Need Reviews on - Coral Reef/50's Primetime/California Grille/'Ohana/Capt. Jack's

[Mickeydad]

We are looking at dining at the Coral Reef, the 50's Primetime Cafe, California Grille and Capt. Jack's on our next trip home in April.

If you have been to any of these restaurants, please provide your review, with as much detail as possible.

Thanks in advance!!!:D

[MHopkins2]

Coral Reef - several visits, most recent September 2002; food is expensive but good, and the lobster bisque is OUTSTANDING - quite possibly the best soup I've ever had, anywhere; service in all trips before the last one was very good, last trip had inexplicably dismal service, but the manager was very nice and apologetic about it.

50's Primetime - one lunch in August 1999; HATED this and will never (ever) go again; food was lackluster / unmemorable and service next to nonexistant. Not a big fan of the "theme" anyway - my actual mother was never able to get me to eat veggies, so a waitress has zero chance! :)

California Grill - several visits, most recent March 2003; food and service are fantastic - IMO, it's second only to Victoria & Albert's for on property dining, and it has an amazing view of the Castle. The pork tenderloin entree served with balsamic mushrooms and creamy polenta is just ridiculously good. Two caveats: it can get a bit noisy for the price and ambiance, and on my solo trip, the hostess was kind of a snothead about my solo status. Once I was seated though, the service couldn't have been better, so it's not the waitstaff that have a problem, just the hostess.

'Ohana - dinner in August 1999; good food and friendly service at a reasonable price. Great place if you're on a low carb diet, because it's a meat extravaganza. :) (On the other hand, this would be a very poor choice if there's a vegetarian in your party - I'm sure they could come up with something, but that person probably wouldn't enjoy the experience.) If you like your steak rare, just ask - they generally bring medium or medium-well skewers the first time, but are happy to go back to the fire/grill and get whatever you prefer.

Haven't been to Captain Jack's yet, can't help you there.

[Mamu]

I love all kinds of fish, so yes I do like the Coral Reef. A little expensive though. I have to say though sitting and watching all kinds of fish swimming in a tank then eating them just doesn't seem right.

Love 50's Primetime and the antics.

'Ohana's: Love the atmosphere, love the food, but I find there is just too much food. I'm not a big eater and become overwhelmed with all this food. I don't think I'll return.

I have not tried the other restaurants.

[SYDNCLAIRESMOM]

I disagree with the bad review of 50s Prime Time. We ate dinner there Sept 2003 and thought the food was great. Our server was not one of the ones who made you eat your veggies etc... mainly because he could see our DD3 was NOT in the mood (overtired). He went by the name Uncle Spence, I think, and he did not overdo the act at all.
We had the chicken noodle soup (very good), pot roast (to die for), fried chicken (very good), and the meatloaf (very good if you like it with ketchup). This is good old fashion comfort food no more no less. NOT gourmet but not bad either.
I watched some of the other waiters and thought the act was funny, but some people find it annoying.
I would definetly go back. In fact I plan to in March

[solotraveler]

Here's the rundown of the ones I have tried:

Coral Reef- A really great place for a nice quite lunch. Food is very good (yes, the Lobster Bisque is THAT good); service was perfectly up to snuff. Amazing atmosphere.

California Grill- 3 trips, twice solo, and a absolute MUST DO on every trip now. Defiantely try to get a reservation for after the fireworks and enjoy them from the rooftop terrace before dinner. The food is amazing, the service is fantastic, all wines available by the glass. Aboslutely supurb.

50s Primetime- One dinner in 1995--- Thought it was fun, but the food was nothing to write home about and I haven't been back since then. I think this place ranks 4th out of 4 in food quality at the Studios, IMHO.

Hope this helps!
Solotraveler:earsboy:

[zulaya]

Can only really review 'Ohana for you. It's our first night dinner EVERY trip! We love the food, the fun, the atmosphere.

I can tell you we aren't doing Coral Reef anytime soon. We like seafood, but I can't justify the prices for what I have read to be smaller portions.

[Disney Enthusiast]

I can give you reviews of 3 of them.

Coral Reef - We've eaten there a few times now and have had very good service and wonderful food all 3 times. I worked in the service industry for years and I am very pleasant and understanding w/ the staff knowing what they go thru each day, so I know I didn't make a horrible stink about this. But one time the soups came out cool and we asked for them to be reheated or something to that nature. The server was very apologetic and then gave us free desserts to make up for it. We didn't even imply that we were upset so he and the manager just did it to compensate us for us having to wait the extra few minutes for our soups to be reheated. I was impressed and very pleased. I am not a big fish lover, and yet I could find some items on the menu which were mild and very good. Most recently I went there w/ an 8 mo. old well behaved child and the server was very accomodating in getting us warm water for our bottle etc. I would definitely go there again.

50's - It was hokey and the food was lackluster and a bit boring, but good all the same, and I would go there again. We took my PIL (in their 70's) who we thought might get a kick out of the shennanigans of the CM's and they certainly did. The CM's seem to know who the family wants picked on the most and they just go to town. In this case it was my grumpy FIL who is always grumbling about his grown sons wearing their hats at the table and talking w/ their mouths full. Well, he wore a baseball cap in the park and "forgot" to take it off in the 50's and she let him have it. We all had a blast hearing Auntie Clair give him thunder. She then gave him a bib to eat, played airplane w/ him, and turned the bib around and reminded him of when he was younger and pretended to be Superman as she waved the bib behind him. My FIL keeps asking me about that restaurant and keeps saying how he wants to take his other set of grandkids there. And my PIL loved the food because it was what they served every night in the 50's and 60's. So my DH and I thought it was o.k., but to see my FIL enjoy it that much was well worth the visit. It might have been the only time he smiled on the trip.

California Grille - One of our all-time favorites and we make a point to go there every vacation. The BBQ Filet Mignons are just perfect in every way and that is usually what we get, but the previous poster's description of the pork tenderloin sounds delish and I may have to try that the next time. The wines are superb and service is top notch. And if you schedule dinner w/in an hour of the fireworks, that night will be one of your best at WDW. It does get loud in there, but now that we have kids who are well behaved, but might talk a bit loudly for few seconds til we quiet them, a loud dining room is welcome because no one notices a squeak or giggle once in a while. I am hoping to dine there this January.

A special note..... we went to California Grille for dinner 4 yrs ago and had hyped the whole family up for their filets (my PIL, my BIL, wife and 2 kids joined my husband and I for dinner that night) and we were all looking forward to dining there. Well, smoke came out of the kitchen and we were evacuated to the rooftop terrace for an hour or so. This was before 9/11 and we weren't thinking the bldg could burn down or anything. So we waited outside until they figured out whether it was a fire or what. The fans were clogged or something and smoke had no where to go but the dining room. Guests left little by little but we stuck it out. The servers brought us drinks and appetizers, bread, and small talk. We had a MARVELOUS time getting to know the CM's and munching and drinking and it was a lovely night. Finally after hours, there were only 2 dining families left... us and another group. They reopened the kitchen and we sat down for our Filets. And boy were they worth the wait. Afterward our waiter told us the dinner was on the house and he thanked us for sticking it out. With 8 of us, that bill came up to over $400. We ended up having a terrific evening out on the roof, the food was great, and the interaction w/ the staff was a once in a lifetime experience, and they took care of the bill. We will be lifetime diners at the Grille now. It is a wonderful restaurant.

[jeffemy]

I can give you my views on 2.

50's prime time: We( me, DH, DS-16 & DD-11) really enjoyed it here. Our waiter (can't remember his name) was funny without being over-the-top. The food was good, we had the fried chicken, pot roast, chicken caesar salad, and kids chicken tenders. It was my DD's birthday and they did a super job helping us celebrate. We'd definately go there again.

O'hana: We really wanted to like it here, the atmosphere was great, we just didn't care for the food. Too much sweet-sour flavor marinade on everything. My DD was allowed to order a regular chicken tender meal though. We were disappointed.

Hope this helps:D

[JoiseyMom]

Ohana's...what can I say. It ROCKS!!!!!

We went there on Xmas nite. It was awesome. The greenbeans were wonderful, the salad my family loved. The wings were really good, and the wontons...sigh... I WANT MORE. I need the recipe, they were sooooooooooooooooo good. The meats were also wonderful. I was a tad disappointed this trip with the shrimp....a bit too spicy for me. I know I could have asked for it unspicy.. but I was enjoying the wontons and other meats too much. My fil and bil went to town on that shrimp.

This is a restaurant we go to every trip. My bil did it twice this past trip.

Prime time we really like the food and the interaction. Ya have to be in the mood to have fun!!

[CamColt]

Originally posted by JoiseyMom
Ohana's...what can I say. It ROCKS!!!!!


I agree! We tried it for the first time on 12/21 and we will definitely be going back on our next trip. The food was all delicious(I avoided the fish and pork though) and the kids had a ball with the coconut races. We had a really good meal here.

[Mickeydad]

Everyone's reports are awesome!!!

Thanks so much for your input.

Mickeydad:wave2:

[Grumpy92]

Disney Enthusiast what great stories. I love the FIL and my father had the same reaction to 50s Pt he loved it. He kept telling us thru dinner about all the items in the kitchens that were in his Mom's kitchen & DR.

As for CG what a way to turn something bad into something good. Amazing! This restaurant does live up to all the raves, expensive but the best.

Wanted to review Capt Jacks. We went there for lunch at xmas and found it really nice. The view was nice and it was relaxing. The food was pretty good too.

[Disney Enthusiast]

Thanks Grumpy92 for your kind words! It's amazing how much one can appreciate the good experience when it started out bad! And I am glad your father enjoyed the 50's as well. I think people who lived during that era really get a kick out of the antics and the theme in that restaurant. My FIL still talks about 50's.

Mickeydad - Glad we all helped. Good luck at choosing which ones you will visit.

[~Czarina~]

Never been to Coral Reef but would love to. I would have to go for dessert because I do not eat fishies.

California Grill I hear is AWESOME! It smelled wonderful from the boat but didn't get to eat there.

'Ohana and Capt. Jack's your guess is pretty much as good as mine but...

50's Prime Time Cafe is the best! We love it! Food is typicial...grilled cheese, ham sands that kinda thing. Having my "prim" grandmother then and having HER get yelled at for having her elbows on the table was worth a million dollars! She is always yelling at everybody else at the table and for a change she was told to not finish her milkshake before dinner and to keep her elbows off the table. We even had a really cool "Aunt Jill" who put my father in the corner. He being himself was very difficult and ended up being spanked with a pile of menus. If you really wanna get zapped into a family and have a mom instead of a waitress it is great! If you wanna go someplace prissy to eat then avoid it but as for me and my family we will be hitting it at least once by the end of the month.

[Cinderella37]

Coral Reef: Wonderful food, service, and atmosphere. The portions are rather large (as far as my fiance and I are concerned) and the Bisque is delightful. There are choices for non-seafood lovers, also. If it's on the menu when you go, get the seafood salad. It is HUGE and features many different kinds of fish and shellfish. We eat here every trip.

50s Prime Time: We love it here! The food is very basic, but IMO the food isn't the attraction. Make sure you play along with the servers and you'll have a wonderful time. As for the food, it is consistently good; as another poster mentioned it is not gourmet, but typical comfort food. We also never miss this restaurant.

California Grill: Okay, I'm in the minority here, but I don't see what all the fuss is about. The view is beautiful and the wine selection is excellent, but my fiance and I were a little disappointed on our first visit to the restaurant almost eight years ago. We tried it the next year - same thing. We keep going back to see if we're missing something, but we've decided it just isn't for us. The pork tenderloin is good, as are the souffles, but we just don't think it is that great. We do love Flying Fish, though, and feel it is a much better dining experience.

'Ohana: Not only is this restaurant fun, but the food is great! We don't have kids yet, but we love to watch the hula hoop contests and the coconut races. The service is usually very good and the view of the Castle is lovely. The meats with the different dipping sauces is wonderful, as are the specialty drinks from the Tambu Lounge.

Cap'n Jack's: Horrible. That's the only word for it. The service was terrible and the food tastes like cardboard. We had crabcakes that tasted as if they used paper for filler instead of bread crumbs. Also, very little crab. The restaurant was empty when we went and we understood why after our meal. They do have a great strawberry margarita, though.

[dznyntnh]

California Grille--One of my favorites in wdw. Excellant service, some would say slow, but to me it was very relaxing. I only feel its slow if it takes forever and I feel as if I'm being ignored. Here I never felt like I was being ignored by the staff, I felt like my waitress was giving me time to enjoy my meal, the surroundings and view (especially the fireworks). The food was excellant. CG and Shula's were the two best meals I had during my October, 2003 trip.

50's Prime Time--The other end of the specturm. Tacky, tacky, tacky. Dull menu. The whole 'getting yelled at by the staff' thing is absurd and does not make for an enjoyable meal. And do not believe those who tell you that the staff 'know' who wants to play and who doesn't. I had to restrain my friend from murdering the waitress who constantly nagged him about elbows, and vegetables and other idiotic things, depsite the fact that neither one of us showed any indication that we anted to 'play'. If you want a good meal, great service and atmosphere at mgm/ds then go to The Sci Fi Dine In.

[Desi]

We ate at 'Ohana in Oct. for the first time. and we loved it! The food was great! atmosphere wonderful. But I think what put the "magical" touch on the dinner was that I had booked our ps at around the time the fireworks went off at Cinderella's castle. with the music, ect it was wonderful!
I never thought I would pay 25.00 each for a buffett, but this is the one.
We can't wait to go back this summer with our girls to show them.
:wave2:

[Alice28]

Capt Jacks- this review is so old, I don't even know if it counts anymore! We ate there 9 years ago, 1/95- I remember DH being disappointed in the variety, but I had a tuna sandwich on a croissant and it suited me just fine. It was the only place in DtD/PI without a wait.

'Ohana- ate there 3/03 and LOVED it! It was our favorite meal of our 10 day trip. There were 7 of us, 5 adults and 2 kids. I had made a PS that would coincide with the fireworks over at the MK and we were given a window table with a PERFECT view of the castle. We thought the food was awesome- I almost liked the appetizers more than the main food- the wontons, chicken wings, salad and bread were so good! I tried the steak, turkey and pork and I thought the turkey was a little dry, but okay with the dipping sauce (the peanut sauce is very tasty), the steak was great and the pork was good enough. I'm not a shrimp eater, but DH and my Dad thought they were A+. The kids were able to order hot dogs and fries with no problem- the servers were EXCELLENT (they serve in teams of two) and it was a magical meal. Would eat there again in a heartbeat.

50's Prime Time Cafe- at there 10/03----very fun! I had wanted to eat there in 3/03, but my two DS's spotted Pizza Planet and insisted on eating there. Anyway, we got there right at 11:30 (when they open) and my PS was for that time, so we were the 4th or 5th party seated. We had cousin Meesha, who was very sweet and didn't go over the top at all. I had the turkey sandwich which was huge and pretty tasty and my Mom had the Pot Roast which she loved- she practically licked the plate! We shared s'mores for dessert which were SO good. I loved the kitch everywhere, as did my mom- she spotted several items that she swears her mom or gramma had the exact same thing in their kitchens when she was a kid in the 50's.