Signature Indecision

[GeorgiaHoo]

Still trying to figure out a signature for next trip. I think I've narrowed it down to California Grill brunch, Jiko, Artist Point or Flying Fish. We'll have folks who prefer steak and those who prefer fish. Never been to any of these. Thoughts?

 

[Nancyg56]

I can tell you our Flying Fish dinner was awesome!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

All are good, but of those, we prefer Artist Point.

 

[disneydreamer781]

Tried Jiko and Flying Fish for the first time on our last trip and they were both amazing! Both these restaurants have great steak and seafood dishes also. I didn't care for Artist Point when we did it but that was years ago now and I'm willing to give it another try someday. We're hoping to do dinner at CG for the first time this coming trip so I can't give you any advice on that restaurant. I don't think you could lose with most of these though.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Artist Point - we've eaten there several times and the food and service are consistently good.

 

[JZCubed]

Still trying to figure out a signature for next trip. I think I've narrowed it down to California Grill brunch, Jiko, Artist Point or Flying Fish. We'll have folks who prefer steak and those who prefer fish. Never been to any of these. Thoughts?

The way you've asked, this is just a popularity contest.

Where you are staying and/or the Parks you plan to attend on that day would matter in my suggestion.

Also, going resort-to-resort is not easy on Disney transportation, having your own car (or paying for a taxi) helps.

That being mentioned:
-- Jiko is good, but why go to AKLodge just to eat? And if you are delineating between those in your party who enjoy meat or fish, the 'well-seasoned' food here must agree with everyones palate.

-- Artists Point may be the most consistent place on your list and have a menu that includes the most meat & fish options. Proximity to Magic Kingdom may be 'a good thing' too.

-- We have yet to return to Flying Fish since reopening after a refurbishment and menu changes. While always very good, we simply prefer nearby BlueZoo. Both BlueZoo & Flying fish have at least [3] non-fish entrees available on currently available menus.
http://www.swandolphinrestaurants.com/menus/pdf/bluezoo-dinner.pdf

-- CA Grill - I typically say, "Can be anywhere from magical to disappointing." But brunch seems to be a lovely experience. You may want to consider Narcoossee's as well.
Two recent reviews:
http://www.easywdw.com/easy/blog/review-california-grill-brunch-at-disneys-contemporary-resort/
http://www.easywdw.com/easy/blog/review-narcoossees-sunday-brunch-at-disneys-grand-floridian-resort/

In a vacuum, and looking at just your four [4] selections, I'd suggest Flying Fish for no other reason than the Boardwalk can be a lovely stroll before/after meal.

 

[disneydreamer781]

Personally I would go out of my way to eat at Jiko. We didn't stay at AKL last trip and had dinner there and I'm glad we did. For me, it's just not the restaurant but the resort is beautiful and we enjoyed our evening there. I'm one who likes to resort hop so that's my opinion. We're doing the Narcoosee's Sunday Brunch this year but remember either brunch will take away from some of your park time and I know some people don't like that.

 

[Doug S]

Flying Fish is great and easy to get to from Epcot. I personally wouldn't do California Grill brunch because it just doesn't sound very special to me. I enjoy having a good, long dinner before heading back to the parks for the rest of the evening.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

The way you've asked, this is just a popularity contest.

Where you are staying and/or the Parks you plan to attend on that day would matter in my suggestion.

Also, going resort-to-resort is not easy on Disney transportation, having your own car (or paying for a taxi) helps.

That being mentioned:
-- Jiko is good, but why go to AKLodge just to eat? And if you are delineating between those in your party who enjoy meat or fish, the 'well-seasoned' food here must agree with everyones palate.

-- Artists Point may be the most consistent place on your list and have a menu that includes the most meat & fish options. Proximity to Magic Kingdom may be 'a good thing' too.

-- We have yet to return to Flying Fish since reopening after a refurbishment and menu changes. While always very good, we simply prefer nearby BlueZoo. Both BlueZoo & Flying fish have at least [3] non-fish entrees available on currently available menus.
http://www.swandolphinrestaurants.com/menus/pdf/bluezoo-dinner.pdf

-- CA Grill - I typically say, "Can be anywhere from magical to disappointing." But brunch seems to be a lovely experience. You may want to consider Narcoossee's as well.
Two recent reviews:
http://www.easywdw.com/easy/blog/review-california-grill-brunch-at-disneys-contemporary-resort/
http://www.easywdw.com/easy/blog/review-narcoossees-sunday-brunch-at-disneys-grand-floridian-resort/

In a vacuum, and looking at just your four [4] selections, I'd suggest Flying Fish for no other reason than the Boardwalk can be a lovely stroll before/after meal.

Thanks for the response. Staying at Yacht Club and will be on dining plan. Travel isn't really an issue since we'll either (1) eat at a place close to the park/resort or (1) take Uber to dinner. I'm leaning towards Artist Point or Flying Fish at this point.

 

[disneydreamer781]

Thanks for the response. Staying at Yacht Club and will be on dining plan. Travel isn't really an issue since we'll either (1) eat at a place close to the park/resort or (1) take Uber to dinner. I'm leaning towards Artist Point or Flying Fish at this point.

Nothing beats walking to dinner. We were staying at the Boardwalk Villas and ate at YS and FF on our trip and it was wonderful just to walk from the resort. No rushing and very relaxing! We also got to take a bit of a walk on the Boardwalk after our meal. It was lovely!

 

[soniam]

Pete from the DIS is very complimentary of Flying Fish, and he doesn't really like seafood. He liked what he had there, and they have a good selection of non-seafood items. Jiko is amazing too, but it seems Flying Fish will be very convenient for your stay. Plus, you can hit Abracadabar for a cocktail. Walking off that meal around the Boardwalk or even World Showcase would be very nice too.

 

[AllThingsMickey4]

We ate at California Grill for the first time last trip (5/5) and I was slightly disappointed. It's probably because I had such high expectations going in, but the overall experience was just meh. The service was very rushed and the atmosphere isn't all that special unless you are seated next to a window.

Our reservation was at 5:45 PM and we were seated around 5:50 PM. The restaurant was almost full and all the window seats were already taken. I wanted it to be a slow meal, but after the second trip to our table our server was already asking us to order appetizers and entrees. We were out of the restaurant by 7:00 PM. Normally I wouldn't complain about fast service, but it was very rushed for a signature meal.

We ate at California Grill, Tiffins, and Yachtsman Steakhouse and the best by far was Tiffins. Absolutely amazing meal, service, and restaurant.

 

[JZCubed]

Thanks for the response. Staying at Yacht Club and will be on dining plan. Travel isn't really an issue since we'll either (1) eat at a place close to the park/resort or (1) take Uber to dinner. I'm leaning towards Artist Point or Flying Fish at this point.

In my opinion, ain't no reason to travel to Artist Point unless staying on Monorail Loop (to take the charming boat) or on a Magic Kingdom day.

Back to your list - Flying Fish.

We prefer nearby BlueZoo, because like all Swan & Dolphin Signatures, not on Disney Dining means fewer children. Dining room is lovely. Chocolate Souffle at Shula's is totally decadent. The same boat you take to/from Epcot & Hollywood Studios from Yacht Club stops at Sw'olphin. Just sayin'.

Yachtman's Steakhouse is both convenient for you & very good too.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

In my opinion, ain't no reason to travel to Artist Point unless staying on Monorail Loop (to take the charming boat) or on a Magic Kingdom day.

Back to your list - Flying Fish.

We prefer nearby BlueZoo, because like all Swan & Dolphin Signatures, not on Disney Dining means fewer children. Dining room is lovely. Chocolate Souffle at Shula's is totally decadent. The same boat you take to/from Epcot & Hollywood Studios from Yacht Club stops at Sw'olphin. Just sayin'.

Yachtman's Steakhouse is both convenient for you & very good too.

Thanks. Already have reservations for Yachtsman. Wouldn't mind trying Artist Point just to visit WL since we've never been, although we may just take a boat over from MK one afternoon and grab drinks and snacks in the lounge.

 

[Abigail Broughton]

Has anyone seen the new Happily Ever After at California Grill? Or at the Floridian? I have reservations at CG in September but wondering if it will still be magical with the new fireworks at MK.

 

[steg]

We had Cali Brunch and Flying Fish this past trip.

Flying Fish was great one of the best the entire trip, but we stuck to fish the entire night, the wagyu filet at FF should be a solid alternative for meat eaters.

Cali Brunch was great, they were slinging mimosas left and right, you can order as many entrees as you like and the buffet sections is great!

We had Jiko and AP on our short list but they didnt make the cut for logistics/travel reasons mostly

 

[loves to dive]

We've tried Flying Fish and Jiko. My son had steak at both, I had fish (which was odd because he is the fish lover and I'm not). He got the smallest filet at Jikos and only ate half, it was over done and he said just not that good. My fish was o.k. but not worth the price. Our bill came to almost $200 for his steak, my fish and we both had a wine flight. No dessert, no coffee and no appys. Not worth it.

Flying Fish the food was very good, we got unlucky in our server, he didn't even offer the special, which the hostess made sure to tell us to ask for when she sat us. When we asked about it, he seemed surprised. Our food was good and the price was reasonable, but we were there longer than 2 hours and not because we were lingering over our meal, it just took him a long time to get to us to bring the menu, bring our drinks, bring our food, remove our food and bring us the dessert menu, etc. We might try it again, we might not.

We will not try Jikos again, but we did enjoy appys and drinks at the bar.