Where is the most expensive counter meals?

[lynndeeloonurse]

We just want to get our so called "money's worth" out of the free dining. We have already booked at some of the most expensive table services and now are looking into counter service. Any info will be greatly appreciated!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Tangeriene Cafe in Morrocco and WPE in DTD.

Both have entrees over 10 bucks and the food at both .. oh just wonderful!

 

[2BusyPlanning]

Cosmic Rays in the MK and Flame Tree BBQ in AK. Both are great, and give large servings.

 

[BabaGanoush]

The most expensive counter service at DAK is the take out place beside the Yak n Yeti in Asia called the Anandapur Local Food Cafes. Entrees run up to 11.99 I believe (which is honestly ridiculous). I still think Flame Tree has better food and I am a sucker for Pizzafari's Hot Italian Style Sandwich.

Sunshine Seasons tends to run more expensive at Epcot because they use a lot of fresh ingredients. I would say about the same thing at Cosmic Rays though I think the Tomorrowland Noodle Station may give it a run for its money on expense.

I honestly have no clue about the Studios.

 

[Taja]

Possibly Pepper Market at CSR--they have a rather varied menu. I'm not sure what all is on it these days.

The food courts at the value resorts also have some nicer dinners at around $9 or $10 each (plus drink and dessert). You'll have to check the dining board for the approximate menus--they're fairly consistent with what's posted, but the days/menus can vary sometimes.

Edited to add:

Not sure that came out as intended. The dinners at the value resort food courts do not include beverage & dessert. So probably $13 to $15 total, depending on what is ordered.

 

[Paging Tom Morrow]

The "most expensive" in my mind is one where I use a credit for food that I order solely based on the price rather than the quality.

I'd much prefer to look for the best quality food that I can get. That being said, the Pepper Market at Coronado Springs probably satisifies both criteria.

 

[Care]

The "most expensive" in my mind is one where I use a credit for food that I order solely based on the price rather than the quality.

I'd much prefer to look for the best quality food that I can get. That being said, the Pepper Market at Coronado Springs probably satisifies both criteria.

I second that. You can get steak as your main course on a counter service credit at Pepper Market. Yummy...

 

[septbaby]

We just want to get our so called "money's worth" out of the free dining. We have already booked at some of the most expensive table services and now are looking into counter service. Any info will be greatly appreciated!

Now if it is FREE, how much money is that?

Eat what you want, when you want. That's the best value of free dining. Don't spend YOUR vacation trying to prove a point. Get full, have fun, make memories. Whether you're bills add up to $500 or $100 as long as you've done that you've gotten the best deal on the plan.

Getting value doesn't have to be about getting the most expensive meals; how you spend those credits (getting two drinks, sharing, etc.) is probably a better way to get "value".

Hope that isn't taken as "harsh", not my intention. Years ago I worked at a mfg plant. We took some employees out to dinner. One person ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, no big deal. Problem was it was something he/she didn't even like. However, this was not an employee used to going out for meals on the company and they simply thought that was how you were supposed to order. This person had grown up picking peaches on a farm and finally landed the "good, easy factory job" (those jobs were not easy, but it is all relative). So I'm a little sensitive when I see people focused on the most expensive w/o regard to what might actually be the most enjoyable or most filling.

Good luck with your planning!

 

[Mr. Pig]

Good point septbaby. Question should be best counter service of food you like. I would say the rib eye at Pepper Market is a good meal for CS. I also like the rib/chicken combo at Cosmic Ray's at MK. Now I like burgers also but when on DDP and having a choice between ribs and burger with no difference in cost I will go with the ribs. This is, of course, my tastes. We will be going in July using DDP and my niece is not that fond of steak so she will probably be eating pasta at TS. Not the most expensive but it is what she likes and on average the DDP is still worth it for the whole group.

 

[ilovecountry]

Now if it is FREE, how much money is that?

Eat what you want, when you want. That's the best value of free dining. Don't spend YOUR vacation trying to prove a point. Get full, have fun, make memories. Whether you're bills add up to $500 or $100 as long as you've done that you've gotten the best deal on the plan.

Getting value doesn't have to be about getting the most expensive meals; how you spend those credits (getting two drinks, sharing, etc.) is probably a better way to get "value".

Hope that isn't taken as "harsh", not my intention. Years ago I worked at a mfg plant. We took some employees out to dinner. One person ordered the most expensive thing on the menu, no big deal. Problem was it was something he/she didn't even like. However, this was not an employee used to going out for meals on the company and they simply thought that was how you were supposed to order. This person had grown up picking peaches on a farm and finally landed the "good, easy factory job" (those jobs were not easy, but it is all relative). So I'm a little sensitive when I see people focused on the most expensive w/o regard to what might actually be the most enjoyable or most filling.

Good luck with your planning!

--- Yes, but to be fair not everyone is going during free dining. This is our first time on the DDP & we always stuck to the cheapest areas/lunch buffet to cut costs. Now that we have the plan, we can check out other places that normally are above our price range.

 

[septbaby]

--- Yes, but to be fair not everyone is going during free dining. This is our first time on the DDP & we always stuck to the cheapest areas/lunch buffet to cut costs. Now that we have the plan, we can check out other places that normally are above our price range.

OP (and I) are going during Free Dining; I was responding to OPs thoughts. I still think ordering or selecting based on a high price misses the boat. Go because you want to go order because you want to eat it, not just because it is the most expensive. You and I may simply see that differently and that's fine.

Have a magical trip and enjoy whatever you do, on or off the DP.

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Animal Kingdom Lodge has yummy shrimp on their counter services! Most expensive doesn't always mean better....look at Coral Reef for that example. Beautiful restaurant with an expensive menu but the rudest servers on Planet Earth! I'd rather go have my steak at Pepper Market. If you're trying to get the most out of the plan think about your snack options. Disney suggests the "banana", "soda" and "single bag if chips" but we've always maximized our snacks since we're a family of 5. Why get a "bag of chips" when you can get a huge box of donuts or one of those yummy frozen drinks that sell for $4! You said you're booking the most expensive places to have dinner...you know tip is no longer included right? These servers will expect @ 20% off of you when you get up...and some do go from restaurant to restaurant...I've had the same server twice before in the same stay at different places! If you go to the expensive place and hate the meal then that's more of a gratuity that'll be expected from you. You guys should search the menus and see what you'd like to eat...don't skip over the character meals just because they're "cheaper". Old or young that's some of the most fun you can have at Disney!

 

[TiggerDad3]

http://personalpages.tds.net/~rb/DIS/MYW Dining/DisneyDiningRanking2008.htm

The above link will take you to a list that was posted in a thread by another member, "robinb" in the Dining Plan section. It ranks counter service and table service by most expensive menu choices and avereage menu choices. It seems like lots of work went into making this comparison, and it was very nice to have when making choices, thanks to the creator of it!!!

 

[septbaby]

Animal Kingdom Lodge has yummy shrimp on their counter services! Most expensive doesn't always mean better....look at Coral Reef for that example. Beautiful restaurant with an expensive menu but the rudest servers on Planet Earth! Sorry you've had bad service there, we were pleased there.I'd rather go have my steak at Pepper Market. If you're trying to get the most out of the plan think about your snack options. Disney suggests the "banana", "soda" and "single bag if chips" but we've always maximized our snacks since we're a family of 5. Why get a "bag of chips" when you can get a huge box of donuts or one of those yummy frozen drinks that sell for $4! Those big bags and box of donuts are no longer permitted as snacks on the DP.You said you're booking the most expensive places to have dinner...you know tip is no longer included right? These servers will expect @ 20% off of you when you get up...and some do go from restaurant to restaurant...I've had the same server twice before in the same stay at different places! If you go to the expensive place and hate the meal then that's more of a gratuity that'll be expected from you. You guys should search the menus and see what you'd like to eat...don't skip over the character meals just because they're "cheaper". Old or young that's some of the most fun you can have at Disney!

Sounds like you've figured out how to really enjoy Disney; something we all strive to do.

 

[ElizabethB]

It's ridiculous when people figure the best way to maximize the dining plan is to order the most expensive thing on the menu. I was chatting with a waiter last year who told me you can't believe the number of people who order mussels as an appetizers because it's the most expensive appetizer -- when they don't even know what mussels are.

He said, I then deliver this bowl of mussels in shells and people as, "What in the world is that." Then, he has to take them back and bring something else. Once served, the entire bowl of mussels has to go in the garbage. The waiter said, "you can't believe how many mussels we've dumped in the garbage." Perhaps this is one reason the appetizer is no longer included in DDP.

Best advice to maximaze DDP -- order what you like to eat.

P.S. We thought the ribs at Cosmic Ray's were awful. Very fatty and of poor quality.

 

[maraki527]

I agree with the above poster. Best advice to maximize DDp is to order what you want.

I did however think that the value at Tangerien Cafe in Morocco was great for a counter service.

 

[terri01p]

We just want to get our so called "money's worth" out of the free dining. We have already booked at some of the most expensive table services and now are looking into counter service. Any info will be greatly appreciated!

I think I know what she's talking about , why book places that you can natually afford, why not try out the most expensive places while you have a chance.

Whenever we went in 2006 and had the free DDP I booked LeCellars only because I heard it was very pricey and had the best steaks, if I would have been paying cash I could have never afforded this for my family, eating somewhere expensive was a real treat within itself for us.

Why not do the most expensive and save the other cheap places that you can afford for your next trip, my next trip will be pretty much all counter services because I can't afford the DDP for my family , but for that one time my family ate where they would have never been able to eat, it was so much fun for us !

So I don't think she was trying to be greedy, just give her family alittle extra treat they wouldn't normally have, nothings wrong with that .

 

[darlak]

The beauty of the dining plan is that you don’t have to think about how much anything on the menu costs. That’s true even when you’ve purchased the DDP, but it’s especially true in September when the DDP is free. My advice would echo everyone else’s…just order what you want.

You might also want to keep in mind though, that a fair tip for your server will be based on the total cost of your meal. In March, the average tip we left for our server was anywhere from $40-$65 (for a group of 5, that included one child). Since I’m sure you will be tipping fairly, the higher the cost of your menu items, the higher the amount of your tip. Of course, this only applies to TS restaurants.

 

[centurythree]

It's ridiculous when people figure the best way to maximize the dining plan is to order the most expensive thing on the menu. I was chatting with a waiter last year who told me you can't believe the number of people who order mussels as an appetizers because it's the most expensive appetizer -- when they don't even know what mussels are.

He said, I then deliver this bowl of mussels in shells and people as, "What in the world is that." Then, he has to take them back and bring something else. Once served, the entire bowl of mussels has to go in the garbage. The waiter said, "you can't believe how many mussels we've dumped in the garbage." Perhaps this is one reason the appetizer is no longer included in DDP.

It's a shame since I love mussels, but that's just hilarious.

So how limited are you on the DDP as far as what you can order? Do they bring you special menus? I'm just curious since I'm not doing DDP.

 

[phisigprincess]

I think WPE has great food for a counter service credit - and they just remodeled to fix the seating problems.