Bongo's?

[psimon]

I am helping my parents (both in their 80's) put together their plans for their trip in the March. They are looking for someplace to eat in the Downtown Disney area, either the West side or the old side (I guess that is just called Downtown). Anyway, looking at the menus that are on the web, they settled on Bongo's. After poking around, I have noticed either people have a great experience or a horrible one.

Soooo, I am taking a poll. Should they go to Bongo's or not when spending the day in the "Downtown" area? They are trying to keep meal prices below $20 for an entree. Bongo's seems to fit that criteria, but it's the food / experience I am questioning. All thoughts or comments apprecaited.

Many thanks.....

 

[PieInYourEye]

I've never eaten there, but it's a great place to latin dance the night away!

 

[shrpgrl]

We ate there for lunch in Oct. The service was excellent. The food was very good and the portion size was very large. If we go again we will split an entree and get desert. It was a very good experience for us.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Had lunch there twice and it was fine. Service was good, but they have a "young" and "hip" staff that often times seemed more interested in entertaining themselves than waiting on tables.
Can't help w/ dinner, except I've heard it's quite loud..

 

[heffalump9]

During our past WDW visits we have always spent 1 day DTD shopping and enjoying PI. We love Bongo's, we usually have a late lunch about 2pm, the prices are good, portions are huge (plenty to share if you want to try a variety of dishes) and the service has been good and not rushed. This plan works out well for my DH and I, and that way we have room for a great dessert at Ghirardelli later on.

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

If they are used to authentic Cuban food, then they might be disappointed. It's more "Americanized" for the general palate and is okay. Are they looking to eat at lunch or dinner? Dinner can get very loud with the band at night and it's very busy. Lunch is quieter.

 

[psimon]

Originally posted by wdw_dine_junkie
If they are used to authentic Cuban food, then they might be disappointed. It's more "Americanized" for the general palate and is okay. Are they looking to eat at lunch or dinner? Dinner can get very loud with the band at night and it's very busy. Lunch is quieter.

They are not accustomed to Cuban food. They are looking for something a little different. They plan to go for dinner. I found that I could not make a PS for them. I thought this odd as it is a restaurant on Disney property, and it seems you can make PSs at the rest of them.

I'm hoping it isn't too noisy for them. Do you have another restuarant you could compare it to with respect to how noisy it is?

thanks.....

 

[jkovick]

I don't think I would take my grandparents there. We have only been once but it was very loud, not a place to have conversation without having to talk in someone's ear.

 

[kadaten]

While busy, I never found it too loud to talk. Not quiet by any means, but we can always carry on a conversation. The booths around the bar in the back are a little quieter than the tables on the floor, and if there's live music, then it can be too hard to talk if you're close to it.

Bongos is one of our favorites. Another of our favorites is also at DTD...Wolfgang Puck. On our last trip we were lucky enough to be sat at the appetizer bar, a small bar with 4 or 5 seats over looking the prep lines for salads and appetizers. They only seat you there if you ask, I believe. It was neat to be able to watch the chefs in action, and was a little more intimate. I find Puck's to be a little quieter than Bongos, for what it's worth. Both have excellent food!

Katie

 

[ducklite]

We've eaten dinner there twice now, and found good service and food both times. Once we sat upstairs inside, the other time outside.

We didn't find it "deafening", it was no noisier than the California Grill in our experience. I think upstairs might be quieter than downstairs though.

Anne