Alcoholic Beverages—Many eateries serve alcoholic drinks, with the notable exception of those in the Disneyland Park, which is alcohol-free (except at Club 33). Bars and lounges are located around the Disneyland Resort. Legal drinking age is 21, and they do check your identification.

Character Dining—Dine with Disney characters! See page 242 .

Children’s Meals—Nearly every eatery has a children’s menu at parent-friendly prices. Kid-friendly staples like macaroni & cheese and chicken tenders can usually be had at the most exotic of restaurants—ask your server. Note that at Disneyland and most other Southern California eateries, kids can order off the kids menu (or get the kids price at a buffet) if they are ages 3–9. Adults with light appetites or on a budget can generally order kids meals at counter-service eateries, but not at table-service restaurants.

Counter Service—Most food at Disneyland is sold fast-food style. The quality does vary, but on the whole it’s better than fast food sold in other parks. At Disneyland Park, we like Rancho del Zocalo, Plaza Inn, and French Market. At Disney California Adventure, we prefer Flo's Cafe, Pacific Wharf Cafe, or Smokejumper’s Grill. Downtown Disney’s Tortilla Jo’s and La Brea Bakery are good, as is White Water Snacks at the Grand Californian Hotel. We've found the fruits and vegetables to be generally fresher and tastier at Disneyland than at Walt Disney World, possibly due its location near California's Central Valley, which grows so much of our produce.

Coupons/Discounts—Don’t plan on finding coupons for in-park restaurants, but you may find them for some restaurants in Downtown Disney. Discounts for AAA members, Annual Passholders, and Disney Visa cardholders are common—see our list below, and be sure to ask your server. See the money-saving tips on the following page for more information on available discounts.

Dietary Requirements—Low-cholesterol, low-salt, low-fat, gluten-free, and/or vegetarian meals are a regular part of the menu in most restaurants. Special dietary needs, such as food allergies, vegetarian, and medically restricted diets, can be accommodated at most table-service eateries—contact Disney at least 24 hours in advance at 714-781-3463. Plaza Inn and Blue Bayou in Disneyland Park have pre-packaged kosher meals on request, as do most of the restaurants at the Disney hotels, but kosher meals are not currently an option at Disney California Adventure. To request a kosher meal, inform the cast member when you make your advance reservations (see previous page)—it’s important to give the restaurant advance notice.

Dress—Casual clothing is appropriate for all eateries, though you may wish to dress up a bit for special restaurants like Napa Rose. In general, we suggest “business casual” dress for upscale eateries, which means forego the shorts, t-shirts, hats, swimsuits, swim cover-ups, tank tops, torn clothing, or flip-flops.