What are your favourite restaurants?

[Petit_Rose]

Hi!

We are travelling to CA and visiting Disneyland for a week in April.

What are your favourite restaurants? We would be looking for buffets, but open for any and all suggestions for two adults and two boys under 5.

Thanks

 

[jeepnjudy]

Although we are not DL regulars (WDW folks here), when we do visit my family is insistent on eating at Blue Bayou!

 

[Tink1987]

Wine Country Trattoria is our absolute favourite. Can’t rave about it enough.

Lovely setting out on the patio, good food and personally I don’t find it too expensive. I had a rib eye steak and dauphonaise potatoes there this March for $32. It was just as good as the $70 steak I had a few days later in Vegas.

Other favourite casual ones are Carnation Cafe and Cafe Orleans.

 

[figment_jii]

DLR doesn't have a whole lot of buffet locations: Storytellers (breakfast*, dinner), PCH Grill (breakfast*, dinner), Goofy's Kitchen (breakfast*, dinner*), and Plaza Inn (breakfast*). Most are character meals (*) and located in the hotels (Plaza Inn is the only in park buffet). I've been to Storytellers and I really enjoyed the dinner buffet. It had quite a range of items (there is also an a la carte menu you can order from if part of your family doesn't feel like eating a buffet meal).

Otherwise, for TS locations, my family really likes Carnation Cafe, Cafe Orleans, River Belle Terrace, and Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen. All of these are fairly relaxed and have a mixture of indoor and outdoor seating. By April, the weather probably won't be a big issue (meaning rain, which can impact some of the TS - like Cafe Orleans which only has a handful of indoor tables). I would also look into some of the CS locations (Plaza Inn, French Market, Flo's V-8 Cafe), which tend to be pretty quick and still has good food options.

 

[bethwc101]

We did Cafe Orleans. We thought the food was good, but portions were terribly small for the price.

 

[DL_Forever]

Carthay Circle and Napa Rose are my two favorites.

 

[StarlitNight05]

We love Rancho Del Zocalo (CS) for a late breakfast or lunch. Very generous portions and reasonable prices. If we aren't too hungry the portions are big enough to share (mind you we like to snack throughout the day though). I love the water fountains and the birds... although now I sit in the covered areas since the birds can get quite aggressive with their begging!

Jolly Holiday is also another reliable CS restaurant. They have amazing desserts and very good lunch items.

We don't typically do buffets so I can't offer much help there, but I have heard the Storyteller's dinner buffet is quite good and the restaurant is beautiful.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I eat at a lot of the restaurants, but for me it's always about settling for the best I can get at the time, rather than something was so great I have to go get another. The exception is Carthay Circle. I loved my meals there. In fact, I was considering doing a corporate event and thought about having it at Disneyland and when I tried to think about where I'd have our group meal, the only place I actually thought was going to be good enough was Carthy Circle.

 

[smartlabelprint]

My faves are plaza inn, Boardwalk pizza & pasta, French market, Bengal bbq & award wieners.

 

[PoohsFan1]

Our absolute favorites are Cafe Orleans (we usually try to eat here twice in a trip), Blue Bayou, and Napa Rose. For a buffet with characters our favorite is Minnie's at the Plaza Inn and Goofy's kitchen where we only have had the brunch not the dinner.

 

[azdisneylover]

We love going to Carnation Cafe for lunch or dinner (family isn't hungry in the morning, they would rather have something small in the hotel room and get on the rides). Everything at Carnation Cafe is yummy, especially the fried pickles and their seasoned french fries. Whitewater Snacks in the Grand Californian Hotel is the perfect spot anytime you want something good to eat in a peaceful place. Prices are decent too. In DTD, Tortilla Joes is where we head for at least one meal. The only downside we have found is they do not have hot enough salsa. With that said, we make it a point to eat a late lunch there after a movie at the AMC theaters (which are being torn out for the new hotel). We enjoy a late breakfast at Flo's Diner since it is one of the few places open for breakfast in DCA. We always get a fruit platter and place it in the center of the table for everyone to share. Everyone finds something they would like for a late breakfast here.

 

[felice]

+1 for Wine Country Trattoria here - although we have eaten at a few places now within DCA and memories are good, even despite the crowds.

 

[ishbit92]

Hi!

We are travelling to CA and visiting Disneyland for a week in April.

What are your favourite restaurants? We would be looking for buffets, but open for any and all suggestions for two adults and two boys under 5.

Thanks

All of the character meals are buffets. My favorite character meal is Storyteller's Cafe which is located in the Grand Californian Hotel. It's super cute with lots of woodland characters. I've only ever had breakfast and Thanksgiving dinner there, never lunch or regular dinner. Goofy's Kitchen is in the Disneyland Hotel, they do a breakfast, lunch, and dinner and have classic Disney characters. Surf's Up with Mickey is in the Paradise Pier hotel. Ariel's Grotto is in DCA but it will be closed for retheming by the time you're there but you said you have boys who probably aren't interested in a princess character meal. Finally, there is Plaza Inn with Minnie & Friends which is in Disneyland park. I think the character meal is only breakfast, but their lunch and dinner is great too. Highly recommend the chicken dinner.

Other great restaurants are:

• Cafe Orleans. I can't not make a reservation here every time I visit Disneyland. I recommend the gumbo, pomme frites, monte cristo, and beignets.
• Red Rose Taverne. Located in Fantasyland, this place is my new favorite. I'm a meat lover and most definitely not a vegetarian, but the enchanted cauliflower sandwich is the best sandwich I've ever had. Also the grey stuff.
• Carnation Cafe is another place that I seem to eat at every trip. I've only ever had breakfast here, but am dying to try their lunch/dinner because I hear it's really good. You can't go wrong with carnation cafe.

Those are my top favorites. I recommend watching YouTube reviews of Disney dining locations. The DIS has a channel, and Magic Journeys and Mr Cheezy Pop are two of my other favorites.

Enjoy your trip