BEST WDW DINING EXPERIENCES

We've enjoyed many a great meal at Disney but our current favorite is Trattoria al Forno on the Boardwalk. Excellent food, great service & a good price point.
 
First times at both 'Ohana and CRT breakfasts on our first trip to WDW many years ago. My son was CRAZY about Stitch and he spent a good 15 minutes at our table playing with him, it was amazing. Both my kids had an unforgettable time at CRT as well-it was completely worth it. They still remember their first times at both restaurants even though they were very young and we have made 15 trips.

We have had fantastic experiences at many places- California Grill (before the re-do), Yachtsman, Yak & Yeti, our first few times at '50's Prime Time, Artist Point, Cape May Cafe and Garden Grill breakfasts, Club Villain, Shula's and Hoop Dee Doo to name a few.

I am hoping our dinner at Tiffins in March will be one as well as my daughter will be celebrating her 21st that night.
 
- Tea at the Grand Floridian - such a special experience and everything was delicious
- Scallop pasta at Narcoosee's - OMG. UNBELIEVABLE.
- Sanaa - just a really unique setting and delicious every time
- Yachtsman Steakhouse - great for carnivores
 

DD14 loves to hear the story of how, when she was just over a year old, Cinderella & Snow White "borrowed" her at CRT for a moment and brought her back with several lipstick kisses on her face...priceless! Of course, we can't forget our last visit to HDD, when Dolly chose DH to flirt with...I think his face turned redder than Hawaiian Punch. All that and the food was delicious too.
 
Top 3 in no particular order
1. Ironically it was at the same place as my WORST dining experience. Back in 2001 I had a patio table at Tony's, parade time (think it was still SpectroMagic then?) and the special of the night was fresh shrimp and pappardelle in an incredible tomato broth w/olive oil. YES at Tony's!!! I have a picture of me eating it with a giant smile on my face:hyper: Oh how the mighty have fallen..

2. The Samoan at Kona Cafe, multiple times, all the times, but the 1st time I'll never forget

3. Artist Point - I had wanted to eat here since I was a child but my family doesn't really DO "fancy"...aka, flavor. But in 2014 I finally got my way when I got a last minute ADR as I was the only one who new how to use the new MDE app and the family didn't want to leave the hotel, sooo I told them AP was all that was available:banana:

Mussels, bison, venison, beef, fresh greens, leeks, fennel salted butter....I can't, I need to stop...and an extra dirty martini, extra olives. June 2017 I'm coming for you AP!
 
Do dinner shows count? We had an awesome time at HDDMR this past trip. My dad was selected from the audience. Food and service was really excellent.

We also went to CG two trips ago and it was all around a good experience. Good service, delicious sushi, and of course an awesome view of Wishes.
 
These are our recent "best" experiences along with some photos :)

IMG_1026.JPG Well HDDR is always a favorite of ours... This past summer on our Honeymoon, we got to dance (along with other couples celebrating) to Let me call you sweetheart and they announced we were celebrating. Love the food and the show is very entertaining!
We also had a great experience at 1900 Park Fare... Lady Tremaine is hilarious! She asked what I do for work and scolded my hubby for making me work with my hands, said I should hold out for the rich uncle and he should wait on me hand and foot...loved her!!
Lastly we love love love Trattoria.. We had dinner there for the first time two years ago & thought the food & service was excellent but this year they just blew us away -- our wonderful waitress brought us champagne with strawberries, a platter with our names written in chocolate, chocolate covered fruit & then a menu with our wedding date & happily ever after written. Plus the food was delicious, as always! IMG_1030.JPGIMG_1029.JPGIMG_1027.JPGIMG_1028.JPG
 
We were at WDW from 1/21 - 1/28, and these were our outstanding meals:

Mama Melrose - my husband said this was the best steak of the trip, and he ate a steak almost every day; I had the Mahi Mahi, and it was wonderful; the fresh mozzarella and vine ripened tomatoes appetizer is delicious; our daughter had the veggie lasagna - which I tried - and it was excellent, too; our server was fabulous, funny, kind, and attentive despite the place being too busy for walk-ups - - - - this place was the surprise hit of our trip

Chefs de France - we love this place; the service was excellent; the ambience couldn't have been more perfect as we were seated near the windows and watched the fireworks during dessert; food was as yummy as ever; we left wishing we had booked two nights there instead of one

Boma - we at there twice that week since we stayed at AKL, and we ate so many delicious foods; I wish I had access to all of their recipes

La Cantina de San Angel - ate here for the first time and we were so surprised by how very good it is; I had the fish tacos, and they were the best I have ever had (I order fish tacos at a lot of places) - I wasn't so sure I'd like the slaw they put on top, but holy smokes batman was it ever yummy! I've been craving this meal ever since I had it; we all want to return on our next trip; really enjoyed sitting by the lake

Yorkshire County Fish Shop - best fish and chips ever! again, loved sitting at a table by the water

This thread is making we wish we were still at WDW!
 
Hoop Dee Doo Review!: Number 1 experience for me. Love taking boat from MK over to Fort Wilderness and experiencing the show. Great atmosphere, classic show and great all you can eat fried chicken, ribs, beer, corn bread, strawberry short cake, etc.

1900 Park Fare Dinner: Great experience last summer! Surprised DD10 & DD8 with this and had an amazing time. Step sisters and step mother spent a lot of time with our girls. Picture before entering was a nice touch (especially since it was a part of photopass!)

Saha: Been a few times with the family. Kids are more adventurous eaters so this place is amazing for them. Bread service best deal at WDW IMO.

Chef Mickey's Breakfast: Great way for our kids to meet the fab 5 characters first thing on a trip for breakfast. Lots of fun and in a cool location.

California Grille: Maybe the best place for a date night for us!

Le Cellier: Really like the small intimate setting, and beer flight and Cheader cheese soup with warm pretzels was a great treat.

Ohana: Has become a regular for us. All you can eat meat can't be beat!!

I could go on but that's enough for now!
 
Some of our Best:
1-Rose and Crown; love the steak and fish and chips!
2-LeCellier; signature filet, yummy!
3-T-Rex; mushroom ravioli, the best I have ever had
4-Via Napoli- artichoke pizza
 
This past December trip was some of the best food we have had on property!

- Nine Dragons (epcot): this is one we had previously avoided because of bad reviews, but we got a same afternoon ADR and went for dinner. We really enjoyed it (my DH isn't usually a fan of Asian food). Not too loud or crowded. Yum!
- Raglan Road (downtown disney): we have been to RR a few times and the food never disappoints. Also love the live music and the dancers who teach kids how to dance with them.
- The Wave (contemporary): we went for my birthday dinner and the food and drinks were outstanding. Seriously. I don't know why we haven't gone here sooner! Service was a bit slow, but that was my only complaint. Everything tasted very fresh.
- Trail's End for the breakfast buffet (Ft. Wilderness): best value and the food was all fresh and yummy. It was a relaxing morning for our last full day in the parks.
- Yak & Yeti (animal kingdom): we had made ADR's at Y&Y before, but always ended up cancelling them. I'm so glads we didn't this time. The server was so fun and the food was YUM. I had sushi and it was delicious.
- Be Our Guest lunch: this was our first time at BOG, so I was just excited to get an ADR even if it was for QS lunch, lol. I wasn't super hungry, so I had French Onion Soup and fries and it really hit the spot.
 
We have had lots of great ones but the Hoop dee do is always a highlight of our trip. One of my favorite memories was our meal there 6 years ago. We had a table front and center against the stage. Our waiter was fantastic. He made a bow out of a napkin and slipped it on my 18 month old daughter's head. She was entranced with the show and didn't notice. The cast members did notice and several had a hard time not stopping to laugh as they saw her staring up at them with her big floppy bow.

We also had a magical meal at the California grill before we had kids.
 
Our best meal during our last trip was breakfast at Boma. Our girls are picky eaters, but we found plenty that they'd like. There were also some interesting dishes that made it better for adults. Our server was also great. One of my favorites I've ever had at Disney World.
 
What makes a great dining experience is personal to everyone. Is it the food, the service, character interaction, ambience, location, view, occasion? For us it's usually several of those together that make it memorable. However, when we visit Narcoossee's on Christmas Day every year we feel we have it all: delicious food, the special occasion, a wonderful view over the Seven Seas Lagoon onto MK and a calm ambience, and we've never had a problem with the service. Perfect IMHO
 
We had several great meals on our trip this past September, but the standout was probably Flying Fish. It was our first time, and we just really enjoyed it. The restaurant is lovely, the service was attentive, even four a party of 7 with no alcohol purchased, and we tried many of the entrees and desserts.

Previously we had a wonderful experience at Artist Point. Most of us were really looking forward to dining there, but my vegetarian daughter was a little worried. She needn't have been--the chef came out and talked with her, asking her permission to make something off-menu. We all enjoyed our meals, but her dish was the hand-down favorite.
 
California Grill during fireworks on our Honeymoon! It was awesome! We had a window seat by MK and they piped in the music and storyline from the park. A cast member took a photo of us and gave it to us before we left. We had never had fine dining before and we loved it! That was 10 years ago and we are going back to Disney in April for our 10 year wedding anniversary. We have booked the Cali Grill during fireworks (crossing our fingers for a table overlooking MK) and are going to reenact our honeymoon picture they gave us so we can frame them together. It is a memory we will never forget!
 
I also have many, but hands down, the best experience was dinner with wine pairing in the Queen Victoria's room at Victoria and Albert's. We still talk about it almost 3 years later. :D
 
We've had many outstanding Disney dining experiences, which is why we are still willing to pay their outrageous prices! Some memorable meals:

Jiko, for DD's 21st birthday celebration. There was an issue with being seated, and although the restaurant wasn't busy, we waited 45 mins past our ADR time. This was supposed to be a special night, and I was so disappointed right from the beginning. DH finally asked for a manager and we were seated, and you'd have thought we were the only patrons in the restaurant after that! Our waitress was just incredible; she knew we were celebrating and made sure that DD felt the "specialness" of this night. The food was outstanding, the service was perfect, and the complimentary bottle of wine was an added bonus (we didn't know this... we just ordered wine and discovered it was comped when we received the bill). I'd ordered a special birthday cake from AKL's pastry shop and not only was it beautiful, but several of the waitstaff come over and sang a quiet, beautiful birthday song in Swahili. It turned into a truly magical evening.

Boma... hands down our favorite restaurant on property for both the food and the service. We go every trip, except for the year we did Jiko for DD's 21st birthday. We all wish we'd also gone to Boma, but didn't as we'd thought 2 African-themed meals would be too much. Nope... we missed Boma!

Tea at the Grand Floridian, Valentine's Day 2002. In addition to the regular tea service, everyone got a special heart-shaped pastry. While we were there we witnessed an engagement, and watched a wedding happening outside the tea room windows. Love was in the air!

California Grill- Wonderful food, incredible service, topped off with watching Wishes from the top of the Contemporary. What's not to love?
 
I have too many stories! I think what makes it best is having a happy attitude. Maybe because I am always on the dining plan and know another wonderful meal is just around the corner (and mentally dont feel like Im paying for it!!), I really dont care if my food is bad! Im so happy at Disney, nothing can get me down :) I stay positive and friendly, and usually get the same in return. What makes my experience over the top is when waitstaff give extra attention to the kids. At home, when we are out to eat, a waiter/waitress will come to the table to ask me or my husband if everything is OK. Kind of like my kids opinions dont matter. I notice often at Disney the waitstaff will ask the kids! I love that :) Teaches them their opinion matters and gives them some interaction. Disney castmembers are the BEST. When the kids are happy, Mom is happy!
 





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