Solo Table Service Restaurants

[bryanb]

OK my next trip to WDW is probably not going to be until January, but one of the things that’s keeping me sane these days is imagining all the cool stuff I’m going to do and all the stuff I’m going to eat after skipping two years.

Unfortunately, my friend has backed out of the trip, but since I don’t mind doing solo trips and have had great fun in the past, I’m decided that I’m still going!

Some of my favorite restaurants on my last solo trip: Boma, Homecomin’, and Raglan Road.

I’m debating now as to whether I should go to these two restaurants by myself, or perhaps wait for a future trip when I can bring someone else:

Ohana, mostly because I don’t love the idea of eating “family style” by myself. But I think it’s time that I give it a try. I hear it’s tough to not waste food as a solo diner there, and maybe I might feel like there’s too much attention in such a packed and loud atmosphere, with so many people waiting to be seated too. What do people think?

The other place that everyone thinks I must try is Sanaa, and that I must get the bread service and the butter chicken. I took a look at the menu and YouTube videos, and that seems like a LOT of food! As appealing as it would be to stuff myself full of bread, I probably would still want some protein to make a balanced meal. Is that just going to be ridiculous? Or should I go for it?

Would love to get anyone‘s thoughts!

 

[huskerfanatic7]

OK my next trip to WDW is probably not going to be until January, but one of the things that’s keeping me sane these days is imagining all the cool stuff I’m going to do and all the stuff I’m going to eat after skipping two years.

Unfortunately, my friend has backed out of the trip, but since I don’t mind doing solo trips and have had great fun in the past, I’m decided that I’m still going!

Some of my favorite restaurants on my last solo trip: Boma, Homecomin’, and Raglan Road.

I’m debating now as to whether I should go to these two restaurants by myself, or perhaps wait for a future trip when I can bring someone else:

Ohana, mostly because I don’t love the idea of eating “family style” by myself. But I think it’s time that I give it a try. I hear it’s tough to not waste food as a solo diner there, and maybe I might feel like there’s too much attention in such a packed and loud atmosphere, with so many people waiting to be seated too. What do people think?

The other place that everyone thinks I must try is Sanaa, and that I must get the bread service and the butter chicken. I took a look at the menu and YouTube videos, and that seems like a LOT of food! As appealing as it would be to stuff myself full of bread, I probably would still want some protein to make a balanced meal. Is that just going to be ridiculous? Or should I go for it?

Would love to get anyone‘s thoughts!

You can get Sanaa to GO. thats another option

 

[kwdw]

I’ve ordered the bread service and butter chicken at one meal at Sanaa. I could not finish it, but I took most of the butter chicken back to my resort and loved it at breakfast the next day. I likely won’t do that again unless I have a microwave at my resort for leftovers. Some of the breads would hold up well as leftovers if they could be slightly warmed. Since that adventure in overeating, I’ve wised up and just ordered one or the other.

I haven’t done family style at Ohana, but I have at Garden Grill twice. One tip I learned from those trips, is don’t be shy about asking for “less” of something you won’t eat much at all or “more” of something you know you will eat a lot of. I’m not sure all servers will be helpful that way, but my second try at GG my server was great about this. I definitely left less food at the table the second time.

Also, I’ve learned to order what I want as a solo diner, and just leave behind what I can’t finish when I can’t take it as a leftover without it becoming a food poisoning risk. Yes, it’s wasteful and slightly more costly. I also don’t follow “the rules” and eat when and what I want on solo vacations. Ice cream for breakfast is fabulous in FL heat, even though I’d never do that home. Popcorn for lunch? Sure! Bread for dinner and a hard boiled egg for a midnight snack? Sure! I’m super careful about not wasting in my normal life. But food is part of enjoying vacation, so those rules go out the window on vacation.

 

[Lsdolphin]

I actually ended up eating by myself at OHana. I was supposed to be with 3 other people and they called and told me they couldn’t make 2 hours before reservation. I didn’t want to pay $40 penalty for canceling less than 24 hrs and there were no times available we could reschedule so I went by myself. I was very uncomfortable at first but no one seemed to be paying attention to me. There was so much food for one person even though I asked for small portions the server told me not to worry she would bring me containers to take leftovers with me. I know they don’t typically allow you to take left over food but I was able to do so and it was great.

 

[brad813]

OK my next trip to WDW is probably not going to be until January, but one of the things that’s keeping me sane these days is imagining all the cool stuff I’m going to do and all the stuff I’m going to eat after skipping two years.

Unfortunately, my friend has backed out of the trip, but since I don’t mind doing solo trips and have had great fun in the past, I’m decided that I’m still going!

Some of my favorite restaurants on my last solo trip: Boma, Homecomin’, and Raglan Road.

I’m debating now as to whether I should go to these two restaurants by myself, or perhaps wait for a future trip when I can bring someone else:

Ohana, mostly because I don’t love the idea of eating “family style” by myself. But I think it’s time that I give it a try. I hear it’s tough to not waste food as a solo diner there, and maybe I might feel like there’s too much attention in such a packed and loud atmosphere, with so many people waiting to be seated too. What do people think?

The other place that everyone thinks I must try is Sanaa, and that I must get the bread service and the butter chicken. I took a look at the menu and YouTube videos, and that seems like a LOT of food! As appealing as it would be to stuff myself full of bread, I probably would still want some protein to make a balanced meal. Is that just going to be ridiculous? Or should I go for it?

Would love to get anyone‘s thoughts!

Sanaa I wouldn’t hesitate to do solo personally. There are a lot of good options on the menu there(though butter chicken is always a safe bet if you are new to Indian food). Ohana, I would be on the fence about myself just because of the amount of food, and it’s not uncommon for me to dine solo, whether on vacation or not.

 

[rpfennig]

The other place that everyone thinks I must try is Sanaa, and that I must get the bread service and the butter chicken. I took a look at the menu and YouTube videos, and that seems like a LOT of food!

It is. I've done it solo and ended up taking enough of the bread service back to the room that it provided a nice breakfast snack for two mornings. I did an Animal Kingdom day and jumped over to AKL and Kidani for part of the afternoon to try Sanaa. I'd definitely suggest taking some time to wander around the two if you can for the different displays and just hanging out in their animal viewing areas. The downside of getting the bread service packed up was all the dipping sauces which meant that when I went back to Animal Kingdom in the evening I didn't go on Expedition Everest which I had been psyching myself up to do (it's totally because I was worried about the sauces and not because I was terrified looking at the initial climb).

I also don’t follow “the rules” and eat when and what I want on solo vacations. Ice cream for breakfast is fabulous

Totally agree. Though, I still have to watch myself. My wife was not impressed when I came back from a conference at Universal and I mentioned that I had butter beer ice cream and a hot butter beer for dinner one night. "You didn't have anything else to eat?" I may have also had a cold butter beer for comparison.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I've enjoyed Sanaa solo-actually I've enjoyed MANY places dining solo except.....communal dining. It was OK the first couple of times, but then I did it once where the teenaged girl sitting next to me seemed to be allergic to solo diners. Whenever I asked her anything, I was met with grunts and stares, and unfortunately it was too loud and I was seated on the end of the table, so she was my only choice of someone to talk with. After that I decided that I'd always much rather dine solo than wish I was.

 

[Tinkerlund]

Since I'm pretty much only interested in the Ohana bread pudding, I usually skip going to the restaurant and just go to Tambu Lounge just next to the restaurant. They have delicious cocktails and you can get the bread pudding there too.

Sanaa bread service might be a bit much for one person.

 

[BalooFan]

I’ve ordered the bread service and butter chicken at one meal at Sanaa. I could not finish it, but I took most of the butter chicken back to my resort and loved it at breakfast the next day. I likely won’t do that again unless I have a microwave at my resort for leftovers. Some of the breads would hold up well as leftovers if they could be slightly warmed. Since that adventure in overeating, I’ve wised up and just ordered one or the other.

I have dined solo at Sanaa and ordered the bread service and an entree. They very kindly boxed up the leftover breads and dips and I took them back to my room. I agree that some of the breads need reheating. I didn’t have a microwave and I felt a bit of nausea after eating it. That being said, I still love Sanaa but won’t order the bread service again unless I have someone to share it with.

If I wanted to dine at ‘Ohana solo (I’m not the huge fan that many are), I wouldn’t hesitate to do so. I’m sure that a lot of the food goes to waste regardless of the size of the party!

 

[bryanb]

Thanks everyone for your answers so far!

I think I’m going to look for an Indian restaurant at home to see if there’s an equivalent bread service. My thought is that five pieces of bread is quite a lot, no matter how good the dipping sauces or whether you can pack the rest to go, and I saw that the price of this popular item has increased quickly over the years to $19. Back home, there are amazing Indian restaurants (although maybe not the fusion with African influences that Sanaa offers).

As for Ohana, I’m leaning toward going for it. I hope they can seat me toward the edge of the restaurant so I can feel a little relaxed in all the hustle and bustle. This vlogger’s solo meal at Ohana actually did give me some comfort though! My backup (fantasy) plan is to actually book at night at the Poly so I can get the feast delivered via room service so I can eat it while overlooking the balcony!

 

[kwdw]

Thanks everyone for your answers so far!

I think I’m going to look for an Indian restaurant at home to see if there’s an equivalent bread service. My thought is that five pieces of bread is quite a lot, no matter how good the dipping sauces or whether you can pack the rest to go, and I saw that the price of this popular item has increased quickly over the years to $19. Back home, there are amazing Indian restaurants (although maybe not the fusion with African influences that Sanaa offers).

As for Ohana, I’m leaning toward going for it. I hope they can seat me toward the edge of the restaurant so I can feel a little relaxed in all the hustle and bustle. This vlogger’s solo meal at Ohana actually did give me some comfort though! My backup (fantasy) plan is to actually book at night at the Poly so I can get the feast delivered via room service so I can eat it while overlooking the balcony!

No Indian restaurant by my home offers a bread service like Sanaa. Breads tend to be $3 per order and that may or may not include dips. So, I think the $19 is fair. I also have to say, a couple of them at Sanaa are definitely the best I’d ever had. All are quite good, but some are outstanding in comparison to what I can find at home. It can feel overpriced as it’s not an entree or a protein dish. But it is a labor intensive dish to prepare. So, I’m fine with the price.

 

[Lilsia]

Thanks everyone for your answers so far!

I think I’m going to look for an Indian restaurant at home to see if there’s an equivalent bread service. My thought is that five pieces of bread is quite a lot, no matter how good the dipping sauces or whether you can pack the rest to go, and I saw that the price of this popular item has increased quickly over the years to $19. Back home, there are amazing Indian restaurants (although maybe not the fusion with African influences that Sanaa offers).

As for Ohana, I’m leaning toward going for it. I hope they can seat me toward the edge of the restaurant so I can feel a little relaxed in all the hustle and bustle. This vlogger’s solo meal at Ohana actually did give me some comfort though! My backup (fantasy) plan is to actually book at night at the Poly so I can get the feast delivered via room service so I can eat it while overlooking the balcony!

If you have an Indian grocery store in your area, you may be able to buy the dips and bread and make your own bread service.