Not on Dining Plan - Is Le Cellier worth the out of pocket $$$?

[KungFoomF]

Very few meals are worth OOP at Disney. Everything is overpriced. However, we've eated at Le Cellier a few times and we've always had good service and great food. Expectations are key here. Some people think it should be the best restaurant on property because of the hype. It just isn't. But it is one of the best in-park restaurants. Certainly the best in-park steak house. Just don't expect Ruths Chris or Shula's, because those are high dollar off-property restaurants where quality means the difference between staying in business. Those are truly great places to eat.

I never thought Le Cellier deserved the hype and I don't think it could be worth 2 credits. I don't think ANY restaurant is worth 2 dining credits except for those that feature a show (HDDR). In short - if you are looking for a high quality, steak-snob, steak - then you should go to Shula's. If you do eat at LC, keep the proper expectations and you will no doubt enjoy it.

 

[MrsLS]

I haven't been to Le Cellier since it has been a signature, but the steaks are not up to a steakhouse quality steak. They are okay. The filet was good, the strip was edible but not good. If you want an amazing steak, go to Flying Fish.

 

[cgattis]

We've never managed to get into Le Cellier, but we did finally get an ADR for our December trip, so we'll finally get to check it out for ourselves.

But, based on so many discussions of restaurants all across Disney property, and our own experience, there is one thing that can be said in general. Inconsistency is the norm. Sure, everyone has different tastes, but the trend can be seen in service too. You will see/hear both rave reviews and rants about the exact same menu items AND quality of service at nearly every restaurant. That has certainly been our personal experience.

The most consistent restaurant we've found on property is Brown Derby, but I'm sure folks have had issues there too. Whatever you think about their menu, Cracker Barrel is the most consistent restaurant we've ever visited. Both food and service seem to be about the same in any city at any time. You can pretty much count on what you are going to get for your money. With the Disney restaurants, it's a crapshoot. But this is also the company that has a huge hotel chain that offers NO customer loyalty program, so maybe repeat business is just not the key to their profits...?

It's just such a dichotomy that Disney will spend so much effort and money to give us interactive queues--they get no specific return on investment for that--but seem to adopt the "captive audience" mentality when it comes to restaurants. Does anybody have a business insight into this? (The post that discussed the business aspects of the buffet costs vs. dining plan was SO interesting...wow.)

 

[TDC Nala]

Disney doesn't need to offer a hotel customer loyalty program - they don't compete with anybody, except maybe the Swan/Dolphin. You're either staying onsite or you're not and guests will pay a premium to stay onsite.

Disney would probably tell you that its restaurant business is doing much better now that it has standardized and cut back on its menus and offered the dining plan. And no, I don't think they particularly care about repeat business, especially not the current management, with the exception of selling DVC.

 

[asdfghjkl13]

I ordered a NY Strip which I thought was very good! I love the atmosphere there too, and I would say it is worth it!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

We definitely do not feel that Le Cellier is a signature quality restaurant. The steaks are only fair and the service was very poor when we were there in March. They served us our entrees immediately after they served our appetizers. The table (which was very small) was covered with plates with not room to move anything. The filet was not at all exceptional, nothing like Shulas. We won't be going back there for a long time (if ever).

My experience exactly. You take that restaurant out of Epcot and it is a "chain" steakhouse with high prices.

All going "signature" did was raise the prices without any improvement in atmosphere, service or food.

For the money you can eat a lot better Won't be back

 

[kldmom2000]

We just dined here less than 2 weeks ago at lunch because it's my DH's fave...... STILL is. I would never pay dinner prices, so we went for lunch. We weren't on the DDP this time as our 11 year old DD is a Disney "adult" and would never eat $47.99 worth of food a day .... DH ordered from the the prix fix menu w/ steak/potato/greens dish & chocolate mousse while I got the burger (which I found to be absolutely delicious!). DD's both got the children's steak w/ cheddar cheese soup. Our bill came out to $69 + tip.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

For the money, I'd rather go to Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club, which is a very short walk from Epcot.

 

[stemikger]

I definitely would not use 2 options to eat there. While I like it, I like many of the other Disney restaurants just as much that I don't have to use to meal points for it.