Restaurant recommendations

[Bertie131]

This September will be my first trip to WDW in 20 years. I see that advance reservations are recc. Can you veterans tell us what restaurants you think are best? We are staying at Poly. We have some interest in Ohana and HoopDee Doo Revue. Also, would love to eat at Epcot countries and do a character breakfast(not the Poly one with Lilo and Stitch). Any help is greatly appreciated!!

 

[RMulieri]

WELCOME! Reservations are pretty much required for most places these days and especially in Sept during free dining.I think if you are going in Sept you should probably make ressies NOW.Alot of places have booked up even 6 mos out ( not to scare you) Le Cellier in Epcot is the hardest to come by.Ohanas may be ,not sure but HDDR is pretty popular too.How many people and what are your interests?

 

[RMulieri]

Personally I like Les Chefs de France in Epcot or Tutto Italia. Character meal I like is Chef Mickeys at the Contemporary resort( another one that books rapidly)

 

[Bertie131]

Thanks for the answers so far. The reservations seem a little overwhelming since I don't what will want to do without researching, but I think I will try to make a few reservations now. There will be 3 of us. Main interests are dining with characters at least once and just really good, different, food!

 

[minnierocks]

Definitely, see the Hoop de Doo Revue. It is so much fun!

We also tried Boma's on our last trip and it was terrific...It will be a must do on our next trip...

At MK, we enjoy the Liberty Tree Tavern, Tony's, and the Plaza (fabulous milkshakes!)
At DHS, we liked the 50's Primetime Cafe, and the Hollywood & Vine (good buffet)
At Epcot, we have tried Marakesh, and Rose and Crown...they were OK, but we prefer counter service in that park.
At AK, we love the Flame Tree BBQ. It's counter service, but really good food. We tried Yak & Yeti on our last trip... and while it was very good, I am not sure it was worth what we paid for our meal.

 

[mickeynut1]

First of all As for restaurants....I would highly recommend Kona Cafe (right there at the Poly) which has awesome prime rib and filet . It is a must do for us every trip . For character breakfasts....we love Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary and Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club. The characters at Cape May are dressed in beach wear which is really cute

 

[luv2nascar]

We loved Ohana prior to the menu change. We have not eaten there with the new menu yet. I'd be willing to give it a try because I like the atmosphere.

Biergarten in Epcot is our favorite. We love the show there. Our favorite character breakfast is Chef Mickey's in Contemporary. Great atmosphere. It is always busy and noisy but I never seem to mind.

 

[MagicMe]

Wow - there are so many places.

For character meals - definitely Chef Mickey (breakfast or dinner - both are fun) in the Contemporary. You can also do a character dinner at the Garden Grill in the Land at Epcot. Both of these have Mickey.

At MK - Liberty Tree Tavern (a character dinner w/o Mickey for dinner but a normal restaurant for lunch).

At HS - Love the 50's Prime Time and we really enjoyed the Sci-Fi (went for the first time last year).

At Epcot - there are so many. We love San Angel (in Mexico), Le Cellier (in Canada but very hard to get), Marrakesh (in Moroco) and the place in Germany. Just about every restaurant in Epcot is good.

Resorts - As noted above, love CM. Also O'Hana at the Poly, and Boma's at AKL.

 

[queenofhartz]

Here's another vote for Kona at the Poly. I've done lunch at Kona Cafe, and it was excellent. I've heard the breakfast is outstanding as well.

As for the character meals, I think it depends on which characters you want to see. The character meals are popular, so I would try to snatch one of these up quickly. We're doing the Crystal Palace lunch b/c Eeyore is my son's favorite. We're also going in September (with a party of 7), and the CM told me that there were plenty of lunch ADRs left and some breakfast ADRs as well at Crystal Palace. We're also doing the Tusker House Safari Breakfast to see Donald, Mickey, and Daisy. I checked the menu out for the Tusker House Breakfast, and it looks pretty yummy. I got an ADR for a party of 7 at 8am no problem this week for Tusker House. So, I think you should be ok (as long as you don't have your heart set on CRT or something like that-CRT books up really fast).

As for meals in Epcot-DH and I dined at Les Chefs de France last year, and we really enjoyed it. The restaurant was a bit loud, but the food was good. I have also eaten at Restaurant Marrakesh (Morrocan food), and the ambiance and food was enjoyable. The kids (and some adults) often dance with the belly dancer which is really cute to watch. We've also tried San Angel in Mexico which was a nice atmosphere. This one is popular, so if you're interested in San Angel, I would get this ADR asap.

Hope this is somewhat helpful!

 

[pickles]

hoop de doo is a must, everyone in your family will enjoy.
sci fi, the food is nothing to write home about, but you won't care the theming is great! have a sundae here and then eat later at
prime time cafe..I was there just once, but its different and you will have fun
main street bakery..get some choc croissonts(sp) or some other goody you like
try the castle at least once, if you don't want the princesses bothering you then do dinner, if you got kiddies and want princesses do earlier meals


romantic meal without kiddies try Konas

the rest of the places all have their good and bad points, I think the above are must do's for a newbie

 

[simonkodousek]

My favorite WDW restaurants are...

~Kona Cafe
~Crystal Palace
~Biergarten
~Nine Dragons
~Whispering Canyon Cafe

There are more, but for some reason I can't think of them at the moment.

 

[stopher1]

WELCOME!!

For character experiences, our family really likes

Ohana (I know you said you don't want that one, but we like it)
1900 Park Faire for DINNER (Cindy is there, but our fav part was the interaction with the STEPSISTERS!!!!)
Chef Mickey's
Garden Grille in The Land
Donald's breakfast at AK

Non-Character meals include:

Marrakesh in Morroco
Akershus - oops, sorry, I keep forgetting that they made it a princess meal
Nine Dragons in China (but it will be closed for a rehab while you are there)
Le Cellier in Canada
Boma
Sci-Fi Dine-in Theatre
Cap'n Jacks at DTD
Tony's Town Square



Yak & Yeti at AK

 

[Aubs-Travel]

I find this book helpful: Birnbaum Guides 2008 Walt Disney World Dining Guide. I like to be able to mark the things that interest me & then go back through and decide which ones I need ADR's for. Have a blast!

 

[njcamper95]

Character breakfast - Crystal palace
DHS - 50's prime time
hoop dee doo - definately a must do

 

[lindakmonty]

I have to agree that Kona Cafe (right there at the Poly) has incredible breakfast. I heard about the Tonga Toast so much and just HAD to try it. they were right, it is incredible!!!!

At Epcot, we LOVE Coral Reef!! the food, the atmosphere, it was all just wonderful!

we've done Le Cellier quite a bit, it is good, but I think it'll be awhile before we do it again.

At DHS Sci fi drive in has a great atmosphere. you sit in "cars" and it's like you're outside at an old drive in movie theater. it is inside but it's really cool and fun. heck, we stop here even if it is for an appetizer and milkshake just for the fun and to take a break...

At AK, there wasn't anything that was just WOW....

this December...we're planning on dining at: Boma for breakfast and dinner, Kona Cafe for breakfast and dinner, Coral Reef, Liberty Tree Tavern, San Angel Inn, Biergarten, Teppan Edo, Beaches and Cream, and Artist Point...

I go to www.allearsnet.com to look at the menu's

 

[Bertie131]

Hi again, Maybe a dumb question: what does ADR stand for? Advance Dining Reservation? Just wasn't sure and alot of people using that abbreviation....

By the way, this seems like a great board. I am so happy that I found it. I am sure I will be around alot b/f my Sept. WDW vacation!

 

[PrincessTaylor]

If you are traveling with kids, a good place to go to is the cp. Another great character meal place is 1900 Park Fair. Personally, I like the Ohana's food and characters. I also like H&V. H&V is good place to eat if you don't want the characters.

 

[RMulieri]

Hi again, Maybe a dumb question: what does ADR stand for? Advance Dining Reservation? Just wasn't sure and alot of people using that abbreviation....

By the way, this seems like a great board. I am so happy that I found it. I am sure I will be around alot b/f my Sept. WDW vacation!

Yes that is what ADR stands for.But when you make your ressies they do not call them adrs just dining reservations.I think ADR is a dis thing.

 

[CheshireCat3]

Myself personally, I also enjoy Mama Melrose's in Hollywood Studios.

And Sci-Fi is also a fave. As is 50's Prime Time cafe.