Dining "experiences"

[toxa]

I'm trying to decide ADRs, and wish to focus on the "experience". Quality of food is not the key point (for example, I though about V&A, but then realized it's not Disney/"magical" enough).

I listed some ideas but, before I choose, please give your input if I'm not forgetting something.

Possibilities so far:

HDDMR
CRT
Tony's (Lady and the Tramp theming)
Rainforest Cafe
Akershus
Chefs de France (Remy)
Biergarten (theming and band)
Sci-Fi
50's
Ragian (dancers)

What else should I consider?

 

[NOLAdisneymom]

Coral reef is neat, if you like fish/aquariums..

 

[TDC Nala]

Couple of things to remember about booking some of these restaurants only for the experiences and you don't really care about the food.

You don't have any of the "fireworks viewing" restaurants listed but if you go for those, remember you can't be guaranteed a table with the view of the fireworks at any of them. You may consider looking into a Tomorrowland Terrace fireworks dessert party (remember you can't use DDP for that).

If you are going to Chefs de France solely to see Remy, remember he doesn't appear on Sundays; you must be seated at your table when he comes around in order to interact with him; and if he happens to be malfunctioning the day you go, he may not appear at all.

 

[joanne312]

I see you have mentioned some character meals, is the experience you want a character experience? If so we love Crystal Palace and 'Ohana for breakfast.
'Ohana for dinner is also a fave of ours, and if you're lucky a window seat to watch Wishes adds a nice touch. There aren't characters at 'Ohana dinner.

If you're thinking about the Biergarten, also consider Restaurant Marrakesh for the belly dancers.

Tony's Town Square I would not recommend based on the experience. Aside from the Lady & The Tramp fountain, there's not much theming or experience that's different than the Italian restaurant in your area.

We love 50s for the experience, for me that would be a must-do.

 

[whitney37354]

Garden Grill---rotating restaurant

 

[mariamouse]

San Angel Inn! The atmosphere in that pyramid is enchanting.

I would also vote for the Cali Grill and 'Ohana for fireworks viewing. I believe 'Ohana also has fun games for kids.

You can also watch animals roam on the savannah at AKL from Sanaa!

Chef Mickey's is pretty fun with the monorail whisking by overhead.


So many great options!

 

[princessSunshine]

For the experiences, my family like 50's, O'Hana, Biergarten and Chef Mickeys

 

[cbg1027]

My favorite 'experience' meals at Disney, that include good food (I don't like to eat anywhere that doesn't have good quality food. Beats the point of eating in a restaurant to me, no matter how neat the 'extras' are.)

Sanaa - amazing ambiance, so neat to watch the animals while you eat!
'Ohana Dinner - fun 'night in the tropics' feeling
Crystal Palace Breakfast - one of my favorite Disney must-dos is getting a pre-park opening breakfast ADR here. Walking down an empty Main Street and then having a delicious breakfast with Pooh and Friends in a pretty setting with views of the castle is amazing.
50's PT Cafe - Silly and fun antics in a ridiculous retro setting with the best milkshakes ever!

 

[vinotinto]

Sanaa - You can see animals outside the restaurant, plus the restaurant itself is very nicely decorated and the food is very good.

Biergarten - Lots of fun!

Marrakesh - Beautiful restaurant. Plus belly dancers.

Coral Reef - You can see the fish in the aquarium while you eat, plus the booths are nice.

50's PT - Great decor. It reminded me of my grandma's. Fun waitresses.

Sci-Fi - Can't remember what I ate, but you get to watch these 1960's horror space flicks (where else can you do that?)

HDDR - Very funny. Both my non-Disney fan DH and my kids were laughing hard.

I've also heard about the cafe at the Wilderness Lodge, but I've never eaten there, so I can't comment on it.

The character meals, well they are loud and chaotic and the food tends to be forgettable. I put up with them because the kids like them - we have a die hard princess fan. Chefs didn't seem to me like an "experience." Raglan Road - check the entertainment schedule (you can call the restaurant directly). Their dancers are in the evening. We only had time to eat there at lunch, so we missed out on the dancers.

 

[poohbear227]

You should definitely add Teppan Edo to your list-it definitely meets the definition of a "dining experience," from the warm towels to the entire food prep!

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

Ohana for supper...I love the experience & the food!

Crystal Palace ...the characters make for awesome fun!

Tusker House Safari Breakfast...love this one...it is tops for Disney experience & the food is great too!

 

[queenofthehive]

Ohana's for character meal. I really liked the family style meal as opposed to a buffet for a character meal. The atmosphere seemed less chaotic....

1900 Park Fare was nice for dinner. We had a reservation around 7:30 and after dinner walked the boat dock at GF to watch the electric boat parade and MK fireworks. We did this on our last night and it was a great ending to our vacation.

 

[hannahdrewmom]

Tony's to me didn't have much of an experience. Maybe I missed something but while there were some pictures I didn't get that magical feeling there.

I'd suggest Sanaa or Ohana for dinner.

 

[lemondog]

'Ohana for dinner....our favorite Disney experience!

Chef Mickey's breakfast
Sci-Fi
Cinderella's Castle
1900 Park Fare breakfast or dinner

 

[Brian Noble]

Experiences hard to duplicate elsewhere:

Coral Reef (eating fish while watching them.)
Chefs (surprisingly evocative of a Left Bank bistro)
San Angel (always romantic, and food has gotten better)
Garden Grill (view of Living with the Land on outer ring)
50s Prime Time (cheesy fun)
Sci Fi (cheesier, even)
Crystal Palace (see the castle)
CRT (*in* the castle---and, really, any "face character" meal)
Whispering Canyon (bring your "punny bone")
Sanaa (view of the savannah, though Boma is good too)


Things that might or might not be hard to do, depending on what you have in your neck of the woods restaurant-wise:

Teppan Edo (for those without a Benihana or another "for the gaijin" equivalent)
Tokyo Dining (for those without a "not necessarily for the gaijin" place)
Marrakesh (probably unique for many, but I live in an Arab-American epicenter)
'Ohana (vaguely reminiscent of a churrascaria, but with an "island twist")

Places with an enjoyable atmosphere, but hardly unique:

Brown Derby (a quiet escape)
Raglan Road (it's a *big* Irish pub, but still...an Irish pub)
Olivia's (a dark horse entry: my go-to place for "get me away from ALL these PEOPLE")
Yak & Yeti (well-themed asian-fusion vibe; think a PF Chang's decorator on speed)

I'm not a big fan of Rainforest, but that's partly because the food is *so* bad. I prefer T-Rex slightly---same idea, but dinosaurs and better food. I've also heard some very bad things about Tony's, and Italian is so easy to find elsewhere that I almost never do it at WDW. I will make an exception for Via Napoli ("real" Neapolitan pie).

 

[toxa]

Great advice, thank you all.

Brian Noble: liked your style!