What are your DCA top 3 restaurant choices?

[starlite_]

Going to DCA for the first time in years in August, what would the the top 3 restaurant choices besides Lamplight for you? Doesn't matter if Quick Service or if we need a reservation. Any vegetarian dishes recommended?
Thanks!

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

Pym's kitchen has some decent vegetarian options. The impossible spoon was pretty good, the pasta wasn't as good as the "meatball".

Tastes vary, but our top three would be:

Napa Rose (technically outside CA-but so close)
Carthay
Pacific Wharf-variety for everyone/Corn Dog Castle ties here

 

[evilmommie]

Not a fan of Lamplight.

Craftsman's Bar. Easy in and out to DCA, very comfortable and you can speak to the chef about vegetarian options.
Carthay - delicious food! Hard to get a ressie
Wine Country Trattoria - Step up from Olive Garden, again you can talk to chef about options. This past year we've had great service.

 

[Steven G]

Pym's Kitchen
The shwarma carts
Pacific Wharf restaurants

If there is a festival going on, then trying the foods at the festival.

 

[RunnerMom71]

Carthay
Pym's Test Kitchen
Schwarma Carts - the veggie schwarma is better than the chicken IMO

Love grabbing food from the Pacific Wharf restaurants and sitting up on the wine terrace: wine for me, beer for my husband. Sitting under a tree looking out over everything is very very pleasant!

 

[starlite_]

Thanks for all the recs! Carthay seems so good yet a bit too expensive for us but the Schwarma Carts and Pym's look perfect!! Love the idea of Pacific Wharf too to chill for a bit. Thanks everyone!

 

[sgrap]

We love the Asian Chicken Salad in the breadbowl at Pacific Wharf Cafe'.

 

[DisneylandFan22]

Surprised no one has mentioned Flo’s V8 Cafe. They have an impossible burger. We also like Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta which recently reopened.

 

[jviking]

Lamplight Lounge - Lobster Nachos
not a restaurant, but my kids always want: Corn Dog Castle, Chili Cone Queso/Bacon Mac'n Cheese, and Jack's num nums.

 

[Kit Jackson]

Surprised no one has mentioned Flo’s V8 Cafe. They have an impossible burger. We also like Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta which recently reopened.

I was thinking about mentioning it, but while the food is good, the atmosphere is better than the food. Still worth checking out for a unique Disneyland/DCA experience.

 

[Epicnemesis]

We usually do pacific wharf if there is no festival. We get a max and cheese bread bowl for our daughter and the birria tacos for us. (And then steal the bread bowl from my daughter)

Award wieners is also solid, as is corn dog castle.

Not a fan of any of the sit down restaurants since they got rid of Ariel’s grotto.

*im as far from a vegetarian as it gets so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

 

[starlite_]

We usually do pacific wharf if there is no festival. We get a max and cheese bread bowl for our daughter and the birria tacos for us. (And then steal the bread bowl from my daughter)

Award wieners is also solid, as is corn dog castle.

Not a fan of any of the sit down restaurants since they got rid of Ariel’s grotto.

*im as far from a vegetarian as it gets so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

Pacific Wharf does seem to have a bunch of nice options too, could never get the birria tacos thought. We're Mexican so I think my ancestors would riot if we did haha.

 

[starlite_]

I was thinking about mentioning it, but while the food is good, the atmosphere is better than the food. Still worth checking out for a unique Disneyland/DCA experience.

Agree, we did that one when it first opened and it wasn't the best food in our opinion. Wouldn't mind to sit there for a water break tho, will keep it in mind.

 

[Steven G]

I like the boardwalk pizza and pasta too, forgot to mention it, since it's been closed for so long. Last time I was in DCA, I wanted to try Pym's and the Shwarma, so didn't get a chance to go back to the boardwalk pizza. hopefully it's as good as before.

Award Weiners is good too for a quick meal and pricing is reasonable, the seating there though is kinda weird (it wraps around the entrance and exit to the Philharmagic show).

 

[DisneylandFan22]

I like the boardwalk pizza and pasta too, forgot to mention it, since it's been closed for so long. Last time I was in DCA, I wanted to try Pym's and the Shwarma, so didn't get a chance to go back to the boardwalk pizza. hopefully it's as good as before.

Award Weiners is good too for a quick meal and pricing is reasonable, the seating there though is kinda weird (it wraps around the entrance and exit to the Philharmagic show).

I last visited in February and it hadn’t reopened yet so I am hoping it hasn’t changed much too.

Award Weiners has vegetarian options too. I have heard good things about them.

 

[smartlabelprint]

I’m a peskitarian. I like the offering at award wieners. I love the veg chili but I ask for no queso inside. I didn’t see vegetarian options on the current menu so I hope they still have it.

Boardwalk pizza & pasta is my other fave.

I also like the lemon “dole whip” at the boardwalk.

 

[lily_belle]

Lamplight lounge for Lobster nachos
Cocina Cucamonga for quesa birria tacos (multiple times per trip!)
Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta for the sun dried tomato pasta and Italian chef salad