California Grill

[ib4bama]

Hi,My girlfriend and I have are going to THE WORLD Dec 4th through the 11th ans were thinking about eating at the California Grill.I would love to get some feedback from anyone good or bad about the food and the experience.Thanks

 

[lsyorke]

This is a must for us everytime we go to WDW(and that's often!) Great food, great service and a view from the observation deck to die for. Not a cheap night, but OH so worth it!! ENJOY!!

 

[webray]

Being able to see the fireworks during dinner is excellent. There is a wonderful wine list.

The food is very expensive, and we have found it to be hit or miss. Definately not the first place we think of going when we want a great meal.

 

[tlev]

My DW and I ate there on our Honeymoon and was a little let down. The food was alright, but not the best we had that week, (Le Cellier and Fulton's were much, much better). Also, I was kind of hoping for a nice upscale meal for our last night and while the restaurant is very nice, (especially the view!), it is still a Disney restaurant which means lots of kids, lots of noise and lots of people in t-shirts and shorts. I am not saying that this is necessarily bad, but I was really hoping for something more for the prices they charge. I understand that Disney is for kids first, but they claim to be the number one spot in the world for honeymoons, you would think they would have at least a couple of restaurants that would cater to the childless couple looking for a nice quiet, romantic meal.

 

[sotoalf]

Originally posted by tlev
M I understand that Disney is for kids first, but they claim to be the number one spot in the world for honeymoons, you would think they would have at least a couple of restaurants that would cater to the childless couple looking for a nice quiet, romantic meal.

I agree, which is why we've lately avoided the CG and opted for Citricos instead. The food is as good if not better than the CG's, the service is outstanding, and the restaurant's lack of brand-name recognition (and no view, thank goodness) keeps the gawkers and kids away.

 

[madalex]

CG has great food and a great view. However, due to the crowd and popularity issues others have mentioned, it is not a "must do" for us. I second the recommendation for Citricos and would also add Jiko, Yachtsman Steakhouse and Palio to the list of restaurants where you can have a great "fine dining" experience without the crowds often found at CG.

 

[ckret01]

I like their flatbreads (Mmmmm Yummy) but I did not like the chicken dish I got when I was there in Oct. It was a chicken breast ontop of green pea soup(is what it looked like) and had the worst smell that I couldn't even eat my chicken b/c the smell was all in my chicken and I couldn't take it. Luckily my boyfriend ate it and his meal and I ordered room service when I got back (a large pizza)

 

[dotterson]

We were there in Jan. The service was so so. We did not have a view and needed to finish dinner quickly to get outside to watch Wishes (which was wonderful).

For the price, I didn't think the meal was worth it. I tink I have some beef and DD did too. Can't remember what my hubbie had -- maybe pork.

We did it once, and probably will go somewhere else next time. We were truly disappointed that this was *supposed* to be such a tremendously great restaurant.

Hope that helps,
d

 

[Epcotgal8]

We've only been to CG once. We love the view and our food was good. Especially the pork tenderloin. It was a fairly small portion though. I had the tamarind glazed tenderloin and I wish I had asked for the glaze to be left off since although good it was a bit overpowering to me. It's one of those places I'm glad we tried and we may be back one day but haven't felt compelled to on our last 3 trips. I like trying new places.

 

[Absimilliard]

I rank Yachstman's and Shula's Steakhouse way above it. Yachtsman's is great and Shula's... is just something else... I'd rank it on par with Le Cellier: extreme dissapointment!

 

[Alaska Catdog]

We really liked our dinner at CG. The best part was watching the kitchen crew work. We didn't sit anywhere near a window but I'd bet we had the best view in the house. If you have any interest in cooking ask for a seat near the kitchen its enchanting.

 

[disneywithdrawal]

We loved CG! The fact that it's a huge open room full of people makes it pretty noisy, but it wasn't too bad when we were there and I believe they have a "wine room" that's quiet if you don't care about missing the MK view. We were there on a Wednesday so maybe it is a lot worse on a Saturday. We made our PS for after Wishes so we could get a drink at the bar, watch Wishes from the observation deck and eat at a time that was more typical for us. It worked well for us.

Anyway, it was just me and my BF and we both got the pork tenderloin and we both loved it. My jaw dropped when I read it was a small portion. I hope I don't offend anyone here - I think I ate about half of it. We shared the four cheese flatbread and the warm chocolate cake for dessert. Everything was wonderful but the dessert was over the top. I'm still dreaming about it. After letting half of my dinner go I really thought I would just taste dessert. I think I ended up eating my fair share. If you do decide to eat at CG you should definitely try it.