Some Quick reviews

[seashell7290]

My husband and I are currently in WDW and I figured I’d put my thoughts down before I forget.
4/9- Had 7:00 reservations for California Grille. Seated at a nice table but because of the suns position, one of use was blinded by the sun even with the shade. Also, only one of us enjoyed the view while the other saw the register. Had a great server who was very attentive. At first I thought he was rushing the meal but he ended up pacing it pretty well. We did the signature wine pairing and started with beef wontons and sushi trio. Both were delicious! Portions were generous for a tasting menu. Also, I liked that you could see the wine that would come with the pairing before you ordered so you wouldn’t be surprised. Next we had the filet and halibut. Both perfectly cooked. I love curry and thought the spice was present. The halibut is served with rice and I think really was a little too much. I had difficulty eating dessert. For dessert, we split the crème brûlée and chocolate tort. Both were ok. Overall, wine pairings were decent and food was good. Atmosphere was LOUD. We finished around 850 and walked out to the bridge to watch the fireworks. Crowds outside were small since it was very windy and chilly. Overall, I’d recommend you look at the menu and decide if you want to eat all of that food.

4/10 We had an 840 reservation at Topolinos. We are staying at Pop and this place is so easy for us to get to. The atmosphere is night and day from Cali Grill. The tables are spaced out more and the sound level is so much better. Even though there were kids, the spacing prevents it from being bothersome. We started with cocktails, bread, and ricotta. Our server Sanae brought more bread without being prompted. We loved it all. We had filet and veal chop for mains. The most delicious filet with the sauce and bacon jam. During our entrees we enjoyed the fireworks from our table. I would say a good portion of the restaurant can see the fireworks from their table. No music piped inside the restaurant. Enjoyed a glass of wine and ordered dessert. The Créme brûlée was much better if you like cherrys. The small doughnuts were also out of this world that were served with it. Not sure if it’s a new thing but both desserts were not served in a ramekin. They were free form served on a plate. Overall, our meal was cheaper and we enjoyed this meal more than Cali Grill. On the way out the door, our server gave us some extra bread and oil since we enjoyed it so much. These types of interactions will keep us going back to Topolinos. Where we live right now, we have 0 fine dining so we like to enjoy them. Cannot say more good things about Topolinos!

I’ll post more reviews later this week. I may or may not have just booked Topolinos brunch for Saturday lol. We are also going to try Sebastian’s since it’s easy to get to on the Skyliner.

 

[mjdis17]

Thank you for this!! Have a Cali Grill 7:15 reservation coming up so knowing you finished around 8:50 for a part of 2 with a 7:00 reservation is super helpful, and love that they list out the wine pairings because I was wondering about that. Would love for an update on Topolino's brunch since we have that too, and I am super curious about Sebastian's Hope you are enjoying your trip!!!

 

[Eastern]

4/9- Had 7:00 reservations for California Grille. Seated at a nice table but because of the suns position, one of use was blinded by the sun even with the shade.

This is definitely a problem. In the past we'd go early and come back for fireworks so we didn't notice it. We had an ADR during sunset recently and it was really bothersome for some members of our party. You couldn't avoid the glare. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[loves to dive]

We did CG before the menu change and we were sat down almost 5 min. before fireworks started. If I were to do it again, I'd try to get longer before FWs or after. It was loud, there were a lot of people coming back from earlier meal times to watch the FWs outside which made it crowded and noisy. After the FWs it settled and was a pleasant meal. I'd say (in the before times) it was the meal we have had on site and up in the top two for service. The only better one we've had for food and service was V&As and that puppy cost over $700 for two people.

We ate at Toppolinos when it first opened. I don't think they had all the kinks worked out. Our food was good but our service not so much. We got there early and sat at one of the tables at the bar and after about 15 min. my son had to get up and go to the bar to order us drinks because a server never came. We got a table as far away from the FWs window as you can be, which was fine for us as we didn't need to see them. Our server was trying but he had a very large table right next to us with kids and demanding people so he took longer to take our order, bring our food, get our dessert order, bring our check and take our money. He would often walk by us without even glancing at our table to see if we needed anything or were ready for the next course. He was good when he got to us and while I don't like a server that hovers, I also don't like to have a dirty plate sitting in front of me or like to wait for my check or wait to pay. We will most likely try it again, because I believe in giving all the restaurants a second choice. For us, we were staying at the Dolphin, it was a little difficult to get to and from. We could have walked to Epcot and taken the sky liner but my son is not a fan of heights and is claustrophobic so that wasn't an option. We ended up taking an Uber there and an Uber back, which was o.k. but since you could see the Dolphin from there a bit of a pain.

 

[DLo]

Just found your reviews. Great start . Looking forward to reading more.