Dress for Disney Restaurants

[Kathy Rittenhouse]

What is the typical dress code (?) for evenings at Disney's $$$ restaurants? Resort Wear? What about for men? Are jackets required at any of the restaurants?

Thanks!!

 

[ilovediznee]

I have been to Disney 33 times and the only place that my husband wore a suit or sports jacket is at the very finest restaurants. They would include: Victoria and Alberts - must must wear a tie and jacket, California Grill - although plenty of people had shorts on. We are going to the Yachtsman in January and he will probably wear khakis.

Any other questions, please email me. Hope this helps!

 

[jeank74]

agree with what ilovediznee has said about dressing for restaurant. we just came back from WDW on a discovery magic plan, so we went to several $$$ places for dinner, like jiko, brown derby, chef de france, etc. I did see some couples in suit and tie at jiko, but everywhere else people were as casual as possible.

but if you want to make it a special night, dress up and have fun, which i will do if i am going there again for our anniversary in the future!

 

[clkelley]

is the only place where a jacket & tie for men and 'dressy' is required for women.

California Grill requests "resort casual" and the rest of the restaurants have no code.

Our first trip, I brought all sorts of "resort casual" dress clothes for dinner and learned on the first day that making a long trek back to your room to change for dinner wastes precious time!!!

If you want a nice evening out, and want to dress for it, then plan for it, but don't expect to stay at the park all day, hop to your room, and then out for dinner using Disney Transport, it just won't happen.

When we went to California Grill for our anniversary dinner, we were only in the parks till about 2pm, then went back to the room and rested and dressed for dinner and then headed for dinner. It was a great evening!!

 

[Kermit]

I think that recently a few of the nicer restaurants have started requesting no tank tops, but generally people don't get too dressed up for the restaurants. As long as what you wear to the parks is somewhat nice (i.e., not cut-off shorts and men in tank tops that show their underarm hair), you should feel comfortable in the restaurants.

 

[Eljay]

Unfortunately, you really do see very casual dress in every restaurant on the property except Vickie & Al's (they have a rule, as they should).

 

[J&J]

There is no Disney dress code just be sensible in how you dress. No jackets or ties needed except Victoria & Albert. For a nice evening we wear slacks and a nice shirt or blouse. Enjoy

 

[Pam Lau]

Resort Wear definitely seems to be a safe choice. Unlike a previous poster you do have time (if you choose) to go back to your room and change. Of course that all depends on where you are staying.

 

[Uncleromulus]

That's the beauty of WDW restaurants--except for V&A,you can dress pretty much how you feel most comfortable and no one is even going to notice, or really care. And even at V&A there is a wide variety of "dressy dress".
We always go everywhere in nice walking shorts and a Disney T-shirt. Last trip, I wore a collared polo shirt with my shorts to a few spots. But as I say--it really didn't matter.
You might be told when you make PS that a certain restaurant is"resort casual" or "smart casual". All that means is no tank tops or bathing suits.

 

[kissygoose]

My new Husband and I are going to Disney World next week for our honeymoon. We are going on the Discovery Magic plan and therefore are eating at a lot of the upscale restaraunts (Narcoosses, Yachtsman, Fultons, etc.). When I made our PS for all of our nights the only dress stipulation I was given was that Tank Tops were not allowed. I think that Disney realizes that people are going to be running all over the "world" and are on vacation to have a lot of fun and that getting dressed up wouldn't be practical (especialy for kids), and might take some of the "magic" away. So I believe you will be pretty much safe as long as you don't show up in a swimsuit or something. Have fun.

 

[imbe@aol.com]

As everyone's already said, except for V&A's, no - jackets are not required. I'd say though, that if you're planning on dining at any of the hotel restaurants, the nicer ones, like Jiko, Ca Grill, Narcoossees, etc., it might be a good idea to *try* to make time to change from your park clothes, if you're wearing shorts. My 'rule of thumb' is .. how would I dress at an equally nice restaurant at home?

 

[dansyr]

When they say resort casual, would khakis and a polo shirt be ok for men???

 

[Uncleromulus]

Certainly. As would walking shorts and a Disney T-shirt. Or a suit and tie. Or most anything except a tank-top or a bathing suit.

 

[BCV23]

Even at places where they rquest no tank tops people ignore it. We dined at CG about three weeks ago and I counted 13 women in tank tops before I stopped counting. Most still looked OK to me but there was one in short shorts and flimsy tank ! I have to say that I never paid attention to how people dressed at WDW until I found these boards.

Dress up a bit if that enhances your dinner but don't worry. No tanks, no swimsuits...you'll be fine.

My guys usually wear polo shirts and nice shorts if it's hot, khakis otherwise. My daughter usually picks a simple dress and I wear linen slacks and a nice shirt.

 

[KathyK]

When I made my PS for Citricos yesterday, the CM told me that the dress code is "dressy casual." I would tend to think that many of the higher end restaurants may be going this route in the future.

 

[Uncleromulus]

As a "suggested" mode of dress--maybe. But no way they would ever attempt to enforce it. They can ill afford to turn away any potential customers.. especially Citrico's which is already closed 2 days a week due to lack of business.
There are simply too many people at WDW who, like me, are there to relax and have a casual, comfortable vacation. I can (and do) occasionally dress up for dinner at home. But I'd rather not while on vacation in hot Central Florida!! Besides--anyone who feels comfortable dressing up can certainly do so--many people do. But just as many don't and many of us would likely eat elsewhere if any true dress code were ever imposed.
And don't get me wrong--I am all for neat and tidy dress. But walking shorts and a brand/spanking new Disney T-shirt are quite neat and tidy and that's what I'll continue to wear.

 

[Pugsley]

It’s hard to say exactly what resort wear or smart casual means; I guess it’s a matter of opinion, but I just want to go on record that my opinion is that it does NOT include a Disney t-shirt. Granted, Disney doesn’t enforce dress codes and people can wear whatever they’d like, but if you’re interested in following their suggestion for proper attire, I really don’t think a t-shirt is what they have in mind. In my experience, resort/smart casual means a lot more than “no bathing suits or tank tops.”

 

[BCV23]

We've been to the World four times this year and are returning in December..those APs seem to burn a hole in our pockets...and each time we've dined at Citrico's, CG or both. Over the course of the year, I've been told different things when making PSs...no tanks, dressy casual, a bizarre description that I've blocked out and even one time when making a PS for CG I was told no tanks, no swimwear. You wouldn't think people would need to be told that would you . At any rate if you're told dressy casual or resort casual and ask for an elaboration, I'll bet you they'll tell you no tanks. I just tried this am to get Citirco's for a particular time (no luck ) and asked what they meant and was told no tank tops.

It's Disney World...not the Sweet Briar or Grand Hotel, etc.. I'm sure WDW is happy to fill their dining rooms with patrons who have just spent time and money at the MK. And as Uncle pointed out as good as Citrico's is, it seems to always have plenty of open tables...though I guess not this Christmas Eve .

I also imagine that seeing a guest in a neat and clean Disney shirt would make the powers to be very happy....free advertisement as well as the actual price of the shirt!

If you like dressing up, do so and you won't feel out of place. I don't think you need to worry about it.

 

[Pam Lau]

I think the definition of Tank top needs to be further refined. We operate a bar at our Summer Camp and bartenders are not allowed to wear Tank tops, referring to the low cut, large arm-holed shirts that men wear which leaves their hairy armpits exposed. On the other hand, while a similar tank top over a sports bra would not be appropriate for a woman, a nice silk or otherwise fancy tank top with a more modest cut would be appropriate. I would hope that the poster who saw 8-9 people in tank tops were seeing women in this type of a tank top.

 

[BCV23]

Great point, Pam. I posted about not counting after 13. Only one of the tanks I saw was what I would personally think was dressy. The rest ran the gamut.

I've always wondered if they're aiming the no tanks remark toward men and just can't be that explicit because of the risk of being called discriminatory.