1 Adult Dinner, please help me choose

Lynn CC

<font color=blue>DIS Veteran who is a veteran DISe
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for Just DH & I...
We will be staying at the Yacht Club so we would like it to be within walking distance.
The rest of the evenings we are going to be with our 3 grandsons!

Which one would you choose?
 
What do you all like to eat? Regular table service or signature dining?

If you want really casual, Beaches and Cream or The Fountain has good food and desserts.

If you want fancier, then Ale and Compass or Yachtsman.

Of course there is also ALL of Epcot and Hollywood Studios nearby via boat.
 
As brertoad says, a lot depends on what you wish to eat and how much you wish to spend. All things being equal, one of our favored places is Il Mulino. Consistently good food, good service, and a casually upscale ambiance. You can even get small plates of any pasta dish which is a good thing for lighter appetites and also helps the pocket book. There are many options available to you by staying at the YC; Il Mulino is but one. . .a good one, though.
 
Oh my, where to choose! I agree that a lot depends on your preferences, I like Flying Fish, however Al Forno is also a good choice if you are using a dining plan and want to stay within the DIsney choices. If not, I agree that Il Mulino is a great option.
 

for Just DH & I...
We will be staying at the Yacht Club so we would like it to be within walking distance.
The rest of the evenings we are going to be with our 3 grandsons!

Which one would you choose?

There is so much to choose from! Will you be on the dining plan? If not, I would consider bluezoo at the Dolphin or Il Mulino or Kimono's (for sushi) at the Swan.

We also like Monsieur Paul in the France pavilion in EP which is right inside the IG entrance of EP so not far at all.
 
As others have asked - signature or casual? What type of food do you prefer?
There are many great restaurants within walking distance.
Boardwalk - Flying Fish if you enjoy seafood. Never had a bad meal there. Have not tried Al Forno, but read good reviews.
Swan - really like Il Mulino for Italian.
Dolphin - trying Blue Zoo thid fall, great reviews. Shulas Steak House has great reviews, not tried yet.
Yachtmans Steak House is also supposed to be very good, have not tried it.
Just inside EPCOT, in France is Monsieur Paul - if you enjoy French food, this is amazing.
 
Here’s 3 of my favorites:
Blue Zoo, great food, wonderful drinks and good service. (Chocolate lava cake w/ banana ice-cream and caramelized bananas)
Il Mulino, I love Italian food and they do it well.
Rose & Crown, 8pm ADR’s dinner and the fireworks. (Sound English pub food & beer, always great service)

Dinner and a lovely walk back to work off the calories.
 
I should have been more specific, here are the details:

I haven't been to DW since 2004 when my son was in 8 th grade... in high school we went to Tokyo Disney as our big trip!
Now He has 3 children 1,2 & 5...
Last year we went to DL with them, so much fun!

DH & I fly in on Friday evening from CA & spending 2 nights at POR,( just the 2 of us) then we meet my son & are staying at Melia orlando Suites for 5 nights where my son booked for us).

Then just DH & I one night at Yacht Club to rest before we leave late the next day.

I did not book the dining plan for the 2 nights at POR or Yacht club, it doesn't matter what we spend on dinner, just wanted something along the Boardwalk area. ( we will be in the parks 5 days, so we didn't want to go into Epcot our last night).

We like all kinds of food, we have a full week of ADR's for the 7 of us... so TS or Quick bites as long as we can walk to it from Yacht Club would be great. I don't know what's within walking distance other than the boardwalk. Swan/Dolphin area?

I'm thinking YS ( but it has mixed reviews),with a nice stroll on the romantic boardwalk afterwards with an ice cream from B& C window or a nightcap someplace...
Hope this isn't too confusing, it sounds confusing when I read it.
 
If you at a TS, you will not be hungry for that ice cream! Also waiting for that ice cream could take 30 minutes + !

As for me, I wasnt thrilled with YS. I had the dining plan, so the sting wasnt as bad. Its super pricey and just good, IMO, not great or amazing.

I havent been because it opened right after my last trip to WDW, but possibly the new Ale and Compass restaurant at the YC might interest you. You could then walk, or take ferry, over to the boardwalk to stroll around and get an ice cream at Ample Hills Creamery. You might like to stop into Jellyrolls on the boardwalk too to listen to the dualing piano players.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/yacht-club-resort/ale-and-compass/menus/dinner/

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/boardwalk/ample-hills-creamery/menus/

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/entertainment/boardwalk/jellyrolls/
 
There is not much CS to speak of in teh Boardwalk area, so I would look at the TS options. I think if I was in your circumstances and could choose any restaurant, I would choose Il Mulino. It is quiet in comparison to the Boardwalk restaurants, and the food is excellent. There is a lovely garden to relax in with a cocktail before dinner if you prefer tht to the bar. I like kids, and I never expect an adults only meal anywhere on WDW property, btu I will say I appreciated the relative quiet that Il Mulino offered after a week of noisy restaurants.
 
The Yacht Club is a sister resort to the Beach Club. Those two resorts are alongside Crescent Lake which connects to the World Showcase lagoon at the International Gateway entrance of Epcot.

Going counter clockwise around Crescent Lake from the Yacht Club, is the Dolphin Hotel and then the Swan. The Boardwalk Resort comes up next and then the Beach Club.

You have an array of restaurants that are at all of these resorts. There are quite a few and pricing goes from the ESPN Lounge and Big River Grill to Shula’s Steakhouse and the Disney signature restaurants Yachtsman Steakhouse and Flying Fish, and many places in between.

I suggest you look at the menus for all these resorts and see what appeals to you most. You can easily walk to any of them or ride the boat. If you have a ticket for Epcot, you can easily walk or boat there.
 
So many choices. We enjoy Yachtman’s, Flying Fish, Il Mulino, Trattoria Al Forno, Blue Zoo. Haven’t tried Shula’s. At the end of a longer trip, when we’ve already eaten at a number of signature restaurants, we like Trattoria followed by a nightcap at the BelleVue Room at the BW, but we stay at the BWV. If we were across the lake at the YC/BC, we might go to the Ale and Compass lounge instead for that drink.

If I were just going to do counter service or quick bites, I would head right to Hurricane Hannah’s by the YC/BC Stormalong Bay pool. I always order the seared tuna appetizer (and sometimes a side of fries if I’m really hungry) and DW has the hamburger and fries. This is frequently our lunch on arrival day, but it would make a fine lighter evening meal if we were not doing a TS restaurant.
 
I was going to make the ADR at Yachtsman but after reading the reviews I think I've decided Ale & Compass might be the choice. This way we would have room for ice cream afterwards or a night cap.

We will be eating TS all week with my son so this might be the way to go. Sure hope it's good.
 
Actually I made an ADR for YS since we are staying at the YC it will be very convenient. I'm hoping the steak for two is good!
So many places to choose from!
 
I should have been more specific, here are the details:

I haven't been to DW since 2004 when my son was in 8 th grade... in high school we went to Tokyo Disney as our big trip!
Now He has 3 children 1,2 & 5...
Last year we went to DL with them, so much fun!

DH & I fly in on Friday evening from CA & spending 2 nights at POR,( just the 2 of us) then we meet my son & are staying at Melia orlando Suites for 5 nights where my son booked for us).

Then just DH & I one night at Yacht Club to rest before we leave late the next day.

I did not book the dining plan for the 2 nights at POR or Yacht club, it doesn't matter what we spend on dinner, just wanted something along the Boardwalk area. ( we will be in the parks 5 days, so we didn't want to go into Epcot our last night).

We like all kinds of food, we have a full week of ADR's for the 7 of us... so TS or Quick bites as long as we can walk to it from Yacht Club would be great. I don't know what's within walking distance other than the boardwalk. Swan/Dolphin area?

I'm thinking YS ( but it has mixed reviews),with a nice stroll on the romantic boardwalk afterwards with an ice cream from B& C window or a nightcap someplace...
Hope this isn't too confusing, it sounds confusing when I read it.
If traveling with grandsons, ESPN Zone on Boardwalk seems like a good spot. It is a sports bar, but tastefully done. Food is fine. No reservations required (unless a high-demand sports event is on TV). Nearby on Boardwalk is Big River Grill - also, no reservation required for steaks & burgers menu.

Around the corner from Boardwalk, but certainly walking distance from Yacht Club, are Swan & Dolphin places. Signatures (BlueZoo, Shula's, and Il Mulino) are top-notch, casual places are hit-or-miss for dinner, but Fresh serves an excellent breakfast.
https://www.swandolphinrestaurants.com/
 


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