Tell me your 4 must-eat places at DLP

[Verbena37]

Off to DLP at the end of July and need to get booking four places to eat dinner on the nights we're there. We are staying at the Sequoia Lodge.

I've trawled trip advisor and other threads on here but I'm totally overwhelmed....I just want a quick overview of your top 4 places to eat a family meal that edible (as there are some really bad reviews on loads of the restaurants) and where they'll be something for DS (11) who barely eats anything.

My current list of Monday to Thursday dinners is:

1. rainforest Cafe
2. Hunters Grill (at Sequoia Lodge)
3. Plaza Gardens restaurant (but no idea what food they serve)
4. Planet Hollywood (although reviews are put great compared to other PH's)

Would this be similar to anybody else's lists?
I've got McDonalds as a fail safe for one night if not.

King Ludwig's castle

I'd book Chef Mickey for one night... It's the most 'fun' restaurant with characters too, we really liked it. Also Annette's Diner and King Ludwigs in Disney village have good food too and are quite themed.

We're there for 5 nights next week and we're doing Hunter's Grill, Annette's (we ate there before and it was tasty, unchallenging for most fussy eaters, and the kids loved the rollerskating waiters), the Silver Spur Steakhouse, Bistrot Chez Remy and Cafe Mickey (the kids adore meeting Tigger there before).

The Earl of Sandwich does nice, reasonably priced sambos and is a handy fallback, though the queues can be insane if you time it badly.

Annettes Diner for fab 50s style burgers, chips etc and the best milkshake ever.

Cafe mickey the food isnt that special but got to be done for the charactee meets if you have young kids. Take an autograph book!

Rainforest Cafe was lovely, best food we had there. Bit strange with the river ride going round the side but nice!

Steakhouse was awful - small portions and disappointing food.

McDonald's was as you'd expect - fine for back up!

Are you doing the meal plan? It's worth looking at as you save a bit of money.

Thanks so far.
Not doing meal plans because DS is literally a selective eater.
We wanted more freedom.
I know it might work out more expensive but oh well.

There's a Disneyland Facebook group and you'll find on there that the most recommended are usually the character dining restaurants (Auberge de cendrillon, inventions,
Cafe Mickey and buffalo bills wild west show). Also recommended are the more upmarket hotel restaurants like hunters grill, and blue lagoon on the Pirates of the carribean ride and the ratatouille restaurant bistro Chez remy.

Personally these were out of our price range and we didn't think our fussy eating 3 year old would eat anything at these places. So we had McDonald's twice, we went to Annette's diner which was big portions and nice food, and we also went to billy bobs le grange buffet in the village which was very good. Good vegetarian and children sections and good range of desserts. Also the cheapest place I found for wine!

We also went to cafe Mickey for
Breakfast one day. It was 17 euros each if you stayed in a Disney hotel so was by far the cheapest way to do character dining. Also as we were staying at Santa Fe they only had a continental breakfast there so it was nice to get a hot breakfast at CM. We had Mickey, Pluto, goofy, chip and dale visit the table

That's really useful mrs moggy.thanks.
Did you book for brekkie at cafe mickey?

We booked for breakfast at cafe mickey - amazing! Thought the steak house was ok actually, liked Agrabah but if your DC is fussy they might not?

You can either pay and add it to your package now and book for a date when there OR you can book 2 days in advance of your visit and pay on the door. We got there on a Wednesday and I went to the hotel concierge and booked for the Friday and paid when got to the restaurant. There are two sittings, 8am or 9.30am

Go along with Cafe Agrabah - really nice Middle Eastern buffet food which we adults really enjoyed. My daughter is exceptionally fussy though so had chips and bread - ok for one night though? She ate best at the buffet at the Hotel Cheyenne which had a good range of kid friendly food. Avoid the tex-mex buffet at the Santa Fe - all round it wasn't great. We did the Princess lunch at the Auberge (you'd need to book and its pricey) on her birthday. The food really wasn't fussy kid friendly at all (the adult menu was fine but nothing special) and she only ate a bread roll. She was however over the moon about meeting the Princesses. As a fail safe, there's always McDonalds

Argh!!!
Sooooo many choices!

So, exactly two months before we go, I just called to book the first night's dinner and she said its best to book all four nights in one go.
DH had said to call each day to book each one so as to guarantee a table but she seemed to think this wasn't necessary.

Then when I double checked the places, she said I couldn't actually book Annette's Diner or Rainforest Cafe.....is this true?

You can book them all in one go providing the day you ring is 60 days before the last day you want to book for, not the first day of holiday.

And yes you can't book at Annette's or rainforest cafe and possibly not planet Hollywood either.

Thanks mrs moggy.
She did give me the number for planet Hollywood so I could reserve it but not through her....only through the actual restaurant.
Right, Friday it must be then.

Cafe Mickey is awesome.
Planet Hollywood is dire!
Don't do the breakfast at walt's, cafe Mickey is much better!
Earl of sandwich is the best lunch option!

So not like other city planet holly woods then? I loved PH in Paris and Amsterdam.
DD ate at Earl of Sandwich last year with school trip and said it was awful so I'm hesitant about going there and she isn't keen to go to Cafe Mickey as she doesn't like the costumed animals, like goofy and Donald etc.she is 14 fgs

I just found the service slow and unfriendly... And pretty much all our food was cold at planet Hollywood... Annette's is much better! I think she will live cafe Mickey once Disney fever takes hold... As a grown up I found interacting with characters in the parks odd as I felt k was stealing from the children... But st care Mickey even the grown ups get their five minutes!

it is difficult, have been three times and never found anything amazing, but we have not gone for the 'auberge' type places...

rainforest - have had one great meal there, another awful.
cafe mickey - great breakfast, awful lunch
hunters grill and annettes have been fine both meals
we also had a very nice breakfast (by dlp standards!) at the restaurant that you can use as your hotel option inside the park - sorry on't know name, but someone else will!

i have heard the food inside the main disneyland hotel is very good.

We went last month, top were:

Agrabah - really lovely theming nice food that makes a difference from usual theme park crap.

Buffalo Bills- no food choice but the show was the kids highlight

Hunters Grill - the best for a fussy eater as its buffet, great choice all tasty.

Rainforest Cafe

theendoftheshowshow I think you mean plaza gardens as the breakfast option in the parks? Usually only offered this at peak times when the hotel restaurants can't cope with morning rush. We went in November and weren't offered it sadly or would have jumped at chance

Yes I thought it was plaza gardens but wasn't sure - was a nice breakfast.

YEs to Buffalo Bills too - my favourite meal we ever had at DLP, tho due to the show/atmosphere more than the food. I didn't recommend as you said you had a fussy eater and I think it was a set menu but was a great night!

Hmm, totally confused now .
DH now saying we should only eat in ones we can book to ensure we're not turned away from Annette's etc if it's mega busy.

I might book Sequoia twice, Planet Hollywood and one other.
What is the food at Agrabah?

We really liked Plaza Gardens - great selection. It's a buffet but much higher quality than buffet-style restaurants tend to be here. Kids loved it and so did we. Agrabah is Eastern inspired/ Moroccan cuisine. DH and I would have enjoyed it but there was nothing there the DC would eat so we didn't go there. We loved the Cafe Mickey breakfast. Again, a good choice and it was the highlight of the trip for the DCs.

Can you pre book plaza gardens?

We have pre-booked the Plaza Gardens, especially for evening meals. Book for just after the start of the evening parade, go to the gates where it starts to see it all and then dash to the restaurant to beat the masses

Even my very fussy DD loved the Plaza Gardens.