California Grill or Maya Grill?

[turnlisa]

OK, here's the situation - I have 2 DSs, ages 6 and 11. Both are adventurous eaters so no pickiness to worry about. We have not done either of these places. I am looking for an earlier seating so booking either isn't a problem. This would be for our first night. We haven't decided what to do yet that day so I am trying to not tie us to a park.

I am leaning towards (and actually made the reservation for) Maya Grill just because they have lots of variety for my 6 year old -- he will love the shrimp. Price is not a problem - we are on the dining plan but at CG I would pay OOP. Anyone that has been to both that could recommend one? The other thing is that when the CM was telling me there was a dress code at CG (which wouldn't be a problem to follow) I just felt weird about it and made the one for Maya Grill. I notice on the Maya Grill menu on allears that dessert isn't mentioned. Anyone have any idea what they serve?

 

[dandave]

I have eaten at both - last September. I will never eat at the Maya Grill again. The service was far beyond poor. It was so bad that DH nor the kids even winced when I called the manager over to tell him that the only reason my server was getting a tip at all was because it was then included on the dining plan. The food was pretentious and done poorly. Think dry pork and overcooked seafood. The same food is served next door at the Coronado counter service place, but the name eludes me.
From the menus here on the Dis, their desserts are:
Chambord Chocolate Cake - Chambord Chocolate Cake - $6.99
Chocolate Concorde - Chocolate Concorde - $6.99
Creme Brulee - Creme Brulee - $6.99
Deep Fried Cheesecake - Deep Fried Cheesecake - $6.99
Spiced Churros - Spiced Churros - $6.99
Tres Leches - Tres Leches - $6.99

If your kids are anything like mine when it comes to appreciating food, take them to the California Grill. Mine were 11 and 13, but they were welcomed and really enjoyed the cheeses, the buffalo, the desserts, the view, etc...
The only dress code nowadays is pretty much a decent non-tank type shirt, nice shorts or pants, and no flip-flops. We dressed up only a little, but that made it more fun for all of us, including the boys. They loved the fireworks from the deck, as well.

 

[mpls_mm]

It's hard to compare the two, but paying out of pocket can get expensive at CG. My kids were super happy with the steak kids meal and a flatbread appetizer. Yoshi was working and let them watch her make sushi, they even tried it. That was by far our best meal ever. The wine list was great and the desserts were amazing. We went late and watched the fireworks and rode in the front of the monorail, it was probably the most memorable meal and we had 8 character meals in the two weeks we were there. Maya was our greatest disappointment. If it was decent, we would eaten there more than once because we stayed there. The best deal there is that in the Pepper Market, the Prime Rib was considered a counter service, every night they had prime rib or a rib eye for counter service, it was far better than Maya Grill. The fact that they take ADR is a joke, it was never crowded, even on Thankgiving when everything was packed. It is a walk up place.