Where to Eat for Kidless Meal

[elle bell]

What restaurant would you choose for a romantic dinner?

I'm planning a trip to WDW with DH and our two small children. My parents have decided that they will be joining us, which will give DH and I a chance to enjoy a nice dinner out together while we leave the kids with the grandparents.

Before kids, DH and I enjoyed eating out at nice restaurants on a regular basis, but now those days are gone! I'd really like to enjoy a special dinner with DH while at WDW, so any recommendations would be most helpful.

 

[jemgumby]

I would recommend Yachtsman Steakhouse, Narcoosee's or Jikos!!! Enjoy your dinner out!

 

[irunnoft]

What restaurant would you choose for a romantic dinner?

I'm planning a trip to WDW with DH and our two small children. My parents have decided that they will be joining us, which will give DH and I a chance to enjoy a nice dinner out together while we leave the kids with the grandparents.

Before kids, DH and I enjoyed eating out at nice restaurants on a regular basis, but now those days are gone! I'd really like to enjoy a special dinner with DH while at WDW, so any recommendations would be most helpful.

Try 1900 Park Fare or Crystal Palace! LOL! Just kidding! I'd go for the big guns and try Victoria & Alberts. I believe that restaurant has a policy regarding children.

 

[xipetotec]

What restaurant would you choose for a romantic dinner?

I'm planning a trip to WDW with DH and our two small children. My parents have decided that they will be joining us, which will give DH and I a chance to enjoy a nice dinner out together while we leave the kids with the grandparents.

Before kids, DH and I enjoyed eating out at nice restaurants on a regular basis, but now those days are gone! I'd really like to enjoy a special dinner with DH while at WDW, so any recommendations would be most helpful.

Jiko absolutely. FOR US, we also like to go to San Angel Inn for a romantic meal cause it's small and has a cozy atmosphere. But it is also in a park and might have lots of other families and kids around. Jiko is just plain spectacular.

 

[brandylouwho]

Funny, as soon as I saw the heading I clicked on the thread so I could say Jiko! I am hoping to bring my MIL along on our next trip and tell he she has to babysit one night so DH and I can enjoy a dinner at Jiko.

 

[heaven2dc]

Funny, as soon as I saw the heading I clicked on the thread so I could say Jiko! I am hoping to bring my MIL along on our next trip and tell he she has to babysit one night so DH and I can enjoy a dinner at Jiko.

I hope you are on good terms with your MIL! ("has to babysit")

 

[dvcsully]

The Todd English reataurant, Blue Zoo, in either the Swan or Dolphin (I can never remember which one) is fabulous. We were just there in November and we had an outstanding evening. Great food, great service, and the room is beautiful. I would highly recommend this restaurant for a night out without the kids.

 

[Pakey]

bluezoo is at Dolphin and it's quite nice unless a huge conference crowd comes in. It's consistently going to be more adult oriented than any of the restaurants on Disney's dining plan. Il Mulino is also nice.

If I want guaranteed romantic, I'd always pick Victoria & Alberts.

 

[TDC Nala]

Jiko, bluezoo, Wolfgang Puck Upstairs (not the cafe) or Bistro de Paris, assuming that you would not consider Victoria & Albert's. (Three of the four restaurants I listed do not accept the Disney dining plan. V&A doesn't either)

Victoria & Albert's does not allow children under age 10 to dine there. Bistro has no children's menu, but parents have discovered they can ask for one from Chefs de France, so there are more children there than there used to be.

 

[Conan the Librarian]

There are LOTS of restaurants that should be good for a quite meal, but, there is always some knucklehead that just has to eat somewhere like the Yatchsmen or Maya Grill, someplace where the kids will be bored stiff, instead of a fun place like Chef Mickey's or Whispering Canyon.

I'll never understand that.

As for romantic meals, I have found that the best place for a romantic meal is anywhere that I can sit across from my wife and see her. I don't care too much about anything else. She is always happy at WDW and when she is happy, we are all happy.

 

[Giselle22]

As for romantic meals, I have found that the best place for a romantic meal is anywhere that I can sit across from my wife and see her. I don't care too much about anything else. She is always happy at WDW and when she is happy, we are all happy.

I don't have anything to contribute, I just wanted to say aaaaaawwwwwwww how sweet Your wife's a lucky lady

 

[Silver Queen]

I agree with Jiko, Bistro de Paris, and Narcoosee's and would like to also add Citrico's to the list. We enjoyed out dinner at Yachtman's and Flying Fish as awell but those restaurants seem to be a bit noisier. We've yet to Try Il Mulino and Todd's Blue Zoo, but are looking forward to going there on a future trip.

 

[oybolshoi]

The only place you're going to be guaranteed no children under the age of 10 is Victoria and Albert's, which is very romantic and lovely.

 

[drenalin'junkie]

It doesn't get any more special and romantic than V&A.
Food is awesome,atmosphere is very calm,service is impeccable and personalized souvenir menus are a great reminder of your night.

 

[ElizabethB]

Kidless at WDW? Not much chance of that!!

My suggestion is V&A if you want a truly magical evening and don't want to have to delay dinner until 10 pm when families finally clear out of the other restaurants.

Shula's is a good bet for no children, but you often have conventioneers who are just as bad or worse.

We haven't been to Blue Zoo, but it probably falls in the same category as Shula's, few kids but bad on a convention night.

Il Mulino is good and there won't be many kids there. But, it's one of those restaurants designed for a "festive" atmosphere. Somebody in restaurant design apparently thought noisy was a good idea. We loved the food, but hated the noise.

Beyond that, you'll finds tons of little nippers everywhere until at least 9:30 p.m.

People suggesting places like Jiko have simply been lucky if they haven't run into tons of kids. Dh and I try to dine 9:30 p.m. or later. That is the only way we've found to get some relief from kids. Jiko is good, but it's the only nonbuffet sit-down restaurant at AKL -- nothing else is nearby -- so families often use it as a last resort. We've seen families with little ones walk in for dinner at 10 p.m., so Jiko is a gamble.

CG is always a mad house. Don't even bother until after the fireworks. Many mention Citricos. The night we were there it was a Mickey's Halloween Party night, and it was full of kids in costume -- all of them higher than kites on sugar and excitement. Narcoosee's is the same.

We dined recently at Bistro de Paris for the first time. There were noisy children at many of the tables. We thought it would be a bit of an oasis, but we were wrong. It was a late night at Epcot and that probably didn't help any. If I were to eat there again, I'd choose a night that isn't EMH at Epcot.

So, my answer is V&A. Or, be prepared to eat very, very late.

 

[Symans3honeybees]

If it is Disney, you will be sure there will be children all over the place wiith the exception of VICTORIA AND ALBERT where only kids over the age of 10will be allowed. A great place to spoil your wife

 

[eventamy]

My favorite date night last year (we brought my mom and she stayed with the kids) was at Epcot and then later on the Boardwalk!
We went back to Epcot and rode Soarin' together, so different when it's just the two of you! And then walked around World Showcase a little. Just before Illuminations we grabbed a Grand Marnier Slush and a chocolate crepe and shared while watching the show!
Then we walked out of the WS entrance and to the Boardwalk where we walked into Spoodles and had the best meal of our entire trip! Now I would do Flying Fish. SO FUN!

 

[elle bell]

Thanks for the suggestions so far!!!

I think my title has been a little misleading to some. We aren't looking for a restaurant without children, just a nice romantic evening without our children!!!

So far Jiko looks like a good possibility. With two small children under 5, most of our dining experiences will need to be basic, typical CS type meals. I like that Jiko has unique food.

I was originally thinking we would eat at California Grill since we are from California, but moved to the south a few years ago. We miss the California cuisine, but the reviews for California Grill were not favorable to the atmosphere. It's seems to be a very noisy place.

Does anyone know how Jiko's sound level compares to California Grill?

 

[carps09]

I'm surprised there haven't been more votes for Citricos! If you like fine dining, I think you'd love it. My DH and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience there while on our honeymoon in October. I am a bit of a picky eater, so Citricos was a bit adventurous for me (the server was explaining to me how I should eat the bone marrow with my veal), but the atmosphere was perfect. After our meal, we enjoyed walking around the Grand Floridian. The lobby was empty and we danced a bit to the band playing. We had a lovely evening!

 

[TDC Nala]

The sound level at Jiko is going to depend entirely on the number of noisy patrons present. There's a separate wine room; if there's no special event scheduled in there, you can ask to sit there. There is also a wine room at California Grill which is quieter than the main restaurant, but there's no MK view from it (you can see Epcot in the distance though)