Best Disneyland restaurants for RunDisney events

With all of the Jedi’s and Sith Lord’s about to take over Disneyland next weekend for the RunDisney Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend, I thought I would help any runners who might be looking for the best Disneyland restaurants to carbo-load before the run and where to refuel afterwards.

Pre-race carbo-loading: It is important to note that you shouldn’t eat anything to crazy or far from your normal running routine, so be careful.

Corn dog stands – Located in both California Adventure and Disneyland Park, these deep-fried, bready treats are sure to make sure your carb count is high for the race.

Bread bowls – Since it may be cold and rainy, you may want to consider something warm like a bread bowl. Two awesome places to get one of these is Harbour Gallery in Disneyland and Pacific Wharf Cafe in California Adventure. These seasonal soups like clam chowder or lobster bisque are served in warm, sourdough bread bowls and are perfect carb meals to keep you toasty too.

Pizza and pasta – If Italian is the way to go for your pre-race fill-up, than head over to Redd Rocket’s Pizza Port in Disneyland or Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta in California Adventure. Both of these places serve up several different varieties of pastas and pizza, along with breads and desserts.

If you are looking for a nice sit down meal, be sure to try Wine Country Trattoria or Carthay Circle. Both of these serve plenty of pre-race options like pastas, steaks and bread but are a little more expensive and will probably need a reservation for race weekend.

Post-race refuel – How can you go wrong with anything you want to eat at Disney after running 3.1-19.3 miles? You can’t. But here are some of my favorites.

Breakfast buffets – The three Disneyland Resort hotels all offer breakfast buffets with characters. This has become a tradition of ours after any RunDisney events. Not only can  you refuel with Mickey waffles, bacon, eggs and muffins, but each hotel has their own special menu items included also. The characters also tend to pay special attention to those of us with race medals clanging around our necks.

Food from around the globe – If you want to be adventurous with your post race fuel, be sure to try Rancho del Zocalo, in Disneyland, for some Mexican cuisine and plenty of chips and salsa or Lucky Fortune Cookery, in California Adventure, for a wide selection of rice bowls and sauces.

After refueling, you may find you need to run it all off again, but just sit back, wear your hard-earned medals and enjoy all the delicious menu items Disneyland Resort has to offer.