Note: This post is part of a 15 Day challenge with questions referring to Disneyland or Walt Disney World. For more information, or to see all 15 questions, please refer to the introductory post, The 15 Day Disneyland Challenge. As stated in that post, I am not the creator of the challenge – just a willing participant!
Day 14: Your Favorite Place To Eat In the Park
This one is harsh – especially for a Disney foodie. There are few places I don’t like to eat in the park. I’m a fan of Redd Rockett’s Pizza Port and their shareable Count Down Chicken Fusili. The Monte Cristos in the Blue Bayou and Cafe Orleans – artery clogging goodness, along with the overall atmosphere of both spots. Village Haus in Fantasyland? Love the decor and the yodeling music that goes along with it! Skewers at the Bengal Barbecue? Yes, please! Jolly Holiday bakery? Practically perfect in every way! Corn dogs from the Little Red Wagon? Don’t mind if I do! If you were to ask my daughter, any place that sells a kids’ power pack is at the top of her list. Until someone offers to get me into Club 33, that one won’t even be an option.
So many decisions, but if I had to narrow down to one (and for the sake of this post I must)….
It’s Just Plain….Beautiful.
It only makes sense that my favorite dining spot in The Land would be in my favorite land. There’s an elegance to the place that’s quaint – not over the top or cheesy – but a true elegance. On winter nights, sitting outside beneath a space heater, watching snow fall on the hub… it’s beautiful. And of course, there’s the food. Now I’ve never had a character breakfast, so I can’t attest to that meal, but the fried chicken is superb. Many evenings the scent wafts into Tomorrowland answering the question of “Where shall we eat?” to passers by. While the prices are slightly higher (of course it IS Disneyland), the food is very shareable; in fact, I’ll be the first to admit I couldn’t finish a dish on my own!
Where’s your favorite place to eat? Is it because of the food, the atmosphere, or both? I love hearing from all of you!
Confessions Of A DisNerd 
Character breakfast at Plaza Inn is the best character meal I’ve ever been to. Mostly because of the omlettes, but also the sheer number of characters. You can’t meet them all in one breakfast, I always end up stalking down the remaining few on my way out the door.
My favorite place to eat though is at the Columbia dock. I love getting an early dinner and watching them dock the Columbia and set it up for Fantasmic. I can’t pick a favorite restaurant, because they all are amazing in their own way, so that’s my answer.
Like I say, I pretty much like them all, so making the call on one was hard. But sounds like I’d enjoy the character breakfast – my hardest time with the Plaza at breakfast is the fact that the rest of the park is so awesome in the AM, I’d feel like I was missing out while I was there!
I love the park in the morning, so it’s tough for me too. But I tend to go to character breakfasts when one of my friends is in town and reserves it for us, so how can I say no? I try to cherish mornings at the park because during the school year I tend to only get evenings, and the atmosphere is so different. But Plaza Inn is a really nice start to the day, despite losing an hour ish of morning park time.
I will go with Club 33. I’ve had the absolute pleasure of dining there twice. And both times were INCREDIBLE! It was a life long dream to enter the door I’ve starred at so many years. The food was delicious, the atmosphere is beyond words, and the cast members phenomenal. It was very surreal, and I loved every second of it!
As for in the parks, our family favorite is the Carnation. We LOVE this restaurant for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And we love Oscar too! Looking forward to experience the expanded seating a new menu choices. Nothing like enjoying a meal and people watching on MSUSA!
I am seething with jealousy – I want to go to Club 33 JUST ONCE. Some day. And I can’t wait to go to Carnation come September!
I can’t attest to the Club 33 as I have not been yet, but for now I will possibly have to agree with Craig on the Plaza Inn. The beauty and class of this place is just great. So easy on the eyes and you still feel like you are living a high life. The food here is incredible as it has been since the start. The pot roast is delicious!!!!!!! But their fried chicken is ohhh so yummy to my taste buds. No other fried chicken place has better in my opinon. I try not to eat at Redd’s for the fact that they took out an attraction to make a food place. Bleh! LOL.
I could not agree with you more for so many reasons, Craig! For starters, the atmosphere is wonderful with so many cool spots to choose from. Inside, outside… it’s just the best. As for the food, it is so good! It is not a Disneyland trip without a Cobb salad from the Plaza Inn for our family! We literally eat there at least once each day of our trip, harldy ever toughing burgers anymore. And the price is practically a wash between a burger and fries in Tomorrowland. Plus, it’s a GREAT place to get a healthier meal for the kiddos. Our 5 year old always gets a drumstick, veggies, mash potatoes, apples and milk for the same price as chicken nuggets. Add in the chracter breakfast there and it is truly the best spot to eat for atmosphere, food quality and price in the park!
My favorite dining experience is to pick up a pizza salad and ice tea with a to-go lid at Pizza Port, then take it to the Coke Corner to enjoy with Main Street people watching and ragtime piano.
This was a tough one! But if I had to pick the one restaurant that makes my trip complete, I’d have to say Cafe Orleans. Preferably sitting in Castmember Tuesday’s station – she is the best waitress anywhere. Sitting on the terrace gazing out on the Rivers of America with a Monte Cristo and some iced tea in front of me…doesn’t get much better than that!
But I DO love the fried chicken at Plaza Inn!
“On winter nights, sitting outside beneath a space heater, watching snow fall on the hub…”
I refuse to accept that any part of this statement is climatically plausible! ^_^
For food I think I’m best a fan of Big Thunder Ranch BBQ. Limitless meat in buckets? Yes please!
For atmosphere I would agree to Plaza Inn. I love it’s hyper-Victorian, Gay Nineties decor and the food is pretty decent (my girlfriend loved that she could get pasta there). Before my last trip, when I set foot in the Plaza Inn for the first time, I might have said Blue Bayou… It’s a great idea, but the atmosphere is cancelled out by the overpriced garbage they try to serve.
However, if we’re allowed to go out of the park, I would definitely gvie a solid runner-up position to Trader Sam’s. Great food, great atmosphere, great drinks… Could be bigger, though ^_^ It’s too bad that the Tahiti Terrace wasn’t still in Adventureland. I’m sure that would have been pretty great too.
Club 33… Next time! I narrowly missed out on it once, and I wasn’t aware my friends had connections until we were already there and they were all like “oh, we have connections” >_<
“On winter (For Californians) nights, sitting outside beneath a space heater (For those with thin skin whom 65 is too cold), watching snow (soap bubbles) fall on the hub…”
better?
65 is cold gosh darn it! LOL
Hmmm… During winter, I’ll be inside the restaurant warming up while having coffee with my food!
Best coffee in the park? Market House on MSUSA. The hazelnut coffee is delicious and has free refills. Perfect for a winter’s trip to the park. The hazelnut coffee can also be found at Noah’s Bagels if anyone ever wants to buy a bag and have a little Disney at home in the morning. It’s called Chelsea.
Gotta agree with Trader Sams for outside of the park! So fun.
And 65 is COLD! haha!
Hands down, Rancho del Zocallo. I can’t get enough of the Mexican food there. Living in Arizona allows me to have a lot of good Mexican food but that restraunt is better than many out here and is always our first night’s dinner spot. Too often I find myself thinking about the food.
I too love the Plaza Inn. Have enjoyed many character breakfasts here with my nieces when they were very young. Even the morning of the 50th celebration I enjoyed a character breakfast with my family. A couple of you have heard this story, but Plaza Inn is one of the last places I enjoyed fine dining with my Mom. Great moments at Plaza Inn. Oh and the chicken is superb!