Hi all, I'm probably posting too late to get help with my question as we are off for the parks Saturday, but here goes. I looked on the site for info regarding children's meals at the various resort restaurants but didn't find what I'm looking for. I have very picky eaters, one that will usually only eat chicken nuggets and fries and another that won't eat meat and prefers pasta (without sauce!). Makes it difficult for us to find a restaurant that meets the kids' needs yet satisfies adult tastes. A reliable place for us is the Plaza Inn but we don't want to eat there every day.

For our one "nice" lunch or dinner meal during our trip I'm considering the Blue Bayou for its atmosphere (do they serve the Mousekameals or other kids' entrees?), Avalon Cove for its atmosphere and characters, or Goofy's Kitchen for its characters. What are the pros and cons of taking children aged 11 and 5 to these restaurants, and will they meet my finicky eaters' expectations?

Thanks!

Well here's my two cents: under the Disneyland info guide link should be a link to Kevin Yee's restaurant reviews which do include kids meals-I checked before our trip last month. I too have a chicken nugget fan in the family.

I've heard nothing but raves for Redd Rockett's Pizza Port in tomorrowland. Unfortunately we ran out of time to try it out. But they definitely have pasta.

The Blue Bayou does have a kids menu-we never miss eating there. My kids have always liked it and of course it's a Disney restaurant so they are used to kids-no problems there!

We ate at both Goofy's Kitchen and Plaza Inn recently and we all preferred Plaza Inn for it's character interaction rather than Goofy's.

One thing about the kids meal chicken nuggets and fries at DCA at Taste Pilots grill: the nuggets are fine but the happy face potato things that come with them are nasty(IMO and my son's too)-but for no additional charge you can substitute the regular fries that come with the adult meals.

We didn't get to try Avalon Cove but peeked in the door and the atmosphere looks nice.

I'd suggest you go to Tomorrowland Terrace, pick up a kids nuggets meal, take it with you to Pizza Port, where you can get a kids spaghetti for your other child and some Chicken Fusilli for yourself (or a nice salad, if you wish). I do not recommend the pizza there, but then again, some kids might like it.

Lebo, check out Kevin Yee's columns on this site, they should be helpful.

Blue Bayuo does have kids meals. If you have a kid who likes Pasta without sauce then Pizza Port in Tomorrowland is a good place. They will give you their various kinds of Pasta without the sauce. My daughter who is a cheese pizza maniac, likes the pizza at Pizza Port.

Goofy's kitchen is fun and I'm pretty sure they have chicken nuggets (not sure about sauceless Pasta though).

A note about the Taste Pilots Grill in DCA. I would compare their chicken nuggets to "popcorn chicken" rather than the nuggets you get at McDonalds or the strips you get at a restaurant. They are very good and our kids like them, but you never know when you have a picky eater.

I would throw ESPN Zone into the mix. Good food but no characters. You can get all your picky eaters favorites though.

Our trip to DLR came and went in a flash! Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Our dining experiences were hit and miss.....

Saturday we ate lunch at the Blue Bayou. It was the best meal of our trip. My wife and I enjoyed the pork loin and crab cakes while my 5-year old son happily munched his Mickey-head chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes. My daughter does sometimes eat chicken so she ordered the Blackened Chicken Caesar Salad. It was a nice salad but the chicken was rather spicy (dad would've loved it if he hadn't been stuffed already). The tab came to about $80.

We ate dinner at the end of our afternoon break (we took advantage of an Expedia special rate at the Disneyland Hotel - thanks again Mousesavers). Even at 5 pm there were lines at most of the Downtown Disney restaurants, so we went to Brennan's walk-up window. We bought a chicken strips meal for my son - he didn't eat any of it. The strips were good - I don't know why he panned them - but his fries had tiny bits of black pepper. Ack! He wouldn't touch them! He had a few potato chips from my plate for his dinner. My daughter enjoyed her PB&J sandwich, and my wife loved the shrimp Po-Boy. I'd stay away from the roast pork Po-Boy - mine was full of large chunks of fat. $40.

I'll skip describing dessert at the Plaza Inn (delicious but expensive) and breakfast at the DL Hotel's coffee stand (decent pastries) and move on to Sunday lunch at the Taste Pilot's Grill. Although expensive (a theme with Disney dining) the burgers beat anything I'd had across the esplanade. At tjrj's suggestion we substituted the criss-cut fries for the happy face potatoes on my son's chicken kids' meal, but as EandCDad perceived my son wouldn't touch the popcorn chicken (dratted pepper flakes again). I'm sure if he had tasted the chicken he would have liked it (I thought it was quite good). My daughter had the popcorn chicken salad and ate most of it. $40 again.

I think for our next trip we'll try Morigoon's suggestion re: Tomorrowland Terrace and Pizza Port. My super finicky kids are hard to please, and Disneyland is the last place I want to hold our typical dinner battles (eat your healthy food or no dessert...). As things turned out my son ate only one balanced meal during the weekend.

Oh, one more thing. Am I missing a link somewhere on Chef Kevin's pages? I couldn't find kid's meals listed for several of the restaurants.

Whoops, sorry for the less than timely info Lebo, I thought "next Saturday" was "next Saturday" instead of last Saturday. I agree with you on the Taste Pilots Grill burger, it was very good and I like that you have all the fixin's right there.

I sympathize with you on the picky eater problem. We have a similar issue in our family (although it is lessening) but fortunately her older sister is something of an adventerous diner. I can totally relate to the flecks of pepper making the food inedible. Sad but true for our littlest one also.

If your kids like either cheese pizza or pasta (with or without sauce) the Pizza Port is a good option for next time. Also, as Morigoon mentioned, taking food from one food stand (like your son's nuggets) to another (like Pizza Port or even some of the downtown Disney places) is not a federal crime.

Ahh...you guys just wait...it gets worse is some cases.

When they hit the "Tweenage" years...all of sudden they become aware of the world around them, and themselves....and BOOM...overnight, you have a vegetarian! Been h*** on some trips...and even meals around our house. Thank goodness she's not vegan....:(

Originally posted by Morrigoon
I'd suggest you go to Tomorrowland Terrace, pick up a kids nuggets meal, take it with you to Pizza Port, where you can get a kids spaghetti for your other child and some Chicken Fusilli for yourself (or a nice salad, if you wish). I do not recommend the pizza there, but then again, some kids might like it.

That would've been my suggestion as well! Lebo, keep that in mind for your next trip. It's a no lose situation! They're right across from each other, and my two year old loves those chicken nuggets AND the fries. Well, she loves the pasta too, so I'm lucky!

I will be sure to try it next visit! I keep hearing good things about Pizza Port, but have never tried it myself. Are there any other such "complimentary" restaurants in close proximity? What about the food court at DCA (never been there)?

What do other parents do about food disputes or for that matter sibling infighting at the parks? I always hope my kids will be so enchanted with the Disney magic that they will behave like perfect angels, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe some day......

I like Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland. I only have one little one, so I can't speak to your infighting issue, but if you sit toward the outer edge of the patio area and time it right, you can see characters (usually Woody) and Laughing Stock performing. Then, you can see the Mark Twain coming and going...I think it's got a decent amount of distractions for kids. I think the food is pretty decent, too. Haven't tried ordering a kids meal there yet since usually I order one adult meal and share it with my daughter. The portions are huge (but then it does cost a little more there...I think average is about $11.99)!

Originally posted by Lebo

What do other parents do about food disputes or for that matter sibling infighting at the parks? I always hope my kids will be so enchanted with the Disney magic that they will behave like perfect angels, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe some day......

Ha, ha, ha....I am laughing. My kids are 18, 15 and 11....and they STILL argue about where to eat!! It's a tiresome battle. One wants this, the other wants that...and on and on. At WDW, I wanted to let them all starve while we were at The World Pavillion. Here we are with all this wonderful food from around the world (they were two years younger then)...and we ended up eating burgers and fries....

Me...if I could, I would let them just go hungry. I don't like to stop and eat...I like to eat on the go so I don't miss anything. But, being kids, ya gotta feed 'em.;)

Tomorrowland Terrace also sells a fried chicken meal (when the east windows are open). You could get your kid's nuggets and a nice fried chicken basket for yourself :) But trust me on the Chicken Fusilli at Pizza Port... you'll love it!

Originally posted by mad4mky
Ahh...you guys just wait...it gets worse is some cases.

When they hit the "Tweenage" years...all of sudden they become aware of the world around them, and themselves....and BOOM...overnight, you have a vegetarian! Been h*** on some trips...and even meals around our house. Thank goodness she's not vegan....:(

I gotta solution for you: have the whole family go veg! It works for us -- hee hee hee. We have a two-year-old who's never had meat (as least, not that we know of), Ive been veg 6 years, Hubby's been veg 12 years.

Next time you go e-me and I'll tell you all the places your kids can eat in the park. We've got it wired.

Originally posted by EmmaPeel007


I gotta solution for you: have the whole family go veg! It works for us -- hee hee hee. We have a two-year-old who's never had meat (as least, not that we know of), Ive been veg 6 years, Hubby's been veg 12 years.

Next time you go e-me and I'll tell you all the places your kids can eat in the park. We've got it wired.

Ahh...you are talking about two adults here who would probably NEVER give up meat. I cannot image life without a good filet mignon or prime rib. Ohhh...or pork roast!
My middle kid...lives on hotdogs...she could go to tofu dogs and never know the difference. But my youngest is at that tweenager stage...she just about the age where she might turn over to the vegetarian persuasion...if she liked vegetables!
It's not a problem of where things are in the park. We know what food is where...its just deciding...and who wants to run over to here...to get something, and go back to the other place to get something? Pain in the butt.
I think if the whole family was vegetarian, like yours...we'd be ok. But, even though you are all vegetarians...wait until they get older and they have their own likes and dislikes of food...veg or not. Then you still have to worry about where to eat to satisfy everyone. Or split up. We've had to do that a few times.
Even at the unofficial MP Potluck. My kids refused to eat potluck food (why? It can be so good sometimes?)...they bought food inside the park, then brought it out to the picnic area where we were meeting.

I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes even we can't deceide between the 2 and 1/2 of us.

Yeah - try getting a 2-year-old to eat decently at Disneyland - HA! All she wants are lollipops... I guess there is an upside to carrying a diaper bag still, I fill it with snacks for her so at least she'll eat something!