Garden Grill Character Meal - Good?

[thegrimdwarf]

It's looking like we're going to be spending our first Disney day at Epcot. Since we've got 4 kids in our traveling party, we'd like to do a character meal that day. Any reviews on this particular experience?

Thanks!

 

[NHdisneylover]

It is one of our favourites (though we have not been in two years--just not enough time in a week to visit all of the best plus one or two new; sometimes things change). The food is "plain" and "simple" fare but we have always found it to be cooked well (juicy meats, excellent catfish, very yummy veggies ,etc.). Also, the way the dining room is set up you can only see one or two other tables so it feels much calmer than most places at WDW.

 

[JoePa4Ever]

We ate there this past Sept. IMO, I would label our experience as "satisfactory." The food was o.k. - not awful, but average at best. Our server was not very good either - it took a long time for certain foods to be served. The atmosphere was not overly impressive either. Apparently the restaurant rotates as you eat. I think it travels at approximately -2 mph. We were there for about an hour and I don't think we traveled more than 10 feet. The highlight was the character interaction - very good & absolutely no complaints there. This was one of our least favorite meals. The experience wasn't bad, but it wasn't good enough to make us go back this year.

 

[aarmando20]

We ate there in 2005 and loved it. In 2006 we tried to get a reservation but couldn't . In 2008 we ate thee again and didn't like it at all. Although I think it was mainly our server. The food came out cold. We never got drink refills. Had to wait over 45 minutes for our second plate to come out. I will not make an ADR this year but may give it a try if we are in Epcot and want to sit down to eat.

 

[danielle782001]

We went with our two boys and we all enjoyed it...Thought the character interactions was excellent...The food is very fresh and good (simple/not fancy)...Perfect for kids...My boys really enjoyed the make-your-own cupcake for dessert...The carrots, mac n cheese, chicken tenders, and bread were good... I was the only one that tried the fish and I loved it!!! We liked being over the Land and seeing the tops of the ride....Our server was nice... We had a great experience and plan to go back.

 

[milmore104]

We used to hit GG every trip. but becasue it is so hard to get ADR's now and you can very rarely walk into a rest. we haven't been in the past 2 years. However I did make it a point to make an ADR for our upcoming trip. Now w/ the Deluxe dining it made it a lot easier for us to fit it in. The food is good. An the atmoshere is excellent. I think it's about the only place I can actually get my DD to sit and eat fish and vegetables. It amazes her that the things she is eating came from one of her favorite rides (Living w/ the Land). We've never left disappointed.

 

[wishtdream]

We loved it last year the food was simply well prepared, the service and the characters were excelent. We will return.

 

[Melora]

This is our favorite restaurant by far!

This upcoming trip we have ressies there twice! The day we arrive and the day we leave.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the food and the character interaction is great.

The last time we were there the platform wasn't working and they were very apologetic and our waiter sent ALL the characters to our table at one time so we could have a group picture.

If you stay for an hour you will go around approximately 3/4 of the way.

 

[Stitchfans]

Excellent meal. Excellent character interaction! Need I say more?

 

[bekkio]

We were there just last week for dinner. It was our 3rd trip, and this was the first bad experience we had. It took 4 times of asking for napkins and 10 minutes before we got help cleaning up a drink spill, and the chicken gave my daughter a bout of food poisoning.

The character interaction was good though, but because of the service and food poisoning issue, we have now taken the restaurant off our "must-do" list.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

One of my favorites! The food was some of the best we've had. The mashed potatoes casserole (?) was so amazing i took the recipe home. it was the ONLY recipe I took home that trip. We tried it at home... Ours just couldn't compare! The character interaction was fun too. I really enjoyed seeing The Land from a different perspective. That alone made it worth it for us.

 

[mhmcduff]

Don't want to take the thread but I have heard so many good things about it and want to make an ADR now- and have one quick question that I don't think is worth another thread- Do you order off a menu here or is it family style or something?

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I love this one for a character meal. The food is not great, but I haven't found it to be better at other character meals. I like the atmosphere--much more quiet and calm than any other character meal I've done. Plus, there's Mickey Mouse!

 

[belle&sebastiansmom]

Don't want to take the thread but I have heard so many good things about it and want to make an ADR now- and have one quick question that I don't think is worth another thread- Do you order off a menu here or is it family style or something?

Family style. Great food. Fantastic interaction. Here's the menu:

Menu Date: February 2008

Special Holiday Pricing May Apply

Lunch (11 a.m. - 3 p.m.): $20.99 Adults 10 and up; $11.99 Children 3-9

Dinner (4:30 p.m. to varies with park closing): $28.99 Adults 10 and up; $13.99 Children 3-9

Non-alcoholic soft drinks are included

Typical Characters: Mickey, Pluto, Chip 'n' Dale


Family Style Platter
featuring:

Buttermilk biscuits and Yeast rolls with Honey-Orange Blossom Butter

Flank Steak with Mushroom Cabernet au Jus

Rotisserie Turkey with Cranberry Relish

Fried Catfish

Homestyle Potato Casserole

Selection of Fresh Vegetables

Very Berry Puff Pastry

Young Gardener's Menu
Ages 3 to 9

Choice of:

Chicken Strips

Macaroni and Cheese

Potatoes or French Fries

Fresh Vegetables

Served with a special dessert

Complimentary Non-alcoholic Beverages
Included

Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Orange Soda, Lemonade Light, Root Beer, Iced Tea, Orange Juice, Apple Juice, Milk and Chocolate Milk

 

[disneydreamin247]

GG is one of my absolute favorites and we try to eat there every year.

 

[neffernie]

Go for it! With 4 kids in your group you can't lose. Even if you don't particually care for the food (which i happened to enjoy), the pictures you get with the characters will be worth it. We had a late ADR last time we were there so the place was starting to empty out. The characters came by at least 3 times each to do photos and autographs. Yes, we are now the proud owners of 4 Pluto autographs.

 

[Quiksilvr]

I concur with the other posters who like Garden Grill. The food is simple and it's not going to win any fine dining awards, but it's generally well-prepared, it tastes good, and there is plenty of it. Beyond the food aspect of the restaurant, the character interaction is bar none. My wife and I ate there last October and had all of the character interaction we could handle... I can only imagine how that would be with kids. I'm sure the children in your group will love it.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

We were there for lunch in 2007 and enjoyed it. The character interaction was very good. We really enjoyed the food. Nothing gourmet, but good nonetheless.

I don't care for the layout/atmosphere of the restaurant. It feels very "isolated," like you're not even in a restaurant with other diners. I supposed some people like that, though. I also would not want to be sitting on the lower teir, especially when it spins around to the front. Then everyone in the Land Pavilion is staring at you while you eat.

 

[liz2d2]

I'd read mixed reviews of it here on the DIS but we decided to give it a try on our last trip. It was just okay, nothing fantastic. Our service was pretty slow, the food was just okay. I doubt we'll go back there again.

 

[mickeysgirl17]

I know most people love it, but my family didn't care for it. The food was bland and tastless. It was also dry.

Mickey and chip were out of character and not very interactive. Pluto and Dale were great.

The rotation was kinda cool and service was pretty good, but we had to wait 20 min. to be seated in a empty restaurant. It was only 3:30pm!