Restaurants: Best and Worst

[Bell<3Disney]

Of course you are going to get a million different opinions but here's another
DL:
The Blue Bouy is pricey but the atmosphere is sooo much fun and the food is really good! (I suggest the steak or the monte cristo) I kinda consider it a must do every couple of times we go.

A lot of people suggest the Bengal BBQ its good but be warned the portions are extremely small so by the time you order enough to fill up for a meal it really adds up for what it is.

Rancho Del Zocalo(sp?) is really good the portions are huge (my husband and I share) and there are a lot of options. Also it is one of the only places in the park where you get free drink refills

In my experiance the counter service places that have pizza and burgers are pretty gross, the pizza tastes like frozen pizza and the burgers are really dry and blah.

DCA:

My favorite thing to eat in DCA and maybe even in both parks is the bread bowls at the sourdough bakery. The bread is so fresh because they bake it right there and the clam chowder is the best I have ever had. If you dont like clam chowder the chile is pretty good too.

The corn dog place by the boardwalk games are really good too if you want a cheaper quick meal.

DTD:

The ESPN zone has good food and the atmosphere is fun for sports fans.

The Rainforest cafe is fun and has a big menu.

Those are our favorites hope it helps. I havnt done any character breakfasts yet we are going in April and are going to the Surfs Up breakfast with mickey and friends. From what I have gathered the food is pretty much the same at all of them, the difference is which characters make appearances so pick your favorites and find the one that features them. Have fun planning!

 

[goofycathy]

I know EVERYONE is going to disagree with me, but when I went to Bengal BBQ in Sept it was horrible. I got the chicken and the beef and the bacon wrapped asparagus to share with my sister. It very well could have been just an off day for Bengal, but both my chicken and beef were so tough we couldnt eat it, we spent the rest of the day trying to pick strings of dry meat strings out of our teeth! The asparagus was yummy, very yummy but the meat seemed very overcooked. I'm willing to give it another shot, but im really hoping that it was just a bad day for them?!?!

 

[Peri]

Best to me - Celebration Barbeque
Whitewater Snacks
ESPN
Naples


Don't like - Hungry Bear (except the view is fun)
Any hamburger place, really, including Test Pilot - I thought their burger was not flavorful, but the toppings were good choices.
The sourdough bowl of soup - just didn't taste good to me, soup too "floury" tasting, the bread was slightly underdone in the middle, not good. That was second try, too, since I kept thinking I would like it.


"Okay" Benal barbeque

 

[Vala]

Love:

table service: Cafe Orleans
counter service: Taste Pilots Grill
character meal: Goofy's Kitchen

Ariel's was horrible when we first went in 2007, extremely good in 2008 and so-so in 2009. The menu changed in 2008, so if you went before that you may be pleasantly surprised.

Dislike:

There was actually nothing I really hated. I'd probably not go back to Lucky Fortune Cookery though. I was quite happy when it was finally open during my visit last year, and the food was okay... just not what I expected.

Character Breakfast at Plaza Inn. Just cafeteria style, nothing that really stood out like the ribs at Goofy's for example.

I agree about Bengal Barbecue though. The food was quite good when we ordered, but the portions are quite small.

 

[Sherry E]

...I havnt done any character breakfasts yet we are going in April and are going to the Surfs Up breakfast with mickey and friends. From what I have gathered the food is pretty much the same at all of them, the difference is which characters make appearances so pick your favorites and find the one that features them. Have fun planning!

You're in luck because, from the minimal amount of info we have gotten on the DIS so far, I think the Surf's Up with Mickey meal has a few specialty items thrown in among the 'regular' things at the buffet - like, for example, when it was Lilo and Stitch, they used to serve flautas, and even though I think those are no longer served, they have other items along those lines there, which are exclusive to Surf's Up with Mickey. I don't think it is a terribly large buffet, but it does have those specialty things.

Ariel's Grotto (considered "premium dining" by Disneyland Dining) is not buffet, but they have the most unique items - more kind of seafood-oriented and slightly more upscale, higher-end food than any other character meal. Their menu is nothing like the other character meals at all, with the exception of breakfast, where I am sure all the character meals have the expected eggs, bacon and sausage fare!

Goofy's Kitchen (also considered "premium dining") is, by far, the largest buffet/selection of food out of all the character meals and has a wide variety of things to choose from (sometimes including Mickey-shaped cobbler!) at breakfast or dinner. It's much larger than the other buffets. Tons of stuff, so there are bound to be things there that they don't have at the other buffets.

Storytellers Critter Breakfast has a rather small buffet, so what there is of it is pretty standard breakfast buffet fare. Many folks think the food quality at Storytellers is better than at the other buffets. I have not noticed the quality being noticeably better than at Goofy's. I just think all the restaurants have good days and 'off' days, and sometimes the food is outstanding, while other days it is lacking - at any of them. I definitely like the eggs, bacon, potatoes and fruit better at Goofy's, however.

I have not done the Minnie & Friends meal, but from all accounts, it sounds as though it is pretty standard stuff, served 'buffeteria-style.' There are mixed reviews of the food quality at Minnie's, but it has the most characters.

 

[bettymae1121]

The only character meal I've ever had there was Goofy's Kitchen, that was great. My fav quick service in DL is Rancho Del Zocalo. Our fave sit down place is the Japanese restuarant at PPH (can't remember the name for the life of me). It's $$$ but IMO worth it.

Funny story: Last time DH and I were there (the Japanese place), I was in the mood for a drink and ordered a champange cocktail. No price was listed, but I figured it was pricey givent that 1) it's DLR and 2) it's champagne. But, we're on vacation so what the heck right? The cocktail was SO yummy that I had two more. Then I got the bill. $20 EACH!!!! Fortunatly we hadn't bought any souveneers yet so I paid the bill out of my souvie money. We laugh about it, and next time I go, I'll still order the drink (if they still have it). But I'll limit myself to just one this time!

 

[FlameGirl]

Our fave sit down place is the Japanese restuarant at PPH (can't remember the name for the life of me). It's $$$ but IMO worth it.

I have some bad news for you....

 

[bettymae1121]

I have some bad news for you....

Oh no, did it close??? I've just started my DLR reserch for our trip in April and haven't gotten as far as meal reservations yet.

 

[FlameGirl]

Oh no, did it close??? I've just started my DLR reserch for our trip in April and haven't gotten as far as meal reservations yet.

Yep, sorry. Yamabuki is gone.

 

[Sherry E]

Yep, sorry. Yamabuki is gone.

And what's frustrating is that Yamabuki has been closed for quite a while now (I forget how long exactly), and, as far as I know, unless I missed something, there is nothing new in that spot! DLR is is need of more restaurants in general, and having something like Yamabuki gave a needed dash of variety to the mix. How hard can it be to just stick a new restaurant of any kind in that location? What's the hold-up?

 

[FlameGirl]

And what's frustrating is that Yamabuki has been closed for quite a while now (I forget how long exactly), and, as far as I know, unless I missed something, there is nothing new in that spot! DLR is is need of more restaurants in general, and having something like Yamabuki gave a needed dash of variety to the mix. How hard can it be to just stick a new restaurant of any kind in that location? What's the hold-up?

You know, I wonder if it was just not turning a profit. In which case, it makes sense that they'd drag their feet putting another restaurant in there but seriously? They NEED something at PPH above and beyond the PCH Grill. We stayed there in December and it is sorely lacking. But, I can understand that it doesn't draw the same type of crowd as the other two hotels on property. It's not that far away but it is.

 

[Sherry E]

You know, I wonder if it was just not turning a profit. In which case, it makes sense that they'd drag their feet putting another restaurant in there but seriously? They NEED something at PPH above and beyond the PCH Grill. We stayed there in December and it is sorely lacking. But, I can understand that it doesn't draw the same type of crowd as the other two hotels on property. It's not that far away but it is.

You're absolutely right. Those of us who have stayed at PPH (and taken the famous 'short cut" through the GCH lobby to get to the parks) know it is not that far, but to those who have never stayed there, it seems like it is miles away. Actually, even to those who have stayed there but have not figured out a short-cut of any kind yet may think it seems much farther than it is. So all the more reason for PPH to get something else in there to lure the folks across the street! I definitely think the Surf's Up with Mickey meal will help get people over there since that's the only one where Mickey appears, but they do need another option. Something a little more upscale, I would think, but that can somehow be tied into the PPH's surf/beach/sun theme (not that Yamabuki really screamed 'Sun! Surf! Beach!' but Japanese food is very popular in California, where there's lots of sun/surf/beach, so I guess it could be tied in in a roundabout way!!).

 

[FlameGirl]

Funny story: Last time DH and I were there (the Japanese place), I was in the mood for a drink and ordered a champange cocktail. No price was listed, but I figured it was pricey givent that 1) it's DLR and 2) it's champagne. But, we're on vacation so what the heck right? The cocktail was SO yummy that I had two more. Then I got the bill. $20 EACH!!!! Fortunatly we hadn't bought any souveneers yet so I paid the bill out of my souvie money. We laugh about it, and next time I go, I'll still order the drink (if they still have it). But I'll limit myself to just one this time!

I also wanted to add that you can take heart: two trips ago, we wandered into Tortilla Jo's - we had just flown in and were killing in DTD waiting for another member of our party to arrive - so we decided to split the chicken nachos and have a few drinks. I had, I think, 2 margaritas. Hubby had a couple Negro Modellas and a couple of shots of Don Julio. Bill comes, and it's EIGHTY. FIVE. DOLLARS. After the tip, we were out $100 and we hadn't even darkened the park's doorway yet.

So, all I'm saying is, you can still find ridiculously overpriced booze during your trip.

 

[bettymae1121]

So, all I'm saying is, you can still find ridiculously overpriced booze during your trip.

Well, it's not a vacation in MY book unless there is ridiculously overpriced booze at some point.