Carthay Circle Restaurant

[pixiewings71]

Me thinks Pixiwings in on the payroll. Just kidding! Maybe our experience in all areas was unique. But I definitely can't see how the seats could be comfortable by anyone's standards. The benches have wide seats so you're far from the backrest. Then, when you finally reach the backrest, it's straight up and down. There is no back support whatsoever. I'm nearly 5'7'' and about 120lbs. Maybe different bodies fit differently but even my 5'10'', 225lb hubby found them uncomfortable. We found none of the hour-and-fourty-minutes sitting at our table comfortable. I happen to know, also, that restaurants expected to be busy INTENTIONALLY make their seats uncomfortable to discourage guests from staying too long. I know this is a fact due to positions my husband has held.

A "bustling kitchen" is in the eye of the beholder. My hubby has always worked at very demanding, high volume restaurants. What he sees in a kitchen and what the uneducated eye sees in the kitchen are two different stories. Bottom line is nobody at a Disney park should be held hostage for 100-minutes due to slow service when there are rides ready and waiting.

Definitely not on the payroll. lol I'm a 6 hour drive away. LOL
We went in expecting to spend an hour at least on our meal so we weren't upset with the time it took, it took us about the same amount of time we spend at characters or at Club 33. For that type of dining experience we expect that kind of time commitment. As for the seating, DD16 and I are about the same height, 5'4", she weighs about 100 lbs, I'm about 130 lbs, she sat on the booth side, I sat in the chair. When I asked if she was comfy she said "Yup" and started bouncing in her seat a little. lol She sits very straight up so she didn't lean back against the back rest very much, she mostly just sat straight up and ate. I didn't have any complaints at all about my chair, I felt it was just cushy enough to be sitting there for an hour (or so).
I know many chef's and have spent time in a kitchen or two, I'm familiar with a bustling kitchen and while my eye may not be professionally educated that doesn't mean it is uneducated either.

Does anyone know if the biscuits are available in the lounge area? Going with a son and his family in a couple weeks and won't do the whole meal thing, but those biscuits are calling.

I'm an ex restaurant manager and am glad to hear most are having good service. My first visit was a Cars Land pre opening special meal so I forgave quite a lot then as it was clear everyone was learning. We also sat by the open kitchen and servers prep area on the last visit and there was way too much chattering and slowness among the servers at that time, also servers trying too hard..like they were play acting fancy restaurant service, but not really producing. Water not filled, plates not pulled quickly, lavish attention at one table, ignoring other tables..that type of thing. As I said, I'm sure as time goes on they will get in a better swing of things.
So..can I get the biscuits in the lounge area?

No, the biscuits are not available in the lounge. There are a variety of small plates you can order but the biscuits are not offered. We had the warm olives and the watermelon balls, not sure if they will still be on the menu now, they may change things seasonally.

 

[nursemelis374]

Had lunch there on a very busy Saturday in September and it was so nice to be able to sit down in a cool place and get away from the craziness. The food was excellent and not too expensive when you compare it to a counter service meal in the parks.

 

[RaceCar]

Unfortunately, our server was on break, so we had a substitute while she was on break. He was great and really took care of us, but when she came on, things really slowed down. It took forever to get our entrees. I mean a long time and the place was not busy. For those that skipped the starters it was a long wait. We did go a couple of weeks ago, so I would have figured out they worked out the "opening day" kinks.

This is what happened to us, too! Maybe that's where the problem is. Still, you'd think they could pinpoint that as the problem when I asked what was taking so long.

...while my eye may not be professionally educated that doesn't mean it is uneducated either.

 

[southlake]

We had lunch at Carthay for the WOC package. We got stuck in the "back" dining room (don't know what else to call it) with the dingy, beige, stained seatbacks and stained seats! Like no decor. I was disappointed. We had our 3 yr old with us and I assumed we got placed in back because we had a toddler with us, but then as I walked through the main eating area/restaurant to go use the bathroom, I saw a party of 6 with 2 young toddlers sitting at their table and they weren't placed in the back room. We weren't huge fans of the food either. The viewing area for WOC did have light fixtures in front of us. We won't go back to Carthay Circle again. Not worth it and overall very disappointing.

 

[nunzia]

We had lunch at Carthay for the WOC package. We got stuck in the "back" dining room (don't know what else to call it) with the dingy, beige, stained seatbacks and stained seats! Like no decor. I was disappointed. We had our 3 yr old with us and I assumed we got placed in back because we had a toddler with us, but then as I walked through the main eating area/restaurant to go use the bathroom, I saw a party of 6 with 2 young toddlers sitting at their table and they weren't placed in the back room. We weren't huge fans of the food either. The viewing area for WOC did have light fixtures in front of us. We won't go back to Carthay Circle again. Not worth it and overall very disappointing.

We were placed in the back room during the Cars Land meal. It opens up to the balcony and I thought it was very pretty. My friend didn't like the seating arrangements..long benchs with multiple tables lined up ..but I still thought the setting was very pretty. It's disappointing that this restaurant is having staining issues already..it's only been open for 5 months

 

[AdventureIsOutThere]

We went in August and it was amazing! I have even blogged about it if you are interested in looking at a few pictures. http://themountainears.blogspot.com/2012/10/carthay-circle-restaurant-review.html

 

[southlake]

We went in August and it was amazing! I have even blogged about it if you are interested in looking at a few pictures. http://themountainears.blogspot.com/2012/10/carthay-circle-restaurant-review.html

Looks like you were in the main dining room. Here's where we were in the back. Pretty unimpressive. You'd never know where we were.

 

[DemonLlama]

Looks like you were in the main dining room. Here's where we were in the back. Pretty unimpressive. You'd never know where we were.

Did your server at least show you the Evil Queen silhouette hiding in your table pattern?

 

[southlake]

Did your server at least show you the Evil Queen silhouette hiding in your table pattern?

What Evil Queen silhouette hiding in our table pattern??

Um, no, was never shown that.. lol

 

[DemonLlama]

What Evil Queen silhouette hiding in our table pattern??

Um, no, was never shown that.. lol

My review has some more pictures of the things we ordered in case anyone wants to see:

Carthay Circle Review

 

[BryANDJessMom]

I think the evil queen in the Burl wood was only on the tables in the center dining area...

 

[southlake]

I think the evil queen in the Burl wood was only on the tables in the center dining area...

Figures.. another drawback to that "back room"!

 

[AdventureIsOutThere]

My review has some more pictures of the things we ordered in case anyone wants to see:

No we didn't see that. How dissapointing! We will have to go back in January

We actually wanted to sit on the patio and enjoy the fresh air, but I don't think that many servers were on hand since it was a little past lunch (maybe around 2) and didn't want to have someone running outside.

If you decide to every go back, I would say try the apps and maybe go a little out of your comfort zone. A burger is a burger (IMO), so take the time to try something a little new.