dining outside of disney....

[rizzo0904]

I refuse to eat at Disney. We'll bring in sandwiches for lunch, but we need some dinner recs. We'll have a car and a GPS. Any cuisine is fine. My two boys (2 and 3) are great eaters. But they will be tired so I prefer casual and/or take out if they are really exhausted.

We are staying at the HoJo just outside the park. Is there a supermarket nearby?

[rizzo0904]

thanks everyone! sorry so late with my response.

looking forward to thai nakorn. i also saw olive tree mentioned in another thread and that sounds wonderful.

[Das Ubergeek]

Any restaurant will do takeout.

There's k'ya at Ball and Harbor, which is casual enough to take the kids. Small plates, so you can deal with overtired (and thus more finicky) appetites. I also suggest sandwiches from OC Poultry and Rotisserie (chicken banh mi are excellent), and there's also a decent kabobery in there called Doner-G (it's one of the only Turkish places in OC).

Los Chilangos for casual Mexico City-style antojitos (not just tacos, but quesadillas with handmade tortillas, tlacoyos, etc.). Punjabi Tandoor for north Indian food on Anaheim Blvd and Broadway, and Lindo Michoacán right next door to that for Mexican food. If you want, you can take your food across the street to Anaheim Brewery (kids are allowed inside but just can't sit at the bar) so you can have a pint of 1888 while you eat.

Kalesa Grill is a Filipino place next to the Vons on Lincoln and Anaheim Blvd and is pretty good.

Second Thai Nakorn and all of scottca075's recommendations; would substitute Tana Ethiopian for Merhaba if you want East African.

For supermarkets, there's an El Super on the corner of Anaheim Blvd and Ball Rd, not very far away, or there's a Vons on Chapman and Anaheim Blvd/Haster, or there's another one on Lincoln Ave. and Anaheim Blvd., or an Albertsons on State College and Santa Ana St.

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Thai Nakorn Restaurant
12532 Garden Grove Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92843

Los Chilangos
1830 W Lincoln Ave, Anaheim, CA 92801

[scottca075]

Mari's in Anaheim for pizza and down home Italian, Doug's Downtown Grill for American comfort food, Los Sanchez for down home Sonoran style Mexican food, Ho Toys for Chinese, Brodard Restaurant in Garden Grove, King Harbor Seafood Restaurant also in Garden Grove, Pho Quang Trung for pho and there are more. It just depends on how far you want to drive and is there a specific type of food you want.

Nearby you can get Thai, Viet, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Cuban, Gastropub, Seafood, Steak, German, Cajun, French, Southern and more.

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King Harbor Seafood Restaurant
13018 Harbor Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92843

Brodard Restaurant
9892 Westminster Ave, Garden Grove, CA 92844

Los Sanchez Restaurant
11906 Garden Grove Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92843

Pho Quang Trung
10072 Westminster Ave, Garden Grove, CA 92843

Doug's Downtown Grill
12900 Main St, Garden Grove, CA 92840

[ocshooter]

There is great Thai food in the area at Thai Nakorn in Garden Grove (the nicer building) and in Stanton. Both are casual and both will do take out and take phone orders.

There is also an excellent Eritrean restaurant not too far away (similar to Ethiopian), Merhaba. It is casual, but service is not quick. It is fun because you eat family style and are served a spongy bread which is used to puck up the meats and veggies in place of utensils. One of my favorite cuisines, but one I don't get out for very often.

For a nicer dinner, they is Catal in Downtown Disney, part of the Patina Group.

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Thai Nakorn
11951 Beach Blvd, Stanton, CA 90680

Thai Nakorn Restaurant
12532 Garden Grove Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92843

E A Merhaba Shop & Coffee
2801 W Ball Rd # 5, Anaheim, CA

Catal Restaurant and Uva Bar
1580 Disneyland Drive, Anaheim, CA 92803

[ferret]

I had a great meal at Catal last year. Not inexpensive, but it was really great.