Citricos or Cali Grill ??

[vicb]

Have never been to either restaurant... finally taking an adult only trip (well mostly, we are going to watch DS's HS band march in MK parade but not chaperoning).

This trip is the week leading into Easter so I know dining ressies are a must... I have made one for Cali Grill but wondering about Citricos... probably won't be able to eat at both this shorter trip so looking for people's thoughts on which one they enjoyed more and why.

Also... if I made a ressie for 8pm when fireworks are at 10pm will that work? I couldn't get a later time. If we finished early would they let you stay and watch from the balcony?

Thanks!

 

[KarenC]

I've been to both. I would say California Grill is a far better experience. We ate at Citricos with our adult children and our son-in-law as part of our week long celebration of my 50th birthday. We had spent the day in the Magic Kingdom and took the boat to the GF for our dinner reservations. We were careful to dress in a manner that was appropriate for the parks and for the Citricos dress code but my husband forgot to take off his hat. The hostess reminded him in a most condescending manner. There's nothing high class about a restaurant that makes its guests feel unwelcome.

My daughter and I ate at California Grill on our trip last July. We had a wonderful time, the food was spectacular and our waiter made sure we didn't feel rushed and allowed us to stay and watch the fireworks even though we'd finished eating.

 

[hooch11bear]

We have never eaten at Citricos before, but I do have to say that we absolutely love California Grill!!! We definitely eat here twice on each trip. I think a reservation here at 8:00 would be fine. Even if you had to make an earlier reservation all you have to do is keep your receipt and they will let you come back up and watch Wishes. Hope you enjoy!!

 

[vicb]

Thank you both for the quick replies. I went ahead and booked the Cali as I was worried about not getting a reservation during such a crowded time of year. I was able to get either 7:55 or 9:30pm... I took 7:55 as I didn't want to eat much later. Hopefully we will see the fireworks then we can go into the park if we choose for emh which is 11pm-2am!

 

[missminniemouse]

I'm going to give you a different opinion. I've dined at both restaurants. California Grill is good, there is no doubt about that. I found the "atmosphere" there highly overrated. If you like kids that are screaming and running around, then it's the perfect place for you. The view is great if you are lucky enough to get a window table, but that isn't the major reason I go to a restaurant.

In contrast, we have made Citricos a stop on every trip over the past 3 years. We find the food and service wonderful and there are usually not as many children in the restaurant. The children that are there have been much better behaved than those we have encountered at Cali Grill.

 

[jedi jen]

Love Cali Grill and Wishes and is a must do every trip (at least once). Have been wanting to go to Citricos, and am hoping to do it for our next trip...if I can only give up a night of Wishes.

 

[ScoJo15]

I'm with missminniemouse...Citricos is easily one of the best 3 restaurants on property (with Bistro de Paris and Artist Point). The service is top notch, the food is prepared consistently well and the feel of the restaurant is romantic...especially since there aren't a lot of kids dining there.

Cali to me gets some of the 'Le Cellier' effect (rated much higher than it actually should be)...overrated due to the fact that it has a fireworks view and since it has a fireworks view, reservations are hard to get. Put it in a space beside Citricos and I'd bet more people would easily choose to go there over Cali Grill.

That's just my opinion though!! It's not like the food is horrible at either one, so the night will be awesome for you guys anyway...I hope you enjoy your time there!

 

[Trinityloo]

I love both but if I had to choose one, it would be Citricos without a doubt. Cali Grill has the balcony and the fireworks and good food, but Citricos has EXCELLENT food.

 

[cbg1027]

They're both great. I like Citricos better, but the answer for you depends on the kind of experience you want.

Citricos is low-key, romantic, and has Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. It's the most 'adult' of the Disney owned signatures.
I always have excellent food and service when I go there. It's my absolute favorite restaurant at Disney.

Cali Grill is super popular, so you see a lot more kids there. The atmosphere is busy, boisterous and it can get very loud. Not the place for a romantic dinner. It is, however, very good and the food is California cusine, so it has more Asian influences. The views are amazing and it's definitely fun to watch Wishes from up there.

When I eat at Citricos, I make my ADR far enough in advance that I'll be done in time to walk down to the GF dock or take the monorail over to the Poly to watch Wishes from there.

If you keep the Cali Grill ADR, 8 will be fine. You may not be done with your meal when Wishes starts, but the restaurant is good about pacing the courses so you can take a break to watch the fireworks if you'd like.

If you go with Citricos and plan to do three courses, I'd shoot for a 7:30 ADR. You can make it later if you won't order that much food.

 

[MrsLS]

I think Citricos has much better food & service. Plus I think its more geared towards a nice quiet night out for 2 adults. CG is good, but the service has always been iffy for me. The view from the balcony is better at CG but the fireworks are just as nice from the pier at the Grand Floridian.

 

[mariamouse]

I started a very similar thread recently since I was having the same dilemma. I think we are going to stick with CG over Citricos because of the MK view and our having a ressie during fireworks our last night, but it was a tough call. Most people seem to prefer the CG view and the Citricos food/service.

Maybe some of the responses I received will be helpful to you:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2805187&highlight=citricos

 

[thej]

We've eaten at both. Up until our last trip I would have said Citricos is the better of the two in terms of food and service, but Cali Grill has the better view. Then on this last trip we took my mother to Cali Grill, because we do believe everybody has to experience it once if they can. We fortunately had the pleasure of being served by Walter.

I must explain that I've often felt good service can make up for just OK food, but the other way around can ruin an experience. I now know that excellent service can make for a truly memorable evening.

We ate a bit late at Cali Grill on a Wednesday night, and missed being seated for the fireworks, but did in the end get the window table we requested. Despite a long day, and a long wait, Walter immediately put us at ease. He went on to create what is easily the most memorable dining experience I've ever had. He made an effort to understand our likes and then suggested things that fit them well. He shared why he liked certain things and was never overbearing. His relaxed but effortlessly capable manner made things go so smoothly. Everything was perfectly timed. While the food was quite good, the service made the evening.

You'll likely have a good experience at either, but if you get lucky, you'll have a great one!