Your MUST HAVE food?

[Mister Toad]

I am a big fan of the Beignets at Cafe Orleans. Had dinner there on a nice warm evening in October, its really great.

I also love Blue Bayou, food isn't the best in the world, but the ambiance is what you get with it that you can't touch, such a cool feeling sitting in the ride.

As far as fast CS meals, I really like the Pacific Wharf places in DCA, all very good, Bengal Barbeque and Plaza Inn, very good stuff.

Also, the DL Pickles! Not sure if WDW has them, but the fruit carts on the paths sell Pickles and I think they are awesome. Dole Whips too. And Churros. I pretty much like all the food.

Try to find time to go on some of the rides while you are there too.

 

[marciemouse]

We really enjoy Carnation Cafe. It's our number one pick, and we'd eat there multiple times on one trip. It's right on Main Street with outdoor seating. The food is great, and the prices are lower than some of the CS places in the park! Try the steak melt and the baked potato soup.

Mickey Premium ice cream bars are my favorite snack in the parks.

We've done Storyteller's for lunch and dinner. DH loves their spaghetti, and the bread basket they bring is really yummy, too.

The corn dogs from the little red cart at the end of Main Street are AWESOME. Seriously, the best corn dogs ever. And they're huge. We like to grab one and go sit across the street at Coke Corner (Refreshment Corner?) and listen to the ragtime piano player.

The food at Jazz Kitchen Express (in DTD) is very yummy and a great value. GREAT popcorn shrimp. Sharing-sized portions for sure.

Pacific Wharf Cafe at DCA was alright... overpriced for the portion size though. And the line can get really long.

Have fun!

 

[marciemouse]

Oh, and Jazz Kitchen Express has fabulous beignets, too!

 

[joelybelly]

The WOC dinner meal unfortunately doesn't have the Princesses, just the meal that comes with Fast Passes to a preferred viewing area for WOC that night. They do still offer the Princess Character Meal at AG only it is now for breakfast only from my understanding. I did this character meal in September 2009 and there isn't quite as much character interaction as other meals I have done. The Princesses each made 1 circuit around the dining area with a stop at each table whereas other meals I have done the characters do a lot more fun things. But the WOC meal is not a character meal.

OMG! I had no idea! I was going to get PS at Ariels Grotto to see the princesses and see the WOC! That just changed EVERYTHING

 

[Belle Ella]

OMG! I had no idea! I was going to get PS at Ariels Grotto to see the princesses and see the WOC! That just changed EVERYTHING

It can get a little confusing. It sure would be great to get a character meal and the WOC meal all together but unfortunately that's not the case. They are two separate things.

 

[azdisneylover]

For a snack, when the kids get the Tigger Tails, Hubby gets a cookie, and I get a chocolate covered pretzel in Pooh's Corner. The pretzel I get is dipped in caramel, rolled in nuts, then covered with a dark chocolate! Okay, now, I'm drooling! They are really yummy!
In the GCH, Whitewater Snacks makes good steak or chicken nachos. They also have ind. size pizzas that come with a salad. Both are filling and do not hurt the wallet too badly!

Have a great time at Disneyland!

 

[dalstitch45]

My favorite snack is the corn dogs. They are so yummy at DLR. I can taste those hand-dipped dogs right now. Unfortunately, WDW's taste like the frozen ones. I also love the Dole Whips at DLR. I always get one there, but rarely do it at WDW. I don't know why. Oh, and the funnel cake with just about any topping on it. Really tastes good waiting for the Fantasmic show.

 

[pixiewings71]

After countless trips to WDW and 3 trips to DL last year, I'm amazed how little focus there is on food options at DL. There is no need to take the time and effort into PS (ADRs) as we do when we are planning a WDW trip. First, because there isn't the demand for reservations and second, because there isn't many choices.

Unlike WDW there is very little theming when it comes to TS. There is nothing like Prime Time, or Sci Fi, or LTT, etc.

Plus the quality of the food and service is NOTHING like WDW. Except a good dining experience, but don't except WDW quality.

You can still have a good time. Like others have said, Blue Bayou is a good choice, but be sure to make the extra effort to ask for rail seating. It does make a big difference. The last time I was there my table mate didn't want to wait and we had a lousy table. Blue Bayou is one of the only IN PARK choices that is indoors. Be aware that many offerings are outside. Though I love to people watch, it does take away from a typical TS experience.

I think character dining is another way to go. The food and service isn't WDW quality, but they offer tons more characters than a typical WDW character meal. We ate last month at Minnie and Friends breakfast and had over a dozen different characters visit our table. I was amazed that we had to get our own drinks though. It made it interesting trying to stay at our table for the characters while making mad dashes to the buffet lines to fill my children's glasses and plates.

I think the true value is taking advantage of some of the CS offerings. First the money you can save is great. And remember, most CS is outdoors too, so why not bring your food to your own table and save on tip. The food is just as good as most of the TS offerings. I recommend Pacific Wharf Cafe and Test Pilots Grill in DCA. I like Bengal BBQ at DL.

The snacks are MUCH better than WDW. I think many visitors at DL are locals who come to snack and maybe catch the fireworks or a show. We cut out a meal during the day and supplement with yummy bakery treats and snacks.

Plaza Inn has limited inside seating, CO has limited inside seating, Pizza Port is almost all indoor, Village Haus has indoor (but the food is not that great at all), Rancho Del Zocalo has indoor and covered seating, Golden Horseshow is all inside, River Belle Terrace has limited inside seating. Those are all inside DLR. Hungry Bear has covered seating but it's not indoor.

OMG! I had no idea! I was going to get PS at Ariels Grotto to see the princesses and see the WOC! That just changed EVERYTHING

Nope, Princesses are only at bfast and lunch. We prefer eating lunch at AG, the menu choices are very good. I imagine if they did have the Princesses there and still gave PS tickets for WoC they would have to raise the prices even more. If you decide to eat at AG for WoC remember the Princesses are also in the Princess Fantasy Faire in DL.

Our family enjoy Blue Bayou a lot, we also enjoy Plaza Inn, Pizza Port, Rancho and DBF and I really enjoy the BBQ. The kids aren't big on BBQ so they eat at Golden Horseshow (chicken strips & fries) while we eat at the BBQ. We also really enjoy Taste Pilot's Grill, Award Weiners, Ariel's Grotto & we love the lobster nachos at the Cove Bar above AG. DBF can and have eaten the lobster nachos as a shared meal, the serving is quite generous.
We also enjoy RainForest Cafe, Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, Storyteller's, Joe's Crab Shack, Bubba Gump, CA Pizza Kitchen, Cheesecake Factory, PF Chang's & Mimi's Cafe.
As for snacks, my favorite was always the Tigger Tails the old way, with orange chocolate. I won't want them if they are the version with sugar crystals. It's just not the same at all. We also love the churros at DL and the Mickey ice cream sandwiches. Dole Whips are good, we normally get 1 whip & 1 float and DBF, myself and DD11 share. DD14 is not a fan of pineapple.

 

[Peanut Giggleface]

One thing I MUST have at DL is their chicken/sausage gumbo. You can get it at Blue Bayou and Cafe Orleans (if other places have it too, I'm not aware of it). It is absolutely delicious and strangely enough, the one thing I can't find at WDW.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

I meant Blue Bayou is the only restaurant that is exclusively indoors.

 

[Mugglemama]

See below re: Tigger Tails. Ariel's ~ we did breakfast with the ladies in Norway 10/09 - we've ate at Ariel's several times ~ the princesses are only there for breakfast and lunch as of now. We did WCT for the WOC seating.



I completely agree ~ they aren't that great anymore but... I made my own *I'll see if I can find the recipe - HERE it is ~ they turned out great!

ETA ~ my link doens't work for some reason?? Just google "tigger tails" it should be one of the 1st - it's the associatedcontent.com one

I wrote that article!

Glad people are still getting some use out of it!

 

[kailuagirl]

Carnation Cafe Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Fudge, the one with chocolate, peanut butter and white chocolate, it's called something with bears in it, oh yummmmm

Dole Whips and Churro's

yummmm

 

[JadeDarkstar]

My favs are the ones we will do this time
We had the meal plan the last three times an there good but this time we will do jsut our favs an a few special things

1. Best snack place is Bangle bbq.
2. Best charcter meal- Breakfast big brother story tellers best stake ever.
3. best charcter interaction is a toss up. plaza inn,an princess meal. I love my princess my boys love auroa (son an hubby)
4. I would do BB but just to much.
5. we will do picnic woc thing 16bucks an good seats cant beat it an my hubby an sons fav food fried chicken
Also going to do the F deseret an seatting.
only going for 3 days an with the pizza at hotle well this will be fine special foods.

 

[susieQzee]

Add another vote for the corn dogs on Main Street, from the red wagon! YUMMMM!

Also, try the fritters in NOS. The dipping sauces are good.

 

[iKristin]

I have to eat at Hungry Bear & Blue Bayou once on every trip. I also fell in love with the steak gumbo in the bread bowl this last trip and now will for sure be eating it again this trip!!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I wrote that article!

Glad people are still getting some use out of it!

 

[AmericanItGirl]

One thing I MUST have at DL is their chicken/sausage gumbo. You can get it at Blue Bayou and Cafe Orleans (if other places have it too, I'm not aware of it). It is absolutely delicious and strangely enough, the one thing I can't find at WDW.

That gumbo is hands down my second favorite food item at Disneyland.

One food item that hasn't been mentioned is the stuffed french toast at Storytellers, which comes with amazing orange butter (the difference between that french toast and Tonga toast).

Another food item worth checking out is the honeypot rice krispie treat.

It's not necessarily food-related, but one of my biggest reasons for eating at BB are the restrooms because they are always clean, well-stocked, quiet, and absolutely uncrowded.