20 Best Places To Eat At Disneyland On A Budget

Disneyland can be expensive! I try to do everything I can to make our visits to the Disney theme parks a little cheaper. In this post, I’ve found 20 of the best places to eat at Disneyland on a budget. It is possible to do Disneyland cheaply! I’ve also got a bunch of tips on other things you can do to eat at Disneyland on a budget. The Disneyland resort is expensive, but there are lots of things you can do to minimize the costs and save a little money.

I’ve got a whole post on Saving Money at Disneyland that’s filled with tons of great information and creative ways to save money while you’re on your Disney vacation. I’ve also got a post about saving up for your Disney vacation. It’s got lots of great ideas to help you save quickly save money for your Disneyland vacation. You can find it here.

Discount Disneyland Tickets

Please be aware, that Disney theme parks all require park tickets and reservations. Make sure you have both! Please don’t pay full price for your Disney tickets or hotel. My partners at Get Away Today have the very best deals on tickets and hotels. Their customer service is top-notch and they even have layaway plans. If you book a package with park tickets and a hotel room you can use my code MIX10 to save an extra $10. That’s more churro money, friends! You can book online here. Or, give them a call at 1-855-GET-AWAY and tell them Mix In Some Magic sent you for the very best deals!

I have a bunch of hotel reviews that might be helpful for you if you’re still trying to decide where you’d like to stay. I prefer to stay at a hotel within walking distance of the Disney parks. This is a great option for our family because I love being able to just walk over to the parks and walk back to the hotel when the day is over.

Saving Money On Food At Disneyland

There are quite a few ways to save money on food at Disneyland. Here are some of the things I’ve done with my family to save money at Disneyland Park.

1. Buy kids meals instead of adult meals. Disney doesn’t care if you buy a kid’s meal instead of an adult meal. Oftentimes, the kid’s meals have plenty of food. The cheapest meal at Disneyland will always be a kid’s meal. They cost much less than the regular meals.
2. Share a meal with your kids or partner. Sharing a meal is a great way to eat at Disneyland on a budget. Some meals are large and can be easily shared!
3. Go for quick service dining options. Skip out on the character dining and table service restaurants when you’re trying to eat at Disneyland on a budget. Save the Blue Bayou for another trip and stick with the quick service dining options. They are much less expensive.
4. Bring in your snacks. Packing your own snacks is one of the best ways to save money at Disneyland! I always pack in crackers, cookies, candy, and beef jerky.
5. Pack a picnic lunch. This is probably the very best way to eat at Disneyland on a budget. When we visit Disneyland on a family trip, I pack a lunch for our family of My kids are all teenagers and we can pay well over $100 per meal even if we’re trying to eat cheaply.

By packing a lunch and bringing it to the parks, I’m able to save a ton of money! Disney allows you to bring most foods into the park. I have a post with tons of information about bringing food into Disneyland. Check it out and consider only eating one meal in the park. It will save you a ton of money!

Pro tip: skip the soda to save money! I know, it makes me sad too, but soda is so expensive. Soft drinks in the park add up! You can get free cups of ice water at every quick-service restaurant. If my family of 6 skips the soft drinks, we save $30 each meal. that’s a big deal!

I have this awesome printable that will help you easily and simply navigate the quick service dining options at Disneyland! It’s got a brief overview of the menu options and prices. You can quickly glance at the printable to decide where you want to eat! Print it out before your trip!

Best Places To Eat At Disneyland On a Budget

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Let’s talk about the best places to eat at Disneyland on a budget! I’ve included Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park on my list. This list is in no particular order. You can mobile order from most of the quick service options on this list! Take advantage of mobile ordering on the Disneyland app. You can skip the long food line! It’s a huge time saver. You can also browse the menus on the Disneyland app.

Disneyland

Here are the best places to eat at Disneyland on a budget.

Alien Pizza Planet

You can buy pizza by the slice here, but I love to get the pasta. It’s really yummy and quite large. You can easily split it between 2 people. Especially if you add a side salad or some breadsticks to your order.

Bengal Barbecue

I’m a huge fan of Bengal Barbecue! It’s one of my favorite places to eat at Disneyland. They sell individual meat skewers that will fit perfectly into your budget. Especially if you add a break stick”Tiger tail” or a pineapple spear to your meal.

Edelweiss Snacks

Edelweiss snacks is the home of the famous turkey leg! If that’s not really your thing, they also sell a chimichanga that is very large and filling. This made my best places to eat at Disneyland on a budget because it’s a good value and the chimichanga and turkey leg are on many peoples “favorite Disneyland food” list.

Golden Horseshoe

The Golden Horseshoe is a great place to get big, shareable meals! They serve fish and chips, chicken tenders, and mozzarella sticks with fries. We often order 2 orders of chicken tenders with fries and 2 orders of mozzarella sticks with fries. This easily feeds our family of 6!

Jolly Holiday Bakery Café

The Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe is one of my favorite quick-service dining options in the park. They serve large sandwiches with chips that can be split to feed two people. They have a jolly holiday combo that is a sandwich with soup. So yummy! If you visit, you really must get the raspberry rose macaron. It’s probably my favorite treat in the entire park!

Little Red Wagon

Little Red Wagon on Main Street is the most famous place to get corn dogs at Disneyland! Some people say they are the best in the park, but honestly, they all taste the same to me. You can get a large corn dog with chips or a mandarin orange for a good price here.

Rancho del Zocalo

I love this quick-service dining option! Especially when I’m trying to eat at Disneyland on a budget. They have good food and large portions! You can get large burritos, salads, or street tacos that are the perfect size for sharing. I also love the cinnamon crisps that they serve there. They are delicious chips covered in cinnamon and sugar. They’re so good!

Red Rose Taverne

This charming little restaurant is the perfect place to grab a few flatbread pizzas and some fries to share with the whole family! The flatbread is pretty good and my kids always enjoy it. This is one of the best places to eat at Disneyland on a budget

Stage Door Café

I love the stage door cafe for its shareable size portions of chicken fingers and fries! Plus, you can order a corn dog with fries here(instead of a bag of chips or cutie at Red Wagon). I think the fries are more filling!

Mickey Pretzels

Ok, this might be a stretch, but we often make a meal out of Mickey pretzels and cheese! There’s something special about a Mickey pretzel and they can be quite filling. So, if you’re in a rush and not starving, a Mickey pretzel from one of the carts might be the perfect meal when you’re trying to eat at Disneyland on a budget. Ice cream is also sometimes a meal for our family! Shhh… don’t tell anyone.

Disney California Adventure Park

Here are the best places to eat at California Adventure on a budget.

Award Wieners

If you’re looking for a quick, cheap meal Award Wieners is a great option! You can get hot dogs or chili dogs for fairly cheap. They also sell loaded fries that are pretty yummy and perfect for sharing.

Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta

At Boardwalk pizza and pasta, you can buy pizza by the slice or the pasta is a good size to share! You can also order a whole pizza for your family to enjoy.

Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill

Cocina Cucamonga has my very favorite meal at Disneyland! Qusebirria tacos. They’re so good! They sell lots of street tacos that are easily shared especially if you have kids with you that have smaller appetites.

Corn Dog Castle

Corn Dog Castle sells delicious corn dogs and cheddar cheese sticks with mandarin oranges or chips. They are a really good size and very filling!

Cozy Cone Motel 3- – Chili Cone Queso

Cozy Cone Motel 3 has delicious chile “cone” queso or bacon mac and cheese served in bread cones. They’re really yummy and the perfect meal to eat on the go! They are filling and a good value.

Poultry Palace

The Poultry Palace serves a fried chicken drumstick box that you and your kids are going to love! They also have turkey legs or a chimichanga which are both a good deal. This is one of the best places to eat at Disneyland on a budget.

Smokejumpers Grill

Smokejumpers Grill is the best place at DCA to find chicken fingers. They are served with fries or onion rings and have the best value if you’re able to split them! They also have a nice, shady seating area.

Fiddler, Fife & Practical Cafe

You can find yummy breakfast sandwiches and paninis here at Fiddler, Fife & Practical Cafe. The breakfast sandwiches are served all day and are a great value.

Mortimer’s Market

Mortimer’s Market is one of my favorite places to grab lunch for little ones. You can buy fresh fruit parfaits, uncrustables, cheese, fruit, and pickle spears. They are in small, snack-size portions which are perfect for a meal for a small child.

Pym Test Kitchen

We’re back to pretzels because obviously, I think a pretzel is a meal. But seriously, it kinda is! The Quantum pretzels at Pym’s Test Kitchen are huge and so good! You’re going to have to split this one because it’s so big!

There you go! 20 of the best places to eat at Disneyland on a budget! I hope this was helpful for you. You can still have great food without spending a ton of money. I love that Disneyland has so many food options for all different budgets. It really is the happiest place on earth! I know you’re going to have such a good time on your Disneyland trip!

Disneyland Planning Help

If you need help planning your Disneyland vacation, I have a complete guide to planning for Disneyland that will walk you through a step-by-step planning process for Disneyland. Also, check out my top tips for visiting the Disneyland resort here.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of navigating your Disneyland parks day, I have touring plans with a step by step guide to help! Take the stress out of your day and avoid waiting in long lines. Just print it out and follow along!

Make sure to check out my podcast for lots of Disney planning information! You can find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Just search for “Mix In Some Magic” Follow me on Instagram for more Disney tips and lots of Disney fun!