Epcot dining reco. for 2 y/o?

[OurLittleLove]

Hi everyone!

We'll be in Disney in October (me, DH, and DS who will be 2.5) and are planning 2 days in Epcot. I booked a dining reservation for Coral Reef for the first night but need a reservation for the second night. I figured he'd enjoy looking at the big fish tanks at CR and would like something interesting for the other night too.

I booked Teppan Edo to have something temporarily. However we can always do hibachi at home (although we never do). Not interested in Biergarten, we've dined there before and discovered we don't like German food.

What are your thoughts?

 

[PoohsHunnyBee]

You could do Garden Grill for characters and the changing view.

Do you really need a reservation? Because sampling the Food & Wine booths while enjoying World Showcase seems like the most "interesting" option to me.

 

[OurLittleLove]

You could do Garden Grill for characters and the changing view.

Do you really need a reservation? Because sampling the Food & Wine booths while enjoying World Showcase seems like the most "interesting" option to me.

Have you eaten at Garden Grill recently? I considered it for the characters but have been reading so many negative reviews lately about the food.

We plan on doing the foid and wine booths for lunch but for dinner we'd like a sit-down meal especially since we have the dining plan.

 

[PoohsHunnyBee]

Have you eaten at Garden Grill recently? I considered it for the characters but have been reading so many negative reviews lately about the food.

We plan on doing the foid and wine booths for lunch but for dinner we'd like a sit-down meal especially since we have the dining plan.

I have not eaten there at all actually, but I've read good things about it. You'll see negative reviews about any location. I find the most helpful thing for me when checking reviews is paying attention to the reason people loved or hated something.

It really depends on your tastes and what you have at home. I agree with avoiding Teppan Edo if you have a decent hibachi grill around. I recommend San Angel Inn for the setting, but if you have access to good Mexican food at home the place is a real disappointment (learned that the hard way ).

 

[MsMinnieMouse246]

Have you eaten at Garden Grill recently? I considered it for the characters but have been reading so many negative reviews lately about the food.

We plan on doing the foid and wine booths for lunch but for dinner we'd like a sit-down meal especially since we have the dining plan.

We ate at Garden Grill last October and had a great time! We thought the food was good, nothing to rave over, but good. My 2 and 4 year old loved it! The restaurant spins throughout your meal and you see the different scenes from the living with the land ride.

 

[jennab]

Another vote for Garden Grill. We did that with DS who was also 2.5 at the time and he liked it!! Otherwise we have done Via Napoli because we can get a good pizza for a decent price which DS enjoys too!

 

[Meriweather]

Garden Grill.....DGD loved it!

 

[ajwolfe]

The character interaction was decent at Garden Grill, but we didn't care for the food at all. Plus the booth seating makes it a bit of a pain during character interaction if you have more than one person that wants to visit with the characters.

 

[Coconut8473]

Another vote for Garden Grill for that age. I think bad reviews you might have read are from people who are perhaps looking for a little more variety in their meal? But the menu is very straight-forward and everything was fresh tasting when we went. The character interactions were the best of any dining experience - we saw each one multiple times. Perfect for a little one with limited attention. Plus, if you're in a revolving booth you're not really face-to-face with any other patrons, so it's a very "calm" experience (in spite of the characters, that is) - I find this helpful when dining with toddlers, who can be amped up by a restaurant's energy.

 

[AFwifelife]

Garden Grill is great for the littles. We went in January when DS was 15 months old. He wasn't a fan of any of the characters until we ate there. They all took their time with him and we have awesome pictures of Dale and DS drawing together then DS scribbling out what Dale drew, which was hilarious. The food wasn't terrible but we aren't extremely picky. The server even brought out a child's plate for DS even though we didn't have to pay for him.

We are going again in September and GG is the one restaurant our whole group said we must do.

 

[NjMamaMouse]

Via Napoli has pasta and pizza. Can't go wrong there. And it's delicious!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Garden Grill is great! I actually like the food, the characters are great and if the restaurant is turning - bonus! I have taken DS7 there about 3 times since he was two years old and he really enjoys it. If you would rather try something in WS, I would suggest Via Napoli if you like pizza. Honestly, we didn't like Teppan Edo on our last trip. The "show" was really short and lackluster. If you can get hibachi where you live, I wouldn't bother. You could also wonder a little outside EP and eat at any of the resorts (BWI, BC/YC or Swan/Dolphin). If you like Japanese food, Kimono's is excellent. Trattoria al Forno and Capt. Grille are also good, casual places and the Boardwalk (where Trattoria is located) is a lot of fun at night. I find the food at the resorts to be quite a bit better than the park food.

 

[nco91590]

You could always trek over to the Beach Club for Cape May Buffet. I felt like buffets were really great for my little ones. Lots of choices, lots of veggies, lots of kid friendly food. Plus, because she's under 2 she's free

 

[River Country]

Well I think it depends on what your priority is. the Food or the Characters. with a 2.5 yo I would try Via Napoli in Epcot or walk over to Beach Club and do Beaches and Cream or Cape May Café. I ate at Garden Grill once, it was OK I wouldn't run back