Need Some Restaurant Recommendations

[disneypap]

My wife and I are taking our two daughters, two husbands, and two granddaughters (ages 2 1/2 and 6 mos) to WDW Apr 30- May 6, 2006. Will be at Beach Club Villas (3-studios). Our first time staying there. We're doing the dining plan (6 meal days). Looking for recommendations for dinners. Have booked CRT for the oldest grandaughter who loves Cindy/Princesses (not on dining plan); and have booked character breakfast at Chef Mickey's. Need 5 more dinner recommendations. We'd been to Tony's Town Square in past and really liked it, so I thought I'd book one there. Haven't had much experience at other dining sites. Any thoughts and recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[3princesses4us]

Le Cellier (steakhouse in Epcot's Canada) is very well regarded around here. I had a wonderful meal there in September and you get a great deal for your 1 TS credit! Also in Epcot is Coral Reef if you like seafood (and steak!). They have just lowered their price from 2 TS to 1 TS credit so another fabulous deal there. They also have a beautiful large fish tank that kids like to watch during dinner so that would be a win for all. For a fun meal, I would go to 50's Prime Time Cafe at MGM. Fun atmosphere and good food. I'm 33 and can not wait to take my mother-in-law there. Have fun!

 

[kutchyone]

Spoodles @ Boardwalk (TS)
Cape May Cafe/clam bake buffet @ Yach/Beach Club (TS)
Kona Cafe @ Poly (TS)
1900 Park Fare/character breakfast @ Grand Floridian (TS)
Chefs deFrance @ EPCOT (TS)
Le Cellier @ EPCOT (TS)
Restaurant Marrakesh @ Epcot (TS)
Teppanyaki @ EPCOT (TS)
Tangierine Cafe @ EPCOT (CS)
Liberty Inn @EPCOT (CS)
Cantina de San Angel @ EPCOT (CS)
Columbia Harbour House @ MK (CS)
Cosmic Rays @ MK (CS)
Pecos Bill's Cafe @ MK (CS)
50's Prime Time Cafe @ MGM (TS)
Flame Tree BBQ @ AK (CS)
Tusker House @ AK (CS)

One we really did not care for:
Flying Fish @ Boardwalk - was looking forward to dining here for many years because we had stayed at the Boardwalk the year it opened. Finally got the chance to eat here in June and was very disappointed. The food was over rated and the prices very high.

Mamma Melrose @ MGM - did the Fantasmic Dining Package using this location. Service was not good and food was only OK. Since the Fantasmic Dining Package is part fo the dining plan it would be the best value at one credit over Hollywood and Vine. If you want the package I would pay OOP for H & V and use the TS credit saved for either a signature such as the castle or for a character breakfast at a deluxe resort.

Sci-Fi @ MGM - great theme but the food is not that great. We make an ADR and have snacks/drinks/dessert only here. The kids love this location.

Coral Reef @ EPCOT - the decor is beautiful but the food was over priced and not very good. Make an ADR for snacks/drinks/dessert, if you want to enjoy the fish but forget about the meal.

Garden Grill @ EPCOT - with such great places to dine at in the World Showcase don't bother. Food was just OK.

L'Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante @ EPCOT - Yuck and a big waste of time and money.

Nine Dragons Restaurant @ EPCOT - you can probably get far better Chinese at home so don't bother.

San Angel Inn @ EPCOT - enjoyed the decor, great experience and the food was decent but you can find much better locations around the World Showcase to dine at.

The Crystal Palace @ MK - OK at best.

Liberty Tree Tavern @ MK - Decent food and good character experience but not that great. If you want to skip Tony's then give it a try.

Just my opinion of course. Hope this helps.

 

[twinsmamma]

My wife and I are taking our two daughters, two husbands, and two granddaughters (ages 2 1/2 and 6 mos) to WDW Apr 30- May 6, 2006. Will be at Beach Club Villas (3-studios). Our first time staying there. We're doing the dining plan (6 meal days). Looking for recommendations for dinners. Have booked CRT for the oldest grandaughter who loves Cindy/Princesses (not on dining plan); and have booked character breakfast at Chef Mickey's. Need 5 more dinner recommendations. We'd been to Tony's Town Square in past and really liked it, so I thought I'd book one there. Haven't had much experience at other dining sites. Any thoughts and recommendations would be appreciated.

we just returned form disney last week(myself and my 12 yr old twins) loved le cellier for dinner, chef mickeys for character interaction food was good not great, concourse was wonderful, alfredos was good but too crowded, 1900 breakfast was awesome, hated sci fi food was great service sucked, crystal palace was so so

 

[wdwgoofeeee]

The 50's Prime Time at the Disney Studios is a lot of fun. It also has good food with large helpings.
Since you are staying at the Beach Club you may want to try the Cape May Clam Bake at the Beach Club. Excellent dinner buffet with seafood on one side and meat offerings on the other side. Also salads, and items for children, although they can eat off the main sections also. They also have very good desserts.
The Cape May Cafe also has a character breakfast every morning that is very enjoyable.
Check out the menus of all WDW restaurants on allearsnet.com.

 

[MICKEEP]

Just got back on Monday from 9 days at the world. Because of this trip our favorite restaurant has been changed from "Ohana to Le Cellier. Boma is still great. Tried Palio for the first time and thought the atmosphere and food was terrific.

Others we ate at this time:

1900 Park Fair - Very good food, enjoyed it very much

Marrakesh - A major dissapointment this trip, we loved this place in the past. all the food was overcooked and dried out.

"Ohana - though not our favorite any more is right up there in the top three. The food was excellent. better than in the past. But the service is not what it was. We felt rushed.

Teppanyacki - Fun place but the food is not as good as other restaurants of this type that we have eaten at.

We did not have a chance to eat at Jiko but went on a tour of the restaurant and tried a few of their appetizers. This will certainly be our first stop on our next trip.

 

[Kapp]

Boma!!!!!

 

[disneypap]

Quick question...what's the Fantasmic Dining Pkg at Mama Melrose's??

 

[Leah and Emily's mom]

We loved the Whispering Canyon Cafe at WL. Lots of fun for all the ages.

 

[Amyrlin]

'Ohana and book it so that you will be able to watch wishes from there, it is a lovely experience and good food sitable for all the family.

I like Boma, but it is a bit overated but is quite good.

Liberty Tree Tavern in MK is good, charcters are there for dinner, but it is also very good food.

 

[Taratink]

I love Ohana's the best.
Tara

 

[Pigletlover]

We really enjoyed Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It's an African-themed buffet with a large selection of foods, but you have to be a bit adventurous. They have some unusual salads, soups and side dishes. I am vegetarian and found plenty to eat there. They also have some kid-friendly selections (as do all Disney restaurants I think). Before or after your meal you can go and view the animals that live on the grounds, eg giraffes and baby, deer and hooved animals, flamingoes and other birds.

The Biergarten German restaurant at Epcot also had a great buffet selection as well as kid-friendly foods. You get entertained by a German band and the kids love dancing around on the dance floor.

Both of these restaurants had some nice desserts. Many of Disney's table-service restaurants are pricey, but these buffets are good value because you get to try lots of different foods.

We specifically chose these 2 restaurants and also Akershus in Norway (another buffet) because we don't get to eat African, German or Norwegian food at home. I figure why go to a steakhouse, Italian, Mexican etc at Disney when there are so many of these places in most cities?

We enjoyed Akershus (a bit of an acquired taste) but if you have already done a princess meal I would say skip it. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all princess meals at Akershus.

 

[Jenny]

my DDs were almost the exact same ages last year when we went to WDW & they enjoyed the following:

Biergarten buffet for dinner (germany-epcot) mostly b/c of the live band - the toddler was dancing the night away
Chef Mickey's character buffet for dinner (contemporary hotel - mickey & friends)
O'Hana's for dinner - (Polynesian) b/c of the hula hoop contests & coconut races - the toddler was pushing a coconut around the room w/ a broom
Crystal Palace character buffet for lunch (pooh & friends - in MK).
Coral Reef for lunch (epcot) - kids looked at the diver & fish in the large tank.

have fun.

 

[Danaans]

My wife and I are taking our two daughters, two husbands, and two granddaughters (ages 2 1/2 and 6 mos) to WDW Apr 30- May 6, 2006. Will be at Beach Club Villas (3-studios). Our first time staying there. We're doing the dining plan (6 meal days). Looking for recommendations for dinners. Have booked CRT for the oldest grandaughter who loves Cindy/Princesses (not on dining plan); and have booked character breakfast at Chef Mickey's. Need 5 more dinner recommendations. We'd been to Tony's Town Square in past and really liked it, so I thought I'd book one there. Haven't had much experience at other dining sites. Any thoughts and recommendations would be appreciated.

you have enough people I believe to do the Tonys Grand gathering....if you do, my suggestion is dont miss it...

check out my review.....

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=970571

 

[waltdisneyworlddreamer]

I highly recommend
Whispering Canyon Cafe @ Wilderness Lodge
Cape May Cafe clambake @ Beach Club
Both of these are delicious!!!

I would also try 50's Primetime at MGM. I wasn't that impressed with the food, but it is such a fun place I would definitely go again. A large party like yours would have a blast!!

 

[Wendy1953]

It's set up so that you eat at Mama Melrose and then have VIP seating for Fantasmic. Brown Derby also has this same deal....call 407-939-3463 and requet the Fantasmic! Dinner Package

 

[minniegrl]

I agree with all of kutchyone's positive recommendations except for the cantina de san angel, although the san angel inn (table service) is nice.

I have to disagree with the comment about Alfredo's, though. We have stayed away from it because of reviews like that one, but decided to give it a try on our last visit simply because it is one of the very few restaurants we have not been to. We were very pleasantly surprised and enjoyed our meal very much. We had an appetizer that had meats, cheeses, and olives that was very good. I had the pasta sampler that had a very good lasagna (not quite as good as mom's) a good penne with tomato sauce, and an exquisite pasta filled with truffles in a sage/cream sauce. The dessert sampler was good, but was not my favorite part of the meal. It was very loud, but coming from an Italian family, I wasn't bothered by it. They also had a funny little accordian player who came through once and played a song.

We love:
Spoodles (especially the mediterranean dips appetizer)
Jiko (kalamata olive flatbread and the chicken entree cooked in a tangine)
California Grille (pork and polenta with mushrooms entree)
Citricos is a new favorite, also..everything we had was great
Le Cellier simply because of the cheddar cheese soup!
Flame Tree BBQ for lunch - favorite counter service meal
Kona Cafe for breakfast - Tonga Toast and Liliquoi juice (sp?)
Beaches and Cream - best cheeseburgers and cherry coke
Kringla Bakery for snack- we love the school bread - coconut cream filled donut type pastry


The Yachtsmen Steakhouse at the Yacht Club is also a very good meal.

If you have to eat in MK (which we try to avoid) we like the Pecos Bill Cafe because they have a condiment bar that includes sauteed onions and mushrooms to go with the burgers. They also have a nice looking (haven't tasted it) salad, or we also like the Liberty Tree Tavern. Cosmic Ray's would be in 3rd place.

I"m sure I'm forgetting something, but these are the most important. That's the thing about Walt Disney World, though, there are so many choices for so many palettes.

Happy Eating!
Minniegrl

 

[Laurajean1014]

Spoodles @ Boardwalk (TS)
Cape May Cafe/clam bake buffet @ Yach/Beach Club (TS)
Kona Cafe @ Poly (TS)
1900 Park Fare/character breakfast @ Grand Floridian (TS)
Chefs deFrance @ EPCOT (TS)
Le Cellier @ EPCOT (TS)
Restaurant Marrakesh @ Epcot (TS)
Teppanyaki @ EPCOT (TS)
Tangierine Cafe @ EPCOT (CS)
Liberty Inn @EPCOT (CS)
Cantina de San Angel @ EPCOT (CS)
Columbia Harbour House @ MK (CS)
Cosmic Rays @ MK (CS)
Pecos Bill's Cafe @ MK (CS)
50's Prime Time Cafe @ MGM (TS)
Flame Tree BBQ @ AK (CS)
Tusker House @ AK (CS)

One we really did not care for:
Flying Fish @ Boardwalk - was looking forward to dining here for many years because we had stayed at the Boardwalk the year it opened. Finally got the chance to eat here in June and was very disappointed. The food was over rated and the prices very high.

Mamma Melrose @ MGM - did the Fantasmic Dining Package using this location. Service was not good and food was only OK. Since the Fantasmic Dining Package is part fo the dining plan it would be the best value at one credit over Hollywood and Vine. If you want the package I would pay OOP for H & V and use the TS credit saved for either a signature such as the castle or for a character breakfast at a deluxe resort.

Sci-Fi @ MGM - great theme but the food is not that great. We make an ADR and have snacks/drinks/dessert only here. The kids love this location.

Coral Reef @ EPCOT - the decor is beautiful but the food was over priced and not very good. Make an ADR for snacks/drinks/dessert, if you want to enjoy the fish but forget about the meal.

Garden Grill @ EPCOT - with such great places to dine at in the World Showcase don't bother. Food was just OK.

L'Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante @ EPCOT - Yuck and a big waste of time and money.

Nine Dragons Restaurant @ EPCOT - you can probably get far better Chinese at home so don't bother.

San Angel Inn @ EPCOT - enjoyed the decor, great experience and the food was decent but you can find much better locations around the World Showcase to dine at.

The Crystal Palace @ MK - OK at best.

Liberty Tree Tavern @ MK - Decent food and good character experience but not that great. If you want to skip Tony's then give it a try.

Just my opinion of course. Hope this helps.

Nice list - and I agree!

How about Blue Zoo in Swan/Dolphin - Shula's in Dolphin - Wolfgang Puck's Cafe?

 

[Eeyore2003]

For that age I would agree on Ohana's and Whispering Canyon. Both are fun meals. Biergarten is also fun for that age, she might like Sci Fi with the movie and if she sits in the front seat she gets a "drivers license", (at least my niece did in November) A "different" character meal, (since you have one princess and one Mickey) might be brunch and 1900 Park Fair with Alice and Wonderland, the Mad Hatter, Pooh, Tigger and Mary Poppins. Or also Crystal Palace with the Pooh characters.

For good "adult" meals (meaning no real "entertainment" for the kids"), our favorites are Grand Floridian Cafe, Artist Point and Le Cellier.

Our least favorites so far are, Brown Derby, Jiko, Boma and Liberty Tree Tavern.