Restaurant recommendations for a newbie?

[Texage74]

My family has been going to WDW for years now, but we haven't experienced much of the food it has to offer. This has a lot to do with the fact that some of our experiences (CRT, Coral Reefs, that restaurant in Britain) have been a little lackluster.

Most of our meals end up happening at Downtown Disney (T-Rex Cafe and Planet Hollywood are favorites) but I'd love to branch out just a little.

If anyone has any suggestions of really good food (that's not too exotic!) I'd love to hear from you.

Tia!

 

[kwdw]

MK - Liberty Tree Tavern for LUNCH. (not dinner)

AK - Tusker House for any meal. Some "different" offerings, but enough normal stuff to make everyone happy. It's a buffet, but good.

EPCOT - I recently loved my meal at La Hacienda de San Angel. But, I have only just begun to explore the restaurants in EPCOT

Grand Floridan - been to both Citrico's and Grand Floridan Cafe - loved both.

AKL - Boma breakfast is just plain awesome. Jiko dinner is great, but is a tad adventurous and not cheap.

Places I think are overrated - Chef Mickey's, California Grill, O'hana's. I'm in the minority with those, though.

 

[Hootch]

of suggestions. I don't how much you will like them but I do.

DTD - House of Blues
MK - Kona and Grand Floridian Cafe (Okay not in MK but close) The Plaza for sandwiches
Epcot - Biergarten
DAK - Yak and Yeti

 

[sheila <3 WDW]

We loved the Rainforest Cafe in AK, Akershus princess breakfast in Epcot, absolute favorite was Raglan Road, but that's in DTD so don't know if it helps you.

 

[laurainsem]

We are not into the exotic either. Here are some of our favorites:

Beach Club: Yachtsman (though it is signature so not cheap)
Epcot: Teppan Edo (awesome steak and the chef's are very entertaining)
Hollywood Studios: 50's Prime Time Cafe, fun atmosphere. Nothing fancy but definitely tasty.

If you enjoy a dinner show, Hoop Dee Doo Revue is extremely fun and the food is great. Worth the money for sure!

 

[Wendy31]

Here are our favorites:

Magic Kingdom - CRT (lunch or dinner) & Crystal Palace (usually lunch, but we're trying breakfast for the 1st time on our upcoming trip)

EPCOT - Coral Reef, Garden Grill, & a World Showcase Restaurant (we try a different one every year - we like Le Cellier & San Angel & are trying Tutto Italia for the 1st time this year)

DHS - Mama Melrose's (for the Fantasmic Dinner Package) & Sci-Fi (lunch)

AK - we enjoyed the character breakfast but, last time we ate there, it was at Restaurantasauras - we haven't tried it since it was moved to Tusker House but it gets really good reviews

RESORTS - Chef Mickey's (breakfast only!), California Grill, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Kona Cafe, 'Ohana, Boma

For our upcoming trip, we have the following ADRs:

CRT (dinner), Le Cellier (lunch), Garden Grill (dinner), Sci-Fi (lunch), Cape May (dinner - new to us!), Grand Floridian Cafe (breakfast - new to us), Tony's Town Square (lunch - we're giving it 1 more try!), Kona Cafe (dinner), Yak & Yeti (lunch - new to us!), Boma (dinner), Whispering Canyon Cafe (lunch), the Plaza (dinner - new to us!), Chef Mickey's (breakfast), Tutto Italia (dinner - new to us!), Coral Reef (lunch), T-Rex (dinner - new to us), Crystal Palace (breakfast), 'Ohana (dinner), Liberty Tree Tavern (lunch - we've eaten dinner here before but never lunch).

 

[chchch Chip & Dale]

I went when I was 10 & remember loving Chef Mickey's! It has all of my favorite characters.
I went back last month and found a few gems!
HS- Prime Time Cafe - good food and fun atmosphere!
Epcot - Tutto Italia -Italy.... OMG the Caprese pasta was AMAZING!!!! My absolute favorite meal in WDW.
The Land in Epcot has a nice selection for picky eaters.
MK- The Crystal Palace is a nice buffet to go to esp if you or your family likes Winnie and friends. You are guaranteed to meet all of the wandering characters.
The Plaza had a really yummy Grilled Chicken and strawberry salad! Unexpected surprise.

 

[J's World]

well my favorites are crystal palace in MK and o'hana at poly

 

[tobs2]

I like oliva's in Old key west

 

[SpoonfulsofSugar]

Boma at AKL is a really great buffet for Breakfast! I loved it . Food and service were fabulous! I too have eaten at Rose and Crown in World Showcase. When I went, they had misplaced our reservation, but made up for it in a big way. They sat us outside on the back deck. We got to watch Illuminations as we ate our meal. The food was very tasty, but our table and Illuminations were one of my magical Disney moments. I've also dined at Biergarten in World Showcase. The atmosphere was great, but I wasn't very impressed by the food. Cosmic Ray's Cafe at the MK is a great quick service restaurant. They have a little bit of everything there. I always grab a bite for lunch there when at MK.
A lot of the other restaurants I have eaten at have closed and were made into new dining establishment but I hope some of my suggestions help

 

[Texage74]

Thanks for all the recommendations, guys - hoping to do Kona Cafe at this point.

One other question - don't know if anyone would know, but is there any way to pick something up for carryout from a place like Kona Cafe? All I really want is a drink - I guess they have a passion fruit/guava juice blend, and I crave those juices sooo much!

Thanks again!

 

[Niki in NJ]

Rose and Crown is an old time fav .. Kouzzina is a new favorite (esp. for breakfast!)

 

[goofyintoronto]

MK - Liberty Tree dinner: SO YUMMY! Thanksgiving style feast is delish! Turkey, mashed pot/gravy, green beans, ham, beef, mac n' cheese, salad, bread, etc etc!! One of our faves. Lunch is also good...but you have to order off the menu. Still good thou!!!

The Plaza - simple yet delicious fare!

(TIP: stay away from Tony's. By far one of the worst meals i had in my 10 day trip).

DHS - Sci Fi!!!! LOVE THIS PLACE! You sit in a car (two seats in front, two in the back) while watching old sci fi cartoon clips. Food isnt fancy, but its very tasty...they have the best ribs!!!! Also the burgers & shakes are yummy! Very fun atmosphere. Must try at least once in your life.

50's - this place is fun, food is mediocre. Fried chicken was too salty! If you get a fun server, this place can be fun. But if your server isnt participating in the antics, then its no fun in my opinion.

Epcot - Teppan Edo is my fave restaurant in all of disney. Its a teppanyaki/hibachi table. Food cooked in front of you. I had the filet mignon (by far the best steak, far better than le cellier). You also get rice & a noodle dish. YUMMY and entertaining.

(TIP: Le Cellier is very over-rated. Steak wasnt great, it was fatty & tasteless. The "famous" cheese soup was blah. I've had better from my local subway shop.)

AK - Tusker House for breakfast. By far the best selection of food i've ever seen.

RESORT picks - Kona Cafe breakfast (tonga toast rocks!). Ohana breakfast is also one of my faves. Its nice not to have a buffet breakfast for a change. you just sit and wait for the characters to come to you. Food is all you can eat family style. Very tasty! Beautiful place too. (Kona & Ohana are at the poly).