What is all the hype....

[1girl1boy]

on LeCellier.

We recently got back from Disney on 1st week of free dining and had LeCellier on the list to try for the 1st time.

Sorry but I was disappointed. The food was very salty and my steak was a little overdone. I asked for medium and it came out more well done than medium. I was not over impressed. The service was ok but my honest opinion LeCellier was more close to Outback that a Ruth Chris.

Maybe based on all the reviews I set my expectations too high I don't know but I know next time LeCellier will not be oon my list next time

 

[sjw4870]

I agree with your comparison - it's more like an Outback than a Ruth's Chris. I didn't have any complaints with the food (everything cooked perfectly) or the service; I just thought the quality of the steak was more in line with the Outback. If I want a really great steak at WDW I go to Shula's. I think we are in the minority here - people seem to love Le Cellier.

 

[PoohsFan1]

We will be dining at Le Cellier for the first time in December. I couldn't believe how hard it was for me to get our ADR (had to move around our schedule a bit)....has it always been this way, or is it just in the last year or so???? I know that my expectations are a little high because of the demand, but I still consider Cali Grill's Fillet as the best steak ever on property, I will even compare it to my favorite steak restaurant at home as well.

 

[crisi]

Over the years, I've had a really good steak or two there. I think its steadily gone downhill since we first went in 2002.

A lot of people like steak. And they don't get it that often. And they either prefer the "Outback" type steak to the "Ruth's Chris" type steak - or they have never been to a high end steak house so steak is steak. The cheese soup also has a really big following - and I think is a regional thing (we live in Minnesota, fifteen minutes away from the cheese soup capital of the U.S. - Wisconsin. My understanding is that cheddar cheese soup of quality is not something easily found in other parts of the country).

I think the expectations thing is critical though. When a lot of people say something like "best steak I've had in my life" those of us who prefer the Ruth's Chris type steak - and have had some excellent steaks - set the bar about there. Then even if you get a good Le Cellier steak, it isn't going to meet your expectations. I've learned the hard way with the DIS boards to take the hyped restaurants with a grain of salt....I'm much better off going into a place with expectations that say "More DISers like this place than don't" than "DISers LOVE this place." And I always watch for the naysayers - the folks that don't like Le Cellier (or whatever) who pop up. They are usually the ones with actual criticism.

 

[rlahsin]

I completely agree. Yachtman's Steakhouse is so much better than Le Cellier. I truly don't get the hype either.

 

[rlahsin]

Over the years, I've had a really good steak or two there. I think its steadily gone downhill since we first went in 2002.

A lot of people like steak. And they don't get it that often. And they either prefer the "Outback" type steak to the "Ruth's Chris" type steak - or they have never been to a high end steak house so steak is steak. The cheese soup also has a really big following - and I think is a regional thing (we live in Minnesota, fifteen minutes away from the cheese soup capital of the U.S. - Wisconsin. My understanding is that cheddar cheese soup of quality is not something easily found in other parts of the country).

I think the expectations thing is critical though. When a lot of people say something like "best steak I've had in my life" those of us who prefer the Ruth's Chris type steak - and have had some excellent steaks - set the bar about there. Then even if you get a good Le Cellier steak, it isn't going to meet your expectations. I've learned the hard way with the DIS boards to take the hyped restaurants with a grain of salt....I'm much better off going into a place with expectations that say "More DISers like this place than don't" than "DISers LOVE this place." And I always watch for the naysayers - the folks that don't like Le Cellier (or whatever) who pop up. They are usually the ones with actual criticism.

This is a great response....I completely agree. We live in Chicago, and we have access to phenominal restaurants on a daily basis, if we wish (especially steakhouses!) We go to Disney with a "food is food" kind of approach. We've been pleasantly surprised by a few restaurants, but I don't go into the dining experience expecting food that is going to rock my world, so to speak. We tend to focus on the restaurants that are unique experiences for us....like the character dining. We can't get THAT at home!!

 

[Nohal]

I agreed that LeCellier does not have the best steak. We have eaten there twice before and while it was good, it wasn't exceptional. If we couldn't have gotten an ADR for here on our next trip, I wouldn't have been upset.

 

[plasfam04]

We will be trying LeCellier for the first time on our upcoming trip in November. I have heard mostly great things about it but have heard some negatives as well. I think what happens (which seems to be the same for the resorts) is that sometimes the chef or mousekeepers either aren't the best that day or are having an off day. For instance- friends of ours LOVE O'Hana but were just there last month and were very disappointed with their dinner the night they went. They said the meat was dry and overall the meal was not what it usually was. I understand once in awhile everyone has a bad day...but I think there needs to be something done to keep up the quality of everything at Disney. It's such a shame to hear people have a bad experience at a resort or restaurant and especially if it's their first time there... and they end up not wanting to go there again.

 

[Chris Rex]

I have reservations for my upcoming trip. At this point, it's simply a matter of 'I want to say I went so I can stop obsessing over trying to get in every year"

I'm kinda hoping it's as 'average' as people say it's been for a bit so I can simply move on with my life. I actually cancelled last year for this very same reason (realizing its probably more hype than substance, and another restaurant becoming available.) The CM on the phone asked me no less than 6 times if I was SURE I wanted to cancel ;-)

 

[hopefor4]

I personally have noticed that since the dining plan came on board, a lot of restaurants are busy and I think it has caused service and quality to drop. I remember being able to get a walk in at most restaurants and you were never rushed. Now even with ADR you have to wait, and get hurried through the meal. We go to the dining with a sense of adventure, and were else do you kids get to eat at these really neat themed restaurants that really cater to them?

We will be trying Le Cellier for the first time during our upcoming trip, and I expect to see a really neat restaurant with Ok food...

Eating at Disney is still a really neat experience...and really as long as I am not cooking and cleaning up, it isn't TERRIBLE...

 

[bangzoom6877]

As some people have already said, I think that a person's expectations have a lot to do with how they view the meal at Le Cellier. We have not eaten there yet, but if DH really wants to go there to try it, then it will be our third dinner at Epcot on our next trip. I told him that it's his call and to just let me know before our 180-day window comes up in January.

Being from NY, I would NOT expect Peter Luger or the Old Homestead if we try Le Cellier. I would expect more like the quality at Outback. I wouldn't mind eating at Le Cellier because while I enjoy a high-quality steak like they serve at Peter Luger, I do enjoy going to Outback every now and then as well. However, my expectations are totally different when going to Outback compared to Peter Luger or the Old Homestead, or any other exceptional steakhouse in NYC. So, if the quality at Le Cellier can be compared to Outback's quality, I would be fine with it. But just as I don't exactly *rush* to go to Outback every chance I get, I wouldn't be disappointed if we couldn't get an ADR for Le Cellier. I would not bend over backwards for one either!

 

[fla4fun]

Yachtsman Steakhouse has much better steaks than Le Cellier, no question about it. But it's also more expensive and my budget doesn't stretch that far too often. I agree that expectations can play a big role in how you feel about LC.

I think part of the problem is that LC is a small restaurant, so it can be difficult to get into at the best of times. When places become hard to get into, then everyone feels they "have" to go there. Also, there aren't a lot of venues for steaks inside the parks - and when people are on free dining a steak dinner sounds good. If LC were outside of WDW, I don't think it would be nearly as popular.

I've had good food there, and I've had bad food there, but even with the bad I still like LC. In fact, it's the only ADR I've made so far for my December trip, because I knew I'd have to make one quickly. I like the cheese soup and the pretzel bread sticks a lot (too bad they don't do a soup and breadsticks meal like Olive Garden - I'd be happy with that!). I usually go for lunch, and I like the sandwiches and burgers. I'm not going to say it's the best food I've ever had, but it's usually good and I like the ambience.

 

[WolfpackFan]

I guess it had never occurred to me that folks might think Le Cellier is a Ruths Chris type steakhouse. I have always placed it in the Outback category. It is one of our favorite places to eat. Unfortunately we can't ever seem to get an ADR there. It is always booked up. Sometimes I think folks set their expectations too high.

 

[TDC Nala]

I was just there on September 2 and it doesn't rank as one of the greatest meals on the trip at all - although I love the mussels. However, I don't eat steak in restaurants and would not have ordered a steak.

No way is it on the same caliber as a Ruths Chris. Shula's at the Dolphin is the closest you could probably get to that.

 

[rentayenta]

Having canceled two Le Cellier reservations during our last 2 trips, I don't think I will ever find out.

 

[crisi]

We will be trying LeCellier for the first time on our upcoming trip in November. I have heard mostly great things about it but have heard some negatives as well. I think what happens (which seems to be the same for the resorts) is that sometimes the chef or mousekeepers either aren't the best that day or are having an off day. For instance- friends of ours LOVE O'Hana but were just there last month and were very disappointed with their dinner the night they went. They said the meat was dry and overall the meal was not what it usually was. I understand once in awhile everyone has a bad day...but I think there needs to be something done to keep up the quality of everything at Disney. It's such a shame to hear people have a bad experience at a resort or restaurant and especially if it's their first time there... and they end up not wanting to go there again.

Honestly, a great chef cannot make a Le Cellier steak a Ruth's Chris steak. Completely different levels of quality and thickness of the cut. What a good chef at Le Cellier can do is raise the steak above the average Outback steak (although, in fairness to Outback, I've had some very well cooked steaks there as well).

We will be trying Le Cellier for the first time during our upcoming trip, and I expect to see a really neat restaurant with Ok food...

Food is OK. There are lots of restaurants at Disney that have OK food and really neat ambiance - Le Cellier would be near the bottom of that list for me. (Sci Fi Drive In, Biergarten, San Angel Inn, 50s Prime Time, California Grill...and a soft spot for me - I love the decor of Flying Fish).

 

[Inkmahm]

I'm from WI and have cheese soup here quite often. Pretzel bread, too. But I do like those things at Le Cellier. DH likes the mussels, but he gets those at quite a few different restaurants so it isn't the end of the world if he can't get them at Epcot.

I think part of the hype is also that it is a one credit restaurant for those on the dining plan. If it was made a two credit restaurant, maybe it wouldn't be so hard to get in.

 

[TDC Nala]

Le Cellier is really small. I mean, REALLY small. I had forgotten how small it is until I went back there last week. That really contributes to the inability to get reservations there. Previous posters are to my opinion correct - there's practically no ambience in there. Don't go there looking for a really atmospheric Disney-type restaurant. Go to Coral Reef if you want that. The name means "The Cellar" and that's exactly what it looks like.

 

[Don Disney]

We rarely go to steak houses-We get the reduced-price steaks from our local Winn-Dixie,and cook them ourselves!!!! And guess what-they taste quite good to us;Guess we're just not used to the high-end stuff!!! I think we'll enjoy Le Cellier just fine!

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

I think part of the hype is also that it is a one credit restaurant for those on the dining plan. If it was made a two credit restaurant, maybe it wouldn't be so hard to get in.

*We have a winner* I think many who come to WDW are on the dining plan and are not all that fond of trying WS's more ethnic restaurants. Le Cellier is much more in line with what they are comfortable with.

We ate at Le Cellier several years ago before the DDP was introduced. I think it was the summer of 2003. It was an ADR that was made that day! We had a good meal but thought that it was overpriced (of course) for the food quality and have never attempted to return. To us it was a pretty average steak. And from what I have read on here, the quality has gone down even further since then.