does "quiet" Disney dining actually exist?

[sotoalf]

Quiet restaurants: Citricos, Grand Floridian Cafe, Olivia's, Yacht Club Galley.

 

[4winks]

Dh and I celebrated our 15th anniv. at Citricos in January. We found it quiet and upscale. We were told when we made our ADR that the attire is business casual. We found the food to be fantastic and the atmosphere quiet and relaxing. I would highly recommend Citricos and can't wait to go back!

 

[mello]

Turf Club is pretty quiet and definitely does not scream Disney. You can eat inside, or on the nice patio.

 

[snowdrift7]

We're just back and had quiet meals at YSH, Jiko and Narcoossee's. No one's mentioned Narcoossee's but I think it's a beautiful restaurant with wonderful food. We've eaten there early (5:45) and late (9:00) and each time it's been very quiet. And it's especially nice if you time it so you can go out on the porch and watch Wishes. We weren't fans of the food at YSH; Jiko we really enjoyed but Narcoossee's was the highlight of our trip.

 

[TDC Nala]

The only other quiet/romantic one I can think of off the top of my head would be Bistro de Paris - which is the upscale one above Chefs in France. They routinely have folks proposing/celebrating anniversaries there, it tends to be more couples than families, and they don't participate in the 180+10 ADR system, so you can only make ressies 30 days out....

It would no doubt fit the bill, but it is located inside Epcot. The OP has stated her family does not have park tickets.

Turf Club is nice! I wouldn't call it making a "Disney" impression though.

 

[sunny04]

I don't know if this would be "nice" enough for what you want, but the Grand Floridian Cafe is very quiet. At least at lunch it is, I don't know about dinner. It's got a very elegant feel to it, and it quite peaceful, but doesn't have the fancy food choices that other people have listed. The chocolate fondue is to die for though.

 

[Cobbo]

It would no doubt fit the bill, but it is located inside Epcot. The OP has stated her family does not have park tickets.

oops!....my bad...in my haste to answer, I did not see that line...

 

[sunny04]

After re-reading your OP, I actually think that GF Cafe might be an excellent fit for what you want. It won't be as expensive as other suggestions like California Grill, Citrico's, etc. It is really nice, and the GF is definitely an impressive place to make people see the "other side" of Disney. Nice and quiet, not in the parks....I think it would be perfect.

 

[suprgrlx]

I don't think you've said how many people you have, but there are several restaurants that offer private rooms. Mouseweddings.com has a good write up on them (though some can only be booked if you're doing the wedding through Disney, not sure which ones):

http://www.mouseweddings.com/weddingrestaurants.html

Also, have you checked out the Wedding board here at the Disboards? You don't have to be doing a wedding through Disney to participate at this board - everyone's very friendly!

We got married at the Yacht Club this past February and did a dinner at the Sonoma room at California Grill. We had to do a minimum of $2000, and with the smallest dinner price being $80 it was easy to meet that. But it was a lovely room, we private servers and then we went out on the deck and watched Wishes right before the main course. It really was amazing and even those who weren't very "Disney" really enjoyed it.

Good luck!

 

[bestla]

After re-reading your OP, I actually think that GF Cafe might be an excellent fit for what you want. It won't be as expensive as other suggestions like California Grill, Citrico's, etc. It is really nice, and the GF is definitely an impressive place to make people see the "other side" of Disney. Nice and quiet, not in the parks....I think it would be perfect.

I don't think you've said how many people you have, but there are several restaurants that offer private rooms. Mouseweddings.com has a good write up on them (though some can only be booked if you're doing the wedding through Disney, not sure which ones):

http://www.mouseweddings.com/weddingrestaurants.html

Also, have you checked out the Wedding board here at the Disboards? You don't have to be doing a wedding through Disney to participate at this board - everyone's very friendly!

We got married at the Yacht Club this past February and did a dinner at the Sonoma room at California Grill. We had to do a minimum of $2000, and with the smallest dinner price being $80 it was easy to meet that. But it was a lovely room, we private servers and then we went out on the deck and watched Wishes right before the main course. It really was amazing and even those who weren't very "Disney" really enjoyed it.

Good luck!

Thanks for the tips! I will definitely check out GF Cafe and mouseweddings. I don't know that we need something super fancy...we're a pretty casual bunch, and the wedding will be pretty non-traditional.

We will only have a max of 8 (including the bride and groom), so I think renting a private room would be a bit much for us. I don't know that we could or would want to hit the $2000 minimum....

I have checked out the Disney Weddings board..but I haven't asked about restaurants yet. Most seem to be planning formal catered receptions, so I figured I'd check over with the Dining board first!

Thanks again, everyone! This has been super helpful. I think I'm probably over thinking this.... I'm sure everyone would be just fine with the All Star food court.

 

[ElizabethB]

TDC Nala -- No the private room at CG is not the wine room. It is actually a room separate and apart from the restaurant. There are actually two such rooms but only one has a view of the fireworks. We have attended F&W events held in the two private rooms.

 

[ZoZo]

I thought California Grill (at the Contemporary) was nice and quiet. The tables aren't squished together, and the atmosphere is rather elegant. Since it's an upscale, more expensive restaurant, you don't see families with lots of little kids (hence, noise). If you get a later reservation time (8:30 or 9:00 pm), you'll have a better chance of having a nice, quiet meal.

(And the food's great, as well!)

 

[ElizabethB]

ZoZo -- Not sure what night you were at CG. Every time we've been there, it's been insane with tons of noisy kids all over the place.

 

[mskayjay]

ZoZo -- Not sure what night you were at CG. Every time we've been there, it's been insane with tons of noisy kids all over the place.

Did you have a later dinner time or an earlier one? We have ressies for after 9PM and are hoping it is quieter. It was very peaceful last time we went for a 7PM.

 

[buzz5985]

I would recommend either Yachtsman Steakhouse or Artist Point. My 75 yo DF - he doesn't actually hate Disney - but he doesn't get it either. These were his favorite places to eat. Both places are set up so you could be in the back of the restaurant - and be a bit more isolated from the rest - more so at the Yachtsman than anywhere else. The prices are high - but you will not be disappointed.

Congratulations on your wedding.

 

[KimR]

What about Il Mulino at the Swan? We went there when it was Palio and it was very quiet. The food was excellent as well. Also, as others have mentioned, Artist Point would be another option.

You might also consider Citricos. I've never eaten there but I get the impression that it's more adult-oriented and sedate.

One thing I have noticed, though, is that with all the children that go to the restaurants at WDW, most of them are very well behaved. Ironically, our worst experience this trip was at Narcoosee, which is supposed to be a bit more upscale. One family had 2-year-old boiy that would not stop shrieking, yet they didn't remove him from the restaurant. They just kept on eating and shushing him (which did no good). Thankfully, they left near the beginning of our meal but I can't help but feel bad for all those people who had to listen to that throughout dinner.

 

[madalex]

I thought California Grill (at the Contemporary) was nice and quiet. The tables aren't squished together, and the atmosphere is rather elegant. Since it's an upscale, more expensive restaurant, you don't see families with lots of little kids (hence, noise). If you get a later reservation time (8:30 or 9:00 pm), you'll have a better chance of having a nice, quiet meal.

(And the food's great, as well!)

This has not been my experience at all. On the several times I have been to CG, it has always been very loud, with lots of kids. It's also got lots of people walking back and forth to the observation deck, which adds to the noise and hustle and bustle of the restaurant.

 

[madalex]

Having been to all the signature restaurants numerous times, I can say with certainty there is not one that is relatively quiet. Artist Pointe and Jiko would be the best of the bunch.

I disagree, especially if by "relatively quiet", one means in comparison to most WDW restaurants. I have also been to all the signature restaurants numerous times and find that "relatively quiet" meals can be had at AP, Jiko, Yachtsman Steakhouse and Il Mulino. Never been to Shula's, but I understand that they don't exactly welcome kids there, so that may also be a good choice. Citrico's can sometimes be quiet and sometimes loud, so that one is a bit of a gamble.

I wouldn't do Cal Grill (the loudest of them all) or Flying Fish. Both great restaurants, but not at all quiet.

 

[bellazachmom]

Just a thought, but what about Whispering Canyon at The Wilderness Lodge?

No, seriously, that restaurant has a wonderful "back" room that is removed from all of the noise and antics of the main dining room and we really liked the food. The atmosphere is great as you have views of the lobby area and all of it's character and the resort is AMAZING! Not a signature, so the pricing is a bit more reasonable. I would think that you could get amazing pictures of your group around all of the water and gardens close to the resort, not to mention the geyser! The view of Bay Lake is wonderful,too.

You're not on the monorail, but there is wonderful boat transportation from MK and the Contemporary and there are buses there from everywhere else.

Just an idea, Jennie

P.S. I love the "back" rooms at California Grill, too, we celebrated our 10th anniversary in the one without the MK view, but then moved to watch the fireworks. The quietness made up for the lack of view.

 

[Uncleromulus]

As you can see by most of the responses, the actual answer to your question is "NO".
You can perhaps gain an edge by going late when many of the little kiddies are in bed (or, have screamed and cried themselves out, and their little arms are tired from throwing food all over the floor.). California Grill after the fireworks does tend to quiet down and empty just a bit. And as ElizabethB has said, that "Wine Room" at CG is no guaranteee of being kid free or quiet.
The restaurants at Swan/Dolphin tend to have less children per capita--but if a convention is being held at either one, loud conventioneers can overwhelm all of those restaurants.
For us--we've just gotten used to it all and are grateful when we do get a quiet meal.