If you had to pick JUST ONE, what would it be?

[pgsahm2]

Today is 180 days from the start of my trip. It's just my sister and I going. She is not a big Disney fanatic unlike myself. And I've hounded her for the last few weeks to pick at least ONE restaurant for us to make an ADR at. She is not cooperating! She keeps saying it's up to me. But I don't want to make all of the decisions by myself. Heck, I already picked the dates AND the resort (not to mention it was my idea to take the trip).

So, fingers crossed, I'm hoping to make at least one single ADR. We are not planning on doing a ton of eating because we're going in August and the heat will get to us. Neither of us are big eaters when we get overheated. BUT I do want to choose one restaurant to have a nice sit down meal. I cannot make up my mind though!

If you had to pick ONE, and only ONE, restaurant to eat at while at WDW parks (not resorts), which one would it be? Please help me decide which restaurant to ADR!!

***UPDATED 2/15***

Thank you for all of the suggestions. I am still up in the air about what to do but I am starting to narrow it down. From your suggestions here are my thoughts.

Le Cellier - My dh and I went to this restaurant in 1998. I remember we enjoyed it but nothing really stands out about the experience. Has it changed in the last 10 years? I'm sure it has in some way. But in order to justify heading here for a one and only table service meal, I need to know what makes it so special.

Chef de France- I am not familiar with this restuarant at all. The menu looks decent but it does look a little pricey. This one is still a possibility though.

50's PTC - We ate here on our brief trip in 2002. We really enjoyed it. I remember the atmosphere moreso than the food though. I'm thinking the food was mediocre? I really cannot remember.

Brown Derby - Dh and I ate here during our 1998 trip. LOVED it. The Cobb Salad was so good. This is definitely another good possibility.

Soooo... The jury is still out. The four above are still in the running but I'd love other suggestions if you have them. Thanks! This is fun!

ETA: I didn't include Biergarten in my list of possibilities because .. well, because my dh's family is German and if I want a good schnitzel or potato salad I just call his Oma. So it really doesn't appeal to me. I guess some people are not as lucky as me to have an Oma!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Breakfast would be Cape May and dinner would be Beirgarten

 

[Tricia1972]

It depends on the group:

Couples - Victoria & Albert's

Adult Group - Jiko

Family - LeCellier

TECHNICALLY I am picking just one for you , but not knowing your circumstance I don't know which group you're in! Whichever you fall into, that's what I'd do.

Ah yes, all of mine are dinner. I have yet to find an amazing breakfast on property so I can say I wouldn't do Boma, Chef Mickey or Kona.

 

[mainstreetmickey]

If I was going to do just one it would be California Grill. Great food, great atmosphere, great food...and there are plenty of options that aren't "heavy".

 

[Stitch's Greatest Fa]

Erm guys, the OP said parks only NOT resorts.

My park choice would be Le Cellier - EPCOT

 

[ZoZo]

Le Cellier. My favorite, hands-down.

 

[pgsahm2]

Erm guys, the OP said parks only NOT resorts.

My park choice would be Le Cellier - EPCOT

Thank you!

For what it's worth, the "group" is me and my sister. Just us two. She's 24 and I'll be ... gulp... 30 um... something ... at the time of the trip. (She's not married, no kids. I'm married with 3 boys. She's a teacher, I'm a fulltime mom. I use Crest toothpaste, she uses.. oh... wait a minute... )

Thanks for the answers so far. And yes, please stick to the park restaurants mainly because we're limited on time as it is and travelling to and from the other resorts is not really in our schedule. (Oh, and I LOVE Boma, both breakfast and dinner! - where's the drooling smilie?)

 

[stellablue]

I'm gonna go with Biergarten-it's got something for everyone and fun for all ages!!

 

[mainstreetmickey]

Erm guys, the OP said parks only NOT resorts.

ummm...nevermind...

 

[DizzDoll]

I'd say LeCellier in Epcot. Or the Crystal Palace in MK.

 

[Cruz Family]

IMHO I would make a few, maybe one in each park. Remember you can always cancel. Here is what I would recommend and why......

Epcot - Chef de France (has been getting outstanding reviews, beautiful place)
Magic Kingdom - Crystal Palace (nice simple buffet, pooh & friends)
MGM - 50's PTC (good food, lotta fun)
Animal Kingdom - (again has been getting great reviews, unique experience)

These four are all very different so you will have a ton of variety. Don't overlook Animal Kingdom, it is a big park that can get you very tired. When we go, we really enjoy taking a late lunch to rest at a sit down restaurant. Remember even if your not that hungry you can always just have a nice cool drink and split a meal or a couple of appetizers.
Good Luck!

 

[Tricia1972]

Well good, my choice still stands! It's just LeCellier now. Now I am really down to one

 

[KatMark]

We vote for LeCeller in Epcot

 

[Northern_Julie]

Thank you!

For what it's worth, the "group" is me and my sister. Just us two. She's 24 and I'll be ... gulp... 30 um... something ... at the time of the trip. (She's not married, no kids. I'm married with 3 boys. She's a teacher, I'm a fulltime mom. I use Crest toothpaste, she uses.. oh... wait a minute... )

Thanks for the answers so far. And yes, please stick to the park restaurants mainly because we're limited on time as it is and travelling to and from the other resorts is not really in our schedule. (Oh, and I LOVE Boma, both breakfast and dinner! - where's the drooling smilie?)

I got to laugh because you just described me and my sister .... me more on your sisters side - single no kids - The only thing we are alike on is Disney... convert her.

 

[BriarRosie]

Today is 180 days from the start of my trip. It's just my sister and I going. She is not a big Disney fanatic unlike myself. And I've hounded her for the last few weeks to pick at least ONE restaurant for us to make an ADR at. She is not cooperating! She keeps saying it's up to me. But I don't want to make all of the decisions by myself. Heck, I already picked the dates AND the resort (not to mention it was my idea to take the trip).

So, fingers crossed, I'm hoping to make at least one single ADR. We are not planning on doing a ton of eating because we're going in August and the heat will get to us. Neither of us are big eaters when we get overheated. BUT I do want to choose one restaurant to have a nice sit down meal. I cannot make up my mind though!

If you had to pick ONE, and only ONE, restaurant to eat at while at WDW parks (not resorts), which one would it be? Please help me decide which restaurant to ADR!!

Just so you know, LeCellier at the 180 mark today will probably be filled already, as I think people call at 7am eastern to get this. You can try and see if any lunch or dinner ADRs are available, but I'd be pretty certain the peak dining slots will be filled.

However, if you're staying at a Disney resort, you CAN make any ADR for the next 10 days of your stay. This often helps when the most popular ADRs (princesses and LeCellier) fill up on the 180 day mark.

Ok. I didn't give any opinion, did I! Let's see...one suggestion...parks...
I'll make one suggestion per park!

Magic Kingdom: Plaza Restaurant. (But personally, I tend to stick with counter service in the MK. I would rather take the boat or monorail to Kona Cafe.) My favorite counter service is Columbia Harbor House. They have the best tuna salad sandwich. And I always eat upstairs to try for a pleasant view of Liberty Square.

Epcot: LeCellier seems to be the unanimous choice. Counter: Tangierine Cafe.

Disney's Hollywood Studios: 50's Prime Time. Counter: Tough call. I'm not a big fan of the counter service here, but I would stay FAR away from the ABC Commissary.

Animal Kingdom: Tusker House. Counter: Flame Tree BBQ.

 

[pgsahm2]

I got to laugh because you just described me and my sister .... me more on your sisters side - single no kids - The only thing we are alike on is Disney... convert her.

Believe me, I'm trying!! The conversion process is very slow though.

 

[AppleSister1]

I think you should try a couple of TS restaurants since you won't have the kids....as another poster said, you could make ADRs at a couple of places and then cancel accordingly.

Anyway, here's a choice for each park:

* MK: Frankly, since you mentioned on the other thread you wanted to enjoy some adult beverages, and you only want to do ONE TS meal, I wouldn't do it at this park.

* DHS: Brown Derby.

* AK: There's nothing here that I would consider must-do for TS restaurants.

* Epcot: Wow, there's lots of choices here! It's tough....but I would consider Le Cellier. OR the new Italian restaurant. Or, in FW, Coral Reef.

If I absolutely HAD TO PICK ONE, I would choose Brown Derby.

 

[ciera321]

I'd have to go with Le Cellier, a must do every trip for us!!!

 

[pgsahm2]

Update in original post!

 

[Tricia1972]

Le Cellier - My dh and I went to this restaurant in 1998. I remember we enjoyed it but nothing really stands out about the experience. Has it changed in the last 10 years? I'm sure it has in some way. But in order to justify heading here for a one and only table service meal, I need to know what makes it so special.

Can't help here, we only ate there in April and fell in LOVE with the fillet with mushroom risotto.

Chef de France- I am not familiar with this restuarant at all. The menu looks decent but it does look a little pricey. This one is still a possibility though.

We ate here in October. Needing a high chair for our DS2 at the time. Got seated and we realized that the safety strap in the highchair was broken. We asked if they could please bring us a highchair with a working strap. Gentleman seating us flat out refused, explaining that the bar in front would keep our son contained and safe. We asked again, please can you bring a seat that's not broken. He said no, we'd be fine. We spent a while restraining our son before we finally tied him into the highchair with the broken strap. DS could get it untied, but it kept him in one place for longer.

Service went downhill from there. Our server was rude and the only tasty thing we had from the menu was the French Onion Soup, which was delicious.

50's PTC - We ate here on our brief trip in 2002. We really enjoyed it. I remember the atmosphere moreso than the food though. I'm thinking the food was mediocre? I really cannot remember.

Mediocre food is exactly right. I had the steak here and it was very tough. The vegetable root hash is, at best, odd. I pushed enough around to avoid getting into trouble. The milkshake was fine, but I've had better at Culvers. To be honest, I don't even remember what I had for dessert here.

The service - AMAZING!! We had cousin Mikey and we'd probably come back here for the antics alone. We'd just order sandwiches next time, since nobody was very impressed with their meals.

Brown Derby - Dh and I ate here during our 1998 trip. LOVED it. The Cobb Salad was so good. This is definitely another good possibility.

Can't help you here either, we've never eaten here

Soooo... The jury is still out. The four above are still in the running but I'd love other suggestions if you have them. Thanks! This is fun!

ETA: I didn't include Biergarten in my list of possibilities because .. well, because my dh's family is German and if I want a good schnitzel or potato salad I just call his Oma. So it really doesn't appeal to me. I guess some people are not as lucky as me to have an Oma!

How about Jiko? Since 50's Prime Time isn't at Epcot, maybe you'd be willing to travel? My favorites at Disney are Victoria & Albert's, Jiko and LeCellier, in that order. Something to think about.