Good Counter Serve Options?

[LGND]

Ok, so now I'm waiting the 163 days till we're back at WDW...

(For those not counting along... it's a late October trip)

Anywho...

I've already booked our table service meals, but my wife has declared "no burgers, no chicken strips for lunch"

So now I'm looking for counter service restaurants that offer somthing else...

Here are the gaps I need to fill...
Day 1 - Late Arrival - no meals

Day 2 - Magic Kingdom
Breakfast - Crystal Palace - great way to start a trip
Lunch - ??? probably just snack
Dinner - Cinderella's Royal Table

Day 3 - Animal Kingdom - Studios in evening
Breakfast - ???
Lunch - ??? Flame Tree?
Dinner - Mama Melrose or Sci-Fi
(I've booked Melrose, but we might switch, comments/suggestions?)

Day 4 - Offsite, back in time for dinner at Boma

Day 5 - Epcot
Breakfast - ???
Lunch - Biergarten
Dinner - Browse our way around Food & Wine Festival

Day 6 - offsite till late

Day 7 - Animal Kingdom
Breakfast - ???
Lunch - ??? (possibly in water park for afternoon)
Dinner - Ohana (then off to MNSSHP - is it ok to go to dinner in costume or should we just go back and change? - we'll be staying at Wilderness Lodge so not too much trouble)

Day 8 - Not sure where we'll be most of the day...
Breakfast - ???
Lunch - ???
Dinner - Teppan Edo

Hmmm... looks like we need mostly breakfast options with just a couple lunches...

Last time my wife and I mostly did pastry/bakery stuff for breakfast... either used a few 'snack' credits, or split a 'counter' credit...

So... any suggestions?

 

[Iknewagirlnamed]

I see that on one day you're going to Epcot and need a breakfast option. The Land's Sunshine Seasons quick service has many an option. The majority is more for lunch but I believe they do offer breakfast as well

 

[daringstoic]

I'd second the Sunshine Seasons idea. That's one of my favorite QS restaurants. Almost all of the pavilions in World Showcase have their own QS restaurants that serve cheaper food from that country. I'm a fan of the Japan one, and my Dad really likes the UK's fish and chips. The Noodle station in Tomorrowland (if it's open. It seems to be closed a lot.) is also a good option if you don't want the standard burgers and fries meal. Pinocchio's Village Haus now serves pizza (possibly pasta? I haven't eaten there since they changed their menu a while back) in Fantasyland. The Columbia Harbor House in Liberty Square also has decent fish, I've been told. At the Studios, the QS place near Indy (can't think of its name right now) used to have a little more variety, if I remember correctly, but your best bet there will be the Commissary. They have a rather unique menu there (by that I mean we can't eat there anymore because my brother won't eat anything but burgers and chicken fingers...). At DAK, Pizzafari sells mini pizzas, some sort of pasta, and salads. They may do a chicken parmesan meal, but I'm not sure about it, and I'm not sure how good it would be anyway. Flame Tree's a pretty good option, I think. I've never eaten there before, so I'm not sure what they offer.
Outside the parks, I'm a big fan of the Poly's QS place, the one at the Wilderness Lodge, Pop's food court, and the Pepper Market at Coronado Springs (it's kind of a hybrid QS/TS place).

Hope this helps.

 

[brkgnews]

I see that on one day you're going to Epcot and need a breakfast option. The Land's Sunshine Seasons quick service has many an option. The majority is more for lunch but I believe they do offer breakfast as well

They do, indeed offer a respectable breakfast at Sunshine Seasons.

Many counter service eateries have evolved beyond burgers and chicken strips... you'll find freshly-made sandwiches, roll-up style wraps, and even in some cases pasta dishes and such. Many of EPCOT's World Showcase pavilions also offer a counter service option with authentic cuisine.

 

[lpet11984]

For MK, we love Casey's for a hot dog/corn dog nuggets- very tasty. If that's a little too close to the burger/chicken strips relm though, (if they're open) the Tomorrowland Noodle Station has some great Asian/other options.

Also, it's generally pretty easy to find some bakery/pastry type stuff in the mornings for breakfast; there's a bakery on main street in MK, Sunshine Seasons in Epcot has bakery stuffs, a few different stands in DHS, and I think there is even a stand just out side the gates to AK that sells bakery items/coffee so you can eat while you wait in line if you are early risers.

 

[figment3258]

For a great breakfast at the animal kingdom we go to the rainforest cafe. Its one of our favorites.
For the diner choice between mama's and sci-fi I would choses in a heart beat Mama's. You might also want to consider getting the fantasmic package there. What that is is it allows you to walk right in a back way to fantasmic with out waiting for seats to the show. Its 32.99$ adults but that gets you an appetizer, main dish and a dessert. So if you add it up its much cheaper.

For a breakfast before going to epcot I would recommend chef mickeys. Its great.

hope this helps!

 

[tdonald]

My Favorite CS:

MK: Main Street Bakery (Best Breakfast), Columbia Harbour House (Best Food), Cosmic Rays (Best Variety)

Epcot: Sunshine Seasons (Best Breakfast), Tangeirine Cafe (Best Food), Sommerfest (Best Value), Cantina de San Angel (Good Food, Great View)

DHS: (No really good breakfast,), Toluca Leg Turkey Co. (Good Variety), Pizza Planet (Good Pizza)

AK: (No good breakfast), Flame Tree Barbecue (Great Ribs), Anandapur Local Cafes (Good Asian Food)

Best Breakfast around property: Boma, Grand Floridian Cafe, Kona Cafe, Spoodles, Captain's Grille

By far, the best counter service breakfast at WDW is Captain Cook's at the Polynesian. It's only a short walk from the TTC and MK Parking Lot, and is downstairs from the Poly's monorail stop.

Hope I gave you some suggestions. Have fun! :wave:

 

[MPitzen]

I have not yet tried the renovated wolfgang puck express in downtown disney for Breakfast, however the new menu looks amazing:

Applewood Smoked Bacon Pizza - scrambled eggs, Niman Ranch Bacon, mozzarella and cheddar cheese and Ranch Dressing $8.95
Wolfgang's Breakfast Pocket -Scrambled eggs, peppers, Niman Ranch Bacon, onions, mushrooms, mozzarella and cheddar cheese baked into Wolfgang's pizza dough $8.95
Belgian Waffles - served with seasonal fresh fruit, maple syrup and whipped cream $8.50
Chocolate Chip Waffles - served with Maple syrup and whipped cream $8.95
Crispy Cornflake French Toast - served with seasonal fruit $8.95
Bagel with cream cheese $2.95
House-baked Everything Bialy $2.95
Breakfast Cereal with milk $2.50
Omelets
Served with garlic-roasted potatoes
Denver, Denver - peppers, ham, onions, mushrooms, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses $8.95
Three Cheese, Tomato and Basil - mazzarella, parmesan and creamy goat cheese $8.95
Spinach, Mushroom and Cheese - mozzarella and fontina cheese $8.95
Breakfast Extras
Garlic Roasted Potatoes $2.95
Applewood Smoked Bacon $3.95
Grilled Sausage $3.95
Oven-warmed Focacia Bread $1.95
Fresh Fruit Cup $3.95
Whole Fresh Fruit $1.95
Cereal, plain $1.50​

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

We also try to plan our counter service, its the only way to avoid the burger and fry cycle.
We always go to the Flame Tree Grill and if we are lucky enough to find it open Pirata Y El perico. We also try to balance it with where and when we have table service.

At Epcot - China, Morroco and Germany
At MGM - its pretty average all over but we gravitate to the Backlot Express or the commissary, The Flat bread Grill was good but wasnt open on our last visit.

 

[wdwfan100]

I have always enjoyes Cosmic Rays at the MK. There is a good variety of food choices and good entertainment (Sunny Eclipse)

 

[GoofyforWDW]

Not sure about lunch in the parks as we always come out for the afternoon and go back later in the evening. I have heard Flame Tree @ AKL is very good.

We have tried to go to as many resorts for lunch as possible in the past so we have a chance to look around each.

Here are some of my fav's:

Pepper Market @ Coronado Springs - lots of choice from steak, chinese, mexican, salads, pizza, burger, rotisserie chicken and more. Great value!

Port Orleans French Quarter - more choice than burger and chicken strips, they had pizza, salads, chicken wraps, quesidillas (cant spell) and a few more I cant remember. Also you must try the beignets for dessert, totally scrummy!

Wolfgang Puck Express @ DTD - fab menu, see all ears and you get china plate and proper cutlery. Nice to get out of the sun and take a wander around marketplace to walk off lunch.

Take a look at all ears menus to get some ideas.

Sorry cant help with breakfasts as just grab a pastry with snack credit.

Have fun and Enjoy :sohappy:

 

[elenarae]

If you are going to be a Disney Studios at lunch - the Backlot Express has a very good grilled turkey sandwich. I am not sure of what kind of bread it is, very tasty with turkey, arugla, and roasted red peppers. It comes with fries and I think the option of carrot sticks. Very tasty! I had that last trip(July 07) and looking forward to going there again on next trip (June 09).