Le Cellier review

[HootDad]

Hi,

I just listened to the Le Cellier review. I'm surprised nobody has commented. Anyway, I went there a few years back and have to say I agree 100%. I was at World for marathon weekend. (Shameless plug - TR on my blog - link below) We had a ressie at LC that I honestly only made because my friend wanted to go. I was actually happy when my flight time changed and we needed to cancel.

John T - HootDad - http://www.thompsonfamilyweb.com - Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[kbelle8995]

I went to LC last year and thought it was good but not worth booking six months in advanced. I had been there before.

I personally hate hate that they are going to all day Dinner Menus. Many restaurants in the Studios have done this as well and now it's spreading to Epcot. My DSister told someone at WDW on the monorail last week about this and they decided to cancel their reservations at LC.

For the price of LC I could go to Yachtsman and get a better meal.

 

[LVSWL]

I just cancelled our ADR for our upcoming trip. We all looked at the "new" menu and our favorites weren't on there anymore.

 

[chirurgeon]

I had already changed the ADR I had for Le Cellier to Yachtsman before the review. Glad I made the right decision.

 

[jcb]

I decided against LC based upon Kevin's January 2008 review - when they cut the size of the beefsteak tomatoes with mozzarella slices. I haven't heard anything that makes me want to rethink that decision.

As a matter of fact, with exceptions for "Narcasees" and one or two others, I find I enjoy eating off site much more than any of the on site restaurants. Some of them even have fun "theming."

 

[Jamieann77]

I was beginning to think I was the only person that wasn't impressed with LC! So many people on here go on and on about it. We went to WDW last year for the first time. Me, DH, DD and nephew. We spent over $200 for 2 adults, 2 kids and 2 adult beverages. WTH?? It was small portions and tasted no better than Outback! Yes, it was a nice place and cute from the outside, but that's about it!

This was the only ADR reservation I had made other than the character dinner at Crystal Palace, which was the only meal that I was impressed with.

 

[auroralark]

We used to love LC, but it's just not worth the price anymore. We won't be going back anytime soon unless something changes.

 

[lugnut33]

Ate there once, not impressed. Have not been back for 6 years and counting.

 

[collins316]

We are a table of two. The 2 tops were lined up next to each other so close on our last visit there. We may as well have been in the Germany Biergarten for how close we were to the table next to us.
If they would set up a shop out front selling the pretzel bread, I would be thrilled.
Ot better yet, bring back the Beaver Tails.
Bernie

 

[sayhello]

I have never been able to get in there to eat, and I gave up long ago. Looks like I haven't missed much...

Sayhello

 

[ColoradoDisney]

I thought the review seemed to focus on everything but the food.

I do not like the all day dinner menu.

Kevin is certainly free to organize and state whatever he wants as it is his review. I find reviews that are more objective and balanced more helpful.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

I think there are many factors that have contributed to the decline of Le Cellier, some of them are because of the dinning plan and the restaurant becoming extremely popular. I think what they need to do is bring in a sponsor like The Keg which is a Canadian Steak house chain. Another thing that could benefit them would be renovating the old shops on the upper level as additional seating for the restaurant.

 

[msteddom]

I wish they would open a counter service place in Canada. It would serve the bread, the soup, a few of the salads, the burger off the old lunch menu, and a few other cs appropriate items.

 

[WaltD4Me]

I have never been able to get in there to eat, and I gave up long ago. Looks like I haven't missed much...

Sayhello

I actually managed to get a lunch ADR, but once sat at our table we decided not to stay!
The table was so tiny and uncomfortable I decided it wasn't worth it. I understand the restaurant is very small, but I wanted a nice relaxing lunch and that wasn't going to happen being cramped and squished at
one of their 2 tops. We were able to walk up and get a table at Chefs De France and it was awesome.

 

[mjaclyn]

I have actually noticed that the popularity of Le Cellier has definitely dropped off in the past few months. I think this is absolutely because of lunch becoming 2 table services credits instead of one and now the all day dinner menu makes it worse. I don't find it all that difficult to get a reservation there anymore, we just had lunch at the beginning of January with only about two weeks notice which would have been unheard of before these recent changes.

As far as the food goes, Le Cellier is one of my favorite dining options in World Showcase. I usually order the cheese soup and mushroom risotto filet (what Kevin had). The warm pretzel bread is amazing! The last three times I have eaten at Le Cellier the food has been excellent. I'm not sure if they had a changing of chefs but there was a time when I thought the food was awful and now it has seemed to turn around.

The atmosphere is exactly as you would expect - it's a wine cellar. It is dark with no windows and small, but that is what a wine cellar would be so I'm not sure I could really complain about that considering that was the intention.

The prices are outrageous. I have not been to Le Cellier since they switched to the all day dinner menu and I'm not sure if I'll go back. I cannot see paying $43 for a steak at 11:00 in the morning. That's just ridiculous. I really hope that this is not a new trend with Disney because I believe they have also switched Tony's to an all day dinner menu as well. I really liked that we had the option to dine at the more expensive restaurants for lunch and save some money, but if the all day dinner menus are done across the board I am going to be very upset. The price of food already increases every year and just the thought of having to pay dinner prices at lunch makes me mad. If that happens I can say that we will definitely not be eating at as many table service restaurants as we normally do on vacation and that would be very unfortunate because dining is one of the things at WDW that makes our vacation special and fun. Please don't ruin it by making it unaffordable! (We have used the Dining Plan as well as Tables in Wonderland for meals and are a family of 4 - 2 adults and 2 children)

I really enjoy listening to John and Kevin's dining reviews. I do think something they should know is that most people with children who are in a theme park will not think to themselves 'the food is better at Bull & Bear so let's hop in the car and drive over there instead.' I'm sure all of you know that there is no 'hopping in the car' and getting anywhere in a few minutes when it includes walking all the way back to the entrance, getting bags, strollers, children onto the tram, back to the car and then driving somewhere for lunch or dinner only to come back to where you were in the first place. If we're there, we're going to stay there. Yachtsman is a closer option but again, with hungry kids I am much more likely to sit and wait for my table at Le Cellier than take a 20 to 30 minute trip over to the Yacht club, not to mention that after being in a theme park all day I'm not sure I would feel comfortable eating there in what I was wearing. It might be different if you're by yourself, have older children or are just going as a couple, but for a family with small kids, leaving the park to go somewhere else for a meal is not really an option unless I have no plans to come back to that park that day. Also, it is pretty rare that we even have a car at WDW because we try to stay at one of the monorail resorts or an Epcot resort and use Disney transportation.

 

[jcb]

I thought the review seemed to focus on everything but the food.

I do not like the all day dinner menu.

Kevin is certainly free to organize and state whatever he wants as it is his review. I find reviews that are more objective and balanced more helpful.

I don't know how long you have been listening but Kevin's reviews are almost always like this. He reviews the experience as well as the food. The idea is that you pay for the "theming" and "experience" at a WDW restaurant, more so, perhaps, than at other restaurants.

I am a little curious at what you mean by "objective and balanced." All food reviews are subjective, Kevin's included (he has no hesitation in saying this). What did you find "unbalanced" about the review?

 

[WebmasterLeah]

Le Cellier is one of our favorite restaurants at WDW. We go on every trip (normally for lunch) and love the mushroom filet (sub the potatoes for the risotto). I'm not even really a steak eater, but this is one place that I love it! But, now that it's so expensive and the awesome burger at lunch is gone, I don't think we'll be going back nearly as often. I like the pretzel bread too, but those are really the only 3 things we eat there. I don't think the cheese soup is that great, unless I'm dipping my pretzel bread in it. I think the steak for lunch was $26 before. $43 is more than I'm willing to pay.

 

[Quicklabs]

I wish they would open a counter service place in Canada. It would serve the bread, the soup, a few of the salads, the burger off the old lunch menu, and a few other cs appropriate items.

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

We used to go to LeCellier all the time but it is just to pricey now for that amount I can go to Yachtsman which is way better IMO.

 

[coopersmom]

I just listened to the review and I had to agree 100%. My single Le Cellier meal was back in 2010 (before it became two table credits and Disney went to credit card holds for reservations), but I had MANY of the same reactions and even identical experiences. We, too, checked in, and while waiting for our table saw many, many people turned away without even a glance. Yet, when we got in, there were MANY empty tables that never filled during our entire meal. I remember distinctly there being 3-4 people at the check-in desk/table and they did nothing but chat to each other and turn away guests without a glance, until the trivia started after the entryway became so full they could no longer stuff a single person more into it. (There were about 6 seats for maybe 25 people.) Which made it even more weird to walk into a restaurant with so many empty tables.

The table was extremely small, even though we had 4, and we were so close to other diners we couldn't get out of our seats without asking them to stand (and vice versa). The service was lackluster, at best (our waitress disappeared for 45 minutes after giving us our entrees and only game after we flagged someone else down and sent a search party), and the food very much equivalent to an Outback (i.e. extremely boring and very salty) ... For (back then) double or triple the price.

We, too, paid out of pocket, though we were asked roughly 17 times (and this was everywhere we went, not just Le Cellier) if we were on the dining plan. It was like you could tell the same person 10 times and they still didn't believe you.

The best part of the restaurant was the pretty walk back to it, over the little bridge. And, at least on that very cold trip, the fact that it was warm.

As you can imagine, we've never returned. Have been to Bull and Bear though. And, honestly, it shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as Le Cellier. Le Cellier is to Bull and Bear what Chili's is to the Frontera Grill. And I don't mean that snobbishly ... Just that I sincerely don't even think they're doing, or trying to do, the same thing.

PS: The dining reviews are my absolute favorite part of the podcast.