Favorite fine dining restaurant in WDW?

[gypsymac4721]

We'll be at WDW 12/17-12/23/11 and the three of our families that are traveling together have agreed to each treat the whole group one night ... so we're planning three nicer dinners. Kids will be 7, 5, and 4 and all are pretty picky. We are not doing the dining plan as all but two adults are very light eaters.

If you had to choose your three favorite restaurants, what would they be?

 

[redzinner]

I haven't dined at any of these restaurants with children so I can't be of much help with the kids menu.

Il Mulino at the Swan Hotel

Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge

Flying Fish on the Boardwalk

 

[DisneyFansInLINY]

I don't know if you mean by nice signature but I like these restaurants with children. They aren't signature but they are nice and fun enviroments for kids.

1) Coral Reef
2) Teppan Edo
3) Bomas

 

[Colleen27]

California Grill (great sushi, amazing views)
Artist Point (excellent salmon and buffalo, Wilderness Lodge is beautiful at Christmas)
Jiko (exotic flavors, comfortable quiet atmosphere)

Teppan Edo also gets an honorable mention. It isn't fine dining, but the food is very good and the teppanyaki experience is a lot of fun.

You shouldn't have a problem with picky kids. Every Disney restaurant (except Victoria & Alberts which doesn't allow young childre) has a pretty typical kids menu with choices like grilled chicken, pasta, mac & cheese, pizza, etc.

 

[BoomNLeon]

Agree with Colleen27. All 3 are solid options and are in great resorts. WL during December is beautiful. AKL is ALWAYS beautiful. And how can you go wrong with CR?

Location is important. Will you be driving or using Disney Transport? It depends on where you are staying, too.

Another suggestion I would throw in is Yachtsman Steakhouse. The food was really good!

 

[clc053103]

Cali Grill
Flying Fish
Narcoosees

Dined with kids at all three and all were enjoyed!

 

[eventfarm]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but I wonder why you want to do signature dining? With 3 picky kids and 2 light eaters, are you really going to enjoy a place that typically serves rich, indulgent food?

Why spend a ton of money just to have kids eat pizza and the adults not finish the meal?

Maybe there's a different experience that would be more special? some of the disney experiences look fun - segway around epcot, etc.

I dine at "high-end" places regularly and tend to go with groups. There is usually that person who thinks that they want to have a fine dining experience, but really they want food prepared in ways they like (no salt, hold the butter, extra well done steak ). Chef's will accomdate, but then the food doesn't "live up to the hype" and these people come away complaining.

It's much more valuable and fun to have an experience that YOU like, not what you *think* you would like.

I'm not saying that this is what you would be like, it's just the impression I got from your post... no offense meant.

 

[Colleen27]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but I wonder why you want to do signature dining? With 3 picky kids and 2 light eaters, are you really going to enjoy a place that typically serves rich, indulgent food?

Why spend a ton of money just to have kids eat pizza and the adults not finish the meal?

Maybe there's a different experience that would be more special? some of the disney experiences look fun - segway around epcot, etc.

I didn't take "light eaters" to mean that they won't enjoy the meal, just that they might not be members of the clean plate club.

My mom and my 9yo are both light eaters but that's one of the reasons they prefer nicer restaurants, which tend to serve smaller portions of more carefully prepared foods as opposed to larger servings of less crafted items (to use a Disney example, dinner at California Grill is considerably lighter than lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern!). For our Disney trip, they're pretty much planning to share meals - we're on the deluxe dining plan, but the 9yo's kids' credits will mostly go to the 2yo while my mom and DD share my mom's 3 course meal.

 

[Pakey]

With light eaters, I would pick Ca Grill at the top of the list.

Other choices, due to the age of the children, would be Narcoosees and Flying Fish.

 

[left210]

I didn't take "light eaters" to mean that they won't enjoy the meal, just that they might not be members of the clean plate club.

My mom and my 9yo are both light eaters but that's one of the reasons they prefer nicer restaurants, which tend to serve smaller portions of more carefully prepared foods as opposed to larger servings of less crafted items (to use a Disney example, dinner at California Grill is considerably lighter than lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern!). For our Disney trip, they're pretty much planning to share meals - we're on the deluxe dining plan, but the 9yo's kids' credits will mostly go to the 2yo while my mom and DD share my mom's 3 course meal.

Did you know your 2 yr olds food is free so you wouldnt have to use your older childs dining credits. You could use those for breakfast counter service or something like that. I also read you can convert your unused meal credits to snack credits. That would be better for you and let your 2 yr old get his free meal.

 

[Colleen27]

Did you know your 2 yr olds food is free so you wouldnt have to use your older childs dining credits. You could use those for breakfast counter service or something like that. I also read you can convert your unused meal credits to snack credits. That would be better for you and let your 2 yr old get his free meal.

2yos only eat free at buffet and family style locations, and we don't do many of those. At menu service locations the presumption is that kids under 3 will eat off their parents' plates; if you order a kids meal you'll have to pay for it (but most servers don't charge for drinks for under-3s).

My DD2 does do some sharing with me but since I'm a nut for sushi and spicy foods there are times when what I'm eating just isn't suitable for her. And the 9yo is just dipping her toe into eating mostly adult menu selections, so she still likes having the "safe"/familiar kids' meal there just in case she decides she doesn't like what the adults are eating.

 

[left210]

2yos only eat free at buffet and family style locations, and we don't do many of those. At menu service locations the presumption is that kids under 3 will eat off their parents' plates; if you order a kids meal you'll have to pay for it (but most servers don't charge for drinks for under-3s).

My DD2 does do some sharing with me but since I'm a nut for sushi and spicy foods there are times when what I'm eating just isn't suitable for her. And the 9yo is just dipping her toe into eating mostly adult menu selections, so she still likes having the "safe"/familiar kids' meal there just in case she decides she doesn't like what the adults are eating.

Thanks for clarifying this for us as I will have a 2 yr old on our trip too and I totally misunderstood what the reservation person told me.

 

[gypsymac4721]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but I wonder why you want to do signature dining? With 3 picky kids and 2 light eaters, are you really going to enjoy a place that typically serves rich, indulgent food?

Why spend a ton of money just to have kids eat pizza and the adults not finish the meal?

Signature dining is just more our style. The volume/type of food is less important, and the experience is more important ... we're just not big into the food itself. Thankfully all three kids will do just fine at nicer restaurants as long as they have the typical kids' menu to choose from.

Thanks for all the suggestions!!!

 

[cbg1027]

My 3 favorite signatures are:

Citricos
Flying Fish
and Jiko

The kids should be fine at those. They have kids menus with basic stuff.

If you're light eaters, those are actually good picks. Most of the time, they have entree-type foods as appetizer choices, so you are able to get a smaller serving of a meat or something heartier than a soup or salad.

 

[Mamu]

When traveling with adults we do mostly signature restaurants. Some of our favorites are, Citrico's, Flying Fish, Cali Grill and Artist Point.

When we travel with our Grandchildren our eating plan changes completely. We do more character meals, and restaurants like Sci Fi, T-Rex, 50 Primetime and Rainforest Cafe. Plus we do more counter serve meals.

Our GC range from 20 to 2 so it does depend which group were traveling with. The older group likes to try the restaurants at Epcot, the younger ones like the character meals. Each trip is different and need different planning.

 

[OhThePain]

In all honesty, if you want to do signatures with the kids included, I would stick with only CG and FF. They tend to be the louder of the signature restaurants. Out of respect to the rest of the guests, the other signatures might be better off done with just the adults (most if not all the deluxe resorts have babysitting programs to watch the kids for a few hours). Give yourselves a night to enjoy a great, quiet meal without the kids.

Of course, I don't know the kids involved. If they can enjoy a day at one of the parks and then sit quietly for a 3 hour meal, without interupting either your parties meals or the meals of others in the restaurant, then by all means take them with you to a quieter meal. However, I know after a long day in the parks, even some adults can get pretty cranky... myself included.

 

[Sgt Tibbs]

Shula's
Yachtman Steakhouse
California Grill
Jiko
Narcoosee's

 

[PoohsFan1]

Our top 3 restaurants are:
- California Grill
- Le Cellier
- Yachtsman's Steakhouse

I do also agree that Teppan Edo also is very good and have great entertainment for everyone in the party.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I would definitely vote for Callifornia grill ... always kids there (so they won't feel out of place) and I was think they would love to be able to see the fireworks from the deck

 

[Jeanieblue114]

Yachtsman

(the men I was with said these were the best steaks of their lives and one never enjoys steak. They both ordered them "prepared as chef's choice".
I do not eat red meat but I found that having an appetizer or even just a side at a signature restaurant was very satisfying the the cast member was more than pleased with bringing them as my entree. So, for light eaters, consider that an option.

Jiko was surprisingly delicious.
I did not like the sound of most of the items on the menu, but everythin that I tastes was AMAZING! I was expecting extreme spices and it wasn't at all!
If you want a sneek peek at Jiko, you can go to the AKL at 4pm any day and do a culinary tour. You check in at the Boma podium and get a tour of Boma and some food samples. Then you are taken to Jiko and get a tour and some food samples (sometimes the tour includes Jiko, sometimes it doesn't..but it's worth going either way). The tours are free, no reservation is needed, they happen every day at 4pm, and you do not have to be a guest at the resort. Anyone can go. It only takes about 15-30 min. depending on if they do 1 restaurant or 2.


Artist Point

The guys with me had the buffalo and weren't impressed, but the buffalo selection changes from week to week so it probably depends on the cut. I saw the wood plank salmon go by and it looked lovely.
Again, I was eating side dishes and apps. The smoked mushroom soup was delightful (i didn't think i would care for it) and i could make a meal of just that with the fresh bread that they serve. The bread comes out with butter that has black lava salt on it. I went out and bought black lava salt so that we could enjoy this at home!
Oh, and they have truffle oil cooked french fries. I do not like french fries but these were delicious! The truffle flavor is yummy with the potato.
So i had soup, fries, and bread there.....and i'm planning on doing it again really soon!

Cali Grill is nice for the views especially if you are there during MK fireworks time.
I agree, it is VERY VERY LOUD in there.
However, pretty much all of the food that i've tried there (with the exception of the pork) has been so-so. I've had flatbreads, sushi, pasta dishes, pork, and desserts there. Our sushi fell apart as we were eating it and that's a big no-no to me. I get much better sushi at the sushi bar at Kona ...and you get to sit at the chef's table and watch it be made....and it's a fraction of the price.