What do kids 10-12 eat at table service restaurants?

[afinnteach]

Yes, I've been to allears and checked menus. I know Sanaa has pizza for kids for example and I did know that not every restaurant has all the usual kid meal choices -but thanks! It was actually while looking at menus that I realized I might have a "kid" ordering issue. We've been to WDW a bunch of times, this is just the first trip with kids who aren't kids to Disney anymore. It will also be our first trip since the kiddos where we aren't on the DDP.

 

[JerseyJanice]

If paying OOP at an ala carte restaurant, see if there is an appetizer they can order instead of an entree.

At that age, my son and his cousins would often order things like mussels, soups, flatbreads or nachos as their entree.

 

[ariane37]

Just want to say to @Lisa F and @afinnteach that I used to have a picky eater, as in ridiculously picky eater whom we'd fight with all the time, and he LOVED Sanaa when we first went there. I assumed he'd have something off the kdis menu - I think a cheeseburger? But then he ended up eating a total of 2 Naan breads and half my butter chicken entrée! Also loved the rice that comes with it even though if I'd asked him beforehand he would have said there was no way he was touching anything other than white rice The butter chicken actually doesn't taste or look all that "exotic", but it IS delicious. So while you have to go into Disney restaurants that have not-common food on the menus don't discount your picky ones possibly wanting to try something out of their comfort zone!

 

[Lisa F]

Just want to say to @Lisa F and @afinnteach that I used to have a picky eater, as in ridiculously picky eater whom we'd fight with all the time, and he LOVED Sanaa when we first went there. I assumed he'd have something off the kdis menu - I think a cheeseburger? But then he ended up eating a total of 2 Naan breads and half my butter chicken entrée! Also loved the rice that comes with it even though if I'd asked him beforehand he would have said there was no way he was touching anything other than white rice The butter chicken actually doesn't taste or look all that "exotic", but it IS delicious. So while you have to go into Disney restaurants that have not-common food on the menus don't discount your picky ones possibly wanting to try something out of their comfort zone!

Thanks! when he was a baby I used to take him to the indian buffet all the time and he'd sit and eat naan, tandoori chicken broken into bits and some kind of puffed thing I forget the name of. I will order him something safe but he will be welcome to try mine. I think with the bread service I could give up some of mine and still be full, lol. The child will not even eat white rice, I think it is a textural thing for him. eesh. but if it's bread he will eat it all day long as long as there are no seeds in it.

 

[ariane37]

Thanks! when he was a baby I used to take him to the indian buffet all the time and he'd sit and eat naan, tandoori chicken broken into bits and some kind of puffed thing I forget the name of. I will order him something safe but he will be welcome to try mine. I think with the bread service I could give up some of mine and still be full, lol. The child will not even eat white rice, I think it is a textural thing for him. eesh. but if it's bread he will eat it all day long as long as there are no seeds in it.

And if you splurge for all the sauces with the bread service there are a couple that are on the "plain" side. The cucumber riata is one and both my boys love it (so do I) so maybe he'll enjoy dipping his naan in that? I can't remember the names of the other one or two more tame sauces, sorry But I think you're going to really enjoy Sanaa!

 

[Lisa F]

And if you splurge for all the sauces with the bread service there are a couple that are on the "plain" side. The cucumber riata is one and both my boys love it (so do I) so maybe he'll enjoy dipping his naan in that? I can't remember the names of the other one or two more tame sauces, sorry But I think you're going to really enjoy Sanaa!

oh thanks! we are looking forward to it. going to it on our arrival night. I will preview everything and make sure it's not too spicy and then let him try it. I like taking him to buffets because he can try anything with no pressure... but we are mostly doing breakfast buffets, not dinner. Oh well we are also doing dxddp so there is going to be so much extra food i won't care if he shares my dinner with me.

 

[LovesTimone]

Check out the menus, and with doing TS with a large group, you not only have to worry about feeding the kiddos, throw the picky adults into the mix. Sharing pasta ( adult portion) somewhere like Tutto should not be a problem. Once they let us get spaghetti, half with red sauce and the other half with just buttered spaghetti noodles, and served it separate bowls, and still the DD's could not eat it all.

As a suggestion you might want to throw in some buffets which for us...works, everyone seems to find something they like. Also seating at a buffet with larger groups, seems a bit easier. and easier to get tables close together.

 

[DrunkJam]

Have you considered getting them involved in choosing the restaurants?
my ds will be 11 when we next go to WDW and, we make one TS ADR a day too, I have shown him menus of places we are looking at so he can have a vote and work to whether / what he likes on the adult menu (he would be hungry to only eat off the kids menu and it does restrict the experience if, as he is, one is not in to pizza, burgers etc...
He has found lots of things that work for him in lots of different TS places.

 

[Aliceacc]

When in doubt, my kids can just about always find a steak.

 

[DrunkJam]

(DS is on the autism spectrum, so he specialises in being fussy! Involving him in choosing the ADRs is a really positive way of heading off problems without making him feel like he is a problem)

 

[Minnesota!]

My older son will order off the adult menu, but "hold the stuff" if he isn't sure about it. Like, if they make a burger with a bunch of toppings he does not like, he will just ask for it plain. Or, a chicken breast with just the cheese, or the like.

The kids meals are TINY and my 2 big boys are not full on a tiny hamburger and a handful of grapes...

 

[DrunkJam]

My older son will order off the adult menu, but "hold the stuff" if he isn't sure about it. Like, if they make a burger with a bunch of toppings he does not like, he will just ask for it plain. Or, a chicken breast with just the cheese, or the like.

The kids meals are TINY and my 2 big boys are not full on a tiny hamburger and a handful of grapes...

Yes, DS is not afraid to ask them to serve x on the side, or to leave off something he doesn't like...

 

[ariane37]

My older son will order off the adult menu, but "hold the stuff" if he isn't sure about it. Like, if they make a burger with a bunch of toppings he does not like, he will just ask for it plain. Or, a chicken breast with just the cheese, or the like.

The kids meals are TINY and my 2 big boys are not full on a tiny hamburger and a handful of grapes...

Yes, DS is not afraid to ask them to serve x on the side, or to leave off something he doesn't like...

Two very good points! DS14 has often asked for sauces or other toppings to be held or put on the side and it's never a problem as long as it isn't something already mixed in or something like that. And yes, the kids meals are small. When he was 12 he often still got a kids meal and then was hungry an hour later.

 

[Lisa F]

(DS is on the autism spectrum, so he specialises in being fussy! Involving him in choosing the ADRs is a really positive way of heading off problems without making him feel like he is a problem)

mine too and this is SO true. We discussed our ADRs ahead of the 180+10 window and at that point we discussed biergarten and he said "no, I don't think I want to do that." He came back to me 2.5 months later to tell me that he had thought about it (for 2.5 months lol) and wanted to do it. Man that kid can process for a long time. So we are going and we are both really excited but if I had told him "hey we are going to this" it would have been trouble. i'm glad he came back on one that is easy to get outside of the 180 day window.

 

[CharleneR]

We were there last week and my 11yo son ate off the kids menu at every table service restaurant. He generally ate everything that was given to him, but it was enough food (he eats well but is on the smaller side). At BOG he ate the steak that was listed on the kids menu. No one ever said anything. We were not on the dining plan.

 

[tsme]

Most places have a grilled chicken meal. Usually, we'll order it with everything on the side, all sauces, etc so DD can at least try the sauce. And if possible substitute veggies for fries. Or our DD will order steak.

 

[HubbDave]

We just returned from a trip with 4 adults and 4 kids with ages ranging from 7-15. Our DD9 is the pickiest of the bunch. She mostly stuck with grilled chicken but ventured a bid (miso soup and stir fried veggies at Teppan Edo, cous cous and prime rib at Boma).
The 7 year old niece of ours was the most adventurous ordering octopus not once, but twice!!