Hahahaha!! So true......
I always try to bring snacks & save money for the actual dining.
Pecos Bills in Frontierland - I cannot remember the price, but they have this large taco which you can fill up with lots of food. Easily fed two of us - at a push we probably could have fed another.
Also, another under the radar item to eat at Disney World is the 1/2 chicken dinner. The dish is sold at a number of locations (Cosmic Rays and Liberty Tree Tavern in Magic Kingdom, and Flame Tree BBQ in Animal Kingdom). It's more than enough food to split and comes with 2 sides.
Another kinda under the radar place is Starring Rolls at Disney Hollywood Studios. Every day at lunchtime, a limited number of massive cold-cut sandwiches are available first come first serve. They're not on the menu, but start selling around 11 AM, so don't bother if you can't get there before noon. The sandwiches are gigantic, served on focaccia bread, and more than enough for two or nibbling on throughout the day.
The point of this discussion was not necessarily cheap food, but what places gives you the best food at a relativity good price tag.
Here are mine:
Magic Kingdom- Columbia Harbor House, Pecos Bill
EPCOT- Nine Dragons, Biergarden, Sunshine Food Fair, Tangerine Cafe
DHS- Backlot Dining Company
AK- Flame Tree BBQ, Yak and Yeti
Epcot: Via Napoli (way too much food)
HS: Toy Story Pizza Planet (Cheap and good)
Epcot: Via Napoli (way too much food)
HS: Toy Story Pizza Planet (Cheap and good)
At Epcot, I like the Norway bakery. Last time we went we had the club and ham & apple sandwiches (both excellent), as well as Lefse and School Bread. Later on that same visit, during Illuminations, we had an almond covered dessert pretzel and it was great as well. The bakery in Norway is amazing.
In DHS, the Prime Time Cafe is probably the best, most reasonable full service joint at the park, and the food is very good. Fried chicken, meatloaf, and chicken noodle soup are all recommended. Also, the desserts are great, especially the PB&J shake which is worth every calorie.
For counter service at DHS, the Starring Rolles Cafe is the best option if you follow this tip: get a turkey sandwich and a bagel. There is so much turkey on the sandwich that you can take half of it off and put it on the bagel. You now have two sandwiches and saved about $6 in the process.
At DAK, Pizzafari is a good value (the pizza is not great, but the hot Italian sandwich is well above average, and the A/C is a Godsend). Also the Yak & Yeti counter service stand has a few decent, full-service-restaurant-quality items for a slightly higher budget. But our favorite food at DAK was the jalapeno cheese stuffed pretzel from the Safari Pretzel stand on Discovery Island (as well as the Harambe fruit stand). Not too expensive and big enough to share - although I don't recommend sharing in this case! =)
Outside of the parks, a short walk from the Magic Kingdom at the Contemporary Resort, is the Contempo Cafe. Last time we visited Orlando, we arrived at the Cafe at about noon, and despite it being peak time for lunch on a very busy day at the park, there were just a few visitors present (as expected - it is almost always easier to get lunch outside of the theme parks). We ordered our food at self service kiosks, paid, then sat down waiting for our order to be filled. The food was fresh and delicious, definitely a cut above what I was expecting. And the coup de grace was a dulce de leche cupcake that was out of this world good! I definitely think the Contempo Cafe is a hidden gem.
Epcot is a wonder of food goodies. The Kringla Bakery in Norway is one of the best places to grab a snack or even lunch. Those sweet pretzels, HEAVEN! The San Angel Tavern is also a good stop for a quick bite that isn't just a burger or chicken.
DHS has some good choices, most of which have already been posted here. The only place I'd add in would be the Sci-Fi Drive In, which gives you a good amount of food for the price.
As for DAK, I never make it past the eggrolls ;)
The one big rule that my parents have is they really try to steer away from hamburgers, hotdogs, and pizza when we are at the Disney Parks. There are few exceptions, but if we are going to pay all that money and only get a hamburger, it better be awesome. Here are my thoughts on some of the others mentioned.
Big winner seems to be Columbia Harbor House! I completely agree. The food is actually pretty good and its something beyond hamburgers and hotogs.
I partially agree with Pecos Bill because the topping bar makes up for a pretty mediocre hamburger. Its paired up with Toruga Tavern (the taco place) which gives guests some options.
Flame Tree BBQ is my favorite counter service place in WDW. I also think its the best value in price/what you get.
I like the Earl of Sandwich too and defiantly a great deal.
I found the DHS breakdown a bit interesting, but I would go with 50s Prime Time cafe just because I find their menu a little bigger. Its also pretty creative.
I have never tried the Plaza Resturant, but I will have to stop by
Via Napoli, which I love, wouldn't really be a bang for your buck since it is pretty expensive. I do think it is the best Pizza in WDW.
Surprised that nobody mentioned buffets. I would have thought that the all you can eat would make it on the list!
