WDW "sit down " restaurants are too $$$

[Ragmop]

After recalling all our meals from our last trip to WDW, DH and I have finally realized that the majority of our sit down meals with a waiter-the food really wasn't worth the $$$.

Has anyone ever done a trip to WDW & only eaten counter service food?

What is the best counter service food you have eaten?

 

[Grumpy92]

You might want to try to only pick a few sit down restaurants and go to lunch instead of dinner. Generally the menus are the same but the prices lower. Then do counter service the rest of the time.

 

[Kaycee]

We usually do a combination of sit-downs and counter service, but the sit-downs we choose at WDW are more for atmosphere than for food; places like Sci Fi, 'Ohana, Rainforest Cafe, character meals, etc. The rest of our meals are counter service.

Some of our favorite counter service experiences:

MK: Peco Bill's - Great burgers and fixings bar. Columbia Harbour House - DH enjoyed the fish and chicken, and I loved the veggie chili. We liked this one so much for lunch, we went back for dinner the next day! Casey's - Great hot dogs, and I don't even usually eat hot dogs!

AK: Pizzafari - Good pizza and salads.

Epcot: We've had several great counter service meals here, including Yorkshire County Fish Shop in England, Cantina de San Angel in Mexico (great wet burritos), Boulangerie Patisserie in France (Yummy!) and Sunshine Season Food Fair in The Land.

MGM: No counter service here, because Sci Fi is a must-do for us!

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Tusker House in AK is counter service...we really enjoy that one. Also, Pizza Planet in MGM and Pinocchio's Village Haus, which has turkey sandwiches (a welcome relief for someone who does not eat hot dogs and hamburgers).

 

[saymama]

My favorite is the Backlot Express, next to Star Tours. Regular stuff there. But the burgers seemed better than other places. So much so, that we ate there several times during our first trip. Well, a year later I was pregnant and craving Backlot burgers. So dh surprised me and brought me to disney world so I could get a burger. NOW that's a craving run. I think it was the toppings. They had melted cheese on bacon bits and mushrooms on the toppings bar. Now they may have had them at other places, but this was the only place that we saw them at then. I don't know what it's like now. Last time we went was 3 years ago and the kids were sick the whole time, so we didn't get to the parks much. But we did see the ER!

 

[missyc]

We've never done a sit down meal, only counter service. I can't afford the prices at the sit downs (5 of us) and actually don't know that I'd want to do it too much anyways! I like being able to just go when/where we want and not have to worry about where we are when it's time for PS's.

 

[sotoalf]

I've found that prices at the high-end sit-down restaurants like Citricos, Jiko's, California Grill, and Shula's are comparable or about the same as what I'd pay for a good restaurant in my hometown. It depends on how often you eat at good restaurants when you're home.

It also depends on your budget and taste. I've been to WDW about three dozen times, and if all I ate was counter-service at the parks and resorts I'd beat myself to death with a chicken wing.

 

[Ragmop]

Originally posted by theSurlyMermaid
Tusker House in AK is counter service...we really enjoy that one.

We went into there for a dessert and the food looked really good. That's on my list- thanks!

 

[Certifiable WDW Nut]

There are lots of great counter service places, but I find I can't eat counter service for 2 or 3 meals a day. I start wanting some variety and also a more relaxing meal that counter service usually is. I know it's weird, but I just can't take that much counter service.

 

[webmomom]

My DH and myself like the sit down rest. After walking all day we enjoy having someone wait on us. We usually have breakfast in our room. Coffe -Bagel and grab something while we are in the parks, i.e. frency fries, pretzel to hold us till dinner.

If the food is good and the service up to the price, we don't mind spending the money. We usually try and go at least once a year to Victoria and Albert's Chef table.

We just got back and found a really not that expensive sit down rest. on property. The Garden Grill at the Grand Floridian. It was before just opened for breakfast and lunch and it just opened a little while ago for dinner. Not a lot of people know about this yet so we were able to get a seating right away.

We both selected the Prime Rib and it came with Garlic mashed potatoes and aspagrass. It was $17.00 and it was a very large cut. They also do something very unique.

For Dessert you have your choice of about 5 different items. They are small and each on is $2.39 you can have one or all five. You just tell them which ones you want. The also have a dessert for two. A chocoate fruit fondue. chocolate, strawberries , marshmellows, bananas can't remember the next thing. sorry.

 

[molly213]

Wow! I want to hear more about the Garden Grill at the Grand Floridian. Does anyone have a copy of the menu. I didn't see it on Deb's site.

 

[jkovick]

Tangerine Cafe in Morrocco is really good. So is Yakatori House in Japan.

 

[Forever42]

Originally posted by molly213
Wow! I want to hear more about the Garden Grill at the Grand Floridian. Does anyone have a copy of the menu. I didn't see it on Deb's site.

I believe they were talking about the Grand Floridian Cafe. The Garden Grill is the restaurant at Epcot. Here's the menu for the Grand Floridian Cafe, including the prime rib entree, the mini desserts, and the fondue. We were looking around the Grand Floridian the other day and the menu was the same, so it's still up to date.

 

[madalex]

Originally posted by sotoalf
I've found that prices at the high-end sit-down restaurants like Citricos, Jiko's, California Grill, and Shula's are comparable or about the same as what I'd pay for a good restaurant in my hometown. It depends on how often you eat at good restaurants when you're home.

It also depends on your budget and taste. I've been to WDW about three dozen times, and if all I ate was counter-service at the parks and resorts I'd beat myself to death with a chicken wing.

I agree with this one 100%. Our lunches at WDW are usually split between counter service and casual sit down places, but dinners are almost always at the high-end sit down restaurants. That is how we like to eat, we find WDW's high end restaurants to be wonderful food and decent value (compared to other high end restaurants) and the service is usually superb. Happily, we are able to afford this. To each his own, as they say!