Favorite meals at DCA or DL?

[JenniferFolsomCa]

Am looking for a few special meals with my kids. Am planning to skip my WDW trip and instead going to DL at some point this summer. We live in No Cal so it is a drive down.

No character meals or super fine dining/romantic atmosphere. Looking for high quality food though.

Any thoughts?

Jenn

 

[theluckyrabbit]

What do you mean by "high quality food," since this can mean very different things to different people? (For example, different posters can define that as "gourmet food" or "good value food" or "very fresh/organic food" -- which do you mean?) Do you want CS and TS or just one or the other? The higher quality food is most likely to be TS, e.g. NR, CCR, S55. But CS at DLR is surprisingly good. I"m sure you're going to get lots of good suggestions.

 

[AussieNSW]

Personally we prefer DL for sit down meals. We always visit Carnation cafe at least once during our trip. I love the potato soup.
For the first time last trip we had lunch at cafe Orleans I can’t believe we have been missing out all those years. I loved it.

 

[mentos]

Plaza Inn -- Fried chicken plate is probably the best value + flavor proposition in the park, it's a lot of food. Plus it's a great little spot, even better if you know the history of that spot/the original park vendor from 1955. From the menu: "three pieces of Chicken fried to a golden brown and seasoned with distinctive Herbs and Spices, served with Mashed Potatoes, Buttermilk Biscuit and a mixture of Vegetables" $18.49

Jolly Holiday Bakery -- Grilled cheese and tomato soup (aka Jolly Holiday Combo), perfect on a cool fall morning in the park. Pro tip: if you have a picky eater who only eats grilled cheese, they will sell you the sandwich alone (have to order that in person, not available on the app for order ahead). $10.19

GCH Craftsman Grill -- Inside GCH (enter and turn left from the DCA exit into GCH) is this little gem with a delicious burger. From the menu: "8-oz Burger with Grilled Asparagus-Celery Salad, Spiced Hollandaise, Swiss Cheese, and Artichoke Aïoli with choice of French Fries or Fruit." Of the three times I've gone recently, it's usually fairly empty/plenty of seating. $16

*prices as of today, 5/5/2020
EDIT: added links to each menu

 

[Becca1007]

Plaza Inn -- Fried chicken plate is probably the best value + flavor proposition in the park, it's a lot of food. Plus it's a great little spot, even better if you know the history of that spot/the original park vendor from 1955. From the menu: "three pieces of Chicken fried to a golden brown and seasoned with distinctive Herbs and Spices, served with Mashed Potatoes, Buttermilk Biscuit and a mixture of Vegetables" $18.49

Jolly Holiday Bakery -- Grilled cheese and tomato soup (aka Jolly Holiday Combo), perfect on a cool fall morning in the park. Pro tip: if you have a picky eater who only eats grilled cheese, they will sell you the sandwich alone (have to order that in person, not available on the app for order ahead). $10.19

GCH Craftsman Grill -- Inside GCH (enter and turn left from the DCA exit into GCH) is this little gem with a delicious burger. From the menu: "8-oz Burger with Grilled Asparagus-Celery Salad, Spiced Hollandaise, Swiss Cheese, and Artichoke Aïoli with choice of French Fries or Fruit." Of the three times I've gone recently, it's usually fairly empty/plenty of seating. $16

*prices as of today, 5/5/2020
EDIT: added links to each menu

The Craftsman Grill / Craftsman Bar is one of the most underrated dining spots in the resort. We love to get one of the cool couch/lounge seating options for a late lunch and rest our tired feet. The food is excellent and the service has always been outstanding.

 

[travelplanningnerd]

We really enjoyed Lamplight Lounge. The food was really good and we loved sitting outside on the patio by the water overlooking the Incredicoaster.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I think Carthay Circle has quality food, but it's considered a higher end/some people even count it as romantic restaurant. I think as far as being in a theme park, it is high end, but compared to high end in the real world, not as much because there's still kids bopping around and people dressed for a day at a theme park.

I had several meals at Craftsman in February and they were all very good with the exception of the vegetable quiche. I feel like I had better quality food there than anywhere else on property.

You should look at the menus and much closer to your visit as some will likely change between now and then. A lot of the food in the park is fried, but you can get some healthier options at most places. Some places will let you swap out some stuff. When I was reducing carbs, I was able to swap out beans and rice for sauteed vegetables (which weren't good) at Rancho del Zocalo.

I used to love getting a chicken skewer and a veggie skewer at Bengal Barbeque, but the quality of the chicken went way down. You might like it though. I'm sure some of the other options are a better choice than a lot of other places.

 

[mentos]

We really enjoyed Lamplight Lounge. The food was really good and we loved sitting outside on the patio by the water overlooking the Incredicoaster.

Oh yes, the only downside is if you like hot food, a little breeze will cool your nachos off very quickly.

Speaking of, you can order the lobster nachos and add steak (not on menu I think). Surf and turf!

 

[disneycat321]

Some of our favorites:
Disneyland:
- Plaza Inn fried chicken
- Jolly Holiday soups and sandwiches
- Carnation Cafe (TS) - Any meal is good there, but we go most often for breakfast.
- Rancho del Zocalo
- Bengal BBQ - we love that place, especially the beef skewers. With Tropical Hideaway near it, that's a great meal/dessert combo.

DCA:
- Pacific Wharf Cafe
- Craftsman Grill - We haven't been since it was called Whitewater Snacks, but we used to go there regularly for the nachos.

 

[mentos]

DCA:
- Pacific Wharf Cafe
- Craftsman Grill - We haven't been since it was called Whitewater Snacks, but we used to go there regularly for the nachos.

They no longer have those specific nachos that you’re referring to and I was so pissed, luckily the burger kind of made up for it

 

[disneycat321]

They no longer have those specific nachos that you’re referring to and I was so pissed, luckily the burger kind of made up for it

I did see that, but was hoping the new nachos are good, too? Maybe not? I guess we'll try the burger next time!

 

[mentos]

I did see that, but was hoping the new nachos are good, too? Maybe not? I guess we'll try the burger next time!

sadly, they are not

trust me, was a very sad (relative/at the time) time in the hotel room!

 

[e_yerger]

The ronto & rontoless wraps at Rontos Roasters in galaxy's edge are AMAZING. def prefer the ronto-less

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

They no longer have those specific nachos that you’re referring to and I was so pissed, luckily the burger kind of made up for it

What?! Ugh, since when? Those are a huge favorite! We last had them in February.

 

[mentos]

What?! Ugh, since when? Those are a huge favorite! We last had them in February.

maybe last year? these were the carnitas nachos, they currently have this inferior “chicken or beef nachos” Item on their menu that’s not so great.

it’s annoying because a) I know those guys in the back can make a killer nacho dish and b) we’re in the middle of Southern California, there’s no excuse for that!

 

[Disco Lemonade]

Oh yes, the only downside is if you like hot food, a little breeze will cool your nachos off very quickly.

Speaking of, you can order the lobster nachos and add steak (not on menu I think). Surf and turf!

It is nice sitting inside too. You get a little of the same feel if you get a table that is near the bar area, as you can still view the pier from there. This is probably my favorite spot for that view alone. I don't even remember if the food is good

 

[NannyBeBe]

I have great memories of a special time with my young grandson when we sat and ate a corn dog together while his siblings rode the roller coaster in DCA. The food may not be gourmet, but the time together was priceless.

 

[JenniferFolsomCa]

Thank you for all your responses! I have plenty to choose from. I haven't been in a while so appreciate your advice.

Jenn

 

[BrokeMack]

We've had two really good experiences at Wine Country Trattoria with parade/WoC packages. It's cloth napkin fancy, but it's still in a theme park, so it's not over the top. Our son was 8 the first time and he did fine.
Plaza Inn is really good. You can order the chicken a la carte if you don't want the sides.
Cafe Orleans is great, get an outdoor table. Split a Monte Cristo and those garlic fries, it'll feed two adults.

We had a really bad experience at Carthay Circle and while I know a lot of people love it, we won't be back.

 

[hootey]

cafe orleans, on the patio, anything on the menu.......