Question about Garden Grill

[maj42169]

What can you tell me about the Garden Grill? We haven't ever been there and are considering it for our next trip in November. THanks for any info!

 

[princssdisnygina]

What can you tell me about the Garden Grill? We haven't ever been there and are considering it for our next trip in November. THanks for any info!

I think you will get many mixed reviews for this one. So I can only give you my thoughts. The food for me was ok... not amazing but decent. I would eat there again. The characters were great and we seemed to get quite a bit of attention. The big downfall for us was the service... our server was AWFUL! But I think we are the exception because I have heard many talk about how great their service was.

I would say just keep in mind, although it isn't a buffet, it is an "all you can eat" restaurant so it isn't going to be exceptional as they cook for the masses. The atmosphere is cool and definitely gives you that Disney feel. I say give it a try. You need to decide if you like it because everyone has different tastes and opinions.

 

[BebopBaloo]

This was one of our new favorites after our last trip. The food was plentiful and quite good. It's not gourmet. It's home-style with a fresh twist. The atmosphere can't be beat. We enjoy the Living with the Land ride, so it's neat to be able to see into the ride while you dine. The character interaction is fantastic. The best part is that if you get a booth on the lower level, you won't really be able to see anyone else around you because of the circular design. It feels like a private dining experience, with great characters. We had an excellent waiter, as well.

 

[chell]

This is one of my absolute favorite restaurants, same for my sister. We love the food and the character interaction.

 

[Disneyfreak616]

The food was wonderful, and we asked for the kids food too and that was wonderful as well! The kids dessert is SOOOOO good! Try it if you can!! Our waiter was excellent, very prompt and attentive. The characters were excellent as well, they came around about 3 times while we were there! Dale even sat down at the table with us and carried on a "conversation" with us. Being inside the Land is sooo cool, and seeing parts of Living with the Land is awesome. Overall, one of my favorite restaurants in WDW.

 

[GC&S]

Character interaction is probably the best here -they don't seem as rushed. And they are dressed as farmers. One time Mickey played tic tac toe with dd. Another time Chip went and got Dale to show us their different noses. We like the food and it's nice you don't miss the characters because of having to go get your food. DD loves the revolving restaurant. It seems more relaxed, not as noisy as other character dining.

 

[BigTikiDaddy]

We loved the Garden Grill after trying it out last year, became one of our favorites, the ONLY reason we are not returning this year is we are not getting Park-Hoppers, and there are too many other TS places we want to try in Epcot

The food was okay, not spectacular, although I thought the salad was one of the best I had had at the world. We loved the revolving seating, it really did feel private, and it was nice to have something different to look at every so often, and the characters were great, spent loads of time with our two girls. At first we were wary of the service, as it took a long time to get our drinks ordered and served and we kinda looked at each other like "oh-oh", however Patrick was OUTSTANDING and was by far the best server we dealt with in all of the World, and it more then made up for it. He even sang (quite loudly) "Bella Notte" for our 10th Anniversary.

 

[CathieArms]

What can you tell me about the Garden Grill? We haven't ever been there and are considering it for our next trip in November. THanks for any info!

Hmmm...it's okay. I'd say that it's excellent if you're going for character interaction, but just so-so if you're going for the food.

Let me restate that a little bit. The food is really quite good, it's just not anything I would ever order at a restaurant.

 

[MickeyEars]

We're going back in June after taking a couple of years off so we're pretty excited. It used to be a must-do for us every year when our two boys were younger. I'm anxious to return!!!

Carla

 

[anjalee6]

The food is decent. As someone said, it's buffet (family style) so keep that in mind. We however, really like the salad and bread they serve and the character interactions is great. We love the farmer attire and the characters came around more than once while we ate. It was definitely relaxed.

 

[EeyoreEma]

The food is good. It's solid, not outstanding, but good enough that we will go back again someday (currently taking a break from it!). The character interaction there is wonderful - the best we've had, actually. However, the wait times even with reservations are always ridiculous. We've never been seated any closer to our reservation time than 30-45 mins past the time for our reservation.

 

[graceesmom]

We enjoy GG. The food is tasty, of a rustic nature (as opposed to gourmet), but yummy. The menu is set and limited, but if you like what they serve, they prepare it well.

Children have a separate meal. Roasted chicken leg. I think you chose a side dish or 2 for the children or maybe it was set. I know our daughter got some mac n cheese that she did not care for. I couldn't believe she didn't like it since she loves mac n cheese, so I tasted it. It really wasn't very good --sort of watery cheese, but everything else was good.

We've been there 2x and both times, the characters were good. This past time in March, it was even better than last summer. We would book this restaurant again without hesitation.

 

[OhThePain]

Our opinion agrees with what a lot of others have said. If you are booking GG for the food, it is nothing great, nothing special. With all the other options at WDW, especially in EC, if only the quality of food was being considered, GG is not near the top of our list. However, with that being said, if you are looking to book GG for the character interaction, it has some of the best on property. The restaurant is basically donut shaped. The shape of the restaurant leads to the characters passing by more then once, sometimes 3 or 4 times. My girlfriend and I have had running jokes with the characters that last throughout our meal. It is the character interaction that makes GG worth visiting. Rotating around scenes from LWTL is pretty cool, too.

 

[Disneyfreak616]

We LOVE Garden Grill!!! The character interaction was the best I have EVER experienced with character dining, and the food was awesome. Everything was hot and fresh, and our server was prompt and friendly. I know it gets some iffy reviews sometimes, but we definitely recommend this place. Can't wait to go back in August!!

 

[whitney37354]

We loved the atmosphere & character interaction. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the food, it just wasn't our kind of thing. I did enjoy DD's grilled chicken leg & the bread was good too. I would absolutely encourage anyone to try it.

 

[Eastern]

We were just there last night. Food for 4 was delivered on a smallish plate: 1 small piece of fish over rice, 4 small slices of steak, 4 slices of turkey over a small portion of mashed potatoes, vegetable was swiss chard.

It was good, although steak and turkey were a bit well-done. They benefitted from the accompanying sauces (which we got on the side). You can get as much as you want, but you must reorder each time and that takes awhile.

Salad was really good, but they served just barely enough for 3 people (my one son did not eat any). We are not huge eaters, and I thought they were a bit skimpy with the food, esp. @ $38.99pp. Dessert was good also, although it was a smallish serving for 4.

We had an excellent server (Barry) who was very attentive and refilled drinks and food promptly (still took us 1 1/2 hours for dinner). I can see how having a poor server would severely impact one's experience as you really need them to refill your food fairly promptly.

Personally, although I thought the food was fine and our server was excellent, I would not do this meal again at this price. Disney found my limit.

 

[troynkasey]

I'll agree with most that have posted. I liked the food. It satisfied the needs of two picky eaters, two big eaters, two "I don't care" eaters, and two children. Probably the biggest thing is the kids enjoyed it and the character interaction was great. We have some great photos of the characters with the kids (5 & 2) as well as grandma and grandpa.

I always go back to what you want out of your meals. Very few meals are worth $38 for the food alone. If you expect good food and include the character interaction, then I think this is one of the better options as far as characters go.

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

If you want the best experience, what sort of table should you request when you check in? It will be just me and my DD 6 this August, and I am worried that because we are a party of two that we will not receive a good table.

Thanks!

 

[Catie.Hiltz]

Which characters (besides Chip and Dale) are at the dinner?

What of the food was particularly good/bad? Many people mention the food wasn't great...what specifically wasn't good, and where did you go that was better (are there similar places that serve family style/buffet that you think are better/more worth the money?)

 

[chell]

Which characters (besides Chip and Dale) are at the dinner?

What of the food was particularly good/bad? Many people mention the food wasn't great...what specifically wasn't good, and where did you go that was better (are there similar places that serve family style/buffet that you think are better/more worth the money?)

I love all of the food except the fish because I don't eat fish so I can't comment on that.