Bistro de Paris vs. Chefs de France?

[checkwriter]

We're a casual couple celebrating our wedding anniversary sans fils (just the two of us ). I'd love to hear from anybody who's been to both Bistro de Paris and Chefs de France.

Which did you prefer and why?

Thanks!!

 

[oybolshoi]

They're both good in their way - it really depends on what you're looking for in a meal.

If you're wanting a casual meal to celebrate then go to Chef's de France - it's a bustling cafe with a psuedo-French menu (Americanized French Food) that's tasty. It does get very busy there and very noisy - a lot of the tables seem to be right on top of each other. My husband and I actually prefer to eat lunch at Chefs as opposed to dinner.

Bistro is a more formal, traditional French inspired menu and restaurant. It's a signature restuarant and the food is very good - the service can be a little slow but it's designed to be a more leisurely meal. The restaurant is lovely and intimate - it's actually located above Chef's de France but you'd never know it.

My hubby and I like to celebrate with more formal meals, so we would choose Bistro hands down over Chefs. But to each his own!

Congratulations!

 

[webray]

Like O said, it depends on what you are looking for.

Hubby and I have always enjoyed Chefs de France. Good food, good service, busy, casual, atmosphere. Lot's of fun.

For Le Bistro, plan a good three hours, at least, for your meal. The food is fantastic, wonderful service, great atmosphere. We have thrown this restaurant into the mix with our other top choices on Disney property and go as often as we can. They book up quickly, and we have rarely been able to walk in.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Chefs is a place to eat at, Bistro is a place to dine at.

Most people tend to consider Bistro as second only to V&A at WDW as far as both quality and service are concerned.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Chefs is a place to eat at, Bistro is a place to dine at.

What she said!

 

[OKW Lover]

Got to agree with Cheshire Figment, Bistro is better. I wouldn't say Chef's is bad - in fact its very good, even better than LeCellier in my opion.

 

[marmar]

I would never do Chef's for a romantic dinner for 2. With the arrival of the DDP it is packed. The tables are too close together. Families fill the place with children who quickly become bored and bounce and crawl all over the place. There is just not enought room to separate yourself from the rude people at the next table. It is also extremely noisy. Even with an ADR there is always a wait. The food is OK, not outstanding....

We've never been to Bistro. After our 2 not so wonderful tries at Chef's my husband says NO to France.... PERIOD.

That said we have had romantic dinners for 2 at Rose & Crown (for Illuminations) and at Marakesh. (Le Cellier also.... but it's impossible to get in.

Our favorite for quiet Romantic meal..............Artist Point at the WIlderness Lodge.

 

[davinakb]

Agree with ... well, everyone. Both are good in different ways. We always enjoy Chefs, but it is crowded, louder and more casual. Bistro is quiet, refined fine dining. We usually opt for Bistro, love the tasting menu ($$ but worth it). FWIW.

 

[checkwriter]

Thanks, all! C'est Bistro, bien sur! I have the ADR in hand . . . well, on computer, at any rate.

A protocol question: It's likely to be beastly hot/humid the mid-August day of our dinner. Can men get away with wearing "nice" (as my mother would say) shorts instead of slacks?

Merci!

 

[eeyore#1fan]

We just got back from Disney on July 27 and we ate at both Bistro and Chef. This was our second time eating at Bistro and we will not be going back a third time. We each ordered appetizers and the Fois Gras at $22 was extremely dry and the syrup they drizzled over it formed almost into a hard candy texture(similar to a jolly rancher) and was impossible to get off your teeth. My wife ordered the scallops for dinner and got a whopping 4 of them for $33. Needless to say we were very dissapointed in this visit and after spending $150 we won't be going back. We visited chefs for our third time now and couldn't have been happier with our food and service. Bistro is definitely more intimate, but I would now choose chefs over bistro any day.

 

[3girls4me05]

We are also going for our anniversary. We are casual people so we are going to Chef de France. A friend went recently and she said she has dreams about the food! Yeah..it was that good. That sealed it for us. I don't care how noisy it is if it isn't my kids making the noise...they will be at the hotel with their fairy godmother. Anyways..if you do Bistro then we should compare notes afterwards.
Happy Anniversary!

 

[Mrs. Pookie]

Has anyone tried the Macaroni Gratin at Chefs? Is it any good?

 

[checkwriter]

Thanks, all! Now I'm getting nervous, especially with eeyore#1fan's report. Time to go sifting through some other reviews . . . . I don't judge restaurants by one review, but several recent bad ones will usually send me elsewhere.

 

[3girls4me05]

I have heard that dish is good but not at all like an american mac n cheese. So as long as you don't have that expectation you should be pleased.

 

[swandiverpatt]

We took a business associate/friend of my husband's to lunch at Chefs. The friend's wife is Belgian and they spend half their year in Europe. They are a bit "snooty" so I was afraid they would scoff at Disney's attempt to recreate Paris/France. We were wrong. From the moment we started walking in from the International Gateway, the wife was happy. She shopped the stores, chatted with all the waiters in French, stated out much she loved the authenticity of the interior of the restaurant (right down to the tables being "too close together" by our American standards), ran and got a copy of a Paris newspaper. She raved about how authentic the onion soup was. That's all I can base it on -- if she was happy, *we* were happy.

I've always enjoyed our meals there.

 

[Mrs. Pookie]

I have heard that dish is good but not at all like an american mac n cheese. So as long as you don't have that expectation you should be pleased.

Not at all! I liked the idea of it because it didn't sound traditional (and it's meatless).

 

[checkwriter]

Not at all! I liked the idea of it because it didn't sound traditional (and it's meatless).

Here is a discussion of that dish from the review on the wdwinfo.com website:

"The baked macaroni and cheese was less successful. I think this was more because I was expecting a more Americanized dish. This was large pasta tubes cooked in a cream sauce and then baked with a layer of gruyere on top. The dish was very, very rich and filling but if you have your heart set on something more traditional, then you might be disappointed. Please understand, it wasn’t bad, just not what I was expecting. A portion of this entrée was left behind."

Here's a link to the entire review: http://www.wdwinfo.com/reviews/chefs-de-france.htm

So it's clear that we're not talking Kraft here, which may be just what you are looking for.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I'm not sure why anyone would go to Chefs expecting American mac & cheese. You can get that anywhere.

 

[checkwriter]

Okay, in the fwiw department I've now been able to scour the internet and it seems that the reviews for Bistro blow hot and cold, while those for Chefs are generally favorable. So Chefs it is!

For now, at least.

 

[Mrs. Pookie]

Here is a discussion of that dish from the review on the wdwinfo.com website:

"The baked macaroni and cheese was less successful. I think this was more because I was expecting a more Americanized dish. This was large pasta tubes cooked in a cream sauce and then baked with a layer of gruyere on top. The dish was very, very rich and filling but if you have your heart set on something more traditional, then you might be disappointed. Please understand, it wasn’t bad, just not what I was expecting. A portion of this entrée was left behind."

Here's a link to the entire review: http://www.wdwinfo.com/reviews/chefs-de-france.htm

So it's clear that we're not talking Kraft here, which may be just what you are looking for.

Thanks, and nope, I'm not looking for Kraft Mac and Cheese. I can eat that at home.