Rainforest Cafe

[ORDisneyfans]

DD 8 just said to me "Can we go to the rainforest cafe this trip?". I said I would ask the disboards!

It will be my two girls 8 and 14 and myself. We have generally avoided it as DH is not big on crowds or noise, or waiting to eat. (Amazing we get him to DL at all!) So opinions please! Must do or not? Coupons or specials would be great as I am a budget Mom! We are not super picky eaters as long as there is your usual kids fare and a great salad, nachos or burger for myself! We will be staying at the DLH so it would be close.

Thursday I bought tickets for the midnight showing of Harry Potter! (Crazy I know!) We could go early then or Tuesday or Wednesday. What say the dissers...

 

[skiingfast]

If not for a kid who would enjoy it I wouldn't go either.

But you can find some simple kids food.
It's the only place in DLR that can't be reserved through Disney Dining, so call (714) 772-0413 instead.

A tiny coupon is in this link. http://www.anaheimoc.org/Articles/Archive/Webpage10153.asp

 

[ORDisneyfans]

Thanks for the link! Lots of other goodies in there too! I have no interest in RC either, it just seems it is the one place we haven't been to at Disneyland! Most of my choices revolve around the kids, so if they want to go, we probably will! Hadn't thought about breakfast as a choice, though I have heard it is a lot less crowded in the AM'S.

 

[sophies*mom]

Though the food was not super impressive (the usual burger and fries is what I had), the atmosphere is super fun. Your kids will definitely enjoy it. I'm contemplating whether or not to eat there during our trip. You can take it or leave it but if its something you haven't done, then I suggest trying it.

 

[Caseystigger]

If not for a kid who would enjoy it I wouldn't go either.

But you can find some simple kids food.
It's the only place in DLR that can't be reserved through Disney Dining, so call (714) 772-0413 instead.

A tiny coupon is in this link. http://www.anaheimoc.org/Articles/Archive/Webpage10153.asp

Thanks for the coupon link.

 

[HydroGuy]

RFC seems to be either a love it or hate it type of place. We have always loved it at both WDW and DLR, as well as a few other places.

We have always thought the food was pretty good ofr the type of place it is. I had a really, really good guacamole burger at the DLR RFC last month.

I think you should take your kids there. And make a reservation before!

 

[disneydreamer74]

I am one of those that loves it too! I have reservations for RFC this next trip!!I have never had bad food there. Its not a 5 star restaurant, but it meets my expectations. The atmosphere is the reason we go, my DD4 loves it there! I think your children will enjoy it!

 

[jmac323]

I thought the food was just average, but the kids (2 1/2 and 9 at the time) loved the ambiance, atmosphere, cool animals. I plan to bring them there again next time we go. I had a salad (can't go wrong there) and I think someone posted the menu, lots of kids options.

 

[Disneyland Mommy]

We love RFC, and it's a tradsition of ours to eat there, as soon as we arrive the first day. I see you are from OR, so you may plan on going back to the DLR in the future. I would highly recommend signing up for their Safari Club. It's $15, but the day you sign up you can get a free appetizer. We got the onion ring stack, which I believe was around $8, so that's like paying $7 for the Safari Club. Then, they send you a $10 off coupon, good off your total purchase, for the next time you dine. So, basically it's paid for itself. Every time you dine, you can get either a free appetizer or 10% off your bill, and one of the best perks in my opinion, is they give you priority over other "walk-ups." We rarely make ADRs for the DLR. So, we always just put our name in at RFC when we want to eat. When the wait time is 30 minutes for "walk-ups," we waited about 10 because we were Safari Club members.

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

I enjoy eating at Rainforest Cafe. I think it is rather pricey but the portions are huge.
I like the Blue Mountain Chicken sandwich.

 

[DizNee Luver]

Our family loved going to RFC, even with the price being one of our most expensive meals during our trip. Our first trip in 2005, we were all pleased with our meals. On our return trip in 08, most of us liked our food, in 09 only half of us enjoyed the food. When we went (with 10 of us) last summer.....not one person enjoyed it. We have found the quality of food has really gone downhill. We had food where the pasta was over cooked, the chicken was dry & even dipping it in something didn't make it palatable, burnt or undercooked food, no flavor, etc. When you're paying $12 & up for a dinner....you'd like it to be edible....this was not the case. (we're not picky eaters either)

We love to look around at all the "animals" & fish tanks, but you can go into the gift shop & peek around in the restaurant for free. We miss going & sitting thru the thunderstorms, but I can't justify paying a $100+ tab for that.

 

[furb & dez]

Our family loved going to RFC, even with the price being one of our most expensive meals during our trip. Our first trip in 2005, we were all pleased with our meals. On our return trip in 08, most of us liked our food, in 09 only half of us enjoyed the food. When we went (with 10 of us) last summer.....not one person enjoyed it. We have found the quality of food has really gone downhill. We had food where the pasta was over cooked, the chicken was dry & even dipping it in something didn't make it palatable, burnt or undercooked food, no flavor, etc. When you're paying $12 & up for a dinner....you'd like it to be edible....this was not the case. (we're not picky eaters either)

We love to look around at all the "animals" & fish tanks, but you can go into the gift shop & peek around in the restaurant for free. We miss going & sitting thru the thunderstorms, but I can't justify paying a $100+ tab for that.

I would agree. The concept, while interesting, falls flat in practice. And really, if you want a meal that is blandly mediocre at best, there are lot of other places for you to go for quite a bit less money.

 

[TinkBride]

Never been to RFC at DL, but I have been to both at WDW.

I think RFC is a place everyone should experience at least once. It is definitely a fun atmosphere. The food is decent, not out of this world, but not bad either.

Your kids will love it! It is a really neat place. My DH is not big on noisy restaurants, so he did not enjoy it, but I like it.

Definitely get a reservation, or going during an "off time" and not during traditional dining hours.

 

[HappyHaunt]

We always have to eat there once during our trips. The atmosphere is very cool, the food is good, service there has been hit and miss. But we almost always enjoy our meal there, and get a "volcano" for dessert.

We never get reservations. Usually just wait for 5-10 minutes, and get a great table. We did that in June.

 

[MickeyBA]

Up until recently we had one in our mall that we could go to whenever we wanted so it's always surprising to me that people would wait at Disney for it. But I get it. Kids love it. It was a treat for my girls. They always liked the food they got. The adults learned to just order a cheeseburger and not take our chances with anything more expensive than that. Although last summer in Minnesota we got talked into going to the one there by my 8 year old daughter. I had some barbeque sandwich that was pretty yummy.

 

[Sydnie]

It's a fun place with a lot of ambiance. It really ties into the whole Disney theming and my kids enjoyed it. It's worth going to even though the food is just about average.

 

[patnkristin]

I have coupons for .99 kids meals WYB an adult meal. Will I have a problem using these at the RFC at Disney? TIA

 

[SpaceMania]

It isn't the cheapest place to eat, and the food isn't amazing. but the atmosphere is. When I was younger I absolutly LOVED the Rainforest Cafe. I would force my parents to take me there everytime we visited. Now that i'm a little older it isn't something that I really feel I need to do. If your kids want to go, I would say go for it. They'll order off the kids menu (i assume) and then 1 'real' entree wont add up to a super high bill.

You might run into a problem in the gift shop though, thats where I always got my parents to shell out the cash for an overpriced stuffed animal

 

[endy]

We were just there on Friday. DS likes the atmosphere. I had a $10 birthday coupon so that made it better and I have the RFC card so a free appetizer as well. They don't have the banana dessert anymore and I was so looking forward to it. Instead we had the chocolate something. It was very good and even the two of couldn't finish it.
We were seated upstairs which isn't as good as beside one of the fishtanks.

 

[pixiewings71]

We like RFC. We joined the Safari Club because we were going to DL a lot, it was a good place to eat that we all liked. We generally get an appetizer (free appetizer, the girls don't like any of the options so DBF and I share it) and split a meal. That makes a little more affordable for us. The girls both eat off the kids menu, altho they are both "too old" the servers never have a problem with and sometimes we even get the Volcano dessert.....service can be slow at times but we will continue to eat there.