What are the hardest reservations to get?

[fflmaster]

My 180 day window is coming up and was wondering what dining options are hardest to get.

If not on dining plan and only thing you cared about was the food, what reservations would you make? I don't need to see the castle, or be romantic (kids with us), or any other reason people love certain places. I just want the best food. Have some picky eaters in our family.

 

[cbg1027]

The hardest places to get ADR's for:
Le Cellier
CRT
California Grill
'Ohana Dinner
Any other character meals

As for what's best....what kind of food do you like? 'Best' is very subjective so we can give you better guidance if we know some of your eating habits and likes/dislikes.

Making blind suggestions, my favorites are:
Citricos
Jiko
Flying Fish
Sanaa
Yak N Yeti
50's Prime Time
Crystal Palace Breakfast
Via Napoli

 

[ChipnDaleRule]

I just did our ADRs yesterday. Although ive (so far) got what i wanted i could not get the times i wanted for Crystal Palace B'fast(8.20 not 7.30), Cali Grill(7.50 not 8.30) or Yachtsmans Steakhouse(5.35 not 6.30), and this one was right on my 180+10, and i called as soon as the window opened.This obviously is no great problem but it just shows how quick some times go
Now I'm about to try and get Ohanas for 9pm, wish me luck

BTW our DS10 is super picky and these restaurants have always been very helpful.Buffets are always a safe bet. Have a look at Chef Mickey or Garden Grill, plenty of choices here and lots of characters too.

 

[River Country]

true that the hardest ADR's are not always the best meals. i.e CRT, Ohana.

IMHO LeCellier is the hardest and has great food but not the best.

Ive never had a problem with Cali Grill and i feel is the best rest. in WDW

I am also a huge fan of Hollywood Brown Derby and Narcoosee's

 

[TDC Nala]

Le Cellier lunch is now the most difficult to get, followed by 'Ohana dinner (that one is easier if you book after 8 PM). it's still kind of difficult to get Le Cellier dinner, but because it costs more on the dining plan now, it's a bit easier.

Other top "sellers" are CRT, Chef Mickey's and (gotta throw this one in) the Sci-Fi Diner. They're popular for various reasons (I really can't fathom why Le Cellier is that popular, except that it's a very small restaurant, it's good but it sure isn't spectacular).

'Ohana is fun and the food isn't bad. I will give it another shot next week, because the last two times the service was terrible. If it doesn't improve, it's not worth even trying to get a reservation for.

CRT for the castle (you can get princesses at Akershus for less, but no castle), Chef Mickey's for the Fab Five, Sci-Fi for the theming and because it's also small.

For the highly popular restaurants, only two ('Ohana and Le Cellier) appear to have the food as an influence regarding its popularity. 'Ohana has other considerations (games, theming, castle view, all you can eat) and I honestly don't understand the fascination with Le Cellier's food.

 

[DEA]

Hardest ADR to get? Victoria & Albert's Chef's Table. Although, that's less an ADR and more a major investment.

For the best meal/food, Flying Fish on the Boardwalk has given us some great meals, surprisingly so with the kids. Citricos is also very good, as is Yachtsman, if you like steak.

 

[huge mickey fan]

My husband loves Artist Point at WL. However probably not great for picky eaters.

 

[Lewisc]

Not on the dining plan. Want great food. Look at the restaurants in the Swan and Dolphin. Shula's, blueZoo and Il Mulino.

 

[fflmaster]

The hardest places to get ADR's for:
Le Cellier
CRT
California Grill
'Ohana Dinner
Any other character meals

As for what's best....what kind of food do you like? 'Best' is very subjective so we can give you better guidance if we know some of your eating habits and likes/dislikes.

This is a good statement.

I need to give a better idea of the foods my family prefers.

I would say we prefer steak, italian, sea-food and other american type dishes... in this order.

I would say I am not fond of african, asian or indian food flavors.

Also, family does not like buffets.

 

[nklooz]

In my experience, I've had the hardest time getting Chef Mickey's and 'Ohana. Le Cellie, Cali Gril,l and CRT haven't been as hard as those two for me.

 

[Disnut4925]

Not on the dining plan. Want great food. Look at the restaurants in the Swan and Dolphin. Shula's, blueZoo and Il Mulino.

Totally second this!

 

[Donaldswife]

This is a good statement.

I need to give a better idea of the foods my family prefers.

I would say we prefer steak, italian, sea-food and other american type dishes... in this order.

I would say I am not fond of african, asian or indian food flavors.

Also, family does not like buffets.

Given the preferences you listed I would say:

Hollywood Brown Derby
Flying Fish
California Grill
Portobello
Tutto Italia
Narcooses
The Wave
Mama Melrose's

If you are feeling a little adventurous, check out Artist's Point menu.

If you go to allears.net you can view the menu and pricing for all the restaurants and get a good idea of what restaurants might appeal to your family's individual preferences.

ETA: Your family would probably also Like Liberty Tree at MK. I prefer their lunch menu to dinner, but I am biased becuse their lunch salad is my favorite salad in the entire world!

 

[havoc315]

My 180 day window is coming up and was wondering what dining options are hardest to get.

If not on dining plan and only thing you cared about was the food, what reservations would you make? I don't need to see the castle, or be romantic (kids with us), or any other reason people love certain places. I just want the best food. Have some picky eaters in our family.

That can be seen as a contradictory statement... Depending on the type of picky eaters. When I've usually seen "picky eaters" mentioned around here, it seems to refer to people without adventurous tastes, people looking for the most generic food, as opposed to the best food.
Then again, you could have a picky eater, I suppose, who will only eat the highest end, most gourmet of foods. Who won't eat a hamburger, unless it is kobe beef, stuffed with braised short ribs.

The "best" food, can often be the worst for picky eaters.

If you don't care about the dining plan, and you are really just looking for the best quality of food, then stick with the signature restaurants -- California Grill, Citrico's, Artist's Point, Jiko.
Typically, except for California Grill, their reservations are not the hardest to get.

 

[havoc315]

I just did our ADRs yesterday. Although ive (so far) got what i wanted i could not get the times i wanted for Crystal Palace B'fast(8.20 not 7.30), Cali Grill(7.50 not 8.30) or Yachtsmans Steakhouse(5.35 not 6.30), and this one was right on my 180+10, and i called as soon as the window opened.This obviously is no great problem but it just shows how quick some times go

It's probably not that the times you wanted filled up exactly. Especially if you have a larger party, it depends how the restaurant arranges its seating schedule.

For example, I have a party of 10, and wanted a 6:30-7ish reservation for California Grill. I was told basically, I could make a 5:20 reservation, or a 7:20 reservation. They simply would not give a 6:30 reservation. It's not because those times were filled up.... it was because of how they were budgeting their tables. If I were to reserve a large table for 6:30, then there wouldn't be enough time to give that large table to a party for an early seating.

Obviously, if you have a very small party -- like 2 people -- there can be more flexibility with the times they may seat you.

 

[librarygeek]

The best food that we ate last time was at Narcoossee's and Kouzzina. But I agree with others that it's subjective, especially depending on your likes and dislikes. Kouzzina would not be the place for picky eaters, but we loved it.