Universal Recommended Restaurant?

[cjc]

Hi
We will be staying onsite at Universal in May 2007, and to celebrate a special birthday we are hoping to meet up with friends for a nice meal out.
any suggestions on a family restaurant?
Do any of the onsite hotels have buffet/themed meals that someone could recommend?

Thanks

CJ

 

[Kae]

Emerils Tchop Chop is awsome. It is the most beautiful place & the service is out standing.

Kae

 

[Melisa1]

The Palm at the Hard Rock is good - steaks and such.... it is pricey though...
I know the RPR has a luau, that might be a fun family thing....

 

[macraven]

tell us more about your group.

will it be a child's, teen or adult bday celebration?

if you are doing a child/preteen celebration, the hotels have character buffets on specific nights.

if it is an adult celebration with a baby sitter for the littles, others have mentioned great places in the hotels. city walk also has some great places.

if you are seeking an afternoon meal, mythos might be great for your group.

 

[damo]

Is it just a buffet you are looking for?

 

[LuvTigger]

BF and I had a great meal at The Kitchen in HRH. It was good food without the fancy atmosphere (so we didn't have to dress up), and the service was most excellent!

We had a server named Courtney who we really enjoyed. We liked her so much that I wrote a letter to the manager, who sent me a thank you note, then she sent me a thank you note too!

It was not a buffet though, but just wanted to offer that as a suggestion for some place with good food and a pleasant, but not stuffy, atmosphere. Prices were pretty reasonable as well.

 

[goofy!]

Trattoria Del Porto (Portofino) has an Italian Themed buffet on Friday and Saturday nights.

Very family friendly, yet nice with a children's area with tables, chairs, beanbags and a big screen tv. My kids will sit with us for awhile and then head over to the kids area for their desserts.

This is from the Portofino page on the Universal website:

The colorful festivals celebrated in the Italian countryside are the background for Trattoria del Porto®.

Enjoy diverse regional cuisine, delicious antipasti and tempting desserts, plus a delightful breakfast buffet to start off your morning.

Seating is available inside the main restaurant or dine outside on the harbor and enjoy the picturesque Portofino Bay during your meal.

Entertainment on Select Nights
Thursday – Magician
Friday - Character Dinners 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Saturday – Clown Balloonist

Trattoria del Porto features a children's play area with a child-size table and chairs, beanbags, and a large screen TV where kids can watch all their favorite cartoons. Children's menu is also available.

Italian Dinner Buffet on Friday & Saturday night
Adult buffet price is $29.95 and children are $12.95

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner

Hours of Operation: 7am - 3pm and 5pm - 11pm.
(Closed for dinner on Tuesday and Wednesday)

Entertainment subject to change without notice.

 

[klh999]

If you want to go off-site, there is a Kobe Japanese Steakhouse very nearby! We love hibachi and it was very good!

 

[patster734]

Emerils Tchop Chop is awsome. It is the most beautiful place & the service is out standing.

Kae

 

[Kata]

I highly recommend Tchoup Tchoup.the food and service were great and I had ordered a specialty drink that came with the glass of your choice and when I got home I realized that that had given me the wrong glass and when I called them about the mixup they quickly sent me the new glass and told me to keep the glass they had given me by mistake. I think Emeril insists on superior food and service at his restaurants because I also enjoyed his restaurant on Citywalk which is a bit more upscale but really nice. If you will be in the parks,Mythos at IOA is an excellent choice,I really enjoyed the food and service the times I have been there.
Have Fun!!!!!!

 

[Kimberle]

We ate at all the ones at Royal Pacific several times, except Tchoup Tchoup. They were all excellent. Islands, especially has food that is out of this world with a relaxed atmosphere. It's quite so you can talk and you won't be rushed out.

Islands also has a buffet just for kids. If you have little ones with it, they will love it. Lots of kid food, buffet is low so they can easily reach. You can even ask for a table in this room so the kids can play with the toys.

 

[agnes!]

We are in somewhat the same situation at the OP, except we're going next weekend & staying at RPR Sunday & Monday nights, arriving sometime Sunday afternoon and checking out on Tuesday. We've *never* even been to any of the Uni parks or stayed at any of the resorts or even gone to Citywalk!...*ever*.
So, if any of you Uni-vets had to pick just *one* restaurant to eat at(resort, parks or Citywalk), which one would you pick and why? We're a party of two adults(DH & me) + our teenage DD and we are all fairly adventurous dining-wise. (DD's favorite food is escargots - thanks, WDW Food & Wine Fest!)

agnes!

 

[Fan2CSkr]

We are in somewhat the same situation at the OP, except we're going next weekend & staying at RPR Sunday & Monday nights, arriving sometime Sunday afternoon and checking out on Tuesday. We've *never* even been to any of the Uni parks or stayed at any of the resorts or even gone to Citywalk!...*ever*.
So, if any of you Uni-vets had to pick just *one* restaurant to eat at(resort, parks or Citywalk), which one would you pick and why? We're a party of two adults(DH & me) + our teenage DD and we are all fairly adventurous dining-wise. (DD's favorite food is escargots - thanks, WDW Food & Wine Fest!)

agnes!

Mythos or Tchoup Chop. Mythos would have to be lunch since they close early at this time of year. I think each of these should be experienced.