Spoodles Vs. Flying Fish?

[soarinfan]

I seem to remember going to Flying Fish years ago for lunch, but it was nothing impressive. Very tiny and simple inside and the food was nothing to write home about. We sat on uncomfortable little chairs. The one good thing was the view of the Boardwalk. Was Spoodles remodeled? Am I remembering wrong?

So which restaurant would we be happier with? I know they're two different kinds of food. Really I prefer fish, but if it's the same place we had lunch in years ago, it wouldn't be worth the prices they're charging. Any thoughts?

 

[SauceBoss]

Here's my two-cents. Flying Fish has never been open for lunch, ever. If you had lunch there, chances are you were with a banquet group and in that case, the meal was prepared by the banquet chefs and was a banquet menu - the only thing was - they used the dining room for the event. Flying Fish is a wonderful fine-dining restaurant with top-notch food, wine and service. On the DDP, this is 2-points.

Spoodles is more family-oriented with a Mediterranean flare. You'll find pasta's, beef, poultry, seafood of all sorts, flatbreads, dips, etc, etc. Great wine here too, not to mention the Sangria. On the DDP, this is 1 point.

Neither have a spectacular view of the Boardwalk, perhaps you were thinking of the Big River Grill?

Also - neither Spoodles, nor Flying Fish have been remodeled. Spoodles changes their menu about 4 times a year, the Flying Fish makes changes almost daily.

Hope this helps - email me for more details.

 

[N10CJT]

I had dinner at Flying Fish a week and a half ago.
The food was fantastic. The snapper was very tasty, my girlfriend loved her scallops, and I found the calamari to be really well done (light and crispy, full of flavor, one of the better preparations of this I've had).
The space could be nice, but I thought they tried to pack too many people in. Our party had 5 people, and were seated at a table for 4. I had to sit on the edge, with one of the convenience stations over my left shoulder. I was crowded (fortunately I didn't want wine that night, otherwise I don't know how we'd have managed), and it was really invasive to have servers clanking water pitchers next to my ear around all night. For the type of establishment it is and the prices they charge, I thought this was a poor way to be treated.
Our server was decent, though, and the service was generally well spaced and efficient. Though at one time I needed a refill on my water glass for a noticable time, which made me quip about the difficulties in transporting water across so vast an area without having the ice melt....
As a final note, I'll mention that they really need to lock the door to the candy store. When it rains, dozens of people cut through the shops and into the restaurant, and many decide to wait out the weather at this, the end of the line. The waiting area is very small as it is, and it's somewhat unpleasant to have crowds of damp people pushing their way through, and even more so to have people shoulder-to-shoulder in a confluence of table-waiting and weather-waiting!
Still, this is one place I'd go back to. Considering the situation, this speaks to the quality of the food I ate there.......

 

[Booyakasha]

Flying Fish and Spoodles are very different restaurants. It is like comparing a Toyota to a Lexus they are both good, it just depends what you want and how much you want to spend. That being said if you like fish don't pass up FF. IMHO it has some of the best fish on property and I really like the atmosphere, it is one of my favorites. Take a look at the menus as it is a Signature restaurant so the prices are not cheap.

Enjoy,

B.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

I seem to remember going to Flying Fish years ago for lunch, but it was nothing impressive. Very tiny and simple inside and the food was nothing to write home about. We sat on uncomfortable little chairs. The one good thing was the view of the Boardwalk. Was Spoodles remodeled? Am I remembering wrong?

So which restaurant would we be happier with? I know they're two different kinds of food. Really I prefer fish, but if it's the same place we had lunch in years ago, it wouldn't be worth the prices they're charging. Any thoughts?

I, too, think you may be thinking about Big River Grille. Spoodles was open for lunch many years ago(I know I had lunch there in '99 after my DVC tour) but as a PP mentioned it doesn't have a great boardwalk view, whereas Big River Grille has windows all across the front. And IIRC kind of small chairs...

After never being able to get into FF over the course of a few visits (pre-DDP, ADRs generaly weren't as important) we finally did make ADRs far enough in advance to dine there. It was good, and the service was good, but I wasn't terribly impressed. It was at a time where the place was a darling of the DIS so maybe I was expecting too much.

I've always enjoyed Spoodles. I've pretty much always had great food & service there. Well, except that one time I went for the breakfast buffet - I didn't think you could ruin scrambled eggs in a warming tray but somehow they managed to do so...

 

[soarinfan]

Thanks all - it's possible it was the Big River Grill. I think the food choices look better to us at Flying Fish but the prices are really high. We don't mind doing that once in a while if the food is really great. In fact we ate at Victoria & Alberts on our last visit and really enjoyed it. Any other opinions on the value for the cost?

 

[LouDisney]

I have never been to Flying Fish ( I want to try it), but Spoodles is a must do for me, every trip. I have not had breakfast there, we always eat dinner.

 

[pwrflpills]

Flying Fish and Spoodles are very different restaurants. It is like comparing a Toyota to a Lexus they are both good, it just depends what you want and how much you want to spend. That being said if you like fish don't pass up FF. IMHO it has some of the best fish on property and I really like the atmosphere, it is one of my favorites. Take a look at the menus as it is a Signature restaurant so the prices are not cheap.

Well stated...FF being a BMW in my opinion. While I have not been to all of the signature dining options at WDW, FF is probably my favorite restaurant. Went there about a year and a half ago for dinner, calling that same day and having no difficulty getting a reservation. Food was great, service was great, wine was good, atmosphere was very cool...basically, I was surprised at how nice it was and have recommended it since.

Spoodles on the other hand, while very nice, is a dime-a-dozen kind of restaurant for me. You might as well go to Macaroni Grill or Carrabas. Again, the food was good, it just wasn't memorable.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

I agree with the other posters...Spoodles is good, fine, etc. I am sure I will eat there again. BUT, between the two, I would choose FF. We REALLY liked it last May, and plan on dining there again.

 

[debbiepump]

Those two are different animals completely. FF had fantastic food (even though it's a chain) and Spoodles is more of your run of the mill.. Depends on who's with you and how much you want to spend.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Those two are different animals completely. FF had fantastic food (even though it's a chain) and Spoodles is more of your run of the mill.. Depends on who's with you and how much you want to spend.

*gasp* FF is a chain? Owned by whom?

 

[SauceBoss]

Flying Fish Cafe is NOT a chain, it is owned and operated by Disney.

*gasp* FF is a chain? Owned by whom?

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Flying Fish Cafe is NOT a chain, it is owned and operated by Disney.

Thanks, I didn't thinks so!

Hmpf, talk about starting an ugly rumor! I was almost ready to run to snopes!!!

(LOL, Just kidding!)

 

[AKLFan3]

I have eaten at Flying Fish twice and Spoodles once. I definitely prefer Spoodles. Flying Fish puts very little space between tables, the food was okay but not fabulous. The sangria at Spoodles was excellent.

 

[lilyv]

Flying fish is wonderful. DH still raves about the steak he had there-one of the best ever. (And believe me, he's a meat and potatoes man. He knows his steaks!) I had the red snapper-delish!

Highly, highly recommend!

 

[LoveKermit]

So, I'll add my $.02.

They are very different.

At Spoodles, we order tapas off the apps menu (before DDP made you eat the whole menu) and make a meal of it. Just like any Spanish restaurant. Then there's room for dessert, either there or anywhere.

Agreed on tables being too close at FF. We had a great meal. But we also had a waiter fart (not kidding! ) in our face while he filled the water at the table next to us. And it's not really a romantic place for that reason either. If there are crabby kids near you, it's hard to ignore. But the food is good.

BlueZoo is pretentious, but excellent. Don't know if it's on the DDP.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

So, I'll add my $.02.
At Spoodles, we order tapas off the apps menu (before DDP made you eat the whole menu) and make a meal of it.

I love the tapas items, and even though I'm on the DDP plan to make a meal for two of a flatbread, the dips, and what-not. I will just pay OOP for this meal and that will free up a TS credit that I can use elsewhere.