MK FOOD PING - Would you rather....

[chris benton]

Ok, MK food. Normally, I just avoid.

11/5 - the cast member party day. Mk closes early. Posted hours (so far) are 9-4:30.
We have a HDDR for the 6:30 show which should work out nicely.
We have an 8am BOG for early entry (we'll split 2 meals between the three of us, so we'll be hungry for lunch.
The issue is obviously lunch.
No need to leave the park, really. Too much time to leave on short operating hours. I've narrowed it down to:
Skipper's Canteen
and
Cosmic Ray's

Yes, I know - worlds apart.

Skipper's would be for the food. 2 adults and a ds9 that eats everything, ESPECIALLY the stuff you think he wouldn't. Like EXTRA especially. Falafel, siu mai, and a fried whole fish are right up his alley, not even a question. My issue is: Is Skippers Canteen gonna be Disneyfied watered down stuff? Are we just going to be disappointed for the price? If so, my 2nd place choice would be for the experience of Cosmic Ray's and a plain ol burger or dog (hopefully the 1/2 chicken dinner, actually) and Sonny Eclipse nostalgia. DS9, and the DW have no idea what Cosmic Ray's is even about, but the standard food and experience would be just fine. I know we're gonna eat well at HDDR, and BOG PPO means we'll be hungry at lunch

Would you rather:
Skipper's for the cool food?
Or Cosmic Ray's for the experience and Sonny Eclipse?

 

[EscalatorKid]

I love both places, honestly. It just depends if you want to spend the time for a longer sit-down lunch, or you want to get in, eat, and get out ASAP.

Cosmic Ray's is my standard QS restaurant and I visit pretty much every time... It's a good 30-40 minute lunch-and-AC break with my favorite cheesy lounge singer, and I'm on the run again. I waft between a cheeseburger or chicken nuggets, and obviously, it's standard QS fare.

I tried Skipper Canteen last month and thought it was kind of unusual for a Disney restaurant. Usually, Disney does seem to try to appeal to every single palate by watering it down, but this restaurant is fairly exotic. I was creeped out by the fish, but I also don't eat fish. I got the Perkins Thai Noodles and they're much spicier than I've ever had at a Disney park, but it was the best dish I think I've ever had at a Disney park.

My Mom got the grilled steak (because she is NOT adventurous!) and liked it. My Dad got the Curried Crew Stew and liked it, and my sister enjoyed the Char Siu Pork and said it was delicious.

The downside was that it was a long dinner for the four of us. (It took about an hour and a half, maybe more, and it was also backed up by the time our 6:30PM reservation rolled around.)

If you're really interested in the food and being adventurous, absolutely try Skipper Canteen. I don't think you'll hate it or be disappointed at all.
If you're looking to have a quicker lunch to maximize your time in the park, go with Cosmic Ray's.

 

[disneyfreak202]

I love Skipper Canteen and would recommend it to everyone. I am not adventurous but I love the Chicken and the Pork there. Some of the best. However, in this situation I am not sure it is worth it to be missing out on valuable park time to eat there.

 

[Hopefully]

I agree. We enjoyed Skipper Canteen but on this day I would do Cosmic Ray

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I would do Skippers. Is it watered down? Kind of, but it's still good. I much prefer the food at Skipper's over HDDR and, while I love HDDR, I find that I don't really eat that much when I'm there. If your DS is an adventurous eater, I'm guessing he might enjoy the food more at Skipper's?

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

With limited park time I’d do Cosmic Rays, but if you’re not worried about missing park time then Skippers is the better meal.

 

[DWillowBay]

Skipper's ...NO QUESTION... You can always just walk into Cosmic Ray's and see Johnny's performance.

 

[sapphirerose915]

I wouldn't even bother with lunch... get snacks as you are going into different lands... a nutella waffle at sleepy hollow, chicken skewers at liberty square, cheeseburger egg rolls in adventure land followed by a dole whip. Sounds like a lot of sitting down meals

 

[bamaliving]

Since you do have breakfast and dinner plans and your time is limited due to early closing, I would definitely go with quick service. Columbia Harbour House is our go-to quick service at MK - great food and fast service! It's usually not very crowded especially in the upstairs dining room. The previous poster had a great point about snacking though.. Those Sleepy Hollow waffles.. yum!

 

[Nancyg56]

That is a short day to have two full meals in the park. I would either snack or go to Cosmic Rays. Actually, I woudl choose whatever is near where I was when I wanted lunch. THese two restaurants are on either side of the park, so it looks like you are planning to hoof it to one if you choose it. I don't do that. I scope out counter service in the park, figure out if we like the food, and then when we are in the park we go to the one that we are closest to that offeres a selection of food we enjoy. I would go to CHH, Pecos Bill or Cosmic Rays, depending on our location.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Between the 2 I'd pick Skipper's, but just as Nancyg56 stated, I'd stay closer to the area and probably opt for CHH.

 

[KenHutch]

Its easy Skippers (the place is my guilty pleasure). While I like Cosmic Rays it does not come close to Skippers for both food and atmosphere.

 

[chris benton]

Interesting replies, so far. Thanks to all.
I'm not worried about any type of location, I build my itinerary including lunch/snack destinations. Dole whips come after Aladdin, just before the Parade. I can plan out where we'll be for easy lunch access, no need to criss cross anywhere.

Breakfast BOG is a simple PPO appetite suppressant, we're splitting one platter, and one kid's meal. It's mostly just to get a mild breakfast and a few cups of bad coffee before getting 7d and a MT done before the crowds start in . We are early risers, no big deal to get there at 8am. We'll be famished and ready for an early lunch. Kinda leaning towards Ray's. We can get better food than Skipper at home, but we can't get Sonny Eclipse.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I wouldn't even bother with lunch... get snacks as you are going into different lands... a nutella waffle at sleepy hollow, chicken skewers at liberty square, cheeseburger egg rolls in adventure land followed by a dole whip. Sounds like a lot of sitting down meals

I second this. I too would rather snack at mk for "lunch". There are plenty of options. Otherwise i'd definitely pick Cosmic Rays. I wouldnt waste park time at Skippers. You'll waste too much time there.