Tusker, Garden Grill, or Crystal Palace?

[Pesky]

Yes, I realize totally different parks. And characters. For various reasons (namely there are too many other places we want to eat and I'm not usually enamored with character meal buffets), I'm limiting us to 1 character meal this trip. Neither of the kids are super into characters but both enjoyed the meals with them at DLR. Both expressed a desire for a character meal and one with the plush characters and not just princesses. I'm eying brunch as the meal so later morning but can move if necessary (like for GG). DD has fond memories of the Minnie's breakfast at DLR where Winnie the Pooh came back to our table and surprised her and pulled her up for an impromptu dance with him. Who can blame her? Pooh is charming. So when I asked her what she would want, she was leaning towards Pooh and the gang. DS, when I ask what character he really wants to meet, airily replies "Mickey". We are planning on meeting Mickey at MK so not sure that is a driving force here. Last time at DLR he was all about Donald and Pluto (really loved Jack Skellington but that's not a dining option ). I don't have a big preference but would like one of them where there are some good interactions. Which would you recommend? Thanks!

 

[ReluctantDisaholic]

We had good interaction at all 3 of those, but food-wise our favourite is Tusker House.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

My order of preference would be:

#1 Tusker House - great food, great service, great characters
#2 Garden Grill - food is pretty good, characters are cute, LOVE sitting (no buffet!) and having our food served at the table
#3 Crystal Palace - tends to get super busy, kind of messy, buffet line is always long, characters are adorable

 

[eastendlights]

The new Garden Grill breakfast is getting awesome reviews. We will be trying it for the first time in about a month. I would pick that or Tusker House. CP is noisy, chaotic and the buffet is a mess.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

If you really want to see Pooh, CP obviously, but if not, I recommend Tusker house if you're not all that into buffets and character meals. It doesn't feel to me like your typical character meal. I think a buffet is more interesting if it's allowing you to try things you wouldn't necessarily order, but that's obviously just one point of view.

 

[SnackCredit]

I'd say Garden Grill for the experience. Living With The Land scenes, revolving restaurant, and hyper-local food from right in the pavilion.

 

[ilovebassets]

Funnily enough, we have all three scheduled next week! Tusker House is fantastic. Not a huge fan of Crystal Palace food or set up but we do love the Winnie the Pooh characters with small children. We've never tried Garden Grill before as the menu never appealed to us but now that they do breakfast, we are going to check it out!

 

[G719]

Tucker House has been a favorite for us for the food. We've ate there on each of our 3 trips. We went in November and the food was still great but the service was bad. We waited forever to get our drinks refilled. We did Garden Grill for a late breakafast the last day and food, service, and characters were all great. We told our server he was the best we had all week. It is on the list for our next trip.

 

[mzsarah10]

We had a blast at Garden Grill. The characters were very interactive and came to the table multiple times. Chip and Dale pulled my daughter up and played with her for quite awhile. That being said, it was January and there were maybe ten tables worth of people at dinner. I liked the food and being served family style was great.

 

[pixi3ness]

I haven't ever eaten at CP, so I cannot speak for that. I've done breakfast at Tusker House twice, nice variety of food but a lot going on (very busy). We just did Garden Grill this month and were blown away with the character interaction and the food was quite delicious. We had a 1:15 lunch reservation. It was one of our top 3 meals (the other two being California Grill and Liberty Tree Tavern).

 

[isabellea]

Tusker House is the only restaurant my girls requested for our trip in February. I also like Crystal Palace for a pre-park opening meal. Never been to Garden Grill but I don't like family-style breakfasts because my girls and I don't eat eggs and those are mostly that.

 

[Sweet Pea Reed]

We've eaten at all three (see my photo at left for my favorite photo from CP). I really enjoyed all of them, and they have their unique settings. However I would say that I enjoyed Garden Grill the most. For us, it didn't feel rushed at all. Servers came to our tables, so we didn't have to get up and worry about who we might be missing while we were at the buffet stations. And the characters (Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale) came by to visit several times! I had pictures taken with all of them twice that day. Sometimes they even sat at the table with us. Overall, a very relaxing atmosphere. The other places seemed a bit more rushed for me.

 

[TravelingTotMom]

We've done Tusker House and Garden Grill - and enjoyed both - but the food was better at TH.

 

[Lisa F]

I have all 3 on my list for various reasons. Tusker House - more interesting food for me and plenty of kid food for the kid. CP - love Pooh, the food is more mediocre (but decent), we go at an off time so it is less chaotic and not really long food lines, the character interaction is good and... well... Pooh! Garden Grill we have not done but look forward to. An all you can eat table service to me is a LOT easier as a single mom than having to get up and serve ourselves. The character interaction is by all reports stellar, chip and dale are not found elsewhere, and the food looks to be good quality (if basic). So it really depends on your priorities - food vs. atmosphere, buffet vs. table service, and what characters you want to see. but honestly don't think you can go wrong with any!

 

[got15]

We have eaten at all 3- if i had to rank them it would be HANDS DOWN #1: Garden Grill, #2: Tusker House and #3: Crystal Palace. Garden Grill has great food, atmosphere, and the character interaction is not rushed and if you sit down low in the booths- it becomes a very private and quiet setting to enjoy with your family. Its a can't miss for us. Tusker House has great food as well- we prefer lunch to breakfast- and the atmosphere is very open and vibrant. Characters interaction has been mixed for us- but the parade for our kids is fun. Crystal Palace is fun, we have done Breakfast once- Dinner twice. While the characters are good, food is mixed, atmosphere is super fun- the wait for ADR times and waits associated have been a nightmare. We have waited up to 60 minutes at times for reservations.

 

[Neesy228]

I would do Tusker House or Garden Grill. Both excellent food and fun atmosphere. Crystal Palace is nice if you want an early breakfast and/or have a serious Pooh and Friends lover in your group, the building is beautiful, but I don't really like any other meal there besides breakfast.

Have a great trip!!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

It appears I agree with most who have posted. I would choose Tusker House for the best food or Garden Grill for the best character interaction. It depends on which is more important to you. CP would come in a distant third to me.