Going in October with my 7 year old son. We always get a 3 day meal plan and do Goofy's Kitchen for dinner on our last night and get a character breakfast in at the Plaza Inn. Also, never miss the Monte Cristos at New Orleans Cafe. I want to have a nice "dining" experience (as best as one can with a 7 year old). Any suggestions?

I was thinking dessert at the BB just for the experience. Don't want to do a full blown meal because of recent reviews by fellow padders.

Also, do you think I should even bother with the Rainforest Cafe? I have been able to dodge this place all together for the past 5 years. Is it worth it?:confused::confused::confused:

I still haven't tried Rainforest Cafe, so I don't know how to answer that question.

Do you and your son like sports? Hubby and I have eaten at the ESPN Zone a number of times. The food has been very good each time.

(Raising hand) Mother of a seven-year-old boy here. I recommend skipping the Rainforest Cafe all together. I work in SF (by Pier 39) and we've taken our kids there. Not the best food, plus they really get you with the gift shop and the "special" drinking cups. Ours light up/blink and they're really hard on the eyes. Where was that word "No" when I needed it?

Food-wise, we really enjoyed what we call the "Rocket Place" between Innoventions and Space Mountain. If you're heading to DCA, I recommend the Trattoria for a nice meal. I had a salad there that was fabulous. Not too much food. Not greasy. And they have pasta for the younger set.

We never went to Bengal Barbecue, but we did do the place next door (don't remember the name) right across from Tarzan's Tree House. My older son (11) and I shared a plate of ribs. I forget what my younger son (7) had. It was good food.

Storyteller's Cafe in the GCH is a nice restaurant and is kid friendly.

Personally I would skip Rainforest Cafe. It's loud and I don't think the food is that great.

I'm also one that would avoid Rainforest Cafe.

In DTD it's always busy (at least it is when I'm there) and the food is mediocre.

We took Piglet when he was about 5, and all the noise upset him. We've never been back, except to the gift shop for my sister.

I would avoid dinner at BB too, as I was one that thought the food was way overpriced to be mediocre.

I personally thought Rain Forest was a bit pricey for the food quality and it is rather loud.............BUT my kids loved the experience, they thought it was just as cool as anyplace inside the park. The staff was also very accomadating in the fact they have a "no strollers" rule, but made an exception for us when it was obvious our littlest one was more interested in sleeping then eating. :)

Also be prepared for up to an hour wait to get a table, they sometimes have a little bird show in front of the restaurant to help pass the time, if not, plan to do a little bit of shopping in the area.

Skip the Rainforest?!?!!? Wow, we always LOVE to eat at the Rainforest. We find the food really yummy. It's never really a trip to DL for us without eating there....but I guess everyone has different opinions. We find it really fun and really good. I recommend it. We called ahead and made reservations so we didn't have to wait because sometimes you do have to wait an hour to get a table.
We love Pizza Port in Tomorrowland....eat there probably 4 times during our stays. We don't usually do a long sit down meal, but ate at the Blue Bayou last time. The food was good, but the place does feel fancy for kids.

We enjoy the Rain Forest Cafe, although it can be quite loud and very crowded. Personally, I feel that there is a lot of selection on the menu and everything that we have tried has been quite good. We like to split the appetizer sampler and of course, who can resist a volcano?

We also tried the BB for the first time on our last trip. The food was certainly good, and in combination with the atmosphere I would say that it is worth experiencing at least once.

I've never been to Storyteller's, but I've heard nothing but good things. Every time we walk past it looks very inviting. It's certainly on our to-do list, and from what you mentioned in your post, it sounds like it would suit your needs perfectly.

I have to agree with the mediocre food ratings for Rainforest - definatly one to do for ambiance more than food. It's not bad, just in my opinion over priced and a lot of their dishes are kind of strange, I am always a little surprised and dissapointed when the food shows up. It's definatly something your 7 year old would enjoy once, but is something that you might find in a mall near you, or next time you go to Vegas, rather than wasting an opportunity to dine at Disney just to eat there. We have one in our mall, and the wait is never nearly what it is a Disneyland.

My vote - Stick with Storytellers or Goofy and enjoy the characters while you are in town!

We LOVE Rainforest Cafe! The animals that come to life, the thunder and rain, and the yummy volcano dessert! The portions are huge, the food is good, and the kids really have fun. Just my two cents!

Elizabeth

I highly recommend ESPN at DTD. Their menu is great and the service was excellent. We waited just over an hour for a table, but it was worth it. I think your son might enjoy the sports action on the screens. For dessert, you might want to go to Plaza Inn. We went during the fireworks, so there were plenty of tables and of course their desserts are yummy!

We always enjoy the Rainforest Cafe!!!!! It's one of our kids favorites for the food and the atmosphere. We usually try to eat there once a trip. One thing we try to do is eat earlier than most people so the wait isn't so long, sometimes only 10 minutes.

We are also considering going to BB for dessert so we can experience the atmosphere without it costing so much.

My experience at Rainforest Cafe was not good. My nephews food was undercooked and it was so noisy that i was not able to enjoy the animals that come to life etc. To top it off my daughter who almost never gets sick woke up at 2 am throwing up. We spent our third day at PP theme park view room caring for a sick child. :crying: So we will never go back. I highly recommend ESPN. It is always at the top of our list. :)

Another vote for skipping Rainforest. The food is not that great at all. The atmosphere is kinda cool, but honestly, the kids are always too distracted to eat. The food, IMO, is equivalent to what you would get at Chilis, or TGI Fridays, but more expensive.

A "nice" dining experience might be the Wine Country Trattoria at night. Time it about 1/2 hour before the Electrical Parade, and hear/watch it go by.

We also have at least one meal at Rainforest Cafe. My DH loves the Mojo Bones and the kids get the pizza. Not a fine dinning experiance but the pizza is about the same as other kids menu pizza. Just don't let them upsale you on all the extras. They will ask do you want fries (extra) salad (extra) smoothies (about a much as the meal).

It sounds like you're staying at the DLH, so what about Hook's Pointe? I found the atmosphere to be very pleasant and the food to be quite good, both at breakfast and at dinner. Also, the last time we were there, we ended up sitting next to Cuba Gooding Jr. and his family and friends. There were about 4 kids under 10 in their party.

Another thumbs down on the Rainforest Cafe and a big thumbs up for ESPN Zone here.

Perhaps you could combine your Monte Cristo & BB experience by having lunch at BB.

Our chicklets (4 & 7) LOVE RFC, and it is a must every visit.

Perhaps you could combine your Monte Cristo & BB experience by having lunch at BB.

Our chicklets (4 & 7) LOVE RFC, and it is a must every visit.

Wow. Did we all just miss the glaringly obvious? That's a most excellent suggestion, and I heartily second it!

We actually really liked Rainforest. Our April trip was our first visit. It is a noisy resturant, but with three kids under 6 in tow, the white noise was appreciated.

The kids loved the rainshowers and animals. I thought the food was one of the better meals I'd eaten at DLR. We used to eat at ESPN Zone 1-2 times a trip, but I think the quality and portion size dropped.

You must make reservations for Rainforest. Plan the visit 2-3 days out to pick the time you want for a weekday and 5-6 days out for a weekend. Walkups need not apply.

You know what? I mentioned that we didn't care for RFC, and I remembered that the one we visite was somewhere else in Anaheim, one of the malls (and I forgot the name of the mall.)

We didn't eat at the one in DTD.

Sorry!

We have eaten at the one at South Coast Plaza and the one at DTD and they are the same - nothing special about the DTD one other than it happens to be in a convenient tourist location. Same food, same animal show outside, same gift shop stuff, same animal show inside the restaurant.

BB for dessert sounds lovely. Not alot of $$$. Lots of atmosphere and dessert. What could be better.

We have eaten there maybe 6 times and it's never been worth the $$. I can get a very good dinner in BH for the same price.

We had a lovely experience at Cafe Orleans. The food was good and I like teh atmosphere. We also love Ralph Brennan's in DTD. I would recommend that for a fancy-ish dinner. We liked the food and the indoor/outdoor courtyard was lovely.

Rainforest Cafe is a big no for us. We did not have a good experience there.

I love Rainforest as long as the wait isn't too long.