Were do we need to eat?

[troberts]

Hi All,

My wife, I and our 9 and 13 year old are going to DL for the first and probably only time. We live in CA and visit DL every November. We could tell you everything and anything about DL but are clueless about DW.

From what I gather, we need to make reservations in advance at some must do restaurants? We are staying at the Poly for 7 days. What do you think are the must do's?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Tim

 

[tluvstink]

I would check the menus at allears that will help you narrow it down. One of my favorite places is at the Poly, 'Ohana. It's a lot of fun for kids and adults. If you go ask for a table by the window. The view of the castle will keep you in the "Disney" mood

Terri

 

[Snow_White]

100% Kona Cafe if you are staying at the Poly (Kona = high quality food ina peaceful setting, 'Ohana = lesser quality food but in large quantities in a louder setting) . Our must do's are Kona Cafe, Coral Reef (at Epcot), Le Cellier (Epcot), and Marrakesh (yup, Epcot again). Make your reservations 180 days in advance, some restaurants fill up very quickly.

 

[leahjade]

Don't miss some of the fun restaurants, too. The food isn't exactly first class but my kids still talk about the 50's Prime Time Cafe and the Sci Fi Drive in Theater to this day.

 

[lowie]

for more fun times try whispering canyon cafe. don't forget a character meal or three! like chef mickey's or 1900 park fare. and then there are the dinner shows, when doing a once in a lifetime trip these are a good idea (2 credits on the DDP) the luau at poly is really nice!

 

[Snow_White]

Don't miss some of the fun restaurants, too. The food isn't exactly first class but my kids still talk about the 50's Prime Time Cafe and the Sci Fi Drive in Theater to this day.

You're right, that's definitely a good suggestion!! My family personally really enjoys the atmosphere of Sci Fi, but they are both certainly unique experiences.

 

[Microcell]

I can't miss Le Cellier, and Crystal palace!

You can't get more boring hotel restaurant than Kona! If you are staying at the Poly you may wind up eating there anyway, but really, think Holiday Inn restaurant. Heck, I feel generous, maybe it is like a restaurant in a Holodome.

 

[Snow_White]

You can't get more boring hotel restaurant than Kona! If you are staying at the Poly you may wind up eating there anyway, but really, think Holiday Inn restaurant. Heck, I feel generous, maybe it is like a restaurant in a Holodome.

I couldn't disagree with this poster any more. This is insane. Kona is a wonderful, high quality restaurant. Trust me, we go there every WDW trip, many times a year. It is wonderful.

 

[troberts]

These are all wonder suggestions. What about Character meals? At DL Goofy's Kitchen is the best by far. How about DW?

 

[Simbee3]

These are all wonder suggestions. What about Character meals? At DL Goofy's Kitchen is the best by far. How about DW?

We have done many character meals over the past couple of years. First, are your children boys or girls? Who are their favorite characters?
My boys love Chef Mickeys and that has become our first night tradition. Some of the offering are pretty good while others are not so good. We also liked the Garden Grill in Epcot Future World. The food was always very fresh and full of flavor. We have had alot of character time here. And the food is served family style here while the restarant rotates.
If you are into the Princesses (If that is even a word), you may want to check out 1900 Park Fare. The food here is pretty good and they offer a strawberry soup that is out of this world. There are many more my advice to you would be to go to www.allearsnet.com and reasearch the menus there. And you will be able to have more of an idea of where you would like to go.

As for non character dining there are many, but the musts are always Kona for both breakfast and dinner (nothing has changed we are doing the same thing this year too), Ohana's, LeCellier, Coral Reef, Turf Club we were introduced to a few months ago and love it.

 

[troberts]

Simbee3,

We have a DS9 and DD13. They like all the characters. What's great about Goofy's Kitchen at DL is the amount of characters and the interaction. All the other places don't have as much of either.

 

[DiszyDean]

One place not mentioned that I would give my stamp of approval on is Hoop De Doo Revue. It was one of the highlights of our last trip. The food is decent. Think backyard BBQ type food served family style along with all you can drink (beer and sangria). The show is actually kind of a hoot, a little corny but fun. They really get the audience involved including pulling some people on stage.

A very "classic Disney" experience IMO. Fun for kids of all ages.

 

[JimMIA]

These are all wonder suggestions. What about Character meals? At DL Goofy's Kitchen is the best by far. How about DW?

For character meals, I'd go to Allears and check out the info on each meal. There is a tremendous amount of variety in character meals, both in the character interaction and in the food. Some are buffets, some are family style, others are regular plated meals...and of course the menus change from meal to meal at many of the venues.

Our favorites are Akerhaus at Norway (Epcot) for princesses, CP for cuteness with Pooh and friends, Chef Mickey's for classic Disney fun, and 1900 Park Fare for Cinderella specifically.

There are a lot of other good choices, depending on the age, sex, and interest of your kids. We've never met a character meal we didn't like, but we have classified CRT as something we'd only do once.

 

[Jen66]

For character meals, I like Chef Mickey for the traditional characters and fun atmosphere (food is just Ok, I suggest breakfast). 1900 PF in the Grand Floridian has a buffet breakfast with Mary Poppins, Alice, the Mad Hatter, and friends of Pooh. Great food and atmosphere, and only a monorail ride away from the Poly!

For non character meals, I suggest Boma, different and yummy!

 

[clownfish1452]

My favorites are Norway for the princess and 50's prime time is so much fun.

Sarah

 

[Brygida]

Hi All,

My wife, I and our 9 and 13 year old are going to DL for the first and probably only time. We live in CA and visit DL every November. We could tell you everything and anything about DL but are clueless about DW.

From what I gather, we need to make reservations in advance at some must do restaurants? We are staying at the Poly for 7 days. What do you think are the must do's?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Tim

You should take advice from someone with similar tastes I think.... because for every I love.... you will get I hated it.

At Disneyland, my fave restaurants are Catal and Yamabuki. Napa Rose has great and not so great days. Also, La Brea Bakery is good. Ralph Brennan's is generally too spicy for me, but my husband loves it.

If you like those, then my favorites at WDW are:

1. Raglan Road
2. Boma
3. Wolfgang Puck Express (counter service)
4. Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki
5. Chefs de France
6. Citricos
7. Flying Fish
8. Akershus (Princess dining)
9. California Grill

Raglan Road, Citricos, Flying Fish, and California Grill compare to Catal in food quality and cost.

If you hate Blue Bayou at Disneyland (I thought the food was inedible!), then avoid:

1. Liberty Tree Tavern (actually avoid all Table Service at MK),
2. Cinderella's Royal Table
3. Sci Fi Dine In Theatre
4. Coral Reef
5. Garden Grill (EPCOT character dining)

In general, avoid sit-down meals at MK and MGM and Future World in EPCOT. Book sit-down meals at Downtown Disney, Epcot World Showcase, and Deluxe Resorts.

 

[Tink3Belle]

Whispering Canyon was fun, good food. LeCellier of course. Can't go wrong with it.