Restaurant suggestions for Aspie?

[babyberger]

We are not new to Disney but newer to eating at TS restaurants in Disney. We usually just do CRT once a year for DD's bday and last year we actually tried the Sci-Fi Diner.

I am trying to make ADR's for our upcoming trips, but the more I read the more I am finding this difficult to do knowing what DS(9) limitations has. As an Aspie he is very sensitive to music and noise. He also doesn't like a ton of interaction from strangers and characters.

So far the ADR's I have are:
Sci-Fi Diner
Coral Reef
Via Napoli
Cape May Café (for dinner)

I have canceled:
Chef Mickey
50's Prime Time

We tried Rainforest Café a few years ago and that was a nightmare, way to loud for DS

My kids are picky eaters so that adds an extra level of difficulty when choosing a restaurant.

I really really don't want all CS meals, as I do like to enjoy a nice sit down meal once in a while What other restaurants should we try?

 

[ttintagel]

I have an adult Aspie friend who mentioned he enjoyed Le Cellier, but he didn't mention why.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I actually find Coral Reef to be loud somehow. If you can get a booth it's not nearly as bad but you may have to wait for that (worth waiting for IMO as the booth is high backed and seems to shelter you from the room other than the opening at the front which gives you the view to the tank). I'd try to avoid a table by the glass as there'll be more traffic down there.

Garden Grill has those same kinds of booths. If you're hoping to try a character meal, this is the absolutely most low key one there is and it's served family style so you don't have to get up and disturb your Aspie in order to get your food.

Another decent character meal is Cape May Cafe for breakfast. They do have a small room to the right of checkin that's quieter but even in the main room we didn't find it too loud or busy. For your dinner, ask about that small room. I don't think they use it if they're not full, but I think they're full a lot of the time.

I know that people may disagree with me on this one, but my family really enjoys 'Ohana. You can ask for a table by a wall so that he can be seated where he won't have people passing by him and I'm not sure why but even with the singing and antics, it just never seems to feel loud as though maybe the accustics in the room just help keep it to a decent volume. We've never had a table right by the isle where the activity is going on.

At MK, a hidden gem is to eat upstairs in Columbia Harbour House. We eat lunch early (around 11am) and it's virtually empty up there. We also like lunch at the Plaza but it is louder and very brightly decorated in there (if I remember right it's just yellow and white but it feels bright and stimulating to me somehow). The darker decor in CHH is so nice and relaxing after the hustle and bustle of MK.

 

[SDSorority]

I would consider:

Le Celliler
La Hacienda de San Angel
Bistro de Paris
Coral Reef
Grand Floridian Cafe
The Dolphin Fountain
Il Mulino
Tokyo Dining
The Wave
Jiko
Sanaa
Turf Club
Yachtsman
Big River Grille
Olivia's Cafe
Liberty Tree Tavern
Plaza
Brown Derby
Wolfgang Puck Express (CS, but they bring you your food)


As someone that suffers from anxiety (different than Asp of course, but I have panic attacks in situations identical what your son doesn't do well with) I can tell you that the above restaurants seem to be a little quieter than your Chef Mickey's-type restaurants. The restaurants at the resorts tend to be less crowded during the day, so you might want to look there as well. If strict dining time routine isn't a big deal, try dining during the "off hours", so say, 11-1130 for lunch or 4-430 for dinner. This helped me A.LOT, and we figured that out toward the end of our trip. From this point forward, if we do a TS restaurant we will ALWAYS dine at off hours. I don't recommend Chefs de France because it seems like there are always people coming and going-a lot of commotion unless you can sit by the window, and even then the waiters seem to always be in a hurry rushing here and there. I also don't recommend Raglan Road- I had to get up and LEAVE the restaurant 2 times to seek refuge in the quiet that was the gift shop because of how loud it was and the commotion of where we were sitting (right by the front door). The waitress we had was incredibly sweet though- I think she knew something was wrong when hubby and I were playing "musical chairs" so I could sit and look out the door, kept having to come in and out of the restaurant, and then was so worked up it made me nauseous and hubs had to eat most of my meal as well as his (he's always hungry and is as skinny as a bean pole so that works out ok). Best of luck to you!

 

[babyberger]

Thank you for the info so far, this is exactly what I was looking for

Keep the suggestions coming! I am going to make a big list then sit down with DS and see what he thinks!

 

[AddictedtoDoleWhip]

It's very interesting how different people are! I'm an Aspie myself and if something isn't stimulating enough I get bothered (I don't necessarily like noise per se, but for some odd reason a lot of colors and other such things is calming for me. I crave that kind of stuff for whatever reason.) the only place that bothered me was Chef Mickey's besides the food which was bad, it was a bit much for my liking.

I loved the Sci-Fi Diner, though it was a little dark for me which made me a bit nervous, the movies/shows or whatever were interesting but I got a bit frustrated because I couldn't read the menu in the dark.. but I still enjoyed it! haha.

I really loved Hollywood and Vine, but many people here seem to not have liked it. I thought it was very calming, the colors inside were calm to me.. I didn't go during breakfast, but late lunch/early dinner was the best time to go I think.

I really loved character breakfasts/meals so sadly that's the majority of TS restaurant knowledge I have besides H&V, Yake & Yeti (Yuck, don't eat there lol... I thought it was bad!), Plaza Inn (Good place! should try that one!), and our resort restaurant which was pretty good.

 

[clanmcculloch]

AddictedtoDoleWhip, you're a sensory seeker while the OP described her son as a sensory avoider. That's why there's such a difference. My DD14 Aspie is both a seeker and avoider at the same time. She's an avoider when it comes to sounds, smells and unexpected touch but she's a seeker when it comes to sights and gross pressure type touch. A seeker such as yourself would be calmed by lots of visual and possibly auditory stimulation. Makes total sense to me. I suspect you didn't like Chef Mickey (beyond not enjoying the food) because of just how many conflicting sounds there are all over the place since you said that you don't necessarily like noise per se which suggests to me that you may be a bit of an auditory sensory avoider but can deal with it as long as it's not too extreme and you have the visual sensory inputs.

There's a saying. If you've met one Aspie, you've met one Aspie. It basically means that no two are alike.

 

[babyberger]

I am a bit, because even though DS is definitely an sensory avoider when it comes to noise, crowded places, etc, his FAVORITE rides are Thunder Mountain and Expedition Everest. Put him in a loud restaurant and wait for the meltdown, put him on a roller coaster and watch him have the time of his life

 

[clanmcculloch]

I am a bit, because even though DS is definitely an sensory avoider when it comes to noise, crowded places, etc, his FAVORITE rides are Thunder Mountain and Expedition Everest. Put him in a loud restaurant and wait for the meltdown, put him on a roller coaster and watch him have the time of his life

That's DD14. She's a seeker when it comes to gross physical sensory inputs. She loves the feel of speed. Something I've discovered is great for every day is Sketcher Shape-Up style shoes. They allow her to kind of rock while she's walking or standing or even when sitting she can move her feet back and forth for some sensory inputs without being obviously. She really loves them. I even got her Shape-Up sandles for the summer and it's all she's been wearing and she'll wear them to WDW later this month (I love being able to say that now).

 

[blue65829]

Another adult aspie here, but I'm little help because I avoid TS. We had one year of free dining and the number of meltdowns I had about timing anxiety and making it to reservations was ridiculous.

I ended up having to cancel our reservation for Cali Grill - which DH desperately wanted to go to, because the specifics of transportation and timing were eating my entire brain.

That's over-stating the issue, I'm sure, but it's certainly how it felt at the time

In terms of CS - I know someone mentioned Columbia Harbor House in the MK which is a fantastic place to get some quiet time.

I have eaten at Sci Fi and enjoyed it, but as a PP mentioned the dimness is a bit of an issue.

 

[Feckless]

I personally would avoid 'Ohana like the plague with a child who is sensitive to noise. Our kids are loud and noises don't usually bother them, but my daughter found 'Ohana so annoying she went to the bathroom multiple times to get away from the music and the annoying lady with the ukelele (her words). I loved the food and the bread pudding was amazing but the kids still talk about how much they hated the noise and entertainment.

 

[clm10308]

I second Garden Grill in the Land. The booths make you feel secluded from other diners, and if he is very uncomfortable with the character you could put him in the middle of the booth with a parent on either side.

 

[primrosea]

We have a similar story as yours and have found over some trail and error that O'hanas for breakfast, Garden Grill for dinner and Biergarten our the favorites for us.

At O'hanas you have a nice open space with a pretty good amount of space between tables (minimal bumping). Characters do come around, but they not very in your face and will respect a distance if you prompt them (we are High-Five givers). They do have a march around the restaurant with maracas once an hour or so which can be loud, but it doesn't have the chaos that is at other character meals. We tend to use the maraca time as our bathroom break. The food is GREAT!

The Garden Grill is also a character experience, but we again stick to our high-five rule. The restaurant remains pretty quiet and the slow turning of it is somewhat soothing. The landscapes are fun to watch as you turn through Living With the Land and are interesting while still being subdued. there are large partitions between tables so you do not overhear the conversations as easily as other restaurants. And GREAT food again!!!

Biergarten can be loud near the stage, but the atmosphere is super fun and the darkness provides a subtle calmness. the band does not start playing until after the first couple seating's so you could go there for an early lunch (11ish) and not even see the band, that is when we book it for our family. The buffet is fun (and the beer is nice too ...just sayin'...).

You may also want to look at liberty Tree Tavern. That is also a more quiet location and you an request one of the smaller rooms or near the window for a more personal (and less loud) experience.

Have fun!!!

 

[Butterflygirl35]

I find the restaurants in the quiter resorts such as Olivia's in OkW or Maya Grill in CSR work best for us. I also bring along iPad / iPhone to help with patience issues

 

[bookwormde]

I would add captains grill which has good food has always been very quite and some of th most accomodating and firendly service that I have found at WDW. Coral reef is fun also, espcecially of you child is like many aspie kids, loves animals.

 

[SDSorority]

I find the restaurants in the quiter resorts such as Olivia's in OkW or Maya Grill in CSR work best for us. I also bring along iPad / iPhone to help with patience issues

DH does this with me. If he sees "the look, the rocking, the fidgeting or quick looking around" (which are my anxious cues he picks up on apparently) he'll pull out his iphone and will show me pictures, we'll look through park maps via his apps and plan where we're going to go next, or we'll play games on his phone just to help get my mind calmed down. Good trick!

 

[babyberger]

At MK, a hidden gem is to eat upstairs in Columbia Harbour House. We eat lunch early (around 11am) and it's virtually empty up there.

We actually ate here last time we were at Disney and it was great! We do the same at Pinocchio Village Haus and it is definitely a nice little retreat for DS.

I loved the Sci-Fi Diner, though it was a little dark for me which made me a bit nervous, the movies/shows or whatever were interesting but I got a bit frustrated because I couldn't read the menu in the dark.. but I still enjoyed it! haha.

DS didnt mind the dimness at all, he actually LOVED the Sci-Fi and cant wait to return. I think he was able to just escape into the movies and escape the hustle and bustle of the crowds outside.

I also bring along iPad / iPhone to help with patience issues

I wouldn't think of traveling without DS's iPod touch and headphones, it is a MUST!!!!

Thank you to everyone, I am getting great information here and making a list. I have to talk to DS about eating at the resorts and see how he feels. Our first few trips are only 3 days each and I think I have those TS meals figured out. I was hoping to do some new ones during our 5 day trip in Feb, and I have gotten some great suggestions from all you

 

[Butterflygirl35]

I also prepare my son by showing him You Tube videos ahead of time.

There are You Tube videos for almost everything today and it really helps him understand better where he is going and what to expect.

The visual understanding helps alleviate the fear of the unknown...

 

[EvangelineG]

For our sons (both aspie), Liberty Tree Tavern, Sci Fi Dine In and Sanaa were the big favourites from last year's trip. All were relatively quiet, and we were able to obtain suitably simple foods for them, as per their tastes, allergies & sensory needs. We tried to book all our ADRs for non peak times so that the restaurants would be a little less busy, and this helped as well.

We avoided any restaurants with characters, antics, entertainment or shared tables. These would all be big no no's for our sons. But like Clanmcculloch said -If you've met one Aspie, you've met one Aspie! So your needs may vary.

 

[clanmcculloch]

I've found that each trip I need to think about my DD's current needs, issues, likes and dislikes. There was no way we were going to do Biergarten for several years but now we all love it. I couldn't believe it, but in February she actually got up and danced with me. She wasn't worried about getting bumped when we were do-si-doing to the chicken dance (yes she actually linked arms with me while dancing) which is like a miracle considering the tears we had just one trip earlier when she was bumped. Noise level and sharing a table wasn't an issue either while a couple years earlier she couldn't possibly have handled either even with Social Stories ahead of time explaining it. It was the second time we ate there when she got up to dance but just the fact that the first time she enjoyed the music and atmosphere so much is what prompted me to book again. Before that first trip she just couldn't have handled it. I did make sure to book a first seating (noon) and the music didn't start until maybe 10 minutes before we were going to leave (I think it started at 1:15) so we could have escaped if the music bothered her and we made sure she was seated to the outside of the table where she wouldn't be right beside a stranger. I do think this made a big difference.

We all love Sci-Fi. It's almost like a sensory break being in there. So calm and soothing. Just be aware of whether or not your child can handle even hokey monsters on the screen or it could be a nightmare or a meal (I know OP is familiar with it; this is more for others reading along and considering it).