As we've discussed a time or two, there are so many delicious foods to taste at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. There are treats for every occasion, including Halloween and the holidays, but we simply can't rely on snacks and treats to keep us going all the time. We need heartier foods! And as much as we enjoy table-service restaurants (and highly recommend making reservations for one or two during your visit), we sometimes don't want to take a break from the rides, shows and parades for a full sit-down meal. Luckily, we've hopped around the parks enough to know there are plenty of hearty on-the-go Disneyland foods to keep our frog legs kicking! We rely on the best on-the-go Disneyland foods at both parks to keep us hoppin'!
Maybe you don't want to slow down your morning to sit down and eat breakfast. Or you have a ride to catch. If you have a big group with varying food interests, you want quick options that can be enjoyed on-the-go or you'll spend your whole day feeding everyone (it's not the worst plan, but there's so much more to do and see). We are here to help!
Our Favorite On-the-Go Disneyland Foods
These mini meals to filling items from carts and quick-service restaurants are more than your usual pretzels and sugary snacks. They are perfect for on-the-go families with rides to catch, parades to watch and fireworks to stay in place for. You don’t want to get too hungry or you’ll stop having fun! And you don’t want to wait too long (after fireworks) or you’ll find that many restaurant choices have closed before you have taken the time to settle down and eat. So let's hop to the best on-the-go Disneyland food at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure!
Chili
You might not think of chili as a walk-about food, but Disneyland has mobilized this comfort food by changing up its “container.” At the Cozy Cone Motel in Cars Land, one of our must-have “meals on wheels” is Chili “Cone” Queso, which is chili served in an edible bread cone with cheese and corn chips. (They also sell seasonal specials and bacon mac & cheese in the portable bread cone — yum!) You can get this item faster now that you have to mobile order it. At Disneyland’s Refreshment Corner, dig into the “Firefly” our favorite Disneyland secret menu item, which is chili in a bag with corn chips, cheese and jalapeños. It’s the perfect hearty snack you can take with you.
Bao Buns
Hidden away at the Tropical Hideaway in Adventureland is one of the tastiest, quickest and easiest foods to eat on the go. You can find a few options of bao buns such as lime chicken or barbecue pork. Sometimes there are even vegetarian buns. Bao is a fluffy cloud dumpling about the size of your palm that incases delicious savory filling. They are meant to be eaten from hand to mouth like a sandwich, so they are extremely easy to eat as you walk. You can purchase the bao individually or as a trio for a discounted price.
Our hot tip is to skip over the Dole Whip line. We all know the line for that delicious pineapple snack can get very long. And although you pay at the same kiosks at Tropical Hideaway, you don't have to wait in the same line. Instead, go through backwards and plant yourself at the bao and lumpia station. You can almost always order with no wait and go right to the registers with your on the go food.
Turkey Legs
Disneyland's giant smoked turkey legs are large enough to share, especially among tadpoles! They are messy, so definitely grab some extra napkins to wrap around the base and have on hand to clean up sticky fingers when done. (You can find wet wipes at Bengal Barbecue.) We’ve been known to sit on a curb with a turkey leg as we wait for a parade. You can find them in Hollywood Land and at the Poultry Palace at Disney California Adventure or near the Central Plaza, Edelweiss Snacks near the Matterhorn and the Ship to Shore Marketplace by Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Disneyland. Troubadour Tavern (across from “it’s a small world”) sells a sweet BBQ turkey leg (when it's open).
Fried Chicken
What can I say, Disneyland fried chicken from Plaza Inn is one of my favorite foods. But did you know you can get a to-go container at the registers? That makes it easy to take it back to your parade or fireworks location and have a small picnic while you wait. At Disney California Adventure you can get a box of drumsticks from the Poultry Palace to share as you stroll through Pixar Pier.
Hot Dogs/Bratwurst
There's no reason to get "hangry" when there are hot dog carts around the parks. One of the cutest stands by far is Angry Dogs at Pixar Pier. It has ketchup and mustard of varying degrees of hotness!
Edelweiss Snacks (across from Matterhorn Bobsleds) is a gem where you can find bratwurst sausage in a garlic cheese pretzel bun. It's a pretty filling snack.
You can also get other great on-the-go snacks here, such as turkey legs and cheesy garlic pretzel bread without the meat. We recommend the marinara sauce for dipping.
Maurice's Treats also sells the cheesy garlic pretzel bread as well as croissants stuffed with ham and cheese or chocolate.
Corn Dogs
A corn dog is one of the best on-the-go Disneyland foods and an iconic Disneyland treat, especially from the Little Red Wagon cart on Main Street USA. Here you can add special dipping sauces. The Stage Door Café in Frontierland also sells hand-dipped corn dogs (with fries). At Disney California Adventure you can get your corn dog fix at Corn Dog Castle. They have a hot link corn dog, an original corn dog and a battered cheddar cheese stick. You can Mobile Order at all these locations.
Cheese Stick or Cheese Toast
If you are a vegetarian, you don’t have to miss out on the “fried corn batter on a stick” experience. As mentioned above, you can choose a fried cheese stick instead of a corn dog at Corn Dog Castle.
Speaking of cheese … the toasted cheese sandwich at Jolly Holiday Bakery is a Frog Family favorite. It is usually paired with the Tomato Basil Soup as part of the Jolly Holiday Combo on the menu, but you can order just the sandwich (more savings). It is the perfect blend of gooey cheese nestled between two pieces of crunchy toast that is not-at-all greasy, making it quite portable. OK, maybe you’ll create just a few crumbs for the birds. There are seasonal toasted sandwiches at Jolly Holiday that always end up being one of our favorite meals of all. The Birria toasted cheese and the current Bulgogi toasted cheese are fan favorites, reasonably priced and very filling. Plus, Jolly Holiday has to-go containers upon request.
Corn on the Cob
You can find corn on the cob at some hot dog or turkey carts in both parks. Disneyland also sells corn on the cob at Poultry Palace. You may be able to opt for butter, chili lime or even an elote (Mexican street corn) kit with mayo, seasonings and parmesan cheese at some locations. However, if you get the new delicious San Fransokyo-Style Street Corn at Cocina Cucamonga, you are going to need to grab a bunch of napkins and sit down. But it's worth it!
Chimichangas and Burritos
Whether you are looking for breakfast or an afternoon heavy snack, the chimichanga will keep you going. With a crispy flakey outside, and a gooey filling inside of ground beef, refried beans and Mexican red sauce, the chimichanga is an on-the-go easy hot meal that can be found at some turkey leg carts. It has a mild flavor and is one of the least-messy options of the best on-the-go Disneyland foods. During breakfast hours, you can get a breakfast chimichanga at Ship to Shore Marketplace. These popular babies sell out quickly! But we love the portability of this morning meal.
One of our favorite time-saving breakfast moves is to mobile order a breakfast burrito. We hop the Monorail from Downtown Disney to take a ride straight to Tomorrowland. On the ride over, we mobile order a breakfast sandwich or burrito, exit the Monorail and pick it up. No time wasted! You can mobile order a breakfast burrito (or later in the day a chicken burrito) at the Joffrey's Coffee Cappuccino Cart at Disney California Adventure. Our breakfast in the Disneyland parks post can help you find other options. The Impossible Breakfast Bowl at Galactic Grill is in a bowl that fits nicely in your hand for on-the-go eating.
Wrap It Up
Some of our favorite quick bites at Disneyland come wrapped in a warm pita! First off, in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the Ronto Wrap and Ronto Morning Wrap are very filling pitas filled with delicious pork sausage, peppercorn sauce and other fillings depending on what time of day you get it. Soooo good! The plant-based Ronto-less Garden wrap is equally delicious. Mobile Order ahead of time and fuel up after flying the Millennium Falcon or before hopping in line for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
In Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure, you cannot go wrong at the Shawarma Palace carts. From the plant-based Impossible Breakfast Sha-Warm-Up with spiced maple syrup to the Impossible Victory Falafel or New York's Tastiest chicken shawarma, it's all good. The afternoon and evening options come with the bomb coconut yogurt-tahini sauce. Find out more about these other heroic bites in our complete guide to Avengers Campus food.
Skewers
Bengal Barbecue in Adventureland is by far one of the best Disneyland quick-service restaurants. It serves up delicious hot skewers of beef, chicken, pork belly, vegetables or bacon-wrapped asparagus. One skewer makes a great snack, and two or three make a meal. They also offer breadsticks. The veggies and hummus are fresh and help make this restaurant one of our go-to choices for quick, healthy eating at Disneyland. With mobile ordering and a number of standing and seated tables, you can fuel up quickly and be on your way.
Smoothies
When you don’t have time to eat, you can drink your lunch or snack after a pit stop at Schmoozies! Doing so allows you to freely hop about Hollywood Land at Disney California. Several smoothies include fruit and yogurt. You can also find fresh fruit, cheese, beef jerky and other healthy snacks at produce carts throughout the parks.
Power Packs and Produce Cart Items
If you have small tadpoles, this parenting hack will help you survive feeding your picky eaters on-the-go. Many restaurants sell Power Packs. You can mobile order one of these babies to feed to your own babies. It comes with a Danimals drinkable yogurt smoothie, carrots, a Cuties mandarin, whole-grain Goldfish crackers and a choice between a small milk bottle or small Dasani water (other beverage of your choice). You can feed in the stroller or let the tadpoles snack while you wait for a parade or show. Some of the kids meals come with applesauce pouches. Those make great on-the-go snacks for later. Also, the produce carts have great affordable snacks such as Mini Babybel cheese packs, pickles, fruits and applesauce.
You can enjoy these foods while waiting in line, sitting on a bench or waiting for a show. Of course, we also have our favorite snacks and treats at Disneyland, so hop over to view our favorite Disneyland snacks and where to find them. If you are looking to skip the food lines, the new Disneyland Mobile Ordering Service has taken away the wait at many quick-service locations in both parks and is available at several of the quick-service restaurants mentioned above. So you may be able to take the time to sit down after all!
If you are looking to plan ahead for some more relaxing table service dining, it’s best to make a reservation through Disneyland Dining Reservations. We have found that when our meals are scheduled into our day, we take the time to sit and eat. When we haven’t planned out meal breaks, we fall back on these on-the-go Disneyland food options. Do you have any easy meal ideas for a family on the move in the parks? Share them in the comments section below.
Related: Cheapest Disneyland Food and Drinks
Related: Guidelines for Healthy Eating a Disneyland
Related: Uncovering Disneyland Secret Menu Items
Hoppy planning!