where would you take 9 adults and 2 kids for a fun, laid back, family style or buffet

[KelseyLaPerle]

meal?

We'll be there 8/10-17. Myself, DH, DD7, DS4, my 3 brothers with their spouses and my Mom and her BF. We want to take mom out to thank her for the trip as she is paying for everything for all of us. We want a very casual atmosphere, not too time consuming, and it has to be a buffet or family style meal (we all have extreme appetites!).

I posted on the mom's panel and they suggested 'Ohana.

Also, I automatically thought to book a reservation for dinner, but now that I think about it I'm wondering if breakfast wouldn't make more sense. Kids wouldn't be tired, we would have the whole day ahead of us to do as we choose. 'Ohana only does character breakfasts and we don't want characters (or the price associated with them!).

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[icc2515]

I would suggest an early dinner at 'Ohana instead of breakfast. Say around 5:00. That's when they open an if you have a 5:00 ressy then you are seat almost immediately. Breakfast is kind of plain, don't get me wrong I love breakfast, but there is only so much you can do with it. Eggs, Pancakes, Waffles, etc. Plus it is hard to find a non character buffet. 'Ohana is laid back, fun, and the food for dinner is great and plentiful.

 

[IllinoisMommy]

Hmmm...I was going to suggest Chef Mickeys until you said no character meals. We have been there for breakfast and dinner, and though some people find it loud- we really liked it since it was classic Disney characters and it feels very much like a celebration. And we thought the food was good- kids and adults liked it.

I can not think of many buffets that are not character meals. Hope someone has good suggestions for you. Have a really fun trip with the family

 

[ForAandA]

We have always enjoyed O'hana when traveling with my family of 15. With 11 people, be prepared to be at 2 tables.

We also loved Boma, Whispering Canyon, and the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review. We were at split tables for everything except Boma, which was a very long table.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

Until you said no characters I was going to suggest Cape May for Breakfast - great selection on the buffet and very laid back.

You could do it for dinner as I recall it's a buffet then too.

Boma has a nice breakfast buffet and no characters.

Sorry not to be more help - we love character meals and tend towards them.

 

[Hopefully]

I think the Hoop Dee Doo would be great for your family - but it is expensive.
I agree with the recommendation for 'OHana if not HDDR

 

[KelseyLaPerle]

Hmmm...I was going to suggest Chef Mickeys until you said no character meals. We have been there for breakfast and dinner, and though some people find it loud- we really liked it since it was classic Disney characters and it feels very much like a celebration. And we thought the food was good- kids and adults liked it.

I can not think of many buffets that are not character meals. Hope someone has good suggestions for you. Have a really fun trip with the family

When I looked into pricing, I realized that Chef Mickey's is actually a hair cheaper than 'Ohana. I think we might go with a character meal after all. We've been to CM before, but no one else in the family has so it will be fun for them to see the characters.

Now I just need to decide if we should do this the night we arrive or the night before we leave....

 

[bloodonthesaddle]

I would suggest Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club. Buffet with salads, prime rib, BBQ ribs and peel & eat shrimp, styled as a "new England Clambake"

 

[Diegosmom]

What about the buffet at the swan...more reasonable priced. Its called garden grove and here is a link to menu with prices

http://swandolphinrestaurants.com/gardengrove/index.html#top

FYI if you drive there I believe you have to pay to park even if you are staying on site but disney transportation goes there from the parks.

 

[Colleen27]

Cape May dinner would fit the bill - buffet, no characters, with a very laid back atmosphere. Or if you're looking to make an evening of it, Trails End at the Ft Wilderness campground has a very reasonably priced buffet and you could make your reservation earlier in the evening to accommodate younger children and leave time to go to the Chip & Dale campfire/sing-along or the movie under the stars afterwards.

 

[catheren]

If you are going for the character interaction, then CM, is great, if the quality of the buffet is important to you and your party then my suggestion is to highly avoid CM. Here is a link to the buffets with prices. I agree with the PP about Cape May Cafe. We are not big fans of buffets but have heard great reviews on the Garden Grille at Epcot.

http://allears.net/din/buffet.htm

 

[Dreamsdocometrue9112]

I would suggest O'hana for an early dinner. The atmosphere is a lot of fun and the food is fantastic for the price!! It's our "go-to" every trip!

 

[bloodonthesaddle]

If you are going for the character interaction, then CM, is great, if the quality of the buffet is important to you and your party then my suggestion is to highly avoid CM. Here is a link to the buffets with prices. I agree with the PP about Cape May Cafe. We are not big fans of buffets but have heard great reviews on the Garden Grille at Epcot.

http://allears.net/din/buffet.htm

CMC is only character breakfast, not dinner.

 

[catheren]

CMC is only character breakfast, not dinner.

Yes, I know that, Cape May Cafe is not a character dinner, they don't want a character meal, that is why I recommended dinner

 

[TinkerbellinLouisian]

Agree with PP's your Mom might enjoy a meal with the characters...

I was going to advise Poly "OHana Breakfast a family style breakfast with a lot of interaction...
IMHO Cape May is not a "destination" meal... we've stayed at BC many times and eaten there and I would not personally travel there for that meal...BUT I would travel to Poly for "Ohana (and we did)
Also agree with PP on HDDR.... but that is expensive..

Have a Wonderful time... Kudo's to Mom for paying for this great vacation and Kudos to you for wanting to THank Her in this way !

Mary

 

[pepe of ohio]

Best and cheapest buffet on property with no characters is Trails End at FW....might be a little difficult to get to (depends on where you're staying or willing to travel) but a short boa ride from the MK, WL or CR....american cooking, nothing exotic......breakfast and dinner are exceptional buffets....we enjoy them over all the others..

 

[slimplaw]

Trail's End Buffet at Fort Wilderness might do for your group. We've always enjoyed eating at this restaurant. It is a pleasant experience away from all of the hustle and bustle of other busy places. The kids would also probably enjoy seeing the barn area where some of the horses are kept.

 

[tiki23]

Not sure if this would appeal to your family, but the Biergarten in Epcot is one of our family faves! We love the atmosphere, the little ones might like to dance to the music - there are always kids having fun on the dance floor - and the food is great.

 

[sharadoc]

Boma could be another option. AKL has other activities to view animals, see an authentic Africa storyteller and some beautiful architecture and landscaping.

There are interesting dishes as well as standards for the little ones.

Otherwise, we love Trail's End as well. You could spend an evening there easily between dinner, Chip 'n Dale campfire, movie, fireworks and Electrical water Pageant from the beach. Food appeals to most folks - it's our Number One choice for dinner.

 

[DznyCrzy11]

When I looked into pricing, I realized that Chef Mickey's is actually a hair cheaper than 'Ohana. I think we might go with a character meal after all. We've been to CM before, but no one else in the family has so it will be fun for them to see the characters.

Now I just need to decide if we should do this the night we arrive or the night before we leave....

I think Chef Mickey's is a little cheaper because as the saying goes "you get what you pay for". We have never eaten at Chef Mickey's but I have heard lots of complaints. From what I know about Chef Mickey's, it's a buffet and the food is not always warm. We ate at Ohana's for dinner this past September and wondered why we hadn't eaten there sooner! It's all you can eat but it's NOT buffet! The food was always fresh and hot! For 2 of us, we had enough food to feed at least 4 people! They come by your table with fresh, hot skewers of seasoned beef, pork, and shimp. They were all wonderful! For the appetizer portion you get salad, bread, chicken wing, pot stickers, a noodle dish, and I think there was more! The bread pudding for dessert was OUT OF THIS WORLD! Let's just say Ohana was SO very good and the price was definitely worth it!!!