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amarvel
03-22-2006, 12:41 PM
We are meeting my cousin and her husband for dinner one night while we are at disneyland. They live in the area so we plan to have dinner in Downtown Disney since they can have access and we dont have to leave the area....we need a place that takes reservations, but wasn't fine dining, so i've narrowed it down to these...so any thoughts on the following...what do you like, what don't you like??

Tortilla Jo's
Espn Zone
Naples Ristorante E Pizzeria
La Brea Bakery
Storytellers Cafe


Any thoughts?? THANKS!

ILoveChurros
03-22-2006, 01:25 PM
I like ESPN and La Brea because both offer great tasting food and reasonable prices (for DTD) and they are both casual type places.

momsat1
03-22-2006, 01:32 PM
Good luck getting reservations....We are going April 10 - 14 with 10 people and I have only been able to get reservations at DH resturaunts or DL/DCA resturaunts. If there are any secrets I would love to know. It is my brother-in-laws bday when we are there and he wanted to eat at Tortilla Joe's, they will only take reservations for parties on 4 and under :( Good Luck!

meandthree
03-22-2006, 03:19 PM
I don't know what other people think of Tortilla Joe's, but honestly it was the worst meal we had. Now you have to know that we are from Texas and have great mexican food, but we all ordered something different and no one liked their entree.

mancub's mommy
03-22-2006, 04:09 PM
Stay away from Naples - the food was terrible and my brother, who is in the restaurant business, saw a cockroach. On top of all that the hostess was very rude. We'll never go back.

Ralph Brennans, ESPN Zone, Tortilla Joe's and Catal are all restaurants we have enjoyed and will go back to again.......Catal is AMAZING!

mancub's mommy
03-22-2006, 04:11 PM
Oh and Storyteller's is great too....I actually enjoyed the lunch more than the character breakfast (which out of all the character breakfasts is the best -imho)

Rhiannon8404
03-22-2006, 04:37 PM
I don't know what other people think of Tortilla Joe's, but honestly it was the worst meal we had. Now you have to know that we are from Texas and have great mexican food, but we all ordered something different and no one liked their entree.

I agree with you. We've only eaten there once...because it was so bad we've never care to try again.

cyberRoo
03-22-2006, 04:43 PM
Honestly, I think you'll find that there are people who have had good or bad experiences at each of these.

I, personally, don't care for La Brea Bakery - their menu is very limited, and yet they can't manage to make a decent grilled cheese sandwich. While our server was nice enough, it was also very clear that they consistently sent out cold sandwiches when she suggested that I hold onto my fries so they didn't get cold while they actually cooked my sandwich.

ESPN Zone used to have a great apple pie, and that's about the only nice thing I can say about their menu.

I've never eaten at Storyteller because the wait is always very long.

I actually like Tortilla Jo's - I get cravings for their taquitos and mole chicken.

Naples is a little hit and miss, but their pizza has gotten very good lately, and they used to have an amazing gnocchi dish, but I'm not sure if it's still on the menu.

My advice: Pick the kind of food you want and go from there.

Wendi
03-22-2006, 06:47 PM
My vote is for Storyteller's Cafe - I just love it there. I have never had a bad meal or poor service at Storyteller's!

Tortilla Jo's is OK, I've eaten there once just after they opened, then did the Dining Around DTD AP event (where they had very good food). The meal in the restaurant was fine, but not the greatest food... just not the style of Mexican food that I'm accustomed to - but not bad.

I've never even been inside of the ESPN Zone, but a lot of people here on MP rave about the food there, so I'm sure they must be right.

IMO you should steer clear of Naples - worst service on the planet... seriously horrible service! I have gotten take out Mac & Cheese from Napolini and it was fine, but I won't go back to Naples until I hear about 287 rave reviews first.

La Brea is OK if you want a sandwich or something... but then you'll pay about $15 for a sandwich... not really worth it IMHO - I'd rather get a sandwich at WWS!

nmjohnston874
03-22-2006, 09:02 PM
Depending on where you are staying and wouldn't mind a bit of a walk, or if you have your own transportation, you can avoid DLR prices by going south on Harbor a little ways to Joe's Crab Shack across from Target. Wonderful food at reasonable prices. We ate there a couple of weeks ago and I found prices comparable to Red Lobster in my little town but much better food. I love shrimp so I had the shrimp combo. Next time I'm going to have all crab. Yum!

kisroo
03-22-2006, 09:19 PM
The walk up window at Tortilla Joe's is good. I've never eaten inside.

I know Catal isn't on your list, but it's a little more "upscale" than the others you mentioned.

Never eaten at Naples or La Brea.

In my opinion, ESPN Zone has good salads and soup. The rest of the menu seemed to be your everyday "bar/pub" food. However, it is very, very loud.

Have fun no matter where you go!

~kisroo:)

5-4-fun
03-22-2006, 09:31 PM
We just returned from our "week in the sun" (and clouds and rain and wind). Our family ate at three of the places you mentioned, so here are my two cents worth.

LaBrea Bakery- Our family of 5 spent $60 for a breakfast that was average at best. I usually love eating at coffee shops and this definately was a letdown for me, especially for the price!

ESPN Zone- We ate dinner at ESPN zone so my dh and ds wouldn't miss the Zags in the playoffs. The food was good. To me the food here is just like eating at Red Robin or TGI Fridays or any other casual chain. Fun atmosphere, decent service and pretty ordinary menu choices.

Storytellers Cafe- We had a nice lunch here with excellent service. The food was good. The kids enjoyed making their own pizzas.

My family's favorite place to eat UNANIMOUSLY (which doesn't happen very often in a family of five) was Catal. We had lunch and liked it so much that we returned for dinner another day. There is a more casual dining area downstairs and an area only open for dinner upstairs. The food was outstanding and the waiter we had for dinner was the best I have had anywhere, EVER.

Hope this helps! Have a great dinner!

I Heart Disneyland!
03-23-2006, 12:37 AM
I really like Tortilla Jo's and the take-out window (to the left of the main entrance) is cheaper and the food is great!

acpalmer
03-23-2006, 06:10 AM
I don't know what other people think of Tortilla Joe's, but honestly it was the worst meal we had. Now you have to know that we are from Texas and have great mexican food, but we all ordered something different and no one liked their entree.

I have to, in a very friendly way, point out that what you have in Texas is not actually Mexican food, it is TexMex food and from someone who has visited both places often, believe me, there is a HUGE difference between the two. I've never eaten at Tortilla Joe's, so I have no idea what they have there.:)

stan4d_steph
03-23-2006, 06:16 AM
I'm not sure if you've looked yet, but you might want to check out the MousePlanet review database for reviews of the restaurants you're considering.

I like Storytellers, and it would give you an excuse to check out the GCH and its beautiful lobby. They also have some great stuff in the gift shop if you're into the Arts & Crafts/Bungalow style.

I usually get the corn chowder, which is very yummy, and the quesadilla, which comes with freshly-made guacamole.

rentayenta
03-23-2006, 06:34 AM
Tortilla Jo's- good but not great. The food is a little too salty for me and I love salt.

Espn Zone- loud like kissyroo said but the fare is good. A little better than typical bar food and one notch up from Red Robin.

Naples Ristorante E Pizzeria- I really like Naples food. We go everytime we go to Disneyland. Their pastas are pretty good. Beware that their service is less than stellar.

La Brea Bakery- not so much for dinner.

Storytellers Cafe- This gets my vote. The corn chowder is good. Last time I went we shared a meal, an appetizer, and each had salad or soup. The ambiance is relaxing and the GCH is beautiful.

twist1980
03-23-2006, 07:54 AM
Naples Ristorante E Pizzeria- I really like Naples food. We go everytime we go to Disneyland. Their pastas are pretty good. Beware that their service is less than stellar.


I love Naples too. My boyfriend and I shared an order of calamari and a calzone. The calzones are probably a bit small for sharing, but we ate so much bread while waiting that we kind of filled up.:rolleyes: I have no complaints about our service and I thought the prices were decent. They also have a really nice outdoor seating area with heat lamps. We sat out there in December and we were plenty warm (and I'm always cold).

amarvel
03-23-2006, 08:07 AM
I cannot thank you all enough, this was awesome, totally what i was looking for!
And funny 2 years ago we had the worst service we ever had at a disney restaurant, at none other then Naples ;) so i guess it wasn't just us...I think that one is out for sure :)

tod
03-23-2006, 09:18 AM
The House Of Blues has a good menu, a full bar, and has good food without the snooty white-tablecloth veneer of "Fine dining." (The menu is laquered on a plank.) Here's the menu (http://hob.com/venues/clubvenues/anaheim/dining.asp), with no prices, but figure about $25 a head.

The number is 714-778-BLUE.

--t

stan4d_steph
03-23-2006, 10:07 AM
The House Of Blues has a good menu, a full bar, and has good food without the snooty white-tablecloth veneer of "Fine dining." The skillet of cornbread is yummy. :)

tstan70
03-23-2006, 10:26 AM
We ate at the Jazz Kitchen express (takeout window of Ralph Brennan's Jazz kitchen) a few weeks back and it was quite good. (plus a change from what you can get most places around the DLR) Two of us split the fried chicken and cajun fried shrimp plate and you have to have a beignets.

We also tried the Taqueria at Tortilla Jo's. My carnitas burrito was good and the price was good for the amount you get. (I think it was about $7.50 for a huge burrito) My wife got the carne asada burrito and it was a bit dry for her taste, but with a bit of sour cream and more salsa it was perfect for her.

We didn't eat at Rainforest Cafe this past trip, but it has always been good.

Syndrome
03-23-2006, 10:44 AM
I say Storyteller's or ESPN. Granted, they can both be pricey, but anything in DTD is. We went to Storyteller's for dinner about 2 weeks ago and we had the choice of ordering off of the menu or a buffet. My wife and I both enjoyed the food there.

I Heart Disneyland!
03-23-2006, 12:58 PM
Storytellers Cafe- This gets my vote. The corn chowder is good. Last time I went we shared a meal, an appetizer, and each had salad or soup. The ambiance is relaxing and the GCH is beautiful.

Is this a character place? (Forgive my ignorance, we've never been and the kids are grown up so we don't go to the character things these days!)

amarvel
03-23-2006, 01:09 PM
It is for breakfast....but not lunch or dinner...

Disneyfalcon
03-23-2006, 01:31 PM
ESPN zone does not take ressies for dinner, or on weekends. Maybe that will narrow it down some!:)