Resturant Suggestions

[lindyv321]

We will be visiting DLR at the end of Feb. and want to go to a nice dinner the first night we are there which will be on a Sunday. We want something nice but not super fancy in DTD. We were thinking of Jazz Kitchen. Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Indiana Scott]

The Jazz Kitchen is fairly fancy (esp price wise) but very, very good. We eat there every trip.
Tequila Joes is good Mexican food and reasonably priced. It's a nice sit-down rest. but not fancy.
Even the fancier places in DTD will have people dressed in casual attire because families wonder in from DL so while places like the Jazz are nice you'l fit in fine even if not dressed up. I recommend reservations though.

 

[Sherry E]

I moved this thread over to the main Disneyland trip planning forum so you will get more responses!

 

[GatorChris]

My son thinks IHOP is really fancy. All they syrup you could ever want!

As for DTD, House of Blues has some good food.

 

[thewelts]

Our tradition is to kick off the first night at Carthay Circle with the World of Color package. We had dinner there last Saturday. It was a wonderful meal. We especially enjoyed this location for their excellent bar. We loved the Carthay Manhattan so much we returned for another drink on Monday (prior to our Blue Bayou dining package). If you do the WOC package be sure to arrive 30 minutes before the show. We were running late and the only viewing option was in the back of the CC section behind some very tall people.

I'm sad to report that Jazz Kitchen was a bit disappointing this trip. It has always been a favorite. The service was extremely slow, the prices were high, and the quality has declined (particularly with the kid's menu)

I look forward to dining a Carthay Circle again for sure. Our friends voted Blue Bayou as their favorite.

 

[crystal1313]

We really enjoy Steakhouse 55 in the DLH. So yummy!

 

[figment_jii]

Are you looking for something inside the parks or only in DTD/hotels?

Jazz Kitchen is one of my favorite restaurants in DTD. The food is very good and prices seemed on par with what you'd expect from a theme park/resort area. The only drawback is it's mostly outdoor seating (with heating lamps), so it can be chilly at night. Still, the food is well worth a visit!

 

[Indiana Scott]

Are you looking for something inside the parks or only in DTD/hotels?

Jazz Kitchen is one of my favorite restaurants in DTD. The food is very good and prices seemed on par with what you'd expect from a theme park/resort area. The only drawback is it's mostly outdoor seating (with heating lamps), so it can be chilly at night. Still, the food is well worth a visit!

We've never had any problem getting an indoor seat, they have several large dinging rooms.
Maybe just a problem when crowds are abnormally big.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We like Jazz Kitchen (as mentioned above, we have no problem requesting and getting indoor seating), Tortilla Jo's, and Catal or Uva Bar. It depends on what your mood desires when you arrive. La Brea Bakery can be nice, too. Depending on when you eat and whether you dine outdoors, Jazz Kitchen, Catal or Uva, and La Brea Bakery can give you a view of the fireworks. If you want a hotel restaurant, try Storytellers Cafe, Trader Sam's, or Hearthstone Lounge.

 

[DahliaRW]

We were disappointed with the Jazz Kitchen this past Sunday when we dined there. Not sure we'll ever go back. It wasn't nearly as good as it was 5ish years ago and it's pricey.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Can you clarify why you were disappointed? Was it the food? The service? Something else? Yes, most (all?) DtD TS places are pricey these days. If the OP has an AP, that discount can really come in handy.

 

[chrisaman]

McDonald's. Yummy!!!!

 

[DizMe]

I love Jazz Kitchen. Just ate dinner there Dec 7th and it was just as great as ever. My personal favorite is the beef medallions--yummy! I share it because it's a lot of food for me, and since you get 2 medallions it's perfect. You each get full sides, too. We also ordered a salad (me) and a soup (sister), and we split a dessert (double chocolate bread pudding, which is huge). Bananas Foster is also fabulous. If you want the double chocolate bread pudding, which I have to say is nothing like it sounds but more like a souffle in which you pour white and dark chocolate ganache, be sure to order it when you place your dinner order because they have to make it for you right then and it takes some time.

Jazz Kitchen would be my hands-down favorite. I prefer the outdoor seating, especially the balcony. It can get too loud inside if they're playing music, I never seem to be cold outside since it's heated, and if you go at the right time you can watch the fireworks

 

[DahliaRW]

Can you clarify why you were disappointed? Was it the food? The service? Something else? Yes, most (all?) DtD TS places are pricey these days. If the OP has an AP, that discount can really come in handy.

Yes, the food. Their kids choices were not great as well, we went for brunch and there was very little brunch offered, none for kids. The food quality was not what I remembered (paying 20 for a mediocre omlette with a side of potatoes that was maybe 1/3 cup worth and practically burnt). I'm totally fine paying a premium for good food, but this wasn't THAT much better than ihop or Denny's...honestly the food I had at rainforest was better....

 

[figment_jii]

Yes, the food. Their kids choices were not great as well, we went for brunch and there was very little brunch offered, none for kids. The food quality was not what I remembered (paying 20 for a mediocre omlette with a side of potatoes that was maybe 1/3 cup worth and practically burnt). I'm totally fine paying a premium for good food, but this wasn't THAT much better than ihop or Denny's...honestly the food I had at rainforest was better....

I know they did away with the kids buffet a while ago. I was also there on Sunday and had a mixture of brunch items (chicken and waffles) and some non-brunch items (shrimp and grits and Caesar salad) and they were all very good. I haven't had the omlette (not an egg fan), but the other dishes I've had from the brunch-menu were good. Hopefully you just hit a bad dish, although being practically burnt sounds like an issue with the chef. Did you complain about the potatoes?

Sorry, but I completely disagree about the comparison with ihop or Denny's. Those places are consistently far, far below Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in terms of service and food quality. I'd go to Brennan's or RFC in a heartbeat; I'd have to think about ihop or Denny's.

 

[DahliaRW]

I know they did away with the kids buffet a while ago. I was also there on Sunday and had a mixture of brunch items (chicken and waffles) and some non-brunch items (shrimp and grits and Caesar salad) and they were all very good. I haven't had the omlette (not an egg fan), but the other dishes I've had from the brunch-menu were good. Hopefully you just hit a bad dish, although being practically burnt sounds like an issue with the chef. Did you complain about the potatoes?

Sorry, but I completely disagree about the comparison with ihop or Denny's. Those places are consistently far, far below Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in terms of service and food quality. I'd go to Brennan's or RFC in a heartbeat; I'd have to think about ihop or Denny's.

They did away with the buffet AFTER I made my reservation, when I called and asked about it before placing it, and was never notified it was done away with. We would have cancelled had we known. Regardless, it's ridiculous at 10am that there are no breakfast offerings on the kids menu. And yes, my last Denny's omelette was better than RB omelette. But we may have gotten 2 bad ones (my son got one as well). I didn't complain because I didn't see our server for 20 minutes after our food came and the kids were done eating by the time he came by, so no use waiting for new ones. I couldn't get most of the other offerings since I can't have gluten, so I can't speak to how good those are. My dh liked his banana fosters french toast (but it's hard to go wrong with french toast!)

 

[figment_jii]

They did away with the buffet AFTER I made my reservation, when I called and asked about it before placing it, and was never notified it was done away with. We would have cancelled had we known. Regardless, it's ridiculous at 10am that there are no breakfast offerings on the kids menu. And yes, my last Denny's omelette was better than RB omelette. But we may have gotten 2 bad ones (my son got one as well). I didn't complain because I didn't see our server for 20 minutes after our food came and the kids were done eating by the time he came by, so no use waiting for new ones. I couldn't get most of the other offerings since I can't have gluten, so I can't speak to how good those are. My dh liked his banana fosters french toast (but it's hard to go wrong with french toast!)

It sounds like you had a tough meal; I was there later in the morning (noon) and as I said, the food was outstanding (as normal) and our server was very attentive (the manager-type person came by twice to check on us as well). Everyone has their own experiences and mine was very good, as they almost all have been. I would not hesitate to go back and I would happily recommend it to anyone going to DTD. I hope you give it a second chance and that things improve for your family. Although, I don't think the kid's brunch buffet is likely to return (it took up a lot of space where they can now put tables), but maybe if you write and suggest they add brunch items to the kid's menu they might do something like that in the future.

 

[DahliaRW]

They were good the last two times we went (2008, 2011), but I've seen restaurants go downhill over time, not sure if we'll try again, I'll check reviews next time we head down to DLR. I do want to be honest with the OP it's a risk they have to decide to take as to whether they will have a good or bad experience. The reviews on yelp are mixed, so it can obviously be a hit or miss experience. If they were mostly positive I'd have chalked our experience up to a bad morning, but they're not, so there are obviously frequent issues.

 

[TheDoleWhipper]

There are many options for food in DTD! In my opinion, there is no restaurant that consistently lacks in quality. It really depends on your mood. For example, if you are looking for something kid-friendly, colorful, hectic and fun, try Rainforest Café or ESPN zone. If you are looking for something fancy and elegant, Catal is great (they serve Mediterranean food). Other options are House of Blues, tortilla joes, Naples, Napolini, La Brea Bakery Café, and of course, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen. Based on what you said, I would think that that particular restaurant would be your best option.

Now it is true that the quality of the food of Ralph Brennan's jazz kitchen has declined a little throughout the recession. Although it may be weaker than before, it really isn't all that bad. If you have never been, and you have nothing to compare it to, then you should be fine! If you do not want to risk it, try Naples?

 

[figment_jii]

They were good the last two times we went (2008, 2011), but I've seen restaurants go downhill over time, not sure if we'll try again, I'll check reviews next time we head down to DLR. I do want to be honest with the OP it's a risk they have to decide to take as to whether they will have a good or bad experience. The reviews on yelp are mixed, so it can obviously be a hit or miss experience. If they were mostly positive I'd have chalked our experience up to a bad morning, but they're not, so there are obviously frequent issues.

I agree to some extent; I think you run the risk of a bad meal/experience at any restaurant. Out of curiosity, I looked up Brennan's on Yelp and it got an aggregate score of 3.5 and most everything DLR got a score between 3 and 4, inclusive. I'm not saying that you didn't have a bad experience! I believe you that you did and I'm sorry to hear that because I like Brennan's.