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Top 5 Budget Friendly Table-Service Restaurants in Disney World: A Tip From the DFB Guide

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The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining

–is chock full of foodie info! Let’s take a look at another tip from the book — The Top 5 table-service restaurants in Walt Disney World for those dining on a tight budget…

Milky Way Sundae — Beaches and Cream

We chose these options because they are less expensive than other table-service locations, but also because we genuinely like to dine in these restaurants. A cheap price isn’t the only thing that makes dining in a restaurant worth it; good food and good atmosphere definitely have to be taken into account! So here are our favorite low-cost spots for taking a relaxing break from the hectic pace of the parks:

Top 5 Table-Service Restaurants on a Budget
» Beaches and Cream: This fun diner in Disney’s Beach Club Resort is tiny, but worth the wait! Order classic burgers and hot dogs, and the biggest ice cream sundaes you’ve ever seen!

» Trail’s End Restaurant: Tucked away at Fort Wilderness Resort, this country-style eatery is a buffet for breakfast and dinner and an a la carte spot for lunch. Be sure to try the sticky bun sundae!

» The Plaza: A small restaurant a stone’s throw from Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom, this spot specializes in comfort food! We love the price, the service, and the view!

» The Fountain: Another diner reminiscent of the 50’s, this Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin restaurant has more milkshake varieties than we could try in a month of Sundays!

» 50’s Prime Time Café: One of our favorites for food and atmosphere, this Hollywood Studios diner themed to Mom’s 1950’s kitchen serves up some great fried chicken and pot roast, and will likely make you laugh ’til you cry!

Top Five Budget Friendly Restaurants at Disney World

You’ll find this and 19 more Top 5 lists of favorites in the The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining!

What are some of your favorite budget-friendly restaurants in Walt Disney World? Let us know in the comments section below.

Disney Food Post Round-Up: March 20, 2011

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Cupcake from Hollywood Studios

Hi, all! My biggest and favorite news of the week is the launch of The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining! A hearty THANK YOU to those who have purchased a copy; it’s been such an honor to hear positive comments and feedback this week. I’m truly grateful.

Also, I’ve been reporting from Disney World since Thursday and will continue to do so until Wednesday. Watch my feed on facebook and twitter for real-time updates and photos from the World!

And now, on to the round-up!

DisZine shares the news about The Wave’s new breakfast buffet in Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

About Theme Parks shares the results from the Readers’ Choice Awards!

Main St. Gazette takes us to Mexico’s San Angel Inn in Epcot!

Pooh’s Travels writes about Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen in Disneyland!

Studios Central follows up on last week’s Sunset Ranch Market post by explaining the trucks of produce nearby in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Wonderland Tea Party: A Tip From the DFB Guide

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The celebration of our new e-Book — The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining — continues! Let’s take a look at a fantastic kid event that’s highlighted as part of the Special Dining Events for Kids section of the book!

Alice at Grand Floridian (image (c) Disney)

At the Wonderland Tea Party, kids (4-10) will enjoy tea (okay, it’s just apple juice ;-)), stories, arts & crafts, games, and a make-your-own cupcake. Of course, some special Wonderland friends will stop by too. Look for Alice and the Mad Hatter. Although characters are subject to change, they seem to appear most frequently.

Check the schedule as it seems to change. Current times are Monday through Friday afternoons from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. You’ll find the tea party in the Victorian splendor of the Grand Floridian’s 1900 Park Fare Restaurant. Parents will receive photos of their child enjoying the festivities on a PhotoPass card. To book your child at this wonderful event, call 407-WDW-DINE 90 days in advance. Space is very limited and the current price is $42.60.

During your blissful hour of quiet, enjoy a lunch at the Grand Floridian Cafe, shopping or a spa treatment!

Curious for more information?

Get the scoop on this and more dining events for kids in The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining!

After all, more events for kids means more time for a spa treatment for you!

What events do your kids recommend? Let us know in the comments below!

Guest Review: Evergreens at Shades of Green Resort

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A big salute to Steve Bell of Military Disney Tips for the intel on this Shades of Green restaurant.
Evergreens is a sports pub styled light eatery located at the Shades of Green Resort at Walt Disney World. Evergreens, located next to the Magnolia pool (the only pool on Disney property shaped like Mickey’s head icon) is a convenient spot to grab your lunch while enjoying some R&R by the pool.

Shades of Green Magnolia Pool

As the prices are reasonable, it’s also a budget-friendly place to grab a light dinner after a day in the parks. Evergreens serves sandwiches, wraps and burgers as well as salads, pizzas and snacks. The salads, wraps and sandwiches are quite good but the 8″ pizzas need improvement. (If you are in the mood for pizza I definitely would [Read more…]

A Hot Spot for Great Coffee in Disney World: A Tip From the DFB Guide

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We continue to celebrate our new e-Book — The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining — with fun info from the book! To give you an idea of what you’ll be getting, here’s another helpful tip from the e-Book!

Kona Island Coffee Bar at Polynesian Resort

As many of you know, it can be difficult to find a great cup of joe in Walt Disney World. Oh, sure, there’s plenty of that Nescafe instant stuff to wake you up. Yet, for those guests that want more than a morning jolt from their mug of coffee, you’ll have to arm yourself with a treasure map (or a copy of our e-Book!).

For travelers staying at the Polynesian Resort, you have two locations for a great cup of coffee. Try the Kona Cafe and/or the Kona Island Coffee Bar next door! Guests visiting the Magic Kingdom can easily stop at the Polynesian to grab a cup to go. The coffee bar is located just inside the doors on the second floor — just steps from the monorail!

The Kona Blend used by these locations is grown in Hawaii and is served regular and decaf, and you can order a Regular or Grande size. (We recommend the Grande since it’ll be a while before your next good cup of coffee.)

Read more about the Kona Cafe plus 2 more pages full of information on great coffee hot spots in Walt Disney World!

Find it all here in the The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining!

What are your favorite hot spots for coffee in WDW? Let us know in the comments below!

(Miniature) Additions at the Confectionery

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Found a couple of mini items at the Main Street Confectionery in Disney World today that I had to share!

Cookie Bites
First — three kinds of cookie bites. These look just like the giant “normal sized” cookies you can get in the parks, but they’ve been shrunk down to what many of us would consider to be the size of the standard cookies we bake at home. However, at Disney, these are considered bite-size!

Three Kinds of Mini Cookies

You can purchase Raspberry White Chocolate cookies (which have chocolate chips in them as well for some reason), Chocolate chip supreme cookies, and delectable [Read more…]

Unique Meals for Kids: A Tip From the DFB Guide

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We can’t wait to share more awesome Disney dining info from our 2013 Edition of the The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining e-Book! Today, let’s check out some more great tips from the Guide!

Pork Egg Roll

Making Food Fun for Kids
At first glance, the kids’ meals at WDW seem boring. But they don’t have to be! There really are locations to get more than chicken nuggets or mac ‘n cheese. With some advance planning, your family can visit restaurants that offer some very tasty alternatives for kids!

Take the monotony out of your menus for kids and plan to dine at Yak & Yeti in the Animal Kingdom where they have egg rolls and lo mein on the kids’ menu!

Need a table-service restaurant that offers more than kid pizza? In the Magic Kingdom, Tony’s Town Square has a fun menu for the kids in your party. One option is a cheeseburger calzone! Now that’s definitely more interesting than another personal pizza.

And at Tokyo Dining in Epcot, your kiddos can have teriyaki chicken or tempura shrimp!

Ready for All of Our Best Disney World Tips?

We’ve got TONS of Disney World Dining Tips in our big, bold, 450-page DFB Guide to Walt Disney World® Dining 2014 — and the guide is your ticket to planning your best Disney trip yet!

mini_guide2014_300x250

The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World® Dining 2014 is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 20+ years of visits. We’ve done the research for you, so you’ll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family’s needs!

With sample dining itineraries, plus our “Disney Dining at a Glance” section, featuring “Where Can I Find?” options, you’ll have everything you need to plan the best vacation ever. Click here to get your copy of The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World® Dining 2014 E-book — and use code 2014 for an extra $4 discount for a limited time!

Dining in Disneyland: Tortilla Jo’s Taqueria in Downtown Disney

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Dining in Disneyland columnist Heather Sievers spices things up at Tortilla Jo’s Taqueria in Disneyland’s Downtown Disney district!

When you’re in the mood for Mexican and don’t have the time or budget for a full sit down restaurant meal, the small  Taqueria outside of Tortilla Jo’s is the perfect dining solution.  My family and I LOVE Tortilla Jo’s, however, a meal inside the “regular” restaurant takes a minimum of one hour (worth it if you have the time) and that’s with a reservation or without a wait.

Tortilla Jo's Taqueria

The colorful Taqueria can not be missed as you are walking through Downtown Disney.  It is located directly across from Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen, closer to the hotels than the parks.  Their outdoor-only seating consists of [Read more…]

Counter-Service Money-Saving Tip from the DFB Guide

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As many of you know, we launched the latest Edition of our awesome Disney Dining e-Book — The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining! And we’ve got some great Disney dining info from the e-Book for you today!

Cosmic Ray’s Bacon Double Cheeseburger with Fries

First up, one of our favorite counter-service money-saving tips! Some folks would rather not have the side items with their counter-service meal, but they feel strange asking to get the entree alone. Well guess what! Not only is that not strange, it can also save you some dough!

If you’re thinking that you’d rather skip the fries, ask the cast member for the “entree-only,” without the side dishes. This should knock off the cost of the fries or other side dish and leave you paying only for the main event!

So I guess this means that not only will you save money, but also calories… we could be onto something here!

Find this and over MANY other top money-saving tips for eating in Walt Disney World in The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining e-Book! We also have a full chapter dedicated to how to find and make use of Disney World dining discounts, coupon programs, membership programs, and more!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.

Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.

Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!

What are some of your favorite money-saving tips in WDW? Let us know in the comments below!

Disney Food for Families: Learning Opportunities for the Budding Chef

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Disney Food for Families columnist Erin Foster captures some great ways to encourage your kids’ love of cooking!

Obviously one of the many reasons that families find Disney destinations to be such compelling vacation spots is that the parks and resorts are fully prepared to accommodate the interests of children. At various points, all of my girls have been captivated with the idea of becoming a chef (well, at least until they began to realize that kitchens have to be cleaned after they are used).

Disney does a wonderful job of indulging the interests of the budding chef by allowing children, and their parents, plentiful opportunities to observe and interact with the real-life culinary craftspeople that make the food magic happen.

Where to Learn from the Masters: Sweets

Our favorite Walt Disney World venue for chef interaction is at Goofy’s Candy Company at Downtown Disney. On one recent trip, my girls and I spent over an hour standing at the candy prep counter there watching a cast member make pan after pan of swoon-inducing fudge.

Fudge in the pan

Fudge prep at Goofy's Candy Company

We have found that the cast members there are particularly gracious in taking the time to explain to curious bystanders exactly what they are doing, and why. We’ve even been offered small tasting spoonfuls of warm fudge batter to better assess the product as it transforms from [Read more…]

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