What are ideas for meals while at Disneyland?
Leave the Park- Food is expensive in both parks. One option is to go out of the
park and walk over to Harbour Blvd where there are a multitude of restaurants.
There is a Mimi’s Café down by the Howard Johnson Hotel that is excellent, and
you will find McDonalds’, I hop, Denny’s, etc all along this area. There are
also inexpensive souvenir shops along this walk way as
well.
Downtown Disney® is another good place for food and shopping. They offer 2 hours of
free parking, outdoor entertainment, and restaurants such as Tortilla Joe's,
Rainforest Cafe, ESPN Zone, and House of Blues, among
others.
Goofy's Kitchen®- If your kids love the Disney® characters, this is a must do at the Disneyland
Hotel®. Plan ahead for the character dinner/breakfast. Make a
couple of reservations (they don't cost a thing) for different times. Then, when
the time comes you can go to the one closest to where you end up. A bit spendy
but worth it especially with small kids. They supply a "Birthday Bag" which
includes a balloon, party hat, souvenir pen, toy maraca and puzzle, plus an
individual cupcake for the birthday boy or girl. Reservations line - (714)
781-DINE.
Ariel's Grotto® might be the must-do restaurant if you have a budding princess in your family. This brand new
restaurant has the princess characters up close and personal and is located
inside California Adventure®. Reservations are very difficult to
get and are taken MONTHS ahead of time, so plan accordingly (714)
781-DINE.
Picnic areas- There are off-the-beaten-path picnic areas to eat sack lunches, no crowds there (Tom
Sawyer's Island at Pirate's Lair is great). We often eat our packed-in food
while waiting in lines. If your family likes pizza, I recommend cooking pizzas
the night before or buying them at the Costco Food Court, and wrapping it in foil and packing it into the park the next
day. It keeps well until lunch and it is nice to feed the kids while waiting in
lines. Some other pack-in friendly foods are applesauce, fruit cups, go-gurts, apple slices,
granola bars, cheese and crackers, jerky and pepperoni, lunchables, juice pouches, water
bottles (lots of water bottles!).
Resaurants- When dining at restaurants in the Parks, eat outside normal meal times to beat the
rush. Avoid 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. for lunch and 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for dinner.
Safeway.com or Vons.com will deliver groceries right to your condo kitchen counter. Ask
us for details if you need help with this.
Leave the Park- Food is expensive in both parks. One option is to go out of the
park and walk over to Harbour Blvd where there are a multitude of restaurants.
There is a Mimi’s Café down by the Howard Johnson Hotel that is excellent, and
you will find McDonalds’, I hop, Denny’s, etc all along this area. There are
also inexpensive souvenir shops along this walk way as
well.
Downtown Disney® is another good place for food and shopping. They offer 2 hours of
free parking, outdoor entertainment, and restaurants such as Tortilla Joe's,
Rainforest Cafe, ESPN Zone, and House of Blues, among
others.
Goofy's Kitchen®- If your kids love the Disney® characters, this is a must do at the Disneyland
Hotel®. Plan ahead for the character dinner/breakfast. Make a
couple of reservations (they don't cost a thing) for different times. Then, when
the time comes you can go to the one closest to where you end up. A bit spendy
but worth it especially with small kids. They supply a "Birthday Bag" which
includes a balloon, party hat, souvenir pen, toy maraca and puzzle, plus an
individual cupcake for the birthday boy or girl. Reservations line - (714)
781-DINE.
Ariel's Grotto® might be the must-do restaurant if you have a budding princess in your family. This brand new
restaurant has the princess characters up close and personal and is located
inside California Adventure®. Reservations are very difficult to
get and are taken MONTHS ahead of time, so plan accordingly (714)
781-DINE.
Picnic areas- There are off-the-beaten-path picnic areas to eat sack lunches, no crowds there (Tom
Sawyer's Island at Pirate's Lair is great). We often eat our packed-in food
while waiting in lines. If your family likes pizza, I recommend cooking pizzas
the night before or buying them at the Costco Food Court, and wrapping it in foil and packing it into the park the next
day. It keeps well until lunch and it is nice to feed the kids while waiting in
lines. Some other pack-in friendly foods are applesauce, fruit cups, go-gurts, apple slices,
granola bars, cheese and crackers, jerky and pepperoni, lunchables, juice pouches, water
bottles (lots of water bottles!).
Resaurants- When dining at restaurants in the Parks, eat outside normal meal times to beat the
rush. Avoid 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. for lunch and 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. for dinner.
Safeway.com or Vons.com will deliver groceries right to your condo kitchen counter. Ask
us for details if you need help with this.
