Bistro de Paris or Les Chefs de France

[Sydnerella]

For a night without the kids while at WDW we wanted to be in Epcot to walk around the countries and enjoy a nice dinner there. I have always loved what the atmosphere LOOKS like at Les Chefs de France (fun french bistro) and that it is "street" level. I understand Bistro de Paris is finer dining, but it looks a bit like a nice restaurant I could go to at home.... Is BDP that much better or more special in terms of food? Am I wrong about the atmosphere being run of the mill nice high end restaurant there and more interesting at LCDF? Is LCDF overrun with noisy children/families and we wont feel at all like we got a night away from kiddos?

which to choose?

Thanks,
Sydnerella's Mama

 

[tony67]

If you want a quiet adults night out in Epcot then I would pick Bistro de Paris
I have not eaten here, but friends have and they enjoyed it.

Since it is not on the DDP they do not have to work within the constraints of the plan to make a profit. The food quality is better.
This also keeps the place from being "overrun" with worn out children who have had a long day in the park since most people seem to be on the DDP.
There is no children’s menu at BDP.

One disadvantage of this being a Disney location is you may not find the things you expect at a good French restaurant, like foie gras.


All that being said there is nothing wrong with the food at LCDF.
Take a look at the two menus and decide. You may prefer LCDF.

If you do not mind the action in LCDF then that is a good value.
You can always wait till you get home and try the local place you mentioned.

 

[Pakey]

Chefs de France is a pretty restaurant to look into from the outside. From the inside, the food is decent, the tables are packed in there and it's very noisy. We don't mind eating here for lunch but we have not enjoyed our 2 dinners here. The service has not been that good and the noise level just makes me want to hurry up, finish the food, and get out.

Bistro de Paris is one of my favorite places to eat at WDW. The food is fine dining French as opposed to the rustic French cuisine served downstairs. The service is top notch, the food has always been very good. I think the food is much better than downstairs. And the fact that it's not on the dining plan and does not offer a children's menu gives you a much better chance of having a quiet adult meal.

 

[Joshua_me]

Bistro de Paris is our very favorite restaurant in Epcot. It is perfect for a night out without the kiddies, and both the menu and the quality of service have an "upscale and adult" feeling (for Disney, anyway) and the food is delicious.

It CAN get quite pricey, but have a look at the menu and if it appeals to you and yours I would wholeheartedly recommend it.

 

[Joshua_me]

http://allears.net/menu/men_bisd.htm

^Updated menu for Bistro de Paris

 

[webray]

For a quiet night definately Le Bistro.

Chef's if very good, but you are correct, it is full of families.

 

[oybolshoi]

Bistro is one of the best restuarants at WDW - we ate there two weeks ago and the food and service were tremendous.

I will say, however, that we were very surprised by the number of people who showed up to dine there that evening with small children. And by small I mean toddlers who didn't know how to use their inside voices. I know that Bistro doesn't accept the dining plan and I'm pretty sure they don't have a children's menu. Luckily for us the noisy ones were seated on the opposite side of the restaurant so after a bottle of wine and some alcoholic coffee we weren't really bothered by the constant VRROOOOM VRROOOOM noises coming from their table.

 

[LMO429]

I think I am going to try Bistro De Paris on our next vacation. why do I feel like I dont remember being able to book this online I may have just not been paying attention but I dont remember seeing it as an option online

 

[oybolshoi]

I think I am going to try Bistro De Paris on our next vacation. why do I feel like I dont remember being able to book this online I may have just not been paying attention but I dont remember seeing it as an option online

you can book it online - we did - but I think it's still only 30 days in advance.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Bistro !

(Oh, was that to strong of a recommedation?)

 

[TDC Nala]

A couple of things to consider about Bistro:

It does not accept the dining plan, in case you intended to use dining credits.

My experience parallels Oybolshoi's. There were five young children in the restaurant when I was there, including two toddlers and an infant. The infant cried for almost the entire time. The child was across the room from my friend and I and she was crying, not screaming, so it wasn't intolerable, but the parents never took her outside to calm her down or anything.

If you are looking for a child-free evening, your only real option is Victoria & Albert's, which is not open to children under age 10. You might also try Shula's at the Dolphin if you are not on the dining plan - I understand parents can get a couple hours of child club time free if they dine there, or at least they used to - not sure if they do that anymore.

 

[dizneykid]

Bistro is one of the best restuarants at WDW - we ate there two weeks ago and the food and service were tremendous.

I will say, however, that we were very surprised by the number of people who showed up to dine there that evening with small children. And by small I mean toddlers who didn't know how to use their inside voices. I know that Bistro doesn't accept the dining plan and I'm pretty sure they don't have a children's menu. Luckily for us the noisy ones were seated on the opposite side of the restaurant so after a bottle of wine and some alcoholic coffee we weren't really bothered by the constant VRROOOOM VRROOOOM noises coming from their table.

A couple of things to consider about Bistro:

It does not accept the dining plan, in case you intended to use dining credits.

My experience parallels Oybolshoi's. There were five young children in the restaurant when I was there, including two toddlers and an infant. The infant cried for almost the entire time. The child was across the room from my friend and I and she was crying, not screaming, so it wasn't intolerable, but the parents never took her outside to calm her down or anything.

If you are looking for a child-free evening, your only real option is Victoria & Albert's, which is not open to children under age 10. You might also try Shula's at the Dolphin if you are not on the dining plan - I understand parents can get a couple hours of child club time free if they dine there, or at least they used to - not sure if they do that anymore.

I have to agree with Oybolshoi and Nala also.

We were there two week's ago also and had a reservation after 7pm thinking it may be better for adults.

It wasn't!

There were at least four families in their that had young children and they were not very well behaved. At least we had a seat by the window in a little corner.

Also, I heard a family speaking with the manager and asking about the menu. He told them that although Bistro didn't have a children's menu that they use Le Chefs de France's menu for the children and they could pick from there. The manager also said that they have always done that.

Besides the noise, we really did have a nice meal there and the food was fabulous. The waiter was a little stuffy at first and it felt like he was going to rush our dinner. (We did see many couples come in, eat quickly and leave for park time.) But, as soon as I mentioned to him that we were in no rush and did not want to be rushed he slowed down and became more personable.

Had a great dinner and a nice bottle of wine!!

 

[Joshua_me]

Wow...

We've enjoyed dinner at Bistro at least half a dozen times over the years, and I don't think we've ever seen any kids under age 12 or so while we were there.

I guess it's luck of the draw. Not that we mind kids, it's the parents the let them scream and run around the tables the annoy the snails out of us...

 

[snookiedoodles]

For a quiet dinner I might suggest V & A.

If you can get a really great french dinner at home, then this is no big deal to get one at Disney.

I would stick to V & A. No children under the age of 10 are allowed.

 

[waltskids]

DH and I have Bistro booked for our Christmas trip and we are seriously considering cancelling it. I have read many recent reports of young children being there, despite the lack of children's menu. We are using Kids Night Out for a sitter and we don't want to dine with loud children while paying alot of money to eat dinner. It is a very busy time of year when we'll be there, so there is a good posibility of children. We decided we may just bar hop (at the bars that don't allow kids to sit at the bar of course) around the Epcot resort area and grab a bite to eat while we are doing that. We don't need an expensive meal, just some time to talk and not be around kids. That's what the rest of the trip is for!

 

[tony67]

Another option is Blue Zoo in the Dolphin or Il Mulino in the Swan.

Blue Zoo is one of my favorites and I rarely see children there (except my own).

The ones I have seen there have always been good. (even my own surprisingly)

I would have recommended that sooner, but I did not want to direct you out of the parks.

 

[drenalin'junkie]

V&A will run close to double Bistro...but is really a special treat.
In the park there is no finer way to treat yourself than Bistro.

Next scheduled visit is 1-2-10 6pm dinner after a 12:00 lunch at Le Cellier.
I am hoping/dreading to gain 10 lbs in 6 days of dining like that

 

[Joshua_me]

Yes, 'bluezoo' @ The Dolphin is a great choice for an 'adult meal', if you love seafood.

Shula's, also @ The Dolphin, features some of the best steaks I've ever had, but it's *very* pricey.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Waltskids: Unfortunately, children can--and sometimes do--sit at the bar at almost all WDW restaurants and lounges. Dosen't happen often, but it CAN happen, so there is no guarantee of complete safety.

And as to the original question, Bistro is clearly the better restaurant. We ate there a month ago and like the others, were suprised to see a large # of children. But since we now know they DO have a children's menu (the one from downsatirs) it does explain that much. Fortunately the kids that nite were pretty well behaved.

 

[oybolshoi]

Waltskids: Unfortunately, children can--and sometimes do--sit at the bar at almost all WDW restaurants and lounges. Dosen't happen often, but it CAN happen, so there is no guarantee of complete safety.

And as to the original question, Bistro is clearly the better restaurant. We ate there a month ago and like the others, were suprised to see a large # of children. But since we now know they DO have a children's menu (the one from downsatirs) it does explain that much. Fortunately the kids that nite were pretty well behaved.

It's good to know this going forward. While it wouldn't have changed our dining plans for the evening at least we would have been a little better prepared for the possibility of smaller children being in Bistro.

Having said that ... I really wish they would have left things the way they used to be. Call me a cranky crohn if you want, but I see no reason to take small children to a restaurant like Bistro. If they can actually sit through a 2+ hour meal in an upscale, French restaurant then good-o, but the children who were there on our evening were obviously bored. At one point as a larger group was getting ready to leave the kids were running around their table. That's not acceptable behavior anywhere, but especially not in a place like Bistro - it's disrespectful to the restaurant staff and the other guests.