Of the Signatures -- Which is your favorite and why?

[NSL]

This will be the second (hopefully annual) trip with just my husband and I. Last July (I am a teacher and can only travel during busy times), my husband and I slipped away for a long weekend. We are only interested in relaxing and laying by the pool on these days. If we get a park in, great, but not a must do. Last trip we tried Narcossee's for the first time and have been back with the kids. We also tried Shula's for the first time and also have been back with the kids. On our Christmas trip we tried Jiko, so if it was you, where would you pick for a nice, relaxing dinner with your significant other? It doesn't matter about dining plan, we use TIW. Thank you!

 

[thisismyusername]

Assuming you don't want to go back to the places you've been, I'd pick either California Grill or Citricos. Or, if you really want to go ultra-signature, Victoria & Alberts.

However, Jiko is my favorite signature on property. V&A is my favorite food experience on property.

 

[figment_jii]

My favorite Signature is Narcossee's, but you indicated you've already been there.

Of the others (I haven't been to V&A or the ones at the Swan & Dolphin), I would pick either Jiko or Artist Point. Both have excellent food and outstanding service.

Jiko is located at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which itself is worth looking around. Jiko is one of the darker (and potentially quieter) Signatures; it's often suggested as one of the more "romantic" Signatures. The food is very good; some dishes have a slight African twist. You cannot see any animals from the restaurant, but either before or after your meal, you can go out to Arusha Rock and see the savanna.

Artist Point is located at the Wilderness Lodge. The lodge is fun to look around, especially during the holidays when there is a lot of really nice decor. Artist Point is brightly lit during the day due to floor-to-ceiling glass windows, but becomes dimmer once the sunsets. I like to have an early dinner here so you can see the sunset through the windows. The food is very good (especially the Smokey Portobello Soup and the Cedar Plank salmon) and the service is outstanding.

On caveat: for any Signature in Disney World (except V&A) you really can't count on it being quiet. It all depends on the other guests that are dining at the same time as you. In my experience, families with small children tend to dine earlier (e.g., before 8:00 pm) and adult groups and couples are more prevalent in the late evening (e.g., after 8:00 pm). My experience at AP is probably the best representative (for me): we dined at 5:30 pm both times. The first time, there was a family with one toddler, who spent most of the meal crying and trowing food on the floor. The second time, there was a family of 8 at the next table (including one toddler) and they were quiet as a mouse. So you have no way of knowing in advance what kind of co-guests you'll have.

 

[OKW Lover]

Obviously V&A would be the very top of the list. However that's outside many people's price range (and no TiW) so lets move on.

For quiet/romantic we like Citrico or Artist Point. In both cases, book later in the evening for the quieter times. Other good choices are Yachtsman and Flying Fish.

Not really fans of CG but the view up there certainly is interesting. Can't rate this as romantic though because of all the children no matter how late you dine.

 

[NSL]

OP here again. We don't really mind going back to some of the same places we have been. I just wanted to see if I was missing something by not trying something new. We really liked the atmosphere at Jiko in the main dining room, but they sat us (the only table of 2) in the wine room. It was much brighter in here than we would have liked. We don't mind when kids are around, but it is also nice to have a slightly quieter environment. We like children -- after all I am an elementary teacher

I had forgotten about Artist Point. I will look at that menu. What are the thoughts on Citrico's? I am a little worried about the menu, but I was Jiko too and ended up liking it.

 

[figment_jii]

What are the thoughts on Citrico's?

I'm usually in the minority, but I found Citricos to only be okay. The food was acceptable, but one dish did arrive cold and had to be sent back. If you thought the wine room at Jiko's was bright, then Citricos is going to be like sitting in the mid-day sun; it's far brighter than Jiko. Like AP, it uses windows to provide natural lighting in the evening, but I found that they kept the light level fairly high after the sunset (more on par with California Grill than AP, Jiko, or even Narcoossee's). It is also not quiet; not quite CA Grill or Flying Fish level of noise, but among the noisier Signatures in my experience (far noisier than Jiko or AP).

 

[NSL]

I'm usually in the minority, but I found Citricos to only be okay. The food was acceptable, but one dish did arrive cold and had to be sent back. If you thought the wine room at Jiko's was bright, then Citricos is going to be like sitting in the mid-day sun; it's far brighter than Jiko. Like AP, it uses windows to provide natural lighting in the evening, but I found that they kept the light level fairly high after the sunset (more on par with California Grill than AP, Jiko, or even Narcoossee's). It is also not quiet; not quite CA Grill or Flying Fish level of noise, but among the noisier Signatures in my experience (far noisier than Jiko or AP).

Thank you! That is helpful. Has anyone ever tried Il Mulino? We love Shula's, so just wondering about it.

 

[SusieBea]

I don't disagree much w/ what PPs have said. I would throw Flying Fish in the mix. My DH eats fish; I don't (seafood is ok though). But they have a good steak, too. Big fan of Artist Point.

 

[OKW Lover]

Thank you! That is helpful. Has anyone ever tried Il Mulino? We love Shula's, so just wondering about it.

Il Mulino is very good for Italian food. Probably the best on Disney property. Not necessarily a romantic place though.

 

[Adlergray]

We love yachsman, and Cg. Narcoossee's is one of my fav by DH's ehh, Artist Point is one of his but I hate the atmosphere. (food was fantastic though) Not a huge fan of Citros either.

 

[thisismyusername]

Citricos was one of those places that I really wasn't attracted to by just reading the menu, but my husband pushed for it, and it turned out to be a great surprise. My food was excellent and the service was impeccable. I've only eaten there once, but out of the signatures (and we've been to almost all of them), it definitely ranks up in my top 5.

Artist Point, to me, was a disappointment. I was expecting the best piece of salmon I ever had, and it wasn't. Our dining experience was also a bit strange as the WL has a scavenger hunt, and apparently there's something to be found in the dining room, so kids/families (some in bathing suits) kept coming into the dining room to look for something on the scavenger hunt. For a signature restaurant with a dress code, it was somewhat disruptive--and hey, I'm a mom and don't mind kids at all, but I kind of just wanted a nice and quiet somewhat semi-formal dinner since we had packed special clothes for the occasion as required by code....

I think Shula's is better than Yachtsman, so I would save that for later. And if you're after fish, I'd go to Bluezoo over Flying Fish.

 

[jcjen519]

We really enjoy jiko and California grill. We have noticed that it's not uncommon to see the majority of diners in shorts/tees etc. we saw a table with 2-3 grown men wearing mickey ears through their meal at jiko in dec. over the years the feel has gotten more casual. In June 2014 and dec 2014 we did longish trips and ate many signature meals. In most cases our five year old was more dressed for dinner than 90% of the diners. I didn't notice this at any restaurant more than another except perhaps jiko. However it remains a favorite for us.

 

[Dr Gevil]

Like others, I'm placing V&A's in a whole different realm. That is THE signature restaurant at WDW, or most anywhere actually. I am hoping to get a Chefs Table ADR one of these days.

While I like places like Jiko and Artist Point very, very much, California Grill is a special place for me. We celebrated our honeymoon there, along with multiple
anniversaries. We've always had great food and great service. And view for fireworks can't be beat - unless we are at the Top of the World Lounge next door at BLT.

Anyway, all the places given by PP are all very good. Just remember one person's fantastic can be someone's meh. Enjoy!

 

[nessz79]

Jiko! If you can request a table by the huge window, the view of the little pond area there is beautiful. There are even some regular ducks that come hang out there right before sunset. DH and I had a really nice meal for just the two of us there and it was well worth it. Excellent service, food, atmosphere.

My runner-up would be Artist Point. Very good food for me (bison), but the last time we were there we were seated in a corner with no view at all and my husband's food was not as good as we were expecting (he had the scallops and they were disappointingly small).

 

[kozmo40]

I would pick V&A. If not V&A I'd say Cali Grill, Artist Point, or Sanaa. Not sure is Sanaa is considered Signature Dining, But we really enjoyed our meals.

 

[Nancyg56]

Narcooses is my new favorite but since you have been there, I would try someplace new. I loved Flying Fish. The snapper/steak combo was really good. I also enjoyed Il Mulino, the veal milanese was excellent. We used to go to the Yachtsman eery trip, but the last time we were not impressed so we ventured out more, and I am not sorry. I also suggest the wine pairings if you like wine with your meal. I was never disappointed.

 

[nessz79]

Jiko! If you can request a table by the huge window, the view of the little pond area there is beautiful. There are even some regular ducks that come hang out there right before sunset. DH and I had a really nice meal for just the two of us there and it was well worth it. Excellent service, food, atmosphere.

.

I saw you mentioned you were seated somewhere isolated at Jiko. This is the view I was talking about. If you go back to Jiko, try getting this view.

 

[RAPstar]

Artist Point was fabulous. Gorgeous room, and amazing food. It was my first time having buffalo and it was delicious.

 

[autumnpalm]

For the total experience, we would choose California Grill. We have always had delicious food and the atmosphere + fireworks viewing truly makes it feel like a special evening.

Jiko has delicious and unique food, it is likely our runner-up but the atmosphere at CG gives it the edge IMO.

We have had three meals at Narcoossee's and quality has been a bit inconsistent. For the prices, we would stick with Jiko or CG.

Yachtsman, for us, was good but not great. Service and food were acceptable but not memorable.

Hollywood Brown Derby is great for an in-park restaurant, especially considering HS other dining options, but it really can't compete with the other signatures.

 

[figment_jii]

We don't mind when kids are around, but it is also nice to have a slightly quieter environment.

Just to follow-up, but how important is the "quieter environment" component? More or less than the food? I ask because there really aren't very many quiet restaurants in WDW (maybe the ones at the Swan/Dolphin are better because they aren't on the DDP and, of course, V&A). In truth, any restaurant can be quiet or noisy, depend on your fellow guests. Of the ones I've been do, this is how I would rank them (from quietest to noisiest).

• Monsieur Paul - hopefully this one has improved, but when I went it felt like talking above a whisper would be disruptive to the atmosphere.
• Jiko
• Artist Point
• Narcoossee's
• Yachstman
• Le Cellier
• Hollywood Brown Derby
• Citricos*
• Flying Fish*
• California Grill*

*In general, I think any of the restaurants with an open kitchen that faces out into the dining room tends to be loud (just because you can hear the kitchen noises). That's seems to me what happened at Citricos, Flying Fish, and CA Grill. The tables further away from the kitchen might be quieter, but any one that is near the open kitchen isn't going to be very quiet.