Eating in The Parks...Part One...quick eats!

Our family are die hards when we head to Disneyland!  Once we get there we have no plans to head back to the hotel until bed time.  This gives us two options.  Packing a lunch, stuffing it in a locker and eating at one of the few tables right outside the front gates...not gonna happen!!!  So we eat in the park.  In fact we find it to be part of what we love so much about visiting the Disneyland Resort.

Both Disneyland and California Adventure have some fabulous options for food. I am not going to pretend like there is anywhere inexpensive to eat in the parks, but there are places where you get more for your money.  The first mistake that is often made is thinking "I'll grab something cheap like a burger and fries".  The quality and quantity of the food at places like the Tommorowland Terrace of Village Haus restaurant are not worth the price. Another place to avoid eating is in Toontown. The hot dogs and sandwiches at Daisy's and Clarabelle's are definitely some of the worst values in the park. 
If you want a good burger and fries I recommend Hungry Bear Restaurant in Critter Country where they feature burgers and good southern classics as well as a new favorite sweet potato fries, or wait until you spend a day at California Adventure and head to Taste Pilot's Grill.  The burgers are good, they have ribs, salads and chili cheese fries to die for!!!   If you just want something quick to eat and get on your way there a few fabulous options for that in both parks.  In Disneyland, Edelweiss Snacks sells delicious chimichangas, huge turkey legs, corn on the cob and yummy frozen juices.  Both parks have great locations for one of my favorites...hand dipped corn dogs!  This is one of the best deals in the park.  For just over $6 you get a delicious (and rather large) corn dog and a bag of chips.  These can be found on Disneyland Main Street at the Little Red Wagon or Stage Door Cafe and at California Adventure at Award Wieners or Corn Dog Castle. If you are feeling like you need something healthy to cleanse your arteries there are carts around these areas that sell fresh fruits or veggies and you would want to plan a couple extra bucks for this.  Other quick meal options are fries and chicken fingers at the Stage Door Cafe and Golden Horseshoe, delicious soups and/or sandwiches and salads at Harbour Galley and Studio Eats.   

A few of our MUST VISIT eating establishments that fall in the quick foods category are first, the Pacific Wharf Cafe. I love their cheddar broccoli soup in a huge sourdough bread bowl!  They also have a good selection of other soups, salads in a bread bowl and fantastic sandwiches on sourdough bread.  I also love their cookies and brownies!  Our other fave, and ironically we just discovered this a few years ago, is the Bengal Barbecue. We love, love, love the bacon wrapped asparagus, the veggies on a skewer as well as the barbecued beef and chicken skewer options.  I also thoroughly enjoy the bread sticks.  This is a great place to grab one item for about $3 a piece or mix quite a few together to make a meal.  This place does not seem to be a favorite for the kids but they do love the Mickey Mouse pretzel with cheese dipping sauce. 
Stay tuned to my next post to see some our favorite places to sit down, relax and enjoy some good food at a good value (for being at Disneyland, that is).