Big River Grille on a Friday night

[mickeysaver]

I was surprised to find that the Big River Grille restaurant doesn't take ADR's. But, being that we have never explored the BW area much, I have never paid any attention to the details over there.

The date that we would be going is 11/02/07, which is a Friday. There is an evening EMH at Epcot with the F&W festival as a draw for the masses. There is a MNSSHP over at MK that is another draw for the masses. The week itself is a "wonderful week" with projected lower crowds. However, there is a teacher's conference as well as the golf tournament in town that weekend.

Can anyone tell me what kind of waits that we should expect around 7 to 7:30pm that night? TIA Maggie

 

[mickeysaver]

You know, the internet is a wonderful thing!

I found the phone number for the Big River Grille. I called to ask if they did any sort of reservations and was told yes, they do. They call it priority seating. They asked how big our party was and when I was looking to visit. I explained that it was just the two of us and that it would be for November 2nd because it was my 40th birthday. She asked what time we would like to arrive so I asked if 7:30pm would be ok and she put down my name and we are all set. Basically, when we arrive, the next table for two that becomes available is ours! I am so glad that I looked up the restaurant!

For anyone else interested, http://www.bigrivergrille.com/index.php?pg=location&sub=loc&location_id=23 is the website for the Lake Buena Vista location at BW. Yipee!!!! I can't wait!!! Maggie

 

[Deb & Bill]

Sounds like you talked to a nice person at the Grille. I hope your meal is better than ours was. Nasty hostess, terrible wait service, dirty table that wasn't cleaned from the guest before until we complained for the second or third time (and then they did a poor job). Food was mediocre at best, burned on the outside and still frozen on the inside.

 

[mickeysaver]

Well, I hope our experience and our meal is better than that too. They have a menu that appeals to both of us. Hopefully, since we are going early in the evening they will do a better job of providing good service. It's in the hands of fate now. Maggie

 

[Cmbar]

Glad you found what you wanted Maggie! I too had an awful experience at Big River Grille. Worst food we ever had and we had to send back DH food twice. Very dissapointed in the service and we never complain about anything. But this was two years ago and while we will never go there again, I have heard they redid the restaurant recently so hopefully it will be better! There are lots of other great food on the boardwalk if you get cold feet. Spoodles gets good reviews and we love Beaches and Cream. We went to BRG because we thought the menu looked right down our alley. ESPN is there too with the same kind of grill menu. Good luck!

How long are you staying from the 11/2? That is the weekend that begins Jersey week and you will definitely see bigger crowds that week and much larger crowds towards weeks end as Super Soap Weekend and a golf tournament heads there. And as you pointed out it is the last week of F&W festival.

 

[i3utterfli82]

Add us to the list of bad food at BRG.

 

[mickeysaver]

We are going to hope for the best. Gabby is really picky and loves chicken pasta alfredo, which she only has a handful of times each year. I have been struggling to find some place outside of a park and not at DTD that would be a good place to go. That day is my actual birthday. We will have been out into the wee small hours of the morning at PI partying the night before.

On 11/02 have plans wake up and to veg out, drink some coffee from Kona's coffee bar, grab some lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express, shop until we are almost ready to drop, go back to the resort, change clothes, go over to the BW, have dinner, enjoy the atmosphere, and go back to the resort for a dip in the pool and get to bed at a decent hour so that we can be refreshed and ready to tackle our last day of magic with a visit to AK and MK on Saturday. I will keep my fingers crossed that we will be pixie dusted. Maggie

 

[mickeysaver]

Ok, fine, you guys spooked me on Big River Grille!

I decided to switch a few things up a bit and now we are dining at Wolfgang Puck's Cafe. I wish that I could justify the OOP expense of dining upstairs, but I can't....even for my birthday. But, I am really excited about this meal. I had originally planned to dine here at some point during our stay, but bailed on it when the itinerary kept changing. But, it's back again.

Now, nobody better be downing on this place, because I can't take one more change! Maggie

 

[Cmbar]

Ok, fine, you guys spooked me on Big River Grille!

I decided to switch a few things up a bit and now we are dining at Wolfgang Puck's Cafe. I wish that I could justify the OOP expense of dining upstairs, but I can't....even for my birthday. But, I am really excited about this meal. I had originally planned to dine here at some point during our stay, but bailed on it when the itinerary kept changing. But, it's back again.

Now, nobody better be downing on this place, because I can't take one more change! Maggie

YEAH Wolfgang Pucks was EXCELLENT! Plenty of food too so don't hesitate to share and get some great appetizers! Not sure if you are on the Dining plan, but if you are WP is a great value --you will love it! Enjoy!

Didn't want to make you change your plans, but unfortunately BRG and Hollywood and Vine are the only two places at Disney I would NEVER eat again.

 

[disnut8]

Whoa!! I wish you hadn't cancelled the Big River Grille. We always have liked the place. Never had a rude server, never had a dirty table, never had bad food (and we would complain if we didn't get what we wanted and how we wanted it). My husband is a picky eater so does lots of substitutions and his order has always been right.

The only rudeness that we've ever encountered there was when a group of women (grandmother, other, two pre teen girls) came in during a rain storm, completely bypassed the seater, made themselves at home at a window table, and then loudly demanded someone serve them NOW! the staff took care of that group very professionally even though they seated themselves in a section where the server already had more than enough tables to handle.

Please, in the future, don't take someone else's review of a restuarant as gospel. If I had listened to negative reviews, I'd never eaten at the Sci Fi or the Japanese place (before the refurb). If I took reviews as gospel, I'd be brainwashed into thinking the California Grill is the best Disney restaurant ever. We didn't like it at all.

 

[dgaston]

Never have eaten at BRG, but had a wonderful meal at Wolfgang Puck's in July. I think DH had the pork chops, and I remember a nut-encrusted chicken. All was good!

 

[mickeysaver]

Whoa!! I wish you hadn't cancelled the Big River Grille. We always have liked the place. Never had a rude server, never had a dirty table, never had bad food (and we would complain if we didn't get what we wanted and how we wanted it). My husband is a picky eater so does lots of substitutions and his order has always been right.

The only rudeness that we've ever encountered there was when a group of women (grandmother, other, two pre teen girls) came in during a rain storm, completely bypassed the seater, made themselves at home at a window table, and then loudly demanded someone serve them NOW! the staff took care of that group very professionally even though they seated themselves in a section where the server already had more than enough tables to handle.

Please, in the future, don't take someone else's review of a restuarant as gospel. If I had listened to negative reviews, I'd never eaten at the Sci Fi or the Japanese place (before the refurb). If I took reviews as gospel, I'd be brainwashed into thinking the California Grill is the best Disney restaurant ever. We didn't like it at all.

In all honesty, I don't think that I have ever read a favorable review of BRG. I certainly take all reviews with a grain of salt. I think more than anything else, the fact that three bads jumped on and no good, until you, just was the push that I needed to jump on over to Wolfgang Puck's Cafe. I hear consistently good reviews of it and the menu looks great, with several choices that I know that Gabby, my oh so picky partner, would enjoy. I can't wait! Maggie

PS. You are just up the road from me, we should meet up sometime.

 

[disnut8]

PS. You are just up the road from me, we should meet up sometime.

But I don't think there's a Big River Grille in the Atlanta area!

 

[mickeysaver]

But I don't think there's a Big River Grille in the Atlanta area!

Well, no, there isn't a BRG around here, but there is a Disney Store at Mall of GA and at Gwinnett Place. Also, I hear that the Discover Mills mall is getting a Disney Outlet Store soon! Maggie