vet.
We had dinners at Blue Bayou (Fantasmic package), Big Thunder Ranch, Carthay Circle (WOC package), Steakhouse 55, and Napa Rose.
We had breakfasts at Goofy's Kitchen, Storyteller's, PCH Grill, and Steakhouse 55.
Generally, I thought the quality of the food and service was on par with some of the best Disney-run restaurants at WDW. Along those lines, you definitely got the feeling that, with the exception of a few restaurants (namely Blue Bayou, Carthay Circle, and Napa Rose), table service dining isn't nearly as popular (or as much of a focus) at DLR than at WDW. The negative was that this made the dining seem somewhat less exciting. The positive was that the restaurants were generally less busy and the staff seemed to try a little harder to please the customer (DLR restaurants seem to rely more on repeat business than WDW restaurants).
Anyway, here are some brief thoughts on each restaurant:
Blue Bayou - this was probably the biggest pleasant surprise of the trip. I was expecting grossly overpriced, mediocre theme park food (similar to Applebee's quality). While the meal was not cheap, I ordered the surf & turf (filet and lobster), which was arguably the most enjoyable entrée I've ever had in a Disney park (Disney resort restaurants are a different story). The appetizer and dessert were also pretty good. The restaurant was dark and a lot smaller than I expected.
Big Thunder Ranch - this restaurant was good for what it is (all you can eat BBQ with live entertainment) and I enjoyed the ribs, chicken, beans, and cornbread (the coleslaw was the only thing that didn't do it for me). Much less expensive dinner than anywhere else we ate (and it was all you can eat) so outstanding bang for the buck by Disney standards.
Carthay Circle - while I thought the overall quality of the food, service, and dining venue was somewhat better than Blue Bayou, I probably enjoyed my Blue Bayou meal a bit more (but this was more a function of what I ordered than anything else). Still, very good for a theme park restaurant that, in my view, holds its own with any theme park restaurant in WDW (again, resort restaurants are a different story).
Steakhouse 55 - service here was outstanding and the steaks were very good. The 32 layer chocolate cake dessert was huge (enough to feed three people) and, surprisingly, only a few dollars more than the other (much smaller) desserts on the menu. The atmosphere of the restaurant, however, didn't really do it for me (windowless and too masculine and clubby) and I didn't like how most of the menu was a la carte.
Napa Rose - definitely the best place we ate as far as food, service, and atmosphere. Holds its own with any resort signature restaurant at WDW. My only complaint was that the portion sizes are rather small. If you come with a large appetite, I'd suggest ordering one of the excellent flat bread pizza appetizers. These are more substantial than most of the entrees. The desserts are good but tiny.
Goofy's Kitchen (breakfast) - this was the kids' favorite breakfast because it's technically labeled as a brunch and they had a whole dessert bar with ice cream, etc. The food quality and selection was somewhat better than I expected (and at least on par with some of the better WDW character breakfasts). We had a relatively early ADR and, as the restaurant was relatively empty, the characters (Chip, Dale, Minnie, Pluto) came to our table multiple times. This was very different (and much more relaxed) than our typical WDW character breakfast experience.
Storyteller's (breakfast) - this was the adults favorite breakfast buffet. I thought the food quality was quite good, better than any WDW character breakfast and second only to Boma as the best Disney breakfast buffet I've ever been to. Everything was fresh and the omelette station was a plus. Characters weren't as recognizable (Chip, Dale, Meeko and some bears) but the restaurant was gorgeous. I found myself wishing we'd had breakfast here every day.
Steakhouse 55 (breakfast) - this was our only order off the menu breakfast. While the service was excellent and the prices reasonable (by Disney standards), I wasn't as impressed by the food as I'd hoped. While the quality was better than most buffets, it just wasn't super memorable or unique (unlike say, Kona Café Tonga Toast).
PCH Grill (breakfast) - this was probably my least favorite meal of the trip. While it had a great lineup of characters (Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Pluto, Stitch), I found the food quality and selection to be lacking (both were a cut below Goofy's Kitchen). The restaurant also seemed somewhat dirty to me. In addition, it was the most expensive character breakfast we went to (Goofy's is a bit more upfront but includes the tip). The Paradise Pier hotel also lacked Disney magic.
We had dinners at Blue Bayou (Fantasmic package), Big Thunder Ranch, Carthay Circle (WOC package), Steakhouse 55, and Napa Rose.
We had breakfasts at Goofy's Kitchen, Storyteller's, PCH Grill, and Steakhouse 55.
Generally, I thought the quality of the food and service was on par with some of the best Disney-run restaurants at WDW. Along those lines, you definitely got the feeling that, with the exception of a few restaurants (namely Blue Bayou, Carthay Circle, and Napa Rose), table service dining isn't nearly as popular (or as much of a focus) at DLR than at WDW. The negative was that this made the dining seem somewhat less exciting. The positive was that the restaurants were generally less busy and the staff seemed to try a little harder to please the customer (DLR restaurants seem to rely more on repeat business than WDW restaurants).
Anyway, here are some brief thoughts on each restaurant:
Blue Bayou - this was probably the biggest pleasant surprise of the trip. I was expecting grossly overpriced, mediocre theme park food (similar to Applebee's quality). While the meal was not cheap, I ordered the surf & turf (filet and lobster), which was arguably the most enjoyable entrée I've ever had in a Disney park (Disney resort restaurants are a different story). The appetizer and dessert were also pretty good. The restaurant was dark and a lot smaller than I expected.
Big Thunder Ranch - this restaurant was good for what it is (all you can eat BBQ with live entertainment) and I enjoyed the ribs, chicken, beans, and cornbread (the coleslaw was the only thing that didn't do it for me). Much less expensive dinner than anywhere else we ate (and it was all you can eat) so outstanding bang for the buck by Disney standards.
Carthay Circle - while I thought the overall quality of the food, service, and dining venue was somewhat better than Blue Bayou, I probably enjoyed my Blue Bayou meal a bit more (but this was more a function of what I ordered than anything else). Still, very good for a theme park restaurant that, in my view, holds its own with any theme park restaurant in WDW (again, resort restaurants are a different story).
Steakhouse 55 - service here was outstanding and the steaks were very good. The 32 layer chocolate cake dessert was huge (enough to feed three people) and, surprisingly, only a few dollars more than the other (much smaller) desserts on the menu. The atmosphere of the restaurant, however, didn't really do it for me (windowless and too masculine and clubby) and I didn't like how most of the menu was a la carte.
Napa Rose - definitely the best place we ate as far as food, service, and atmosphere. Holds its own with any resort signature restaurant at WDW. My only complaint was that the portion sizes are rather small. If you come with a large appetite, I'd suggest ordering one of the excellent flat bread pizza appetizers. These are more substantial than most of the entrees. The desserts are good but tiny.
Goofy's Kitchen (breakfast) - this was the kids' favorite breakfast because it's technically labeled as a brunch and they had a whole dessert bar with ice cream, etc. The food quality and selection was somewhat better than I expected (and at least on par with some of the better WDW character breakfasts). We had a relatively early ADR and, as the restaurant was relatively empty, the characters (Chip, Dale, Minnie, Pluto) came to our table multiple times. This was very different (and much more relaxed) than our typical WDW character breakfast experience.
Storyteller's (breakfast) - this was the adults favorite breakfast buffet. I thought the food quality was quite good, better than any WDW character breakfast and second only to Boma as the best Disney breakfast buffet I've ever been to. Everything was fresh and the omelette station was a plus. Characters weren't as recognizable (Chip, Dale, Meeko and some bears) but the restaurant was gorgeous. I found myself wishing we'd had breakfast here every day.
Steakhouse 55 (breakfast) - this was our only order off the menu breakfast. While the service was excellent and the prices reasonable (by Disney standards), I wasn't as impressed by the food as I'd hoped. While the quality was better than most buffets, it just wasn't super memorable or unique (unlike say, Kona Café Tonga Toast).
PCH Grill (breakfast) - this was probably my least favorite meal of the trip. While it had a great lineup of characters (Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Pluto, Stitch), I found the food quality and selection to be lacking (both were a cut below Goofy's Kitchen). The restaurant also seemed somewhat dirty to me. In addition, it was the most expensive character breakfast we went to (Goofy's is a bit more upfront but includes the tip). The Paradise Pier hotel also lacked Disney magic.
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