ANOTHER Blue Bayou question...

[NannyPooh]

Just made PS's for lunch at Blue Bayou at the end of August - as many times as we have been to DL, we have never eaten there! It will be me, DH, DS11 and DS7.
My question is: are the atmosphere and meals of the restaurant worth the price? We don't really mind paying more for when we get good meals, and service, but I would hate to waste $100.00 (easily) on so-so food and setting!
Would we be better off just going in the late afternoon for a fun dessert (I LOVE the description of the cookie boat !)?
I know it's all about personal opinions and all, but just curious to see how everyone else felt!
Thanks -

 

[Alice28]

We did Blue Bayou last in the summer of 2004. I think its menu has changed since then, but IMHO, it was not worth the price. I think I had a chicken pasta dish, and DH had the same- it was decent, but not $20 decent or whatever it was. I think with the two kids meals and sodas all around it was close to a $75 lunch. We did not have a pirates side table though, that would have added a bit to my enjoyment- most of the tables are NOT 'river-side'.

Like you I am tempted to just go for desserts in October- I want some of that Key Lime dessert!

 

[DancingQueen]

We loved our meal and experience at the Blue Bayou. The food was excellent I thought, and you can not beat the atmosphere. Also our waitress was very friendly and efficient. We will definitely go there again. IMO it is worth the money.

But just going for dessert would be ok too.

 

[fairycat]

We ate there recently and thought everything was very good and I always enjoy the atmosphere, I felt it was worth the price.

I say look at the menu if nothing really grabs you than just go for dessert which was VERY good!!!

 

[SCohen]

HI!
It is my all time favorite restaurant! That being said, it's not all about the food. I have personally eaten the monte cristo, the pork chops and the Tesora Island Chicken, and they were all wonderful! My favorite is the pork chops. I have even tried to duplicate the recipe to no avail.
The food is wonderful and the atmosphere is really neat.
Would I eat there if I was on a tight budget? Probably not. My interpretation of the restaraunt is that you are paying a little more for the atmosphere and the experience. If you love a new experience and your kids are up for a new dining adventure I say go for it!! How often do we get to go to DL?!?
We will be at DL for my birthday in a few weeks and I have made ressies for lunch.
I am, too, hoping that my kids find it as enjoyable as my husband and myself have in the past.
Ask for a water side table, as that's where the ride goes by.

 

[JenDisneylandlver]

We did dinner there in June. We all had the Fillet Minon steak, and it was very good. Was it worth the $100? Lets just say it's not something I'd do on every trip. It was our anniversary, so it was a special treat. Very cool getting to eat there after "looking" at it all these years on the ride. And we very much enjoyed the atmosphere.

We'd eat there again, but it's not something I'd do every trip.

 

[kiwitravel]

We went last year, if going back I would definitely request a riverside table. The atmosphere is not as good away from the waters edge.

The food was ok, I would rate my gumbo and fillet mignon 8/10, it was well cooked and presented. My wifes Mahimahi and salad was only 4/10, the fish was over cooked and dry, the salad was very plain. Next trip we might go for lunch and have a Monte Cristo, or perhaps a dessert.

All in all it certainly is not a "do not miss" thing at DL.

 

[blackjackdelta]

This last summer we had riverside and the meals were very good. The service was excellent and for us well worth the price for the experience.

Jack

 

[NannyPooh]

Thanks to everyone for your opinions! They were all very helpful! Truthfully, you all gave better reviews than I was expecting!
We're thinking that we will keep our lunch ressies (definitely requesting a *riverside* table), and then just go easy on dinner that night - like a couple of you said - gotta do it once!
Alice28 - I am also from the 'burbs of Portland - I grew up in Lake Oswego
Blackjack - welcome home - I don't know where you were, but I knew that you were fairly far away from home! Hope that your upcoming trip to DL is great - sorry that we will miss you by a few days. We are there Aug. 25-Sept. 03!

 

[SunDevilDaddy]

We also just recently ate at the BB. And to be completely honest, I was happy we did it once, but I doubt we will ever eat here again. Yes the prices are high, but that wasn't the reason we found ourselves feeling disappointed. The service was good, but not near the level of service that was touted by CMs, hotel employees, and more. I did not feel like the service was 4 star by any means. The food left us lacking really. And we ordered the "good stuff" on the menu instead of attempting to save... I had the prime rib which I felt was rather stringy and slightly overdone. Prime rib should be a warm medium rare and tender. The slab I received was more a medium well and slightly tough. It had more of the texture of roast beef IMO. My wife ordered crab legs which are her favorite all time food. She did not like what she received which looked like highly seasoned crab "salad"? inside 4 halved shells. I realize that the attempt here is to create food that is unique, themed, and four star, but we just felt it missed the boat.

We were lucky enough to have sat riverside. And the view was spectacular. However, that really lasts all of ten minutes before it becomes just another table/restaurant. But we did it, and ate somewhere we've often talked about, so for us it was good to have the 1 experience. Next time we will save our money for other experiences though.

My wife just found out the other day that her bosses brother is a Club 33 member... so on our next trip we are hoping to dine at 33 just once. Yay!

 

[NVDisMom]

We make a pint to eat there every trip. I love the atmosphere and the food (even after the menu change) IMO is yummy. I know I could get a better meal for that same $100 offsite in a fancy restaurant, but this is Disney and I am willing to accept that. If you would rather save the $$ for a different fab meal or extra souvies, then by all means, do dessert so you can check out the atmosphere. It is worth it, especially if you are a pirates ride fan.

 

[jenpace]

We had lunch at the BB in March. Our table was not near the water so I feel like we missed out but the worst part was the actual food. Maybe we were there on an "off" day but it was terrible and my 8 y/o DD had a stomach ache for the rest of the day making many restroom stops ...not a fun way to spend part of your DL vacation!

That being said, we are planning on going back on our next trip but ONLY for dessert and ONLY if we can snag a waterside table.

Jen

 

[stampinshauna]

To each their own.

We love the Blue Bayou. We've been there a few times. I love the Monte Cristo. On our first trip there, I had the Monte Cristo and DH had the prime rib. Since then we always get the Monte Cristo and we really like it. I think food is so hard to give opinions on because everyone likes different things. We tried the Monte Cristo at Cafe Orleans last year as well, and it did taste very similar, but for the $4 difference, I'd rather go to the Blue Bayou where you get the atmophere, the bread, the soup/salad, and the sides. I can't wait until we get to eat there again in September!

 

[heatherleigh]

Wow, the reviews seem to be fifty fifty. I am even more confused. I know that we will go to have dessert, because everyone seems to agree it is good. I've noticed that people either love it, or hate it. There isn't much in between.

 

[limace]

We just ate there and I would only eat there again if I could get waterside seating. It was fine, but not worth a $100 lunch bill (for 3 adults sharing two entrees, one child's meal, an appetizer and a dessert). The Monte Cristo was disappointing-no one loved it and I expected to adore it (I mean fried cheese! What's better than that). The pork was good and the au gratin potatoes were great, but not worth $26. The trio of creme brulee was the best part, though the vanilla was overdone and rubbery. Service was good but not fabulous. I guess it depends on your taste, how picky you are about food (we aren't picky but we love good food and are lucky to have lots of good, reasonably priced restaurants near our house). If I did it over, I'd get the first lunch reservations of the day (we had 11:50 and our wait for a riverside table would've been an hour), or go later and just get dessert.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Blackjack - welcome home - I don't know where you were, but I knew that you were fairly far away from home! Hope that your upcoming trip to DL is great - sorry that we will miss you by a few days. We are there Aug. 25-Sept. 03![/quote]

Thanks, I was doing contract work in Iraq. I really would not miss the BB. I had prime rib and it was med rare and very tender. Do not care for the Monte Cristo, dd had it and it was very heavy and really did not look like it had real ham in it. The desserts were excellent. Like most places I think you can get the best or the worst. Waterside table is a must but we have only been able to get that when we made an 1130 ressie. Love Snohomish.

Jack

 

[pixiewings71]

Ok, I don't know how anyone could not like the Monte Cristo! It was the best sandwich I've ever had. And the berry coulis was amazing! My SO and I actually argued over who got to eat it! LOL He ordered the pork chops so altho I shared I did get most of my sandwich. LOL I loved the potatoes (being from Idaho potatoes are a major thing for me) and the salad and bread was very good too. My girls had the mac n cheese and they liked it too. For dessert we shared a Flying Dutchman cookie boat, I can't wait to get back and have another one! LOL We love the BB, we were really sad when we went last year in April and it was still closed and we were really excited to take the kids this year. We didn't get a waterside table, we were in the second row and it was perfect. Yes, it's $$$$ but it's worth it for us. I would do as someone else suggested, check out the menu and see if anything jumps out at you, if not then just do the cookie boat. You won't be disappointed.

 

[SunDevilDaddy]

Thanks, I was doing contract work in Iraq. I really would not miss the BB. I had prime rib and it was med rare and very tender. Do not care for the Monte Cristo, dd had it and it was very heavy and really did not look like it had real ham in it. The desserts were excellent. Like most places I think you can get the best or the worst. Waterside table is a must but we have only been able to get that when we made an 1130 ressie. Love Snohomish.

Jack

Hmmm... lucky you.. I love a well prepared prime rib. Maybe we were just there on an off night. It was a very busy day in the park and the restaurant was slammed. Maybe next time we will give the prime rib one more chance.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Hmmm... lucky you.. I love a well prepared prime rib. Maybe we were just there on an off night. It was a very busy day in the park and the restaurant was slammed. Maybe next time we will give the prime rib one more chance.

I really would try it again. Two years ago, they brought me the rib and it was med-well, I just asked them nicely to go try again. Took about 10 minutes or less, but it was the way I ordered it. Still not the best I have ever had, but it was darn good.

Jack

 

[Quest4Kingdom]

Hi, I didn't realise that there was other seating (away from the water) does anyone know how likely is it to actually be seated right there by the boats? Is it first come first serve kind of thing or can you reserve a table in that section? I just don't see the fun in it (and the $$worth) unless we're seated waterside.....