Which DVCers out there can still find something nice to eat at Disney?

[permavac]

I've been hanging around here for a while but this is my FIRST EVER own thread! Most things I have questions about are easily answered in the archives, but I have been puzzling over this one recently with no answer in sight. With all the threads about what the DDP has done to the caliber of food at Disney, I am wondering what long-time DVCers still like to eat (short-timers feel free to jump in too!). I realize this is a sore subject and I would definitely be upset about it IF it had affected ME, however, my DH and I only started going to Disney the year free dining came out (coincidence by-the-way) - 2005. We haven't really noticed a decline per se and actually were pleased by a few enhancements - like the apple slices instead of fries option.

So, I wanted to know what you DO like to eat on property. Favorites meals/restaurants?

I'll start - we LOVE:

Le Cellier: Cheese soup, pretzel bread, risotto, PEI (best place to get them from!) mussels
Kringla: Gravlox and egg and roast beef (only when it's rare and fresh) sandwiches and the almond pretzel
50's Prime Time: Pot Roast and chocolate milkshakes!
Sci Fi: Butcher steak - so excited they brought it back (Oh - guess that's a downgrade I did notice but it seems to be back on the menu now)
Buffets: O'Hana, Biergarten, Cape May Clam Bake, Whispering Canyon Cafe
Snacks: German pretzel and brats, cheesecake brownie from BW Bakery, carrot cake cookie at DHS, cheese plate in France, soft-serve ice cream except for that stuff they sell near Peter Pan in MK, and yeah - we love the McDonald's fries too - now without trans fat!

I'm sure I'm forgetting some other favorites but that should get us started. We haven't even eaten everywhere yet either and are hoping to add a few new ones after our September trip!

Terri

 

[ITGirl50]

My favorite quick service is Animal Kingdom's Flame Tree BBQ (we love the lake-side seating) and Epcot's Seasons in The Land (real meals for fast service).

We also frequent Grand Floridian's Garden View Tea room for the Grand Tea. They have the best scones I've ever tasted.

 

[rentayenta]

• 'Ohana. It's out traditional first night meal and their bread pudding is unreal!
• Tony's. It's put traditional last night meal.
• California Grill. Their sushi is excellent as is their wine list.
• Yorkshire Fish Shoppe (CS). Mmmmmmm

• Grey Goose slushie from France and the Dole Float are two drinks I cannot go without!

• Olivia's steak and Caesar salad. Wow!

• Frozen Coke. Enough said.

 

[permavac]

• 
  ...Frozen Coke. Enough said.

My DH will kill me! I forgot his favorite - the frozen coke at Club Cool. He almost NEVER drinks soda but he LOVES those things! I also forgot the fish and chips. And yes - the bread pudding is spectacular at O'Hanas! I never liked bread pudding until I had theirs.

Terri

 

[jennypenny]

We love...

Tusker House/Flame tree
Tokyo Dining (our favorite!) and the takeout place in Japan
Tea stands in China and AK
Kona
Kringla (esp. the viking coffees)
Tangerine Cafe while listening to MoRoccin'--nice time and nothing like it home
Raglan Road
Earl of Sandwich (great food for price)
CHH hummus sandwich
Le Cellier (although if they sold the soup at a stand outside we wouldn't bother with the restaurant)
Artist's Pallette/Maya--two innovative CS places
We like Hurricane Hannah and the gelato at BC Marketplace
drinking and eating around the world in epcot

We agree dining has gone downhill. But we still have our favorites. And Tokyo Dining has been a great addition. We haven't done the ddp in a while because the TIW card is such a good deal. And nothing in HS interests us anymore. We can't do prime time(DS would not like treatment), and sci fi has gone way down in quality. And you'd never catch us at a character meal anymore. Too expensive for mediocre food.

 

[DVC Mike]

We enjoy most (but not all) of the Signature Dining TS.

I think our favorite spots are:

• Artist Point
• California Grill
• Citricos
• Flying Fish Café
• Jiko
• Narcoossee’s
• Yachtsman Steakhouse

We also like Le Cellier and Raglun Road.

 

[Starr W.]

Cali Grill
Flying Fish
Jiko's
Narcoossee's

These are our favorite higher end places. We usually eat at min of 1 per trip.

Also like
Raglan Road and House of Blues at DTD.


For the best bang for your buck, ie reasonable prices and better than the usual CS fare, try Wolfgang Puck's Express at DTD. Plus once you order, you sit down and someone brings out the food to you.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We still love Teppan Edo and usually will dine there multiple times a trip. We also always hit Artist Point and Jiko at least once a trip. Beyond that....it's a crap shoot. We like Flame Tree for quick service, and we used to like Starring rolls until they took away the bagles and Lox. Oh, and Turf Club at SSR is another favorite that we usually hit a couple times a trip.

 

[nunzia]

We haven't been in over 15 years so this thread is helpful. When we go I really think I have to try Kouzzi (? is that how it's spelled? reminds me of Kudzu) Cat Cora's restaurant. After reading the breakfast menu I have to try the eggs with olive bread and artichoke spread and sweet potato hash..wow..ADRs can be made 90 days out right

 

[mouse]

Turf Cluf (SS) - best caesar salad ever!
Brown Derby (HS) - chopped salad
Flying Fish
Blue Zoo
The Sand Trap Grille over by the Eagle Pines/Osprey Ridge golf courses has great food, especially burgers, and is a quiet spot that usually is not crowded.
Also like Artist Point(WL), Jiko(AKL), California Grill (CR), Portobello's (DD), Wolfgang Puck Cafe (DD), Narcoossee's (GF), Citrico's(GF), Bistro(upstairs France), and Nine Dragons (China). Our experience has been that all of these restaurants are generally good, but we have also had less than desirable food at each of them occasionally.
Best thing at Disney is the chocolate covered Mickey ice cream bars.

 

[AKV707]

We have always been happy with so many places. Here are a few faves:

Counter Service:

• Cantina at Mexico
• Columbia Harbor house
• Tangerine Cafe -those lamb wraps....yum!

Table Service:

• Flying Fish = the best
• Le celeier
• Jiko
• Rose & Crown - comfort food
• Narccoosees
• San Angel

Those are just a few. Sanna will get a try on the next trip.

 

[ransom]

We're still very happy with the signature restaurants. As for the rest, we find that most offer decent food. We just don't go in expecting the bestest food ever, when it comes to 1 TS restaurants.

Really, our main disappointment is the lack of variety. But the cure for that has been to take advantage of the truly different restaurants around the World Showcase, and to make sure to order stuff that's not available anywhere else. Marrakesh is a great example. Delicious food, great service...but it seems to always be empty.

As for CS stuff, well, it was disappointing when Columbia Harbour House got rid of the Starboard Deck sandwich (ham with broccoli slaw on bread -- mmm!). There have been other examples across property of homogenizing the offerings. But there are still unique things here and there -- the cuban sandwich at ABC, the great stuff at Sunshine Seasons, etc.

Chicken fingers, hamburgers, and pizza are available everywhere, and it gets tiresome having to seek out different things. But it's worth the effort -- and if enough of us keep doing that, it will make it economically worthwhile for them to expand the different offerings throughout the parks and resorts (like at Disneyland).

 

[ead79]

I'm a relatively new DVCer (joined in 2007), but I've been going to WDW for years. We typically eat 2 table service meals per day, and there are still many restaurants we enjoy. While I totally agree that the quality and variety of food offerings has declined in recent years, there are still plenty of places we enjoy eating. Here are a few of our favorites:

Le Cellier
Kona Cafe
Earl of Sandwich
Yak & Yeti
Captain's Grille

We're also looking forward to trying some new places on our next trip: Paradiso 37, Rose & Crown, Sanaa, and Biergarten.

 

[TIGGERmetoo]

Personally, I haven't noticed the food going downhill - maybe we're just lucky. Some of my favorites are:

Coral Reef - love their lobster bisque
Kona Cafe - Tonga Toast is yummy
Earl of Sandwich - good, inexpensive for lunch
Narcoosee's (sp?) - one of our favorites

 

[kim_d]

We have done deluxe DDP the past two trips so obviously we still have a ton of places we enjoy. Our children are relatively young so we still do character meals. We typically have liked pretty much all the resturants. The only place we didn't care for (we ate there for dinner twice) was 1900 PArk Fare.

 

[LisaS]

DH and I are vegetarians and we're still happy with the dining choices, including two new dishes we tried on our last trip. Some of our favorites are:

- Lighthouse Sandwich at CHH (hummus and broccoli slaw with sliced tomatoes on hearty bread) -- just typing the description gives me a craving for it!

- the new vegetable burrito at San Angel Inn (you have to ask for the special vegetarian menu)

- the new Seasonal Vegetable Stew at The Wave

- vegetable lasagna at Chefs de France

- Favorite buffets: Boma at AKL/AKV, Tusker House at AK

 

[thelionqueen]

Our faves

CS
El pirata y el Perico
Somerset in Germany for Franks & Brats
Beaches n' Cream

TS
Kona Cafe'-LOVE everything here!!
ESPNClub
LeCellier (although if we could get the pretzel bread from a cart, would never go again!)
Teppan Edo
Ohana-First meal is always breakfast here before day @ MK
Yachtsman

 

[dianeschlicht]

This thread just proves how different people's tastes can be. I see several of you mentioned liking Flying Fish, and while we USED to like it, we had two reall ybad experiences there in a row, and we never go there now. Same goes for O'Hana. It used to be wonderful...not so much anymore.

 

[DenLo]

- Lighthouse Sandwich at CHH (hummus and broccoli slaw with sliced tomatoes on hearty bread) -- just typing the description gives me a craving for it!

My BIL is also a vegetarian and we're always looking for places he'll like when goes to WDW with us. Appreciate your list, but where is CHH, it's not on the common abbreviation list.

 

[LisaS]

My BIL is also a vegetarian and we're always looking for places he'll like when goes to WDW with us. Appreciate your list, but where is CHH, it's not on the common abbreviation list.

CHH = Columbia Harbour House, it's a counter service restaurant in the Magic Kingdom. They also have a great vegetarian chili there.