put on the thinking caps for cheap but not cooking meal suggestions please!

[jann1033]

we are extending our stay 3 nights (hopefully ) if I can trim the food budget a little...so any suggestions for good but cheap ( $20 or less for 2 adults) restaurants on site or ( gulp) off site? have some meal vouchers but already canceled hotwire so too late to get more so I need cheap cheap cheap but good suggestions. thinking of trying Rest. com ( used them in the past) but don't want to get stuck with a crummy dirty place. not a big fan of constant mc donalds type fast food if I can avoid it. usually try to eat one sit down or buffet , most breakfasts will be bagels and cereal from home but that is the limit of my "cooking" on vacation. SO.....where is the cheapest but not disgusting park/resort/off site place you have eaten in ?????( or where you would not go ever again especially!!!)

Thanks

 

[disney queen]

there is a quizzno's at crossroads shopping center. also there is a goodings grocery there. it is an easy, pleasant walk from downtown disney.

 

[jx3smom]

ESPN can be inexpensive. What about Rainforest Cafe? Beaches and Cream is another decent option. The two off site restaurants we go to are Bahama Breeze and Romano's Macaroni Grill. Both can be inexpensive if you don't do drinks and desserts. Bahama Breeze also has the option of smaller portions that are less expensive and still enough so that I have left overs.

 

[Samandmom]

Originally posted by disney queen
there is a quizzno's at crossroads shopping center. also there is a goodings grocery there. it is an easy, pleasant walk from downtown disney.

Is Quzzino's in the same plaza as Goodings?

 

[patsal]

I think it is in the same plaza as Goodings.

Try the Trail's End buffet at Fort Wilderness Campground. Just take the boat over from MK for an inexpensive lunch or dinner.

Jungle Jim's is great as well, I can usually feed a family of four for under $30. that is also in the same plaza as Goodings.

 

[disneyfan551]

Personally, I find Bahama Breeze to be on the pricey side. We like to go to Chili's, it's very reasonable. The sandwiches are large & you would definitely fall within your $20 budget.

Also, I just heard that there is a CiCi's Pizza there now. If you've never been, it's a pizza buffet that is pretty good, for only $3.99! For $5, you get the buffet & a drink, and don't have to worry about a tip! You can NOT beat this deal!

Good luck!

 

[jann1033]

does anyone know where I could get a map of the crossroads plaza area...we basically never venture outside wdw so while I know there is actually life on the *other*side of dtd, I have no idea how to get there. thanks

 

[disneyfan551]

Maybe try Jungle Jim's, see if they have 1 on their website. It is very simple to get to that area. Basically, you just turn left out of any of the DD parking lots, and at the 'main' entrance to DD, you will turn right, into the Disney Good Neighbor hotels, such as The Grosvenor. This strip will end at a red light, and you go straight into the Crosswoods Plaza. They have McD's, Taco Bell, Red Lobster, TGIFriday's, Jungle Jim's, Uno Pizzeria?, Shells, etc... You really can't miss it! (If you were interested in the Chili's, then you would turn left, rather than go straight into that plaza, and it's on the left!)

 

[beatnik]

Jann,

When we were down in Sept/Oct we kept detailed track of our expenses.

Three of us ate at the Orlando Ale House for $15. Now, we only had chicken nachos-- but the plate was enormous and even three of us did not finish it. That total includes tax, tip, and 3 soft drinks. Not exactly a balanced meal but it suited our purposes at the time. The ambience is that of a neighborhood bar. To get there, drive past Downtown Disney and proceed onto Hotel Plaza Boulevard (you just keep going straight). There will be a T-intersection. If you go stright, you'll go into Crossroads shopping center. Turn left and Orlando Ale House is maybe a half a mile down on the left.

My husband and I had a late, very light dinner at the Contemporary's Food and Fun Center for $11.90. My husband had a hotdog and fries and soft drink and I had a chicken finger kids meal and water. You may have already been here, but ambience is that of a fast food restaurant.

We had dinner one night at the Giraffe Cafe in the Hotel Royal Plaza. We each had a very large and delcious sandwich (me a turkey ruben, husband a tuna melt). Each sandwich came with a large portion of curly fries. With two soft drinks, tax, and tip, our bill came to $20.38. The ambience is that of a sedate diner. To get to Hotel Royal Plaza, follow direction for Orlando Ale House, but while still on Hotel Plaza Boulevard, turn right into the hotel. When you enter the lobby, the restaurant is off to the right.

Our bill at Jungle Jims (two burger, fries, and soft drinks) was $16 with our Entertainment Book coupon, but would have been $23.68 without. I had a plain burger, but my husband got some sort of bacon cheeseburger. The ambience is that of a family restaurant. To get there, follow directions above and procceed through the T-intersection into the Crossroads shopping center. Jungle Jims is off to the left.

I would agree with the poster above who suggested that Bahama Breeze is more expensive that $20 for two-- I'd say at least $30 for two. But the food is excellent.

Have fun-- lucky you that you got to extend your trip by a few days!

Beatnik

 

[beatnik]

Whoops. Missed a restaurant:

Bennigan's: Used an Entertainment Book coupon, but without it our bill would have come to $24 for a Monte Cristo Sandwich and fries and Fettuccine Alfredo, Garlic Bread, and a Salad. Also had 2 soft drinks. To get there, follow directions for Orlando Ale House in the above post, but at the T-interesection, turn right instead of left. Bennigan's is maybe 2 miles down on the right. I am sure you are familiar with the ambience.

We have also eaten in the past at Chevys and Uno's (both in Crossroads)-- can vouch for them being good places but can't remember what we spent. Chevy's almost certainly more than $20, but Uno's could have been around $20 if we split a pizza. We also quite like Denny's-- never go there at home, but have been once or twice while at Disney and gotten burgers-- bill was probably around $20.

Beatnik

 

[maggiew]

A couple of thoughts for eating cheaply on site:

1. I often order a kids meal (at counter service places) and am usually full. They come with 2 chicken tenders and fries and a drink. This is really cheap. At Yakitori House in Japan, the kids meal had a skewer of yakitori chicken and rice for pretty cheap. You could get an extra skewer of the chicken for about a dollar. I have also heard the kids pizza meal at pizzafari is good and comes with a snack and drink.
2. Share meals at the sit down places. Usually the meals are large. Or one person order an appetizer and one person order a entree.
3. Some of the counter service places have less of a "fast food place" than others. For instance, Columbia harbor house has some unique offerings. Cosmic Rays has roasted chicken options. The counter places in AK also have unique offerings.

On eating offsite:
1. There was a recent thread about a place called Sweet Tomatoes that sounded good and cheap. Here is the link to the thread:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=465152

2. Here is a link to the thread about CiCis pizza that was mentioned above.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=467219

3. Go to the entertainment book website and get some coupons from there. They have a new option where you just get a monthly subscription to the book for $3.99 instead of getting the book itself.

4. I've also heard people mention Ponderosa as a cheap alternative.

Maggie

 

[jann1033]

thanks for all the info. I will check out the links and was thinking about the entertainment on line book although I heard it was for 20% off and was wondering how great it would be (20% 0ff $200 meals or what "average" people eat!)

 

[disney queen]

yes, quizno's is in the same plaza as goodings. we walk from DTD to the shop. if you just cross the street at the light by the toy store and follow the sidewalk you will get there. do not go toward saratoga springs!! you will be passing some of the DTD hotels. it is about a mile from DTD. easy easy walk. happy eating!

 

[sha_lyn]

If you participate in MyPoints you can get a Rainforest Cafe certificate through them. I've done that on our last 2 trips.

Trails End is suppose to be very good

 

[disney queen]

ooohhh......i forgot about trail's end! it is yummy at dinner; we are eating breakfast there in december.

 

[Familymoon]

Just wanted to add that Sweet Tomatoes is amazing. You can get lunch for around $5-$6/person...dinner is like $7-$8. There are countless salad options (much larger than even, Ruby Tuesday)...prepared salads as well as build-your-owns with everything from different lettuces to assorted toppings that you could never imagine putting on a salad (and standard fare).

There is usually also 6 types of soup including a chili - baked potatoes and all the toppings - foccacia, cornbread, and blueberry muffins - assorted pastas (prepared fresh) - and a dessert bar.

It's all-you-can-eat...and it's VERY good quality (I'm kind of a foodie and we really love several of their items - better than most restaurants - the soups, especially, are GREAT!).

As for onsite - we are looking into the ABC Commissary at MGM (which looks REALLY good, interesting, and the prices are quite reasonable). There is countless counter service at most of the parks, we plan to pick up a coffee and bagel or pastry in the morning to save money, then stop for a salad or veggie burger or wrap in the afternoon (most kids meals are cheap - but so are the adult meals! You can typically get a veggie burger combo - or regular if you eat ground beef - for $7...we share a drink *always* so this will be the same)

I found the vouchers to *not* be as cheap as the counter service, unless, I suppose, if you split one meal. Otherwise, the counter service fare (assuming you don't want dessert) is cheaper by itself. We also do things like order a large fry in one combo and just get a burger a la carte to cut back on our fat consumption. This would also be less expensive.

Many of the restaurants in the park have inexpensive ($6-$9) appetizers - you could always just get apps - some are very substantial (my SIL and I do this at Fridays all the time - because they're soooo tasty, but we can't eat a meal after one).

I'm really looking forward to Epcot - they seem to have such a vast array of really tasty treats.

We, too, opted for an extra day - and are cutting back on our food budget - but I think we can still eat in the parks without loading up on junk all the time, yk?

Hope you have a great time!!!

 

[jann1033]

I went to the ST website and it looks very good..might try that if I can find it (lol) also noticed a lot of counter in resort and parks are cheaper than I thought( some menus are older but hopefully not that much more) so I am changing things around to have one counter a day..we are splitting the Q/c vouchers since I really do not like fries and will probably get a salad or soup to go along with my sandwich portion.

Thanks for all the good ideas!

 

[D&R love Disney]

Sweet tomatoes is awesome but it's a drive, down near Universal.
There is also a Cracker Barrel, I think it's on 192 and Waffle House at the end of Hotel Blvd, take a right and it's right across the street.

 

[Muffy]

We are trying for Sweet Tomatoes, for the first time, during our next visit. People have talking about this place for years on the DIS! I just hope we can find it! I do have directions, somewhere!

 

[jann1033]

Originally posted by Muffy
We are trying for Sweet Tomatoes, for the first time, during our next visit. People have talking about this place for years on the DIS! I just hope we can find it! I do have directions, somewhere!

they have a web site..think i got the url on the first thread( moedrator linked abunch of stuff there and others have added on ) on the orlando resort/attraction board..a few posts down. I think there was a map on the site