Best Restaurants - 1st Disneyland Trip

[pkrieger2287]

Hey Everyone - My wife and I will be heading to Disneyland for the first time in June. We will be there 3 days and are looking for the best food they have to offer because for us that is half the magic!

We are DVC members at Walt Disney World and frequent restaurants such as California Grill, The Boathouse, and for my wife's enjoyment Peco's Bills.

Share your favorites... Thanks!

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I'm a fan of "experience" restaurants - we loved eating at Blue Bayou and watching the Pirates of the Caribbean boats pass by while we ate. The food was excellent.

 

[pkrieger2287]

I'm a fan of "experience" restaurants - we loved eating at Blue Bayou and watching the Pirates of the Caribbean boats pass by while we ate. The food was excellent.

I think we are going to reserve there for a Fantasmic dinner! Thanks!

 

[hlbtimes2]

Carthay Circle in DCA! The atmosphere, food and service are fantastic.

 

[pkrieger2287]

Carthay Circle in DCA! The atmosphere, food and service are fantastic.

What's your favorite meal there?

 

[midnight star]

I like Carnation Cafe! Their loaded baked potato soup is delicious!!! It’s right on Main Street!

 

[StarlitNight05]

We love White Water Snacks at the Grand Californian. They are a really good, reliable quick service option. We always eat breakfast there as a quick option before a park day. Just recently, we tried their large artisinal pizzas -- very good! The atmosphere is a nice break from the craziness of the parks.

I also love Alfresco Tasing Terrace at DCA. We will usually get a wine flight and some appetizers for a light meal. The view and atmosphere is also very nice. No reservations needed for this (they open at 4pm, I believe).

At Disneyland Park, we really like Rancho Del Zocalo for quick service. Blue Bayou is a favorite for table service -- eating inside of Pirates is awesome!

 

[daannzzz]

Steakhouse 55 at the Disneyland hotel.

 

[PiratesMansion]

I would encourage you to mix in some counter service, especially with ony three days. There's a lot more variety than in WDW and I generally find it to be better quality. My favorite counter service restaurants are Red Rose Tavern and Jolly Holiday at DL and Pacific Wharf Cafe and Garden Grill at DCA.

Also can't believe that no one has recommended Napa Rose yet, easily the best and nicest DLR table service venue. Spectacular food and certainly the best match for the WDW heavy hitters!

 

[Gamora]

Yes, Blue Bayou is my favorite! Their steak and lobster is sooooo good, and you can't beat the ambience. The Pacific Wharf cafe has great chowder bowls, and you can buy a margarita at the stand right next to it. The Bengal Barbecue is also surprisingly good for the prices, and they are good for a snack or a meal.

 

[Jedi Mouse]

Napa Rose, followed by Carthay Circle and Steakhouse 55.

We ate at Napa Rose for our 11th anniversary last summer and the food, wine and service were all spectacular. The seared scallops were absolutely amazing!

 

[Blue32]

Counter service at DLR is much better than WDW’s in most people’s opinion. My personal favorites at DLR are:

Little Red Wagon- best corn dog ever
Plaza Inn- really good fried chicken
Ranch Del Zocalo- anything you order

My favorite table service:

Naples-pizza!
Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen

 

[theluckyrabbit]

What's your favorite meal there?

CCR's menu is seasonal, so some things that are favorites now (or from a past trip) may not show up on a future menu. But you can get a look at the DLR menus at allears.net to see what your choices will be (most menus are fairly recent or recent enough to give you a good idea of what will be offered). At CCR, one favorite appetizer is the jalapeño-cheddar biscuits. The burger (lunch menu only) is, in our opinion, the best in the parks.

 

[pkrieger2287]

We're currently debating between Steakhouse 55 and Carnation Cafe for breakfast one morning... Any other good breakfast sports we should consider?

 

[pkrieger2287]

Also, We've reserved the Fantasmic Dinner at Blue Bayou and the PTN Dinner at Carthay Circle. I think both won't disappoint in terms of food and we definitely wanted to make sure we got good viewing for these nighttime events.

 

[pkrieger2287]

We love White Water Snacks at the Grand Californian. They are a really good, reliable quick service option. We always eat breakfast there as a quick option before a park day. Just recently, we tried their large artisinal pizzas -- very good! The atmosphere is a nice break from the craziness of the parks.

I also love Alfresco Tasing Terrace at DCA. We will usually get a wine flight and some appetizers for a light meal. The view and atmosphere is also very nice. No reservations needed for this (they open at 4pm, I believe).

At Disneyland Park, we really like Rancho Del Zocalo for quick service. Blue Bayou is a favorite for table service -- eating inside of Pirates is awesome!

Has anyone done Blue Bayou recently while Pirates is under refurb? Just wondering if the experience is any different...

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We're currently debating between Steakhouse 55 and Carnation Cafe for breakfast one morning... Any other good breakfast sports we should consider?

We really enjoy breakfast at S55! La Brea Bakery (sit down side) in DTD is nice, too, and the patio offers fun people watching. Will you have a car or are you willing to use Uber/Lyft/taxi? The Original Pancake House on Lincoln in Anaheim is about 10 minutes away from DLR. Breakfast there is super!

 

[pkrieger2287]

Counter service at DLR is much better than WDW’s in most people’s opinion. My personal favorites at DLR are:

Little Red Wagon- best corn dog ever
Plaza Inn- really good fried chicken
Ranch Del Zocalo- anything you order

My favorite table service:

Naples-pizza!
Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen

I think I will be hitting up the Little Red Wagon one day and my wife will be getting Ranch Del Zocalo.

 

[pkrieger2287]

We really enjoy breakfast at S55! La Brea Bakery (sit down side) in DTD is nice, too, and the patio offers fun people watching. Will you have a car or are you willing to use Uber/Lyft/taxi? The Original Pancake House on Lincoln in Anaheim is about 10 minutes away from DLR. Breakfast there is super!

We don't have a car but could Uber. Possibly could stop there before heading to airport on the day we depart.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

We don't have a car but could Uber. Possibly could stop there before heading to airport on the day we depart.

If on departure day, allow plenty of time if you'll be dining during peak hours. That place is very popular (and rightly so) and sometimes there can be a wait for a table.