Best bang for your buck restaurants

[sanapp]

Since you will have a car I would stop at the grocery store and pick up breakfast items, snacks and drinks. I would look on allears and review the menus for the QS locations. I wouldn’t necessarily do a TS every day, but there are a few that are reasonably priced. If you are considering an afternoon break you could do sandwiches when you return to your room. Rainforest Cade and TRex are both large portions if your children would enjoy them.
Some places have flatbreads or other items listed as an appetizer that could be large enough for a meal.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

Liberty Tree Tavern in MK has very filling food and isn't super expensive as long as you stay away from the AYCTE platter.
I second Homecomin', Via Napoli, and Whispering Canyon Cafe's skillet.

 

[PrincessBelle39]

I know it's already been mentioned, but we find Via Napoli the best for sharing meals. The pizza's are huge.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Not sure if I can send links on the disboards but you will find all the pricing for every table service and quick service on allears.net.

wdwinfo.com - the DIS main site - really needs to emphasize the availability of all menus with all the pricing for every table service and quick service right here http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/disneydining.cfm

 

[B-Ride]

We love Kona Café. The portions are not huge but you can make a meal out of multiple servings out of the wonderful bread and the appetizers.

 

[Shanti]

In general, stick to quick service to save money. That's the real tip when eating onsite meals. A few I recommend:

• Flame Tree Barbeque at Animal Kingdom
• Be Our Guest (lunch only) at Magic Kingdom
• The Mara at Animal Kingdom Lodge

Avoid buffets, as unless you tend to eat massive portions at each sitting, they are not economical. Bring milk and cereal or bananas & breakfast bars and have breakfasts in your room instead of at restaurants. Drink water with meals and skip or minimize desserts/sweets. There's also a McDonald's within the Disney gates that is easy to get to if you have your own transportation.

 

[Wild4Walt]

For Dinner - Bongos at Disney Springs. The food was delicious and one of lower cost meals ( under 100.00 for 2 with 1 alcoholic drink )
For Breakfast - Kona Cafe at Poly ( portions were huge when we were there 3 years ago ) / Garden Grill at Epcot - all you can eat buffet - it does have characters so it's not the cheapest of meals but the food was very good and served skillet style. We have a bowl of fruit that easily could have fed 3, a HUGE cinnamon roll skillet and a skillet with eggs, bacon and sausage.
For either Breakfast or Dinner - Whispering Canyon

 

[North of Mouse]

My family of 4 is heading to WDW in January. We are trying to be budget conscious and hopefully share some plates. My husband has a big appetite, but I'm looking for restaurants that have a decent amount of good food, for a not-to-outrageous price!

Sorry, but for all the meals we enjoy there, the prices, unfortunately, are 'outrageous'. Big appetites are not going to be satisfied with smaller priced CS meals. We often read on the Dis about the 'huge' portions at some of the restaurants, but we haven't found it to be so. We are small people, but definitely enjoy our own meals without sharing.

We love 'Ohana and Cape May but they are not cheap. We haven't found anything at Disney actually 'budget conscious'. You would probably need to go offsite for better prices.

 

[Allie B]

My daughter and I always share a meal at any of the QS. Portions are good size.

 

[tinkerbelletreasure]

I also recommend Be Our Guest lunch. You get the sit down atmosphere and decent food at the same cost as any of the other walk up counter service places. I’m not sure the portions are shareable, but you aren’t going to get that ambiance at any other counter service. In Epcot we like la Cantina San Angel. The portions are pretty big there and it’s always been consistently good. I also second Flametree BBQ and Pecos Bills.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I know it's already been mentioned, but we find Via Napoli the best for sharing meals. The pizza's are huge.

I second this. I even find their personal size pizza huge! So good too.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Liberty Tree Tavern in MK has very filling food and isn't super expensive as long as you stay away from the AYCTE platter.

My cheapest meal ever at TS was at LTT. I had the entree salad (which is huge) without the chicken and the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake. The salad was only $10, ordinarily $16, but since I got it without meat, it cost less than a CS salad, and was so much bigger and better. And I don't know much of anything that tops that dessert! Oh-I also had a cup of tea.

 

[Kaleidodad]

It's as quick-service as they come, but we have cobbled together a nice little family meal at Gaston's Tavern a couple times... the fruit & cheese picnic platter, a sandwich or two, mixed veggies and a cinnamon roll, and we're back at it.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

My cheapest meal ever at TS was at LTT. I had the entree salad (which is huge) without the chicken and the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake. The salad was only $10, ordinarily $16, but since I got it without meat, it cost less than a CS salad, and was so much bigger and better. And I don't know much of anything that tops that dessert! Oh-I also had a cup of tea.

Back before they changed the lunch menu, my DH and I would share the corn fritters for an appetizer, the turkey and dressing entree, and the ooey-gooey toffee cake for dessert. It came in at under $40 (with a DVC discount). That was about as cheap as two CS meals that didn't include an appetizer and dessert. They plated the turkey and dressing separately, and each plate was full of food. We may try it again with the pot roast entree, but boy, we will miss that turkey and dressing. (And I'm not willing to pay for the AYCTE platter just to get it!)

 

[deedubb]

IMO, there is no better value than Trail's End. AYCTE, cheap, and the food is quite good. Cheapest buffet at Disney. It's also a nice relaxing boat ride from MK.

 

[s.r.disney nut]

We love Kona Café. The portions are not huge but you can make a meal out of multiple servings out of the wonderful bread and the appetizers.

Although we find the food here to be good, the last two times the service was terrible.

 

[GPC0321]

I second this. I even find their personal size pizza huge! So good too.

Agreed. My friend and I got the smallest sized pizza plus the salad to share and we couldn't finish the pizza. We tried! And we went there starving, but just couldn't finish it. And it was very tasty!

 

[twoolle]

If you do want to splurge just a little on characters...Bon Voyage breakfast at Trattoria Al Forno is a decent deal for characters.

 

[B-Ride]

Although we find the food here to be good, the last two times the service was terrible.

That's too bad. We have never had a service issue. In fact our waiter in May brought us orders of 'Ohana Bread Pudding for dessert.

 

[Disney2019]

Chef Mickey’s is great because you can eat a lot of food but pricier as it is character dining