Guide to Eating and Drinking in Disneyland Paris

Deciding where to eat and drink in Disneyland can get pretty confusing as there are so many different options. The main trick is to avoid a scenario where you’re getting hunger pains at peak food times when everywhere is massively busy. And as is to be expected food and drink is slightly more expensive in Disneyland Paris too. So I thought I’d share with you my recommendations and tips from my recent trip.

The guide

• I found this amazing guide to every restaurant and food shop in the whole of Disneyland Paris (including hotels and Disney village), which even includes sample menus. I found it so useful and it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re planning a trip there.

Table service

• This is usually the most expensive dining option, particularly when you’re looking at a la carte menus. However, most restaurants at Disney do have special offer set menus, which can be much better value.
• There are the more premium restaurants where you’ll find the highest prices, such as Walt’s, Blue Lagoon and Auberge de Cendrillon, which I’d recommend for a special meal (i.e. not every day unless you’re really splashing out) and I’d also suggest booking a day or two before to avoid disappointment.
• This trip we decided to treat ourselves to a meal at Blue Lagoon, which is a peaceful tropical waterside restaurant at the edge of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride, and the menu is Caribbean inspired with plenty of fish and fruit. We went for three-course set menus and an alcoholic drink too, which all set us back around €50 each. Here are some of the dishes we enjoyed.

• There are also plenty of table service restaurants in Disney Village, which can be a great (much quieter) choice. We tried the Rainforest Café one evening, which of course is a popular chain restaurant anyway so we knew what we were getting. I think this is a great one for families as the food is quite accessible (burgers, steaks and pizzas are all options) plus the rainforest setting with all of the all the animatronic creatures is very exciting and well suited to the Disney experience. I went for a two-course set menu with steak, and I spent around €25 in total.
• We also ate at The Lucky Nugget Saloon which was more of a budget table service bar and restaurant in Frontierland. I loved the Wild West décor of this saloon – it really made me feel like I was in Calamity Jane. And if you get there at certain times you’ll catch some live musical performers too. We paid around €15 for burger and chips and a drink (and we ignored the set menus).

Buffet service

• If you’re hungry then one of the buffet dining restaurants can actually be a great value option.
• One night we ate at the Plaza Gardens Restaurant which is at the top of Main Street USA fairly near the castle. The décor is typical of Main Street, and in terms of the food there was plenty of choice – soup, salads, cuts of meat, cheese board, pizza, several hot dishes like beef bourguignon and stir fries as well as sides like pasta, rice and chips. Plus there was a dessert table too. Of course the food wasn’t the quality you get with fine dining but that’s always the case with a buffet restaurant. It was €27 for unlimited food and bottomless soft drinks.

Counter service / fast food

• Disney has loads of counter service places with all sorts of “fast” food options depending on the individual theme of the place (burgers, pizza, fajitas, fish and chips to name a few) and the prices are probably the cheapest for food in the park. However I’ve found that the service is ridiculously slow, and not just at peak times either. It’s no joke. We did consider eating at one but gave up after seeing someone take 5 minutes to be served (and standing in a line of about 8 other people). That’s when we tried The Lucky Nugget Saloon instead, which proved to be a much better option for us.

Snack shops

• There are also plenty of options for grabbing snacks on the go, and we got a nice takeaway lunch one day from Market House Deli on Main Street.
• There’s also the fabulous Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlour where you can get several scoops of Ben & Jerry’s to enjoy whilst sitting in front of the castle.

• These places are great because as well as the tasty snacks, Disney is currently giving away free drinks vouchers for use in the afternoon with your purchases earlier in the day. They come with your receipt and can only be used in certain places in the park and between set times, but free is free!

Additional tips

• A little cheeky tip if you’re staying in a Disney hotel with a buffet breakfast is to make a selection of cheese and/or ham sandwiches using the breakfast bread rolls to take into the park for your lunch. I’m not sure if this is frowned upon, but technically it is still Disney food that you’ve paid for. I even took sandwich bags over with me for this purpose.
• Make sure you take a water bottle with you as there are water fountains dotted around the park that you can fill them from. What’s healthier and more cost effective than free drinking water eh?
• We did also call into the Starbucks in Disney Village (next to the main parks) a couple of times, because quite frankly nowhere else did a decent brew! It’s open late so is a nice place to get a warming drink after the late night show on your way back to the hotel. It also has free Wi-Fi in there which is nice.