Cali Grill or Citricos?

[mariamouse]

Hi all!

My mom and I are staying at the GF this December to enjoy WDW during the holiday season for the first time and I am trying to finalize ADRs.

Our current ADRs are as follows:

1st day- 'Ohana dinner
2nd day- Grand Floridian Cafe breakfast, Boma dinner
3rd day- Le Cellier lunch, Il Mulino dinner
4th day- Garden View Tea Room lunch, California Grill dinner
5th day- Cape May Cafe breakfast, Departure.

I have been seeing great reviews of Citricos lately and am now wondering if we should swap one of our dinners to try eating there instead-- especially since we are staying at the GF and the orchestra will be playing pretty Christmas music in the lobby! We are pretty set on going to 'Ohana, Boma and Il Mulino, so I figure that it will probably come down to Cali Grill vs Citricos. We have eaten at Cali Grill before, but it's been over 7 years since then. We have never dined at Citricos.

Help me decide! Which is better for a nice mother-daughter dinner on our last night in WDW? If we do not dine at Cali Grill, is there another spot at the CR where we can see that amazing MK view?

TIA!

 

[goofyintoronto]

I had the MOST AMAZING meal at cali grill last month. the best steak i've ever had. Everything was amazing from start to finish. The view was beautiful! you cant go wrong with this place.

 

[TDluvsDaisy]

I'm a big fan of both! However Citricos felt just a bit more upscale than California Grill to me. Service was superb and the food absolutely delish!

However if you are really looking to see the fireworks California Grill is your best bet. Citricos doesn't have a great view IMO. It just looks out over the center of the GF at the pool.

 

[OhThePain]

Cali Grill is nice if you are planning to watch Wishes from there. However, the food is far superior and the atmosphere is quieter and more adult oriented at Citricos. So basically, if you want to watch Wishes from CG, stick with it, otherwise I would go with Citricos.

What time is your CG ADR?

 

[deej696]

I'm a Citrico's fan myself

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Citricos is one of my favorite signatures from a food standpoint, with its upscale Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. Plus, I'd say it has the best service of any non-Victoria & Albert's restaurant at Disney (up there with Yachtsman IMO).

IMO, California Grill's food is the most underwhelming of any signature.

 

[mariamouse]

Thanks for the replies! Our ADR at Cali Grill is at 7:20 and fireworks are early that night, so I believe we would be able to catch them. We will have already been to MVMCP, though, so seeing the fireworks is not essential. It would just be fun.

Citricos sounds great. Do you guys think that, since we are eating at both Grand Floridian Cafe and the Garden View Team Room prior to our final night, we will almost feel like we have already eaten at Citricos? Isn't it located just upstairs from the Grand Floridian Cafe?

We are now also considering adding Artist Point to the mix since we were planning on visiting the WL to see the decorations before Cali Grill anyway. Is Artist Point well decorated for Christmas? Any thoughts on AP vs Citricos/CG?

What to do...

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Citricos sounds great. Do you guys think that, since we are eating at both Grand Floridian Cafe and the Garden View Team Room prior to our final night, we will almost feel like we have already eaten at Citricos? Isn't it located just upstairs from the Grand Floridian Cafe?

We are now also considering adding Artist Point to the mix since we were planning on visiting the WL to see the decorations before Cali Grill anyway. Is Artist Point well decorated for Christmas? Any thoughts on AP vs Citricos/CG?

What to do...

Regarding your first question, I don't think you'll feel like you've already been to Citricos if you've been to those other two locations. Both GF Cafe and Garden View Tea are similar to each other (light, floral decor, directly facing the garden, relatively casual, etc), but Citricos is a step above. Exotic Mediterranean music plays in the background, each table has a tablecloth and beautiful flower on it, and the atmosphere is more elegant but still approachable.

Regarding your second question, Wilderness Lodge is beautiful during Christmas. Aside from GF, I think Wilderness Lodge is the best decorated resort. It has a huge tree in the lobby (like GF and AKL), and the decor is really beautiful. Even if Artist Point isn't decorated too much, I still think you should stop by WL to see the decorations. Overall, Artist Point is my favorite signature restaurant. The food is quite inventive, creative and unique (Pacific Northwestern) vs. Citricos's upscale (yet relatively basic) Mediterranean menu. Citricos generally has a much bigger following than Artist Point. I'd say they're both great but AP gets the edge. Many others would say Citricos hands down. IMO, California Grill's food doesn't really compare to either one.

 

[akadada]

Cali and Citricos are our two overall favorites (Flying Fish used to be, but last visit in March 2011 was a major disappointment).

I would go Cali since the view is the tipping point for us and they have a great wine selection. Our last Citricos was absolutely great, but Cali's view is so good that it just gives the leg up.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Looks like you have most of the resort hotels covered in your meal plans--meaning you'll see the decorations at all those spots.

From a pure food standpoint, Citricos is better than California Grill, and they're both better than Artist Point. And all 3 are better than Ohana or Boma.

Any way you can dump Ohana in favor of Artist Point??

 

[auntfrannie]

Citrico's has always been wonderful for me. Cali can be loud and the tables seem very close together. AP is the bottom of the signature list for me. I wouldn't change anything to go there.

 

[OKW Lover]

Our take on CG is that the food is good, the service is poor and the view is spectacular. If the view is important to you, then this is your pick. But if you place greater emphasis on food & service then Citrico would be the better choice.

 

[randyl]

Cali Grill has the best view. Period. Their food is fairly pedestrian and their service is snobbish and condescending. I've been there many times - as well as Citricos. Citricos beats it in every department except view.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

I voted for Citricos in your poll even though I've yet to dine there. (We'll be having dinner there 30 days from today!) I think that you've painted a very nice mental image of Citricos: holiday music, festive atmosphere and a good upscale meal for you and your mom.

I am posting, however, to register my vehement disagreement with the opinions that the California Grill has poor service. I think that our visits to the California Grill have always been highlights of our vacations and that's largely due to the service we receive there. Our experiences with the staff have always been very positive. The servers we've had there are friendly, knowledgeable, intuitive, and attentive but not overbearing. If you do choose to keep your California Grill reservation, don't worry about snobbery from the staff. If you do, you might find yourself the victim of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

[akadada]

CaliGrill has been one of best experiences for service for us. We go everytime we're in Disney. We had our DD 16 mo at the time and they were so accomodating to her diet needs.

The sushi is fantastic. Steak was okay to be fair.

 

[xrobx]

I ate at Citricos in March 2010 and California Grill in March 2011. Citricos is better in every way other than the view. Food is better, service is better, environment is better. They're both great places to eat though and you can't go wrong.

 

[vettegirl]

I love them both, but I give a slight nod to the CG because they have sushi.

 

[lisamarch]

California Grill. Amazing.

 

[vinotinto]

I would recommend that you read the menus and see which of the two appeals to you the most. While the menus change frequently, it should give you an idea of the type of food they each serve. I'm a California-style-food-lover, fish-lover, sushi-adorer, never-order-steak-gal and I give a slight edge to Cali Grill. I thought the Citricos dining room was airy and pleasant and seemed more adult than CG. They are both heads and shoulder (and waist and legs) better than Ohana or Boma's dinner. But, if you must choose between the two of them, do it based on the one that has the type of food that appeals the most to you. If you really can't make a decision, then go with Citricos purely to enjoy further your GF trip.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

I would pick California Grill over Citricos. While we really like Citricos we love California Grill.