The Le Cellier Hype

[Tinkerbellie16]

I was skeptical of the hype myself and I ate there the first time in April 2009. I really liked my meal there and they treated the kids so well but it was my husband that really adored this place. His family has a ranch, he went to school to become a chef, and he appreciates beef and the steak met his expectations and then some! I will say that when you are on the dining plan, it is a good value. I absolutely LOVE the pretzel breadsticks. The cheddar soup was just ok and the filet was WOW!!!! But my husband LOVES this place and I will try my hardest each time we go to WDW to get ADRs here because it is his ONE request - get reservations at Le Cellier!

Is it worth the hype??? For me, yes. It means my husband enjoys his trip to WDW

 

[leebee]

Oohhh.. we don't care for Outback. Maybe I'm not as sad about not getting an ADR for Le Cel as I thought I'd be! We are perfectly happy with Bugaboo Creek and Longhorn, so I guess we'll stick to those at home and save Epcot ADR for Teppan Edo!

I DO wish they'd let us do a couple of take-out desserts; I'm dying to try the maple creme brulee!

 

[Donut23]

Sadly, this restaurant has been riding on a reputation.

Remember when Disney turned the WDW into a dining destination? Well, that is now long gone with slashed budgets, less expensive proteins and standardized menus.

We were let down 3 trips ago......their edge was gone. The chef had transferred to Jiko..it never really recovered.

We tried two more times. BOTH times we actually returned food because we could not eat it (something we just don't do - but this was awful). DH and I are admitted "foodies".....we appreciate it when food is prepared well and know when it's not.

Both times I became physically ill after eating there. Let's just say.....I am famliar with all the ladies rooms along WS.

Once upon a time it was excellent and I'm happy to have the memories of those meals. Now......not so much.

 

[goofy4tink]

We try to eat at LeCellier once a trip. Is it the most incredibly mind blowing restaurant for steak? No, of course not. BUT...I have always gotten my steak (or filet as the case may be) cooked exactly as I ordered. We have always had good, friendly service. We have yet to wait more than 20 mins to be seated. I have never had a bad dining experience there.

Compare that to my one (and going to stay one) dining experience at Yachtsman Steakhouse. I was there with a group of about 8. We wanted a nice, relaxed, enjoyable meal together. We had a wonderful server. I ordered my beef medium rare..figured that I would get pretty much exactly what I ordered here. I got my meal last...about 4 mins after everyone else had been served. When I cut into my filet, I found it to be well done....it was gray!! Not a hint of pink. By this time, most of my friends were close to done. One friend looked at my filet and told me I should send it back and get a new filet. But, if I had done that, I would have held everyone up, while I ate. So, I ate a few bites of it....ate everything else on the plate as well as some dessert. The thing that bothered me was that the server never asked me if my filet was cooked correctly..not even when he took it away, less than half eaten. But other than that, he was great.
Of course, now I'm very hesitant about returning there. Athough everyone here raves about it, I have had a completely different experience.

I don't expect haute cuisine at WDW. If I want that, I'll head to one of the 'trendy' spots to eat. But, I'm much more a meat and potatoes girl. I don't like Calif Grill, way too 'out there' for me. So, LeCellier gets it done for me.

Yes, the tables are close together. But not much more so than any other WDW restaurant. Tuttu is awful in that regard...as are many other restaurants. It's nothing that is going to stop me from eating at LeCellier. It's the best place to get a decent piece of steak in the parks. Coral Reef has a good steak as well.

 

[BuenaVistaBound]

By the way, just wanted to say you really don't have much chance of over-coming the small-close-together seating in there if you're a party of two. Booking for a party of 3 or 4 and then showing up with two will not guarantee you a bigger table - you might get it, but probably not. Typically, when you check in with just two on a rez for 3 or 4, they'll just put you on the list for the next available table for two (will not seat you at a table for 3 or 4.

I'm glad to hear this. We booked a table for six at the 180-day window, and then the grandparents canceled on us. I've had no luck rebooking a table for four, so I haven't canceled our ressie. Feeling a little guilty, as we'll be using the "sorry, two of us didn't make it" excuse. But LeCellier is the only TS restaurant in Epcot we haven't done...

 

[♥Cleo]

Can someone explain what is so great about this restaurant? What am I missing? Should I try to get an ADR still? I just don't understand. I was going to book at the 180 day mark but there's many other restaurants we want to go to that either seem better or more fun.

Here's what I understand so far about Le Cellier.

• Small restaurant, very popular, difficult to get ADR, possible long wait to get seated.
• Great steak. But still some who give the steak a bad review.
• Limited menu, nothing unusual or spectacular, but still a place to get a good steak.
• Good value - 1 dining plan credit

This just seems like a place to get a good steak. But I can get that at home. And every signature restaurant and many others at Disney have good steak too. We like other Disney restaurants that have more interesting food, fun decor, entertainment, or characters.

I think the more someone hypes anything up, the more disappointed I get if it doesn't live up to the expectations put on it. If ur not into it don't go. I'm sure someone else will fill ur spot. I'd like to try it for the same reason u are curious, but if it's not what u expected,don't be to upset.

 

[skier_pete]

Oohhh.. we don't care for Outback. Maybe I'm not as sad about not getting an ADR for Le Cel as I thought I'd be! We are perfectly happy with Bugaboo Creek and Longhorn, so I guess we'll stick to those at home and save Epcot ADR for Teppan Edo!

I DO wish they'd let us do a couple of take-out desserts; I'm dying to try the maple creme brulee!

See that's funny - I think Outback is great, but find Longhorn Steakhouse to be generally awful. I sometime think that even though these restaurants are chains, you still get variations in the food/service based on local management. My parents didn't understand why we liked Outback so much, but we brought them to ours, and they agreed it was very very good.

 

[Bummbok]

To me a restaurant is more the sum of all its parts as opposed to just one item. I guess that’s why I chuckle when folks say its Outback/Longhorn/Texas Roadhouse quality. I’ve been to all 3 fairly recently and I can’t recall any of them having the unusual appetizer selection/bread type/side selection that Le Cellier has. I know none of them have a risotto of any type on the menu, au gratin potatoes are a specialty item served infrequently at best, and the mashed potatoes are garlic at best, plain at worst. Never mind there is no cheese soup or chicken sausage with polenta…to get “crazy” stuff like that you’d have to go somewhere else. Is the steak cut quality on par with Outback, sure but why wouldn’t it? It's still a decent cut of beef. Is the cooking style on par? Again not near the variety of styles. As for I can cook better at home, if I went that route I'd rarely eat out...hmm, money saving opportunity?

 

[skier_pete]

To me a restaurant is more the sum of all its parts as opposed to just one item. I guess that’s why I chuckle when folks say its Outback/Longhorn/Texas Roadhouse quality. I’ve been to all 3 fairly recently and I can’t recall any of them having the unusual appetizer selection/bread type/side selection that Le Cellier has. I know none of them have a risotto of any type on the menu, au gratin potatoes are a specialty item served infrequently at best, and the mashed potatoes are garlic at best, plain at worst. Never mind there is no cheese soup or chicken sausage with polenta…to get “crazy” stuff like that you’d have to go somewhere else. Is the steak cut quality on par with Outback, sure but why wouldn’t it? It's still a decent cut of beef. Is the cooking style on par? Again not near the variety of styles. As for I can cook better at home, if I went that route I'd rarely eat out...hmm, money saving opportunity?

When I say "on par with Outback" it is not an insult. I think that, dollar for dollar, Outback has the best steaks around. The occasional trip to a more "traditional" steak house - slightly better cuts of meat at $45 a serving - leave me unimpressed. Perhaps it is the ridiculous price you have to pay, and that fact that my $45 doesn't even buy me a side dish - but I just don't find meals at those restaurants all that enjoyable.

I find that many local restaurants I enjoy can't cook a steak as well as Outback, or as well as I can at home, so I very rarely order Steak out. Just Outback, and now I will at Le Cellier. (Though if they go to 2TS as rumored, probably not.)

 

[bwallace]

OP, you aren't missing anything in your thinking.
Its a good restaurant. We ate there in '05 and '07 when it was booked up, but not insane.
The hype is just that. People getting worked up because other people are getting worked up.
If your tastes are as described, you'll find plenty of enjoyable places to go.

 

[RobinHoodGirl]

I personally like Le Cellier in part by it's location (country wise) and my first experience there-

While I was born and raised in the US, my family a few generations back were in Canada (then migrated south). I've on and off tried to find out information about my family from there and if there's something Canadian on I try to watch it. I would probably try to get an ADR at what ever the Canadian restaurant was.

Now the first time there was Mother's Day 2008, it was the one meal I paid for and was part of my Mom's Mother Day gift. Since it was surprised I wanted to pick someplace I knew we could both get something we liked - we like stake and would be in Epcot that day so this made sense to me. Mom and I both loved the food, the service and the decor.

Since then my mom has passed away and I remember fondly our dinner here (it ended up being our last Mother's Day together) and I have great memories. I do have an ADR for my birthday in Nov and in a way it will be like having my mom with me on my birthday. Yes, there may be better stake houses in WDW and better restaurants in Epcot but Le Cellier means the most to me.

 

[carone0318]

You should be able to call Dining Services and reduce the ADR down to 4 without losing your ressie. It is never a problem to go down in numbers, the problem is when you want to increase the numbers....

I'm glad to hear this. We booked a table for six at the 180-day window, and then the grandparents canceled on us. I've had no luck rebooking a table for four, so I haven't canceled our ressie. Feeling a little guilty, as we'll be using the "sorry, two of us didn't make it" excuse. But LeCellier is the only TS restaurant in Epcot we haven't done...

 

[kcsims]

I just wish I could get a reservation to taste for myself!

 

[RDP]

We've always had good meals at Le Cellier, not mind blowing but really good. If it becomes a 2 TS, they will have to improve their menu selection, theres no way I would use 2 TS credits for Le Cellier, I would add an extra night at California Grill.

I agree totally. Le cellier is not in the same league as CG. We've eaten at Le cellier a few times and always had an ok meal. We had a bad experience last time when our DS(age 2) was served chicken that was VERY pink in the middle. Pink steak is great but chicken.......

 

[dmazter]

I personally really liked Le Cellier. The cheese soup is delicious, and I got an amazing veal steak. The veal steak is actually the best thing I have ever eaten in disney. I can't recomend it more. The atmosphere wasn't great and I didn't really notice the service one way or another. The desserts were okay. The smores are yummy (although the one I ate had burned marshmellows....just the way I like them ). The mapel creme brule wasn't the best choice for creme brule (the best choice for creme brule is California Grill). Still, if you want a really yummy steak and some very good soup Le Cellier is a good choice, plus you get pretzel bread for free!

 

[java]

The cheddar cheese soup and pretzel bread make it worth the wait for me. And we pay oop. Of course I LOVE California Grill. The kids really enjoyed lecellier.

 

[NormanMaine]

Le Cellier was once a humble restaurant with great service and wonderful food. Then the PS/ADR Internet explosion made it this giant whipping boy. It's still a humble restaurant with great service and wonderful food.

That's it.

 

[Tommy_B]

I really think Le Cellier is so hyped up because it is a good deal on the DDP. I mean, you can get a $36 steak, a $3 soda and a $7 dessert for 1TS credit.

Actually you are getting an $18 dollar steak, they just charge $36.

I think they use choice beef, not prime and you should never pay $36 for a choice steak, not even one with pixie dust on it.

 

[*NikkiBell*]

I don't understand the hype. Le Cellier is good, but totally not worth the sensationalism it receives.

 

[sandynd]

Maybe part of the hype is the entertainment? Haven't I heard somewhere that there is a Celtic rockband there? I haven't been (tried a walkup last year, ha ha) but I wouldn't mind going because I'm Canadian and I want to see how they're representing us. To me poutine isn't a big deal (we can even order poutine at KFC up here, and they do a not bad job with it) but I'd like to see why they think cheese soup is so Canadian (I don't know that I've ever actually seen that on a casual dining menu here!) So I might try to get an early dinner ADR for January when we go. The prices seem a bit shocking though, and we're paying OOP