We’ll be going to Disneyland, and for some meals we prefer to bring some good food into the park and eat.
Are there any restaurants or grocery stores nearby where we can get good food that is easy to consume with one hand, or maybe two if it isn’t super difficult to eat, that we can get the night/ afternoon before. Sandwiches, banh mi, musubi are some ideas. Other ideas welcome. The key is that we prefer the food to be tasty.
We are staying near the park.
Separately, any outstanding sit down eats to be had around Anaheim, Fullerton and around? There may be one or two meals that we may also eat outside the park.
I suggest you check the current rules for Disney.
(at least) previously all outside food was prohibited. from what I saw, about all they didn’t decline was one bottle of water you were carrying . . .
now, pre-terror-everything, you might sneak it thru in a hand bag - but now Disney has TSI style person&bag inspections…
we had a picnic lunch - which we had to to leave in the car. exit the park, go to the picnic grove, eat your lunch, go back into the park . . .
Looks like one can bring outside food into the parks:
Guests are allowed to bring outside food and nonalcoholic beverages into the parks for self-consumption, provided they are not in glass containers, do not require heating, reheating, processing or refrigeration and do not have pungent odors. Inform a Security Cast Member of any food items when you enter the park.
Re: sitdown meals around Anaheim - it’s been awhile since I’ve been down there but I remember enjoying Teochew noodle soup from Trieu Chau in Santa Ana and a bowl of pho from Pho 45 in Garden Grove in Little Saigon. I’m guessing Little Saigon may also be a good source of banh mi or maybe some spring rolls or other portable Vietnamese fare for bringing into the park but I haven’t tried any from there.
Here’s a report of some places from back in 2019. Taco María was great for lunch but they have since closed. Also - Burritos La Palma in Santa Ana might be an option for hand-held eats.
You are close the the epicenter of Vietnamese food in Southern California. The chả cá thăng long (aka turmeric fish) at Canton - Cháo Cá Chợ Cũ in Westminster is extraordinary. I live in walking distance to a Vietnamese shopping center with about 23 Viet places in the DC area, and I have to admit this is by far a better version.
The last time I was there we brought in Banh Mi. I can’t remember where we got them, but we drove, it was about a mile away. This place looks really close though:
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ChristinaM
(Hungry in Asheville, NC (still plenty to offer tourists post Hurricane))
8
When I read the title, I was thinking Disneyland’s famous corn dog. They’re worth a go. Wonder how much they are now. My sister and a lot of friends worked at Disney in high school. I almost took a job but decided against it. The behind the scene stories can be crazy…but if you’re taking kids, no reason to know.
Costa Mesa is kind of a trek from Anaheim but the Taco Mesa and Taco Maria empire is real. Technically 8 to 10 miles but lots of traffic. Food scene is happening with a few Michelin star places in Costa Mesa (including Taco Maria?) and lots of Vietnamese and Mexican food. Also Irvine has 3 H Marts.
One hand held food worth checking out is Porto’s, a Cuban bakery, known for their potato balls (they ship nationally frozen).The Cubano sandwich is suppose to be good too. I don’t know much about the sweet pastries but they have a lot. There’s one in Buena Park, which isn’t too far from Anaheim. Beware, long lines but things move pretty fast. (ETA: they’re adding Porto’s to Downtown Disney in 2025.)
I grew up in Glendale where Porto’s started and it’s VERY good! The sandwiches and yes, their potato balls are legendary. But for me, their cheese rolls are manna from heaven and I miss them dearly❣️
Regarding a sit down restaurant, although I haven’t been there in approximately 30 years, I truly enjoyed this restaurant enough to remember it after so long.
More than the food, the unique atmosphere and architecture/style of the restaurant was something I’d like to experience again. Have any HO members been here?
My first stop would be Anaheim Packing House, as they are sort of a food hall cum amusement park. Good options there for hand-held or easily portable eats are Pique Nique (cheese and charcuterie), Zero Zero (pizza) and The Kroft (sandwiches, burgers and fries) and Black Sheep (grilled cheese sandwiches).
That’s how we did it for over 50 years. We took a break, rested, made a change of clothes, beat the crowded food lines and tailgated. The free shuttle got us to and from our cars.
On the times we stayed overnight in the park, we didn’t have that choice, but we did pack snacks that we kept in our rooms and went there for breaks.
Mistake #1: If I could wake up early enough to get food at Porto’s, we really should have just gone lined up for the rope drop and get first dips at the popular rides. Christmas week at Disney was crazy. But we got in Anaheim late the previous night, so didn’t have a chance to grab park food then.
Porto’s were great choice- easy to eat while waiting in line, every one took a few bites, not get too full, and then got thrown up and down 13 floors, and kept the food in just fine.
We headed to Westminster to grab some comfort food after a long and tiring day of dizzying rides. I don’t know if all the phos in Westminster are like Pho Flavor’s but they have the best phos in Little Saigon in San Jose easily beat. These guys got it right. The northern pho was fantastic in the broth, in the meat and in the noodles. We also got the Southern but both the server and I liked the Northern more with its stronger aroma in the broth.
Next day was a rest day. Breakfast at Okayama Kobo. I was a bit worried that it might be too much hype but it turned out to be a legit bakery. Their savory baked goods were in general stronger than the sweet ones.
Chocolate emoji. they didn’t have the kobo kuma when we ordered so we got this first. but their kumas were coming out in 5 minutes so we preordered them.
Lunch at Mogu Mogu. We stopped by the Anaheim Packing House before that but skipped eating there. Mogu Mogu seemed to be liked in Fullerton. Pretty good, though stopped short of the ramen pantheon. Mostly I think it over-relied on furikake for the flavors.
We got a couple of the spicy mazemans (not really spicy). The kids ordered Kyoto, their non spicy mazeman (dry ramen) and a tonkotsu.
Spent a couple of hours in Downtown Disney. FYI DTF is a new dining option if one opted to grab a bite outside the parks, but inside the park security. Porto’s is coming this year.
