Has the food at Disneyland gotten worse, or...

[Panchito]

have my expectations gotten higher?

I have been noticing lately that the quality of food in the parks is pretty sub-standard. I am I dreaming?

If not, here are my theories, but I'd like to know what you think:

a. The food is worse when I visit the park on high traffic days (more food to serve and the quality goes down).

b. The parks have started to turn the corner, but the Pressler era stank is still found in the food.

[Tom319]

have my expectations gotten higher?

I have been noticing lately that the quality of food in the parks is pretty sub-standard. I am I dreaming?

If not, here are my theories, but I'd like to know what you think:

a. The food is worse when I visit the park on high traffic days (more food to serve and the quality goes down).

b. The parks have started to turn the corner, but the Pressler era stank is still found in the food.

I think it has gotten worse. The restaurant that used to be where Rancho del Zocalo is used to serve really good mexican food. Now its horrible. The Food at Hungry Bear used to be so much better. Redd Rockets has pretty much stayed the same except the CM aren't as happy as they used to be.

Your standards could also be higher. With numerous eateries in Downtown Disney we have alot more options and they are much better when compared to the food at Disneyland. That being said I think the food at DCA is pretty good.

[fantoongal]

no you're right.......the quality has gone down....but there are hardworking cm's, such as myself who try to bring it up as much as we can.......

there's only so much you can do to a hot dog or a pretzel......

[Fantasmico!]

You really have to be selective a the park when it comes to food. Hamburgers are better done elsewhere. As are regular hotdogs. So you really have to go to the other places that serve the better food, such as the pizza port or the plaza inn. but the burgers and hotdogs ( with the exception of the huge corn dogs) you gotta stay away from. It is not the fault of the CM's about the food quality, it is the person who finds the raw product that is responsible. You are only as good as the quality ingredients.

[jacksladysparrow]

i agree that certain places in the park the food has gotten worse. like redd rockets, ugg. there r some outstanding ones still, carnation, imo, has always been great as is the gumbo(that may be biased tho as i live for getting gumbo). I know the park is having problems with enough staff in food serviceand have always had great service with the exception of a few food carts.Hopefully this will be fixed. I am willing to pay the prices in the park but really wish management would really look at the quality of some of the things they r serving

[brebo]

Oh my gosh, so it wasn't just me...

I was actually CRYING last time I went (...yeah ok mostly due to PMS) because I was craving "real" food. No matter where we went, I was just like "this is so horrible". It was a total nightmare. (...for myself at least. I'm a picky eater to begin with).

The COFFEE in the MORNING on MAIN STREET on the other hand...ohhhh I'm starting to crave it right now.

[Dustysage]

You certainly are correct. There have always been less than great restaurants in the parks. However, that situation has gotten worse in the last 8 years at Disneyland.

However, all of that seems to be under review right now. The addition of table service restaurants is just around the corner and the menus of other locations is also being examined.

If I was going to make a hit list of Disneyland locations that really need an extreme menu make-over, I'd put Village Haus at the top of the awful list, followed by Club Buzz (I hate calling it that), and Hungry Bear. I'd love to see a better menu at River Belle and some new items at Pizza Port. They should bring back the seasonal menus for the mid priced restaurants so we don't get so bored with the selections. They seem to forget that a huge chunk of the people who eat in these restaurants are regulars.

We'll eat there more often, and be willing to spend more on it, if the food is good.

[jacksladysparrow]

okay i am now craving gumbo and we dont go for another 12 weeks! lol

[cstephens]

I have been noticing lately that the quality of food in the parks is pretty sub-standard

My problem isn't necessarily that the food is bad, but they've changed out menus of things and taken off stuff that I like, and I haven't liked the new items they've offered. We have a running joke that if there's some food item at the park, they'll remove just that item.

We used to go to Big Thunder BBQ and Casa Mexicana all the time - both gone. Rancho Del Zocalo's first menu wasn't great, but after about a year or two, it got better. And then they changed it to the grill stuff, and I actually liked that a lot. Which of course meant they eventually took that away and changed to their current menu, most of which I don't like, and the burrito is about the only thing I like there now.

We also used to go to Cafe Orleans all the time - and then they changed the menu and took out the only thing I ever ate there - Cajun Chicken Caesar Salad. Mmmm, that was good. They also changed the menu to only soups, salads and sandwiches, but they were all a little bizarre, and we haven't eaten there in years. I don't particularly care that they're turning it into a table-service restaurant, but the reports of the new menu don't excite me all that much, though I'm willing to give it a try.

We used to go to Plaza Pavilion for their pasta. Then they closed it down, and they moved the pasta to Plaza Inn - and brought everything except what was my favorite sauce. Plaza Inn used to have kettle favorites, which was basically a pot-pie-like dish, in three flavors - chicken, beef and vegetarian. That stuff was really good. So of course they took it away and replaced it with some pot roast thing that isn't very good.

Up until maybe a year ago, we went to Carnation Cafe a lot. And then they changed the menu and took out all the stuff we like. Our last visit was less than stellar so it's not likely we're going back anytime soon. I stop periodically to look at the menu, and it does nothing for me.

I remember years ago, I used to like Hungry Bear because they had a burger/fries/drink combo that was decently priced. After a visit in late 1990s where the food was so bad that I took a couple bites and then threw the rest away, and they started implementing this program where all the burgers came with cheese, and if you didn't want cheese, you had to order it without the cheese, but they didn't charge you any less, we didn't go back for a really long time. We've gone occasionally, but mostly for the view of the river.

So far, the menus of French Market and Pizza Port have stayed intact, but of course, now that I've said it, they're going to mess those up as well.

Village Haus has been awful as far as I recall, though I had a friend whose girlfriend thought their pizza was the absolute best. We thought she was crazy.

The only change I've liked is the new menu at Stagedoor. That was another location where I had purchased a burger, had a bite or two and then threw the rest away. I like the chicken and fish strips they have now.

As for DCA, my biggest lament is Soap Opera Bistro. I absolutely loved that place, from the first visit during AP previews, and not just because I'm a soap opera fan. Friends who weren't into soaps at all also liked the place because it had nice decor with decent food. Lunch was ok and dinner was good, but breakfast was absolutely amazing - not that they bothered to tell anyone about it.

My second biggest lament was having Puck's turned into Ariel's Grotto. We only ate at the downstairs restaurant once, but we liked it, but we ate at the Cove Bar probably every other week or so. Their clam chowder was amazing, and it was nice to get a bite of sushi in the park. When Puck pulled out, they changed the menu, and now, there's just a few items, some of which are ok but nothing compared to what they had before.

We eat most often at Pacific Wharf Cafe, which hasn't changed, but of course will now...

I like some of the Downtown Disney and hotel places, but it would be nice to have more places *in* the parks that are good.


The Vineyard Room is nice, and I've heard the Trattoria has gotten better, though our experience early in its existence left a lot to be desired.

[Panchito]

All of this really resonates with me. I realize the CMs are doing what they can, but I was pretty disappointed given the standard Disneyland sets with everything else. And it certainly doesn't make me feel any better when I visit WDW and get to enjoy all of their table service restaurants.


I really hope the trend starting with the Cafe Orleans going to table service and a revised menu continues. I would really like to see at very least:


1. The quality level go up a couple of notches.
2. The number of options increase (More specifically in Disneyland Park. I was really starting to get sick to my stomach facing the fried chicken and mashed potatoes last week).


WDW is really a good example. Places like the Columbia Harbour House and the Liberty Tree Tavern (I realize this is a character dining location, but I thought the food was pretty good).

[TP2000]

You're not the only one to notice the food has gotten worse in the last few years.

I went to Blue Bayou a few months ago for lunch for the first time in several years. The famed Monte Cristo was so bad I couldn't finish it. It was just sodden with grease, and it had the faint taste of chicken n' fries as though the grease hadn't been changed. Just really gross. The pasta salad that came with it was so tasteless and bland, it was useless to pretend it was food.

I've gotten in the habit of going out to DTD for lunch at Catal or the take out window at Ralph Brennan's. Uva Bar has great burgers too.

But Disneyland food has slipped from mediocre a few years ago, to just plain bad now.

[A Disney Dreamer]

The food is expensive, unappealing to the eye, and tastes like something you can get at McDonalds. Food sucks at Disneyland and it needs to IMPROVE GREATLY. Hey, if they charge you 70 bucks to get into the darn place, I expect a good, tasty, appealing meal!

[ladyalmalthea]

I'm an easy please, but I really lkike the pizza at Red Rocket, and speaghetti at Carnation Plaza.
Other than that, I avoid food cause it's so freakiin expensive.
Daisy's Diner is the one place I would never eat there. My friend got a horrible case of food poisoning last time he was there.

[Pisces]

I haven't been going as consistently for enough years to judge. I've really liked Plaza Inn's Breakfast with Minnie, and I had that twice on very high-traffic days, it was sensational.

French Market's fried chicken was good. Had that on a very high-traffic day, both in 2004 and 2005, and didn't notice any slip or decrease in the quality.

Blue Bayou was fair. Had Blue Bayou in 2004, and wasn't too too too impressed, considering the high prices, but I don't know that Blue Bayou was ever all that outstanding anyway.

That being said, Disneyland was never at the level of Knotts, foodwise. And, Knotts, although still tasty, has really slipped.

Knotts has fallen far faster than Disneyland, and Knotts set the bar much higher food-wise, from the outset, than Disneyland ever did.

My disappointment is a lot greater with Knotts, because my food expectations were always higher with them.

[Fantasmico!]

I think many many customers are much more food savvy these days and are willing to pay for good food and decent service, regardless of the poor experience of DCA.

DL is a whole different animal and the more upscale restaurants would have had a better chance in this park. Especially if the restaurant or buffetteria is well themed. I know when I ate at the French Market a couple of years ago, the OOgie Boogie themeing was part of the attraction. It helped that the food was pretty good too.

The mangagement has been paying attention to the lowest common denominator too long. There is a place for great burgers and hot dogs no doubt; but I think there is even greater place for "real" food.