soft criss-cross fries.

In GCH, I like Storytellers Cafe, but not for the character buffet. I like it for the off-the-menu lunch or dinner choices and the woodsy atmosphere (great burgers- both beef and veggie, thick turkey and bacon sandwiches, and really delicious spaghetti with garlic bread).

In DLH, I love Goofy's Kitchen - my favorite of all the DLR restaurants. Great buffet with a wide variety of choices.

In DTD, I love ESPN Zone (fabulous chicken strips and thick milkshakes). Naples has really good and generously-sized pizza (even the smallest pizza can feed 2 or more people). And Rainforest Cafe has great food for breakfast, lunch or dinner (try the chicken fried chicken).

Haha, very true! Great Minds do think alike. Sounds like you map out the same dining as my family. We know what's good. I agree food quality in places have improved a lot, and some have gone down. We used to love Ranch Zocalo by big thunder. Until they stopped doing the bbq, now it's just mexican food, which is fine, but over the last 2 years it isn't as good as before, so we no longer go there.

 

[Teki]

With that many kids although Blue Bayou is an amazing restaurant you'll probably want t avoid it, as its fancier and a little more adult. No character meal restaurant my recommendation would be the Golden Horseshoe. There's good kid food and the entertainment is fun. You'll have to put some tables together though. There's also River Belle Terrace which I like, and Pizza Port, although I personally don't like pizza port.

 

[Sherry E]

Haha, very true! Great Minds do think alike. Sounds like you map out the same dining as my family. We know what's good. I agree food quality in places have improved a lot, and some have gone down. We used to love Ranch Zocalo by big thunder. Until they stopped doing the bbq, now it's just mexican food, which is fine, but over the last 2 years it isn't as good as before, so we no longer go there.

I have never eaten at RDZ. I have heard mixed reviews about it. I am not big on Mexican food anyway, but my friends like it and I figure I could find something on the menu to eat that is pretty generic just so they will be happy. However, because we have enough other places we agree on that we like, we usually don't get over to RDZ! And I am not sure I would try it now if the food is not that great.

I know, it sounds like your family and my friends and I head for the same places to eat!!! Well, if it's good food, it's good food, and people will flock to it!! Yes, the food quality in DLR prior to 1992 or so (that was when they started to try to offer a few more 'healthy' options here and there around the park) was pretty bad. Cold burgers, wimpy fries...just not good stuff at all. I don't know if they brought in all new chefs or just decided to make a concerted effort to serve better stuff, but it is better. At that point, for us, dining was not something we looked forward to and set aside a good chunk of time for. It was just something that was necessary to do in a long day at DL. These days, though, we make time for it, we make the Priority Seating plans, we enjoy the meals as part of the overall DLR experience. Compared to some of the food that is served in other amusement parks, DLR food is practically gourmet cuisine!!

I don't know what I would do if I ever made it over to WDW - there are SOOOOOO many dining options in all kinds of interesting restaurants. My head would spin. I would literally have to spend an extra week there JUST to hit a bunch of the restaurants and roam around all the hotels, and then another week to hit the four parks and shops, etc.

 

[Blakely43]

Breakfast: Riverbelle Terrace- If it's warm outside definetly eat outside-great view and wonderful place to people watch

Lunch: Taste Pilot's Grill- I love their criss-cutt fries and chicken burgers.

Dinner: Red Rockett's Pizza Port- Perfect place to wait for your Space Mountain Fast Pass. Chicken Fusilli pasta.. seriously you can't beat it.

Snack-Churros. Classic.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Blue Bayou and Rancho Del Zocalo. (I love it there!)
BB - nicer restaurant, but you have to go just for the atmosphere. It's like none other.

RDZ - good, casual mexican food. nice sit down (or take out) restaurant with nice places to sit on the patio

And... a brownie from the coffee cart at the end of Main Street.

- Dreams

 

[nunzia]

RDZ was very good! Also the Mexican place in DCA was good. The bread bowls in DCA are great (Boudin brand I believe..I hope that place doesn't go away with the renovations..) Cafe Orleans. I love the gumbo!!! I'm not a big fish fan, so usually keep away from it, but this has no fish and it is wonderful. Whitewater Snacks is a staple..everything I've had is good.
We recently returned from an Adventures by Disney and had three different character breakfasts. Plaza Inn was quite good, Goofy's Kitchen has an odd layout and was my least favorite. Storytellers was the best. The characters were nice but the park ranger was a hoot..(watch our for the fish).
Steakhouse 55 is great (check out menus for everywhere on allears.net, but oh yeah..the prices are wrong..I need to let them know). Napa Rose is rated very high, but we did not like it and neither have the many other couples we've gone with. Don't forget to get a corn dog! Or a churro or a Dole Whip.

 

[ballarinamom]

We love Blue Bayou. It is an amazing experience to ride the ride and then eat or vice versa.
We always have to do Ariels and the food was always gross. Now it is awesome!!! It was one of the best meal we had!!
Ditto on Wine Co. Tratorria. Exspecially if you can get an outside table on a pretty day.
We live in San Antonio where there is a Mexican restaurant or two on every corner and we love RDZ. For counter service is it very good.
We prefer Goofy's Kitchen for dinner instead of breakfast. The Prime rib is awesome!

 

[ImagineEar]

Wow - thanks for all the great advice - and taking the time to go into such detail! Now I feel I have enough info to make some PS's.

One more thing though - I said we would skip character meals because we do them all the time at WDW and I thought I would see what else DL had to offer. But since several of you seem to think we are doing ourselves a disservice by not including Character meals - would you give me your 2 cents on those as well?

 

[Sherry E]

Wow - thanks for all the great advice - and taking the time to go into such detail! Now I feel I have enough info to make some PS's.

One more thing though - I said we would skip character meals because we do them all the time at WDW and I thought I would see what else DL had to offer. But since several of you seem to think we are doing ourselves a disservice by not including Character meals - would you give me your 2 cents on those as well?

Oh, well.....since you asked.....Goofy's, Goofy's, Goofy's!!! Without a doubt, unequivocally, Goofy's Kitchen! That is my favorite of all the DLR restaurants (table service, counter service or otherwise), and has been a must for every DLR trip since 1992!!! They only do character meals - no 'regular' meals during the day - and they are all-you-can-eat buffet only. (I like the breakfast/brunch meal much, much more than the dinner.) But the buffet is not only plentiful, with a wide variety of choices, it is also delicious and fresh. If you eat meat and like bacon, the bacon is outstanding. The FRUIT is amazing. Great eggs and potatoes. In addition to all the expected breakfast food, they have mini Mickey-shaped waffles, Mickey-shaped cobbler, bananas Foster crepes, fluffy croissants, biscuits and gravy. The French toast is good. Delectable mini-muffins. They even serve fried chicken and pepperoni pizza for breakfast (mainly for the kids, but adults can eat it too). Kids will also like the worms and dirt and the peanut butter and jelly pizza. The regular characters (and there may be a few more at dinner than at breakfast because it is busier at dinner) are Goofy, Chip, Dale, Pluto and Baloo. Every day there are also guest stars who rotate, like Belle, Alice and the Mad Hatter, Aurora and the Prince, Jasmine and Aladdin, etc.... There are many others who pop in from time to time too. Sometimes Minnie is there. It changes.

I have also done the Storytellers (Chip and Dale) character buffet, which features the woodsy/jungly Disney characters like Koda and Kenai from Brother Bear, Rafiki, Meeko, often times Baloo, etc., but I really prefer Storytellers' 'regular' lunch and dinner menus over their buffet.

I have yet to try Minnie & Friends, but it looks like there are lots of characters at that one, and Lilo and Stitch gets nothing but good reviews from everyone, so I will have to try that eventually too.

 

[pixiewings71]

With that many kids although Blue Bayou is an amazing restaurant you'll probably want to avoid it, as its fancier and a little more adult. No character meal restaurant my recommendation would be the Golden Horseshoe. There's good kid food and the entertainment is fun. You'll have to put some tables together though. There's also River Belle Terrace which I like, and Pizza Port, although I personally don't like pizza port.

I totally disagree with this. BB is not more adult than any other restaurant IMO. We go all the time with our kids and we went just a couple weeks ago for DBF's b-day. There was a table right behind us that had 4 kids. BB is a family restaurant, it's just a little more "fancy" than others may be. I would not let having kids deter you from going to the BB.

Wow - thanks for all the great advice - and taking the time to go into such detail! Now I feel I have enough info to make some PS's.

One more thing though - I said we would skip character meals because we do them all the time at WDW and I thought I would see what else DL had to offer. But since several of you seem to think we are doing ourselves a disservice by not including Character meals - would you give me your 2 cents on those as well?

My favorite character meals are Ariel's Grotto and Minnie & Friends. Lilo & Stitch is also great but they are a bit far from the park. It depends really on when you want to do a character meal. Ariel's Grotto is the only one that does lunch and dinner, all others are only breakfast. M & F is in DL, the food was good, there were a lot of characters and they made repeated visits to our table and played with all of us, the adults and the kids. Lilo & Stitch at PPH was great too, the staff was great and there were games played and lots of interaction. Our experience at GK was horrible, we saw almost no characters, the staff was rushing us, the food was good but it was really to much $$$$ for us for the experience we had. My recommendations are Ariel's Grotto and Minnie & Friends.

 

[fairycat]

I agree BB is an all ages place and quite fun! Personally I like the food and always enjoy myself, but then you will never get anyone to agree on any one place hahah! Especially since personally I do not like Storytellers AT ALL!!!!

Wine country is great!!! The prices are reasonable and the food is so good. I love the Caprese sandwhich on pretzel bread yummy!

The bread bowls are too big for me to eat alone, but love to get them in either park to share!

I also wanted to add that DLR has three more upscale restaurants if you would like to splurge for an evening. All are located in one of the three onsite hotels.

The best (in my opinion and Zagat's!) is Napa Rose, it has wonderful food in a very nice atmosphere. It is compareable to Victora and Albert, but not as stuffy in style and much better food!!! They offer a chef's counter as well. Great place for wine and yummy california cusine. It's actually rated as one of the best restaurants in all of Orange County.

Yamabuki in Paradise Pier is great if you love Japanese food. They have simple dishes, sushi and some very authentic Japanese food as well. We went for the first time back in Nov and were pleasantly surprised. The service was very nice, the food was good, and we will definetly be back!

There is also Steakhouse 55, in the Disneyland hotel. Honestly I have not been there, but I have heard many people say great things about the place.

I would say no restaurant is to adult for the kids if you dont mind paying for their meals at some of the higher end places. I have seen kids having a great time at all the above. I mean its Disney after all!!!

 

[cheshiregirl]

My family has tried all the character meals and while Goofy's is good due to the selection of both food and characters (try the peanut butter pizza), I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that Lilo & Stitch is our family's hands down favorite.

Because it is not quite as popular as Goofy's we get amazing and repeated character interaction that is far beyond the normal signing of autograph books and posing for pictures... Stitch plays games with the kids and Pluto got down on all four paws next to my son's highchair to play with him!

And, the breakfast foods are delicious. I particularly like their omelet bar and the maple flavored bacon, and many people love the pineapple scones (although i wasn't a huge fan) and the banana stuffed french toast. I also really liked the small chocolate lava muffins--they were much more like dessert than breakfast and tasted wonderful with my coffee.

Another plus is that this breakfast is ove $10 cheaper per person than Goofy's for better interaction and food that was just as good if not better.

I would HIGHLY recommend giving L&S a try if it fits into your trip!

 

[kaoden39]

I am a big fan of eating at the Hungry Bear in Critter Country. No the food isn't spectacular or anything I love the atmosphere. There two different floors to sit on. If it is hot the downstairs offers a great break in the shade and on either floor you can enjoy watching life on the Rivers of America go by. There are also ducks out there to watch.

If I am catching food that can be eaten on the fly I love the Bengal Bbq. The bacon wrapped asparagas is wonderful IMO. The meat ones are good but they veggie skewers are superb.

In DCA I love getting fruit and bread and sitting and enjoying a meal at a picnic table with my family. I really enjoy all of the fruit stands, especially the Dole one at the Tiki Room in Adventureland.

The Riverbelle Terrace is my favorite in park breakfast. My kids love the Mickey pancakes and it is fun to watch them make them while you are in line.

We had Bratwurst in Toontown last time and I thought it was good.

 

[Sherry E]

Another plus is that this breakfast is ove $10 cheaper per person than Goofy's for better interaction and food that was just as good if not better.

Cheshiregirl, someone on DIS just a few days ago had checked the current prices for all the character meals (I can't recall who it was), and at this moment in time, all the meals were now showing to be the same price as Goofy's. Goofy's, of course, is currently charging its off-peak season rates, and they MAY not raise them back up to peak season rates in summer, depending on how the economy goes (that is what Disneyland Dining told me - they are not sure how they will handle the usual price increase if the economy gets worse this year), but from what the DISboard member found the other day, all the character meals are currently the same price. That is actually how it used to be - quite a long while ago, the character meals were the same price as Goofy's - but Goofy's jumped ahead of the pack, probably because the buffet is bigger and because it has characters for breakfast and dinner.

In any case, I just wanted to point that out that at the moment, the other character meals are apparently not cheaper than Goofy's. They probably raised in price because they got more popular when people who didn't want to pay Goofy's rates defected to other character meals!!! It is a vicious cycle!!