Where to eat?

[AMG]

Going to WDW in March 2011. 9 of us in total, 5 children under the age of 18. We are going with the DDP and I am going to start to make reservations, but I am struggling with where to eat so everyone is happy. Can anyone give me at least one dinner choice for each of the parks.

Appreciate the help.

 

[tinkerbell313]

Going to WDW in March 2011. 9 of us in total, 5 children under the age of 18. We are going with the DDP and I am going to start to make reservations, but I am struggling with where to eat so everyone is happy. Can anyone give me at least one dinner choice for each of the parks.

Appreciate the help.

First of all...your group needs to decide quickly...as people are already making dining reservations for the month of March. As you get closer, you will have to work harder in finidng reservations.

With that said:

Epcot: We went to Garden Grill in the Land Pavillion...food, served family style, was decent. Many of the vegatables are grown right there in the land pavilion. Children can eat off of the adult or childrens plates since it is served family style. But character interaction was great. The restaurant rotates. We were a party of 8 and they had no problem accomodating us.

We ate at Le Cellier. However begining March 2011 they are making changes and it will be considered a signature restuarant. We thought the food (highlights include the fillet and chedder cheese soup) was good.However, the atmosphere was just OK. It was a bit dark (it was supposed to mimick a wine celler) and a little 70ish for me.


MK: I have never eaten in MK. However, Ohana's is great for big groups. Its at the Polynesian which is just a monorail stop from the park. It is loud in the restuarant and there is lots going on. There are no written menus. The food is good. It is served family style. You get salad first. Then you get the appetizers of dumplings and teriyaki chicken wings. Then the skews of meat (chicken, steak, pork, and shrimp) start coming around. The waiter will put three dipping sauces for the meat on your table. Also, you will get served a platter of lo mein and broccoli. If your children do not eat meat, just ask for childrens selections (grilled cheese, mac and cheese, chick nuggets, etc). For dessert, we got banana bread pudding and ice cream with mickey sprinkles.

DHS. We have never ate dinner in DHS. So I cant recommend.

AK: We have only eaten breakfast at TuskerHouse which I would recommend for breakfast. However, I would suggest after the park closes to go over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge and eat at Bomas. Its a buffet...but the food is awesome and there is something for everyone. It is not heavily spiced although there are spices on some dinner items.

If you are looking for a signature restauarant, I would highly recommend Jikos at AKL. Very good service and wonderful food.

 

[Nadjalu]

I can say that in:

MK - Crystal Palace is fabulous. A good character buffet, the food is good and the restaurant very cute.

Epcot - San Angel Inn is good, not tex mex style though (so check out the menu).
Coral Reef is good.
Actually Epcot has so many choices, just pick one and go, all are good.

AK - the best place to eat is outside the park in my opinion. Haven't been to any as nothing really appeals to me.

DHS - Same at AK...go outside the park to eat.

Some of the resorts have wonderful places. If you are wanting to stay near the park you were at, just look at the resorts closest to that park. You will find something you like.

 

[julluvsdisney]

MK: CP in the park but Ohana is at the poly and thats one of my faves!

EPCOT: Right now would be Le cellier but not for 2 points unless I was on the DxDDP so with the regular I would say Garden Grill

AK: Ive only been to yak and yeti and it was yummy!

DHS: Mama Melrose yummy!!!

in CR chef Mickeys breakfast &1900 Park Fare in GF breakfast
fun for the kiddos

Hurry up tho since PP is correct March will be booked solid soon!!!!! I would book stuff and change things if needed just so you have some booked ya know?? Have a great rip!

 

[AquaDame]

MK: I've only had Crystal Palace for breakfast but it seems very popular for dinner too. I like eating at Tony's even though a lot of people here compare it to chef boyardee we have always had a better meal than that. But then we are big pasta lovers and don't need it to be fancy!

Epcot: Biergarten was fun, Tokyo dining was good the first go round but not the second and my parents always love the fish and chips at Rose and Crown.

AK: Yak n' Yeti - tasty tasty noodles

HS: Dine In was good for us but a lot of people here don't like it either... haven't tried anywhere else in the park but my boss raves about Mama Melrose's so that might be the better pasta option!

 

[crabbygal902]

so everyone is happy.

Story of my life!!

We always travel with a big group, too. This time it will be 18. What a nightmare it was trying to figure out all those opinions. I gave up and just picked what I thought would be a good restaurant that could handle large parties well and would be general enough to suit *most* people. Everyone then chose which restaurant meals that they would be attending so that I could make the ADRs for the correct number of diners.

I picked:

Epcot area: Le Cellier, Cape May Seafood Buffet, and Cape May Character Breakfast (we're staying at the Beach Club)
MK area: 'Ohana, Crystal Palace
if we were staying longer...
DHS: Mama Melrose
AK: Tusker House

 

[dormouse72]

You'll need to read a lot of menus but it can be done...

I planned a trip for a group of 12 last October and here is where we went:

1st night - dinner in hotel (Boatwright's in POR) waiting for everyone to arrive. Not bad - the kids menu had enough to satisfy the little ones and my DD11 was able to order off the kids menu when nothing on the adult one appealed to her. We noted on our reservation that we had a diabetic in the group and the chef came to the table to disucss menu options.

2nd night - Crystal Palace. Not my favorite. VERY crowded and we all had to wait outside (thank goodness the weather was nice!). The dinner buffet was underwhelming but Pooh was cute so unless you are a Pooh fanatic, I'd skip.

3rd night - Wolfgang Puck's. AWESOME! The food was great - special but not so chi-chi that the menu was too sophisticated to appeal to a large group.

4th day - Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch. Food was great and the location right by the Haunted Mansion was great. My favorite in MK.

5th day - San Angel (Mexico sit down for dinner). Really good but again - traditional Mexican NOT TEX-MEX.

6th day - Chef Mickey for breakfast. AWESOME. This is my favorite because with so much food, you could eat breakfast at 11 AM and not be hungry again till evening. I also find the breakfast buffet food somehow stays better than the dinner items JMHO

7th day - 50's Prime Time. Ever had a dinner so good you took a picture of it? Get the fried chicken at Prime Time. DD12 fell in love with the Peanut Butter and Jelly milkshake. Also found my mother's ice bucket as part of the display.

One week, 12 people and not a single complaint (except about the wait outside Crystal Palace which might have influenced our opinion about it being our least favorite).

Good luck!

 

[MommyJack]

Since you have so many kids, I would consider a character meal. Choose that one by the character's you want to see the most, the food is a secondary thing for these meals. If you don't mind using 2 meal credits, you may also want to see if you can get in to the Hoop De Doo Review. Great show, all you can eat chicken and ribs, and it includes beer and wine.

AK - only ate at Rainforest - not on the DDP.

DTD - Raglan Road. Food is really good and if you go later in the evening there is entertainment.

DHS - 50's Primetime. Food is good, and the waitstaff are very fun.

Epcot - Just choose an ethnic food you would like to try. All the restaurants there are great.

MK - Liberty Tree Tavern is great. Think Thanksgiving dinner 365 days a year.

 

[AMG]

You'll need to read a lot of menus but it can be done...

I planned a trip for a group of 12 last October and here is where we went:

1st night - dinner in hotel (Boatwright's in POR) waiting for everyone to arrive. Not bad - the kids menu had enough to satisfy the little ones and my DD11 was able to order off the kids menu when nothing on the adult one appealed to her. We noted on our reservation that we had a diabetic in the group and the chef came to the table to disucss menu options.

2nd night - Crystal Palace. Not my favorite. VERY crowded and we all had to wait outside (thank goodness the weather was nice!). The dinner buffet was underwhelming but Pooh was cute so unless you are a Pooh fanatic, I'd skip.

3rd night - Wolfgang Puck's. AWESOME! The food was great - special but not so chi-chi that the menu was too sophisticated to appeal to a large group.

4th day - Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch. Food was great and the location right by the Haunted Mansion was great. My favorite in MK.

5th day - San Angel (Mexico sit down for dinner). Really good but again - traditional Mexican NOT TEX-MEX.

6th day - Chef Mickey for breakfast. AWESOME. This is my favorite because with so much food, you could eat breakfast at 11 AM and not be hungry again till evening. I also find the breakfast buffet food somehow stays better than the dinner items JMHO

7th day - 50's Prime Time. Ever had a dinner so good you took a picture of it? Get the fried chicken at Prime Time. DD12 fell in love with the Peanut Butter and Jelly milkshake. Also found my mother's ice bucket as part of the display. One week, 12 people and not a single complaint (except about the wait outside Crystal Palace which might have influenced our opinion about it being our least favorite).

Good luck!

OMG...I actually did take a picture of the meal at the 50's Prime time. Until now I would never have admitted that.

Thanks to everyone for all the great ideas

 

[TiggerTrigger]

You'll definitely want to read a lot of menus and decide quickly as the hard to get spots book up fast. Here are my thoughts...

MK - if you want to eat in the park- Crystal Palace. If you're willing to go to one of the monorail resorts, I think 'Ohana and The Wave are the next best food options...although Kona and Grand Floridian Cafe are also decent choices. Of course, if you want to do signature dining- that opens up more options.

Epcot - soooooo many choices that it's hard to say. Marrakesh is the only thing I would never do again. I also know there is a ton of hype over Le Cellier, but if you are big into steaks- it may be a bit of a let down. We're trying Akershus and and Rose and Crown this trip. Next time- Via Nappoli and Teppan.

DHS - We're doing Mama Melrose this time b/c of the Fantasmic Pkg, but if I were just going for food...it would be 50s prime time. You might also consider the restaurants at the nearby hotels

AK - I'd probably eat outside of the park. To stay in the "animal" theme/mood on our AK day- we're going to Boma at AKL. If I had more time- Jiko would also be on the schedule.