December 14, 2023 • 29 mins
You don't have to get dining reservations to have your taste buds tickled at Disneyland and California Adventure. Don't limit yourself to hamburgers and pizza! You can get everything from tacos, gumbo, lobster rolls, and soup in bread bowls at quick service locations around both parks.
Celina and Robyn walk through some of their favorite options including some places in the park they recommend you avoid!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome to the Park Magic podcast, your place for
insider tips for your nextDisneyland adventure.
Whether you're a first-timer orfirst-time in a while visitor,
we're here to unwrap the secretsto creating and simplifying
your dream Disneyland vacation.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Since my first trip I've been doing scene effects.
I love my qualidade in yourkids, like Disney is like a part
of who you are, and one of thebiggest things that I want this
podcast to be about is thatpeople will come to us and say
I'm going to Disneyland, tell mewhat to do.
I think that there's someamazing sit-down restaurants at
(01:12):
both Disneyland and CaliforniaAdventure, but there are also
some really, really good foodthat is available without a
reservation and is a lot lessmoney.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
There is, yes, and I get so frustrated when people
talk about Disneyland and theytalk about the food as though
it's oh another amusement parkor state fair food.
And if anyone goes toDisneyland and says that they
just had burgers and fries thewhole time, you did it wrong.
There are so many choices andthere are some stellar burgers
(01:44):
there too.
So if you do burgers and friesthe whole time, I hope you went
to the right place and I'll tellyou where to go.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
But there are so many wonderful options and you don't
have to do the reservation 60day in advance to get that
really good food, especially inCalifornia Adventure, but in
both parks there's food that youcan order from the counter that
is very unique, very delicious,and there's some things that
are like really great creaturecomforts.
And we were talking about how,like, the only place to get
(02:11):
grilled cheese is Jolly Holiday,but there are most things in
the park.
Yes, there's pizza.
Yes, there's pasta.
I feel like some of thehamburgers are pretty darn good,
but, like the pizza and thepasta, it quick serve is going
to be kind of meh.
I don't know, I haven't had theregular pasta in a while, so
you correct me if I'm wrongthere.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
No, you're caught on.
So the alien pizza planet isthe first thing that comes to my
mind, where, if you can steeraway from that, please do.
I encourage it.
That's usually one of my top 10pieces of advice that I give.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Yeah, because it's been sitting there for a bit.
It's kind of like buffet orgolden corral pasta.
It's not great.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
It's really not.
Yeah, the texture is off, andif you're at all a texture
person, you are not going toenjoy the pasta in Tomorrowland.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
And they're going to have kids menus at each location
, and one of the benefits ofquick serve is if you're
somebody that likes smallerportions, you can order the kids
menu.
Or if you've got somebody who'sreally going to only eat
chicken nuggets in your party,and that's OK, they have some of
those kids items and you canorder those.
Just beware anything that'smarked as a toddler meal is
basically like three bites, soit looks cheap.
(03:20):
It's not a value.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
And you know what, though it's food a toddler would
eat.
My son's first trip he was 15months old and that's what we
got at nearly every quickservice, because it was
guaranteed to be something thathe was going to eat if we had
exhaust our own snacks at thatpoint, because I had absolutely
no idea how he was going to fare.
But yeah, that yummy, cheesymacaroni.
There's some goldfish crackersat a part of that, and lately
(03:47):
it's been the go-go squeezeapplesauce couches.
So it's always a hit with mykids.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
I accidentally ordered my 15-year-old a toddler
mini slider and it wasliterally like an inch and a
half and he was like what isthis?
And I was like that was memaking the wrong order.
I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Do you remember which location that was at?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
It was actually Tengaro Terrace.
Oh OK, it was especially funnybecause I ordered on a
gluten-free bun, right?
So it was this big adult-sizedbun with this ee-ee-ee-ee-ee
like little tiny size.
So if you have a toddler, theyare great meals and there are
some meals that are quick-servedthat are really, really
(04:27):
shareable.
So if you're trying to keepcosts down for me, I usually
will split a turkey leg in acouple of corns.
You don't need a reservationfor that.
I feel like Rancho de Zacalohas a lot of things that are
really shareable as well.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
They do, and here's what I'm going to talk about my
two favorite places inDisneyland that are very, very
shareable tropical hideaway itis so easy to grab a couple of
the buns there, which, againvery unique, to have this
Asian-style dumpling inDisneyland Park, so there's
something that's not fried rightthere.
You can get a dull whip and ifyou want to ride a cauldron,
(05:02):
someone can go to TropicalHideaway and someone else can go
over to Bengal Barbecue and geta few of those skewers also
very shareable and you've got areally delicious meal.
Now they've got that expandedseating next to Bengal Barbecue
so you can grab a table.
Don't need a reservation, butthat's my favorite shareable
spot.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
And I think the skewers at Bengal Barbecue are
really good for you, like reallygood food.
They're really tasty.
I think if you're really on atight budget and you've got
teenagers, probably not the bestoption money-wise but I think
as far as tasty piece they'repretty darn good.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Oh yes, I agree Teenagers though I'm not.
It's been a while since I'vebeen one, but where did your kid
?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
So you know, at Disneyland we'll get like the
half chicken at Rancho deZacallo and then we'll get extra
tortillas and then usually wecan get one of those and like a
side of tacos and then if we'regonna like pre and post snack,
then that's a good meal andthat's like you know, 40 bucks
for like four of us.
I really like Jolly Holiday.
I really loved the grilledcheese and tomato soup.
(06:08):
I don't know why it's such asimple thing, but their Berea
grilled cheese.
She gave me a little bit of theBerea from the inside because
I'm gluten free, so they won'tmake it gluten free Berea, but
it was really good.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
I didn't know that they were doing that at Jolly
Holiday.
But that is another very goodshareable one, because the
sandwiches are massive and thelast time I went there I got
that and my husband got aCaprese sandwich and we just
kind of swapped and we got aside of soup as well and it was
almost too much food.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Let's talk about the burgers because there are places
, especially in Disneyland, toget burgers and to not get
burgers.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
I know what you're talking about.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Like you and I are on a mission, so if you're
Disneyland and you really want aburger, I would highly
recommend that you not go toGalactic.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Grill.
If you want a burger inDisneyland, go to the Hungry
Bear.
Do not go to the Galactic Grillin Tomorrowland.
Don't eat in Tomorrowlandunless it's the Churro cart
that's over there.
That's my generalrecommendation.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
I'll go over to Galactic Grill just because I
like the inner military, butusually it's with a Churro or
corn.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Yes, yes, but Hungry Bear is definitely the way to go
.
Their burger is really good, soare their fries, and they also
have chicken, chicken sandwichoptions which are also really
tasty, and that could be anothershareable one.
And if you're doing a mobileorder, which I do recommend for
Hungry Bear, because that onetends to get- really crowded.
If you get the kids size burger, that's enough food for an
(07:41):
adult right there.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
And there are some things that are not shareable
but are, like, really wellrenowned, and I think that we
can't do a thing on quickservice at Disneyland without
talking about it.
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
The corn dogs, the infamous corn dog.
Yes, it's a must.
It's a must for my family.
We always have to do the littlered wagon, but that's one.
I don't know if mobile orderalways makes it faster.
I think it depends on the timeof day.
But what's been your experiencewith that one lately?
Speaker 2 (08:10):
So I can't do little red wagon because they don't
have a gluten free option.
I remember it being fantasticand I like look longingly.
Will people enjoy it?
My daughter really likes thecorn dog there as well and she's
pretty darn picky.
But I do want to say that thecorn dog there is different than
the corn dogs that are inCalifornia adventure.
So if you're only going to getone corn dog, I think it's
better to get it at the littlered wagon.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Yes, they are different, but I will say, if
the line at little red wagon istoo long and maybe you missed
the boat on the mobile order, ifyou pop around to Frontierland
at the stage door cafe, thatcorn dog over there is nearly as
good.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
How do you feel about the turkey legs?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Team turkey leg.
I never have been happy.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
I go through phases where we like, love it, and then
my son is, he's 16, now right,and so he eats like a garbage,
can I mean?
He's just like a never endingpit.
And so the turkey leg is reallygood.
I don't want to eat a whole one, but he really likes them.
And I do like them as long asI've got something else, because
they are kind of salty.
I remember that the last time Idid have one, which was many,
(09:15):
many, many months ago, yeah, Imean I don't know if I'd want to
eat one by myself, but I thinkit's a good shareable food.
I think the alternate atCalifornia adventure is poultry
palace, the three chicken legmeal, and those are gluten free
and they have just like a bunchof spices on them and they come
with a little coleslaw and thoseare pretty good if you're
looking for something.
(09:35):
And then I don't know why thecorn is 529, which is kind of
expensive for a corn on the cob,but I love the roasted corn, me
too.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
No, that's a staple for me as well, for as far as
quick service at the cart, yeah,They've got all sorts of things
Like.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
so there's a place over by where the Lion King show
is kind of over by Small World.
It has like a baked potatoes.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Yes, I was going to bring that up next.
Troubadour Tavern that is oneof my favorites for quick,
different kind of snack thatends up being pretty shareable.
They have these stuffed bigpotatoes that are surprisingly
delicious.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Now, because I'm gluten-free, I haven't eaten at
Harbor Gallery in a long time.
Is that one good?
I mean I know people talk aboutthe lobster roll a lot, but I
haven't.
I mean I found I would beengluten-free so long I haven't
had that.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
It's good.
That's another one of myfavorites.
It's so funny because I'mthinking like oh, there's only
one quick service that Irecommend to everyone Big O
Barbecue.
And as we're going through this, I remember oh yeah, I love
Truman.
Or Tavern, oh yeah, I loveHarbor Gallery.
It is usually a fairly quickline.
(10:46):
I actually really like to sitthere for the atmosphere as well
, which you wouldn't necessarilythink of a quick service
location.
But it's right there on theRivers of America.
It's just outside of that, theexit for Haunted Mansion.
So, depending on where you sit,you can get a view of Haunted
Mansion, which Halloween andholiday time.
It's super fun, and then youget to do all of the boat
(11:07):
watching off of the Rivers ofAmerica.
But as for the food itself,yeah, there's the lobster roll,
which is very good I have hadbefore but you can also get some
of the soups over there.
If the line is too long over atRoyal Veranda, then you can get
the chowder over there, and Ibelieve from time to time they
offer the mac and cheese in abread bowl.
(11:28):
One time a seasonal thing theydid was a lobster mac and cheese
.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Yeah, that was delicious and the mac and cheese
bowls always available at AuntCass's over in San Francisco.
So if you're looking for carbson carbs on carbs, macaroni in a
bread bowl is available overthere Before I was going for you
.
I love the place where thebread bowls are over by Pirates
of the Caribbean Royal.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
Veranda yeah yeah they've got gumbo, I think
there's a steak version and avegetarian version, and then the
clam chowder in a bread bowland that's pretty much all that
they have to offer over there,with some fountain drinks.
But the line can get so long.
It's become this reallyinfamous bread bowl spots in
Disneyland.
But that's another really goodquick service one again,
(12:11):
something that's not fine if youwant your soup.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
And share a bowl?
Very sure, because that breadbowl fills you up.
It's massive, yeah, it's thesize of a five year old's head.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Yes, I have a five year old.
Yes, it's about the size of hishead and he has a big head.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
So let's talk about the lines at quick service,
because if you go right at noonor right around lunchtime to
some of the more popularlocations, you might end up
spending 30 minutes in line andthen the additional time for
them to make your food.
If it's gluten-free, you knowyou should plan on it being an
extra 10 or 15 minutes.
For most people it comes outpretty quick, but there are a
(12:46):
couple of ways that you canavoid those lines, and I think
the most important thing if youhave kids is to make sure you do
not wait until you are hungryto go eat.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Yes, what I did on the last trip with my two kiddos
, who at the time were five andtwo.
I knew their routine at thetime.
Both went to preschool so Iknew when they would eat lunch
at school and I was anticipatingwhen they would get hungry, and
so I knew around 10 30 wasabout the time that I had to put
in my mobile order if we weregonna do something really
(13:17):
popular, and there was one daywe ended up eating a hungry bear
.
So I was walking into the lineat Smuggler's Run and while I
was waiting in line, putting inour mobile order at 10 30
because I knew they weren'tgonna do well if they had to
wait.
So, either anticipating it alittle bit early if you don't
have kids, if you can wait alittle bit, get yourself a snack
(13:38):
, a nice mid-morning snack, andthen wait till after the lunch
rush nothing wrong with having alate lunch after the peak rush
and there's kind of two benefitsin doing your lunch a little
earlier, a little late.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
The first is that you'll spend less time in line.
The second is that there'll bemore seating available and so
you will not have people likestanding over you while you're
eating trying to get your table.
So if you can try to eat kindof off times.
But just a warning, after aboutnine o'clock, especially at
Disneyland, the food optionsdramatically drop down.
There's a lot of places closed.
So if you're somebody that eatsdinner really late, just make
(14:12):
sure that the restaurant thatyou're looking at doing for
quick service open.
Still, I usually tell peopleknow what you want for lunch at
one or two places and then whenyou get into the park the first
time you have a little downtime,do your mobile order for lunch,
even if it's like nine or ten.
And the reason for that isbecause mobile order is a little
bit different than like avirtual queue.
(14:34):
They have only so many spotsavailable for a specific time
period because they can onlymake so many whatever they're
making at a restaurant.
So if you wait until like 11 30to try to get a sandwich at
Jolly Holiday, they might say,great, you can mobile order but
you can't come pick up your fooduntil one o'clock and that can
be very frustrating, and thenyou end up being very grouchy
(14:56):
standing in line trying to waitfor your sandwich.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Yes, and there are a few places that right now are
very, very, very popular forlunch, jolly Holiday being one
of them.
We were just trying to get acoffee order around a 9 30 in
the park and the only availablepickup times were after 1 pm, so
that's one that fills up rightaway.
So back to your point abouthaving a couple of different
(15:19):
options in mind for lunch.
If Jolly Holiday is your topand you've missed that spot,
yeah, have a backup ready to go.
And, if I could recommend acouple, red Rose Tavern I have
not seen a ton of crazy linesthere.
Especially if it's a weekdayversus a weekend, that's a
really good option.
They do have burgers.
They have some salad andthey're open late.
(15:40):
They're open past nine yes, andthen the refreshment corner
right next to Jolly Holiday.
It's mostly hot dogs, but theyalso have the mac and cheese
bread bowls over there too, soyou get your carbs on carbs also
open late.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Let's talk about coffee, because if you have not
gone to Disneyland before, youmight be like I'm just gonna
stroll into the park and grab mea cup of coffee.
That's not gonna go the waythat you anticipated.
No, it's really not.
So if you are somebody thatneeds coffee in the morning one,
you might want to grab one fromthe hotel, if they have it.
If you want to grab it insidethe park, there are some.
(16:14):
First, there are two places toget your coffee that are pretty
close to the entrance toDisneyland.
Should we talk about markethouse first, which is basically
Starbucks?
Speaker 3 (16:23):
It's great, and I'm a Starbucks person through and
through.
If you cut my veins open,there's cold brew coffee in
there.
That's an attraction level line, and then of itself.
And then mobile order is Nextto impossible to try to get
within the timeframe if you want, if you don't care about when
you get coffee, you just needStarbucks at some point in the
day.
Sure, roll the dice, but Ididn't think that they did
(16:45):
mobile order at Market House.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
They've taken it on and off.
Okay, I know that they do takemobile order at downtown Disney,
so you could order it there.
Yes.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
I have seen it come on and off, but yeah, market
house, it's a very long line andit doesn't move fast.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
So you should expect to be in that line for 30
minutes or more, first thing inthe morning.
Yes, so you need to really wantyour Starbucks now there's
another option and if I wantcoffee when I come into the
parks what I do as soon as I getup I will place a mobile order
before we even start walking tothe parks.
If I'm staying close by what,we'll place our mobile order at
(17:21):
Jolly holiday, because they dotake mobile order.
It's not Starbucks, it'sJaffrey's, but it's delicious
and it's such a cute littlelocation.
I love it and they've got somegreat breakfast items.
I like to get a bunch of ridesout of the way when we first get
there, so I usually will maybeget a coffee for the first line
or two, but we kind of savebreakfast until a little bit
later.
So this way we're off everybodyelse's schedule for the rest of
(17:43):
the day.
But I really like Jolly holidayquite a bit.
It's one of my favorites.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
I love Jolly holiday and they have a lot of similar
style espresso drinks thatyou're gonna find at your
Starbucks.
They often have specialseasonal items too.
Sometimes it's a coffee drinkand sometimes it's a pastry, but
there's usually something yummyand special that you can get
from Jolly holiday.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
And you know, jolly holiday doesn't have those
mobile orders.
If you're okay with blackcoffee like regular normal
people coffee and not a latte,then there's a lot of places
that serve just regular coffeewith mobile order.
So if you just need a cup ofcoffee and not a caramel
macchiato, then there's gonna bemore options for you.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Yes, definitely, and some of them will do a mocha if
you need just a little bit ofsweetness but you don't want to
wait in that line.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
I'm thinking specifically of the mint and
julep bar and then the Starbuckscoffee, the black calf, which
is really, really popular and isso good.
They don't start serving, Ithink, until 10 30, which is
when breakfast cut off time.
As for Disneyland, forCalifornia adventure, I feel
like there's three to four mainplaces, but for coffee
specifically, there's fiddler,pfeiffer and practical, which is
(18:49):
also Starbucks.
I don't know why they can'tjust call them Starbucks.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
I think it has something to do with the
licensing, but it's a verysimilar experience to Market
House.
The line is sometimes a littlebit quicker.
I don't know why the space isslightly larger or why it's
slightly more efficient in there, but I've had better luck and
filler, pfeiffer and practicalthen I have at Market House.
But again, it's your standardStarbucks.
(19:13):
But I feel like there are acouple of other more convenient
options in California adventurethan Disneyland for your
espresso style drinks.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Yeah, sometimes I'll do schmoozies.
You can mobile order there.
They have some of those coffeedrinks as well, and if you're
heading towards the Avengerscampus, then that's gonna be on
the way.
If you're heading more towardsthe back of the park where, like
in, credit, coaster is, then Ithink the better coffee is
probably gonna be the Cappuccinocart.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Yes, the Cappuccino cart.
I think it's technically listedas being in San Francisco, but
it's right in that little hubcan be a little bit of a line
depending on the time of day,but I believe they do mobile
order as well.
They do they've got yourespresso options.
I think they sometimes do havea seasonal drink as well I know
schmoozies does but it's alittle more spread out so you
can get away from the crush ofthe main entrance and Especially
(20:02):
first thing in the morning.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
You're gonna find that those lines are pretty
short and if you're trying tolike take notes on this, I'm
just gonna do a little shamelessplug.
Park Magic has an app where youcan look through the menu, save
the things that you want, andit will tell you at the top if
it needs reservations or if youcan Mobile order.
And then when you pull that upon your phone, if you go to your
favorites, that mobile orderbutton takes you directly into
the Disneyland app where you canplace those mobile orders.
(20:25):
And then there's also walkingdirections, which I don't know
why.
But Disneyland's app they justgive you a map, they don't
really provide walkingdirections.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
And if you've never been there before, that can be
really hard.
Yeah, it can be really hard.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
I think there's some really good food at California
Adventure, san Frans Occhio,which, if you've been a while
ago, it was Pacific Wharf before.
I think that some of the bestquick service food in the park
is in that location.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Agreed and a lot of different styles of food.
If you're looking to kind ofmix up your genres, my favorite
one over there is Lucky FortuneCookery.
They have a lot of differentAsian inspired fusion dishes,
some rice bowls and they've gotsome new stuff on there.
You've been there more recentlythan I have, robin.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
It's really great because I'm gluten-free but my
husband is not and when I gowith my sister she really likes
the soup and the bread bowls, sowe can go all sit together.
There's lots of tables thereand if you're mobile order, you
can mobile order all of thosethings and kind of have them
ready all around the same time,so you don't have to wait in
three lines.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
It's really convenient and, yes, there's a
lot of seating, and then thereare sometimes entertainment
options while you eat over there, so it can be a nice little
place to take a break.
I've seen the mariachi bandsover there, particularly around
the holidays, because that'swhen I tend to go the most often
, but they really have gone outof their way to make it a good
pit stop for your day.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Other big favorites for me in California Adventure
are going to be Smoke Jumpers.
I really like their hamburgersthere.
And then PIMS Test Kitchen hassome really great, really fun
food, but their breakfast, Ireally like their breakfast and
there's not a lot of quick servebreakfast options in either
park and they have vegan options.
They have just egg if you'revegan and they also have
(22:14):
impossible meats.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
Oh, impossible meats.
I didn't know that about PIMS,that's really cool.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
You want more shameless plug about park magic.
You can filter in picky Mickeyfor all the plant based options,
so that will pull up all of thelike impossible meats.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
I'm going to piggyback on Smoke Jumpers.
It is an excellent burger.
They also have some chickenoptions and they have a toppings
bar.
They have a toppings bar atSmoke Jumpers which they don't
have at Hungry Bear, so you canget some extras for your chicken
sandwich or your burger.
There's a ton of seating atSmoke Jumpers too, which is
really nice and really handy.
(22:47):
One of my other favorites isactually Paradise Garden Grill.
Their menu rotates prettyheavily seasonally, but I can
count on that place to have aquesadilla for my kids.
So no matter what's on the menu, if it's something that's a
little more Mediterranean orsomething that's leading a
little more Latino, depending onthe time of year or the season
or what they're trying topromote they've got the
(23:09):
quesadilla there for my kids, soI'm happy about that.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
And then Flo's has some burger options.
I heard the turkey club ispretty good.
They have fried chicken kind oflike plaza, but it's just not
one of my favorites.
I haven't had a lot of goodluck there.
And then Boardwalk pizza andpasta is kind of similar to
Alien Pizza Planet.
If you're looking for somepastas and salads, they have
them there, but don't expect tohave your taste buds tickled in
an extraordinary way.
You know it's pasta and salad,but nothing to write home about.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
It's really not and I will say if pasta is a must,
like, you need to have some goodpasta while you are at
Disneyland, that's where you go.
Table service as opposed toquick service.
Quick service could probablyanswer every one of your other
culinary needs, but not pasta.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Yeah.
So if you're Italian, don't goover there because you will be
very sad.
So there's lots of differentoptions for quick serve.
I think the biggest tips areavoid galactic grill.
I've never had a good mealthere no, never.
Maybe if you've done somethingwill change, but right now I
wouldn't recommend that.
There are a couple of placesthat don't accept mobile order.
But if you can mobile orderearly in the morning for lunch
(24:17):
and if you're going to eat at apopular time for dinner, try to
mobile order for that.
And then I think the last onewould be bring some snacks with
you, and there are some thingsthat are more shareable.
If you really like pizza andhamburgers, there's nothing
wrong with just having that inthe parks, but there are a lot
of other options that are reallytasty and you can't get in a
few places else in the world.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
This is true, and we didn't talk about the churros,
which are must, and no matterwhat people tell you I don't
know if you disagree with me onthis, robin they are better than
the churros in Disney World.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Well, and they have some really fun ones.
Now that you're like I've had achurro, I don't need another
churro.
They always have these seasonalones where they have, you know,
nutella on it, or like you cansearch in Park Magic for the
churros.
They have a whole bunch ofdifferent kinds.
And then the dull web.
I know that you might not wantto be friends with me, but I
don't really love the dull web.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
I've heard you say that before and I block it out
every time because I just don'tsee how that's possible.
In case you guys don't knowwhat dull web is, it is an ice
cream like soft serve pineappleflavored delight that you can
find outside of the Tiki room oryou can order it at the
Tropical Hideaway in DisneylandDelicious.
(25:27):
There's also a couple of otherpineapple options.
You can get some pineapplejuice, you can get a dull whip
float, which is the dull whip inpineapple juice, or you can
just get like a pineapple spear.
If you need some fruit, if youreally need a quick snack, there
are fruit options.
There are a few different fruitcarts in both parts that come
in handy for my toddlers morethan one occasion grabbing some
(25:48):
bananas.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Yeah, and people will be like the fruit so expensive.
I actually went to the CVS atthe corner of Harbor and Catella
and the fruit was moreexpensive there than it was cold
at some of the market.
So they have these littleplaces where they have like ice
chests and they have pineappleand pickles and grapes and stuff
.
They can be really great ifyou're like I just need to have
(26:09):
something and I know my kid willeat and the pickles are like
really juicy and delicious.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
I'm not a team pickle , but they're very popular and,
yeah, like you said, they havethem on ice, so they look like
they're juicy and delicious andcold.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
So I think those are the big things for a quick serve
.
You know, I think the biggestbenefit to a quick serve is it's
less expensive and it will takea lot less time out of your day
.
You know, if you're gonna do asit-down dining, you probably
should plan on one to two,sometimes up to three hours.
I've gotten stuck at Blue Bayoubefore, but for the most part
it's gonna be like one and ahalf hours, I would say on
(26:44):
average, yes, and the tableservice.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
If you really need to have that experience, can
absolutely be done, but it'sgonna be a little bit of a chore
.
All of the table servicerestaurants are very highly
themed because of course it is,it's Disneyland.
But for my kiddos who can be,you know, really they get
sensory overload very quickly,being somewhere like Blue Bayou
where the lighting is dim,there's a lot of noise, there's
(27:07):
boats going by, it's a very,very crowded.
It is not their favorite placeand it's actually something that
we're gonna continue to skipuntil they get a little bit
older.
So if you have to do it, youcan.
If it's like must do, but itwill be a challenge.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
And right now, if you want to have an alcoholic
beverage, sit-down dining is theonly way to do it.
In Disneyland.
There's so many options.
In California Adventure it usedto be just Blue Bayou and Uga's
Quintina, but now CarnationCafe, riverbell Terrace and Cafe
Orleans will be serving alcohol.
I'm looking forward to that.
Selena, let's go through acouple of lightning questions.
(27:45):
What is your favoriteattraction?
Let's do Disneyland.
Pirates of the Caribbean handsdown, but you do need to warn
your little that there's a drop,but then there's just one.
And then, what is your favorite?
Quick service like menu item?
Speaker 3 (27:59):
My favorite quick service menu item is the Banyan
Beef Skewer from Bengal BBQ.
It is a beef skewer with aspicy sauce that I have tried
many times to replicate at homeand have not been successful.
It's so good I will usually gettiger tail breadsticks at my
side just so I can mop up everydrop of that sauce.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
You know, I had Bengal BBQ for the first time
with your mom, I think.
And then what's your favoritemeet and greet?
Because your kids are in thatprime meet and greet stage.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
They are, they are.
I've got to go.
Classic Mickey Mouse.
That's one of the things thatI've always loved about Toon
Town that I'm glad that they'vekept, and their renovation is
that that's the one place whereyou are guaranteed to have an
interaction and a photo op withthe face of the magic.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
I'm going for the first time with a little that is
just getting into Mickey andMinnie, and so she was pretty
excited to potentially be goingto Mickey and Minnie's house.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
Yes, I can't wait to get back there.
It's been so long.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
When people ask you for a tip for Disneyland, what
is your like most important tip?
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Don't eat at Tomorrowland.
No, truly, I've been sayingthis.
So my very first trip toDisneyland I was about five
years old been going annually.
Since then, you guys, the foodinto Tomorrowland has not
improved.
It's not worth it, guys, don'tdo it.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
If you wanted to look through the menus, they're
available at Disneylandcom tokind of get an idea of what's
available.
If you're looking to kind ofsearch those menus, go to
parkmagiccom for Picky Mickey.
We have lots of searchablemenus and you can filter by a
lot of different things and wehope that you have a magical day
.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Park
Magic podcast.
For more tips and planningtools designed to help simplify
your Disneyland adventure, visitparkmagiccom.
If you enjoyed today's episodeand want to hear more tips, be
sure to subscribe to the ParkMagic podcast, and don't forget
to leave us a review.
Your feedback helps us spreadthe magic even further.
Leaving a review could alsohelp you.
(30:10):
Each month, we will beselecting one reviewer to win a
one-hour planning session withRobin.
Winners will be announced atthe end of the first episode of
every month.
Thanks for tuning in andremember that we are here to
help you have a less stressfuland more magical trip to
Disneyland.
Welcome to the Park Magic podcast, your place for
insider tips for your nextDisneyland adventure.
Whether you're a first-timer orfirst-time in a while visitor,
we're here to unwrap the secretsto creating and simplifying
your dream Disneyland vacation.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Since my first trip I've been doing scene effects.
I love my qualidade in yourkids, like Disney is like a part
of who you are, and one of thebiggest things that I want this
podcast to be about is thatpeople will come to us and say
I'm going to Disneyland, tell mewhat to do.
I think that there's someamazing sit-down restaurants at
(01:12):
both Disneyland and CaliforniaAdventure, but there are also
some really, really good foodthat is available without a
reservation and is a lot lessmoney.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
There is, yes, and I get so frustrated when people
talk about Disneyland and theytalk about the food as though
it's oh another amusement parkor state fair food.
And if anyone goes toDisneyland and says that they
just had burgers and fries thewhole time, you did it wrong.
There are so many choices andthere are some stellar burgers
(01:44):
there too.
So if you do burgers and friesthe whole time, I hope you went
to the right place and I'll tellyou where to go.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
But there are so many wonderful options and you don't
have to do the reservation 60day in advance to get that
really good food, especially inCalifornia Adventure, but in
both parks there's food that youcan order from the counter that
is very unique, very delicious,and there's some things that
are like really great creaturecomforts.
And we were talking about how,like, the only place to get
(02:11):
grilled cheese is Jolly Holiday,but there are most things in
the park.
Yes, there's pizza.
Yes, there's pasta.
I feel like some of thehamburgers are pretty darn good,
but, like the pizza and thepasta, it quick serve is going
to be kind of meh.
I don't know, I haven't had theregular pasta in a while, so
you correct me if I'm wrongthere.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
No, you're caught on.
So the alien pizza planet isthe first thing that comes to my
mind, where, if you can steeraway from that, please do.
I encourage it.
That's usually one of my top 10pieces of advice that I give.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Yeah, because it's been sitting there for a bit.
It's kind of like buffet orgolden corral pasta.
It's not great.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
It's really not.
Yeah, the texture is off, andif you're at all a texture
person, you are not going toenjoy the pasta in Tomorrowland.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
And they're going to have kids menus at each location
, and one of the benefits ofquick serve is if you're
somebody that likes smallerportions, you can order the kids
menu.
Or if you've got somebody who'sreally going to only eat
chicken nuggets in your party,and that's OK, they have some of
those kids items and you canorder those.
Just beware anything that'smarked as a toddler meal is
basically like three bites, soit looks cheap.
(03:20):
It's not a value.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
And you know what, though it's food a toddler would
eat.
My son's first trip he was 15months old and that's what we
got at nearly every quickservice, because it was
guaranteed to be something thathe was going to eat if we had
exhaust our own snacks at thatpoint, because I had absolutely
no idea how he was going to fare.
But yeah, that yummy, cheesymacaroni.
There's some goldfish crackersat a part of that, and lately
(03:47):
it's been the go-go squeezeapplesauce couches.
So it's always a hit with mykids.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
I accidentally ordered my 15-year-old a toddler
mini slider and it wasliterally like an inch and a
half and he was like what isthis?
And I was like that was memaking the wrong order.
I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Do you remember which location that was at?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
It was actually Tengaro Terrace.
Oh OK, it was especially funnybecause I ordered on a
gluten-free bun, right?
So it was this big adult-sizedbun with this ee-ee-ee-ee-ee
like little tiny size.
So if you have a toddler, theyare great meals and there are
some meals that are quick-servedthat are really, really
(04:27):
shareable.
So if you're trying to keepcosts down for me, I usually
will split a turkey leg in acouple of corns.
You don't need a reservationfor that.
I feel like Rancho de Zacalohas a lot of things that are
really shareable as well.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
They do, and here's what I'm going to talk about my
two favorite places inDisneyland that are very, very
shareable tropical hideaway itis so easy to grab a couple of
the buns there, which, againvery unique, to have this
Asian-style dumpling inDisneyland Park, so there's
something that's not fried rightthere.
You can get a dull whip and ifyou want to ride a cauldron,
(05:02):
someone can go to TropicalHideaway and someone else can go
over to Bengal Barbecue and geta few of those skewers also
very shareable and you've got areally delicious meal.
Now they've got that expandedseating next to Bengal Barbecue
so you can grab a table.
Don't need a reservation, butthat's my favorite shareable
spot.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
And I think the skewers at Bengal Barbecue are
really good for you, like reallygood food.
They're really tasty.
I think if you're really on atight budget and you've got
teenagers, probably not the bestoption money-wise but I think
as far as tasty piece they'repretty darn good.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Oh yes, I agree Teenagers though I'm not.
It's been a while since I'vebeen one, but where did your kid
?
Speaker 2 (05:45):
So you know, at Disneyland we'll get like the
half chicken at Rancho deZacallo and then we'll get extra
tortillas and then usually wecan get one of those and like a
side of tacos and then if we'regonna like pre and post snack,
then that's a good meal andthat's like you know, 40 bucks
for like four of us.
I really like Jolly Holiday.
I really loved the grilledcheese and tomato soup.
(06:08):
I don't know why it's such asimple thing, but their Berea
grilled cheese.
She gave me a little bit of theBerea from the inside because
I'm gluten free, so they won'tmake it gluten free Berea, but
it was really good.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
I didn't know that they were doing that at Jolly
Holiday.
But that is another very goodshareable one, because the
sandwiches are massive and thelast time I went there I got
that and my husband got aCaprese sandwich and we just
kind of swapped and we got aside of soup as well and it was
almost too much food.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Let's talk about the burgers because there are places
, especially in Disneyland, toget burgers and to not get
burgers.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
I know what you're talking about.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Like you and I are on a mission, so if you're
Disneyland and you really want aburger, I would highly
recommend that you not go toGalactic.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Grill.
If you want a burger inDisneyland, go to the Hungry
Bear.
Do not go to the Galactic Grillin Tomorrowland.
Don't eat in Tomorrowlandunless it's the Churro cart
that's over there.
That's my generalrecommendation.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
I'll go over to Galactic Grill just because I
like the inner military, butusually it's with a Churro or
corn.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Yes, yes, but Hungry Bear is definitely the way to go
.
Their burger is really good, soare their fries, and they also
have chicken, chicken sandwichoptions which are also really
tasty, and that could be anothershareable one.
And if you're doing a mobileorder, which I do recommend for
Hungry Bear, because that onetends to get- really crowded.
If you get the kids size burger, that's enough food for an
(07:41):
adult right there.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
And there are some things that are not shareable
but are, like, really wellrenowned, and I think that we
can't do a thing on quickservice at Disneyland without
talking about it.
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
The corn dogs, the infamous corn dog.
Yes, it's a must.
It's a must for my family.
We always have to do the littlered wagon, but that's one.
I don't know if mobile orderalways makes it faster.
I think it depends on the timeof day.
But what's been your experiencewith that one lately?
Speaker 2 (08:10):
So I can't do little red wagon because they don't
have a gluten free option.
I remember it being fantasticand I like look longingly.
Will people enjoy it?
My daughter really likes thecorn dog there as well and she's
pretty darn picky.
But I do want to say that thecorn dog there is different than
the corn dogs that are inCalifornia adventure.
So if you're only going to getone corn dog, I think it's
better to get it at the littlered wagon.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Yes, they are different, but I will say, if
the line at little red wagon istoo long and maybe you missed
the boat on the mobile order, ifyou pop around to Frontierland
at the stage door cafe, thatcorn dog over there is nearly as
good.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
How do you feel about the turkey legs?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Team turkey leg.
I never have been happy.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
I go through phases where we like, love it, and then
my son is, he's 16, now right,and so he eats like a garbage,
can I mean?
He's just like a never endingpit.
And so the turkey leg is reallygood.
I don't want to eat a whole one, but he really likes them.
And I do like them as long asI've got something else, because
they are kind of salty.
I remember that the last time Idid have one, which was many,
(09:15):
many, many months ago, yeah, Imean I don't know if I'd want to
eat one by myself, but I thinkit's a good shareable food.
I think the alternate atCalifornia adventure is poultry
palace, the three chicken legmeal, and those are gluten free
and they have just like a bunchof spices on them and they come
with a little coleslaw and thoseare pretty good if you're
looking for something.
(09:35):
And then I don't know why thecorn is 529, which is kind of
expensive for a corn on the cob,but I love the roasted corn, me
too.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
No, that's a staple for me as well, for as far as
quick service at the cart, yeah,They've got all sorts of things
Like.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
so there's a place over by where the Lion King show
is kind of over by Small World.
It has like a baked potatoes.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Yes, I was going to bring that up next.
Troubadour Tavern that is oneof my favorites for quick,
different kind of snack thatends up being pretty shareable.
They have these stuffed bigpotatoes that are surprisingly
delicious.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Now, because I'm gluten-free, I haven't eaten at
Harbor Gallery in a long time.
Is that one good?
I mean I know people talk aboutthe lobster roll a lot, but I
haven't.
I mean I found I would beengluten-free so long I haven't
had that.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
It's good.
That's another one of myfavorites.
It's so funny because I'mthinking like oh, there's only
one quick service that Irecommend to everyone Big O
Barbecue.
And as we're going through this, I remember oh yeah, I love
Truman.
Or Tavern, oh yeah, I loveHarbor Gallery.
It is usually a fairly quickline.
(10:46):
I actually really like to sitthere for the atmosphere as well
, which you wouldn't necessarilythink of a quick service
location.
But it's right there on theRivers of America.
It's just outside of that, theexit for Haunted Mansion.
So, depending on where you sit,you can get a view of Haunted
Mansion, which Halloween andholiday time.
It's super fun, and then youget to do all of the boat
(11:07):
watching off of the Rivers ofAmerica.
But as for the food itself,yeah, there's the lobster roll,
which is very good I have hadbefore but you can also get some
of the soups over there.
If the line is too long over atRoyal Veranda, then you can get
the chowder over there, and Ibelieve from time to time they
offer the mac and cheese in abread bowl.
(11:28):
One time a seasonal thing theydid was a lobster mac and cheese
.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Yeah, that was delicious and the mac and cheese
bowls always available at AuntCass's over in San Francisco.
So if you're looking for carbson carbs on carbs, macaroni in a
bread bowl is available overthere Before I was going for you
.
I love the place where thebread bowls are over by Pirates
of the Caribbean Royal.
Speaker 3 (11:50):
Veranda yeah yeah they've got gumbo, I think
there's a steak version and avegetarian version, and then the
clam chowder in a bread bowland that's pretty much all that
they have to offer over there,with some fountain drinks.
But the line can get so long.
It's become this reallyinfamous bread bowl spots in
Disneyland.
But that's another really goodquick service one again,
(12:11):
something that's not fine if youwant your soup.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
And share a bowl?
Very sure, because that breadbowl fills you up.
It's massive, yeah, it's thesize of a five year old's head.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Yes, I have a five year old.
Yes, it's about the size of hishead and he has a big head.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
So let's talk about the lines at quick service,
because if you go right at noonor right around lunchtime to
some of the more popularlocations, you might end up
spending 30 minutes in line andthen the additional time for
them to make your food.
If it's gluten-free, you knowyou should plan on it being an
extra 10 or 15 minutes.
For most people it comes outpretty quick, but there are a
(12:46):
couple of ways that you canavoid those lines, and I think
the most important thing if youhave kids is to make sure you do
not wait until you are hungryto go eat.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Yes, what I did on the last trip with my two kiddos
, who at the time were five andtwo.
I knew their routine at thetime.
Both went to preschool so Iknew when they would eat lunch
at school and I was anticipatingwhen they would get hungry, and
so I knew around 10 30 wasabout the time that I had to put
in my mobile order if we weregonna do something really
(13:17):
popular, and there was one daywe ended up eating a hungry bear
.
So I was walking into the lineat Smuggler's Run and while I
was waiting in line, putting inour mobile order at 10 30
because I knew they weren'tgonna do well if they had to
wait.
So, either anticipating it alittle bit early if you don't
have kids, if you can wait alittle bit, get yourself a snack
(13:38):
, a nice mid-morning snack, andthen wait till after the lunch
rush nothing wrong with having alate lunch after the peak rush
and there's kind of two benefitsin doing your lunch a little
earlier, a little late.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
The first is that you'll spend less time in line.
The second is that there'll bemore seating available and so
you will not have people likestanding over you while you're
eating trying to get your table.
So if you can try to eat kindof off times.
But just a warning, after aboutnine o'clock, especially at
Disneyland, the food optionsdramatically drop down.
There's a lot of places closed.
So if you're somebody that eatsdinner really late, just make
(14:12):
sure that the restaurant thatyou're looking at doing for
quick service open.
Still, I usually tell peopleknow what you want for lunch at
one or two places and then whenyou get into the park the first
time you have a little downtime,do your mobile order for lunch,
even if it's like nine or ten.
And the reason for that isbecause mobile order is a little
bit different than like avirtual queue.
(14:34):
They have only so many spotsavailable for a specific time
period because they can onlymake so many whatever they're
making at a restaurant.
So if you wait until like 11 30to try to get a sandwich at
Jolly Holiday, they might say,great, you can mobile order but
you can't come pick up your fooduntil one o'clock and that can
be very frustrating, and thenyou end up being very grouchy
(14:56):
standing in line trying to waitfor your sandwich.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Yes, and there are a few places that right now are
very, very, very popular forlunch, jolly Holiday being one
of them.
We were just trying to get acoffee order around a 9 30 in
the park and the only availablepickup times were after 1 pm, so
that's one that fills up rightaway.
So back to your point abouthaving a couple of different
(15:19):
options in mind for lunch.
If Jolly Holiday is your topand you've missed that spot,
yeah, have a backup ready to go.
And, if I could recommend acouple, red Rose Tavern I have
not seen a ton of crazy linesthere.
Especially if it's a weekdayversus a weekend, that's a
really good option.
They do have burgers.
They have some salad andthey're open late.
(15:40):
They're open past nine yes, andthen the refreshment corner
right next to Jolly Holiday.
It's mostly hot dogs, but theyalso have the mac and cheese
bread bowls over there too, soyou get your carbs on carbs also
open late.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Let's talk about coffee, because if you have not
gone to Disneyland before, youmight be like I'm just gonna
stroll into the park and grab mea cup of coffee.
That's not gonna go the waythat you anticipated.
No, it's really not.
So if you are somebody thatneeds coffee in the morning one,
you might want to grab one fromthe hotel, if they have it.
If you want to grab it insidethe park, there are some.
(16:14):
First, there are two places toget your coffee that are pretty
close to the entrance toDisneyland.
Should we talk about markethouse first, which is basically
Starbucks?
Speaker 3 (16:23):
It's great, and I'm a Starbucks person through and
through.
If you cut my veins open,there's cold brew coffee in
there.
That's an attraction level line, and then of itself.
And then mobile order is Nextto impossible to try to get
within the timeframe if you want, if you don't care about when
you get coffee, you just needStarbucks at some point in the
day.
Sure, roll the dice, but Ididn't think that they did
(16:45):
mobile order at Market House.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
They've taken it on and off.
Okay, I know that they do takemobile order at downtown Disney,
so you could order it there.
Yes.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
I have seen it come on and off, but yeah, market
house, it's a very long line andit doesn't move fast.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
So you should expect to be in that line for 30
minutes or more, first thing inthe morning.
Yes, so you need to really wantyour Starbucks now there's
another option and if I wantcoffee when I come into the
parks what I do as soon as I getup I will place a mobile order
before we even start walking tothe parks.
If I'm staying close by what,we'll place our mobile order at
(17:21):
Jolly holiday, because they dotake mobile order.
It's not Starbucks, it'sJaffrey's, but it's delicious
and it's such a cute littlelocation.
I love it and they've got somegreat breakfast items.
I like to get a bunch of ridesout of the way when we first get
there, so I usually will maybeget a coffee for the first line
or two, but we kind of savebreakfast until a little bit
later.
So this way we're off everybodyelse's schedule for the rest of
(17:43):
the day.
But I really like Jolly holidayquite a bit.
It's one of my favorites.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
I love Jolly holiday and they have a lot of similar
style espresso drinks thatyou're gonna find at your
Starbucks.
They often have specialseasonal items too.
Sometimes it's a coffee drinkand sometimes it's a pastry, but
there's usually something yummyand special that you can get
from Jolly holiday.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
And you know, jolly holiday doesn't have those
mobile orders.
If you're okay with blackcoffee like regular normal
people coffee and not a latte,then there's a lot of places
that serve just regular coffeewith mobile order.
So if you just need a cup ofcoffee and not a caramel
macchiato, then there's gonna bemore options for you.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
Yes, definitely, and some of them will do a mocha if
you need just a little bit ofsweetness but you don't want to
wait in that line.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
I'm thinking specifically of the mint and
julep bar and then the Starbuckscoffee, the black calf, which
is really, really popular and isso good.
They don't start serving, Ithink, until 10 30, which is
when breakfast cut off time.
As for Disneyland, forCalifornia adventure, I feel
like there's three to four mainplaces, but for coffee
specifically, there's fiddler,pfeiffer and practical, which is
(18:49):
also Starbucks.
I don't know why they can'tjust call them Starbucks.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
I think it has something to do with the
licensing, but it's a verysimilar experience to Market
House.
The line is sometimes a littlebit quicker.
I don't know why the space isslightly larger or why it's
slightly more efficient in there, but I've had better luck and
filler, pfeiffer and practicalthen I have at Market House.
But again, it's your standardStarbucks.
(19:13):
But I feel like there are acouple of other more convenient
options in California adventurethan Disneyland for your
espresso style drinks.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
Yeah, sometimes I'll do schmoozies.
You can mobile order there.
They have some of those coffeedrinks as well, and if you're
heading towards the Avengerscampus, then that's gonna be on
the way.
If you're heading more towardsthe back of the park where, like
in, credit, coaster is, then Ithink the better coffee is
probably gonna be the Cappuccinocart.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Yes, the Cappuccino cart.
I think it's technically listedas being in San Francisco, but
it's right in that little hubcan be a little bit of a line
depending on the time of day,but I believe they do mobile
order as well.
They do they've got yourespresso options.
I think they sometimes do havea seasonal drink as well I know
schmoozies does but it's alittle more spread out so you
can get away from the crush ofthe main entrance and Especially
(20:02):
first thing in the morning.
Speaker 2 (20:03):
You're gonna find that those lines are pretty
short and if you're trying tolike take notes on this, I'm
just gonna do a little shamelessplug.
Park Magic has an app where youcan look through the menu, save
the things that you want, andit will tell you at the top if
it needs reservations or if youcan Mobile order.
And then when you pull that upon your phone, if you go to your
favorites, that mobile orderbutton takes you directly into
the Disneyland app where you canplace those mobile orders.
(20:25):
And then there's also walkingdirections, which I don't know
why.
But Disneyland's app they justgive you a map, they don't
really provide walkingdirections.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
And if you've never been there before, that can be
really hard.
Yeah, it can be really hard.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
I think there's some really good food at California
Adventure, san Frans Occhio,which, if you've been a while
ago, it was Pacific Wharf before.
I think that some of the bestquick service food in the park
is in that location.
Speaker 3 (20:53):
Agreed and a lot of different styles of food.
If you're looking to kind ofmix up your genres, my favorite
one over there is Lucky FortuneCookery.
They have a lot of differentAsian inspired fusion dishes,
some rice bowls and they've gotsome new stuff on there.
You've been there more recentlythan I have, robin.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
It's really great because I'm gluten-free but my
husband is not and when I gowith my sister she really likes
the soup and the bread bowls, sowe can go all sit together.
There's lots of tables thereand if you're mobile order, you
can mobile order all of thosethings and kind of have them
ready all around the same time,so you don't have to wait in
three lines.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
It's really convenient and, yes, there's a
lot of seating, and then thereare sometimes entertainment
options while you eat over there, so it can be a nice little
place to take a break.
I've seen the mariachi bandsover there, particularly around
the holidays, because that'swhen I tend to go the most often
, but they really have gone outof their way to make it a good
pit stop for your day.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Other big favorites for me in California Adventure
are going to be Smoke Jumpers.
I really like their hamburgersthere.
And then PIMS Test Kitchen hassome really great, really fun
food, but their breakfast, Ireally like their breakfast and
there's not a lot of quick servebreakfast options in either
park and they have vegan options.
They have just egg if you'revegan and they also have
(22:14):
impossible meats.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
Oh, impossible meats.
I didn't know that about PIMS,that's really cool.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
You want more shameless plug about park magic.
You can filter in picky Mickeyfor all the plant based options,
so that will pull up all of thelike impossible meats.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
I'm going to piggyback on Smoke Jumpers.
It is an excellent burger.
They also have some chickenoptions and they have a toppings
bar.
They have a toppings bar atSmoke Jumpers which they don't
have at Hungry Bear, so you canget some extras for your chicken
sandwich or your burger.
There's a ton of seating atSmoke Jumpers too, which is
really nice and really handy.
(22:47):
One of my other favorites isactually Paradise Garden Grill.
Their menu rotates prettyheavily seasonally, but I can
count on that place to have aquesadilla for my kids.
So no matter what's on the menu, if it's something that's a
little more Mediterranean orsomething that's leading a
little more Latino, depending onthe time of year or the season
or what they're trying topromote they've got the
(23:09):
quesadilla there for my kids, soI'm happy about that.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
And then Flo's has some burger options.
I heard the turkey club ispretty good.
They have fried chicken kind oflike plaza, but it's just not
one of my favorites.
I haven't had a lot of goodluck there.
And then Boardwalk pizza andpasta is kind of similar to
Alien Pizza Planet.
If you're looking for somepastas and salads, they have
them there, but don't expect tohave your taste buds tickled in
an extraordinary way.
You know it's pasta and salad,but nothing to write home about.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
It's really not and I will say if pasta is a must,
like, you need to have some goodpasta while you are at
Disneyland, that's where you go.
Table service as opposed toquick service.
Quick service could probablyanswer every one of your other
culinary needs, but not pasta.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Yeah.
So if you're Italian, don't goover there because you will be
very sad.
So there's lots of differentoptions for quick serve.
I think the biggest tips areavoid galactic grill.
I've never had a good mealthere no, never.
Maybe if you've done somethingwill change, but right now I
wouldn't recommend that.
There are a couple of placesthat don't accept mobile order.
But if you can mobile orderearly in the morning for lunch
(24:17):
and if you're going to eat at apopular time for dinner, try to
mobile order for that.
And then I think the last onewould be bring some snacks with
you, and there are some thingsthat are more shareable.
If you really like pizza andhamburgers, there's nothing
wrong with just having that inthe parks, but there are a lot
of other options that are reallytasty and you can't get in a
few places else in the world.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
This is true, and we didn't talk about the churros,
which are must, and no matterwhat people tell you I don't
know if you disagree with me onthis, robin they are better than
the churros in Disney World.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
Well, and they have some really fun ones.
Now that you're like I've had achurro, I don't need another
churro.
They always have these seasonalones where they have, you know,
nutella on it, or like you cansearch in Park Magic for the
churros.
They have a whole bunch ofdifferent kinds.
And then the dull web.
I know that you might not wantto be friends with me, but I
don't really love the dull web.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
I've heard you say that before and I block it out
every time because I just don'tsee how that's possible.
In case you guys don't knowwhat dull web is, it is an ice
cream like soft serve pineappleflavored delight that you can
find outside of the Tiki room oryou can order it at the
Tropical Hideaway in DisneylandDelicious.
(25:27):
There's also a couple of otherpineapple options.
You can get some pineapplejuice, you can get a dull whip
float, which is the dull whip inpineapple juice, or you can
just get like a pineapple spear.
If you need some fruit, if youreally need a quick snack, there
are fruit options.
There are a few different fruitcarts in both parts that come
in handy for my toddlers morethan one occasion grabbing some
(25:48):
bananas.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Yeah, and people will be like the fruit so expensive.
I actually went to the CVS atthe corner of Harbor and Catella
and the fruit was moreexpensive there than it was cold
at some of the market.
So they have these littleplaces where they have like ice
chests and they have pineappleand pickles and grapes and stuff
.
They can be really great ifyou're like I just need to have
(26:09):
something and I know my kid willeat and the pickles are like
really juicy and delicious.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
I'm not a team pickle , but they're very popular and,
yeah, like you said, they havethem on ice, so they look like
they're juicy and delicious andcold.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
So I think those are the big things for a quick serve
.
You know, I think the biggestbenefit to a quick serve is it's
less expensive and it will takea lot less time out of your day
.
You know, if you're gonna do asit-down dining, you probably
should plan on one to two,sometimes up to three hours.
I've gotten stuck at Blue Bayoubefore, but for the most part
it's gonna be like one and ahalf hours, I would say on
(26:44):
average, yes, and the tableservice.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
If you really need to have that experience, can
absolutely be done, but it'sgonna be a little bit of a chore
.
All of the table servicerestaurants are very highly
themed because of course it is,it's Disneyland.
But for my kiddos who can be,you know, really they get
sensory overload very quickly,being somewhere like Blue Bayou
where the lighting is dim,there's a lot of noise, there's
(27:07):
boats going by, it's a very,very crowded.
It is not their favorite placeand it's actually something that
we're gonna continue to skipuntil they get a little bit
older.
So if you have to do it, youcan.
If it's like must do, but itwill be a challenge.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
And right now, if you want to have an alcoholic
beverage, sit-down dining is theonly way to do it.
In Disneyland.
There's so many options.
In California Adventure it usedto be just Blue Bayou and Uga's
Quintina, but now CarnationCafe, riverbell Terrace and Cafe
Orleans will be serving alcohol.
I'm looking forward to that.
Selena, let's go through acouple of lightning questions.
(27:45):
What is your favoriteattraction?
Let's do Disneyland.
Pirates of the Caribbean handsdown, but you do need to warn
your little that there's a drop,but then there's just one.
And then, what is your favorite?
Quick service like menu item?
Speaker 3 (27:59):
My favorite quick service menu item is the Banyan
Beef Skewer from Bengal BBQ.
It is a beef skewer with aspicy sauce that I have tried
many times to replicate at homeand have not been successful.
It's so good I will usually gettiger tail breadsticks at my
side just so I can mop up everydrop of that sauce.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
You know, I had Bengal BBQ for the first time
with your mom, I think.
And then what's your favoritemeet and greet?
Because your kids are in thatprime meet and greet stage.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
They are, they are.
I've got to go.
Classic Mickey Mouse.
That's one of the things thatI've always loved about Toon
Town that I'm glad that they'vekept, and their renovation is
that that's the one place whereyou are guaranteed to have an
interaction and a photo op withthe face of the magic.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
I'm going for the first time with a little that is
just getting into Mickey andMinnie, and so she was pretty
excited to potentially be goingto Mickey and Minnie's house.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
Yes, I can't wait to get back there.
It's been so long.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
When people ask you for a tip for Disneyland, what
is your like most important tip?
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Don't eat at Tomorrowland.
No, truly, I've been sayingthis.
So my very first trip toDisneyland I was about five
years old been going annually.
Since then, you guys, the foodinto Tomorrowland has not
improved.
It's not worth it, guys, don'tdo it.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
If you wanted to look through the menus, they're
available at Disneylandcom tokind of get an idea of what's
available.
If you're looking to kind ofsearch those menus, go to
parkmagiccom for Picky Mickey.
We have lots of searchablemenus and you can filter by a
lot of different things and wehope that you have a magical day
.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Park
Magic podcast.
For more tips and planningtools designed to help simplify
your Disneyland adventure, visitparkmagiccom.
If you enjoyed today's episodeand want to hear more tips, be
sure to subscribe to the ParkMagic podcast, and don't forget
to leave us a review.
Your feedback helps us spreadthe magic even further.
Leaving a review could alsohelp you.
(30:10):
Each month, we will beselecting one reviewer to win a
one-hour planning session withRobin.
Winners will be announced atthe end of the first episode of
every month.
Thanks for tuning in andremember that we are here to
help you have a less stressfuland more magical trip to
Disneyland.
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