By: Inspire Diva
When you talk about buying snacks at Disneyland you can run into some conflicting views. For instance, you could bring in your own snacks to save money at Disney, presumably for other Disney related items. You could also swing the total opposite direction and go all out and try every kind of snack there, without a care about money. I’m probably somewhere in the middle and I’m of the view point that you are at Disney, so you should buy the snacks and enjoy every delicious moment. If you walk around watching people eat the world’s greatest churros while you try and scarf down your strawberry and sawdust flavored Nutrigrain bar, you will just be disappointed. So, as someone who embraces snacking in her everyday life as well as at Disney. I say go for it! With that being said we do try to save money at Disney even though we buy snacks we almost always share and I set a daily snack budget of $40 so that averages out to $10 per person per day. This is more than enough for us and we always have some left over that we can put towards a special dinner or souvenirs.
Now this list is based off of the opinions of my family which consists of me, my husband, my 16 year old daughter and my 12 year old son. This is what all of us considered to be the BEST snacks at Disneyland.
#5 The Corn Dog Wagon (Located at the end of Main St.)
This is one of Disneyland’s most famous snacks and for good reason. These corn dogs are hand dipped and fried to perfection. They can make anyone drool! Even me and I absolutely hate hot dogs! I really only tried them because of all of the hype and people there is hype for a reason! You get a corn dog and a bag of chips or apple slices for $6.69.
Thanks to Becky Vigil for this photo
#4 Tiki Juice Bar (Near the entrance to Adventureland)
The Dole Whip Float also has a semi cult following… this is a mouth watering pineapple soft serve freeze with pineapple juice poured over it. This is also served with a cherry on top and a little umbrella so you can be transported straight into paradise. (Oh wait you are already at Disneyland!) These are like heaven in your mouth and will not disappoint. You can get a Dole Whip Float for $5.19.
#3 Frozen Snack Cart (located between Fantasyland and Frontierland)
This is where we go when we want something refreshing and delicious to cool us down. Now on this particular snack we can never agree. My son and I love the frozen apple juice and my husband and daughter love the frozen raspberry lemonade. (This is a little tart for my taste.) This works out well because we buy one of each and then share and everyone ends up being happy. These are $4.59 each.
Thanks to Becky Vigil for this photo
#2 Churro Cart ( they are everywhere at Disneyland)
You can find the worlds greatest churro at one of the many churro carts all around Disneyland. This is a must get snack every time we go to Disneyland. I dream about the about Disneyland Churros with their perfectly crispy outsides and soft centers. I am quite literally wiping away drool as I write this. You can get one of these for $3.75.
#1 Café Orleans (New Orleans Square)
Pommes Frites these are our number one favorite snack! You find these at a table service restaurant in New Orleans Square called Café Orleans. You may have to wait a while to be seated but these are worth the wait. You can go in and rest your tired feet and order a lemonade and wait for the amazing FRIES. That’s right they are fries but not just any fries they are tossed in Parmesan, garlic, and parsley. Then served with a spicy Cajun Style dipping sauce. Yum! My son requested these almost on a daily basis while we were there. These are by far the family favorite and just writing about them makes me wish I could be there eating them RIGHT NOW!!! (Who am I kidding, I always wish that!) These are $5.49 and all 4 of us share. We could probably eat more but this is usually a snack.
Now for an additional DIVA BONUS here are some of our favorite snacks at California Adventure!
#5 There is a little coffee cart across from The Little Mermaid Ride and right by the Pier. This was where I got my favorite Café Mocha while on our most recent trip in October 2013. I loved it way more than the one at Starbucks. I didn’t look at the price here. Sorry I just NEEDED good coffee!
#4 Flo’s V8 Café ( Located in Carsland)
I recommend the “Made Right Here” Signature Apple Cheddar Pie-O-Rama. I found them to be a nice change of pace from the normal fried and greasy snacks that you find so much around the park. I thought that the crust was crispy and delicious and that is my favorite part. I really liked the filling as well and I wasn’t sure about the cheddar but was pleasantly surprised. These yummy pies come in other flavors as well including chocolate and some seasonal flavors. They cost $5.19 each.
Thanks to Becky Vigil for this Photo
#3 Ghirardelli Soda Fountain and Chocolate Shop (Located on Paradise Pier)
First off they give you a FREE piece of Ghirardelli chocolate when you walk in the door, secondly It smells heavenly, and thirdly the menu is amazing, I don’t think you can go wrong when you order from here. They definitely have something for everyone. A menu full of deliciously decadent and completely sinful sounding items which will in turn make you want them oh so much more. In this case I say its OK to give in to the temptation and eat whatever sinful concoction they make for you. I promise that you will thank me for it later. The price range here is $5.00-$10.00 per item. This was easily our most expensive snack but also one of the most delicious.
Cozy Cones (Located in Cars Land)
This spot contains 2 of our favorite snacks
#2 Churro Bites with Chocolate dipping sauce. We are a family of sharers and can split 1-2 of these easily. They are super tasty with their crispy and cinnamony outside plus the chocolate sauce these make for an awesome snack! These are served in a cone and are one of my daughter favorites. She has been known to lick the remaining cinnamony chocolate right out of the cup. These come in at $5.19 each.
#1 Flavored Popcorn I have tried 3 different kinds of popcorn here. Regular Butter Popcorn, yummy but kind of same-o as popcorn goes. The Nacho Cheese Popcorn which is very good and has a nice burn behind it. Then my MOST FAVORITE Dill Pickle Popcorn! Now I know what you are thinking, this sounds weird! I thought that too! I first read a review about it about a year ago. It was a rave review- they loved it! So I decided to give it a try and I loved it too. I even went back on another day during our trip to get it again, but sadly they change flavors regularly. That is when I tried the Nacho Cheese. Going back to the Dill Pickle Flavor, it is hard to describe. It’s a little bit sour with dill flavor, but I was addicted after a couple of bites and so was my son. My husband who hates eating popcorn also gave it his thumbs up. So, if you get a chance to try something new, swing by and try the Flavored Popcorn at Cozy Cones I haven’t tried a bad flavor yet!!! These are $4.69 for a coneful.
Diva Tip
I am going to leave you with one last tip. Don’t pay for soda or water at the park unless you absolutely have to. A soda is $3.19 and a bottle of water is $2.79. This will drive the cost of your snacks up dramatically. So here is my tip, you can get FREE cups of water at any counter service restaurant in either park! This will help keep you hydrated and keep some extra money in your pocket for more snacks and more than likely those other Disney related items that you probably won’t be able to resist.
