In this post we’ll review some of the best places to Eat in Disneyland park for families, from the main park to California Adventure, you can certainly find some tasty delights!

Disneyland resort has an amazing policy that lets a lot of outside snacks into the park, which is great for picky eaters (you can not bring in a whole meal, but you can bring in baggies galore of snacks — this post shares what I bring into Disneyland).  That has allowed our family to eat very little within the park.  

I love to break out a snack while we are in line.  We are less likely to hate that line.  We take things like trail mix, jerky, crackers.  We’ve even done string cheese and gogurts (best done when you have a cooler in your stroller, so we didn’t do that this year sans-stroller).

This year, however, we were going from dawn until late.  Our kids are older and we are DOING the parks.  It is VERY fun, but also VERY tiring.  In mulling over our dinner options this time, I just decided to stay in the park and enjoy some of the food they had to offer mid-day and also recharge to attack the parks when we’re done.

It is a LOT easier to bring many snacks when you have a stroller to hold many snacks. It’s harder when you’re all able walking humans. FYI.

I was worried about the price of the restaurants, but the way we did it, I think we actually saved money, and we didn’t have to walk all the way out of the park to eat.

BTW, this post is part of my series on Disneyland tips for families. It includes tons of awesome stuff like your Budget, making matching shirts, even how to take care of your feet — so be sure to check that out!

Pro Tip: The best way to save is booking an awesome room at a great price, which is why I’ve used Get Away Today since 1998 (long before I had a blog).  Love them, love their prices — click below to see what you can save (and save $10 more with code CURLS10). They can also create (almost) an all-inclusive package for you!

Best Places to Eat at Disneyland for Families

I should also say that we have very much enjoyed our 2 or 3 visits to Blue Bayou (you can read about it & our Disneyland Budget — and see’s Disney site about it here) and I do recommend everyone eat there at least once.  But it is REALLY pricey.  I just didn’t think that was worth it for our family this time.

I researched out a lot of yummy places to eat (I love Disneyland Prep School for researching my trips).  I wanted GOOD food, and large portions in order for my little plan to work.

Disneyland/California Adventure Dining Reservations

Some of the sit-down table service restaurants (that have waiters vs Plaza Inn which is cafeteria style, but also lovely) allow for reservations.

You can get them 60 days in advance. You can call Disney for them, but I always get them on the app. It’s part of my Disneyland Planning.

I just try to guess at a time that will work and then we plan our day around that.

I tend to just get one or two reservations for our visit as I prefer to not have to plan around a reservation, but ESPECIALLY on the last day, when everyone is tired, they are nice!

Pro Tip: If you’re at a restaurant at the time that you have a FastPass (or Maxpass) for, I have HEARD (from a hostess at a restaurant) that you can show your receipt and they will let you on the ride.

Disneyland Restaurants

Plaza Inn

We decided to eat here because I had read that their fried chicken is like crack (and the smell is AMAZING while you’re waiting at Buzz Lightyear). They were right.  That stuff is SO good, and portions are HUGE.

We bought 3 of the chicken platters, split it amongst the 5 of us (we have 2 teens, a 7-year-old and 2 of us parents) and we were all plenty full by the time we were done.  It is also in a great spot for people-watching (right off main street). We were smart enough to eat there when a parade came by.  That way we could say we saw the parade and we could also sit in a nice chair and sip a refillable beverage.

This is served cafeteria-style.  Just grab a tray and they dish it up.  We went mid-day and had very little wait.  The food tastes very fresh and yummy. Also, being served cafeteria-style you are saving the tip money.  Horray! 🙂

As an FYI we went at dinner time in 2019 and it was pretty busy/crowded, but they got us throught quickly and we were able to find an indoor table (it was chilly outside, so my family appreciated that).

It comes with a HUGE breast piece, a thigh and a drumstick.

We did get extra biscuits, as everyone wanted their own (they are very tasty).

At all the restaurants we got water.  I refilled my cup several times (this one you have to walk back in) and just enjoyed the shade and people watching. One of my favorite pastimes at Disneyland.

This meal in October of 2016 was 17 bucks/plate.  So around 60 bucks for the whole family, which isn’t too bad (find out more here).  But, honestly — if we hadn’t had the nice sit down lunch I may have died, so totally worth it. If it’s expensive to live at Disneyland, imagine how pricey it is to die there! 🙂

Blue Bayou

I feel like this is the “cream of the crop” for Disneyland restaurants, and I always felt jealous of families who got to eat there (you can see the restaurant on your right as you start at Pirates of the Carribean ride)

I finally wised up and got a reservation when I was a grown-up.

It is very fun. And a wonderful memory for your family.

BUT, it is:

• Expensive — very similar meals can be had elsewhere in New Orlean’s Square for less
• Tight — seating is VERY tight as it is a small restaurant
• Dark — clearly, they don’t want to ruin the ride.
• A lot of food, super yummy food — but I was always SO full afterwards (wanted to get my money’s worth).

We love it. We’ve done it twice, that’s plenty. If you’ve never done it, be sure to get a reservation in advance. This is a super popular experience!

Bread Bowls at Royal Street Veranda

There are lots of yummy places to eat in New Orleans Square.  Obviously, Blue Bayou is sort of Disneyland’s signature restaurant (I would guess that dinner there for all of us would run close to 200 including taxes, tip, etc).  There is also Cafe Orleans that serves many of the same dishes at a much cheaper price.  We tried to eat there, but you do need a reservation (which you can get on the Disneyland app).

We ate at one of my favorite spots.  Royal Street Veranda.  It’s tucked in a tiny niche behind Pirates of the Carribean.  You can see their sign advertising their bread bowls.  It’s just a walk-up window and we had very little wait at close to 5 pm one day.  There are tables in the area, so have you party scope them out while you order.

We all ended-up getting the clam chowder bowls, but they also serve a spicy steak (or vegetarian) gumbo, and in retrospect, I wish I had gotten that.

The beauty of this one is the GIANT bread bowls!  We got 3 and split them amongst the 5 of us and there was plenty.  Just start ripping the bowl apart and dipping it in the soup.  In all reality, there isn’t a ton of soup — but the bread is tasty and dipped in the soup it’s about 12 times better.

We also got the fritters, but I didn’t love them, and they weren’t necessary.  I’d stick to the bread bowls next time.

As a reminder, all of the Disneyland restaurants will give you free ice water cups (even if you’re not purchasing anything).  My son took this up a couple of times.  They’re pretty small but so nice and cold.  Very nice on a hot day.  We still carried a couple of water bottles with us in case this wasn’t convenient but it is so nice of them!

As of this writing, the bowls are just over 10 bucks, making this meal around $40 for the 5 of us.  It was super filling.  A great way to go on a long day at Disneyland.  You can find out current pricing here.

Cafe Orleans

Our favorite place to get a reservation (if you’ve already done Blue Bayou, and I recommend you only do it once). is Café Orleans. Great location right between Haunted Mansion and Pirates. It is also near the train stop.

We love their fries, and my daughter and love the shrimp and Grits.

You can EASILY split a portion here.

I also got the Mint Julep. While it at first tasted like toothpaste with a lime taste, it grew on me. 🙂

Jolly Holiday Cafe

I love, love, love this place.

IN. FACT. We were super tired the night before our last disneyland trip that we ate at the Panera across the street (because we stayed walkable) and it was MORE EXPENSIVE Than Jolly Holiday.

My favorite is the grilled cheese with tomato soup (right about $10) and a raspberry macaroon. Swoon. it’s my favorite.

Lots of tasty sandwiches, soups and lunch-type fare. Most of my favorite baked goods in the park come from here.

Dole Whip

This isn’t a meal, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a true luxury in Disneyland.  The Dole Whip stand is right next to the Tiki Room.  It’s sponsored by Dole, and boy oh BOY do they do a business.  The line can stretch long into Adventureland, but instead order online to get it quick!.  

Eating your Dole Whip inside the Tiki Room is one of my favorite parts of Disney.  Sit on one of the chairs in the back (so you can lean on the wall) and sing along as the birds sing and the flowers croon.

Beware though, there’s a nice hollow center in the middle of your whip.  Looks can be deceiving! {sad face}

Other Options:

I’ve heard great things about:

• Hungry Bear restaurant (I had a burger here that was tasty when I was younger)
• Little Red Wagon for corndogs (we eat corndogs in CA adventure, these look/smell the same — AMAZING)
• Bengal BBQ in Adventureland (Bengal Barbecue always smells so tasty!)
• French Market Restaurant
• Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante (I heard the portions were huge and we did mean to go here but it just didn’t happen).  
• Carnation Cafe — I hear the mickey waffles here are AMAZING, I want to get a late breakfast reservation next time we go!
• Alien Pizza Planet (over in Tomorrowland near Space Mountain)
• Mint Julep Bar (at the back of the French Market restaurant. It only has mint juleps and beignets, but they are a great place for snacks while waiting in line for Haunted Mansion)
• Red Rose Taverne (in Fantasyland, they have the Grey Stuff…it’s delicious!)
• Tropical Hideaway (On the other side of the Tiki Room by the exit of Jungle Cruise)
• Golden Horseshoe (in Frontierland near the Mark Twain waiting area. Great quick service food with a show!)

Did I miss your favorite restaurant — tell me in the comments!

California Adventure Restaurants for Families

I have a harder time eating here.  Seems like many of the good restaurants are in the hotel or are kinda pricey or more adult than I want to take my and my sweaty kids to. 🙂

We found a great one though:

Lamplight Lounge (formerly Cove Bar)

2020 Update: I’m going to leave the post as it was when I wrote it before our last trip, but this restaurant has gotten VERY popular, so I’d recommend getting reservations a month or so in advance. BUT, on our last stay they were still seating walk-ins with just a bit of a wait!

Yup, it’s a bar.  My kids gave me sideways glances when we got in line for this one (we ate at about 2 pm and had a very short wait).  We got appetizers and water.  We got the sliders (not amazing, but my kids were concerned they wouldn’t like the other item we got) and the Lobster Nachos.  Holy crap, thaey are SO tasty.  And filling.  

Once again, we got 1 thing of sliders and 2 plates of nachos and that was plenty for us.  The beauty here is that they refilled my water for me (but then you do have to include a tip).  They were amazing and I would totally go there again.

2020 ETA: Last time we got the potato skins instead of the sliders and they. were. amazing! I think I liked them more than the nachos. I was a huge fan. I’ve also gotten their mixed drinks (on my girl’s trip) — which weren’t worth it. We’ve also gotten the doughnuts which are amazing if you’re cold, but ok if you’re not. 🙂

The location is KEY for this one. You can look out on the pier. Watch the Incredicoaster shoot off. Our family just loves it, and there is usually a cool breeze coming off the water too.

You can tell we’re big fans of that one. TONS to look at, great for families!

Castle Dogs

We got 3 corn dogs that we cut up and shared.  They were super yummy.  But, after all the fal-der-rall that I heard over these dogs…. they’re just delicious corn dogs.  I wouldn’t kill my mother to eat these.  Sorry I didn’t get a photo, my kids ate them too fast. 🙂  They do come with chips or apples so we actually got some fruit in our kids that day. 🙂

Cozy Cone Motel

These can’t miss cones in Carsand have a variety of treats. There is picnic seating nearby and you each get what you want. The options change based on the seasons but there is ice cream, chili cones, the picture above is the mac and cheese cone. All very yummy.

Other CA Adventure Options

• Carthay Circle restaurant (the signature restaurant of CA adventure, and pretty fancy — and pricey — I would personally not take kids there)
• Lucky Fortune Cookery
• Boudin Bakery — I hear you can get a free taste of soudough bread
• Flo’s V8 (not as good as when it opened. but a very meat and potato type meal)

In general, I like the dining options at Disneyland better.  We don’t drink Alcohol, and I know that’s a large part of the CA adventure attraction for many people.

Did you know there’s a private restaurant in Disneyland called Club 33.  I’d love to eat there someday, but you have to be a member.  Let me know if you have connections!  I’d love to try that one! 🙂

Character Dining

We have only done this once, when I finally had a little girl — we went to Ariel’s Grotto, and it was amazing. Mostly for me.

In the end, it wasn’t worth the price and the amount of time it takes (I think this would be AMAZING if you took a day off of the parks and then could stroll through Downtown Disney afterwards. My kids have been out of the “crazy for characters” zone for a while so we just haven’t done it. My friend Katie does have a post on her character dining experience.

Best Tips for Family Restaurant Dining at Disneyland:

1. Make one or two reservations for your stay (we usually stick to Lamplight Lounge and Cafe Orleans)
2. Split meals. The servers don’t bat an eye, and often they split it for us!
3. Enjoy the meal and HYDRATE. Take your time, enjoy sitting down and people watching. 🙂
4. Don’t Fret if it’s not in your budget — we had years that we lived off of mini oreos and beef jerky at Disneyland, and that’s great too!
5. Remember you can get free water at any place that serves cups of soda. Stay hydrated, especially my pregnant friends.

If you’re looking for Disneyland tips — be sure to check out this page!

Don’t forget to check out how much you could save with Get Away Today (they can also book Character meals for you — which I have a whole other post about on that link).  Don’t forget that coupon code CURLS10 saves you almost enough for a bread bowl. 🙂

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