Cali Grill or Yachtsman or Jiko for a Saturday Night?

[SabresFan]

So trying to debate between these for a Saturday night:
California Grill
Jiko
Yachtsman

The group will be me, DW, DD18 and DD15. We already have these signatures on our plan for the week:
Citrico's
Artist's Point
Hollywood Brown Derby

We can't do the seafood heavy restaurants because DW is extremely allergic to shellfish - sometimes just the smell can get her to itching, otherwise Flying Fish would definitely be on the list.

 

[mjp12831]

Yachtsman was fantastic the time we ate there - recommend it highly

 

[madalex]

Jiko's my favorite restaurant at WDW, so I voted for that. But all three of the ones you listed are quite good, so you really can't go wrong with any of them.

 

[vDunninger]

Tough choice. All 3 are excellent but very different experiences. Perhaps it's just my mood today, but I would give Yachtsman the vote. Exceptional dining experience (both food and service) albeit a little less Disney themed compared to some of the other restaurants. Focus on steak (excellent quality, cut, preparation and flavour) should calm your concerns about seafood. Best steakhouse at WDW (miles ahead of LC). Jiko has more interesting options (albeit adjusted down from the original to appeal more to a North American palate) while Cali has a bit of everything in a contemporary setting with a lovely view. I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

 

[disneychic]

Jiko! One of our favorites

 

[Pakey]

I rank them in this order:

Jiko
Ca Grill
Yachtsman

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Jiko and California Grill are in my top 3 signature restaurants (along with Artist Point, which is my favorite). Yachtsman is my least favorite signature restaurant.

Between Jiko and California Grill, in this case I would choose Jiko. California Grill is noisy and full of young kids, and because your crowd is older I think Jiko would be a really nice meal. Plus the food is slightly more adventurous (although certainly not a huge stretch - the menu has some safer choices).

 

[vllygrrl]

I would pick California Grill in a heartbeat. It is loud, but if that bothers you you could request to be seated in the Wine Room. Everytime we've been there, it's exceeded our expectations. Yachtsman is at the bottom of our list....of ALL the Signatures. We had a terrible experience with service there, and we could get anything on the menu at a good steakhouse at home. Jiko is in the middle of our list. It is quiet, but it was just a pleasant evening. We would go back next time we stay at AKL, but won't go out of our way to do so.

 

[mickeynut1]

I voted for Yachtsman......the filet was amazing, as was everything else we had . We had a great experience as our waiter was very attentive.....plus we had a window seat with a pretty view of the YC pool. We will definitely be returning .

 

[Bepster]

Have tried all 3 and would rank them Yachtsman, Jiko , California Grill.

Had good meals at California Grill with a magical window view one year, but nothing outstanding.

Jiko was lovely but had what we thought was quite a limited menu, so not the best for repeat visits.

Yachtsman is always excellent, been 4 times and as we love meat it has a great menu!! Have been as a couple, a four and a family of six and always had great service.

Have an ADR for the Yachtsman on our upcoming trip, enough said!!

 

[SabresFan]

Thanks everyone for their replies - it's always great to get feedback from the boards.

Our reservation is currently at California Grill. We ate there about 12 years ago and the experience was OK, but not fantastic. We definitely liked the location, and loudness doesn't bother us, but the food didn't "wow" us. Of course, back then we were paying OOP, so there were some things we didn't try due to sticker shock. Now that we're on DxDP, that's no longer a problem.

We've never been to Jiko or Yachtsman. And of course, if we don't get to them this year, there's always next year!

 

[OKW Lover]

Yachtsman - no matter which night you go.

 

[dawgs4disney]

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I would go with California grill, a very close second jiko and then yachtsman would be my 3rd choice. Yachtsman did not live up to the hype for us! I prefer the filet at California grill and jiko over the filet at yachtsman. Also preferred the atmosphere at cal. Grill and service was outstanding at jiko!!!

 

[Pugmalion1]

For a Saturday night, I would go with Jiko. Animal Kingdom is most likely going to be the least crowded park on Saturday, so that's probably where we would spend the day. We like to eat our dinners near the park we're touring, so Animal Kingdom Lodge is the logical choice to go with that park.

Plus, Jiko serves some delicious food.

 

[flyingcat2003]

Jiko hands down. The yachtsman isn't much better than Le Cellier. I love Cali grill but they have a sushi bar and if your DW is that allergic I would stay away.