Buffet recommendations

My children have decided now would be a good time to be fussy about food and we leave for Disney is a couple of months. My worry is that they will order something and then say that they don’t like it about two bites in. So I thought that buffets may be the way to go as then we can just go and get something else. I know that buffets are generally avoided here, but which one(s) would you recommend? DD7, DS4 Open to other options though if there is something that I have missed. We’re on DDP as well if that has any bearing on your recommendations. Thanks

My son was a basic mashed potatoes, piece of chicken type of kid. He always loved CP. Honestly, as he got older he loved H & V for dinner ( without characters) so that he could get his fill of comfort food. I always told him the food he ate cost about $5.00. He pointed out he may only eat potatoes, but there was no place else he could eat as much as he wanted.

My favorite buffet on property is Trail’s End, but that’s generally because it’s the best value buffet, which doesn’t mean anything to you since you’re on the DDP. Regardless, it is good “down-home” food. Fried chicken, potatoes, ribs, cornbread, salad, etc. It’s hard to go wrong with such basics.

I’m also a big fan of Hollywood & Vine. I just had lunch there two days ago, and enjoyed everything I had. I’ve had great experiences at Crystal Palace as well.

If they are willing to try different things, I can’t recommend Boma enough. Fantastic food, nothing too “out there”, but certainly different than the normal stuff you can get anywhere else.

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Because of the kids’ ages and being on the DDP, character buffets are a good option – Crystal Palace has great food, and Chef Mickey’s has good food plus a wonderful experience. While Tusker House has some unusual foods on the menu, there’s also a lot of kid-friendly options available.

What I’m finding with my daughter is that she tends to be more fussy about foods when she’s not in a growth spurt. The summertime heat might also be influencing your kids to be more fussy about foods. And there is something wonderful that happens with some kids that Disney food is magic foods and so they are much less fussy about meals. Hopefully you’ll find that they’re a bit more agreeable when you get down there. :smile:

Another Trails end fan. I also do Chef mickeys and Crystal palace. Luckly we don’t have a fussy child, but what I don’t do on Holiday is worry too much about what he will eat, by that I don’t mean ‘you go ahead son eat only cupcakes’ but I do not worry about all healthy when we are away.
What I would do is look at the buffets you like, because they are going to be fussy no matter what, and trying to cater for them alone means you lose out. The tusker house breakfast is nice and will have different things for you. We may have this problem next year when we take an extra 3 children with us, I am not going to be too worried about what they eat they will eat when they are hungry even if it is only a mickey bar lol

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My kids could be leaders of the picky kid movement. I am generally wary of buffets (I have a degree in food and nutrition so spent a lot of time taking microbiology, food prep, and food borne disease courses) but the buffets and WDW are well maintained, kept at proper temps, and refreshed frequently. My kids loved the buffets and were always excited that they didn’t have to make up their minds. DH and I enjoyed the food on the buffets too. :slight_smile:

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I am not a fan of Buffets usually, but Boma is very good… that African/Indian style of food suits me tho. One that I havent had in a long time but suddenly last month I got a craving to try again is Biergarten. I tried it many years ago when I went with my parents and they both lived in Germany for 4-5 years and said it was not very good/close to what it was there and typical unhappy to spend money parents. So it influenced me for a long time but I plan on going this fall for a revisit.

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I really like the buffets for the reason you mention - if the kids don’t like something, they can always go back and get something else. On our last visit to WDW we tried Crystal Palace breakfast which we all loved - characters were great and we all liked the food too, especially the puffed French toast and strawberry sauce! We tried Boma and all loved that too - lots of more interesting food, but basic stuff too. We are going back to both of these next trip.

We also tried and liked biergarten, but won’t be going back - we all like all the quick service and snack options in epcot too much to bother with a table service meal there again.

Do you like the look of the food at Ohana? Not a buffet , but we all enjoyed it including DS5 - I liked that he wasn’t stuck with the kids menu (which is often pretty boring), but that the option of a grilled cheese sandwich and fries was there too if he wanted.

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Thank you everyone. I will look into all the options you have mentioned. We do have quite a few already, but I’m just worried that they will be hungry the whole time, or I’ll end up eating something that I don’t really want/like as they don’t want theirs. Kids! Who’d have them :wink:

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Can’t comment on the kid perspective, but Biergarten and Boma are the only buffets that I’ve been to that I will go back to voluntarily (BG is one of my favorite TSs in all of WDW and Boma is good, if not great). Trying TH for the first time in Nov…

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We liked 1900 park fare and crystal palace. We have an adult only trip and are looking forward to both.

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My Tweens, the Ungratefuls, are actually grateful at their two very favs: Boma dinner and TH brunch. It’s the inky character meal they will allow us to do…

I’m not a fan of buffets but we are trying Cape May for dinner. Just crossing my fingers that the menu remains the same and they don’t remove the crab legs.

We had good experiences at all of our character breakfasts and are repeating several of them.

I really really really loved Tusker House for lunch … (I wish I could get it without characters so it would be $10 cheaper LOL ) Love the variety there, but bring me as many corn dog nuggets as you can please!

I have a VERY picky DSis, and I can vouch that she was happy at: Cape May breakfast, Ohana bfast (not a buffet, but family style), and basically anywhere else we went they would always make her plain pasta even if it wasnt on the menu.

You know, after reading bad reviews of buffets on lines, I have been consistently pleasantly surprised. I have had not just average or good, but GREAT creative yummy buffet meals at Tusker House, 1900 Park Fare, and Crystal Palace. Great offerings for kids too. Especially when I sent DD6 to the buffet by herself to get her dessert and she came back with a whole salad bowl full of gummi bears. “What, Mom? It’s gummi bear salad!” (And it’s WDW, so if not there, where?) :slight_smile:

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We are big Cape May Cafe fans and eat there at least once every trip. Breakfast is hard to mess up and we enjoyed Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey’s.

WDW is really the only place, except for a high end holiday brunch, that I will eat at a buffet. We have tried CP and the Backyard BBQ for buffet experiences, and I have enjoyed both. Plenty of kid-friendly options, and not horrible for the adults. Still, I consider it a sacrifice on behalf of my kids so that they can enjoy the characters.

FWIW, if my kids order something off a menu and don’t eat it, I am unconcerned. If they are truly hungry, they will eat. The trick is to not letting them fill up on junk food after not eating a normal meal, or else they will always pull that trick. On the other hand, most restaurant meals (at least the ones my kids order) are also junk food. I always find it a little absurd to sit there saying “you need to eat your [pizza/hotdog/mac and cheese] if you want dessert.” But if I spend money or spend time cooking something, and they choose not to eat it, I am not providing a bunch of alternatives.

That’s how I was raised. Mom cooked dinner, and that was what you ate. If you didn’t like it, you ate it anyway. Saying “I don’t want any of that” was not an option. Only on VERY rare occasions would my mother fix me something different than what she made for for her and Dad. I can certainly understand if a child has special dietary needs, but IMHO children become “picky” eaters because their parent allow them to become picky eaters (and then bemoan the problem after the fact).

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We’ve enjoyed Crystal Palace, Cape May, and Tusker House. I do not like exotic foods at all so have been afraid to try some of those that are recommended on forums and chat.