Table Service at DL?

[tbholc81]

We are visiting DL Feb 28th and staying for 3 days at the DL Hotel. It's myself DW, DD (5) and DS (1). I went to DL twice in the late 90s but haven't been back since, and the rest of my family has never been. We frequent WDW so are used to doing lots of planning for FP+ and ADRs. Our big questions is; do we do any table service meals at DL? It looks like there are not many options and none of them may be worth it with small kids. Any feedback is helpful. Thanks!

 

[mom2rtk]

How do you feel about character meals? Plaza Inn is in DL and can be a lot of fun with little kids.

Goofy's Kitchen is right onsite at the Disneyland Hotel, so that would be nice as well.

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

I liked making one TS reservation per day when my kids were young. It gave everyone a chance to be off their feet and a time to eat without waiting in a 20-30 minute CS line. Plus, all the restaurants have kids' menus. My two personal favorites are Blue Bayou and Napa Rose, but Napa Rose isn't my first choice to take my kids. Too many other options that have more kid-friendly theming/atmosphere at less expensive prices.

My family favorites are Blue Bayou and Rain Forest Cafe for the kid-appealing theming. I also tend to make reservations at Cafe Orleans (people watching and casual atmosphere in the outdoor seating), Carnation Cafe (my kids loved the PB&J Mickey Painter's Palette which gave them a chance to play with their food before eating) and, Wine Country Trattoria and Naples (both kids are pasta/pizza fans).

 

[tbholc81]

How do you feel about character meals? Plaza Inn is in DL and can be a lot of fun with little kids.

Goofy's Kitchen is right onsite at the Disneyland Hotel, so that would be nice as well.

We've done character dining at WDW, if one of the character dining Restaurants is worth we would definitely look into making a reservation there.

 

[mom2rtk]

We've done character dining at WDW, if one of the character dining Restaurants is worth we would definitely look into making a reservation there.

I guess that depends on what you mean by "worth it". If you're looking for great food, they probably aren't. If you're looking for a fun Disney experience, they are. I'm not a foodie, and am all about the Disney fun, so we love the character meals.

 

[Camshell]

We are visiting DL Feb 28th and staying for 3 days at the DL Hotel. It's myself DW, DD (5) and DS (1). I went to DL twice in the late 90s but haven't been back since, and the rest of my family has never been. We frequent WDW so are used to doing lots of planning for FP+ and ADRs. Our big questions is; do we do any table service meals at DL? It looks like there are not many options and none of them may be worth it with small kids. Any feedback is helpful. Thanks!

We ate at the Wine Country Trattoria in California Adventure for the first time last summer with our two kids. It was a really enjoyable. We also lucked out that we got a table on the "balcony" side and our reservation coincided with the street party parade so we had a perfect view of it while enjoying our meal. The adult menu was great and we had wine with our dinner, the kids menu was also great and my daughter really enjoyed her dinner.

 

[DLgal]

Not a lot of options? There are over 20 table service locations at the resort. Many are really good. In particular, the restaurants in Downtown Disney are mostly excellent (exception: Rainforest Cafe).

In particular, the following are great for adults and very kid friendly:

Naples
Jazz Kitchen
ESPN Zone
Uva Bar (great food here and good kids meals)
Tortilla Joe's

Steakhouse 55 has great breakfast.

Carnation Cafe is a fun spot on Main Street with good food and lots of history.

Plaza Inn has arguably the best variety of characters at any Disney character meal.

You will be missing out if you don't do any TS, in my opinion. But you don't really need to make ADRs earlier than one day ahead and you can even make them same day using the app. That's what we do.

 

[tarheelalum]

Carnation Cafe and Cafe Orleans offer the best bang for your money at the table service restaurants and they are both worth it in my opinion. The others, not so much when you consider what you get for your money, but lots of great counter service restaurants at both parks.

 

[lurpee]

We've done character dining at WDW, if one of the character dining Restaurants is worth we would definitely look into making a reservation there.

We did Breakfast with Minnie twice on our trip four years ago. The food is super basic though there were a lot of options (the bacon was see-through), but I couldn't believe all the characters and interaction. We'll be going on the second day of our trip this year and I am looking forward to it. I will have three kids and just myself and it'll be nice to be able to be contained and entertained for a long period of time. My DH is not nearly the Disney enthusiast that I am and it was one of his favorite parts of our 10 day trip in December '12.

 

[Jen cook]

Carnation cafe was our favorite this last trip. Kids 16,12,5. Chicken fried chickens amazing.

 

[tbholc81]

Great thanks for all the info!