Jiko or Cali Grill with kids?

[Violet Parr]

Which would be a better restaurant for our kids, age 1, 6, and 9?

Thanks!

VP

 

[beansmom]

i don't tend to think of either as a family restaurant but between the 2, i'd chose CaliGrill.

 

[estherhead]

I agree. I've been to both with kids and thought Cali Grill was more kid friendly. My kids LOVED the food at Cali Grill. Jiko was fine too. But there are "off" spices to kid's palettes. Both are loud enough that other diners won't notice your kids. But I would say Cali Grill is louder.

 

[Violet Parr]

Thanks! I'm not too concerned about the food, as my kids are adventurous eaters (they love African foods as well as sushi.) I'm mostly concerned about bothering other diners. They are very well behaved children, but occasionally any 1 year old is going to fuss. We would take him out if he was disruptive. We just don't want to walk into the restaurant and find that we're totally out of place having our kids with us.

Thanks again!

 

[itchin2go]

Cali by a mile.

Maybe it's because more families go to Cali to see fireworks?

I just know my daughter did great at Cali, but IMO would have been out of place at Jiko.

P.S. I enjoyed Cali more than Jiko as well.

 

[estherhead]

I've taken a 1 yr old to jiko, Cali, flying fish, kouzzina, etc. I'm going to change my advice since your kids eat anything. Go anywhere you want but go early, like at first seating.

 

[disneygirlmass]

The California Grill was one of the best restaurants I have eaten at in Disney. My husband and I ate there for our honeymoon, and not only was the food good, but the service was impeccable. Our waiter picked our entire meal out for each of us, and I can say hands down it was one of our best meals. It was especially nice to see Wishes outside from on top of the balcony.

 

[gardengirl628]

Cali Grill is great with kids. They have kid friendly stuff....like Goldfish crackers for appetizers and rice krispie "sushi" for dessert. My daughter loved it both times we have been. She also enjoyed Jiko, but more for the atmosphere than the food....she is somewhat fussy. I hope you enjoy....wherever you decide!

 

[cbg1027]

Cali Grill is def more kid-friendly than Jiko.

 

[thej]

We've done Cali Grill with an 8yo. He loved it, and we had a great time. We were actually encouraged to go see the chefs preparing the food, which is a fun diversion for the kids.

 

[liamsaunt]

I've been taking my niece and nephew to both California Grill and Jiko for many years. They are now 9 and 11, but have been going since they were 5 and 7. They love both restaurants equally, though when I asked them which they would choose if they could only pick one, they chose Jiko for our upcoming trip.

Jiko is a little quieter (OK maybe a lot quieter!) than California Grill, but there have always been kids there in addition to my crew when we've gone, and there are a lot of choices if your kids are not super picky eaters.

When they were younger our group would stagger our food at the signature dining places--kids would get entrees while adults had appetizers, then kids would have dessert while adults ate entrees. Then the meal was over--adults skipped dessert. We also used to bring along blank paper and crayons in case they finished eating before us and needed a quiet distraction.

 

[perge33]

One "practical" consideration that argues for CG over Jiko with kids. At least as of the time of our last visit, several of the bigger tables had no tableclothes, and just granite or some other stone.

If our kids are any guide, even well-behaved children tend to drop the occasional fork and, at least in our case, replace glasses and silverware on the table with a bit less subtlety than grownups. At CG, those little sounds are muffled by the tablecloth. At Jiko, they (in our case at least) tended to get Mom and Dad nervous and force us to wonder whether our crew was being at all disruptive. I'm sure it was fine, but during the meal we took note of the fact that tableclothes are a parent's friend at fancy restaurants.

 

[Forever Fairy]

Last time my DH and I went to Jiko - we were sitting next to a couple and didn't realize they had 2 little girls until they went to leave. They were so tired from the day they had zonked out and fell asleep.

Cali Grill may be more entertaining for the kids, especially if they get to see the fireworks at night or watch the lagoon parade. There's not much to do at Jiko's except eat.

I would recommend Cali.