Dining - Ranked?

[seaofwonder]

Over the next few months, my fiance will be out of town for work, so I can see myself spending a lot of time in the parks on the weekends. In terms of food, we usually just stick to the Brauhaus and then maybe grab a pretzel dog or two. But with all of this extra time on my hands, I want to explore things we don't normally do, with the top of that list being the restaurants in the parks.

So, with that being said, I wanted to know how you'd rank each of the park's eateries and what your favorite dishes in each are! What should I make sure I hit and what can I definitely miss?

 

[Nicole]

The difficulty in answering that question is that the quality of food tends to vary widely. For example, when Marco Polo opened we thought it was great, but by the end of the season, the quality had degraded significantly. In fact, our favorite dessert had been removed entirely.

Additionally, I understand there is at least one new eatery opening this year, about which we know nothing.

With those caveats, I will give you my personal preferences.

1. Marco Polo is still my main season favorite. You can see our comprehensive review here:
http://bgwfans.com/2016/marco-polos-marketplace/

2. Even though Trappers has gotten noticeably worse over the past two years, I still enjoy the brisket.

3. The quality at Breste Brezeln und Bier changes from day to day. I have gotten good sandwiches there, however.

4. Grogans Grill is often overlooked, but pretty good. I personally think the stew is too oniony, but especially on a chilly day, we enjoy eating there.

I never eat at Das Festhaus, because I dislike German food so I can't comment on it.

In addition, there are snack places worth trying:

1. The gelato in San Marco is great. I personally love the grapefruit flavor, when they have it.

2. Josephine's is really good too. I experiment a lot there, sometimes making changes to their sundaes.

3. Grogans Grill rotates pub appetizers, which aren't bad.

4. Crepes and Coffe always seems to let me down. The descriptions sound interesting, but generally the crepes, themselves, fail to live up to my expectations.

 

[Thomas]

I've started eating in the Brauhaus tbh... The meatballs and Reuben sandwiches are good. Last year, the food was always made to order as well so it was always hot.

Also, to add to what Nicole said about the gelato... The grapefruit sorbetto is indeed the best, but I always get one scoop of it and one scoop of the dark chocolate sorbetto; if the grapefruit isn't there, raspberry works too.

 

[Merboy]

Like Nicole I don't eat the traditionally German food at Das Festhaus but they also serve some American food as well to cater to people with zero class like myself. I remember having the personal pizza towards the beginning of the year and thought their pizza game was ridiculous, I was very pleasantly surprised but maybe I had low expectations. The last time I had it - Howl-o-scream of 2016 - there was barely a difference between the pizza itself and the plate. I would, however, say that their clubs are decent but I've only had it once or twice.

The flatbread pizza from Marco Polo's was for the most part consistently decent but, as with Das Festhaus, maybe my expectations were low. The chicken parm and spaghetti is good in my opinion and it's my go-to menu item. The Asian menu is also usually quite good as well.

Also, Pigs in a Kilt is one of my favorite places to get a quick corndog - if you're into that scene which many are not because they're self-loathing peasants - but that place seems to only be open when the park reaches a certain capacity on certain days when Jupiter aligns with Venus, etc.

 

[Celticdog]

I agree with the others that the food has slipped in quality during the past years, however, I still have my go to choices.

Trappers Smokehouse is still my preferred choice as the ribs and the Smokehouse platters are pretty consistent. I find it's better to eat before 7pm, because after that the meats are dried and tough.

Marco Polo has been very inconsistent, however the Italian platter is solid, the pizzas are decent and the Mongolian beef/chicken has been pretty good.

Squire's Grille has really good fish and chips.

Beste Brezeln has some pretty good pretzel dogs.

Grogan Grill has a good pork loin.

I avoid the Festhaus, except at Christmas.

During food and wine fest, I avoid all the permanent restaurants and only eat at the food booths.

Just remember the quality can vary from day to day. I've had some bad meals, but I have had some really great meals.

 

[TimBG]

In Oktoberfest near Mach Tower there is: Beste Brezeln und Bier(Pretzel dining area). You can get draft beer here, pretzel nuggets with cheese dipping sauce, but the best deal is the Turkey sandwich on a Pretzel Bun.

In Festa Italia near Roman Rapids is: La Cucina. All you can eat buffet, where their pasta and alfredo sauce is the best. Different kinds of pizza's aren't too bad.

In New France there is: Trapper's Smokehouse. A little bit of everything is here: ribs, corn on cob, fries, etc.

In England near Big Ben is: London Dairy. It's one of the best soft serve ice-cream places I have ever eaten at.