What Restaurants Are A Must????

[jeleadams]

WE'RE GOING TOWDW FOR THE FIRST TIME IN JAN. AND WANTED TO KNOW WHAT PLACES EVERYONE THOUGHT WERE A MUST. (FOR ALL MEALS) WE ARE TRAVELING WITH A 4 & 5 YEAR OLD. AND ATLEAST ONE NIGHT IT'LL BE JUST ME AND MY DH.. HELP!!!!

 

[blanq]

I hope your Jan trip is magical! Planning ahead for dining is a wise move, even during slower times at WDW, IMHO!

I honestly can't say we have any dining "musts" when we go, as we are always up for something new. I can tell you places we like to go though. It's hard to choose, as there are so many good and fun places to dine at WDW.

MK: Crystal Palace (the Pooh gang will entertain your kids), CRT (we actually prefer lunch or dinner here, although most will probably tell you to go for the famous Cindy's breakfast).

MGM: For food, our favorite is the Brown Derby. For good, clean kid fun, I would go for 50's Prime Time or the Sci-Fi.

AK: Tuskers

Epcot: Sunshine Food Fair (for healthy fastfood options)

DTD: Wolfgang Puck's Cafe, Ghirardelli

Resort Restaurants for Family Dining: 'Ohana (for dinner...your kids will love it!), Boma (for breakfast or dinner), Beaches 'n Cream (for burgers and shakes), Whispering Canyon

Just the Two of You (although we have taken our DS to these places and he was happy as a clam): Jiko, Chefs de France, California Grill.

 

[kdibattista]

Our favorites:

Crystal Palace - breakfast
Chef Mickey's - breakfast
Rainforest Cafe - lunch/dinner
50s Prime Time - lunch/dinner

 

[timC]

At that age, our kids enjoyed....

- Chef Mickey's - character dinner. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, etc...
- Hoop-dee-doo - Dinner show. Lots o' laughs
- Rainforest Cafe - Great atmosphere. Food is so so.

Adult Dinners, how about..
- Artist Point. Fine dining.Beauty Resort.
- Any place DownTown Westside
- California Grill. Dinner and fireworks!
- I think every Delux resort has got a great dining experience. Too many to name.

Have a great time. January will be very quiet. You'll have the run of the place!

 

[Planogirl]

Musts?

At least one character meal. We like the Crystal Palace for breakfast the best but we still have some to try. Chef Mickey's for dinner is fun but not necessarily the best food to be found.

A dinner somewhere in the World Showcase even if it's just at a cafe. There is something so nice about the WS at night, even my son enjoys it.

Some other favorites: Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club Resort (just outside of World Showcase) for dinner (I've heard that breakfast is real good too), Boma at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for breakfast or dinner, Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney because it's a favorite of my son's and Sci Fi Drive Inn in MGM for the atmosphere.

For an adults night out, I enjoy the World Showcase (again) the most. I love the chance to stroll, to have a drink and to shop a bit in the great stores. You can also dine at one of the good restaurants at the Boardwalk or the other resorts behind World Showcase.

 

[eeyore0062]

Here are our list of MUSTS:

50's Prime Time Cafe-- with the kids
Cape May Cafe-- dinner-- with the kids
1900 Park Faire Character breakfast-- with the kids
'Ohana-- with the kids
Narcoosees (just for me and the hubby!)
Wolfgang Puck--- with or without the kids
Fulton's Crab House-- without the kids
Tusker House-- with the kids
Le Cellier--- without the kids
San Angel Inn (lunch) with the kids
Garden Grille lunch--- with the kids


Usually the ones we ALWAYS hit are Cape May and 50's Primetime... and if DH and I have the opportunity to hit Narcoosees or Fultons alone, we try to take it!

 

[sarahandhannahsmom]

We are doing tons of character meals with our 2.5 DD and 6 DD. They want to dine with the "Stars".

Here is what we have planned:

Restaurant Akershus-Princess Storybook Breakfast
Garden Grill - Mickey and Friends Dinner
Restaurantosaurus-Breakfast with Donal Duck and Friends
Chef Mickey's - Dinner with Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale
1900 Park Fare - Breakfast with Mary Poppins, and Alice
Mickey's Backyard BBQ-dinner show
Cinderellas Royal Table - Princess Breakfast at the Castle
Crystal Palace - Dinner with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet
Hollywood and Vine - Fantasmic Dinner Package
Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue-dinner show
Cape May Cafe-Breakfast with Pluto and Friends
1900 Park Fare - Dinner with Cinderella and Friends

Hope this helps. In terms of nice quiet romantic spot.......not a clue. Gave up on that years ago....lol.

Have a great trip.

 

[DGuiltinan]

Boma has become my very favorite WDW dining experience. I do not go to WDW without booking dinner there on one of the first nights.

Last time, in fact, chef Tony caught me offguard, by saying to me "Welcome back to the Boma!"... I have never been remembered by a Disney cast member before!! Great guy...

You will love Boma, and the kids too... Get to the Animal Kingdom Lodge a half hour early so you can go out back and check out the wildlife in the Savannah, and the incredible Lobby!!

My second favorite WDW thing to do is to book 7PM ressies at Rose and Crown, in Epcot (UK). Get a table outside, and you will have the very best seats for Illuminations. Who knows, your kids may even be able to "start" the fireworks and laser show, as my daughter did on our last trip...... quite memorable....

 

[eeyore0062]

We are doing tons of character meals with our 2.5 DD and 6 DD. They want to dine with the "Stars".

WOW, that is QUITE a list you have going there. We have found that when we make too many PS, we are running from restaurant to restaurant with no time to enjoy the parks. Another thing we noticed is that when we do the character meals in the mornings, we miss the best time to go on the attractions while it is cooler, and the lines aren't so prohibitive (especially true of the MK, which is a child's paradise).

Of course, to each his own, and I hope your family has a wonderful time!

 

[sarahandhannahsmom]

I worry that I may have over extended the family with all the PS. They are all breakfast and dinners so we wont be lunching.

The only saving grace is that our PS are early (8:00 - 8:30) so we will be finished just after the parks open. the resort breakfasts' are on rest days.

We may run ourselves ragged, running from meal to meal, but we wanted that to be a big part of our vacation also.

I'll let you know upon our return how wrong i probably am. lol.

i'll chalk it up to first timer trauma and plan differently next time.

Maybe I was hungry when i thought it was such a grand idea

 

[lmhall2000]

I think you're planning well doing breakfast/dinner- but you might want to consider doing late lunches- just easier on the pocket book- the dinner menus can add 30-40% costwise. Some serve lunch as late as 4:30- and with younger children I've found this works fine.

MGM: The Royal Table at the castle- not necessary to do Cindy's- even a nice lunch is fun for the kids here.
Liberty Tree Tavern- character meal- atleast they get their veggies here and not your standard fries/chicken fingers.

Epcot: Rose & Crown- just like the atmosphere and the fish and chips

MGM: Sci-Fi - neat atmosphere

AK: We really liked Donalds' Breakfastsaurus

And for sheer fun- Hoop-de- doo (haven't been going September but all who've been loved it) 'Ohanas- same thing, and Whispering Canyon at WL- fun antics for the kiddoes.

Have a wonderful time and relax- it may be your first time to WDW but it probably won't be your last- gives you lots of future trips to plan more dinner reservations- that's part of the fun of it!

Tara

 

[AspiringCindy]

Breakfast: Cinderella's Royal Table & Chef Mickey's
Lunch:Garden Grill & Sci Fi
Dinner:LeCellier, Whispering Canyon & Crystal Palace

 

[sarahandhannahsmom]

Tara:

Thanks for your encouraging words. I'll try to relax.... The good news is we probably wont be hungry. lol

 

[Freiden8]

You <I><B><font color=royalblue>MUST</font color></B></i> check out <font COLOR=royalblue>Whispering Canyon Cafe</font color> at the WL... the CMs are wonderful and its so so so much fun!!! Your kids will <I><B><font color=red>LOVE</font color></B></i> it!!!!

 

[materialgirl8558]

We love:

Fulton's Crab House (we always do on out 1st night).

Yaghtsman Steakhouse (beautiful and quiet)

Spoodles - (the tuna was awesome.)

Le Cellier

Coral Reef

 

[CK1]

We always take a "family vote" after each trip (family consists of me, dh, and our 2 ds aged 8 and 7, plus our dd age 3)

Some of our faves:

Pooh Bear breakfast (OKW resort used to have a great one, then it was in WL, and now I guess it's Park Fare that has Pooh, except of course Crystal Palace). OUr kids just really like Pooh.

Chef Mickey's (for dinner) Typically, we feel like we get more for our money with the lunches and dinners... I get testy paying big bucks for eggs and a waffle too many times, but 20 bucks for a big dinner and ice cream bar is somehow more tolerable?) Plus, the characters at CM's are fun. THey really doted on my kids, and my kids found plenty to eat there. I think their seafood sauce for the pasta is the exact same as the Lobster Bisque at Coral Reef.

Whispering Canyon: THis is our newest "fave" and just so much fun! We ordered off menu (instead of "all-you-can-eat") and the servings were still huge! VERY good meat. ONly complaint is with those little ears of yellow corn -- they should ditch those suckers and just give us something else.

Sci-Fi -- it's just something you need to experience at least once! THe kids just think it's WAY COOL to sit in a car, and if it's hot outside, you instantly feel 20 degrees cooler by the "night" atmosphere.

Story book b'fast was very good; food was good and interaction with characters was good as well. THe setting in Norway is almost like a castle, too -- or a church -- just very pretty.

We also have a list of "must haves" while visiting WDW:

** Turkey Legs ** (lots of places, but usually we get one at Frontierland in MK and munch it while waiting for the parade!)

** Funnel Cakes ** (near America in EPcot -- excellent food to keep kids occupied while waiting for Illuminations!)

** Frozen Drinks in Italy (Epcot) ** (we got lemon, I think, on what had to be the hottest day in AUgust -- oh yummmmm)

** Ice cream eaten on the Boardwalk ** (either from Beaches& Cream, or the sweet shop/ice cream place down near the BWV)
(alternatively -- ice cream from Ghirardelli's in DTD market place can be good too)

I also love those egg rolls sold at MK (over near TIki Birds, I think), but last time we went, the cart was closed

CIndy