Favorite Counter Service - DLR?

[Mary Chase]

What's your favorite counter service restaurant at DLR and what do you like to eat there? Having a hard time - will be doing more counter service than we usually do at WDW (usually have free dining at WDW) and I was hoping not to get bored with more counter service at DLR. We'll be there (in the parks 6 days). Seems like it's very do-able to leave the park and eat at DTD or even maybe some nearby casual restaurants? Anyone have any suggestions for casual (maybe not fast food - but not outrageously priced) places? I think we'll definitely hit Earl of Sandwich - we love it at DTD in FL. It's reasonable priced and good food. Just wanted some opinions on some of the counter service. It will be me, my DH and DS's 10 and 5. 10 year old is old enough for the "adult" menu I guess - but not a very adventurous eater, so will probably still eat from kids menu at times.

Thanks!

[Disney4us2]

Our favorites at Disneyland are the new Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe. I love the tomato soup/grilled cheese combo. The roast beef sandwich is also very good. The Plaza Inn is also very good, love the fried chicken there. There are so many CS at Disneyland so you can't really go wrong.

At DCA, currently we love the Pacific Wharf Cafe with the bread bowl soups and salads. There are new places in Cars Land opening up and I am sure those will also be included in my favorites...can't wait to try them out. Another is the Taste Pilots Test Grill, we don't eat there too often but the food is good and I love the onion rings. The new Ghirardelli Soda Fountain is a must do (at least for the chocolate samples) for a fantastic sweet treat.

At the GCH, Whitewater snacks is great. You order your food and get a number and then the CM will bring to food to your table. I love the cheese burger there as well as the steak nachos. They also have chicken nachos.

At DLH...Tangaroa Terrace. They have the best Hawaiian style hambuirger there with sweet potato fries. I tried the chicken katsu last time and it was good, but didn't care for the slaw that came with it.

There is really a wide variety of CS at both parks. Hopefully others will stop by with their favorites.

[BrerGnat]

DLR has excellent counter service food. It's way better than WDW! I think 6 days is a perfect amount of time to try them all!

In no particluar order, here are my recommendations (for the record, I have two young boys who are super picky). These are the places we found ourselves eating most often over a period of about 7 years.

At Disneyland Park:

-Pinocchio's Village Haus: consistently good food in a great central location in the park. Cute restaurant...kids will like it.

-Redd Rocket's Pizza Port: not the best pizza, but the slices are HUGE and can easily be shared. Filling food, excellent salads (my fav is the Planetary Pizza salad) and some very good pasta dishes.

-Hungry Bear Restaurant: my "burger and fries" kid loved this place, but they didn't have anything for my other son who doesn't eat burgers or chicken nuggets (he's a mac and cheese/pizza kid). Love the sweet potato fries and onion rings here, and the burgers are very good as is the fried chicken sandwich. Stay away from the "cold items"...they are premade and not the best.

-River Belle Terrace: serves up a good CS breakfast (full platters-eggs, bacon, pancakes, etc.) Lunch and dinner have some unique carved meat sandwiches and some good sides/desserts. Love the cheesecake here! Not the best option for kids unless yours like carved meat sandwiches. But, it's a good place to try. Next door is Stage Door cafe which has chicken nuggets, so we would often get the kid food there and then get sandwiches next door.

I would recommend avoiding: Tomorrowland Terrace and French Market. The food here is just not good, and in the case of French Market, VERY heavy for park going.

Iffy: Rancho Del Zocalo. I've had good and bad food here, so take a moment to check it out and if it appeals to you, give it a try. The restaurant itself is very pretty but the food is inconsistent and there is better Mexican food found elsewhere (DCA, for example, serves up very similar stuff but it's better over there). Kid's menu options are VERY limited (bean and cheese burrito, chicken taco, or chicken and rice are about all they get to choose from)

At DCA:
There is so much new to try, but we have always loved Taste Pilot's Grill. Love the toppings bar, onion rings, and burgers. Fun props in here too; like an extension of the Soarin' queue.

Pacific Wharf Cafe: good sandwiches and soups, although if it's hot, I never want to eat there. The line gets massively long!

I'd check out Flo's V8 Cafe. Looks very nice and the menu looks delicious!

We had good flatbreads when Boardwalk Pizza/Pasta first opened, but I've heard mixed reviews since. Maybe try if you're in that area and hungry.

If you like corndogs, Corn Dog Castle has the BEST ones (according to my DH). They also have cheese on a stick, which I can vouch for. Good place to grab a snack and share.

Downtown Disney:

I'm not too fond of the "counter serve" options to be found here with a couple exceptions:

Jamba Juice: GREAT smoothies (I miss them!), and surprisingly, very good cold wraps! Good place for a healthy snack and excellent option when it's hot outside.

Tortilla Jo's Taqueria: good, authentic "street style" tacos. The meat is quite spicy, so beware, kids might not like it. Kids can get a quesadilla here if they are not so adventurous.

Definitely Earl of Sandwich. I wish it had opened sooner!

At the Resorts:

Whitewater Snacks is the "hidden gem" CS location at DLR. You can sneak in here when the crowds at DCA get to be too much (did I just say that?) through the "secret entrance" over by Grizzly River Run (non hotel guests can use this entrance if they are going to dine at the Grand Californian, so just let them know you are going to do just that, and keep your receipt so you can use the entrance back into DCA if you wish). Everything I've ever had at Whitewater is good. They make food to order. The place is a quiet haven in the middle of chaos. Highly recommend! Extensive choices...everyone can find something here.

At Disneyland Hotel:
Tangaroa Terrace is VERY good. The Pulled Pork bbq flatbread pizza is to die for! I wish I had tried more stuff here but I ran out of time (it opened just as I was moving away).

I wouldn't exactly recommend heading out to Harbor Blvd to eat at any of the nearby places. It's just the same old chains you find elsewhere but with inflated pricing. DLR food might seem "expensive", but if you went to IHOP, you'd pass out from the shock of your bill, considering it's an IHOP. Pricing at DLR is fairly competitive for the area, so I'd just stick to what's offered onsite.

If you will have a car, you can head to the Anaheim Garden Walk for chains like CPK, Cheesecake Factory, Bubba Gump, etc. The prices at those are in line with what you find elsewhere in the country, and you can eat "familiar" stuff if you want to go outside the gates for awhile.

The last thing I will say is, be prepared for the food to be more expensive than you are used to (prices are higher than at WDW, for the most part). Compared to Ohio, you might have sticker shock. Since I lived in Orange County for so many years, I got used to it, and I was actually shocked at how CHEAP everything seemed at WDW in comparison. However, I think you will agree that the food is of higher quality overall at DLR compared to FL. I believe it has to do with the suppliers, and the abundance of fresher produce and more varied options in CA vs. FL. Just budget a little extra, is all I'm saying, so you are prepared for it.

[eeyorepoohfan]

My hubby and I prefer most of our meals in California Adventure. However, we do eat at a few spots in Disneyland!
Disneyland:
Jolly Holiday Bakery, I've only had dessert here, but it was amazing. So I'm guessing the food should be good too!
Hungry Bear, I've eaten there many times of the years. Basic burgers and such, but usually tasty!
The red wagon corn dog cart on Main Street is yummy!!!!
The Plaza Inn is a nice choice! It's only a character meal for breakfast, the rest of the day it's a buffeteria. They have an amazing Cobb Salad! Plus, the drinks here are free refills and you can ask for a to go cup!
Village Haus Restaurant. They have good burgers with some extra toppings. This place gets very busy since it's in Fantasyland. But if you go at non-peak times, it shouldn't be bad and you should be able to get a table inside!

California Adventure:
Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta. We love their spaghetti and meatballs! It's plenty for my hubby and I to share! And it tastes really good! They also have salads, flatbreads and other pastas that look good too!
Corn Dog castle, Yummy corndogs! They even have a hot link one that is very tasty!
Pacific Warf Cafe. Amazing soup bread bowls!!!
Taste Pilots Grill. We ate there for the first time on our last trip and shared ribs and onion rings. They were very tasty and we will go back again!
Of course they have all of the new places in Cars Land that I can't wait to try!
Downtown Disney:
Earl of Sandwich opens this summer sometime, which I love and the prices are really good!

Of course you can always get ice cream from the ice cream shop on Main Street! That's always a good lunch!

Food at Disneyland seems to be a little bit more than WDW, so be ready for that. My hubby and I share meals at some places so we can grab a yummy snack a few hours later. It keeps the costs down and we never feel stuffed and uncomfortable.

Have a great trip!

[DisneyLandMomma]

We are mostly snackers when we go but White water snacks is our must do place when we are at the parks. I always get nachos, you can get chicken or beef, I get just cheese unless someone wants to share and they want a meat. They are THE best nachos....yum!!! My husband has something different every time we go, his absolute fav though is the grilled chicken sandwich. He also really enjoys the Mediterranean kabob place over near the Boardwalk in CA. He LOVeS it!!

Daughter loves the bread bowls in DL over by the Columbia sail ship....does that little place have a name? She gets broccoli cheddar one. Also a big fan of the corn dog cart on Main St at DL.

[Mary Chase]

Thanks for all the suggestions - I can't wait to try some of these out! A little nervous about the prices, but am planning on buying some gift cards ahead of time to use for meals, so hopefully that will keep me from thinking about how much it costs! I could probably split some things with my husband, but he's a pretty big eater (although you'd never guess by looking at him! ) I'm sure we will figure it all out. This is probably the only time we'll get out to DLR, so I'm going to try not to worry about the expense too much!

[disneynarula]

I was surprised at the prices as well. Maybe because we always do the DDP? I paid for the hotel and tickets and my mom paid for the food. I did not see a recipet until the last day and then I was shocked at what she paid.

We loved Rancho del Zocalo. Maybe we just hit it on a good day? My DS loves tacos and would rather have than then burgers and fries so it was a good fit for us. They have nice stands here and there with some healthier options.

DS loved the Mickey Head pretzels.

My advice is.... eat lunch early or late. We learned this early on. We were there at a busy time and it was hard to find a table.

[Paradise Pier Pinocchio]

When I read the title of this thread, I just laughed out loud.

When stopping by Flo's V8 Cafe for the first time, I asked the CM if it was counter service.

Her response was huh?

If you are going to invest that much in a new land, at least train the CMs.

Thank you,
PPP

[BrerGnat]

When I read the title of this thread, I just laughed out loud.

When stopping by Flo's V8 Cafe for the first time, I asked the CM if it was counter service.

Her response was huh?

If you are going to invest that much in a new land, at least train the CMs.

Thank you,
PPP

So, is it CS? I thought it was...but maybe I'm wrong.

OP, yes, DEFINITELY dine early or late.

Eat lunch at 11:30am at the latest, or wait until after 2pm.

Eat dinner by 5:30pm latest, or wait until after 8.

[Disney4us2]

Flo's V8 is a counter service. Had breakfast there. Pretty good too.