Need dining suggestions for 2 adults

[BelleM77]

Hi all! My husband (28) and I (29) are taking our 2nd adult trip to Disney World in January and I need help picking TS restaurants for dinner. I consider ourselves foodies and we generally do not like chains. We are not big steak eaters and love Italian, seafood and Mexican. We hated San Angel Inn when we went in 2005 and I don't consider that Mexican food by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, our food was inedible.

So far we only have California Grill picked out and I can't decide on anywhere else. I'm even starting to rethink CA Grill because of the inconsiderate parents I read about on the boards. Yes, I know I'm at Disney but if I'm spending $200+ on a meal, I don't need children or other adults ruining my experience.

To give you an idea, these are the kinds of places we eat at on vacation:
Stack

Nobu

Rao's

Sorry, Vegas is on the mind, we are going next month.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Paul in CT]

I suggest that you try Narcoossees for seafood. My DW and I have dined there several times and really enjoy the food and the ambiance. It's especially nice if you are there while Wishes is going on at the MK.

If you are concerned about children and noise at CG, I suggest that you request seating in the Wine Room. It does not have a view of the Castle, but it has a beautiful view of the rest of WDW. We dined there with our adult son in May and had a wonderful meal with none of the usual noise in CG. It is a relatively small room separated from the rest of the restaurant.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

For you, I would definitely recommend the Chef's Table at Victoria and Albert's! It was an eating experience of a lifetime! If you can't get the Chef's Table, dine in the main room.

Some might recommend Wolfgang Puck's Cafe but, while we found it to be good, it was very "chain like". We enjoyed the food at California Grill very much. The best sushi we've ever had (and we love sushi)!

Try Restaurant Marrakesh in Epcot. We really like the food and experience.

The food at Boma was actually quite good too but I might try Jiko's instead next time.

I know that you are looking for TS but one of our greatest suprises was Sunshine Seasons Food Fair in the Land at Epcot. We ate there several times and wished we had found it sooner. This leads me to think that the food at Garden Grill is probably really good too, although we haven't eaten there so I can't recommend it.

Hope this gives you a place to start.

 

[The Bell of Tinker]

Narcoossee's! By far the best food i've ever eaten. The ambiance was wonderful and I don't think I saw any children(so no worries about kids running amuck) This is a very romantic location especially if you time your dining during WISHES. Good luck on your search and let us know where you pick.

 

[Pakey]

My DH and I are foodies and really love the opportunity to eat someplace at WDW that offers something unusual while also being a bit on the quieter side. I like Ca Grill, my DH could take it or leave it. It is noisy and lots of kids there but it does offer some interesting dishes. Personally, we were not thrilled with Narcoosies for our last 2 times of trying it. Food was just okay but lots of noise and kids there too. While the fish/seafood was okay, I felt like I was at Denny's with the noise there. Next trip for seafood we will try bluezoo as the critical reviews on it are very good. Our favorite is Victoria & Alberts, definitely a grown up place with unusual food. We also like JIKO. It's been less noisy than many of the other TS's; it has a wonderful wine list of African wines and the appetizers there are very unique and worth the trip. The disboards have shown that the new Italian place at Epcot, while expensive, has good food and a wine pairing offering but I haven't read anyone's comments on the noise level/kid factor. We already have our ADRs set for our upcoming trip or we'd be trying that. Another favorite for us is Bistro de Paris, upstairs in France. Very nice atmosphere with good food and wine. Many people like Artist Pointe too but we were not bowled over there.
Wolfgang Pucks's was okay but again, nothing about it was that great.

I think you have to go with the attitude that this is Disney, geared for kids and families. You will not find Nobu there (yes, we love Las Vegas also and will be there next month--our favorite place to eat is Picasso's). The only places that are on that level are V&A and Bistro de Paris. We try to mix our fine dining in with the others places that offer a "fun" Disney atmosphere and we have a good time. If I were only going to eat, it would be a big disappointment compared to the fine dining options in Las Vegas.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

That's really good to know about Bistro de Paris. We'll definitely try it next time!

We also would love to try Tutto Italia. Most of the reviews from people who have actually eaten there are great. The people who have negative things to say are usually those who have only looked at the menu and have been turned off by the price.

 

[TANYABETH]

I think that since the dining plan has become so popular you see many more families with children dining at some of the nicer restaurants. I have noticed a great increase in the amount of children at some of the pricer restaurants since this plan became available.

 

[turrethouse]

We ate at Narcoosee's (along with DS 4 and DD 6) and it was our FAVORITE of the trip. I had lobster (love the DDP) and DD had the kids filet mignon.
It was delicious. Environment was great. Just a great experience.

We were most disappointed in our 2 TS credits used at Brown Derby. I was so excited for eating there, and the food was just SO NOT worth it.
Very mediocre food if you ask me.

Our favorites of the trip were Narcoosees and Boma.
Wispering Canyon was also very GOOD food and I was a little intimidated by the whole shananigans there, but the kids LOVED it and we did too. Food was so good we ate their twice.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I don't think Whispering Canyon would really be a good choice for the OP. I think they are looking for something quite a bit quieter and aimed more at adults.

 

[JennyDrake]

I am also a foodie and not overly fond of screaming children with my meal. I adore BOMA and just ignore the small children running amok. The food is worth it--really. LOVE Jiko. Am also a fan of Artist Point and Kona for lunch or dinner.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

I would keep California Grill. My wife and I eat here on every trip and love it. We have never had any trouble with other diners. We have been making it our first night's dining for several years now. I would also suggest dining at Jiko, Citrico's, Flying Fish and Blue Zoo.

 

[burberryplaid]

I would recommend Kona, Le Cellier, and Jiko. You'll get a good steak dinner at Le Cellier. Kona has some unique seafood dishes you might enjoy and Jiko is just an all around, unique experience.

Don't worry about the kids when making your plans. There's no way to avoid them, but for the most part, the kids in the restaurants were a lot better behaved then some we saw in the parks.

Happy planning!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The two places I have never seen screaming children, and very rarely seen children at all, are Victoria and Albert's and Bistro de Paris. Neither of them are on the Dining Plan and neither have children's menus.

As a side note, I would suggest that one of you invest in an AP rather than a regular ticket and invest the $65 in buying the Disney Dining Experiance card. It will give you a 20% discount on food and all beverages (including alcoholic) and almost every sit-down restaurant at WDW including V&A (but not the Chef's Table).

Also, with an AP you can usually get a discounted rate for room.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I don't think I would recommend Kona if you are willing to spend money on nicer places. Again, it wasn't bad but we weren't wowed by it. Pretty typical food, we found. (Although my DH really did enjoy his Mahi Mahi.) The other thing was that the atmosphere was pretty bland. This would be a nice place to drop by for a drink and maybe dessert but I wouldn't consider it to be a highlight of your dining experience. Just our opinion.

 

[BelleM77]

Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions. I thought you guys would make it easier on me instead I have even more ideas than when I started.

Paul in CT, I didn't know about the wine room in California Grill. That's definitely something to keep in mind.

Pakey, I know better than to expect Nobu at DW. I love Disney and have a pass to DL. When I'm at DW for 5 days, I just want to have a couple of adult meals, ya know? I'm thinking about Blue Zoo also. How bad could it be if it's a Todd English restaurant?

Mr. and Mrs. Smith, it's funny that you mention the Food Fair in the land. A friend just want to DW and one of the first things I told her was to eat there. I still can't get over the fact that CS food was that good! I wasn't impressed with the Wolfgang Puck Cafe either. I've been to one here in So Cal and another in Vegas. Twice was more than enough for me.

Cheshire Figment, I thought about an annual pass but since we are only going to be in the parks for 4 days, we wouldn't save much.

I think I've narrowed it down to Narcoosee's, Blue Zoo, CA Grill (Wine Room), Artists Point or Il Mulino. I added Il Mulino because I always want to try someone else's Amatriciana pasta. My husband doesn't like it so I never get to make it at home.

Thank you again and when I finally decide, you will be the first to know!