Cali Grill... Dressy? Kid Friendly?

[lindsroc]

IM getting ready to FINALLY make my ADR's and this one Im a little hesitant about. Is Cali Grill worth it with 2 small children (ages 7 and 8)? Also, I read somewhere that it is very dressy...is this true? We are not going on a dining plan- so dont want to spend the $$ if its not worth it. Thanks

 

[honeymo78]

It is definitely kid friendly and you will see plenty of children of all ages there.

As for dress, you will see a wide range on any given night, from shorts and tees to formal wear to business suits. As long as you aren't in violation of the dress code (no swimwear, torn clothing, offensive graphics, hats or tank tops) you will fit in just fine. You will also fit in just fine if you dress up a bit - polo shirts, capris or skirt, etc.

 

[lindsroc]

Perfect! Thank you!

 

[gojoe]

We love it. We had our 9 & 10 year old girls with us. One order the filet mignon and the other Mac & Cheese. We dress up a bit but we like that. Something special to remember. We also pre-ordered dessert, chocolate lave cake. We tried to ordering appetizers first, then our diner. We still missed timed it for the fireworks. The girls were tired of sitting so we payed the bill and headed out to the deck. We caught the Electric Water Pageant before the fireworks. What a wonderful night. That was 6 years ago now. The girls ask every time to go back but we like to try something different every time. We did promise that next time we would go. This year it was diner at Rose & Crown for Illuminations.

 

[nemofans]

Calif Grill is 1 of our favorites!!! I kind of laughed when you said small children at 7 & 8 only b/c we have taken our 4 yr & 1 yr old. We felt totally comfortable there w/them as there were other small children there. We do wear nice clothes: the kids wore khakis & polo shirts. My 4 yr old had salmon & 1 yr old had noodles. The kids also enjoyed watching Wishes during dinner too.
I LOVE the goat cheese polenta there & wish they could ship me a bucket of it!

 

[lindsroc]

Calif Grill is 1 of our favorites!!! I kind of laughed when you said small children at 7 & 8 only b/c we have taken our 4 yr & 1 yr old. We felt totally comfortable there w/them as there were other small children there. We do wear nice clothes: the kids wore khakis & polo shirts. My 4 yr old had salmon & 1 yr old had noodles. The kids also enjoyed watching Wishes during dinner too.
I LOVE the goat cheese polenta there & wish they could ship me a bucket of it!

LOL i guess 7 and 8 isnt so young huh?! Yikes, I remember going to Disney when they were 3 and 4. Too fast.
Thanks for the feedback. I was planning on a few nice dinners, the girls love to get dressed up. I just had read somewhere that it was super dressy, but I guess people perceive it differently. Thanks again!

 

[Tara]

I just said to my 9yo* "where do you want to eat when we go to Disney" and he said "Well, I don't know. Definitely California Grill, but I don't know where else." CG is his absolute favorite - we never miss it. He's been going there for as long as he can remember.

*Yes, he's up this late. We're both sick and have slept on and off all day so now neither of us can sleep, so we're watching TS3 *again*.

 

[GailT]

CG is very kid friendly I have been there with many kids there with parents if parents keep them well behaved and most do it isnt bad at all

 

[marivaid]

We were there Wednesday night and it was a bit TOO kid-friendly, actually. I'm all for exposing kids to higher end restaurants, and there were several tables with children behaving like they should be in that kind of place,but they were outnumbered by the kids running around, yelling, or playing on the floor.
As for the dress code, it definitely was not being enforced that night.

 

[kungaloosh22]

I love the California Grill, but the only time I've ever felt underdressed at a Disney restaurant was California Grill. I'm sure our timing had something to do with it, as it was a weekend evening in December, and we were surrounded by people dressed to the nines -- tuxes, formal dresses, glittery tops, hair done up, the works! I think there were some company holiday parties going on, and we came straight from the parks. We certainly didn't violate their dress code, but I do plan to up my attire just a bit on our next trip.

 

[SnowWitch]

Last Nov/Dec we celebrated DD'd 3rd birthday. My DD's were turning 3 that day and a 41/2 yr old. They both loved getting dressed up and getting their hair done. We arrived early so we boarded the monorail and toured the GF watched the musicians in the lobby, admired the Christmas decorations, had the girls pictures done in front of the GF tree then proceded back to the CR. We enjoyed the Christmas choir on the 4th floor before going upstairs to the CG. They had a blast, the wait staff were very attentive to Gracie "birthday girl" and we did not feel out of place at all. The girls have been dining at Disney's 2 TS restaurants since they were babies so they know what is expected of them as far as behavior goes. Nothing ruins a meal more than an unhappy exhausted child whose parents try to force them through a meal they are to tired to enjoy. With the ages of your children you should be fine!! It is one of our favorites and our group ranges in age from 3, 5, 18, 20, and me holding at 39.

 

[BriarRosie]

We were there Wednesday night and it was a bit TOO kid-friendly, actually. I'm all for exposing kids to higher end restaurants, and there were several tables with children behaving like they should be in that kind of place,but they were outnumbered by the kids running around, yelling, or playing on the floor.
As for the dress code, it definitely was not being enforced that night.

Considering that the only restrictions are swimwear, tanks (like muscle tshirts) for men, hats for men, or ripped/torn clothing, typical theme park clothing would not be against the dress code.

And misbehaving children can be found in almost every restaurant. (Except V&A of course.)

 

[marivaid]

Dress Code Guidelines:
Men: Khakis, slacks, jeans, dress shorts, collared shirts. Sport coats are optional.
Ladies: Capris, skirts, dresses, jeans, dress shorts.

Not permitted in dining room: Tank tops, swimwear, hats for gentleman, cut offs, or torn clothing. While T-shirts are now allowed, the policy remains that T-shirts with offensive language or graphics are not acceptable.

We were at Cali Grill on 11/3 and saw several women in tank tops, ripped jeans, even one young lady in PJ pants (I know they were PJ pants because I bought myself some later that night ).

As for the misbehaving children, of course they can be found everywhere, especially at WDW, but let's just say if I'm spending $150 on dinner at a "Signature" restaurant, I would like the place to be just a tad quieter than Chef Mickey's...