Magic Kingdom - Dining with Kids

Kids and Eating... One of the biggest dilemmas that parents deal with on a daily basis. From picky eaters to over eaters, eating and diet seems to be a universal challenge in the parenting world. My kids are no exception. At 6, my oldest is the epitome of picky eating. She likes chicken, but only if it is in the form of a nugget, loves macaroni and cheese (but only the Kraft variety) and she considers ranch dressing one of the basic food groups. The kids menu at most restaurants are ideal for her palette and provide all of the choices she is looking for in a meal. The 4 year old on the other hand is more adventurous and would prefer to eat pretty much whatever we are eating as opposed to the kids choices.

So as a traveling mom, learning about all of the different options available is very important to me. Food eats up (no pun intended) a large chunk of the vacation budget so finding good, kid friendly locations with food the kids will actually eat is key to a successful vacation experience. As frequent travelers to the Walt Disney World Resort, we have had an opportunity to take our kids to many of the restaurants. Here are our a few of new favorite meal options at the Magic Kingdom Park:

Tony's Town Square - Located in the front of the Magic Kingdom, Tony's Town Square somehow has always been overlooked by our family. Perhaps because we have been more quick serve type people in trips past, and always seem to be somewhere in Tomorrowland during lunchtime. However this trip we found with the tremendous heat factor that having a sit down meal is a great way to give everyone a break and have a more relaxed, enjoyable meal than a quick serve location can offer.

Based on the restaurant from the Lady and the Tramp. The decor and surroundings were quite relaxed and comfortable. The kids menu offered some good choices. For a full menu be sure to check out AllEarsNet.com. Our kids chose the Spaghetti and Meatball option with the side of carrots, celery and ranch dressing. What I have to say I really liked about this restaurant is that the potions were big enough that the kids could share one of the meals instead of having to order two. The other finding we had was that the kids meals include dessert in the price. We opted out of dessert, knowing we would most likely get a "sugar" treat later in the day and as a mom I try to limit those treats to one per day. Sorry kids :( But the fact that it was included in the price made the cost very reasonable.

The Plaza Restaurant - Another great hit with the kiddos! Located at the end of Main Street. The Plaza is themed as a typical ice cream parlor but has some great food choices for meals too for kids and adults alike. This time the kids got their own meals instead of sharing. They each got the kids turkey sandwich which was shaped like Mickey Mouse and the perfect size so that they each actually ate the whole thing! Their meals started out with a cup of Chicken and Rice soup which wasn't listed on the menu, but seems to be a normal alternative to the Tomato soup that is listed on the menu as the starter for the meal. After their soup they had the turkey sandwich with a side of apples and carrots and celery. Very healthy and they enjoyed it all. At the end they each got a fun dessert which included an ice cream sundae with a cone on top and chocolate ears. A fun way to end dinner and it all was included with the meal!

Those are 2 of our new favorites...stay tuned for more!