Top Things to Eat at Disneyland and Universal Studios

When I was searching on the internet before my recent LA trip, I realized there were no good blog posts on what to eat in Disneyland or Universal Studios! It was quite frustrating because I'm the type of person that needs to know in advance and can't take the risk of not knowing what great eats are hidden inside these theme parks. So for anyone who is remotely like me... here is my real (and honest) post on:

 Just to clarify, I went to the Disneyland and Universal Studios in California, so the food options in other Disney parks (like Orlando) may vary. And.. oh a special kudos to Snorlax, My food buddy who recommended all of these awesome food choices to me before I went on this trip!

1. Frozen Apple Juice at 'Fun & Fruity' Drink Stall

In the blasting heat, you must try to cool down somehow. So look for their "Fun & Fruity Drink" stand for some good ol' slushies.

They have three flavours: Blue Raspberry, Cherry, and and Frozen Apple Juice.

The Frozen Apple Juice ($4.75) was refreshing and sweet. If you don't like artificial flavours, then this drink is for you. Meta Knight and I decided to get a Half Blue Raspberry Half Apple Juice ($4.75) and I really enjoyed it.

2. Corn Chowder at French Market

After being declined at Cafe Orleans (where their famous Monte Cristo sandwich is at), we headed over to the "French Market" next door for some New Orleans eats. Hint: if you want to dine at any sit-in restaurant inside Disneyland, make sure you call ahead to make reservations at least one day in advance.

French Market is a 'pay-first, then-find-a-seat' type of place. The atmosphere is really open and a lot of people were dining here.

I got the Jambalaya ($14) which was assembled in front of me with dirty rice, chorizo sausages, carrots, potatoes, shrimp, and chicken. It also came with a cornbread side.

Out of curiosity I ordered Mint Julep ($3.75) which is a minty refreshing drink that have been around for ages and is quite popular in the South. This is definitely a hate-it-or-love-it beverage, and for me, I absolutely hated it. It tasted like mouthwash because of the spearmint but other people might find it refreshing. :P

Their Corn Chowder in Sourdough Bread Bowl ($9.95) was surprisingly delicious and even in this photo you can see the generous portion and large amount of yummy corn kernels.

Their Meatloaf ($14) is made with chicken, beef, turkey, lamb, and Meta Knight said it was quite delicious. He also appreciated the abundance of veggies because everyone knows how hard it is to get your greens on vacation.

3. Dole Whip in Enchanted Tiki Room

Near Tarzan's Treehouse and Indiana Jones is "Enchanted Tiki Room" and thats where you'll find the famous Dole Whip Soft-Serve ($3.79).

They are alternative choices to the soft serve ice-cream such as fresh pineapple juice, fresh pineapple spears, and a Dole Whip float (soft serve on top of pineapple juice).

So.. what is Dole Whip?? It's a soft serve pineapple flavored ice-cream that is like a tiny piece of paradise. It's incredibly refreshing and can really only be found in Disneyland, DisneyWorld and Hawaii. Don't ask, JUST GET IT and thank me later!

4. "Jumbo" Turkey Leg

In a random stall in Disneyland (not California Adventure Park), you can find the famous JUMBO Turkey Leg for $9.79. This large chunk of meat is not to be missed in Disneyland because it's one of the most well known items to get when visiting the theme park.

The turkey leg is ginormous and had a surprisingly complex depth of smokey flavour.

Share this turkey leg with someone or you won't have enough stomach room to eat anything else!

5. Cobb Salad and Tuna Melt from Earl of Sandwich

In Downtown Disney, you'll find my favourite sandwich joint: Earl of Sandwich. There is also a location in Vegas in Planet Hollywood (post here and here).

They serve both breakfast and regular hot sandwiches.

All their ingredients are fresh and their bread is baked daily. You can really tell the difference.

Every time I go to Earl of Sandwich I HAVE to get their Earl Grey Lemonade ($2.99). It's an incredibly refreshing combination of lemonade and earl grey tea. Yum!

Their Clam Chowder ($3.49) was so good we came back at night to have seconds!

I highly recommend the Cobb Salad ($6.99) for your daily dose of veggies while not giving up taste. The romaine lettuce comes with cucumbers, chicken, fresh tomatoes, cranberries, cheese, bacon, and ranch dressing.

Their signature gold wrapping. Looks like a brick of gold. :)

The Full Montagu ($6.99) on whole wheat artisan bread. It didn't taste as delicious as the Vegas location but it was undoubtedly satisfying.

Their roast beef is sliced in-house and is always slightly pinkish. So tender...so juicy.

Though the Full Montagu is great, the one sandwich you should really get is the Tuna Melt ($6.99). Their melt is the best tuna sandwich I've ever had and has an absurdly substantial amount of tuna, cheese, and mayo. Can it get any more indulgent?

The Earls Club ($6.99) has the classic ingredients of thinly sliced roast beef, horseradish, and mustard.

On our dinner visit, I got a Banana ($.99), Brownie ($2.29), and Yogurt Parfait ($4).

6. Churros

You can find Churros at almost any stall in Disneyland and you'll almost always see people eating it.

If you don't know what it is, Churros are referred to as a Spanish doughnut coated in cinnamon sugar. It's normally eaten as a snack or for breakfast when dipped in chocolate. Go to Downtown Disney and you'll find flavoured Churros!

7. Lobster Roll at Harbour Galley

The Harbour Galley is near the pond in the middle of the park but it's surprisingly hidden away and hard to spot. If you want lobster roll, clam chowder, or shrimp salad, ask a staff for directions!

Their Lobster Rolls are $13.99 which is actually pretty affordable. It comes with a side of chips too.

None of us really enjoyed the Clam Chowder ($9.59) in the sourdough bread bowl because it was wayyy too thick.

Their Lobster Roll ($13.99) is in a traditional brioche bun and served lukewarm. It wasn't the best lobster roll I've had, but it's better than a lot of other food items in the park.

8. Gru's Backyard BBQ Rotisserie Chicken at Gru's Lab Cafe (Universal Studios)

To be honest, Universal Studios has never been a place for cool themed food in the past and I would never blog about anything there if it wasn't for this new attraction all centering around Minions and Despicable Me! The themed cafe here is called "Gru's Lab Cafe" and is just a few steps down from the Minion Mayhem ride (it was pretty good!).

As you can see, it's a casual place. Nothing fancy, but everything is minion themed!

Their menu actually had some pretty rad options like Vector's Grilled Cheese, Minion Meatball Sandwich, El Macho's Nachos, Dr.Nefario's Lab Salad..etc.

They even had Minion Twinkie Cupcakes and Minion brownies! Super cute.

I didn't get it but this is what the grilled cheese looks like. It even has the Gru logo charred on the bread!

Minion Meatball Sub with tater tots.

I opted for the Gru's Backyard BBQ Rotisserie Chicken ($12.99) basted in BBQ sauce, with half cob of corn, and mac and cheese cube.

The chicken was actually really tender and juicy despite it being 'theme park food'. The savoury mac and cheese cube and corn was the perfect accompaniment to the tangy sweet chicken. Highly recommended item!

So that's all folks! I hope after reading this post, you'll get a better idea of what to expect (and consume) during you trip at Disneyland and/or Universal Studios. It's always fun to explore spontaneously, but its also good to know you're not missing out on any deliciousness by not being informed.

Please leave a comment or thumbs up if you found this post helpful! Also, feel free to check out my In-N-Out post if you want to try the famous and oh-so-hyped-up burger in California!

Happy Eating!


 

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Toulouse Petit- Best Thing I Ever Ate? Um..

During a recent trip to Seattle, FW, Rae, Sis, and I decided to hit up Toulouse Petit for breakfast during their "Breakfast Happy Hour". 

photo courtesy of Rae

Their happy hour is from 8-11am, Monday through Friday and every item is $7.50 (score!!!). I heard about this restaurant through friends and food bloggers mentioning that their Cured Pork Cheek Confit Hash was featured in Food Network's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate". Obviously, I was sold!

When we arrived at about 10:00am, there was already a line forming outside. We probably waited about 20ish minutes before we got a table. By the way, since they do not have a prominent "Toulouse Petit" sign outside the building, you can locate them by finding the green building. It's quite obvious so you really can't miss it.

We noticed these artistic lamps outside and inside of the restaurant. It has a rustic feel to it.

Hehe, here are these lamps again. 

I am normally very tolerant of bad service (I am Chinese after all :P), but I felt the service at our table was especially lacking during our meal. We tried numerous times to catch our server's attention but it was especially difficult because she would never glance over at us.

After looking at the extensive menu, I decided to get the Spicy Shrimp Creole and Eggs Over Creamy Grits ($7.50). I guess I took the word "spicy" too lightly when I read it on the menu because the shrimp was fire breathing spicy! Even FW who can usually take A LOT of heat was surprised by the punch from this dish.

For me, I didn't love. It was way too spicy for my liking and the grits (which I have always wanted to try) were not as creamy and soft as I'd like it to be. The plump shrimp were the only highlight of this dish. Maybe because I had high expectations coming in, but I was quite disappointed and saddened by the un-epicness of this "creole" breakfast. :( I didn't even want to eat half of it. 

When FW saw that I was clearly disappointed with my dish, she offered to share half of hers in exchange for half of mine. Aw... such a sweetheart! Her dish really brightened my day because it was spectacular.

She got the Rustic Duck and Pistachio Terrine ($7.50) and it was a hundred times better than mine. I am so glad I got to try this because I probably would have just ruled this place out. The eggs were perfectly poached and the terrine was divine. I especially loved the large chunks of pistachio in it. 

Sis got the "Best Thing I Ever Ate" dish called Cured Pork Cheeks Confit Hash ($7.50) and said it was very good. As a whole, it looked a bit on the small side but the tender pork cheeks made up for it. Even though it was good, I don't think it was the best thing Sis has ever ate. Just sayin' :P

Rae LOVED the Duck Confit Hash ($7.50) and said the duck was super flavourful. However, by the end of it, she said it almost had..too much flavour. She was actually quite happy the dish was small because any more of it would be too much to handle.

All in all, even though I was disappointed with my dish (due to personal preference), I think this restaurant serves up unique and interesting food combinations that many of us may not get to try on a regular basis. Especially with the breakfast happy hour, it is an affordable option whenever you are in the area.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Happy Eating!

<-- Fried Chicken and Gumbo at Toulouse Petit! I'll try this next time :P

courtesy of http://www.absolutelymonica.com/images/Restaurants/WA/Seattle/T/Toulouse_Petit_Crispy_Fried_Chicken_Gumbo.htm

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