Thoughts on Blue Bayou

[Matthew D.]

We went for the first time a month ago. One and done for us as well. Service was non-existent; don’t even think about a refill. The Monte Cristo wasn’t warmed properly, colder on the inside. Kids didn’t even get the glowing cubes like the other children around us. Our waitress was similar to a Flo you might encounter at a truck stop, friendly but had better things to do. Not an experience worth the effort.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

We went for the first time a month ago. One and done for us as well. Service was non-existent; don’t even think about a refill. The Monte Cristo wasn’t warmed properly, colder on the inside. Kids didn’t even get the glowing cubes like the other children around us. Our waitress was similar to a Flo you might encounter at a truck stop, friendly but had better things to do. Not an experience worth the effort.

Ahhhh man that is a bummer about the service. Hope things improve as the get their feel under them. FYI regarding the glow cubes, you have to request/pay for them. They aren’t automatically included for all kids.

 

[Lillebelle]

We love Blue Bayou. We went soon after reopening and it was even cooler being there with it so empty. I agree that you're paying for the ambiance, not the food - though I love the new Hurricane! It continues to be a priority reservation for me because I just love being there.

That said, for a 3yo's birthday, I think Plaza Inn character breakfast is the better choice. We haven't done character dining since the reopening so I don't know what it's like now, but my son loved it there pre-covid, and the variety of food is also more kid-friendly. My 4yo wouldn't touch his food at Blue Bayou.

I wouldn't personally feel comfortable going to Blue Bayou only for dessert (and I agree their desserts are not great), but that's just me.

 

[whoever]

We usually go on any given trip. The food has declined in quality substantially. The ambiance is still amazing as always though.

 

[heidica]

For a 3 yr old, I'd skip BB and go with Plaza Inn w/ characters for sure. BB has some really neat ambiance, but mainly for teens/adults or those who love PoTC.

For a culinary splurge, Napa Rose seems like the best bet.

BB is dark and quiet. It actually helped my toddlers have a nice break from the park. I’m bringing my 2 yo if we choose this restaurant next trip.

To the OP, I think it really depends on your 3 year old. I would not personally want to take my 2 year old for instance, but I did take my older son when he was 3.5. It was a little hard for him/less relaxing for me than if it was adults or older kids, but he LOVED it (especially the glow ice cube in his drink). I am taking him again this month. He is now 6.5 and a pro at sit-down restaurants so I expect this one will be even more enjoyable. Plus, alcohol. Lol.

All that said, for his third birthday to took him to Minnie and Friends character breakfast at the Plaza Inn and he absolutely loved it. I booked the latest seating so it was more like an early lunch.

I wanted to add onto the sentiment of the importance of knowing your 3 yr old and how they feel about the dark. In 2015, my whole family (party of 12) had dinner at BB and my 3 yr old niece hated it. I mean hated it. This was her first trip to DL and we had not understood how much she hated dark rooms. We took turns distracting her and taking her outside so the rest of the family could eat. Her parents, my brother and SIL, could not take her on any of the indoor Fantasyland rides, with the exception of IASW. It was the high ceilings in IASW that made it tolerable.

 

[StormyCA]

I think everyone should eat there just once. The food is kind of 'meh'. Not bad for what it is, but certainly not 'fine dining'. It's a fun experience though, especially if you get waterside seating (worth waiting for).

 

[avalon451]

We generally go every trip. My favorite is to book first seating for lunch, and be seated waterside with no wait. We generally know what we want and order quickly, so the service is usually quite good while the staff is fresh. First seating used to be 11:30; this trip it showed up as 11:00. Which works fine for us, since we’re rope droppers and ready for a break by then.

 

[Gamedog]

Definitely a must whenever I visit. The food is definitely second to the ambiance and experience.

 

[BellaandMickey]

We go every trip and have for years. The food has really declined in quality over the years. It’s honestly terrible food at this point (we last went January 2019, I can only imagine how bad it is now). But we still always go for the ambiance. We make reservations for 11:00 and ask for a waterside table, then order the cheapest thing on the menu and share it. I really wish Disney would step up the quality though, it’s truly a shame how bad the food is.

 

[SeaDis]

Wondering:
When they moved Club 33, didn't they they create a new kitchen? I don't know if they shared actual food prep, but I had always read they shared the same space at least. Maybe that is part of the reason/timing for the decline in quality(?).

 

[smartlabelprint]

We go every trip and have for years. The food has really declined in quality over the years. It’s honestly terrible food at this point (we last went January 2019, I can only imagine how bad it is now). But we still always go for the ambiance. We make reservations for 11:00 and ask for a waterside table, then order the cheapest thing on the menu and share it. I really wish Disney would step up the quality though, it’s truly a shame how bad the food is.

Did you start ordering the cheapest thing on the menu after the food declined? Or is it poor because you only order the cheapest thing?

 

[evilmommie]

I'm holding on to the day that the food improves......We've tried a few more times and just not worth it.

 

[BellaandMickey]

Did you start ordering the cheapest thing on the menu after the food declined? Or is it poor because you only order the cheapest thing?

Because the food declined, sadly. We have no problem spending money for good food, but the quality declined to the point that we just couldn’t spend that amount of money for such poor quality food. We still like the experience though and we tip well.

 

[Matthew D.]

I was really buttering my kids up for the day we would finally eat there…for years I would point over to BB as we waited in the Pirates queue, and say, “See that kids, that’s a fine dining experience. It costs a pretty penny to eat there and reservations are hard to come by. ” Their eyes would boggle while they tried to get a better glimpse of the patrons sitting by candlelight. And not to sound elitists, but when we did finally dine there last month, well…the Mos Eisley tavern scene from Star Wars seemed to have more a refined bunch, from the 20 something in his I love hot moms t-shirt to the couple keeping their camera light on for a live stream or FaceTime call, the vibe/atmosphere certainly felt like it had been cheapened.

 

[AndrewC]

I was really buttering my kids up for the day we would finally eat there…for years I would point over to BB as we waited in the Pirates queue, and say, “See that kids, that’s a fine dining experience. It costs a pretty penny to eat there and reservations are hard to come by. ” Their eyes would boggle while they tried to get a better glimpse of the patrons sitting by candlelight. And not to sound elitists, but when we did finally dine there last month, well…the Mos Eisley tavern scene from Star Wars seemed to have more a refined bunch, from the 20 something in his I love hot moms t-shirt to the couple keeping their camera light on for a live stream or FaceTime call, the vibe/atmosphere certainly felt like it had been cheapened.

I don’t think it’s ever been “fine dining.” Compared to quick service, sure, it totally is. To me the extra price has ALWAYS been because of the limited capacity and theming. The food was good, but was clearly higher than it should be. I did it every time I went because I enjoyed the atmosphere (and always did sit down as an adult without kids, going to enjoy my meal times) and it always impressed a friend. There were kids in there that you could tell wanted to get back into the park, there was no dress code whatsoever (good, it’s deep in the park & not worth a hotel visit before dinner!), and nothing above and beyond with the menu or service. I honestly think Carthay Circle is a little step up… but certainly doesn’t have that theming I love so much.

I was really disappointed that Star Wars land didn’t have a themed sit down restaurant. That would have been AMAZING and could have been a couple prix fixe 3 or 4 course menus at $149/person or something and would always have been sold out and absolutely number one on my list to do!

Disney knows how to theme and that’s what pulls the money in. Disney isn’t amazing on food. They have some very good sit down places and Napa Rose is pretty dang good, but I still wouldn’t consider their food game anything to make a trip for or write home about.

 

[AndrewC]

We love Blue Bayou. We went soon after reopening and it was even cooler being there with it so empty. I agree that you're paying for the ambiance, not the food - though I love the new Hurricane! It continues to be a priority reservation for me because I just love being there.

That said, for a 3yo's birthday, I think Plaza Inn character breakfast is the better choice. We haven't done character dining since the reopening so I don't know what it's like now, but my son loved it there pre-covid, and the variety of food is also more kid-friendly. My 4yo wouldn't touch his food at Blue Bayou.

I wouldn't personally feel comfortable going to Blue Bayou only for dessert (and I agree their desserts are not great), but that's just me.

I still can’t figure out why they didn’t put a “real” (pre-made or whatever but with alcohol) mint julep on the menu there! Such a missed opportunity!

 

[wabbott]

Had dinner there last night for the first time. Managed a waterside table, and it really adds to the ambiance. Very courteous waiters with attentive service, much better than we expected. Our water glasses were kept full, and the meal courses were relatively prompt.

On to the food. We're from Louisiana and often go to NOLA, so we know what good Cajun/Creole dining is.

The gumbo was unremarkable, but a couple of dashes of Tabasco helped it along. We both had the jambalaya, and it too was unremarkable, save the andouille sausage - quite tasty. Wish I knew what brand they use. The shrimp was a bit over cooked, which made it a bit chewy.

I had the vanilla creme brulee for dessert and was impressed.

Would we go back? Probably yes, as the ambiance and service were above average for DL/DCA, in my estimation.

We had dined at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen two years ago when here, and found it to be reasonably authentic to the real thing. I'll go further here and say that overall, WDW has superior dining to DL/DCA, by a significant margin. This is our third trip to Cali in the past 2 years, and we've been to WDW 3 times in the past 2 years, and have sampled enough places to have an overall impression.

But neither place can touch NOLA for the best food in the Western Hemisphere. They live for it down there. If you're a serious foodie, it's worth the trip for the dining alone, let alone the history and the Bourbon Street experience.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

We ate at Blue Bayou today for lunch. This was my second visit (first was three years ago). We honestly had a delightful time! I realize everyone has different opinions on food but I can attest that everything we ordered was delicious!

I had surf and turf and it was awesome! The lobster tail is small but very tasty. The filet was well seasoned and cooked wonderfully. Super tender. I loved the mashed potatoes. Amazing! Sautéed carrots and kale also very yummy.

My mom had the jambalaya. It was very good! The shrimp and sausage were especially tasty. This dish is spicy!

The kids meal for my son was a little too small in portion but he loved it and ate every bite. It was also only $10, so… He had the “chef’s beef speciality” which was 2 ounces of steak (which looked to quite possibly be filet mignon), sautéed carrots with kale, and mashed potatoes. He also had half of my lobster tail and some of my filet and mashed potatoes because he was still hungry.

Glow cubes were a huge hit. I had a glass of Cabernet that was just OK but it was fun to have wine with my meal here! My mom had the special mint julip with watermelon and basil and it was really good!

Hazelnut chocolate cake was just OK. Decent but I wouldn’t order it again.

Our server was very attentive. Waters constantly refilled. We had a table in the second row from the water and the ambiance was great!

Honestly, this is not “fine dining” … if you are expecting that you will be disappointed! Don’t forget you are in a theme park. The food is overpriced, but you’re also paying for ambience. If the price was lower I think people would say the food was better. Our food was yummy! I have no complaints other than I wish they had bread service (side note: my server said they are hoping to have bread back soon!). I happened to have a steak at a “fine dining establishment” last week and was that steak better than my steak at the Blue Bayou? You bet it was! But my steak at the Blue Bauou was good and I enjoyed it! Just wanted to report my experience…

 

[BadPinkTink]

We ate at Blue Bayou today for lunch. This was my second visit (first was three years ago). We honestly had a delightful time! I realize everyone has different opinions on food but I can attest that everything we ordered was delicious!

I had surf and turf and it was awesome! The lobster tail is small but very tasty. The filet was well seasoned and cooked wonderfully. Super tender. I loved the mashed potatoes. Amazing! Sautéed carrots and kale also very yummy.

My mom had the jambalaya. It was very good! The shrimp and sausage were especially tasty. This dish is spicy!

The kids meal for my son was a little too small in portion but he loved it and ate every bite. It was also only $10, so… He had the “chef’s beef speciality” which was 2 ounces of steak (which looked to quite possibly be filet mignon), sautéed carrots with kale, and mashed potatoes. He also had half of my lobster tail and some of my filet and mashed potatoes because he was still hungry.

Glow cubes were a huge hit. I had a glass of Cabernet that was just OK but it was fun to have wine with my meal here! My mom had the special mint julip with watermelon and basil and it was really good!

Hazelnut chocolate cake was just OK. Decent but I wouldn’t order it again.

Our server was very attentive. Waters constantly refilled. We had a table in the second row from the water and the ambiance was great!

Honestly, this is not “fine dining” … if you are expecting that you will be disappointed! Don’t forget you are in a theme park. The food is overpriced, but you’re also paying for ambience. If the price was lower I think people would say the food was better. Our food was yummy! I have no complaints other than I wish they had bread service (side note: my server said they are hoping to have bread back soon!). I happened to have a steak at a “fine dining establishment” last week and was that steak better than my steak at the Blue Bayou? You bet it was! But my steak at the Blue Bauou was good and I enjoyed it! Just wanted to report my experience…

very refreshing review. Sometimes I think peoples negative views about Blue Bayou are because they forget its a high volume themed restaurant in a theme park. They equate the price with fine dining when thats not the reason at all. Its a dining experience and the prices reflects the themed experience as well the service and food.

 

[BriannaRuth]

Thanks for posting the Jambalaya photo ... that looks yummy. I've thought of getting that a couple times but have never ordered it because I thought it might not be any good. May try it next time!