California Grill thoughts

[skeletor40]

Hello everybody. I have just booked a 7:10 reservation for California Grill for Saturday 28th of March. It's my last day of Disney vacation for the year and I wanted to dress up a bit and eat out. I was so shocked at getting the reservation that I forgot to book my other dining reservations. I can hardly wait to eat there. Any comments or advice about CG would be greatly appreciated. I really want it to be a special occasion.

 

[MAGGIED]

Hello everybody. I have just booked a 7:10 reservation for California Grill for Saturday 28th of March. It's my last day of Disney vacation for the year and I wanted to dress up a bit and eat out. I was so shocked at getting the reservation that I forgot to book my other dining reservations. I can hardly wait to eat there. Any comments or advice about CG would be greatly appreciated. I really want it to be a special occasion.

I have only eaten there once before and it was wonderful.... but we are going to have dinner there on Jan 29th for DS 16th birthday... so I will let you know......

 

[famouschinesec]

Wishes is at 10P that night, so you might have a little time to kill but it will be worth it. Have a leisurely dinner and then may be an after dinner drink. As long as you are that close, you should really stay and watch wishes from the platform. Have fun.

 

[ArabianNights]

I agree that Wishes from the 15th floor is a wonderful experience.

As for the meal...I can recommend a few things. The sushi is excellent. If you like sushi, definitely go for it. The only other appetizer I've had there was one of the flatbreads...and it was delicious! I think the appetizers in general there seemed really good, so take some time to pick what you think you'll like the most and enjoy it. It will likely be as good as anything else you eat at WDW!

Also...leave room for dessert. They have some that are quite nice...it can be difficult to choose, though...

 

[west&east]

We will be eating there in a few weeks! It has been a few years since our last meal there but it is definitely our fav place for a grown up meal at Disney. If you enjoy wine, they are very knowledgable. If you ask questions, they will pour you complementary tastes of a few wines so you can decide before you buy a glass. I wasn't a sushi eater before but now I am. And I hear that CG may be the best sushi in the World. So we might make a meal of sushi! I will definitely report back.

 

[slimplaw]

We ate there in Dec. and had a wonderful meal. I had the squash soup and a steak and both were wonderful. I could cut my steak with a fork. We returned later and watched the fireworks from MK and had a wonderful time.

 

[skeletor40]

Thanks for the advice and comments so far; please keep them coming. I have heard good things about the sushi; a coworker of mine raved about it. I love sushi even if half of the time I don't know what I'm eating. Ditto for wine. I was thinking about ordering sushi for appetizer, steak for main course, and a dessert if my stomach can take it. As for the fireworks, I like being in MK but perhaps I should try the observation deck at CG. I should add that I don't want to rush through my meal for Spectromagic or the fireworks.

 

[MomofCKJ]

We had a wonderful dinner there last March. Walter was our waiter. I love dining out and he was by far one of the top 3 servers I have had anywhere. Super professional, friendly, helpful, he just made dinner all the better!

Allyson

 

[engle]

The watermelon salad is yum yum!! Also, the cheese plate!! We ate there in October and the food was great but the service was TERRIBLE. We had no problem having a leisurely....SLOW....dinner. It lasted almost 3 hours!!! That is V&A time for me!! We will go back though....service is so hit and miss at WDW, you can't judge the whole restaurant by it and the food was really great.

 

[Flossbolna]

If you really love the fireworks, I would go to the MK to see them. They are nive from up there, but not the same as standing on Main Street. I would seuggest not to worry about it: enjoy your meal and when you are done see what time it is. If you can be at the MK for Wishes, go there (there is a walkway from the CR to the MK, takes about 5 min), if you feel like it is getting close to 10 pm, enjoy a nice after dinner drink and walk out on the observation deck.

My other tip would be: if you prefer to have a more quiet dinner, you could request a table in the Wine Room. You don't see the MK from there (but Epcot in the distance), but it is much more quiet than the main room.

 

[kmk1180]

Hello everybody. I have just booked a 7:10 reservation for California Grill for Saturday 28th of March. It's my last day of Disney vacation for the year and I wanted to dress up a bit and eat out. I was so shocked at getting the reservation that I forgot to book my other dining reservations. I can hardly wait to eat there. Any comments or advice about CG would be greatly appreciated. I really want it to be a special occasion.

I hope your not getting your hopes up for a fireworks view.
Don't get me wrong you probably will but there's also a chance you won't
I'm guessing fireworks would be at 8 that night. By 7:10 people have already planted themselves in their tables to wait for fireworks.
ADR or not, if people don't leave you don't get a table.
That's what happened to us and our ADR was an hour and 15 minutes before fireworks.
We didn't get seated till after they started.
Personally if you want a special occasion, I would recommend Jiko instead.
If you really want fireworks, try Nacroossees. It's much quieter and more likely to be "special" for a couple. While CG will be filled with families and thus loud kids.
But if you stick with CG, I hope it's great and you enjoy it.

(I see from others that fireworks is at 10pm that night so you should be good there...
but I still recommend Jiko or Narc. for the noise reasons.)

 

[scrappinmom]

But if their table isn't quite ready when Wishes starts, couldn't they watch from the observation deck? & be seated in then very empty room afterwards?

We've never eaten there, but are trying it for the first time on March 29th! So we'll miss each other by a day!

Have a great trip

 

[kmk1180]

But if their table isn't quite ready when Wishes starts, couldn't they watch from the observation deck? & be seated in then very empty room afterwards?

We've never eaten there, but are trying it for the first time on March 29th! So we'll miss each other by a day!

Have a great trip

yes but one , it's not the same.
and two you have to listen for your name so you don't miss the table..
and i'm not sure you can hear it outside.
and if they do call then you miss the fireworks while being seated.

sorry if I'm the one negative here but I had a really bad exprience there and will never go back.
plus have really enjoyed several other places that I found were much better for couples enjoying a special meal out. But everyone has their opinoin and if OP really wants that I do hope they enjoy it.

 

[scrappinmom]

yes but one , it's not the same.
and two you have to listen for your name so you don't miss the table..
and i'm not sure you can hear it outside.
and if they do call then you miss the fireworks while being seated.

hmm, good points I didn't think of that.

 

[alan_renfroe]

We went to WDW for the first time this past May. California Grill was the dinner I was most looking forward to - and it was the GREATEST! It was no doubt our most magical Disney moment. Honestly, having a lovely dinner followed by standing on the balcony from the 15th floor of the Contemporary overlooking the Magic Kingdom, GF, and the Poly.....it is breathtaking. Also, on the other side of the restaurant is another balcony, and sometimes you can catch the Illuminations fireworks at Epcot, albeit much farther away.

For our family, California Grill was the greatest treat of our entire trip. We loved it so much that it will be the first reservation I make for our return trip this May. Oh, and the food is fantastic. I love sushi and CG has the best sushi I've ever had. Also, try the Banana Butterscotch Buzz dessert....awesome! My DW had the filet of beef and she said it was the best steak ever.

You will LOVE California Grill!

 

[Flossbolna]

yes but one , it's not the same.
and two you have to listen for your name so you don't miss the table..
and i'm not sure you can hear it outside.
and if they do call then you miss the fireworks while being seated.

sorry if I'm the one negative here but I had a really bad exprience there and will never go back.
plus have really enjoyed several other places that I found were much better for couples enjoying a special meal out. But everyone has their opinoin and if OP really wants that I do hope they enjoy it.

I am sorry you had a bad experience at CG. I can understand that you feel other restaurants are better for couples, CG can be very loud. That's why I suggest requesting the Wine Room.

I personally prefer the view from the observation deck, so I guess this is just a question of taste

The two times we were there so far, we were given beepers, so no need to stick around to wait for your name being called. If your name has not been called before it is time for the fireworks, I would suggest to let the hostess know that you inted to watch the fireworks and would like to wait to be seated until after the fireworks. Our servers were always very accomodating not to bring out dishes while we were outside to watch Wishes, so I guess the hostess would not be telling you to stay inside because otherwise you would loose your table.

 

[walt's assistant]

CG was fine..we even got a window seat... but we found the hype exceeded reality (food, service, et al). There are other places I prefer.

HOWEVER, if you've never been there it is a MUST DO.

ENJOY!!!

 

[Iansmom]

Hello everybody. I have just booked a 7:10 reservation for California Grill for Saturday 28th of March. It's my last day of Disney vacation for the year and I wanted to dress up a bit and eat out. I was so shocked at getting the reservation that I forgot to book my other dining reservations. I can hardly wait to eat there. Any comments or advice about CG would be greatly appreciated. I really want it to be a special occasion.

Us, too!!! Ours is for 7:50. It'll be DH's 60th b-day.

I hope your not getting your hopes up for a fireworks view.
Don't get me wrong you probably will but there's also a chance you won't
I'm guessing fireworks would be at 8 that night. ...

Fireworks are at 10:00 pm that night.

I was worried about a reservation for "late" at night (we typically don't like to eat after 8:00 pm) When I was offered a 9:30 ressie, I just didn't feel like I could accept a time that late. When I was offered a 7:50 ressie, "Amber" asked if I was trying to catch the fireworks. I told her about the b-day dinner and she informed me that if we finish dinner before the fireworks, we can walk around the resort, then come back with our receipt and they'll let us back up to the restaurant to view the fireworks. This didn't sound as dreamy as finishing up dessert by fireworks, but I felt it was a nice compromise.

Skeletor, guess we'll see you there!

 

[HelenParr]

IMHO, to enjoy CG (which I always do, very much) you need to accept it as a unique Disney experience more than a fine dining experience. It can be loud, electric almost. The food is very good -- sometimes great, occasionally average. But the view and the atmosphere, wonderful...and full-on Disney World. Seeing mulptiple monorails, the twinkling lights of GF, baots in the Lagoons nd Bay, kids in everything from princesses adornment to pajamas, happy and excited...the managed chaos (no other weay to describe the lounge/entry area), the excitement as Wishes draws near -- all part of why we keep going back.

Agree that if you want to keep it toned down, wine room is a good request (fewer kids in pajamas at least!). And dressing up (even if not everyone does) can make it more special -- like so much at WDW -- it's all about what makes it special for you.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Incase your done eating before Wishes starts walk around the Contemporary for a bit and save your receipt, because if you show it to the Cast Members working on the 2nd floor check-in they will let you back up to watch the fireworks.