Non-Park Favourite Dinner Places

Easto

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 21, 2011
Messages
390
Our Non-Park days we have Breakfast booked at Kona Cafe.

I have two daughters (6 and 4 years old), their eating habits are hit and miss. Fine dinning is low on our priority list. If my kids had it their way they would eat chicken fingers and fries 3 times per day :D

These non-park days I am thinking of having a big breakfast, smaller lunch, then a bigger dinner.

We are pretty simple eaters, so I am looking for a couple options that are NOT inside a Disney Park.

What are some of your favourite Dinner places that would be good for a Family of 4?

My wife is bananas for bread pudding so I was going to make a pit stop at Raglan Road for the bread pudding I have heard good things about.
 
Our family enjoyed Captain's Grill at the BC. The food was good and excellent service. The prices are relatively inexpensive for Disney Dining. If you're gonna be in the Epcot Resort Area, it's a good option.
 
If your wife loves Bread Pudding, Ohana at the Poly would be a great option. The Bread Pudding a la mode with Bananas-Caramel Sauce is absolutely delicious. Ohana has been getting mixed reviews lately but our family enjoys it.
 
Our favorite is Ohana. I too am a HUGE fan of bread pudding. Their's is much better than RR. Others we have tried and really enjoyed are Jiko, Cali Grill, and The Wave. We like to eat outside the parks the majority of our meals.
 

For us, Sanaa at AKLV, Boma at AKL, almost anything at Poly and Whispering Canyon at WL. But keep in mind that travel can take up alot of time. Or travel can be part of the fun... For instance if you are on the monorail, monorail or boat/walk to Contemporary and the boat to WL could be fun for dinner.
 
You can order the bread pudding from Ohana at the Tambu lounge in the Poly with out eating at Ohana.

If you are willing & able, go to the CrossRoads center just past DS on 535. They have good chain restaurants including Denny's. It's very walkable from DS.
Check out The Fountain at the Swan/Dolphin. Fort Wilderness Campground -Trails End.
I will also chime in on The Wave and add Contempo Cafe.
Boardwalk - ESPN and their walk up pizza window (next to via Napoli and Wolfgang Puck Express, the only decent pizza on property).
That being said - Wolfgang puck express in the Market Place in Disney Springs.
The food court at Art of Animation is pretty amazing and you can get in an animation drawing class while there.

They just opened a ton of places to eat at DS that could satisfy your "smaller lunch" options as a good $ of them are quick service.
 
This year for our non park day, we have an ADR for Ohana breakfast at the Poly and also for Wilderness Lodge Whispering Canyon Cafe for dinner. We've never eaten at Whispering Canyon, so we are VERY excited to try it!
 
For simpler food, I would consider The Wave, GF Cafe, Whispering Canyon, Trails End, Capt. Grill, Big River Grill, TRex, Rainforest Cafe.
 
I am always a fan of The Wave and for a buffet I would say Boma. If you want a character meal for the kids have you thought about 1900 Park. The kids loved it last trip and the character interaction was awesome.
 
Our Non-Park days we have Breakfast booked at Kona Cafe.

I have two daughters (6 and 4 years old), their eating habits are hit and miss. Fine dinning is low on our priority list. If my kids had it their way they would eat chicken fingers and fries 3 times per day :D

These non-park days I am thinking of having a big breakfast, smaller lunch, then a bigger dinner.

We are pretty simple eaters, so I am looking for a couple options that are NOT inside a Disney Park.

What are some of your favourite Dinner places that would be good for a Family of 4?

My wife is bananas for bread pudding so I was going to make a pit stop at Raglan Road for the bread pudding I have heard good things about.
We enjoy the following:
Captain's Grille at Beach Club
Earl of Sandwich at Disney Springs
ESPN Club at Boardwalk
Don't miss the beignets at Port Orleans French Quarter
 
I have tried to snag an Ohana's ADR, but they are not available right now.

We are not on Free Dining, however Disney introduced fine dining on the day we arrived which I think is making it a bit tricky to find reservations.

Thanks for the suggestions, keep them coming !
 
I have seen people talk about Olivia's.

When I look at the map it appears to be near Epcot. Epcot seems to have alot of good places to eat inside the park.

If I want to go to Olivia's on a non-park day (stay at Polynesian) is this an easy trip? How would I get there and how long should I expect it to take?
 
Raglan Road is an excellent choice for Disney Springs. They have one of the biggest kid menus and the dancers are very entertaining. We also like the Wave buffet at breakfast, Boma buffet at AKL any time of day, and Sanaa at AKL (you can watch the animals while you're dining). Olivia's is very good too. I would monrail to the Magic Kingdom and hop the bus to Old Key West.
 
I have seen people talk about Olivia's.

When I look at the map it appears to be near Epcot. Epcot seems to have alot of good places to eat inside the park.

If I want to go to Olivia's on a non-park day (stay at Polynesian) is this an easy trip? How would I get there and how long should I expect it to take?

I second the monorail to MK and then grab a bus to OKW.
 
Try the hoop dee review at Fort wilderness cabins - take the boat from mk

Ohanas is must

House of blues at dt Disney

Portobellos is very nice and is on the water at dt Disney
 
I think you're going to get as many answers as there are restaurants at Disney resorts.

For simple table service dinners, not "signature" meals, specifically in the resorts...

I'd say take a look at the menus, first and foremost, because what one person considers "simple" may not be what someone else does.

That said...

You're staying at Polynesian, so monorail resort restaurants might be easiest. (Unless you have a rental car.) Kona Cafe might be worth trying for dinner. We had a stellar meal there a few years back and a good (but not AS good) meal there on our last trip. We're going back again on our trip this fall. There are interesting choices, but the flavors aren't "out there" for those who want simple, and the kids menu had your basic kid stuff. Easy peasy.

The Wave... at the Contemporary gets great reviews as a hidden gem. It's on my to-try list.

Grand Floridian Cafe at Grand Floridian. We ate here twice on a previous trip. Once for lunch - loved it. Once for dinner - didn't love it as much, but it was still enjoyable, so we've booked it yet again for our fall trip. American food, pretty surroundings, lovely resort. Seems simple to me. :)

Also at Grand Floridian, if you want a character meal, there's the dinner buffet at 1900 Park Fare. It's buffet food, so of course, there's something for every taste, and there's always fruit, chicken fingers, fries, etc for the kids (and adults, if they wish). The characters at dinner are usually Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella. The last three are a real riot, and of course Cinderella is a big draw for the princess-loving crowd. We had good character interactions there.

Off the monorail, but still in the Magic Kingdom resort area, lots of people love the meals at Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge. It's a gimmicky place where the waitstaff are purposely "rude" (in a joking manner) and my husband does not appreciate that sort of humor, so we've always skipped it. But I know a lot of people who enjoy the silliness and the food there. American stuff with a lean towards barbecue. And again, a simple kids menu, nothing fancy.

If you don't mind going further afield, the dinner buffet at Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge is terrific. There are some unusual offerings there if you feel a bit adventurous and want to try something new, but lots of American-palate-pleasers as well. If you do this, I'd make an evening out of it - head to the Lodge a bit early, walk out onto Arusha Rock and look at the animals, maybe try to get the night-vision goggles for a little bit after your meal and see if you can spy the animals on the savannah at night. When is your trip? If you're going around Christmas time, the tree in the Lodge is spectacular, and very different from your typical tree. So lovely. Great photo backdrop - and in the evenings a Photopass photographer is there to take photos of families together. A really nice touch, I think. (But totally moot if you're going at a different time of year.)

I've heard good things about Captain's Grille at Yacht Club, but haven't eaten there. My little guy likes to eat, so we go ahead and splurge on the "signature" restaurants - we typically go to Yachtsman Steakhouse when we head over the the Yacht Club for a meal. But I hear that Captain's Grille is tasty, and obviously a quicker, cheaper meal than the fancier steakhouse.

If you can get a reservation, you might also want to try dinner at Beaches & Cream at Beach Club. It's a fairly basic menu, but that's just fine when you want a basic meal - the burgers were delish when we last went. Can't go wrong. Honestly, we'd probably skip the ice cream there and head over to the Boardwalk for the new Ample Hills Creamery for dessert. But if you want a sundae to round our your meal, Beaches & Cream does make good sundaes, too.

I hope some of this helps you make a decision... but again, I definitely suggest looking at the menus for yourself (and understanding that some menus change a bit with the seasons). It's your vacation - go with what you like best! :)
 
Our Non-Park days we have Breakfast booked at Kona Cafe.

I have two daughters (6 and 4 years old), their eating habits are hit and miss. Fine dinning is low on our priority list. If my kids had it their way they would eat chicken fingers and fries 3 times per day :D

These non-park days I am thinking of having a big breakfast, smaller lunch, then a bigger dinner.

We are pretty simple eaters, so I am looking for a couple options that are NOT inside a Disney Park.

What are some of your favourite Dinner places that would be good for a Family of 4?

My wife is bananas for bread pudding so I was going to make a pit stop at Raglan Road for the bread pudding I have heard good things about.
Raglans is great for a family if a little loud.
Earl of Sandwich is great.
The food court (cant think of the name) at CSR has the best nachos my daughter has ever tasted.
 


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