Save money: eat cheap & better food off Disney property

[AlohaStitch]

Originally Posted by d1mex

IHOP anyone?

The IHOP on Harbor across from Disneyland has horrific food and is mega-expensive. ( And I normally love IHOP). After eating there last time, I would advise staying away if your looking for less expensive food and better quality. If you want a sit-down restaurant, Mimi's can't be beat.

[Ortizmo2000]

Originally Posted by HouseOfTheFuture

Just more reason to believe people criticize Disneyland just for the hell of it.

No, not for the hell of it. Because the food inside the parks (with a handful of exceptions) is overpriced and substandard. The original poster is asking for alternatives, however offensive they may be to you.

If your idea, however, of a gourmet feast is a dried out, 25-minute old burger with a little bit of tomato-riffic zest at only .99 extra and a shake made from generic chocolate syrup and ground chalk then you're in luck....
The Taste Pilot's Grill is right next to Soarin'.

[HouseOfTheFuture]

Originally Posted by Ortizmo2000

No, not for the hell of it. Because the food inside the parks (with a handful of exceptions) is overpriced and substandard. The original poster is asking for alternatives, however offensive they may be to you.

If your idea, however, of a gourmet feast is a dried out, 25-minute old burger with a little bit of tomato-riffic zest at only .99 extra and a shake made from generic chocolate syrup and ground chalk then you're in luck....
The Taste Pilot's Grill is right next to Soarin'.

If Taste Pilot is disgusting to you then I really don't see how you can say Mcdonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, or whatever is some great alternative. Those restaurants truly are disgusting. Say overpriced, I can understand that. Any themepark/ballgame/concert food is overpriced. But don't sit there and say that truly horrible fast food that is barely considered food is better than what you can buy at Disneyland because I really DO call BULL on that.

[CAspace]

Go out the gates from Main Street make a left directly across the street is Mcdonalds, Mimi's and IHOP are directly across the street!

Yes my freinds, this is what it has come to.
Maybe someone in Disneyland management will realize that they can offer a decent burger or decent food. Granted most "theme park" food will be expensive, but it does not have to be crap. At Disneyland the food is expensive and crap, to top it off they have the audacity to charge us 99 cents extra for a slice of Tomato! Sorry folks, I cannot let that slide.

When a 1 dollar burger at mcdonalds is better then a $8+ burger anywhere at Disneyland, "Houston, I think we have a problem"

[DLFreak71]

Originally Posted by CAspace

Go out the gates from Main Street make a left directly across the street is Mcdonalds, Mimi's and IHOP are directly across the street!

Yes my freinds, this is what it has come to.
Maybe someone in Disneyland management will realize that they can offer a decent burger or decent food. Granted most "theme park" food will be expensive, but it does not have to be crap. At Disneyland the food is expensive and crap, to top it off they have the audacity to charge us 99 cents extra for a slice of Tomato! Sorry folks, I cannot let that slide.

When a 1 dollar burger at mcdonalds is better then a $8+ burger anywhere at Disneyland, "Houston, I think we have a problem"

Sorry,
I don't think McD's is the solution
When one has to cover it in salt to hide the bad taste, I don't consider that a better burger.
Mimi's I will say is a good option.

[CAspace]

Originally Posted by DLFreak71

Sorry,
I don't think McD's is the solution
When one has to cover it in salt to hide the bad taste, I don't consider that a better burger.
Mimi's I will say is a good option.

Find me a burger at Disneyland that is better then McDonalds.
Believe me, I am not happy about this either.

As for other options, McDonalds has a $1 salad you can purchase. Very healthy and it tastes good with the Paul Newman dressing.

Chicken Mgnuggets are way cheaper and better then DL.

So for 15 dollars you can feed your family at McDonalds and get a consistently better meal, for much less money and hassle then from DL.

I hope one day this will change. If DL offered quality food, I can understand the standard theme park "upcharge" but with the current quality, there is no justification.

[Disneyfanaddict]

I think I had a thread about the burgers inside Disneyland. I'll have to look for it, but I totally agree. I wish they could serve us a good burger!!

[Meville]

Originally Posted by Bob Weaver

I had never heard of Poutine before this moment. Sounds good, but it also sounds like it could be another heart-attack-on-a-plate dish. Saturated fat, more fat, and more fat. I love cheese curds though.

Costco also used to sell soft pretzels at the food court, but discontinued them when they realized they were selling many more churros than pretzels. Too bad because I like pretzels a lot more.

Yeah Poutine is pretty great...but only once in a while. With great Fries, gravy and cheese comes great responsibility.



Also to the people compalining about Disney food, at least they give you an option to eat other things in the parks.(edit: completly wrong, see below) I was shocked that Knotts doesn't allow outside food or drink, except for Water or Sports drinks. They even search for it in your bag. Then once inside they have the balls to charge $4 for a bottle of soda.

Good thing they don't check very good

[Darkbeer]

Originally Posted by Meville

Also to the people compalining about Disney food, at least they give you an option to eat other things in the parks.

HUH?

Disneyland Resort | Dining Frequently Asked Questions

With the exception of food items for Guests with specific dietary restrictions, food or beverage items are not permitted into either of the Disneyland® Resort theme parks.

[Meville]

Originally Posted by Darkbeer

HUH?

Disneyland Resort | Dining Frequently Asked Questions

Hehee...


Wow, clearly I am completely wrong, but it is really funny (not funny haha, but funny, strange) that I have never once been stopped, even with a backpack of food no less. Last Friday we went down to watch the fireworks and we brought food from Mcdonalds to eat while we waited...crazy. We brought food in with every other major park around the area and never once got questioned about it.

I feel like a rebel now...lol.

[sediment]

Originally Posted by Darkbeer

HUH?

Disneyland Resort | Dining Frequently Asked Questions

That rule is enforced on par with the "return time frame" on FastPasses.

[Darkbeer]

Actually, it is MORE enforced than FP return times, but not much more.... Here is what I wrote on another board earlier today in regards to the "food" question.....

Some hints based on what I have seen at the security check.

Loafs of Bread - NO!

Premade Individual sandwiches that are spread throughout the group - OK (Note the comment about being spread out, having 10 sandwiches in the same bag is a no-no).

A Bucket of Chicken - NO!

Chicken in smaller containers/bags - OK (once again, it is SMART to not have one person carry all the food).

No Hard Coolers.

No Glass containers. (Some exceptions for Baby Food and Medically needed items).

No Alcohol.

But if it is "snacks" and not a picnic or major meal, you should be fine. (NOTE: it is up to the CM checking your bags to make the final determination.)

Just make sure the food is spread out over the entire group, and that it is not a LARGE amount in a single bag.

[yoyoflamingo]

Originally Posted by Darkbeer

Actually, it is MORE enforced than FP return times, but not much more.... Here is what I wrote on another board earlier today in regards to the "food" question.....

I've seen an entire KFC meal in the Central Plaza of DCA...don't know how serious the food checks still are, but they have been pretty lax when i've been there.

[Meville]

Originally Posted by Darkbeer

Actually, it is MORE enforced than FP return times, but not much more.... Here is what I wrote on another board earlier today in regards to the "food" question.....

Well, again, I am glad that we were not asked to leave our food at the door at Disneyland/DCA. While my family doesn`t have any dietary issues, we had budget, and very picky eater issues that would make it very difficult to always dine in the Park. I wonder if we will see an tightening of the belts on this policy to increase park revene?

I just found it to be very...interesting that Knotts is so intent on not letting customers bring food into the park.

[sediment]

Originally Posted by Darkbeer

Actually, it is MORE enforced than FP return times, but not much more.... Here is what I wrote on another board earlier today in regards to the "food" question.....

Whoa, you're seeing other boards?? And all this time I thought we were exclusive....

I agree that this is more of a game against the security folks, whereas the return time on an FP is consciously ignored by CMs.