Questions about Shula's

[bangzoom6877]

I'm looking at 2 different places for steak...Yachtsman Steakhouse and Shula's. Both are appealing since they are walking distance from BWV (where we will be staying), and DS6's favorite food in the world is steak. I know all about Yachtsman, and am leaning toward the 4 of us going there, but I am also curious about Shula's and have some questions:

1. On All Ears, the Shula's menu says, "Please inquire about children's menu"; do they actually have a children's menu now? If so, anyone have a photo of it or any info?
2. Is it frowned upon to bring kids to Shula's? (We eat between 5:30 and 6:30pm)
3. This is if DH and I decide to go there alone...if we are not staying at the Dolphin, can we still put the kids into Camp Dolphin if we go to dinner at Shula's? It says on the S/D website that Camp Dolphin is free for 2 hours if you dine at Shula's (one child per adult entree ordered), but it doesn't specify if you have to be a guest staying at the hotel to even use the camp, let alone this special.
4. Is Shula's really worth the price? Is it that much better than Yachtsman?
5. What would you do if you were me? I live in NYC, and we have Shula's here...would you not go for that reason?
6. Does Shula's currently take the TiW card, or do they offer a DVC Member discount?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Shula's steak is much better than Yachtsman.

Shula's would prefer you not to bring children.

Since you live in NYC and you have a Shula's (not to mention Peter Lugers and Delmonicos which are both better than Shula's) and since kids are generally frowned upon at Shula's I'd go with Yachtsman. The steaks are very good and kids are welcome.

Don't know about DVC discount at Shula's but they do take Tables in Wonderland.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Shula's steak is much better than Yachtsman.

Shula's would prefer you not to bring children.

Since you live in NYC and you have a Shula's (not to mention Peter Lugers and Delmonicos which are both better than Shula's) and since kids are generally frowned upon at Shula's I'd go with Yachtsman. The steaks are very good and kids are welcome.

Don't know about DVC discount at Shula's but they do take Tables in Wonderland at least they have in the past I think I remember using it.

Thanks so much! OK, when we go with the kids, Yachtsman it is! Maybe DH and I will go to Shula's alone one night though, and put the kids into the Camp Dolphin if we can...hopefully they allow this even if you are not staying at the hotel...if not, there is always the kids' camp at the Beach Club, should we decide to go to dinner alone.

I know what you mean about Peter Luger...there is nothing else like it! Also, years ago when we went to the Old Homestead (in Manhattan, in the meat-packing district)...I liked that even better than Peter Luger!

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Yes I have heard about Old Homestead in the Mepa. I will def have to try it out next time I am in NYC.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Yes I have heard about Old Homestead in the Mepa. I will def have to try it out next time I am in NYC.

I haven't been there in quite a few years, but back in the late 90s and early 2000s, it was amazing! Right now they have a lunch special for $20, for their Kobe beef burger (supposed to be fantastic), and it's something like a 3-course meal, and it includes a side dish (I think homemade tater tots)...and they have it 7 days a week! This is an amazing price for a NYC steakhouse, even for a burger! DH and I want to go there one time and try it!

 

[bangzoom6877]

Correction on that lunch special at the Old Homestead in NYC:

$22: 3 mini burgers (1 Kobe beef, 1 filet mignon and 1 sirloin)...with gourmet toppings. Served with caesar salad, tater tots, and a choice of Chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, or beer

7 days a week!!!

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Wow that sounds fabulous! I love a good burger! Thanks!

 

[JimmyV]

1. On All Ears, the Shula's menu says, "Please inquire about children's menu"; do they actually have a children's menu now? If so, anyone have a photo of it or any info? Yes the do, but you have to ask for it.

2. Is it frowned upon to bring kids to Shula's? (We eat between 5:30 and 6:30pm) Not frowned upon at all. Not sure where the prior poster got that. Especially at 5:30. Heck. If you don't eat there with your kid at that hour, then they won't be serving anyone. Look at it this way. If you ask at the host/hostess desk: "Would you welcome my family and our $200+ bill into your empty restaurant, or should we go elsewhere?", what do you think they are going to say?

3. This is if DH and I decide to go there alone...if we are not staying at the Dolphin, can we still put the kids into Camp Dolphin if we go to dinner at Shula's? It says on the S/D website that Camp Dolphin is free for 2 hours if you dine at Shula's (one child per adult entree ordered), but it doesn't specify if you have to be a guest staying at the hotel to even use the camp, let alone this special. Yes you can. It is open to all diners.

4. Is Shula's really worth the price? Is it that much better than Yachtsman? Yes

5. What would you do if you were me? I live in NYC, and we have Shula's here...would you not go for that reason? Hard to say. I never go to Shula's in NYC because there are so many other iconic steak houses to go to in the city, and Shula's never makes my short list. But at WDW, Shula's is so far and away the best, that I go there without hesitation.

6. Does Shula's currently take the TiW card, or do they offer a DVC Member discount?Not positive. I am pretty sure that my brother was able to use his TiW card when he lived in FL and had one. But that was a few years ago. Just not sure.

Thanks in advance!

Hope this helps.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

I have only eaten there twice and neither time did I see children in there. We did eat late but I eat late all the time and there have been children at every other Disney restaurant save Bistro de Paris which coincidentally also lacks an advertised children's menu.

Yes there is a children's menu but it is not advertised. The lack of advertised children's menu says to me "we would rather you not bring children in here". It is not a huge stretch.

Also the place is pitch black, not very kid friendly IMHO.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

Shula's steak is much better than Yachtsman.

Shula's would prefer you not to bring children.

Since you live in NYC and you have a Shula's (not to mention Peter Lugers and Delmonicos which are both better than Shula's) and since kids are generally frowned upon at Shula's I'd go with Yachtsman. The steaks are very good and kids are welcome.

Don't know about DVC discount at Shula's but they do take Tables in Wonderland.

I agree with all of this. Although I wouldn't say that children are unwelcome at Shula's, they certainly do not encourage families to bring their small children there. The Dolphin is very much a convention hotel and Shula's caters to the business crowd -- more so than any of the other Swan and Dolphin restaurants I have visited, in my experience.

 

[Lilogirl]

I agree with all of this. Although I wouldn't say that children are unwelcome at Shula's, they certainly do not encourage families to bring their small children there. The Dolphin is very much a convention hotel and Shula's caters to the business crowd -- more so than any of the other Swan and Dolphin restaurants I have visited, in my experience.

Dolphin may be a "convention" hotel, but I have yet to see a suit. I have seen lots of screaming children running through the lobby this weekend. We have been run over by several strollers trying to get on the elevator. There are way more families than business people.

 

[JimmyV]

I have only eaten there twice and neither time did I see children in there. We did eat late but I eat late all the time...

With all due respect, "twice" is not a representative sample, especially if you have never been seated at 5:30-6:00. Granted, this ain't Chef Mickey's, but there is absolutely no way that the restaurant would discourage families with children at that hour, and to suggest as much to a poster who has never been there is misleading.

The Dolphin is very much a convention hotel ...

But so is the Contemporary. In reality, The Dolphin is a Starwood property that caters largely to a clientele that has built up lots of reward points who cash them in there. There is little doubt that at 8:00, you are going to see conventioneers dining there. But at 5:30? Not so much.

 

[JimmyV]

There are way more families than business people.

This. By a wide margin. Even the convention-goers tend to bring the spouse and kids. Just check out the pool on any given day.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

I was only trying to say that in general Shulas is not a kid friendly restaurant and Yachtsman is. I stand by that sentiment.

Would they turn down a family with children? No. People do bring kids in there but it is not the norm.

How many times must a person eat at a restaurant before their opinion or experience is valid?

 

[JimmyV]

How many times must a person eat at a restaurant before their opinion or experience is valid?

Your opinion of the restaurant is valid immediately. But the legitimacy of your statement that "children are frowned upon" at 5:30 can only be valid if:

a) you try to bring children in at 5:30 and the staff frowns; or

b) you have spoken with someone in a position of authority at the restaurant who tells you that children are not welcome.

As best as I can tell, you have done neither, which makes your original statement a supposition as opposed to an opinion. There's an old saying: "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But no one is entitled to their own facts." "Children are frowned upon" reads as a fact and does not appear to be supported, especially at 5:30. There is a world of difference between "children are frowned upon/not welcome" and "Not many children eat at Shula's". We can all agree on the latter. The former is not subjet to opinion. It is either a factual statement or it is not. There are oodles of threads here discussing people dining there with children, and I, myself have done so. So I just don't think your statement holds up from a factual basis, and I merely want to correct what could have been a misimpression left with the OP.

 

[Sleeping Becca]

Yes there are oodles of threads discussing dining at Shula's with children and there are always people that insist Shula's is not the place to bring children and those who think it is fine.

The sheer presence of the argument says a lot and lends legitimacy to the sentiment that Shula's is not kid friendly.

Have I ever seen a waitstaff member physically frown at a family with children wanting to dine at Shula's at 5:30? No.

Have I ever heard a staff member at Shula's say "We don't like children" or "Sorry we don't welcome children"? No.

Just because I have not personally witnessed any of these events does not mean that Shula's is a kid friendly restaurant. It is my opinion that Shula's would prefer you not to bring kids into their restaurant. Yes, that is an opinion.

Why do you think that "not many children dine at Shula's"?

Why do you think that there is no advertised children's menu?

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

I totally disagree that Shula's isn't kid friendly. Having eaten there at least a dozen times we have seen many, many families with little ones and never were they treated any differently, in fact, I believe in my observation, the staff has always gone out of the way to treat the families with little ones a little better (maybe a little more attentive, a little quicker).

I don't know whether they have a children's menu or not but they allow sharing, which usually can help to accommodate kids.

Now, with all that said it has also been obvious to me that the guests with families have generally had children who are accustomed to finer dining, good manners and proper behavior, i.e absolutely no running around, screaming and such seems to be tolerated, but the kudos are to the parents who understand this and choose to dine at Shula's (or not) based on their knowledge of their children.

 

[JimmyV]

Have I ever seen a waitstaff member physically frown at a family with children wanting to dine at Shula's at 5:30? No.

Have I ever heard a staff member at Shula's say "We don't like children" or "Sorry we don't welcome children"? No.

So you have just disproved your original statement.

Just It is my opinion that Shula's would prefer you not to bring kids into their restaurant. Yes, that is an opinion.

No, it is not. You are not entitled to an opinion that projects an attitude, custom, practice or business plan on another. The business either has this attitude or it does not. Your view may be a perception, but it is not an opinion. Example: "It is my perception that more people go to WDW during school vacations." That cannot translate into the following opinion: "Disney would prefer that people come during school vacations." I don't know that. And insisting that it is an opinion does not save me.

Why do you think that "not many children dine at Shula's"?

Price. And menu selection. Not because the restaurant frowns on their presence.

Why do you think that there is no advertised children's menu?

Flip this around. Why do you think that they have a children's menu? Because they know that children will eat there and because they know that 5 year olds are not likely to order a $40 steak.

Personally, I think that you are going too far to defend your original statement rather than simply being willing to adjust it modestly to align with what seems to be the accepted observations of most. Shula's projects an adult environment that may not appeal to children. It has a children's menu but you must ask for it. It provides 2 hours of child care for those who choose not to take their children there. All of this is true. Does the management "frown" on people who bring their children? No. You and your children will be welcomed by the restaurant, and at 5:30, they would be delighted to have you and your money.

 

[nkereina]

didn't get a chance to read the whole thread, but I've eaten at Shula's in Cleveland and at WDW and found them very comparable in quality and service. I'd imagine the one in NYC would be too, so I would just go to Yachtsman.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

didn't get a chance to read the whole thread, but I've eaten at Shula's in Cleveland and at WDW and found them very comparable in quality and service. I'd imagine the one in NYC would be too, so I would just go to Yachtsman.

Why would you go to Yachtsman's? I don't see your point, I don't think ... Because why would anyone want to eat a restaurant serving a lesser quality piece of beef for the same price?