After 15 family vacations to WDW we've decided to try ALL new restaurants!

[Belle5]

We are going to try a new hotel and all new restaurants on our next trip. We really like trying new places to keep WDW "fresh"! We will not have a huge budget so we will have to narrow the choices down--but then there will be more new places for trip 17!! Want to help us narrow down our list of leftover restaurants?
Spoodles for breakfast (we've done dinner there twice.)
Yacht Club Galley
Grand Floridian Cafe (we have had dessert there)
Grand Floridian "Tea" (Can you seeing me doing this with 5 boys--three of whom are teens?)
Chefs de France
Nine Dragons
Coral Reef
Kona Cafe for Dinner (we've always had breakfast there)
Jiko
Wolfgang Puck
Narcoossee's
Citricos
Hoop de Doo (Fat chance--it would be upward of $350 for our family)

I would be curious to see a list of your leftover restaurants (ones you've just never made it to after many trips to the world) and it would be fun to know if you are planning to visit any of these on your upcoming trip! I think we've done some of our favorites about 10 times each and it's time to branch out!

 

[GEM]

We always try to mix in some new places with our old favorites!

On our upcoming trip we will be eating at the following places for the first time:
House of Blues
Jiko
Mickey's Backyard BBQ
Teppanyaki
Spoodles for breakfast (we have had dinner here before)
Grand Floridian Cafe for lunch

We will be returning to the following places:
Ohana
Whispering Canyon Cafe
Liberty Tree Tavern (before MVMCP)
Artist Point
Cinderella's for lunch
Tony's
Spoodles
Restaurant Marrakesh
Flying Fish
Kona Cafe for breakfast

This will be our 10th trip. We always eat lots of sit-down meals at WDW, so we are starting to run out of new places! I am especially looking forward to Jiko and my husband is really excited about Teppanyaki.

 

[Belle5]

GEM,
Teppanyaki is one of our favorites. Be sure to ask for an entertaining table chef. (That worked for us. We went back a few days later and didn't ask for that and our guy was not good.) Doesn't hurt to try!
House of Blues is good, too. The servers don't seem to Have the Disney thing as much, IMO, but the food is good. The rosemary cornbread is wonderful but expensive.
It looks like you are doing three of the places we are considering! I have high hopes for Jiko and Spoodles!

 

[Walts Buddy]

...We've had a terrific lunch at Coral Reef in 2000, but when we returned in 2002 it wasn't at all the same. This may have been a case of already have experienced this, but we don't think so. We have taken this off our list of places to dine for our upcoming trip. The service and food wasn't what it had been.

 

[Belle5]

Wow! I keep reading so many negative posts about Coral Reef! We may need to think hard before deciding to make that one of our final choices...

 

[JulesMom]

We try to do one new thing each trip.

We saw Diamond Horseshoe for the first time in June--our 8th trip

 

[Magic2000]

Some of our family favorites are LeCellier (Canada), and definitely BOMAs at AKL!!! Also, 50s Prime Time Cafe in MGM! And the Plaza Pavillion in MK has great burgers and shakes!!!

We also try to do some new restaurants along with our "must do" list! Enjoy!

 

[Tess]

Each member of our family of four chooses one restaurant at which to dine each visit. One of us will typically choose one we've not tried. No one is allowed to complain about a choice, but we don't have to make it a return locale if we don't all agree.

Of all the places we've dined, these usually get a visit during each trip so I guess we'd call them our "favorites" :

San Angel
Teppanyaki
Chef Mickey's (Dinner)
Hoop De Doo
Cinderella's (Lunch--not the breakfast)
50s PTC

Others, we hit as we are able to fit them into our planning. These restaurants we've chosen more than once :

Rose & Crown
Chefs de France
9 Dragons
Cape May (Dinner)
1900 Park Fare (breakfast--the best in WDW)
Marrakesh
Sci Fi Dine-In
House of Blues
Spoodles
ESPN
Beaches & Cream
Polynesian Luau
Rainforest Cafe
Coral Isle Cafe (now Kona)
Tangaroa Terrace (before it became 'Ohana & moved to the GCH)

Then there are those we've only tried once (these are restaurants that immediately come to mind--I'm sure there are others that I've forgotten):

Biergarten
'Ohana
Planet Hollywood
Coral Reef
Tony's
Crystal Palace
Captain's Tavern (formerly at CBR)
Empress Lily (during it's last year of service before it changed names)
Cap'n Jack's

I've only listed those full service restaurants. Obviously, there were counter service meals, too! We try to eat our full service meals at lunch to save a few $$. We also like to mix it up and try to add at least one new dining location during each trip. This year we are hoping to try Boma for dinner on our first night and perhaps Akershus or Alfredo's. We will definitely be adding Le Cellier as a pick this year--mine! Unfortunately, my family doesn't usually care for mine--Chefs de France, Biergarten, Coral Reef, to name a few--their poor taste in my opinion!

My husband isn't very adventurous so we try to appease him and not overload his senses with too many "new" tastes. Luckily for me, he almost always enjoys the restaurants chosen--we just have to ease him into it!

Dining at Disney, and planning it, is as much fun as the parks!

 

[Belle5]

I forgot to add one new one to my list of "never tried" and that's the new restaurant that will be opening at CBR.
Tess,
Le Cellier and Boma are great! We've feasted at Boma several times, now, that's why we're looking to switch to Jiko. I would almost put LeCellier back on our list, too, since we have only tried it once and that was several years ago. It was great! I would need some serious convincing to try Alfredo's again.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We did this same thing on our last trip - #10. We stayed at BCV. We ate at Hoop de Doo (1st time - loved the show, the food was so so - thinking about it again for June), Epcot Princess Breakfast (the first morning - food was good, but not as good as CRT), Ohana (pretty good food, a bit noisy), Plaza Restaurant (excellent food and we are doing it again at Christmas time), Cape May breakfast (very good buffet and we'll do it again when we stay at BCV in June).

We haven't gone to HOB yet, but may do it in December. The menu looks pretty good.

 

[Belle5]

Deb,
I forgot about Cape May breakfast! We have done the dinner several times but not the character breakfast. I'll have to add that to the list of possibilities. Oh, yeah--we've never done 1900 Park Faire for breakfast either--only dinner.
Now all the character meals are coming to mind--we've never done Donald's Breakfastasaurus.
Truthfully, we would never do more than one character meal per trip anyway (add it up for 6 "adults" and one child) but we will ponder these...

 

[Simba's Mom]

Don't have too much experience with many of those, but I had to laugh at the thought of 5 boys at the GF tea, that is if they're like mine! Last time (our 15th trip, BTW), just DH and I went, and he looked so uncomfortable-think "Tim the tool man Taylor tries to do the GF Tea"-it was all I could do to keep from laughing at him. He offered to go with me (I think it was because he had a guilty conscience because he'd spent so much time golfing). It was probably the most entertaining time I've ever had at a meal though!

 

[GEM]

I just wanted to say, for those thinking about the GF Tea, that my husband absolutely loved it! He only agreed to go to make me happy, but he ended up really enjoying it. The food was great and he loves hot tea. There were several other guys there (husbands, sons, etc.) and they didn't seem out of place at all.

 

[Boots]

I have always wanted to try Wolfgang Puck. Let us know what you choose.

 

[Minnie's Mate]

We are trying some new restaurants this trip also. This trip we are trying the following new restaurants on our trip at Christmas:

Dinner day of arrival
Le Cellier for dinner - AP holders staying at Dolphin. We like this restaurant and it will be convenient to go to and head back to the hotel and with our AP's it isn't like using a day's entry just to go to dinner. The last time we stayed at the Dolphin we went to Epcot for dinner only at Marrakesh: to grown-up for our kids.

At: MK
Liberty Tree Tavern - Lunch on every trip
Crystal Palace - Character meal for dinner this trip, usually for breakfast though

At MGM:
50's Prime Time Cafe - new one for us - lunch
Hollywood Brown Derby with Fantasmic Dinner Package - Our favorite at MGM. We do it every trip.

Day off:
1900 Park Fair - new one for us - Breakfast
Wispering Canyon Cafe - new one for us - lunch
Meeting friends in Tampa for dinner

At Epcot:
Rose-n-Crown - lunch
Le Cellier - dinner, I think

At AK:
Character breakfast at Donald's Breakfastosaurus - our favorite character meal. We do this one on every trip.
Tusker House - new one for us - lunch
Boma - dinner - one of our favorites.

We have eaten at Hollywood and Vine twice, but not a must do; we have eaten at the Sci-fi dine-in theater and didn't care for it.

We usually eat at the Coral Reef every trip because our kids love the "fish tank" restaurant (they are 2 & 5 yrs. old), but the last couple of times we ate there we were dissatisfied so we aren't going back this trip.

We ate at Tony's Town Square for a character meal (lunch) in September of this year and liked it very well. It was already booked solid for the entire day when we called to make our PS's.

We had a character breakfast at O'hana' at the Polynesian and didn't care to go back. We also did Chef Mickey's at Contemporary and wasn't impressed with the food. Most people like it for the Character meal though.

We have eaten at the Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner with the characters and enjoyed it very well, but our two year old is a big Pooh fan so we always pick Crystal Palace for our MK character meal. We have done Cindy's for breakfast and for lunch when it was King Stephan's Round Table (?).

We have also eaten at Moma Melrose's for the Fantasmic Dinner Package and it was ok, but we prefer the Brown Derby. We also like the Cantina de San Angle Inn, but it is not the best place for kids. Was not impressed with the Garden Grill at The Land in Epcot. We ate at the Nine Dragons in Epcot many years ago and didn't care for it then. Also, my wife is Swedish so we ate at the Akershus, but I really didn't like it. Most people do, but I'm neither a seafood person nor a root vegetable person.

Sorry it was so long, but that covers most of the restaurants we have tried and will try on this trip. Hope it helps.

BTW, I agree, dining is about as much fun as the parks...well, maybe not!

 

[awatt]

Go to Spoodles!
we went there on a non-park day for lunch and walked around the boardwalk afterwards. we loved the food and thought lunch prices were not outrageous. It was a great break from the parks and a memorable meal and afternoon.

 

[eeyore0062]

Here is my list of leftover restaurants. We usually try two or 3 new ones per trip... and we haven't had nearly as many trips as you, so our list will likely be much longer.

All Star Cafe---never over in that area, so we probably won't go there.
Artist Point (we ate breakfast there, when it was served, but never dinner... menu doesn't appeal to us)
Biergarten --- no, we aren't fond of German food
Bistro de Paris --- no, we aren't fond of French cuisine, either
Bongos ---probably not
California Grille --- maybe, if we can tear ourselves away from Narcoosees on our "date night"
Chefs de France --- no, again... French Cuisine
Cinderella's Royal Table -yes, if I can ever get PS for the breakfast!
Citricos ---maybe
Concourse Steakhouse ---no... it has no appeal for us
Coral Reef --- my husband has requested we do this in an upcoming trip
Crystal Palace --- no, much as I like the Pooh characters, I would rather eat at 1900 Park Faire and see them and others.
Donald's Breakfastosaurus--- probably not... we don't want to spend park time eating there.
ESPN Club --- no, we can get bar food at home
Flying Fish Cafe --- perhaps... see California Grille
Grand Floridian Cafe --- maybe
Grand Floridian Tea --- no... not our "cup of tea"
Hoop de Doo Review--- maybe
House of Blues --- no
Jiko-- no... we like Boma, but that is because there is more of a choice
Kona Cafe ---yes, for breakfast
Maya Grille --- maybe, if we stay at CSR
Mickey's Backyard BBQ--- probably not
Nine Dragons ---no, we can get Chinese at home
Olivias --- not unless we stay at OKW, which is doubtful
L'Originale Alfredo di Roma --- maybe
Palio -maybe
Pleasure Island Jazz Company--- no, too smoky!
Portobello Yacht Club --- yes, we would like to try this
Restaurant Akershus (for dinner... we did eat at the Storybook Princess Breakfast, however)--- we don't like cold fish and cheese for a meal.
Restaurant Marrakesh -my husband might, but I wouldn't . I don't like the spices
Rose and Crown Dining Room--- maybe
Sci Fi Dine-In Theatre ---no
Shula's --- probably not. There are steaks at WDW that are less expensive.
Spoodles--- maybe...my parents gave it the "thumbs up"
Tempanyaki --- maybe
Trails End--- probably not
Victoria and Alberts --- no... I don't go on vacation to WDW to dress up... this isn't our cup of tea, either!
Wolfgang Puck Cafe (although if the food is like the Express, it would be very good!)...yes
Yacht Club Galley ---maybe
Yachtsman Steakhouse--- maybe

Counterservice restaurants:
Aunt Polly's-- probably not
Casey's Corner--- sure... a good hotdog is always welcome
Columbia Harbor House--- sure, if we happen to be near it when we are hungry
Diamond Horseshoe Review --- see above
El Pirata Y Perico--- sure
Pinocchio Village Haus-- no
Plaza Pavillion--- sure
Plaza Restaurant--- sure
* we usually just aren't in MK at the time of day we would eat counter service. We were impressed with Pecos Bills and Cosmic Rays on the occasions we have been in MK at lunchtime.

Boulangerie Patisserie--sure, too bad it isn't open for breakfast!
Kringla Bakeri og Kafe--- see above
Lotus Blossum Cafe--- no, but the Chinese wine is good here
Pure and Simple-- no
Sommerfest-- no, don't like the menu
Tangierine Cafe--- no, don't like the menu
Yakitori House--- sure


Catalina Eddies-- sure
Min and Bill's Dockside Diner-- no
Rosie's All American Cafe--- no
Studio Catering Co-- sure
Toluca Legs Turkey Co--- no... I have gotten food poisoning from Turkey legs (not at WDW), but I won't eat them ever since!!!
Toy Story Pizza Planet--- not enough aspirin in the Western Hemisphere!
* we would rather take advantage of the wonderful sitdown restaurants in MGM. Particularly 50's Primetime, Brown Derby, Mama Melrose and Hollywood and Vine --- we eat a big lunch, and skip dinner.

We have eaten at all of the counterservice restaurants in AK, and liked them. The only one we haven't eaten at in Restaurantosaurus.

Looking at your list... we LOVE Narcoosee's!

 

[Belle5]

EEYORE0062,
My favorite thing about your list is how well you know yourself.
Your comments about the Grand Floridian Tea and Toy story cracked me up!
On Nine Dragons, we can get a lot of these foods at home, but I have heard that Nine Dragons is very beautiful inside.
From your leftover list my favorite is probably Teppanyaki.
I noticed more places on your list that should also be on mine such as the Yachtsmen. It's just so darn expensive and we love Le Cellier! Shula's will probably never be on our list until we have all the college for our boys paid for...

 

[Alice28]

I have only been to WDW once, and I just made the PS's for our upcoming trip. Here is where we ate in in 1/95:
Teppanyaki- good, but didn't like it as much as the local Benihana's
Alfredo's- okay; nothing I would want to do again
Chef Mickey's when it was at Downtown Disney
Cap'n Jacks for sandwiches; we wanted to do the rib place at
PI, but it had a 2+ hour wait, so we ended up here.
Biergarten- how much sausage and mushy veggies can one eat?
Whispering Canyon
A fast food place at MGM- can't remember the name- but it was huge and had catwalks and stuff above
Fast food place in US pavilion- Liberty Tree (?)
Lumiere's Kitchen in Fantasyland
Pastry at France- the only thing I plan on repeating.

We learned our lesson in our food choices...nothing we chose is anything we would go out of our way to do again! Here are our PS's this time (we have two small kids this time- last time it was our honeymoon)

Chef Mickey's (arrival night)
Rose & Crown
Sunshine Food Fair
Tusker House or Flame Tree BBQ
Shula's (just me and DH)
Hoop Dee Doo (only older child is going with us; baby is staying behind with gramma)
50's Prime Time
MAYBE Pizza Planet (I know, I hear it's not great, but we have a Toy Story lover here)
Ohana
Narcoossee's (Just DH and I)
Other fast food places we may try- Columbia House, Pecos Bills, the fast food at Japan pavilion; we're not too picky when it comes to Disney burgers/chicken strips. Whatever is closest. I like how several of the restaurants offer carrots or apples in place of fries. We have 9 days, so I am sure we will sample a lot of what Disney has to offer of fast food!

The only other restaurant I would like to try and squeeze in if we have time is Beaches and Cream. Any suggestions when would be a good time? We are staying at the Contemporary. Is it too much to walk there from Epcot with two little kids? We have the 2nd Friday of our trip designated at Park Hopper day and maybe we can squeeze in a burger and shake if it's do-able. (We won't be renting a car- pure Disney transportation for us)

 

[Mic]

awatt-
Unless something has changed recently, Spoodles no longer serves lunch(It was discontinued sometime between June and Oct., 2001). It was my family's favorite restaurant for lunch, and we really miss it. We have a few favorites we do each trip, without fail: Teppanyaki(Epcot), Tony's(MK), and 'Ohana's(Polynesian). At MGM, our favorite would probably be the Brown Derby, but it was not as good as we remember it on the last trip. Being so close to the BW and Epcot, we hopped a boat a few times and either dined at Epcot or Beaches and Cream(a great use of my $11 Connections vouchers). At AK, fine dining is very limited(to the Rainforest Cafe), so we did the RC a few times. On the last trip, I purchased the "meal deal", and all of us tried different places(we were 3 families, 10 people total...a few kids ate at pizzafari, and a few at Flame Tree, and the other 2 adults used the vouchers at Flame Tree as well. I liked the menu at Tusker House, and had a great salad there. We have had almost every character meal, except the new one at Epcot, so I am surprising the kids in Dec. with this one. We've eaten in every country at Epcot, at all the places at MGM, except 50's PT, which I plan to do next trip, and most places at MK, but I would like to try the castle for lunch(we've had the breakfast 3 times). I like the idea of mixing a few new restaurants with a few old fave's...the idea of trying ALL new restaurants would rattle my kids!