Which dining should I keep?

[WDWNY]

We are headed to DL for 5 days for the first time in 2 weeks! I have dinner reservations at the following places for dinner:
cafe orleans (I'm most excited about this one)
catal restaurant
ralph brennan's jazz kitchen
espn zone

and goofy's kitchen for breakfast.

I was planning on cancelling 2-3 of them, to save some money and give us more time going on rides but I'm not sure which ones. Any advice/ suggestions? I'm not sure how their quick service is like compared to WDW..

 

[Traver Freeman]

QS at DLR is soooooo much better than WDW. The DIS agrees with this as well if you've ever heard some of the podcasts. DLR is mostly a QS place as there are very few TS. At WDW, you revolve around your ADRs...not the case at DLR.

We prefer going to Storytellers if we have to have a sit down. Cafe Orleans is fantastic as well, the Pomme Frites are a must. It seems like just about every guest orders those as they're always flying out of the kitchen with them in hand. We also have been to Blue Bayou and Carthay Circle, which are all great and my top 4 suggestions right there with those that I mentioned.

I would probably cancel all the Downtown Disney ones and stick with the actual Disney restaurants, Goofy's Kitchen and Cafe Orleans would be the keepers.

Some great QS places to visit are French Market (but if you're going to Cafe Orleans, you may skip this so you don't have two Cajun style meals, it's just our personal fave QS). Then there's Rancho Del Zocalo if you like Mexican. The Plaza Inn is famous for their fried chicken and ranks #1 on most people's list, this is a QS unlike WDW's The Plaza Restaurant.

Over at DCA, there's Corn Dog Castle which is amazing. You MUST have a corn dog at DL, it may not sound like it, but these are by far one of the best items in the parks. We like Lucky Fortune for Chinese and Pacific Wharf Cafe for their Sourdough Bread Bowl broccoli cheddar soup.

Be sure to stop by the Ghirardelli shop for some free chocolate as you enter and then go next door to the bread tour and get a free piece of bread.

And if they still have booths up, you'll be able to get any number of snacks and small-meal items from the various food booths, which are all fantastic, if a little overpriced.

 

[WDWNY]

QS at DLR is soooooo much better than WDW. The DIS agrees with this as well if you've ever heard some of the podcasts. DLR is mostly a QS place as there are very few TS. At WDW, you revolve around your ADRs...not the case at DLR.

We prefer going to Storytellers if we have to have a sit down. Cafe Orleans is fantastic as well, the Pomme Frites are a must. It seems like just about every guest orders those as they're always flying out of the kitchen with them in hand. We also have been to Blue Bayou and Carthay Circle, which are all great and my top 4 suggestions right there with those that I mentioned.

I would probably cancel all the Downtown Disney ones and stick with the actual Disney restaurants, Goofy's Kitchen and Cafe Orleans would be the keepers.

Some great QS places to visit are French Market (but if you're going to Cafe Orleans, you may skip this so you don't have two Cajun style meals, it's just our personal fave QS). Then there's Rancho Del Zocalo if you like Mexican. The Plaza Inn is famous for their fried chicken and ranks #1 on most people's list, this is a QS unlike WDW's The Plaza Restaurant.

Over at DCA, there's Corn Dog Castle which is amazing. You MUST have a corn dog at DL, it may not sound like it, but these are by far one of the best items in the parks. We like Lucky Fortune for Chinese and Pacific Wharf Cafe for their Sourdough Bread Bowl broccoli cheddar soup.

Be sure to stop by the Ghirardelli shop for some free chocolate as you enter and then go next door to the bread tour and get a free piece of bread.

And if they still have booths up, you'll be able to get any number of snacks and small-meal items from the various food booths, which are all fantastic, if a little overpriced.

This was very helpful thank you so much! I am looking forward to the french onion soup, pomme frites and mickey beignets. The food & wine will still be there when we are there as well! Thanks again!!

 

[SMD]

I would do Cafe Orleans, but for lunch. I prefer the midday break of a TS meal, bonus points if it's air conditioned. CO is mostly outdoor seating, so not the case here. But a late lunch is when it's approaching the hottest and busiest part of the day and it's easier to avoid pulling FPs that interfere with a lunch reservation. When you get towards dinner you have fewer options for pulling FPs and more of the day is set. If you want a drink with dinner, I prefer UVA Bar to Catal.

 

[CallieMar]

I would skip ESPN zone for sure. We usually only do one TS meal during a weeklong trip (maybe 2 if we're feeling indulgent). We just prefer the flexibility of QS and it is very good in both parks. That being said, Cafe Orleans and Jazz Kitchen are two of our favorites.

 

[amyg1975]

I would dump ESPN zone, and just hit Catal for cocktails. Keep Cafe Orleans for sure!

 

[cruisehopeful]

Agree to cancel ESPN Zone. The food is subpar and it's really loud in there. I am not a fan of Catal. It's way too overpriced by my standards.

Like many here, I prefer quick service to sit down meals. The food is often better and it pretty much always less expensive.

 

[Abbey1]

I would skip ESPN Zone for sure. I have read a lot of people here say they like Catal, but we tried it once, and were unimpressed. My husband is from Spain, and we love Mediterranean food, but everything we ordered there was just 'meh'.

I'd definitely keep Cafe Orleans! It's one of our favorites. I'd keep Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast only if you are staying at the Disneyland Hotel. If you are staying anywhere else and want a character breakfast, I'd switch to storytellers or Minnie's.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Personally, I would cancel Catal and Goofy's Kitchen. We hadn't done ESPNZone in years but we tried it recently and it's now on my kids' must do. I could take it or leave it.

Jazz Kitchen and Cafe Orleans are keepers.

 

[Belle83]

I agree that dining at DL is totally different than at WDW. We plan on mostly quick service at DL but are the opposite at WDW.

I would definitely keep Cafe Orleans. We ate at Catal last year and I wasn't impressed for the price. It was nice but not a must-do or anything. Can't speak for the other two.

 

[Sun_soakin]

DL has great QS and not that many great TS...opposite of WDW. I would drop everything in downtown Disney and Goofys too, unless you are staying there. My family doesn't even like Cafe Orleans.
Our favorite character breakfasts are Storeytellers and Minnie's. Our favorite dinner location is Carthay Circle.

 

[WDWNY]

Thank you everyone! Sounds like jazz is also a popular place to eat, maybe we will keep that as well.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I would consider a late breakfast at the Plaza, inside DL, Minnie's breakfast or something. We did it on an EE day, so we went on rides from 8-10:30 (few lines that early!) and then had breakfast at 10:40. It was more like brunch for us, as we had a quick bite at 7 am before hitting the park.

 

[Heymy]

I am the odd man out here. We LOVE to eat in Downtown Disney for dinner. For our trip we have Tortilla Jo's, Naples, Goofy's Kitchen, UVA Bar (don't take reservations but we like the outside seating and it's similar to Catal) and need one more night, probably leaning towards the Jazz Kitchen. We rarely eat dinner in the parks, but we do like it for breakfast and lunch. Mainly Carnation Cafe. Cafe Orleans is just okay for us.

 

[lilmissfoodie]

Definitely dump ESPN Zone (IMO Earl of Sandwich is way more inexpensive and better tasting). ESPN Zone is only good if you want to watch a lot of sports simultaneously. The food is really so-so and expensive. Another good inexpensive option (DL wise) is Tortilla Joe's Taqueria (not the main dining which is fine but pricier). Quick service Mexican. Good value.

Personally I would also drop Goofy's Kitchen (unless the character interaction is important to you or your family). Again so-so food and high price. Story Tellers has also gone way down hill. It used to be a favorite of mine but rising food costs have really hit this restaurant hard. Minnie's is the best character breakfast of the 3 (but none are great).

Catal is pricey but good...I would swap that with Carthay Circle (price isn't quite as high - but close - but very good quality).

If you want to save money, go get a corn dog. They're great at DL and DCA (don't take Tom Bell's advice - the one here is the same as DL plus you have the option of getting a spicy dog). You can make the price even lower by telling them ala carte (no chips or apples if you don't need that). Cozy Cones in Car's Land is also a decent, inexpensive option. Jolly Holiday offers some good food.

Food and Wine I love but it's pricey for what you get.

I'm just listing what I like that's not expensive.

 

[BriannaRuth]

I would skip ESPN and do drinks at Uva Bar instead of Catal. Although we ate at Catal in August and thought it was good.

Goofy's Kitchen is fun, but only do it if you're wanting character interactions. Food is mediocre to put it nicely. Although my kids liked it fine.

Keep Cafe Orleans. Personally I'd add Blue Bayou because there's nothing like it in DW. Some of the food is similar to CO but it's the experience you're going for.

Plan on hitting Cozy Cone in DCA for lunch and/or snacks. I'd do the Cove Bar there as well, but they don't take reservations.

As for the recommendations for corn dogs -- they're different in DCA than they are in DL. After hearing how great they were in DL, I couldn't wait to have one there. I really didn't like it! Yes, they're crispy on the outside, but they have a TON of breading. The ones in DCA don't have as much breading.

Brennan's is very good. If you're doing dinner, I'd hit Uva Bar for drinks, then head to Brennan's for dinner.

 

[amyg1975]

Goofy's can be great for a few reasons: if you have kids that will love the interactions with the characters, without having to stand in lines; if it is a hot day, it will be nice and cool in there; and if you have had a long day, you can sit there for a long time, resting your feet and grazing on food. Food is ok, but it is really about the experience.

 

[NewbieMouse]

QS at DLR is soooooo much better than WDW.

I totally agree with this - I think that if you wanted to do one TS meal, I would pick Cafe Orleans from your list of choices. We generally do either Cafe Orleans or Carnation Cafe (my personal favourite). Pacific Wharf Cafe and the Cozy Cones in DCA, Earl of Sandwich in DTD, and the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe in DL are our QS faves.