best counter food value at the parks

[septembergirl]

Hello:
We are heading to the World next month with a total of 6 in our party including DH, DS16, DS14, DS12 and DD6. With teenage boys, food is a pretty big deal for us. We are really trying to do this as cheaply as possible so I was wondering what were the best value in counter service there was in the parks as we will be eating lunch there on most days. I need lots of food for the least amount possible!
Any thoughts?
Thanks!

[hlkeck]

There are tons of threads on this - you could do a quick search and find more detailed answers. For me, the best value is at Cosmic Ray's at MK. For like $13 you get ribs and chicken and a side and a drink. It's definitely enough for at least 2 to share.
Flame Tree BBQ at AK is good also.

[btharvey]

There are tons of threads on this - you could do a quick search and find more detailed answers. For me, the best value is at Cosmic Ray's at MK. For like $13 you get ribs and chicken and a side and a drink. It's definitely enough for at least 2 to share.
Flame Tree BBQ at AK is good also.

Ditto on all of that, including the search. I'd select keywords counter service value or counter service inexpensive or similar. But we must stop at Cosmic Ray's every time.

Of course, there's always Fish 'n Chips at Epcot.

[betteratmk]

Wow, 3 teens, I know your pain! They can eat you out of house and home! Honestly as Mom to 7 I would fill them up at the buffets and do counter sevice for the rest. I'm going to assume that sharing is probably not an option except with the 6 year old. Trails End Buffet is more reasonable then the rest. Are you on site or off?

[sassy2000]

Cosmic Rays in MK has large portions. Also, Sunshine Seasons at Epcot has good-sized portions also.

[renecat]

Flame tree BBQ at AK is a good counter service.
Also if you plan on going to Downtown Disney the Earl of Sandwich is also a good counter service.

[mrmcgiv]

I agree on cosmic rays, you get a lot of food and you also have the option of getting a burger or maybe double burger which may be less food but costs less.

I found Flame tree to be a great value on the DDP but maybe higher priced for what you get. It is GOOD food but a little more pricey and your sides I think are beans and slaw. No fries with the combo they cost extra. having said that FTB is one of my fave CS, like the food and love the atmosphere.

I think there is a place in every park where you can get a double cheeseburger and fries for about $7-$9. I think the ABC commisary in DHS has good options too.

The sunshine seasons in epcot is good, thier melas are a little higher priced than some places. Again a great deal on DDP and one of my faves. You get a better quaility amd selection of food though, but I think meals are in the $10 range and I did not like their kid's meal selections. I think the electric umbrella in epcot may have better pricing, not sure about portions.

Good luck

[septembergirl]

Thanks so much for your comments. To answer the mom with 7 above, we are staying off site this time and will have a full kitchen. I am planning on at least one meal a day out and probably more like 2 most days as we will not leave the park. I am thinking we can get away with dinner at the villa on the days that we go to AK and DS since they close pretty early. We will also take one day off while we are there so I will be def be preparing meals all day on that day.

I plan to order from Green Grocer to be delivered so that we can save time by not going to the store. Also, what do you think of bringing lunch to the park and storing it in a locker. Any one ever tried this? I have taken water and snacks before with no problem (except no one wanted to carry them!).

[ElenitaB]

My young teen likes Pecos Bills and Cosmic Ray's in the MK (though I generally drags him to Columbia Harbor House and he doesn't object too much). In Epcot, he and another teen friend gravitate toward the Electric Umbrella and their giant bacon double burgers. In DHS, the CS of choice is Backlot Express (again for the bacon double cheeseburger), and in AK, it's Flametree that he asks for. At DTD, Wolfgang Puck Express is our destination for its excellent food and generous portions.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

AK-Flame Tree BBQ, the rib dinner was huge
Epcot-Mexico-the nachos at Mexico are generous portions, I like the fish n chips the best at UK but can't recall it being big portions
DHS-We like Starring Rolls to get deli sandwiches which are quite filling
MK-Cosmic Rays has some good choices as well as our favorite Pecos Bills
DTD-Our favorite here is Wolfgang Puck Express

[ryca1dreams]

Agree on Cosmic Ray's. We go there every trip, even back on the free dining plan, because we can get so much. Plus, for what you're getting, it''s good food.

[betteratmk]

Thanks so much for your comments. To answer the mom with 7 above, we are staying off site this time and will have a full kitchen. I am planning on at least one meal a day out and probably more like 2 most days as we will not leave the park. I am thinking we can get away with dinner at the villa on the days that we go to AK and DS since they close pretty early. We will also take one day off while we are there so I will be def be preparing meals all day on that day.

I plan to order from Green Grocer to be delivered so that we can save time by not going to the store. Also, what do you think of bringing lunch to the park and storing it in a locker. Any one ever tried this? I have taken water and snacks before with no problem (except no one wanted to carry them!).

We used to stay off site too, I found that I ended up paying more by cooking sometimes!! My kids were grazers not huge eaters at meals but constantly eating!!By the time I bought the juice, the water the gatorade ect ( fruit , snack bars, doughnuts hey we're on vacation, bagels lunch meat) We could have eaten out!! We always cooked breakfast unless we went to a late buffet in the park, I tried to time it for when we first got there it would be breakfast but that lunch would be set up too! That meant they ate their fill and had either pizza at the villa or counter service. Their is a wide variety of places outside Disney that are alot less pricey.Golden Corral is a large buffet, very reasonable. the quality sometimes varies from each location though.

[Pop Centurion]

Wolfgang Puck Express in DTD is a good value IMO. Great selection, big portions, & not too expensive. Their pizza's are in the $10-15 range which is obviously popular with teens. They also have quesadilla's, huge focaccia & pocket sandwiches, & much more.

As others said, Cosmic Ray's & Flame Tree BBQ are great values.
Sunshine Seasons is really good & my 2nd favorite CS but the portions aren't very big for the price. You're probably better off going with Electric Umbrella for a better value.

[Genie1953]

AK-Flame Tree BBQ, the rib dinner was huge
Epcot-Mexico-the nachos at Mexico are generous portions, I like the fish n chips the best at UK but can't recall it being big portions
DHS-We like Starring Rolls to get deli sandwiches which are quite filling
MK-Cosmic Rays has some good choices as well as our favorite Pecos Bills
DTD-Our favorite here is Wolfgang Puck Express

What are your favorite things on the Wolfgang Puck menu. We are thinking of eating there this Saturday after we get checked into POR.

[WVParkfan]

We are "counter service" people. Our favorite is Sunshine Seasons at the Land Pavilion in Epcot! They have Asian food, amazing salads, rotisserie chicken, and flatbread sandwiches (among other things). Truly the best counter service selection in all of Walt Disney World. Here are some other favorites:

Magic Kingdom:
- Cosmic Ray's - $8 double cheeseburger with fries or apples/ $7.50 eight piece chicken nuggets and fries.
- Pecos Bill's - $7.79 chicken caesar salad
- El Pirata y el Perico - $7.50 Burrito with rice and beans.
- Columbia Harbor House - $7 fish basket.
------------
Animal Kingdom:
- Pizzafari - $8 personal pizza and salad
- Flametree BBQ - $10 slab of ribs, beans, corn muffin.
- Tamu Tamu - $6.50 cheeseburger basket with fries or apples / $7.70 Turkey & Swiss on Focaccia.
------------
Hollywood Studios:
- Catalina Eddies - $8.29 Hot Italian deli sandwich.
- Studio Catering Company - $8.59 Buffalo Chicken sandwich with fries or apples.
- Backlot Express - $7.59 double cheeseburger with fries or carrots/ $6.59 hotdog with fries.
------------
Epcot:
- See above about Sunshine Seasons. Best Counter Service options in all of Disney.
- Electric Umbrella - $8.09 Bacon Double Cheeseburger with fries or grapes.
- China Pavilion's Lotus Blossom Cafe' - $8.49 Orange Chicken with Steamed Rice.
- Germany Pavilion's Sommerfest - $6.59 Frankfurter served with sauerkraut and roll /
Salted Soft Pretzel - $4.29
- Japan Pavilion's Yakitori House - $8.49 Teriyaki chicken, sukiyaki beef, and steamed
rice.
- UK Pavilion's Yorkshire County Fish Shop - $8 Fish and Chips.

[joonyer]

DW and I usually split the Chicken Caesar salad at Cosmic Ray's. It is plenty enough food for 2 adults. All of the salads there are big liker that. If you are using the DP, you can save a CS credit that way. We used the extra credit for our two teenage boys who eat like horses to get them an extra double cheeseburger meal to split. :D

[Genie1953]

We ate lunch at Wolfgang Pucks yesterday before heading to the airport and used our last counter service credits. I had the Spaghetti and meatballs.....meatballs were gigantic with a huge plate of spaghetti. My husband had the Pannette Chicken Alfredo (think that was what it was called). It was a huge plate also. We will definitely be eating there again on our next trip to Disney. Also Flametree barbecue had huge portions as well as Columbia Harbour House and Sunshine Seasons. The breakfast bounty platter at our food court at Port Orleans Riverside had big portions as well.

[SingingLights]

[QUOTE=septembergirl;2036477] Also, what do you think of bringing lunch to the park and storing it in a locker. Any one ever tried this? QUOTE]

The summer of 2007, we had an annual passes, we saved a great deal of money by driving and taking in a lunch and snacks. We traveled over 3500 miles and only spent a total of $1100 for food, gas, and lodging to and from Florida (we own a timeshare and I didn't include that cost in the total).

We always purchase breakfast items, snacks and bottled water at Winn Dixie the day we arrive. That year we also purchased additional items for sandwiches, chips, carrots sticks, and Crystal Light packages to add to the bottled water. We rented a locker the first day and found ourselves returning to the locker pretty soon after we got to the park and decided not to rent another locker the rest of our stay. The longer we were in the parks the lighter our backpacks got because we continued to drink water and eat all during the day. We also split up the weight between our family members so it was not a burden on anyone of us to carry a heavy load.

Hope this helps and you have a great time.:thumbsup:

[Jennifer_and_Chris]

When we have stayed offsite, we have done the locker lunch. Worked like a champ. We also went grocery the second we got there and went one step further and cooked everything we could that first day. We made things that we could easily warm up for breakfast/lunch/dinner (corned beef hash, pancakes, - we went through a "breakfast for dinner" phase!) depending on the meal. We had cereal and oatmeal for most mornings (except our "Welcome to WDW" Ohana breakfast). We were able to do 1 TS meal a day this way. We were a party of 3 adult couples (no kids yet).

While I know that sharing meals is out of the question and many threads have said this before, you can go to a burger joint - Pecos Bill is our fav - get a double cheeseburger meal and order an extra bun. Maybe the 2 youngest can split that meal and each get all the fixings for a single burger for the "sharers". At the very least, maybe you and your DD could share. So, for about $8 two of you can share and still both get your own full size burger.

Trails End Buffet is also a great buffet value...

[DadTriton]

WVParkfan at post 15 has really good info.
I have 3 ravenous kids so we brown bag lunches and snacks every day.
When at MK we counter dinner at Cosmic Rays or El Pirata y el Perico depending on what side of the park we are on.
At Epcot and HS we usually table service because of all of the fine restaurants.
AK we have never ate dinner since this is when the park closes.

[azcavalier]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the Earl of Sandwich at DTD. It's insane the amount of food that you get there. Our family has five, and we could have gotten two or three sandwiches and been full, instead of using all five CS credits.

[forever a child]

While I know that sharing meals is out of the question and many threads have said this before, you can go to a burger joint - Pecos Bill is our fav - get a double cheeseburger meal and order an extra bun. Maybe the 2 youngest can split that meal and each get all the fixings for a single burger for the "sharers". At the very least, maybe you and your DD could share. So, for about $8 two of you can share and still both get your own full size burger.

Meal sharing is out if you are on the DDP. But I don't believe OP mentioned being on the dining plan. You can share a meal if you are paying OOP.

All my fav's have been mentioned already :D

[Pirate Granny]

We always brought my dad's lunch to the parks as he had a very restricted diet...we had one of those frozen packs to keep it cold...we brought sandwiches, pudding, applesauce, water and other treats...plus fruit...it fit in small lunch bag and into our backpack. We used the same bag when we went to Paris and had lunches made of cheese, bread, ham which was rolled, fruit (either strawberries, blueberries or raspberries)...and a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine...sure saved a lot of $$$ and ate on a park bench...for four adults (females)...those are wonderful memories for me with my girls.
:pirate:

[Fastpasssteve]

...going to the Biergarten. I know it's a table service, but it is a buffet...the food is great...it's air-conditioned...has a live band...and all the food your boys can hold down. Keeping the ages of your boys in mind, this might end up being a big money saver in the long run. An early lunch reservation could get them all the way to an evening meal back at your resort. It's cheaper at lunch by at least ten dollars.

[MyDisneyworld]

Pecos bill is always a fav because they have the fixins bar that is included. Lots of good stuff on there to really fill up the burger. Making me hungry just thinking about it.