What are your favorite Budget restaurants?

[otterpop]

Hi Everyone,

New member and first post!

My family and I are going to WDW in July (first time!) and we are trying to do it on a budget. I have found some "bits and pieces" of budget restaurants to eat at, but not a complete list. My question is the following: what specific restaurants would you recommend to eat at for lunch/dinner at each park that are not too pricey. I know nothing is cheap at WDW, but what places are relatively "cheap" and have good food? I am hoping to compile a list such that we know exactly where to go for lunch and dinner depending on which park we are at.

Thanks for you time and suggestions!

Otter

 

[mygirl]

hello and welcome !

not sure what types of eaters you have or if any kids are in your party, but our family found that many CS meals were quite large. we found ourselves splitting some meals - thus saving a buck or two! also found that the heat and humidity kind of killed our appetites - we just ate less. if you want to go a bit budget style, i would consider eating breakfast in your room. if you must do a TS meal, make it for lunchtime - prices are lower for lunch at most TS places...

hope that helps!

 

[jacksmom]

MK - Cosmic Rays
AK - Pizzafari
DS - Toy Story pizza
Epcot - Tangeriene Cafe
Down Town Disney - Earl of sandwich

 

[Hootch]

meals will tend to be less expensive. They'll still be more expensive than fast food places by a couple of dollars per person.

In MK Columbia Harbor House is good. Pecos Bills and Cosmic Rays are also good. Cosmic Rays , has combo meals that can be split and a wide variety of food to choose from. El Pirates y Perico is also so good and should be open in July. The Plaza Restaurant is a relatively inexpensive tables service (TS) restaurant. In July you will most likely need an advanced dining reservation (ADR) for most TS meals.

Epcot has a lot of good CS choices. Sunshine Seasons is like a food court with multiple counters and the food tends to be fresher and healthier than many CS locations. Sommerfest does German food - think brats and potato salad. I like both so it ranks highly with me. Tangerine Cafe and Yorkshire Fish House are also good.

Hollywood Studios is a little harder. I personally like Studio Catering and Backlot Express.

Flame Tree BarbQ is good in Animal Kingdom.

I have stayed at a few resorts but not nearly all of them. The food courts tend to have a variety of food with some being really good. If you have a car bring some groceries (and water) in and have breakfast in the room before the parks. Some companies deliver for a fee with a minimum order amount. If you like bottled water this could be a big savings. You can request ice water at the restaurants. Some people are put off by a slight sulpher taste in the tap water and some use kool aid type powders to mask that.

The link below will provide a grouping of reviews and links to menus. The menus are always as up to date as the ones on this site though.

http://land.allears.net/reviewpost/

 

[otterpop]

Thanks for everyone's reply. I also just found some good "counter service" threads. Now I can put together a list, so depending on which park we are at, we can just pick a place to eat from the list instead of blindly going some where to eat.

Thanks again!

Otter

 

[JT4Ever4Ever4Ever]

Thanks for everyone's reply. I also just found some good "counter service" threads. Now I can put together a list, so depending on which park we are at, we can just pick a place to eat from the list instead of blindly going some where to eat.

Thanks again!

Otter

Biergarten and Rose & Crown Pub are 2 really good budget restaurants!

 

[Buzz's Girl]

We really like the fish & chips from the stand out front of Rose & Crown. The fish is usually hotter & crispier than I've been served in the restaurant. We also like Wolfgang Puck Express at Downtown Disney.

 

[dmslush]

Dh and I are actually going to plan a Counter Service Only trip in the future because we've gotten such good meals at counter services lately!

We love Toy story pizza planet in MGM. The junkyard special (veggie pizza) is exceptionally good!

In MK, we enjoy pinocchio's village haus. I enjoy the turkey and bacon panini.

In AK, we were impressed with the Yak and Yeti counter service. I liked the sweet and sour pork!

And in Epcot, we love the fish and chips at the UK counter service and we like the morrocan counter service. We don't like the electric umbrella. It is nasty!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

to the DIS!


For Table Service:
MK - Plaza Restaurant (The meals are definitely big enough to share. It's probably the best TS for those on a budget.)

DHS - Sci-fi (They have sandwiches (i.e. burgers), which should be enough to share. We haven't eaten here yet, but most people recommend having the burgers anyway. We're doing this instead of CS for lunch.)

AK - Rainforest Cafe (They give huge portions. Most people could make a meal on the appetizers. Some of those are large enough to share. My sister, niece, & I shared one of their pizzas & had more than enough. Just so you know, the last time I saw the kid's pizza it wasn't that big though.)

Epcot - Nothing is really coming to mind. Chefs de France is supposed to be reasonable for lunch. (We always eat dinner in World Showcase, so I can't speak from personal experience.) There's always the option of exiting through the WS exit & walking to Beaches & Cream. The good news is Epcot has good CS options.)

Now that I went back & look over these suggestions, I hope you like burgers & other sandwiches. I have a sister who loves burgers. She'd love this list.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

If you have a small appetite you can order children's meals.

You can order a double hamburger meal and ask for an extra bun. I have never been charged for it but some people have - I think it was about a dollar.

They will give you cups of ice water if you don't want to order sodas or bottled water.

Also, you can order the largest soda with no ice and request some extra cups to share.

I find their portions to be generous so we split a lot of meals.

 

[ShellyLynn3630]

One of our only two OOP TS meals will be at the Sci-Fi. We are going to get three burger plates, drinks, and one kids meal and I have come up with a total of $53 and some change. I do know that this is not cheap, but it is very affordable for a TS meal at Disney. This is why we will not be using one of our free dining credits here.

 

[AJKMOM]

go to www.allearsnet.com click on Dining, and then you can check the menu's and prices. It lists not only the park restaurants, but the resort ones, too.

 

[Quicklabs]

It's easy to split a CS meal at Cosmic Rays or Tangierine Cafe.
And by the way--WELCOME to the DIS!

 

[asmit4]

One of our only two OOP TS meals will be at the Sci-Fi. We are going to get three burger plates, drinks, and one kids meal and I have come up with a total of $53 and some change. I do know that this is not cheap, but it is very affordable for a TS meal at Disney. This is why we will not be using one of our free dining credits here.

You have got me thinking! I booked our ADRs already and 1 of them is Sci-Fi. I knew it wasn't a good use of our TS credits, but booked it anyway. MAYBE we could find another TS place and pay OOP for this meal! This is a great idea!