Restaurant recommendations needed for a disillusioned Disney lover...

[bumbershoot]

I've never heard anyone say ohana was the best on property until this thread. Weird.

We like Raglan (love going there for weekend brunch!), The Wave (have only done breakfast), Tusker (not breakfast). Tofu noodle bowl at Brown Derby has only let me down once and that's because the third time I eat somewhere I always feel let down, so it might not be real lol.

 

[BabyFu18]

Generally I feel like breakfast is a better deal than dinners, just because the price is a little less but the food is generally good, I like 1900 Park Fare, The Wave and GF Cafe for good breakfast options. Places that we thought were a good value for dinners are Via Napoli, Raglan Road, Trails End (buffet) these are all not the most expensive/fancy/signature places on property but I felt the price equaled the quality.

For a more signature style meal, Blue Zoo at the Dolphin resort is really well rated and would probably be a great destination for a "foodie". All the restaurants at the Swan and Dolphin are good options, I'd look at menus and see what might appeal to your families taste.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Hello friends!

We are planning a trip in February with my parents and two kids (5 and 1.5). Our last experience at Disney in October 2015 was so bad that we decided we needed to take a year off to try to gain some of that magical feeling back. My husband and mom were especially upset with our previous trip and one of their top grievances was the food. We will be staying 8 days, 7 nights at the Polynesian and I am looking for any recommendations for dinner and/or meals that are really fun and "magical" for the whole gang. I'm really hoping to make these two fall in love with Disney again, and what better way than food?? What are your recent best experiences, or things we should absolutely try? What is your favorite character meal for kids that age? What's your DREAM reservation list? HELP!

**Disclaimer** These are VERY big foodies. We are NY/NJ Italians who really love food and the gourmet experience (my husband still secretly has dreams of being a chef). He especially is spoiled by NYC restaurants that he frequents because of work, so the closest thing we can get to that would be really helpful.

Chiming in as I'm also a bit of a foodie and a NY'er who dines at NYC restaurants. In fact, I'm dining at my third tonight for NY Restaurant Week.

Here's the thing: Nothing is going to be close to a gourmet experience. That's compared to anywhere. Outside of Victoria & Albert's, you're not gonna walk out of anywhere saying "that beat a NYC (or any GREAT city spot) restaurant."

But, there's very few places you'll walk out of saying "never again." Disney food is good food that gets the job done. It's not fantastic and outside of one or two restaurants, it's not bad, either. Restaurant reviews are so subjective. As a foodie, I like to try things I can't or rarely get anywhere else. Here are some recommendations based on this:

1) Artist Point. They make an outstanding Smoked Portobello soup. The menu is very rustic, with a lot of meats and seafood served alongside root vegetables. I had the bison last time and it was cooked to perfection.
2) Boma - LOVE Boma. In fact, it's probably my favorite restaurant. It serves up some authentic African-inspired dishes. It is a buffet, but I love to stuff my face with a wide range of dishes (and desserts.)
3) Sanaa - They offer a highly regarded bread service with a ton of dipping sauces.
4) Il Mulino If you wanna have Italian, go to Il Mulino. I didn't care for Trattoria al Forno, nor did I like Tutto Italia. Trying Via Napoli for the first time this trip.
5) Narcoossee's/Cali Grill Are both very good and offer gorgeous views of the castle and 7 Seas Lagoon. Food is very good.
6) Flying Fish I've heard rave reviews about the new FF menu and the dishes are gorgeously plated

I'd recommend Cape May Cafe for breakfast. They have crepes and the chorizo eggs are out of this world. Also has characters, so that'll be nice for the kids.

 

[dgthree]

I ate at Tiffin's and Citricos on my last visit, and thought my meals were outstanding. Also had lunch at Sanaa (gotta have the bread service!), breakfast at Boma (never bad), and lunch at Whispering Canyon, which was pretty tasty. For quick services, had nachos at Pecos Bills and the pulled pork nachos at Captain Cook's at the Poly, which became a new favorite! Dying to try Art Smith's Homecoming for the fried chicken, and Frontera Cocina for, well, anything except the margarita with the ants on the rim.

 

[tsme]

A few of our favorites are Teppan Edo, Liberty Tree Tavern, Rose & Crowne, & Grand Floridian Café.
Our favorite character dinner was 1900 Park Fare, the step sisters are hilarious!

 

[rwdavis2]

"more upset with the price of just mediocre food"

That is my description of the food at WDW as well. We don't go there for the food and I don't expect it to meet the quality/price of good restaurants at home. There are some good places at WDW just not a lot of great ones. Tell the family to not go to WDW expecting what they are used to.

 

[AngiTN]

Thank you for all your advice! As I sit here thinking about it, it seems to me that they are more upset with the price of just mediocre food. Our usual choices are always Cali Grill, Citricos, and Jiko. Our last 2 meals at Cali were really just sub par. We have had some AMAZING meals there, but recently it's just been OK. Even Jiko was not as great as it normally was. Maybe we were just there on an off week? I think they get more upset because they just spent $$$ on a meal that was not up to their expectations. When we ate at Teppan Edo however, they were totally happy and had a great time because they felt like the food was better value if that makes sense? So maybe what we do need are not signature meals, but good "value" meals where they didn't feel like they wasted $40 on just an OK steak.

I know 'Ohana is good for this, any others? I like the idea of 50's Prime Time! How about Narcoosee's? Have you had good experiences there?

Honestly, while I've never been to NYC I am comfortable saying that if you go in to it expecting anything close to what you find there, you'll be disappointed. Expectations will have to be adjusted, no matter what the cost is. Disney food will fall short 99% of the time

 

[TheRustyScupper]

We only visit five TS eateries at WDW when we go there for an actual meal.
.
1) We prefer
. . . fine food
. . . excellent, top notch service
. . . innovative dishes with flair and quality
. . . overall great value
. . . relaxed and soothing dining atmosphere
. . . behaved and somewhat quiet patrons
.
2) The only sit-down restaurants we routinely visit,
. . . Sanaa - Animal Kingdom Villas Resort (one of my personal favs)
. . . Artist Point - Wilderness Lodge Resort
. . . Citricos - Grand Floridian Resort
. . . Shula's Steakhouse - Dolphin Resort (no DDP)
. . . Il Mulino - Swan Resort (no DDP)
.
3) Our (nearby) off-site Recommendations:
. . . Bull & Bear - Waldorf Astoria Bonnet Creek - Fine Dining
. . . Café D'Antonio - Celebration - Casual Italian
. . . Columbia - Celebration - Casual Spanish/Cuban
. . . Fish Bones - Hwy192 - Seafood
. . . Venetian Room - Caribe Royale Hotel - Fine Dining
. . . The Hotel Tea Room - Davenport, FL - Casual - Friday Steak-Fry

*************************************************************************************
OUR WDW CHARACTER MEAL & BUFFET RANKINGS (*rev: March 2016*):
Results are listed from best to worst
Best Food (quality first, then variety):
. . . 1900 Park Fare
. . . Ohana
. . . Garden Grill
. . . Tusker House, breakfast-Lunch (moved from #1 Spot due to menu changes)
. . . Garden Grove Swan-dinner
. . . Akershus Royal Banquet
. . . Tusker House, Dinner
. . . Cape May Café
. . . Hollywood & Vine
. . . Crystal Palace
. . . Cinderella Royal Table (since new menu)
. . . Chef Mickey's
Best Character Interaction (time with guest first, then friendliness):
. . . Tusker House, Breakfast-Lunch
. . . Akershus Royal Banquet
. . . 1900 Park Fare
. . . Garden Grill
. . . Tusker House, Dinner
. . . Ohana
. . . Garden Grove (Swan, dinner)
. . . 1900 Park Fare
. . . Chef Mickey's
. . . Cape May Café
. . . Hollywood & Vine
. . . Cinderella Royal Table
. . . Crystal Palace (barely enough time for a photo)
Best Atmosphere (surroundings and ambiance):
. . . Cinderella Royal Table
. . . Tusker House, Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner
. . . Akershus Royal Banquet
. . . Ohana
. . . 1900 Park Fare
. . . Garden Grill
. . . Crystal Palace
. . . Hollywood & Vine
. . . Cape May Café
. . . Garden Grove (Swan, dinner)
. . . Chef Mickey's

 

[ariane37]

Another New Yorker here, although upstate We've eaten at a few of the signatures including Cali Grill, and the 2 that stand out are Narcoossee's and Citricos. For non signatures I agree with many pp's that Sanaa at AKL is great food that's worth the price.
We also enjoy Restaurant Marakkesh in WS. It's not going to rival NYC restaurants but the food is still very good and the building is beautiful inside.

 

[AngiTN]

*************************************************************************************
OUR WDW CHARACTER MEAL & BUFFET RANKINGS (*rev: March 2016*):
Best Character Interaction (time with guest first, then friendliness):
. . . Tusker House, Breakfast-Lunch
. . . Akershus Royal Banquet
. . . 1900 Park Fare
. . . Garden Grill
. . . Tusker House, Dinner
. . . Ohana
. . . Garden Grove (Swan, dinner)
. . . 1900 Park Fare
. . . Chef Mickey's
. . . Cape May Café
. . . Hollywood & Vine
. . . Cinderella Royal Table
. . . Crystal Palace (barely enough time for a photo)

Out of curiosity, which is Breakfast and which is Dinner?

 

[DisWishes720]

Thanks guys. This was really very helpful. I think we're going to absolutely do the following restaurants:

Narcoosee's
Flying Fish
Teppan Edo
Sanaa

You're totally right, 'Ohana was disappointing last trip. We have 3 very large men who love unlimited meat and food which is why they love it. We still need 2 more dinners. I'm debating Artist's Point, California Grill (I just love the drinks!) and possibly Il Mulino.

Breakfast we are going to do Crystal Palace knowing we're sacrificing food for our 1 year old's favorite characters. We still are deciding between Tusker House and 'Ohana.

I completely agree that doing the same thing over and over may have a lot to do with the bad attitudes that formed. Mixing it up might really help us.

 

[dac7265]

Our family wife, daughter and myself have been Disney 21 times since 20004. We love, Crystal Palace, 50's Prime Time Café, Boma for breakfast, Yack and Yeti, ESPN, Teppan Ito, The Plaza, Via Napoli, Hoop Dee Dew, but our favorite is Cali Grill!!!

 

[LilyWhitehouse]

We're also NYC residents and my best advice is to eat foods you wouldn't typically find here. We really enjoyed lunch at Biergarten last year because the food was unique and not something we experience at home. We also really liked dinner at Cape May Cafe and my husband loves the fish and chips in England (rose and crown?)

We were hugely disappointed in Yachtsman Steakhouse, but several people have suggested we try Shula's this year. I agree with your assessment that value is important - Yachtsman was just a huge letdown for a $300 bill.

I'm kind of surprised you didn't like Jiko. I've read over and over that it's the best restaurant on property.

 

[fantasia73]

This might not be what you want to hear, but if you're looking for good food . . . go to Disneyland! I am a food writer (who also happens to love Disney) and I was blown away by the quality of food in Disneyland. Especially when compared with WDW. No, you don't go to WDW for the food, but I think you can find some good food. Maybe not excellent food. But definitely good. Have the foodies in your group look up the menus ahead of time and do some research on what the various restaurants are known for. Then stuck to those things. We had a good meal at the California Grill a few weeks ago, but stuck with the scallops and filet. Our waiter was terrible, but that's another story. If food is important, stay as far away from buffets as you can.

 

[buzznina]

As a PP mentioned WDW food quality and definitely their consistency have slipped big time over the years. We personally think most of the TS restaurants are overrated and even the time we did FD, we were still put off by the tip amounts $$$ for most of the time just okay food. A real foodie really does not care about the ambiance like Sci-Fi or how nice the characters were, but mainly the quality/quantity of their meal.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

We're also NYC residents and my best advice is to eat foods you wouldn't typically find here. We really enjoyed lunch at Biergarten last year because the food was unique and not something we experience at home. We also really liked dinner at Cape May Cafe and my husband loves the fish and chips in England (rose and crown?)

We were hugely disappointed in Yachtsman Steakhouse, but several people have suggested we try Shula's this year. I agree with your assessment that value is important - Yachtsman was just a huge letdown for a $300 bill.

I'm kind of surprised you didn't like Jiko. I've read over and over that it's the best restaurant on property.

It doesn't surprise me at all. We think Jiko is the most overrated signature on property. We've had better meals at non-signature restaurants for half the price. Disney run restaurants are so inconsistent no reviews, either good or bad, surprise me anymore.

 

[KerTggr]

Another vote for the Wave at dinnertime. Especially if you are on a monorail resort already and with a slightly larger group. They have nice big tables that are.sometimes hard to.come by in other restaurants at WDW.

 

[kbmartin]

On our last trip, we decided that we are going to do one "fancy" night out every year at WDW. We love good food, but I don't know if we could call ourselves foodie experts. We're from Wisconsin - right in between MKE and Chicago, so we have good meals in bigger cities from time to time.

Last year, we chose Narcoossee's and loved it. We timed it so that we arrived two hours before the fireworks and could also watch the Electrical Water Pageant. Watching the fireworks from the deck was very romantic! We highly recommend the steak, whole lobster, and almond-crusted cheesecake.

This year we decided to try Shula's for some high-quality steak. The Dis raves about it! We will be there in less than a week. Can't wait!

Next year, when we have the DDP, we'll probably revisit Narcoossee's and will also try Yachtsman Steakhouse.

Boathouse is a someday restaurant for us.

I am really surprised to see people suggesting Chef Mickey's. Yikes.

If you check TripAdvisor or Yelp, I'm sure you'll have a better idea of where to go. Good luck!

 

[Anthony1971]

For world showcase avoid China (seriously the cheap stuff in NYC's Chinatown is dramatically better) One of my favs is LaHacienda. It's not Tex Mex, but the fish dish I had there still ranks as one of the best at Disney

While I agree China is not that great --surprisingly the outside café is not that bad though... again I would not suggest the TS... To say the cheap places in China town are better... that is a big stretch. I work a few blocks form China town and you can trust me for the most part the food neither good nor cheap....there are some exceptions but those places will not be cheap period.
Also do not understand how so many are comparing Disney to NY.. yes there are some amazing places to eat here but they are also a more expensive then Disney but apples to apples is not a comparison you can make.... To that end there are also MANY very overpriced bad places to eat in NY and many mediocre as well... In Disney for the most part you get fairly consistent mediocre food at somewhat high prices... lets face it you eating at a Disney restaurant is not based on you experiencing a restaurant but rather a theme park...

 

[AngiTN]

While I agree China is not that great --surprisingly the outside café is not that bad though... again I would not suggest the TS... To say the cheap places in China town are better... that is a big stretch. I work a few blocks form China town and you can trust me for the most part the food neither good nor cheap....there are some exceptions but those places will not be cheap period.
Also do not understand how so many are comparing Disney to NY.. yes there are some amazing places to eat here but they are also a more expensive then Disney but apples to apples is not a comparison you can make.... To that end there are also MANY very overpriced bad places to eat in NY and many mediocre as well... In Disney for the most part you get fairly consistent mediocre food at somewhat high prices... lets face it you eating at a Disney restaurant is not based on you experiencing a restaurant but rather a theme park...

The only reason people mentioned NYC dining is OP said they are from NYC. If you go in to a location at Disney to eat with the thoughts of what you can get in NYC as a comparison it will fall short almost every single time. Both in quality and price, and especially don't think about the price. If you want to start to compare what you pay with what you get at Disney, you won't eat anywhere. But it is what it is and if you aren't leaving property, you gotta eat something so we just order and close our eyes when we pay. If we do that, we are happy. But we are comparing the food to local and well, while we like what we have locally it's not going to blow the socks off someone using to big city dining.