Need something French

[Alsobrook]

My daughter is 8. She's excited about Epcot and going to the countries. She loves the French language and really wants to dine at a French restaurant. We have a lunch reservation at Chefs de France; however, I've just read about 6 of the worst reviews I've seen on here.

a) Is it that bad?

b) Is there another option? She's 8. I have a 6 year old too.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

It's fine for lunch, really.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Chef's is "OK".
2) Not great, not bad.
3) Just OK.
4) She will be fine, as she won't know the difference.

**********************************************

Our Personal Ratings of Chefs de France:
. . . food price value: C
. . . food quality: B
. . . food quantity per serving: B
. . . food prep speed: C
. . . food selection: C
. . . seating quantity: C
. . . seating comfort: B
. . . eatery atmosphere: C
. . . eatery convenience: B
. . . staff friendliness: C
. . . staff attentiveness: C
. . . character interaction: n/a

NOTE: Chefs is a pleasant French eatery, although most
dishes have been Americanized. The service is a little slow
and the servers sometimes inattentive, just like in France. As
a middle-priced eatery, it is well placed. The food is above
average, except leave the snails in the garden, as the snails
they use have been downgraded. The atmosphere is good,
but, the tables are uncomfortably close to one another.

 

[taylor3297]

My daughter is 8. She's excited about Epcot and going to the countries. She loves the French language and really wants to dine at a French restaurant. We have a lunch reservation at Chefs de France; however, I've just read about 6 of the worst reviews I've seen on here.

a) Is it that bad?

b) Is there another option? She's 8. I have a 6 year old too.

I haven't eaten at Chefs de France, but you will read many bad reviews on all the restaurants. If there is a restaurant that I want to try I go ahead and try it.

 

[roxysmum123]

I had a pretty good experience there to be honest. But it is very crowded, that's my biggest complaint (felt like I was sitting in the laps of the people at the next table). Another good option is just to go to the pastry shop/quick service and eat in the little interior area at the back of the pavilion. NOthing like a quiche and chocolate croissant!

 

[kathie859]

We've had lunch at Chefs 5 times and each experience was good. Once, we had the grandkids with us and they loved it--especially seeing Remy. Try to get a seat by the window. It's fun to watch people go by.

 

[burberryplaid]

Don't let bad reviews sway you - we enjoyed it. The only thing I didn't like (I had the chicken) was the seasoning. DH had the macaroni au gratin and it was yummy. Go & enjoy!

 

[Pakey]

I think lunch at Chefs is fine. It's not great but it's decent. And the crowded tables remind me of the casual restaurants we went to in Paris.

 

[figment_jii]

Ditto - don't let the bad reviews scare you. We had lunch there in October and it was really good.

 

[LilyWDW]

I had a pretty good experience there to be honest. But it is very crowded, that's my biggest complaint (felt like I was sitting in the laps of the people at the next table). Another good option is just to go to the pastry shop/quick service and eat in the little interior area at the back of the pavilion. NOthing like a quiche and chocolate croissant!

I agree with the crowded feeling... though it IS set up very much like the restaurants I ate at in Paris. However, my anxiety seemed really bad this last trip and I nearly had a panic attack because I felt closed in. I think I was just really tired and I didn't feel that well so it made things worse.

That all said, the food was okay. Mom really liked it. I wasn't very impressed, but it is hard to say if that was the food or just my mood (panic attacks make for a bad food critic since all the brain is saying is "Get me out of here!").

 

[Linleedo]

We just ate lunch here for the first time in October. We loved it. The staff speaks French. The food was delicious. I had the French Onion Soup & the Chicken Crepes. My husband enjoyed the Mahi Sandwich. The vegetarian in the group ordered the vegetarian lasagna & didn't care for it. The best was the visit by Remi from Ratatouille. It was a great experience. I think you will love it.

 

[DrPierreMcDuck]

Orlando has several nice French restaurants and cafes, so you may want to consider eating outside the park for the French meal if you want to avoid the crowd issue. When are you going?

 

[cbg1027]

a) Is it that bad?
If you're ok with paying theme park prices for what tastes like a frozen boxed dinner heated in the microwave, then no.

b) Is there another option? She's 8. I have a 6 year old too.[/QUOTE]
There is another French restaurant, Bistro de Paris, but it's more upscale and not appropriate for young children.

That said....the atmosphere, decor, and feel at Chefs is a lot like a busy cafe in Paris and the severs are all French. So your daughter might enjoy it for the experience...just don't expect good food. It might be worth indulging her. If you get a nice server you could ask them to speak in French first and then say the same thing in English.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

The food isn't bad, its just not very good.

 

[mariamouse]

I would just go for it. I spent five months living in Paris and can vouch for the fact that, while the food is not exactly authentic, it is still quite good. Even if the quality is not nearly the same, the majority of the items on the menu are at least similar to what is offered in many French restaurants.

The restaurant decor is fun and I am sure that your daughter will get a kick out of interacting with the waiters/Remy, reading the French menu, etc.

 

[TDC Nala]

It's not bad. It's not great or anything, but it isn't bad. Stick with it, all the servers are authentic French even if the food isn't, and a Francophile kid will love that.

Some of the other posters have mentioned Remy...that's cute too but his handlers are actors and they're not really French like the servers. And he doesn't appear on Sundays, not sure when your reservation is.

 

[Belle5]

Go! The food isn't that great but the experience is GREAT for kids. Spend some time finding out what foods you can order there that most folks generally are pleased with. My advice? Avoid the quiche! My son had just returned from Paris and felt the ham and cheese sandwich was similar to what he had on the streets there. We enjoyed the cappucinos! I really was disappointed in the creme brulee, but have seen others here that think it is fabulous. I remember liking the French onion soup...

 

[HowdyHeidi]

We ate there for dinner and it was good. I cleaned my plate, our server was really nice! I DID NOT like how the tables were so crowded. We needed to place a wheelchair at the table and the guy acted like he was doing us a favor allowing us to bring it in, which was ridiculous, but it worked out okay.

I would not go there again because of the crowdedness, but the food was fine and it was a pretty restaurant, I thought.

 

[Edgehopper]

Definitely go to Chefs de France. Make sure to get the apple crepe for dessert!

 

[snowdrift7]

We enjoyed it. We had no expectations when we went in May. We'd steered clear for years based on the negative opinions here. But we don't always agree with what others think so in May we finally went and I'm glad we did. Had a late lunch @ 2 or 2:30 so it was very quiet. We sat by the windows and the food was surprisingly good actually, and the ambiance and staff were great. And my family loved Remy. We're going again this May and look forward to it.