Just returned from WDW and here are some thoughts on our dining....

dkrauss

Goofy Fan from Jersey
Joined
Nov 9, 2013
Messages
2,217
We just returned from a week at WDW...…..it was hot, hot, hot...…..but the rain was very scattered and only impacted us 1 time in 7 days. We did the regular dining plan on this trip...….and it was very successful. All credits, including snack credits......were used!!!:D

We visited 8 TS restaurant's:

California Grill - paid OOP: dinner
Chef's de France - DDP: dinner
Liberty Tree Tavern - DDP: dinner
Sanaa - DDP: dinner
Trattoria al Forno (character breakfast) - paid OOP: breakfast
Ale & Compass - DDP: dinner
Kona Café - paid OOP: breakfast
Jungle Navigation Skipper Canteen - DDP: lunch

To begin all the meals were good to great! Some were better than others obviously.

The 2 breakfasts were very good but Trattoria al Forno with the characters was just a bit better.

Our only lunch was at Skipper Canteen in the Magic Kingdom and it was excellent. I had the Hardy Har Char pork dish and I was extremely impressed. I love the sauce on the pork and the rice was a nice mix. My wife had the grilled Steak and she too was quite happy with how it turned out. This is great restaurant that doesn't get the love it deserves…….we truly enjoy it :D

Of the 5 dinners we had 4 that were excellent! Just excellent. The 5th.... Liberty Tree Tavern was good and the service was fine...…..but at over $100 for 2 it seem way over priced for comfort food......now the pot roast was excellent but everything else was...….just good. I don't know that my wife and I would go back on our own :oops:

The other 4 dinners were fantastic......each in there own unique way. Cali Grill...….is just so much about the view, but the food was amazing. We both had the filet, based on Pete's recommendation and we were not disappointed. The real kicker here is the fireworks...…….it was amazing :-)

This was our first meal at Chef's de France and I must say we'll be back. We again had the filet and it was excellent. Our waiter gave us a bit of an education on champagne and not only was it interesting but we tried a very good one. The only downer here was when our meal was done...…..we walked out and into a downpour...….the only rain that impacted us for the entire trip. Not the restaurant's fault...…..just bad timing o_O

This was our second time at Sanaa and again we were amazed. The real winner at Sanaa is the bread service...….it's amazing. I preferred the spicy/hot sauces, my wife the less hot stuff. The only thing you should be careful of is don't fill up on the bread because the main courses are very good! Also the view of the savanna is a can't miss.

The big surprise of our dining experience was the "Ale & Compass". The location at the Yacht Club is very nautical much in the vein of the room refurb at this resort. The food was the real winner, I had steak and my wife had a special seafood pot pie. Both were fantastic. The service here again was quite good......which is true for every location we ate at.:-)

In the end the DDP worked perfectly for us.....we did about break even (not including the OOP meals) and that's with adding a few extra's. There was only one disappointment and that one is tough because the food and service wasn't bad at all.

Doug :goofy:
 
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Chef de France is one of our favorites. My daughter always gets steak (everywhere we go unless there is fried chicken :rolleyes2) and I have had the duck and salmon several times. Both are delicious. We have always had good service here.
 

I agree, it's a steep price for dinner at LTT, I prefer to do lunch instead. I'll have to try the Ale & Compass, good reviews keep popping up. Thank you for sharing your dining experiences.
 
How was breakfast at Kona Cafe? We have that on our list for October.
The food was good, as was the service. Portions were big...….my wife couldn't finish her pancakes :D. Pressed Pot coffee was very good. Unfortunately I couldn't partake in the Tonga Toast......due to my diabetes :oops:

Doug :goofy:
 
Sounds like a great trip.
Have not tried Trattoria al Forno or Ale & Compass (ate there when it was the previous restaurant).
Agree on all the others.
CG remains one of our must do almost every trip. Never been disappointed with a meal there.
Sanaa really enjoyed. Did you do the bread service? Almost a meal in itself.
Skipper Canteen is a must do at MK.
 
Thanks for a review that isn't mostly complaining!! So many reviews are reported just to complain. No restaurant can be perfect all the time with Disney's volume.
Very few I don't plan to repeat, but LTT is probably one - not bad, just not a repeat for us - our pork roast on platter was 1/2 fat, and like you said, for the price, can do better.
 
Great review!

We also love California Grill, Chefs De France and Skippers Canteen.

Glad you had some great dining experiences.
 
Thanks for a review that isn't mostly complaining!! So many reviews are reported just to complain. No restaurant can be perfect all the time with Disney's volume.
Very few I don't plan to repeat, but LTT is probably one - not bad, just not a repeat for us - our pork roast on platter was 1/2 fat, and like you said, for the price, can do better.
Thanks. Completely agree about complaining :-)

Doug :goofy:
 
I have plans to try Sanaa on my Oct/Nov trip and I can’t wait. I’ve only been hearing amazing things about it. Besides the bread service, is there any other dishes you think are a must get?
 
I have plans to try Sanaa on my Oct/Nov trip and I can’t wait. I’ve only been hearing amazing things about it. Besides the bread service, is there any other dishes you think are a must get?

It’s a fantastic restaurant. I like the South African sample plate. As the name suggests it gives you a chance to try out a few different African inspired foods. I’m not a very adventureous eater and I enjoyed everything that was served.
 
I like Saana (quite a bit, actually) but if you live in a large-ish city with a south Asian population and restaurants the bread service is not going to be that mind blowing.
 












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