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davies901
11-06-2005, 03:36 PM
OK, maybe not a food snob, but close :) . My husband and I love fine dining and good food of all sorts. We will eat in a hole in the wall as long as the food is well done.

We are spending 3 days in Disneyland and are perplexed about where to eat. We were going to eat at Blue Bayou, but have heard the food isn't that good if you are used to high quality food. Rancho del Zocalo is probably on the agenda (we eat a lot of Mexican food). We also like good salads - anyplace do those?

We also know about Napa Rose, but not sure it is in the budget this trip.

Pizza and burgers are out due to food allergies.

Any suggestions for people that want best possible quality (realizing this is theme park food).

RedwoodMaiTai
11-06-2005, 03:45 PM
What you heard about the Blue Bayou is correct, Davies. My husband and I ate there to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary in May. The food was terrible, although you would be hard pressed to find a more romantic atomosphere in the park.

We just returned from 4 days in Disneyland, and we had many wonderful dining experiences. Hookes Point at the Disneyland Hotel was outstanding, I believe they specialize in mesquite grilled seafood/steak. We also tried Naples Ristorante this time, and the food was delicious!

Onc place I would caution you about......Tortilla Joes. The food was cold, tasteless, and way overpriced ($13 for an a la carte bean and cheese burrito).

Here's wishing you a great time on your trip!!

twist1980
11-06-2005, 04:03 PM
Rancho del Zocalo also has great BBQ if you are into that. I haven't eaten there since they combined with Big Thunder BBQ, but I'm sure it is the same food and I liked it before.

Redd Rockets Pizza Port in Tomorrowland is also quite good, and has much more than pizza (since you can't have that). Everyone always raves about the chicken fusili (not sure if I spelled that right...sorry). I had pizza there, but my friend had caesar salad and enjoyed it.

I've always heard good things about the chowder and gumbo in bread bowls in New Orleans Square also. There are a ton of dining options besides just burgers. I'm sure you'll be okay! :)

hlbtimes2
11-06-2005, 04:15 PM
Pizza Port as great salads. The pizza salad is good, and different from most salads. The chicken fusili the last poster mentioned is also pretty good. I've eaten it the last two trips. Its a alfredo sauce, with spiral tube pasta and chunks of chicken. The chowder in a bread bowl is one of my husbands favorites. He looks forward to it every trip. Most of the food at the Carnation Cafe on main street is pretty good. We usually go there for breakfast at least once every trip.

Try www.dlresortinfo.com for menus, pricing and ideas of what is available.

Stay away from Village Haus in Fantasy land - its horrible! I've never had anything good there.

stan4d_steph
11-06-2005, 04:20 PM
If you like Mexican food, you should try Tortilla Jo's Taqueria in Downtown Disney. It's a takeaway window. The food is really good and the prices are great.

I would also recommend Whitewater Snacks in GCH. I love their chicken sandwich that comes with mild green chiles and guacamole. mmmm.

Wendi
11-06-2005, 04:52 PM
Storyteller's Cafe has good food and a pleasant atmosphere.

Yamabuki is really, really great - definitely go if you like Japanese food.

wwithers
11-06-2005, 05:16 PM
Catal is really good. Especially at night, if you can get balcony seating. Le Brea Bakery also has great salads, sandwiches and light pasta for lunch. And I know a lot of people disagree, but Brennan's is also very good (and fun if you sit downstairs).

Stupid_American
11-06-2005, 05:19 PM
Rancho has given up their BBQ.
It's all Mexican now.

Pizza port does have good salads and pasta dishes.

TTFN92
11-06-2005, 05:35 PM
The sourdough bread place in DCA has really good bread bowls filled with soups and salads. I love the broccolli cheese and their chicken salad. Bengal BBQ is really good and different from other food in the park. I really like Rancho. They had really good portions and Dr. Pepper! Plus we refilled our drinks. Don't know if we were allowed too, but no one stopped us ;).

potzbie
11-06-2005, 06:44 PM
Let's review:
No pizza.
No burgers.
Food allergies.
On a buget.

Then stay away from Disney kitchens of all kinds.

FINE DINING will not be found ANYWHERE in Disneyland Park nor in Disney's California Adventure.

(My favorite dining is found in lands which are on the left side of Main Street. -- Dole-Whip; Corndog; Bacon-wrapped asparagus; Shrimp-chicken combo; Chili in sourdough bowl.)

What is your budget?
Granville's Steakhouse and Napa Rose are the only "rated" restaurants I know of in DLR.
But they are priced as any hotel sit-down restaurant is priced.
i.e., overpriced for what you can get equivalently outside of a hotel.

Downtown Disney will certainly offer more selection, across the board, and better, they are not tied to any Disney kitchen.

For example:
The Jazz Kitchen should be more authentic, if not "fine dining."

I do not know what "fine dining" is.
What makes one eating establishment fine, and another not-fine?
Will the blackened catfish be considered fine dining?
Will genuine gumbo be considered fine dining?
Will anything New Orleans style be considered fine dining?

If SIT DOWN service is satisfactory, then the RAIN FOREST CAFE might be what you consider fine dining.
But I don't know what people mean by fine dining, other than sit-down service and real metal flatware.
By that measure, DENNY'S and COCO'S and MIMI'S are fine dining.
But I bet that is not what you meant by fine dining.

John
11-06-2005, 06:47 PM
Gastronomic delight: clam chowder in a bread bowl washed down with a mint julep! :D

splashmtngurl
11-06-2005, 06:56 PM
actually, outside of the park there is some fairly good dining. My family likes to eat at Mimi's cafe next to the HoJo. The food is pretty good there...they're french onion soup is superb...not to mention that food comes in large quantities.

Carnation cafe at Disneyland resort was also great...we loved the breakfast food we got there and it was right on mainstreet. It wasnt to expensive either and the service was nice.

There are a few places that i would NOT recomend though---

Rainforest Cafe: Our experience here wasnt that great. We waited for ever to get in and then the food took forever to come not to mention that it was extremly expensive (or so it seemed) and as i remember our food was nothin to get excited about

Club 33: many people would disagree but although club 33 is a great experience (if you can get reservations) its also very VERY expensive. When we ate there the first time (both reservations were lunch) we werent that impressed with the meals although the buffet was fabulous. At dinner time the dont offer the buffet....it kind of depends on the experience your looking for.

personally sometimes i think the smaller places offer better food, it all depends on what your looking for.

emmah
11-06-2005, 08:06 PM
I would strongly disagree with some of these posts. I am not criticising the locations themselves - they do what they set out to do, which is to serve large quantities of food to large numbers of people, for reasonable prices, but this does not make the food they serve anything other than mediocre. Mimi's for instance, (and all of its companions on Habour Blvd) serve what is essentially fast food. Storytellers is very average (in fact, I was so appalled the last time I ate there I felt moved to write a review, something I had never done before!) and places like the Plaza Inn and the Rainforest Cafe are also pretty ordinary. The portions at these places may be large but the quality is strictly what you would expect from franchises which aim to satisfy with cheap, quick, food. And none of it is particularly healthful. Which is not a criticism - they are what they are. What they are not, are fine dining experiences. One place that is ok (not fine food, but decent) is the wine country trattoria at DCA; the salads are usually pretty fresh and the pasta ok. I believe that the places at the DLR hotels are a step above anything you'll find anywhere in the parks or at DTD. but that is just my opinion....:)

cstephens
11-06-2005, 08:43 PM
Rancho del Zocalo also has great BBQ if you are into that. I haven't eaten there since they combined with Big Thunder BBQ, but I'm sure it is the same food and I liked it before.

Rancho hasn't had barbeque for some time now, but even when they did, it looked nothing like what Big Thunder had. I always meant to try it, but every time I looked at it, it just wasn't the same.


davies901 - If Napa Rose isn't in your budget, you might try just the lounge. They have smaller fare there that might fit into your budget while still giving you a taste of the great food there. If you're a foodie, you definitely need to try Napa Rose.

My other recommendation would be Catal Restaurant in Downtown Disney. Great stuff.

jazzysmom
11-06-2005, 09:10 PM
We had a great dinner at Ralph Brennan's Jazz kitchen in Downtown Disney.

mkcbunny
11-06-2005, 10:33 PM
In addition to Catal, the adjoining Uva Bar, outside it, is nice for lunch.

For in-park options, I think the Wine Country Trattoria in DCA is OK. It's fine for a salad and half a sandwich, and quiet. Adults can have a glass of wine and relax without leaving the park. The service can be spotty out on the patio, but that's the nicest place to sit.

3894
11-07-2005, 02:50 AM
Probably the most-mentioned Disneyland food favorites in this forum are:
chicken fusilli at Redd Rockett's in Tomorrowland
clam chowder in bread bowl at French Market in New Orleans Square
skewers (beef, chicken, or vegetable) at Bengal BBQ in Adventureland
monte cristo sandwich at Blue Bayou (an item of contentious debate so be forewarned)
churros from the outdoor vending carts placed around the resort
bbq turkey legs from outdoor vending
honey popcorn from the outdoor vending cart near Splash Mountain
many favorites from the Candy Kitchen on Main Street. My personal favorites are their toffee and chocolate-covered marshmallows. Their candy canes this time of year are extra-special, too.

SandraVB79
11-07-2005, 03:57 AM
If you want fine dining at disney... come to Disneyland Paris, fine-dining at its best with Michelin-rated restaurants (and without Michelin-rated prices, believe it or not, it's actually cheap to eat there! Well, it is for my belgian standard)

Fine dining at Disneyland California? As far as I know not existing, but I didn't try Napa Rose, because 1. I didn't want to spend that much time to it and 2. not in my budget this time.

We had shrimp pizza (OK, it has a funkier name, but it WAS shrimp pizza) at the Rainforest cafe, and it was the best pizza I ever had (I LOVE pizza, eat it all the time, and never had one as good as that one) I admit, we had to wait about 1 hour and 20 minutes before we could get seated, but we used that time to shop a little more aroud DTD (went to Rainforest cafe the day BEFORE we started using our park hoppers)

I am already looking forward to the next time I'll go to DL, and get a bread bowl with chowder at either DCA, Cafe Orleans or the French Market. The salads and sandwiches looked good too!!

Breakfast at the River Belle Terrace... if Walt used to have his Sunday breakfast there, it's good for me too, and I just loved their Mickey-pancakes!

DOLE-WHIP!!!!!!!!!!! Be prepared for a long waiting line, one day I was up to the Jungle Cruise entrance. But it's worth it.

I thought those turkey legs from the outdoor vending carts were not only funny, but tasted good as well!! My mom and I shared one as an early dinner/snack.

The pasta at Plaza Inn was very expensive, cold, not good and I was still hungry afterwards... The ling was very long to get in, so I thought the food was great, but it was disappointing...

Actually, I don't think fine dining and theme park goes well together, except at DLP with its Walt's and L'auberge de Cendrillon, and some restaurants at the hotels...

davies901
11-07-2005, 07:19 AM
Thanks for all the feedback. It is helpful. We generally don't enjoy chain food (e.g. Mimi's Cafe, Rainforest). The quality is so, so for us, although the portions are huge (but that isn't so important unless I am hoping to save money by sharing a meal)! Also - chains are the WORST with food allergies. Fine dining and small independent, especially ethnic, places are easy because they make everything from scratch, the chef that created the meals or owner is always around and they can accomodate. The folks at the chains have no idea what is in the food, and depending on the service, sometimes are not even willing to find out for sure.

Anyway, Grandpa called with a birthday present for my husband - extra money for our trip so now we can enjoy the Napa Rose! Very excited.:)

3894
11-07-2005, 07:25 AM
Fine dining and small independent, especially ethnic, places are easy because they make everything from scratch, the chef that created the meals or owner is always around and they can accomodate. The folks at the chains have no idea what is in the food, and depending on the service, sometimes are not even willing to find out for sure.

Food is going to be difficult for you at the Disneyland Resort. Stop at City Hall and ask for tips dealing with your particular food allergy.


Anyway, Grandpa called with a birthday present for my husband - extra money for our trip so now we can enjoy the Napa Rose!

Bon appétit!

SandraVB79
11-07-2005, 07:35 AM
In case you don't want to spend too much money AND you want things that are fresh...
Just go visit the Boudin Bakery and the Mission Tortilla thing over and over again...

Hey, in 2002, when I was on a student's budget, and when I had already spent too much money on collectibles, it helped to prevent me from starving! LOL!

tod
11-07-2005, 09:28 AM
Fine dining and small independent, especially ethnic, places are easy because they make everything from scratch, the chef that created the meals or owner is always around and they can accomodate. The folks at the chains have no idea what is in the food, and depending on the service, sometimes are not even willing to find out for sure.

Tacos mi Pueblo, Katella and Walnut. Hole-in-the-wall place where they don't speak English all that well, but the best real Mexican food I've found around the Resort. (I heard about it when I worked at the Disneyland Hotel: All the staff went there.)

There's another non-chain Mexican place down Harbor that comes highly recommended around here, but I've never been there so I got nothin'.

--t

MermaidHair
11-07-2005, 10:11 AM
Davies901 - I thought your question was interesting and you got some great responses here. When are you going? Please do write a trip report when you return. I am interested to hear what worked for you and what did not.

Also - If you feel comfortable doing so, can you share what food alergies you are dealing with?

Thanks

davies901
11-07-2005, 11:09 AM
Davies901 - I thought your question was interesting and you got some great responses here. When are you going? Please do write a trip report when you return. I am interested to hear what worked for you and what did not.

Also - If you feel comfortable doing so, can you share what food alergies you are dealing with?

Thanks


I will certainly report when I return. We are going in a couple of weeks.

My son and I both have Celiac's disease and so we can't have gluten (e.g. wheat, barley, rye, oats, soy sauce, some processed food, etc.). But actually Disney has a reputation in the food allergy world of being VERY nice for people with allergies. For instance I was told at the sit down restaurants, the entire staff knows when a food allergy is an issue and they ALL change gloves in the kitchen, even if they don't anticipate touching the food. They have you talk to the head chef at the park or any of the restaurants before you come and they waive food import rules (which don't seem to be highly enforced anyway). I have yet to talk to the chef, but have seen more than one report that they are actually very good in that regard...

hlbtimes2
11-07-2005, 11:41 AM
With those types of restrictions, I would guess some place like Carnation Cafe on main street or Storytellers at the grand (both have menus) would be the easiest to custom order a meal. A good portion of the places in the park are more fast food or cafeteria style where the food is already prepared.