Is California Grill worth the $$$$

[tintine1]

I've never been to the CG. Looked at the menu and couldn't tell if the food was worth the prices. Can anyone tell me more about it? I know it has a great atmosphere and great view.

 

[Bob P]

It's a fine restaurant, but no one here can tell you if it's worth the money. Some people would easily spend $100-$200 for a meal for two people, others would find that outrageous. You can spend a lot less than $100-$200 at CG and still be disappointed if you are expecting something else.

Your call. CG has great atmosphere and great views as you said, and is often rated among the best restaurants in Florida.

 

[StacyPop]

One word-ABOSLUTELY
Ask for a window seat!

 

[Tinkerboy00]

I thought the food and view were well worth the price, but the wait (even with a reservation) and the awful service was not worth it.

I really enjoyed the food, but would never go back because we had such an awful experience/wait/service.

There are plenty of other restaurants in the area, that are more worth the money.

 

[StacyPop]

For the record-I have never had to wait that long with a reservation, and have always had great service.
Sorry you had such a bad experience.

 

[tippy77]

Yes! I ate there for the first time in February and it far exceeded my expectations. The food was amazing. The service was attentive without being overbearing. We had to wait about 20 minutes for our table, but it was worth the wait to get seated right next to the window.

 

[flipflop]

Yummy food & great view = worth it (at least to us!)

 

[tintine1]

Thanks for all of your input. I don't mind spending the money. I was kind of confused by the way the menu was set up. Couldn't get a grasp if the entree section was set up as small plates? Or if it was a traditional bigger entree menu. Either way, I really want to try it. Last time I was up there it was the Top of the World!

 

[ransom]

For us, it was definitely worth it!

The food was excellent, the service was excellent, and being able to watch the Word from our table was excellent! Between our appetizer and our main course, we went out and watched Wishes on the platform (we could have watched from our table, but DW wanted to go outdoors).

We plan on doing it all again next time!

 

[homeboycartel]

Overall, I definitely believe it is worth it to try for once as the food and view are worth it. However, I do not believe it is a good idea, especially at night, to take children. It is a very adult & bar-ish atmosphere that is not very conducive to family time, IMHO.

but the view is spectacular and the food is awesome, however if you have a CS/HDDR-type pallete, the food might be a bit much for your tastes as things are very complex and bold in their flavor combinations.

 

[StacyPop]

Totally disagree!
We take our kids every time and they love it!
The waiter usually brings them a dish of goldfish and some crayons. They love to look out the window and be able to see all of MK.
Kids have to eat too!!
We would much rather eat together as a family.
In addition, the bar is a very small part of the restaurant. I dont consider it a bar-ish atmosphere. Especially if you get to sit at a table by the window.

 

[raidermatt]

It's fine for kids.

 

[pixiechick]

to answer your one question- the entrees are regular size.

We have had excellent food and service. Atmosphere is hit or miss-depends on the other guests. We've been surrounded by polite guests and obnoxious ones.

I would go but I would avoid the craziness around fireworks. Schedule an early meal or a very late one.

 

[CarolA]

I was not impressed. Service was only so so.... Food was OK, but it's on the "Been there, done that, don't have to go back" list. Atmosphere was noisy, just not near as nice as I expected. I perfer Jiko.

I eat out a lot on business and thisone didn't measure up IMHO. I have now seen the fireworks so I am over it LOL!

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

Another no here. We tried it out for our 10th Anniversary and it was OK food and horrible service. The only thing I really liked was the appy the rest was just OK. The service was competely unacceptable and we were there during the slow season. Definately not worth it for us and we have not been back in the last 5 years. I guess I was expecting more since my family owns an upscale restaurant back home.

 

[rabx5]

I was not impressed. Service was only so so.... Food was OK, but it's on the "Been there, done that, don't have to go back" list. Atmosphere was noisy, just not near as nice as I expected.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

 

[smartestnumber5]

We really like CG. We usually only get appetizers (always sushi, cheese plate, and flatbread) and dessert (the bananas buzz is really good!) and love all of it. We have tried entrees when we were on the dining plan but weren't overly impressed. GF had a steak that was the size of her head. It was definitely a really great steak, but for forty some dollars, it'd better be! I had a vegetarian entree that was some type of ravioli with peas. It was definitely well done, but we just didn't enjoy the peas very much. Since the entrees are so expensive, and we enjoy the appetizers so much more, we figure why even bother with the entrees?

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Yes, it is worth every penny. We have dined there many times and never been disapointed with our meals. Excellent food & service all around.

 

[Tinkerboy00]

For the record-I have never had to wait that long with a reservation, and have always had great service.
Sorry you had such a bad experience.

we got seated like 30-40 minutes past our reservation time, and then sat another 20 mins waiting for our server to come over and introduce himself and take our drink order.

I almost got up and left (as I would have in any other restaurant) if it hadn't been for the fact that we waited so long to finally get a reservation.

BOTH our server and the person who sat us said that it's usually like that around the time of the Wishes show...and people have to wait longer than expected.

Ive always heard others on here complain about the same thing.

I guess...lesson learned...dont book a reservation around show time, unless you plan on waiting a bit longer than expected.