Your thoughts on Garden Grill?

[YYC_Mommy]

Looking at possibly dining at the Garden Grill this trip. Any feedback? I had a look in the review section and I could not find much.

I know there are lots of great options in Epcot but some of our group would like to dine there. We are a group of 6 adults and 3 kids.

 

[NOLA_Tink]

We love, love, loved Garden Grill & I would do it again in a heartbeat!! Delicious food & awesome service!

 

[jenjersnap]

We had an excellent meal there a few months ago. We have eaten there frequently and we heard it had gone downhill but that wasn't our experience. Good food and some of the best character interaction at WDW.

 

[buzzrelly]

Well, since you asked, my thoughts are that we did not care for Garden Grill at all and would never go back. We actually didn't like what they were serving and if I had known better, I would have checked the menu prior to going and definitely would not have chosen it. We didn't have the greatest character interaction either, so the whole experience just wasn't good.

 

[pixarmom]

Garden Grill is our arrival night tradition and the ONLY character meal that has survived, now that our two older boys are teens (our youngest would be up for any character meal.) Our family is about as diverse as it gets in terms of eating styles and preferences (two adventurous near- vegetarians, two meat-and-potatoes but pickier and one in between) and we all love Garden Grill. I've always loved the salad and bread and pretty much stop eating after that - not because there is anything wrong with the rest, but because the salad and bread are usually that good. Our middle son loves the mac and cheese (I don't recommend it, but he thinks it's the best.) Our oldest son eats pretty much everything presented except for the fish. And for our youngest - bread, mac and cheese, steak . . . it's vacation, so OK.

I also love the fact that our little one can meet characters, but we don't have to juggle plates or deal with a buffet. Much more relaxing that way, and dinner can resemble more of a regular dinner instead of the whole get up/sit down/meet character situation at most character meals.

It's possible there is a little bit of theme park fog over this meal (meaning we're so tired that any decent food tastes good) but whatever. Don't hesitate - great ADR!

 

[disneybliss2]

We tried GG for the first time this past summer. It was very good! I typically prefer a meal I can choose from a selection of choices from a menu, so I was surprised by how well I liked the meal. Everything tasted yummy, there was a large variety of food, and there was a lot of food served. The character interaction was very good as well. The characters spent a lot of quality time with my girls and returned to our table to visit with them more than once. My daughter loves the Living with the Land ride, so having the restaurant rotate past the ride just added to the experience. I wouldn't hesitate to go back.

 

[pixarmom]

My daughter loves the Living with the Land ride, so having the restaurant rotate past the ride just added to the experience.

No way! Our oldest son (15-years-old) loves it too, even though his brothers do not agree. He said that he doesn't understand why everyone wants to stay in that suite in the castle - he'd like to win an overnight in the house in the Land!

 

[awalker1015]

We really liked it! The host was the sweetest elderly man who really took time to talk to my young kids and engage them. The character interaction was awesome! We also enjoyed the food. It was a nice departure from regular theme park fare. My only complaints would have been the ambiance (VERY bright lighting, almost jarring after a long park day) and our service wasn't great. Very friendly (which goes a LONG way) but also very slow. Took forever to get our check. But the characters ended up making a third pass by since we were waiting so long so it wasnt too bad.

 

[tinkerbella16]

We had dinner at Garden Grill for the first time on our arrival night in November. It was amazing! What a great way to start off the trip.. We could not stop talking about it the whole week. It ended up being our favorite meal of the week. This restaurant gets a lot of negative reviews so we weren't so sure going in.. We actually booked it, cancelled it and then booked it again... and we were glad we did! Everything was fantastic. Our ADR was for 5:45pm and we were seated exactly on time in a nice booth on the outer part of the restaurant, with great views of the Living with the Land ride. Our waitress was great and always checked on us, refilled drinks without even being asked, and got us more of everything we liked. The food was excellent- the beef, mashed potatos, stuffing and turkey were my favorite! It was delicious and cooked just perfectly. When we asked for more of our favorites, they were really generous and filled the whole plate with so much more. The dessert was also delicious... Warm berry cobbler with a fresh whipped cream topping- SO GOOD! The character interactions with farmer Mickey, pluto, chip & dale were some of the best we had all week. They came around to our table 3 times each and just played around. It was an awesome meal from start to finish and we cannot wait to go back again. Highly recommend it! We really hoped for a booth on the outer part of the restaurant so we asked when we checked in and they said absolutely.

 

[HopperFan]

Some of the best character interaction, good comfy food, relaxed no rush atmosphere. Plus it revolves and you see the ride scenes.

 

[disneybliss2]

No way! Our oldest son (15-years-old) loves it too, even though his brothers do not agree. He said that he doesn't understand why everyone wants to stay in that suite in the castle - he'd like to win an overnight in the house in the Land!

If he likes the ride so much, you should sign him up for the Behind the Seeds tour. It was very reasonable to attend. I think DH said it was around $17. You get a discount if your a Disney Visa card holder. He was there for an hour and half or longer. He signed up in the morning for the afternoon time he attended. Like my daughter, he really likes the ride. He said this tour really enhanced his experience. He loved it!

 

[YYC_Mommy]

Thanks for the feedback. I noticed that the child meal listed is a drumstick? Are the children's meals served separately? Or is the entire meal served family style?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Our Ratings of Garden Grill: (*rev 12/16/2014*)
. . . food price value: B
. . . food quality: C
. . . food quantity per serving: A
. . . food prep speed: B
. . . food selection: C
. . . seating quantity: C
. . . seating comfort: B
. . . eatery atmosphere: B
. . . eatery convenience: B
. . . staff friendliness: B
. . . staff attentiveness: B
. . . character interaction: A


Our Recommendations:
. . . appys:... Living-with-the-Land Harvest-inspired Farmer’s Salad
. . . entree:.. Turkey Breastwith Lemon Caper Sauce
. . . dessert:. Skillet Cakewith Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream


NOTE1: The eatery revolves within The Land pavilion and portions of spin include farm
scenes from the boat ride. The food is plentiful, but quality merely average. You pay for
the characters and not the food or food quality. Food is served family style and there is
always more, as it is All You Care To Enjoy. Characters include Mickey, Pluto, Chip-n-Dale.
As the eatery is one of the smaller character locales, the character interaction is GREAT.


NOTE2: The lower deck tables have one-side seats which can make talking among the
table diners tough, especially if you have six-to-eight people, which takes about 12-feet
in linear distance. This means that you cannot easily stand to interact with characters.
The upper has standard tables that seat people facing each other and you can stand and
interact. I recommend upper tier for characters; lower for viewing the river-ride scenery.
There is little chance of motion sickness, as the eatery moves so slowly. If you do have
a concern, the upper level happens rarely.

 

[RAPstar]

Well, since you asked, my thoughts are that we did not care for Garden Grill at all and would never go back. We actually didn't like what they were serving and if I had known better, I would have checked the menu prior to going and definitely would not have chosen it. We didn't have the greatest character interaction either, so the whole experience just wasn't good.

Why book something without looking at the menu, especially as easy as it is to find Disney menus nowadays? I mean honestly.

 

[SnackCredit]

I remember the Garden Grill being my favorite character meal. The revolving is really cool, and I liked how some of the food was grown in the greenhouses.

 

[buzzrelly]

Why book something without looking at the menu, especially as easy as it is to find Disney menus nowadays? I mean honestly.

I was a newbie, it was 2006 and we booked through a travel agent. We got the DDP for free which at the time included an appetizer AND tip! And here's the kicker…we went down without one ADR! Crazy! So we ate at Olivia's a LOT and when we wanted to eat at the parks, we would call the dining reservation line and they would offer suggestions. I had the internet at home back then but didn't go on it much and certainly didn't have an iPad, smartphone or laptop. And as far as planning, I didn't really know what I didn't know, and planning that first trip was pretty overwhelming, as I am sure you know. I joined the Dis and read the Unofficial Guide cover to cover but that's all the research I did. I'm sure I didn't find the menus online until much later. That's why.

 

[PollyannaMom]

We love Garden Grill, and would definitely recommend it!

The first time for us, back when planning was a little less intense, was one of those "stop at Guest Services and see what's available" picks, and DS (5 at the time) loved it so much we booked it again during the same trip! We have also gone back on a subsequent trip.

The character interaction was very good, and we all liked the food.

 

[Dawn68PA]

We loved it! Food was good and characters were great and we were 4 adults!

 

[jimmytammy]

We like it though its been awhile since we have been there. Food is good, and characters come round often. Go hungry!!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Definitely the best character interaction! Love it!