By: InspireDiva
You’re at Disneyland and you are starving! You are wandering in between lands as you are taking in all of the sights, sounds, and super delicious smells. How on earth are you supposed to decide what to eat? Everyone in your party will have an opinion. They will argue and complain and you will think to yourself why did I even ask? Or possibly if I hear “But mom…” one more time I’m going to lose it!!! So instead of making a scene by screaming at your loved ones, “Oh yeah well I want to go to the Blue Bayou but, and it looks like I’m not going to get that either!” It’s a good idea to make a plan of where you would like to eat while you are at Disneyland. Luckily Disneyland has a wide variety of restaurants that cater to everyone’s needs. From kids meals to salads they have it. We try our hardest to get somewhere that each of us wants to eat during our stay within our budget. Hopefully my experience will help you and your family skip the drama and hysterics so you can enjoy your magical stay at Disney.
Diva Tip 1:
A counter service restaurant is the type of restaurant where you either, go up to the counter and order your food and they hand it to you out the window or you grab a tray and take it up to the counter and grab or ask for the type of food you want. They are generally the quicker and less expensive route when eating at Disneyland.
Diva Tip 2:
I suggest looking up the menus of the restaurants you would like to eat at. This website as well as the Disney website will really help you out. Trip Advisor is also a great resource as you can look up each restaurant reviews, sometimes this can help you make up your mind! This will help you narrow the large list down and save you some time. Talk to your family about it before you go so they know what to expect. Our family likes counter service meals the best because they are fast! That way we can get back to the park quickly. We do enjoy making reservations at some restaurants while we are there but that will be in another article!
TOP 5 COUNTER SERVICE RESTAURANTS AT DISNEYLAND
5. Bengal Barbecue
You can find this in Adventure Land but your nose will smell it before you see it. The delicious BBQ smell wafting around will definitely make your tummy rumble for a taste of this. Our favorites on the menu here include the Bacon Wrapped Asparagus Skewer $3.89 and the Chieftain Chicken Skewer in Polynesian sauce also $3.89. This place is easy on your wallet! Our family of 4 with 2 skewers each ate for roughly $35. This restaurant offers a discount for annual pass holders.
4. Redd Rocket’s Pizza Port
You can find this restaurant in Tomorrow Land near Space Mountain and we eat here at least once every trip. For a couple of reasons one is convenience, (we hit Space Mountain as many times as we can!) plus it always has available indoor seating so you have a place to sit down and rest your tired feet. Two is the cost, we can grab a few slices of pizza for my hubby and 2 kiddos prices ranging from $6.49- $7.49 or a hole pizza for $32.99 and a salad $9.49 for me. We can easily feed our entire family here for around $40.
They offer a variety of items on the menu including a variety of salads, pasta, and pizza. They also have a variety of dessert selections. This restaurant offers a discount for annual pass holders.
Photo by: Amy Bassett
Photo by: Amy Bassett
3. Rancho Del Zocalo
This restaurant is found in Frontier Land and has a beautiful seating area, both inside and outside. My favorite time to go is in the evening when all of the lanterns are lit. This gives the restaurant a beautiful ambiance. They serve Spanish food and my favorite thing to order is the Tostada Salad $11.49 and the Chicken Tortilla Soup $5.99. I usually order both! My hubby usually gets the Carne Asada and Red Chili Enchilada Platter $11.99 and then my daughter shares with both of us. There is a lot of food! My son gets the kids meal with the Chicken Taco which comes with rice plus a fruit, veggies, and a choice of milk or water 6.99. All of that also came to around $40. This restaurant offers a discount for annual pass holders.
Photo by: Amy Bassett
Photo by: Amy Bassett
Diva Tip 3:
Consider sharing, the portions at Disney are usually large and rather than pay more and waste your food. Share and save some of your much needed moola. You can use the moola you save for a churro or some popcorn later or pool it all for the end of your trip and bring home an extra special souvenir.
2. Hungry Bear Restaurant
Juicy Cheeseburger
Gluten Free Option! Yum!
I love sitting in the pavilion on the edge of Rivers of America eating a big fat juicy cheeseburger while throwing bits of bun and fries to the ducks. This is the first place we eat on every visit. I am a big fan of the sweet potato fries $2.99 (if ordered separately) but the rest of the fam loves the regular fries and they wish they would bring them back! Another favorite is the onion rings $3.49, Yum! The big fat juicy cheeseburger is $9.99. This restaurant was great helping me out with a gluten free option, I ended up having my favorite cheeseburger in a lettuce wrap. It was still delicious! This one costs a little more but averages around $50 for our family of 4. This restaurant offers a discount for annual pass holders.
1. Plaza Inn
Found at the end of Main Street, this is our family favorite and that is because of the Fried Chicken! It is deliciously moist on the inside perfectly crispy on the outside and completely irresistible (unless of course you have a gluten allergy). This is a great meal to share because it is HUGE for $13.99 you get 3 pieces of chicken a breast, a thigh, and a drumstick. It comes with a side of loaded mashed potatoes, veggies, and a buttermilk biscuit. I always get the Cobb Salad $10.99 they make it fresh right there in front of you and it is always delicious! This meal can cost us anywhere from $25-$40 depending on whether or not we order two chicken meals! This is the best deal in my opinion! This restaurant offers a discount for annual pass holders.
Diva Tip 4:
Skip the soda and get water. This is a great way to cut costs at Disney because you can get FREE water from any counter service restaurant! They will even let you refill your water bottle if they have fountain beverages with a water option.
Bottom line when you are eating at Disney is that you want to have a great experience. The cast members that serve you with help make sure that happens. Ask them any questions you might have and they will do whatever they can to insure that you have that great experience! If you want to find out more about the food and menus at Disneyland or if you have food allergies you can find all of the information you need on the Disney website. This website also has a lot of wonderful info concerning these subjects so check us out!
Great tips, we loved the Hungry Bear when we were there last summer, I think more for the atmosphere 🙂