LeCellier.....not on DP, is it really worth it?

[CherylDan]

I'm trying to figure out if I want to eat at LeCellier on our upcoming trip. I'm just curious at this point as to whether the majority of people on the DP who eat there do so because the restaurant really is all that great, or if it's more because it's a good restaurant that just happens to be a great deal on the DP. And for those who have eaten there while NOT on the DP, did you think it was worth it?

We will NOT be on the DP and have quite a few excellent steak houses all around the Chicagoland area......at WDW, I like to stick to places that are different than what I can get at home (meaning food, atmosphere, or just a general good time). Is there anything about LeCellier that really sets it apart from just your ordinary good steak house, either foodwise or just overall experience? Thanks!

 

[Conservative Hippie]

I say the experience sets it apart, DH thinks it is just like any other steakhouse. But be careful--we were on the DP, but our "real money" bills were the biggest at LC.

 

[mnasf]

We have eaten at LC 5 times, but all times have been on the DP. Both my wife and I agree it is our favorite restaurant at EPCOT. I would say it is an above average steak house with a nice atmosphere.

If you think you want to eat there you will want to make sure to get your ADR as soon as possilbe as the seating seems to fill up very fast.

 

[Cinders Mum]

we eat at LC and do not have DP, although we do use DDE, and we love it, okay yes it is a few $$, but we don't do sit down every day and I'd rather pay a little more and eat here, than pay a little less and have something distinctly less than average.

This upcoming trip we have 3 ADR's for LC, so I guess we are willing to part with the cash for it ...LOL

Val
xx

 

[disgirl]

We are in a similiar situation to Val. We are not on the DP, but do have DDE. We tried LC for the first time last summer and we really liked it, especially DH, that this trip I made 2 ADRs for LC. We are not going to Yachtsman(which was dh's favorite) this year and doing LC twice. Yes, it does cost a bit of money, but last year we felt it was worth it. We had experienced very good food and had a very nice and attentive waiter. We are hoping this year, we can say the same.

Since you have good steakhouses near you and you like to try different type places while at WDW, maybe you will not feel it is worth the money. However, if you do not frequent the good steakhouses near you often and are looking for a good steak at a nice, but certainly not fancy or stuffy restaurant, I think you should give it a try. It is hard call, but we did enjoy it very much last year and we do have good steakhouses here too. We only , however, visit them a couple of times a year so LC was a treat for us. Good Luck with your decision!

 

[bicker]

You really hit on the core issue, CherylDan: You've got great steakhouses in Chicago. If you're adventurous, definitely take advantage of the wide variety of unique choices that are available at WDW, both in terms of cuisine and in terms of experience. There is a great German restaurant at Epcot with a live Oom Pah band. There is a Morrocan restaurant with a belly dancer.

Le Cellier isn't even among the best steakhouses at WDW. We found its food quality is inconsistent and the place is pretty badly cramped.

 

[Kayleebug]

We ate at Le Cellier last June without a dining plan. We ate there at lunch time so it wouldn't be quite as expensive. I can't personally speak of the steak. I had a steak sandwich, which was good. DH got a steak. He said it was not great. I don't know if it was because it was at lunch rather than dinner???? We are going in about 2 weeks and are on the DDP, and we are not choosing to eat at Le Cellier this time. (The cheese plate is good. We thought it was expensive - once again, we were paying OOP for everything - but good!)

 

[magiroux]

I have eaten there just about every trip to WDW and have never been on the DDP. I have always gotten an excellent steak cooked perfectly. So, for me on my Epcot touring day, it is worth it. However, it is so expensive that if I ever got a "bad steak" it would turn me off enough to never return. Bicker mentioned that the quality is inconsistent. My feeling is, if you are going to charge outrageous prices for food in your restaurant, you are not allowed any "off" days.

 

[bicker]

Well, let's be fair. The (dry, gristly) 10 oz. steak I ordered last time we visited Le Cellier is $19.99. A 14 oz. steak is $26.99. By comparison: A 10 oz. steak at Shula's (the BEST steak at WDW) is $38.95, almost twice as much as at Le Cellier. A 12 oz. steak at Yachtsman Steakhouse is $36, about 50% more expensive than Le Cellier (per oz). Le Cellier is a bargain, so the fact that their food quality is inconsistent isn't surprising. For the money, it's okay. It's just not the place to go if you want the best steak.

 

[Judique]

I'm trying to figure out if I want to eat at LeCellier on our upcoming trip. I'm just curious at this point as to whether the majority of people on the DP who eat there do so because the restaurant really is all that great, or if it's more because it's a good restaurant that just happens to be a great deal on the DP. And for those who have eaten there while NOT on the DP, did you think it was worth it?

We will NOT be on the DP and have quite a few excellent steak houses all around the Chicagoland area......at WDW, I like to stick to places that are different than what I can get at home (meaning food, atmosphere, or just a general good time). Is there anything about LeCellier that really sets it apart from just your ordinary good steak house, either foodwise or just overall experience? Thanks!

I think it's worth it, but I don't go with the intention of getting a great steak......go to Shula's for that, as someone suggested. I like the cheese soup, the shrimp appetizer, the salmon, the mussels and the kids dessert - chocolate moose. I've not had a problem ordering the filet, but I've had better. People at our table all enjoyed what they did get. The breadsticks are good and the atmosphere although crowded, is very nice, plus the waitstaff have always been very nice. At lunch I've enjoyed a french dip sandwich and they used to have a salmon and applewood smoked bacon sandwich that was excellent.

 

[SarahKate]

We LOVED Le Cellier. We were on the DP, so if we paid for our meals OOP, I don't know that we'd want to pay the $. We have only been 1x, so I can't say anything about inconsistency. But LC is one of the very highest rated restaurants in all of WDW.....it is one that I've always heard top WDW people eat at, this definitely means something.

I had the petite filet at lunchtime and it was WONDERFUL. Not dry a bit, and I have mine cooked medium well and it was cooked perfectly. Seems like most steakhouses (even good ones) overcook it a bit.

Since you're paying OOP, definitely go at lunchtime. They have some of the same entrees as they do at dinnertime. Be flexible with your times, and you'll be able to get the ADR.

We decided to go last minute and called the day BEFORE we wanted to go to LC. We were able to get in at 2:50, just on the tail end of their lunch service. Not an ideal time,but we just hung around Epcot and snacked at the normal lunch hour. It was well worth the trouble. The grounds around LC are just BEAUTIFUL and lots of great photo opps in the flower garden area.

 

[Allison]

Well, let's be fair. The (dry, gristly) 10 oz. steak I ordered last time we visited Le Cellier is $19.99. A 14 oz. steak is $26.99. By comparison: A 10 oz. steak at Shula's (the BEST steak at WDW) is $38.95, almost twice as much as at Le Cellier. A 12 oz. steak at Yachtsman Steakhouse is $36, about 50% more expensive than Le Cellier (per oz). Le Cellier is a bargain, so the fact that their food quality is inconsistent isn't surprising. For the money, it's okay. It's just not the place to go if you want the best steak.

Good point. It really doesn't seem expensive to me but I was there for lunch so it was even less expensive.

 

[jackmac]

LeCellier is a good steak house and a great deal on the DDP. It is not as good as the Yachtsman or Shula's. LC is popular because it is a 1ts credit restaurant, unlike Yachtsman which is a 2 credit ts restaurant. LC is friendly, nice and has a good menu. But you have to realize that it is a Epcot restaurant, meaning that it's wait staff are only there for 1 year and are not professional waitpersons, they are there for the Disney experience. Both Yachtsman and Shula's have staff that have been working there for many years. LC is popular because it's the best bang for the buck. Personally, I would go back there, but I'm not disappointed if I can't get in. For a better Epcot experience I would book Rose and Crown for Illuminations (an ADR around 7:45 should do nicely), Marakesh for the atmosphere and the belly dancer or Bistro de Paris or Chef's de France. Have fun.

 

[Lezah]

We love Le Cellier. We were on DDP last year when it was free, but this year are doing without (but are getting DDE) so we're going at lunch instead of dinner when it's a bit cheaper! We love the atmosphere, the CM's and the food. We've never had a bad meal there, the only weird thing is when we had a "sandwich" there (chicken) and it came on an english muffin?? It was weird, but I never eat the bread part of a sandwich anyway!!

 

[CherylDan]

Thank you to everyone for your replies.......it's such a help to hear about different experiences. At this point, I'm still undecided about it. Here's what we have planned so far for TS restaurants:

Chef's de France
Marrakesh
San Angel
50's Prime Time
Cape May or Spoodles (I know, huge difference!)
The Plaza
WCC
Kona
Boma

We still have room in our schedule for one more meal at Epcot. We were not all that thrilled with Biergarten on a previous trip, and are not interested in Japan. Besides LeCellier, the other consideration would be Rose & Crown. I know they are nothing alike, but that's ok.....our main goal is to try different experiences and/or just an overall fun time. I'm thinking perhaps LeCellier for lunch, because truth be told, I'm a bit scared of Rose & Crown's menu! But I guess it would certainly meet my goal! Any opinions between the two? Thanks again!

 

[formernyer]

Thank you to everyone for your replies.......it's such a help to hear about different experiences. At this point, I'm still undecided about it. Here's what we have planned so far for TS restaurants:

Chef's de France
Marrakesh
San Angel
50's Prime Time
Cape May or Spoodles (I know, huge difference!)
The Plaza
WCC
Kona
Boma

With this many TS meals planned, it seems crazy to NOT be on the DDP, unless you aren't eligible for some reason.

 

[CherylDan]

With this many TS meals planned, it seems crazy to NOT be on the DDP, unless you aren't eligible for some reason.

Well, my family (me, DH, DD17 and DD22) like our space so staying in one room just wouldn't work out and two rooms is just too expensive....so we will be renting a house at Emerald Island. We will have plenty of room and still save money in the end, even though we will be paying OOP for all our meals. It works for us.

 

[eblack0409]

Le Cellier is one of our favorite restaurants at WDW....it's a must do on every trip....we are eating there twice on our anniversary trip!!!!!

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

I would choose Rose & Crown over Le Cellier. I like LC just fine when I at there but with steakhouses out the wazoo back home for you I'd skip it. When I wuz from Joisey I never ate in Italy and generally skipped China as well. In my new home town skipping Mexico and Canada will probably replace skipping Italy and China...lots of Mexican restaurants in these parts...very few Italian or semi-genuine Chinese restaurants (heavily americanized restaurants and chains we got plenty of).

The very fact that the menu scares you means its the place to go.

 

[bicker]

If the choice is between Le Cellier and Rose and Crown, I'd choose Rose and Crown.