not so kid friendly restaurants

jz6982

Earning My Ears
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Messages
36
DH and I (30 and 28) are looking for restuarant ideas for our Dec trip. We're looking for dining suggestions without characters or a lot of kids games.
 
There's not a restaurant at Walt Disney World that people won't drag kids to. Trust me. But in general, the fancier the restaurant, the less likely it is that kids will be there. Some good bets are:

Victoria & Albert's
Yachtsman Steakhouse
The Wave
California Grill
Raglan Road
 
Raglan Road is one of my kids' favorites and everytime we've been there, there was no shortage of kids. However, the place is so loud, I'm not sure how one would notice the kids. Places in Orlando I won't take my kids to are Ruth's Chris, Texas de Brazil and Victoria and Albert.
 
I understand there will be kids everywhere. It is Disney after all. But we (DH really) would prefer at least 2 dinners without characters and kids games. For example, a friend suggested we do breakfast at Ohana but DH isn't big on the idea. We will not have a car so we're limited to Disney owned.
 

Victoria & Albert's does not permit children under 10 years old to dine.

You could try Bistro de Paris, but it's getting more populated by families. They can get a kids' menu from Chefs de France. Even the signature restaurants are now generally majority families dining, usually on the dining plan. Bistro doesnt' accept the dining plan. You might also try the Swan/Dolphin (Bluezoo, Shula's, Kimonos and Il Mulino are highly recommended) if you are not on the dining plan yourself. The family crowds seem to be cut down a bit at non-dining-plan signature type restaurants.

It's an okay bet (not certain though) that the later your reservation, the fewer families with young children you will find in a restaurant, so try for later dinner reservations if you want things quieter.

Some popular restaurants that do not do characters or games are: Anywhere in Epcot World Showcase except Akershus, the Tusker House buffet and Yak & Yeti at AK, Hollywood Brown Derby or Mama Melrose at DHS, and resort restaurants like the Wave, Turf Club, Sanaa, Kona, Kouzzina, Captain's Grill - there are many.
 
My DH and I did a no kids trip last Jan. We did the DDP (which was way too much). But it did give us nice options for where to go. We did our dinners at Coral Reef, California Grill and Artist Point. California Grill as far as atmosphere for adults, food and the overall experience was definitely the best. Coral Reef was a good second, the way the tables are set up it feels pretty private. Artist Point has great atmosphere, but the food was a bit disappointing.
We just scheduled the same trip for Jan 11 and are trying to decide where to eat (we will get a regular dining plan this time, so we probably won't go back to California Grill- it takes 2 meals) Thinking maybe Le Cellier, not really sure where else- any suggestions?
 
There will be kids at almost every restaurant but the Disney designated signature ones won't have as many at least in my experience: citricos, Cali grill, narcoosees. I'm sure artist point and jiko are similar, I'll know for sure next month. All these places will have kids but they are more adult and I didn't really notice kids or they didn't bother me.
 
Consider Jiko or the Flying Fish and sit at the "counter" that overlooks the kitchen. While not romantic, it is "adult" entertainment to watch the food being prepped and chatting with the staff. You will also be somewhat insulated from kids.
 
Can I put in a 'no' vote for California Grill. DH and I had a bad "little kid" experience there last time we went.

Narcossee's deserves a mention.

V&A's is, of course, a paramount childless dining experience, if its in your price range.
 
DH and I (30 and 28) are looking for restuarant ideas for our Dec trip. We're looking for dining suggestions without characters or a lot of kids games.

I think the only character meals in Epcot are the breakfast @ Norway & maybe Remy the Rat in France. Other than that all those restaurants are character free & no games, parades, etc. Teppan Edo (sp) has the grill tables & the chefs do a little show (volcano onions, flipping/catching shrimp in their hats, etc) but it is the same show you would see at any similar type restaurant in or outside WDW.

Down Town Disney doesn't have any character meals that I can think of & for the most part don't have games or other type things. Of course if you go w/T-Rex or Rainforest they will be louder and goofier. The nice thing about DTD is depending on your mood it is probably there. DH & I loved Paradiso 37. They had music (guitar/singer) the night we were there. Very low key & appropriate for the restaurant. And just a Disney bus ride away - no rental car needed.
 
Just wanted to add that the later you dine the less likely kids are to be out. We try to eat dinner around 9-9:30 for this reason, but we are from the west coast and w/ the time change this works for us. To be honest, the only time I remember not seeing kids is when we dined at Fultons...in the bar...10:30 at night.
 
I am a huge fan of Jiko and we never have issues with two many kids there. We also had a great time at Narcoossee's and it was pretty quite. I also love Tokyo Dining and while it can be very open it is more quite and the food is amazing!
 
We ate at Artist Point just once, and we really liked it. There didn't seem to be too many kids around; those that were there were very well behaved, and they don't have the "entertainment" like they do in Whispering Canyon.
 
whispering canyon has a smaller section separated from the "doing's" in the larger area. it is totally seperated.
we didn't see any kids at Jikos.

at teppan edo it seems lke they try (to the best of their ability) to seat adluts only groups together. while waiting our table, I looked around and saw many kids. we were seated with another couple, and an adult party of 4.

narcosses seemed to be adult-friendly.

the problem with California Grill as an adult location seems to be the fireworks viewing. (I admit, we only ate there once) while it is pricey, many parents can afford it and eat there for the fireworks viewing, not the adult ambience.
so don't be surprised if there are many children.
 
I think the least amount of kids I've seen at dinner (besides V&A) was at Il Mulino in the Swan. Seemed to be mostly a business/convention crowd. The food was good too!
 
We had good luck last time making ressies as late as possible and during fireworks.
 
Guy and I did late night (9:30ish) Citrico's and there was ONE kid in the whole place. I think that's because at the 9PM hour, anyone with kids is going to be at a fireworks display or somewhere with a view. People stood outside the GF to watch Wishes, but when we walked back in, the restaurant was nearly empty.

Then, slightly tipsy, we went to EMH in MK and wandered around. The perks of being an adult! Haha!
 

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