Swan and Dolphin Restaurants

[snowwhite84]

Hi all! DH and I have decided last minute to head down to the World for our one year wedding anniversary. I'm frantically searching for a V&A reservation to open up, but I'd like to make a dinner reservation at one of the Swan and Dolphin restaurants for another night.

I can't decide. Right now I am leaning toward Bluezoo and Shula's, but I've heard good things about the Italian restaurant as well. I'd love your opinions on which we should pick. TIA!

 

[Music City Mama]

Tough choice, they're all good. It depends what you're looking for. Bluezoo is light and airy and their main focus if fish. Shula's is darker and feels fancier to me -- the focus, of course, is steak. Il Mulino is also very good, but I'd probably pick one of the other two. Just depends what you're looking for on that particular evening, but you really can't go wrong with any of them. Good luck deciding!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

We have only eaten at Shulas so far. Pricey but great food. Love the chocolate souffle.

We are thinking of trying Blue Zoo next too.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

They are all good! Our favorite is bluezoo (in fact, our favorite in all of WDW!), but it's simply because I like their menu over the others. The cocktails are great too! I would look at the menus and see which one appeals most. You can't go wrong with any of them!

 

[snowwhite84]

Thanks for the replies! Just wanted to add, we love a good steakhouse, and that would probably be DH's preference. We live in NYC and are a bit spoiled by steakhouses, so just wanted to be sure Shula's could pass muster. For instance, while I enjoy the experience of Le Cellier, I don't think the steaks really stack up to some other places.

Sounds like you guys give Shula's the thumbs up!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Our Ratings of Shula's Steakhouse: (*rev 03/05/2016*)
. . . food price value: B
. . . food quality: A
. . . food quantity per serving: B
. . . food prep speed: B
. . . food selection: B
. . . seating quantity: A
. . . seating comfort: B
. . . eatery atmosphere: B
. . . eatery convenience: C
. . . staff friendliness: A
. . . staff attentiveness: B
. . . character interaction: n/a
.
Our Recommendations:
. . . appys:... Lobster Bisque
. . . entree:.. Steak Mary Ann (their version of "Steak Diane", although not prepared table-side)
. . . dessert:. Key Lime Pie
.
NOTE1: Shula's is at the Dolphin Resort, thus a little inconvenient unless coming from
DHS or Epcot. The eatery is not owned by Disney as Shula's is a chain. This eatery does
not disappoint for meats/veggies, but we find the lobster and salmon to be slightly below
par for the reputation and price of Shula's. Be aware that Shula's is pricey. But, the portions
are large; the wife and I always split entrees. We patronize only five eateries at WDW, and
three of the eateries are not owned by Disney. Shula's is one of our favs, along with Il Mulino
and Todd English's blue zoo.
.
NOTE2: Our opinions of non-steak options at Shula's:
. . . Mahi-Mahi - especially blackened, HIGHLY recommended
. . . Florida Red Snapper - huge, tasty, recommended
. . . Salmon - pass it by, go to Artist Point for Copper River Salmon (mid-May thru early-June)
. . . French Cut Chicken - give it back to the French
. . . Australian Lobster Tail - tasty, but not outstanding
. . . Maine Lobster - whole lobster is whole lobster, average
.
NOTE3: If you are older, like the wife and I, some waiters may think, "Older, smaller tip."
We had this experience this year, and the lack of service was highly noticeable. Younger folks
around us got great treatment, but ours was only so-so. We didn't even get our favorite waiter,
"Perry".

*********************************************************************************
Our Ratings of Il Mulino: (*rev 01/10/2016*)
. . . food price value: B
. . . food quality: A
. . . food quantity per serving: B
. . . food prep speed: B
. . . food selection: B
. . . seating quantity: B
. . . seating comfort: A
. . . eatery atmosphere: B
. . . eatery convenience: B
. . . staff friendliness: B
. . . staff attentiveness: A
. . . character interaction: n/a

Our Recommendations:
. . . appys:... Insaccati Misti (platter for two)
. . . entree:.. Saltimbocca, Seared Red Snapper
. . . dessert:. Italian Style Cheesecake served with Whipped Cream and Zabaglione

NOTE: This is one of five sit-down eateries we patronize at WDW. The service is always
exquisite and the food very good to excellent. I want to feel important at fine dining,
and Il Mulino does this, so the price-to-food/service ratio is an excellent value. We had
two servers. They even kept our glasses full and our needs always met. It's good to be
pampered. We enjoy the Insaccati Misti appy, the Saltimbocca, the Dentice (Snapper),
and the Vitello Parmigiana entrees.

 

[snowwhite84]

Our Ratings of Shula's Steakhouse: (*rev 03/05/2016*)
. . . food price value: B
. . . food quality: A
. . . food quantity per serving: B
. . . food prep speed: B
. . . food selection: B
. . . seating quantity: A
. . . seating comfort: B
. . . eatery atmosphere: B
. . . eatery convenience: C
. . . staff friendliness: A
. . . staff attentiveness: B
. . . character interaction: n/a
.
Our Recommendations:
. . . appys:... Lobster Bisque
. . . entree:.. Steak Mary Ann (their version of "Steak Diane", although not prepared table-side)
. . . dessert:. Key Lime Pie
.
NOTE1: Shula's is at the Dolphin Resort, thus a little inconvenient unless coming from
DHS or Epcot. The eatery is not owned by Disney as Shula's is a chain. This eatery does
not disappoint for meats/veggies, but we find the lobster and salmon to be slightly below
par for the reputation and price of Shula's. Be aware that Shula's is pricey. But, the portions
are large; the wife and I always split entrees. We patronize only five eateries at WDW, and
three of the eateries are not owned by Disney. Shula's is one of our favs, along with Il Mulino
and Todd English's blue zoo.
.
NOTE2: Our opinions of non-steak options at Shula's:
. . . Mahi-Mahi - especially blackened, HIGHLY recommended
. . . Florida Red Snapper - huge, tasty, recommended
. . . Salmon - pass it by, go to Artist Point for Copper River Salmon (mid-May thru early-June)
. . . French Cut Chicken - give it back to the French
. . . Australian Lobster Tail - tasty, but not outstanding
. . . Maine Lobster - whole lobster is whole lobster, average
.
NOTE3: If you are older, like the wife and I, some waiters may think, "Older, smaller tip."
We had this experience this year, and the lack of service was highly noticeable. Younger folks
around us got great treatment, but ours was only so-so. We didn't even get our favorite waiter,
"Perry".

*********************************************************************************
Our Ratings of Il Mulino: (*rev 01/10/2016*)
. . . food price value: B
. . . food quality: A
. . . food quantity per serving: B
. . . food prep speed: B
. . . food selection: B
. . . seating quantity: B
. . . seating comfort: A
. . . eatery atmosphere: B
. . . eatery convenience: B
. . . staff friendliness: B
. . . staff attentiveness: A
. . . character interaction: n/a

Our Recommendations:
. . . appys:... Insaccati Misti (platter for two)
. . . entree:.. Saltimbocca, Seared Red Snapper
. . . dessert:. Italian Style Cheesecake served with Whipped Cream and Zabaglione

NOTE: This is one of five sit-down eateries we patronize at WDW. The service is always
exquisite and the food very good to excellent. I want to feel important at fine dining,
and Il Mulino does this, so the price-to-food/service ratio is an excellent value. We had
two servers. They even kept our glasses full and our needs always met. It's good to be
pampered. We enjoy the Insaccati Misti appy, the Saltimbocca, the Dentice (Snapper),
and the Vitello Parmigiana entrees.

Wow...great info here! Thanks so much!