Garden Grill...what to do? EPCOT TS ideas please

[Megsmachine]

Dh and I are going sans kids late Nov. early Dec. We went in 2010 as a fam and went to Garden Grill in Epcot for the first time. None of us were impressed, in fact I ended up eating from the kids choices. We said never again.

BUT some family of ours said give it another try as they loved it.

Do you think it was just a bad day? I can't help but think, we just didn't like the food.

I have an ADR for it this time but am thinking about canceling. I just don't know what to replace it with! We ate at Biergarten in 2006 and did not like it at all.

Help!!

 

[mommy22pumpkins]

We have eaten there as a family and really enjoyed the atmosphere but the character interaction with the kids was what made it such a big hit. The food was just okay. The dessert was phenomenal

If you are not limited to future world I would suggest either LeCellier- I know almost impossible to get an ADR here- or Tutto Italia. We had a nice meal there last time. And the wait staff makes for some nice eye candy

We haven't ventured away from these two as we enjoy classic American/Italian Cuisine and these fit the bill.

HTH!

 

[sharonabe]

Without kids...I would definitely try something else in World Showcase.

Via Napoli, La Hacienda (can see Illuminations from here), either of the French restaurants. Rose & Crown and Tokyo Dining also have views of Illuminations.

 

[Quin]

Cancel it! Not because it is bad - it usually gets pretty good marks, actually - but because it's not appealing to YOU. There are more TS choices in Epcot than anyplace else in WDW. Start browsing the menus over at allears.net!

And if you run out of options in Epcot, there are also the Epcot-area resorts (BW, BC/YC, & Swan/Dolphin)(S/D are not on the DDP, though). Just a short walk or a boat ride from the International Gateway (between England & France).

What types of food do you and DH like?

 

[OhThePain]

Add a vote to "if it didn't appeal to you then, it won't appeal to you now". The food at GG is not that good, we have never really liked it. It has great character interaction and is the only place to catch a meal with Chip and Dale these days.

Are there any other EC restaurants you would like to avoid? Are you willing to leave and head to the EC resorts as Quin mentioned? Are you tied to using dining credits? There are a lot of other options, but we would need more information to help give you quality recommendations.

 

[Babyyoda1212]

My husband and I did it last year no kids. The food was not good. The only good thing is the character interaction. If you don't feel you need that while you dine then give it up.

I would also suggest something in the world showcase. The restaurants there are more romantic and have much better food.

 

[TDC Nala]

If you didn't like the food last year, and you aren't bringing kids, and you aren't that interested in the characters yourselves, I'd go elsewhere. Take a look at the online reservations and see what they have available in the WS for that date. You could also try for Coral Reef if you want to stay in Epcot.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Not every restaurant will apeal to every guest. That's why it's so wonderful that there are so many options available. Just because other people you know enjoyed it doesn't mean it's your cup of tea. Look over the menus at other Epcot restaurants and decide which seem to better suit your preferences.

We quite enjoyed the food at GG when we ate there, but we like the types of foods that they serve. We also enjoyed Biergarten. It sounds like we have very different preferences for food. I'd suggest you go to restaurants that are not on my list of styles of foods because of that. We have no interest in the Mexican or Italian or English restaurants so give them a try. LOL

 

[PoohsFan1]

The nice thing about Epcot is that there are SOOOOO many wonderful choices for TS meals there. We love Le Cellier, and really enjoy Coral Reef, Tuto Italia, Teppan Edo, and Chefs de France. We have gone to Garden Grill twice and after our last experience decided that we are going to hold off on going back for a while (long story). If you didn't like Garden Grill the first time, the chances are you are not going to like it a second time, so with that in mind I would definitely check out the different restaurant menus and go from there. Good luck.

 

[Megsmachine]

Thanks so much everyone! You all confirmed the way I was leaning and have given me the uumph to make a new ADR for somewhere else.

 

[grimley1968]

I personally love Garden Grill. However, the menu is not going to change much, so if it didn't appeal to you then, that's probably not going to change now. The biggest variable for us has been service. We've been there probably 10 times. 2 times we had rude servers, and that nearly made us not return. But we've had good service twice since the last bad server. The food and the menu, though, always appealed to us.

But, like others have said, there are a lot of other places to try in EPCOT. Look for something that appeals to you.

 

[MickeyNicki]

I have yet to read a positive review of GG...there are so many other great restaurants in Epcot...any of them would be better than GG

 

[Alinasan]

I have yet to read a positive review of GG...there are so many other great restaurants in Epcot...any of them would be better than GG

Really? I've read a lot of good reviews of it. Now, no one was comparing the food to the Signature places attempting to provide fine dining, but it sounded better than average, because it isn't a buffet, and it has an interesting setting inside a ride.

Still, even if I liked a restaurant, I don't think I'd repeat it unless I adored it!
The OP clearly didn't, and there are so many great places to try, that it would just make sense to try something else. GG can't be that bad, because it does tend to book up....if it really were awful, even first time people would probably hear about that and steer away.

 

[bellamama]

Sounds like you are TRYING to talk yourself into going! There are so many choices in Epcot, I think it's the easiest park to find something you love.
Me personally, I have a thing for the handsome waiters in Tutto Italia. We never miss a visit there each trip, but DH limits me to just one. AND he says I have to stop saying it's my birthday or it's our anniversary so that they'll sing to me. Oh, and the food there is excellent!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Our Ratings of Garden Grill: (rev 3/10/11)
. . . food price value: C
. . . food quality: C
. . . food quantity per serving: A
. . . food prep speed: B
. . . food selection: C
. . . seating quantity: C
. . . seating comfort: B
. . . eatery atmosphere: B
. . . eatery convenience: B
. . . staff friendliness: B
. . . staff helpfulness: C
. . . character interaction: C

NOTE: The eatery revolves within The Land pavilion. Portions
of the spin include scenes from the boat ride. The food is plentiful,
with quality aout average. Remember, one pays for the characters,
and not the food or food quality. The characters include Mickey, Pluto
and Chip-n-Dale. To dine with the characters it will suffice, but the
Quick Service area of Sunshine Seasons within The Land is a great
alternative if characters are not important.

 

[whitney37354]

We did GG in 2010 too. We loved the atmosphere & character interaction, but not the food. There was nothing wrong with the food, it just wasn't our favorite.

I'd try something else. I liked the atmosphere in the Mexican pavillion as we walked through to the ride. I'd like to try a meal in the restaurant there sometimes, as we eat Mexican food quite often at home. I'm sure authentic Mexican is better!