August Dining Suggestions?

[Allieloopy]

We have been to Disney World twice now, the first time we bought the DP and I ADR'ed us to death. The second time we just paid cash and only had two sit down meals.

Everyone missed the sit down meals so this time we decided to brave the heat and do free dining in August.

I am comfortable with the parks now but the resturants still throw me, it's hard to tell what we might like.

I was wondering if anyone had suggestions of places we might try this time around.
We tried and liked:
50's Primetime
Coral Reef
Tutto Italia (we stumbled on this one on a rainy day, it's about as fancy as we have ever had.)
1900 Park Fare (Dinner with Cinderella)
Hoop-dee-doo was so fun we are going to do it again, maybe this time my daughter won't fall asleep at the table!

We don't want to be too fancy, no one except for me will try sushi or what they consider weird stuff. I hated Pizza Planet and the Sci-Fi Dine in (place was fun, food was eh)

Does anyone have any places they really liked that we should try? I mean I only have 8 months to plan! But I hear that for free dining you have to make ressies or else you will not get in anywhere. We don't usually have this problem in Feb.

 

[Irish_Mike]

Ohana's at the Polynessian Resort is a nice place to eat. They serve everything to you on skewers and will keep serving until you say enough. There is a character breakfast with Lilo and Stitch, and there will occassionally be games for the kids at dinner.

We went back in '08 and it was great. Planning on going back next year.

P.S. If you can be up late enough, you could try having a really late dinner with a view of the fireworks at Magic Kingdom

 

[Allieloopy]

Ohana is a great suggestion, mainly because one of my Dd's loves Stitch and we didn't know where to find him. We just missed him last time in the park.

Is Stitch just at breakfast or do they have a character dinner as well?
This time my kids are 12 and 9 so staying up late will be an option for the first time! Maybe we will try a Wishes dinner, I love Wishes so much.

The girls are old enough to plan too, I am going to introduce them to DIS as soon as I let them in on the secret on Christmas. I am sure they will have lots of suggestions!

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge is fun and the food is not particularly adventurous. The WL lobby is magnificent and worth the trip.

Crystal Palace at MK is a Pooh character buffet with lots of basic food options. I'm not a Pooh-lover, but the restaurant is beautiful and it's always a great break in the middle of a busy MK day. We often do last breakfast seating or last lunch seating to avoid the busier peak times.

 

[Irish_Mike]

Ohana is a great suggestion, mainly because one of my Dd's loves Stitch and we didn't know where to find him. We just missed him last time in the park.

Is Stitch just at breakfast or do they have a character dinner as well?
This time my kids are 12 and 9 so staying up late will be an option for the first time! Maybe we will try a Wishes dinner, I love Wishes so much.

The girls are old enough to plan too, I am going to introduce them to DIS as soon as I let them in on the secret on Christmas. I am sure they will have lots of suggestions!

The Character's are only avaliable at Breakfast. But it is good from what I've heard.


As the person said above me, Crystal Palace has a good Character Breakfast/Dinner, as do Chef Mickey's. You could see the Fireworks from Chef Mickey's, I believe.

 

[Nadjalu]

My advice is look at all the menus online. Go thru each one (TS) and see if the menu suits everyone in your party.

Yes it can sometimes be hard to know where you want to eat 6mos out, but if you like what you like and stick with that you won't be disappointed.

I have found if I listen to reviews here I am easily swayed into something I don't care for, and vice versa. Have found some wonderful gems that others think are terrible.

What I did in the begining was take each park 1 by 1 and go thru them. Make a list of the menus I liked then the same for the resorts. It wasn't that hard, a bit time consuming but if you have time it is worth it.

What I have found is basically every sit down meal will have a steak/beef dish, a fish dish and a speciality.

Enjoy researching it can be a lot of fun!

 

[bcrook]

My daughter and I will give you our recommendations.

1. Ohana for dinner is great, we agree with the other posters.
2. We also enjoy Teppan Edo at EPCOT for a fun family experience. Even though it is Japanese, you have some standard choices that are tasty.
3. For whatever reason, we love Grand Floridian Cafe for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is the least hectic place in all of Disney World to eat. The food and service is always great.
4. For a character breakfast our favorite is Cape May.
5. And we like to go to DTD, shop and walk around and then take the boat to Old Key West and eat at Olivia's. It has a great light and airy atmosphere with good food. Then we catch a bus to a park.
6. We also agree with you - Coral Reef never gets old.
7. Sanaa is also a great option at Kidani Village in Animal Kingdom Lodge. It has a great view looking out to the savannah, and the food is crazy good. Don't be scared of the African and Indian food, you will be able to find plenty to eat.

On another note, we haven't been to Hoop Dee Doo based on your recommendation we might try it.

 

[crabbygal902]

We usually travel with a group that includes 4 children from ages 5-13, and I see your girls are within that age range.

Here's the kids' favorites:

1. Le Cellier. Why? Pretzel bread and the Chocolate Moose dessert.
2. Teppan Edo. Why? The chef is entertaining and the food is simple enough for even the pickiest kid to enjoy. Yes, this is like your local slice n' dice, but with Disney touches.
3. Chef Mickey's. Why? The kids love the characters and the food. Unfortunately, the adults notice the absolutely terrible service that is off the kids' radar.
4. 'Ohana. Why? We do this one every single trip because of the games for the kids during dinner and the bread pudding dessert...and I usually hate bread pudding!
5. Mama Melrose's. Why? It gets bad reviews, and I don't know why. Good food, great service, and it just...well...feels like a happy, relaxed place. The kids love the pasta.

 

[Allieloopy]

Wow, thanks for all the great suggestions! I am really leaning towards Ohana and Le Cellier and Chef Mickey's and Whispering Canyon and well I guess they all sound good!
Seriously though, you all have given me some food for thought (pun?) and I will have fun planning until my ADR window opens up.
The only things I know for sure are the HDDR and one pizza night because we have to use two credits for HDDR. The fried chicken is great and they have a cute show. My daughter wants to see it again so she can stay awake.

And I just found the food pictures thread! This should be helpful to narrow down my choices.