Le Cellier - Why such mixed reviews?

[cryssi]

I think it's because the restaurant is over-hyped. Everyone builds it up as this great place and then are disappointed when they get there. I had built it up in my head, then after reading negative reviews, lowered my expectations. I ended up having a very enjoyable experience there. My meal (cheese soup and mushroom filet) was wonderful, and our ADR was early enough (4:15) that it wasn't crowded. Others in our party were not so impressed, and in fact, wouldn't ever go again. But then again, they didn't have the mushroom filet...plus we had gone to Brown Derby the night before. Don't do Le Cellier after Brown Derby. That's my advice...oh, and stick with the mushroom filet...

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) It is really just hype.
2) Then lots of folks glam-on like the bandwagon theory.
3) The food is normally pretty good, but definitely not that stellar.
4) Plus, the tables are so close to each other, it is annoying.

NOTE: Le Cellier is a good place to eat, but not the glory spot that the hype would represent. We have gotten to the point that there are only five sit-down eateries we frequent at WDW, and only two of them are Disney owned. Hence. And, Le Cellier is not one of those we patronize.

 

[DCDisney]

I can't imagine that anyone really got a terrible meal at LC.

We've had great meals and a meal that was actually really terrible at LC. It's not always the same exact recipe cooked in exactly the same way so you can get something terrible. I had a medium rare NY steak that was totally grey and dried out accompanied by potatoes that were very undercooked and could babrely be poked with a fork. MY DH had a way overcooked burger on a soogy bun with cold fries (seems like it must have sat under a heat lamp for a long time). My dessert creme brulee wasn't fresh and seemed left over from the previous nights dinner (we had lunch) including whipped cream that was dried out and a cut strawberry that was entirely brown. Our server was totally inflexible about kids meals including being unwilling to bring their app with our app. Our meals there tend to be close to 2 hours and it's very crowded and loud. We have gone back because we have had great meals and good service (still slow though) in the past. This upcoming visit is Le C's last chance for us though.

Yvonne

 

[Lewisc]

It's a theme park restaurant. The food, service and atmosphere are generally good. It's a steakhouse, which is a popular restaurant type. Many of us call Le Cellier great only when compared with other theme park restaurants. The food is similar to Outback in quality, maybe a little better.

Based on the reviews some posters expectations get too high. The food isn't on the caliber of a real steakhouse like the Palm, Shula's, Peter Lugar etc but that's what some posters are expecting.

I'll agree with the previous posters, reviews of the restaurant give some readers unrealistic expectations.

 

[SeaSpray]

I'm someone who's had 2 luke-warm meals at Le Cellier. Luke-warm meaning how I felt about the food; the food itself was served hot. lol

We had great service both times, and my DH and others I've dined there with truly enjoyed their food, but both times my filet mignon was just so-so and I was disappointed in it. Honestly, that was my main problem with this restaurant. The cheese soup was good, as was the bread and dessert. But if you can't get a decent piece of beef in a steak house, then what's the point.

Having said that, I am considering making an ADR there for our trip in May because my DH did enjoy his meal last year, and I think my DSs and our aunt will enjoy dining there for the first time. I'm going to try the strip steak or chicken next time, instead of the filet mignon. lol

 

[disneyquilter]

I think service plays a huge part in the enjoyment of the meal as well as the food.

My family and I really enjoyed Le Cellier when we visited (myself, DH, my kids, and my in-laws), but my mom and dad (who are currently at WDW) just went on Wednesday night (first visit to Le Cellier) and thought it was mediocre at best. They said it was more the service then the food.

They stated they had a very poor waiter that could not be found for 10 minutes after he took their drink order and then after they recieved their dinner they had to flag down another waiter because their waiter was gone for a good 40 minutes and they had the Candlelight Processional to get to.

My family's experience was positive. We had awesome service, great food, and again, awesome service, so as my mom is telling me her experience I was surprised. But unfortunately, they just had a bad server.

If the menu looks good to someone, go for it. I try not to let bad reviews sway my decision to change restaurants. I may have a great experience and someone else my have a poor one.

 

[TJA]

I personally believe it depends on what meal you order. I get the mushroom filet every single time and absolutely love that meal. DH, on the other hand, has tried several different meals and has not cared for any of them. So I found him telling people that LeCellier was "not that great," etc. Finally, last year, I made him get the mushroom filet and now he is hooked and it is a "must-do" restaurant for us every trip.

 

[mom2LLN]

We ate here on our last trip and will probably never eat here again. In my opinion, it is hard to get an ADR here because the dining area is so small and they are not able to feed as many at a time as other restaurants and secondly because of all the hype. We were excited about dining here and was looking forward to our meal only to be let down. Personally, we did not have a single good experience. We waited well over an hour to be seated, we had a late ADR because we thought we would have less of a wait. Our sever emptied all of the drinks in my lap, I was soaked from head to toe. The manager came over and gave me a certificate to go and buy a new Disney Polo Shirt to replace mine, because I was so wet. No one enjoyed any part of their meal and after soaking me with the drinks, our server was pretty much absent for the rest of the meal. Needless to say, our family is done with this restaurant.

 

[TMJJS]

I agree a lot with the problem of expectations, but another reason is that there are always people who want to tear down what other people build up. Therefore if the restaurant is getting a lot of good reviews, there will be people who want to over-emphasize the negative.

 

[ConcKahuna]

It's a theme park restaurant. The food, service and atmosphere are generally good. It's a steakhouse, which is a popular restaurant type. Many of us call Le Cellier great only when compared with other theme park restaurants. The food is similar to Outback in quality, maybe a little better.

Based on the reviews some posters expectations get too high. The food isn't on the caliber of a real steakhouse like the Palm, Shula's, Peter Lugar etc but that's what some posters are expecting.

I'll agree with the previous posters, reviews of the restaurant give some readers unrealistic expectations.

I agree. The atmosphere is nice but the restaurant is so smal it can seem very crowded. The food is decent, and a good value for 1TS credit, but it's not amazing.

Now if you want a GREAT steakhouse on the dining plan, you can go to Yachtsman. They have their own meat locker and cut all their own steaks, so you can pick EXACTLY what cut you want. It will cost you 2 TS credits, but IMHO it's well worth it.

 

[bdcp]

I agree a lot with the problem of expectations, but another reason is that there are always people who want to tear down what other people build up. Therefore if the restaurant is getting a lot of good reviews, there will be people who want to over-emphasize the negative.

No, it's really not the greatest food. My expectations were that I was going to a steak place to have a steak. An expensive steak for what it actually was. Some people have blinders on when it comes to WDW and think paying $28-30 for a Disney steak is a good deal only because it's Disney. I just don't think it deserves the hype that some people have heaped on it. It's a steak restaurant, fine, but don't make it out to be more than it is because of where it is. It's on par with Outback, but at Outback I can get a steak for a little more than 1/2 the price as LC. It's fine for what it is, but it's not the greatest restaurant in the world. It's too crowded, service was okay and the food is okay. Let's be realistic.