BEST WDW DINING EXPERIENCES

So after reading the slightly depressing Worst Dining thread, I'd love to hear about everyone's best WDW dining experiences. Great meals, great character interactions, magical servers? Share your story.
We loved mama melrose. We did the fantasmic dining package and they allowed us each to choose a flatbread as our included appetizer. We all ordered the chargrilled steak with macaroni and cheese and you also get a dessert trio. The food was great and the servers were very attentive. Service is slow but we were not in a rush. With the fantasmic fast passes included you can not beat the value.
 
From our October 2016 trip our top three were:
Narcoosees - food was spectacular, though the restaurant was seriously over air conditioned. Service was excellent.
California Grill - we were seated at the window, had an excellent server (Walt), dragon roll/ wine suggestions/beef were all fab.
Yachtsman - we stay at beach club usually (though after going to GF for Narcoosees, my 8 year old boy concedes GF is ok for a trial next trip) - the food here is divine and the service is always good.
 
Here is a recent special moment at the BBQ., My daughter was picked to do rope tricks!

12002574_903942699640827_5524810304215803523_o.jpg


12015234_903942706307493_2052405484890212450_o.jpg
 
We had two fantastic meals on our last trip! My hubby and I both turned 50 and celebrated our 26th anniversary in the span of two months so we flew to Disney without the kids!

First was birthday dinner at California Grill, they had confetti on our table. The seafood ramen was perfect and I can't put into words how good the smores creme brulee with the chocolate birthday card was!! Wishes from the viewing balcony is truly special!!

Second was anniversary dinner at Citricos. Cocktails, cheese plate, steak, chocolate gelato, all absolutely wonderful!
We were in WDW last December, and while we didn't go to Citricos, our meal at Cali Grill was probably the best we've had. We had a largish party seated just off the windows overlooking Cinderella's castle...even without being right at the windows, the view was magical. The food was amazing. I had the seafood ramen (as did a few in our party) while others had the steak with duck fat sauce (that was so good everyone wanted to lick the plates clean). Some of us shared the smores creme brûlée which was so incredible that we were literally speechless (outside of one nephew's four letter word when he took a bite). Between the food, wine, and view (and the view from the terrace, where we watched the Christmas party fireworks about 30 minutes after our meal), it was a night that is at the top of our WDW experiences. Honestly, the service during the meal was adequate (not the 'above and beyond' that we expect from signature dining). But everything else was so good that it made up for the harried service.

A meal a few years ago at Artist Point was memorable because of the service. The food was great, the atmosphere relaxing and enjoyable, but the wait staff was what made the evening memorable (complimentary champagne at the end of our meal...which included a whole lot of appetizers instead of entrees...and extra, complimentary servings of cobbler to go around as they assured us we really would want more than a few bites once we'd had a mouthful).

Aside from our two favorite signatures:

Crystal Palace at lunch, because the characters were so incredible with our tableful of 6 ft plus 20 to 30 something year old males (the food was good too).

'Ohana, because service was friendly and great, food was good, and I'll never forget the look on my kids' faces when they saw Stitch and Pluto (their favorites, even more than Mickey).

Yak and Yeti, just because we were so unprepared for how good the food would be all around.

San Angel Inn, because we love the atmosphere AND had an incredible (if tight...aka, you are right next to your neighbors) meal here.

Trader Sam's, on a December late afternoon the week after Thanksgiving. The waitstaff was having a ball...and the bar was maybe half full. Our bartender admitted that he was disappointed in the crowds, given that he makes more money when it's extra busy, as in Thanksgiving. But it was much more fun watching the antics without a crowd of people. Drinks were really good. We tipped very well to help make up for the slower, post- Tday crowd.

Lots of other places come close to being at the top of this list...Via Napoli, Captain's Grille at BC, Boatwright's at POC, Raglan Road, and room service at any deluxe when you're feeling lazy. But the above are our standout favorites (so far).
 
Last edited:

The most FUN I've had dining at WDW was at lunch years ago at Le Cellier. This was when they had a separate lunch menu, and the burger was still on it. I had had it several times before and always enjoyed it but this time I decided to do something different. I asked for the toppings for the burger to all be on the side. When they brought the meal out I had a bare burger and seven or eight small bowls with the various toppings. I then proceeded to make the burger one bite at a time, with each bite different than the other. Eating this entree felt like play, and I had a blast doing it! Alas, by the next time we went they had changed to the all-day menu so I was not able to repeat this little adventure.
 
Victoria and Albert's hands down. Amazing meal.
Next would be California Grill. Great server. My kids first "fancy" restaurant meal. Fireworks!
Then Narcoosees. Really can't go wrong with surf and turf. Great service.

Cheers!!!!
 
So after reading the slightly depressing Worst Dining thread, I'd love to hear about everyone's best WDW dining experiences. Great meals, great character interactions, magical servers? Share your story.

Just got back and still in denial so I'm happy to list all the great experiences we had!

1) Flying Fish - The best food and service of a food-centric trip. Truly outstanding - a real restaurant that happens to be in (and fully immersed in) Disney. The waygu steak was maybe the best I've ever had. Our server was able to make it a very special meal for the kids and adults - a real professional with that subtle and wonderful Disney spark.
2) Jiko - I'm going to be dreaming about that bread for a long time. If we hadn't been so blown away by Flying Fish the night before this would have been our trip food highlight without reservation. Wonderful service and a flawless meal. Super bonus: signature services talked me into sending the kids to Simba's Cubhouse so we could have a night out alone and everyone had a blast + first hour was free with Jiko receipt!
3) Yachtsman - Food was very good and service was even better. The server teased our girls all night in a way that left them begging for more. And if we hadn't had such amazing steaks the two night before, this would have been right at the top of the list.
4) BOG - A surprise hit for us! We knew the kids would love the location, but we enjoyed the food, too. I didn't realize how much I was missing being in MK without a glass of wine. :) And our server was a treasure - warm, engaging, and wonderful with the kids. A memory full of pixie dust for our family.
5) Crystal Palace - This was my DD's choice for her 7th birthday dinner. We had a blast (as usual) and our server was particularly calm and kind amid the chaos of that experience. We loved her - she took care of our sweet birthday girl so well.
6) Whispering Canyon - we ended our visit with a very late lunch here before climbing on DME and I think the staff must have sensed our sadness because they made this a meal to remember forever. Two servers plopped down and sat with us throughout nearly the whole meal, talking to our kids about all the fun they'd had, school, sports, etc. They were so great with the kids - took pics with them, really listened, etc. - it made me teary. The food was the food (not really worth a mention), but the service sent this place way over the top for us.

The very good far outweighed any less-than-magical experiences on our trip. (Brunch at California Grill was a surprising disappointment, for example.) I hope the same is true for everyone else!
 
There's still some good food...very little with anything close to a price tag indicative of "value" at all...

But overall the food has declined at the sitdowns as a whole over the life of the dining plan - the goal all along.
 
When we went in 1999, my son was 2 1/2 years old, and it was the first time I had been to WDW as an adult.

Second night of the trip, we ate at Chef Mickey's. My little guy and I met Goofy, who hosted a make-your-own-cupcake station at the time, on the way to our table. DS was fascinated by the size of Goofy's feet. He did a side by side comparison of his foot versus Goofy's.

But then he started getting a little shy and clingy as we got to the table. After reassuring that the characters were nice, I got him into his highchair. Minnie came into the room then, and the kids started yelling "Minnie!" like she was a rock star.

My son's face lit up like Christmas tree, and he said, "I'm not scared anymore, Mommy. Go get Minnie Mouse!" She came to our table in short order, and they hugged and kissed, and communicated somehow.

Later on, the characters formed a Conga line that Mickey led. I took my son out of his high chair to dance around, and when the line got to us, Mickey's handler scooped him into the line right behind Mickey himself. He had his hands on Mickey's hips and got to dance around the restaurant.

The joy of watching my baby having a blast at this character party was priceless, and really, it started my obsession with Disney World. Pure magic!
 
We have had several really great meals. Some of our favorites:
Fall 2014 - Dinner at 1900 Park Fare - The stepsisters were hilarious.
Fall 2016 - Breakfast at Garden Grill- food and character interactions so good
- Blaze Pizza at Disney Springs
We always enjoy breakfast at Donald's Safari Breakfast in Animal Kingdom
 
1900 Park Fare when my oldest was just 5. My DD loves things like prime rib and adult like food so the buffets were a great option back then for us.
She also thought Drizella was the funniest thing ever so Drizella ate it up. She kept coming over to our table, making faces from across the room and when they did a dance she came back, grabbed DD's hand and made sure she danced with her. I probably have 20 pics from that experience but this is one that always makes me smile! My DD was loving every second of it and still talks about how fun it was (she is now 12).
drizella.jpg
 
We have had several really great meals. Some of our favorites:
Fall 2014 - Dinner at 1900 Park Fare - The stepsisters were hilarious.
Fall 2016 - Breakfast at Garden Grill- food and character interactions so good
- Blaze Pizza at Disney Springs
We always enjoy breakfast at Donald's Safari Breakfast in Animal Kingdom

...this kinda illustrates a point...does it not?
 
My best was probably 'Ohana for breakfast back when my children were 18 months and 3 years old. My little one was extremely scared of characters, and the Mickey cast member that came over to us was just amazing with him. He/she saw that the baby was about to cry when he saw Mickey, and interacted with him, but kept his/her distance. Once he/she saw that my son was warming up, he/she then moved closer and my son began to smile and interact happily. It brought tears to my eyes to see this cast member take the extra time out to be patient and make my baby feel comfortable. After that, he was done with being scared of the characters!!
 





Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE









DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top Bottom