Where to eat???

[goofy4tink]

Here's the scenario....Dec 2 and 3 at DL. First time for dh and myself, going with old friend and his wife who have been many times. Dh and I are providing a night at the VGF. They are driving us all up from San Diego. They tend to be, let's say, frugal, while dh and I don't mind spending a bit more to have fun.
Okay....we are going to need to eat. Being a veteran of WDW and dining there, I'm trying to figure out how proactive I have to be in dining.

With the above parameters in mind, where would be a good place to eat? I want decent table service for our first evening, the 2nd, and maybe a good breakfast on the 3rd. Other than that we can do counter service.
Being so completely unfamiliar with dining options at DL, and our friend being so 'frugal' (we're pretty sure they've never eaten anywhere close to expensive at DL, probably just cs), I'm just not sure where to look for a moderately priced spot..even somewhat expensive. Just don't want to break the bank. Oh, and the other couple has fairly basic taste...very meat and potatoes.

So...any thoughts???

 

[PinkBudgie]

Well, if you are looking just at DL, my favorite TS is Cafe Orleans. DH and I split a chicken gumbo and a pommes frites. We then can share an order of Mickey beignets. (We each order one and just share. They don't actually split the plate for us). Sharing like this keeps the price down. Sitting outside is nice in front of the ROA.

For CS, there are many I like. At Hungry Bear I like the fried green tomato sandwich. At Bengal BBQ I like one Banyan Beef skewer and one veggie skewer.

At the Disneyland Hotel we like Tangaroa Terrace and Trader Sam's. At the Grand Californian we like Whitewater Snacks.

We went to WDW this past June and found that while there are more varieties of TS places there (with fun themes), the CS left much to be desired. At CS, we ended up getting mostly the same thing at each place. At DLR there is a wider variety of choices and we have many favorites.

 

[SMD]

What is VGF? Is that a GCH Villa? Ask them if they would like to save money by eating in the room while you have a dinner for 2. Or ask if they would like to bring breakfast to eat in the room so they can take advantage of EE while you go out to breakfast.

 

[goofy4tink]

What is VGF? Is that a GCH Villa? Ask them if they would like to save money by eating in the room while you have a dinner for 2. Or ask if they would like to bring breakfast to eat in the room so they can take advantage of EE while you go out to breakfast.

Duh...so used to posting VGF, I put it in wrong. Sorry. Yes, VGC, studio. You know, they might actually do that. As my dh says, quite often, when we eat out with this guy, he gets very short arms (T-rex style) when the check comes!!
I'll just peruse what's available and go from there. It would be nice to eat together. Of course, they can always bring peanut butter and jelly, with bread.

 

[2tinkerbell]

Carnation Cafe' is a reasonably priced sit down restaurant with basic foods. Good for dinner. For breakfast I would do RiverBell Terrace.

You can check out the menus beforehand to figure out if places are within your price rage.

 

[Briarrose1306]

I agree with Tinkerbell, I think Carnation Cafe would be a great one to do for dinner. Nice moderate prices with great "normal" food. Their fried pickles are amazing!

 

[crystal1313]

I agree with Carnation as well! I also like Storytellers at the Grand

 

[cmpeter]

When I went with friends who were more budget conscious, I emailed them links to menus of places I thought were good and had a variety of price points. Then I let them pick. That way they knew the prices ahead of time and could say, let's eat at XX because the food sounds more appealing...sort of an easy out for them if I suggested a place that was too pricey.

 

[goofy4tink]

Thanks everyone. All great ideas!

 

[disneydadazut2]

Just a couple of ideas, you may have already tried these.

1. Disneyland.com does give menus and prices
2. Check out disneyfoodblog.com and select 'disneyland' on the right hand side, half way down the page (it defaults to WDW). That website is VERY informative with reviews of the individual restaurants in both parks.

Good Luck.

 

[disneydadazut2]

One more quick idea. Some of the places give big proportions so they could split a meal. For example - Cafe Orleans, two could split the Monte Cristo, an order of Pomme Fritas and some Mickey Beignets. You leave having your pallet satisfied, stomach full, and money left remaining in the wallet.

 

[GenGen22]

Another vote for Carnation Cafe. We ate here for breakfast & the servings are good sized & inexpensive around $10 each... Another place that has meals to share would be Plaza Inn they have a really good fried chicken dinner for $15. Its so huge especially for one person...

 

[HydroGuy]

Here's the scenario....Dec 2 and 3 at DL. First time for dh and myself, going with old friend and his wife who have been many times. Dh and I are providing a night at the VGF. They are driving us all up from San Diego. They tend to be, let's say, frugal, while dh and I don't mind spending a bit more to have fun.
Okay....we are going to need to eat. Being a veteran of WDW and dining there, I'm trying to figure out how proactive I have to be in dining.

With the above parameters in mind, where would be a good place to eat? I want decent table service for our first evening, the 2nd, and maybe a good breakfast on the 3rd. Other than that we can do counter service.
Being so completely unfamiliar with dining options at DL, and our friend being so 'frugal' (we're pretty sure they've never eaten anywhere close to expensive at DL, probably just cs), I'm just not sure where to look for a moderately priced spot..even somewhat expensive. Just don't want to break the bank. Oh, and the other couple has fairly basic taste...very meat and potatoes.

So...any thoughts???

Hmmm. For TS at DL I would choose Cafe Orleans. For CS Plaza Inn is surprisingly good.

At DCA CS would be Flo's Diner or maybe Pacific Wharf Cafe. For TS your best bet to keep costs down would probably be Wine Country Trattoria.

In DTD Tortilla Jo's would be a good bet to keep costs somewhat reasonable but if they are from SD then TJ's Mexican food would be quite average (IMO a bit above average).

 

[goofy4tink]

Man, perhaps I should just throw caution to the wind and just eat normally. Let the pieces fall where they may.

A friend recommended Steakhouse 55... I think that's what it was. Good choice? He tends to favor more expensive spots. But, we do seem to enjoy his recommendations. So far anyway!

 

[Snow Queen]

It's a counter service, but I highly recommend going to Paradise Garden Grill if the menu seems your taste.

 

[Geemo]

When I went with friends who were more budget conscious, I emailed them links to menus of places I thought were good and had a variety of price points. Then I let them pick. That way they knew the prices ahead of time and could say, let's eat at XX because the food sounds more appealing...sort of an easy out for them if I suggested a place that was too pricey.

I like this idea.

Check out the menus and email them to your travel buddies.

This way they are familiar with the options available.

Geemo

 

[goooof1]

YES!! Steakhouse 55 is great! pricey, but oh. so. good!! Agree with others... you should check out the menus on-line to give yourself a sense of what is what.

 

[nannyz]

I would ask my friends if they have a favorite place to eat in DL. If it is not up to what you had in mind, then choose a place you would like to try and ask them if they would like to go with you. I would not sacrifice my enjoyment of DL because of someone's frugality. Or maybe you could make the choice for dinner and allow them to choose for breakfast.

 

[DLfan4]

Since this is your first time at DL I would say you have to eat at Blue Bayou. This is a must in my books for those who visit for first time. it can be a bit pricy, but its not gonna break the bank.

 

[goofy4tink]

I think I will make a choice and then dh and I will pay for dinner...even if it's on the expensive side! That will serve to 'repay' them for making the drive north, in their car. And dh and I get a nice meal. Thanks guys..you've been really helpful.