Hey there Divyansh,
Welcome to planDisney and thanks so much for your question!
One of my favorite parts of any Disneyland Resort vacation is the food, so I can definitely relate to wanting to snag a quick meal at one of the restaurants in the parks.
In order to dine at one of the many locations within
Disneyland Park or
Disney California Adventure Park, I can confirm that you do need valid
theme park tickets and a
theme park reservation to be able to enter the park and get access to that dining location.
However, you do not need a ticket or park reservation to dine at a location within the
Downtown Disney District just outside of the parks, which also has some fantastic options to eat as well. The same goes for the dining locations at the three hotels of the Disneyland Resort: the
Disneyland Hotel,
Pixar Place Hotel, and
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. While many of the dining locations in these hotels require reservations, you do not need a park ticket to access them.
Typically, when my family and I visit the parks, we use the first day of a trip as a travel day. We arrive to our hotel in the late afternoon, drop off our bags, and then head over to the Downtown Disney District to eat and shop. We've got two young kiddos, so that also helps them to get some of their excess energy out after a day of travel, so it tends to work out well. Then we head into the parks early the next day!
Thanks again for your question, Divyansh! I hope that helps as you continue to plan your next visit to the Disneyland Resort.
Have a Magical Day,
Greg