Which is better - Blue Bayou or Cafe Orleans?

[jimreuter]

Each restaurant has their own kitchen. Long cook items like the gumbo come from the same prep kitchen, but everything else is cooked to order in the kitchen for the specific restaurant.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

I think the Blue Bayou is something that everybody should try at least once for the atmosphere. I'm not a fan of the food in either restaurant, though. I'd prefer going back to Main Street for a meal at the Carnation Café.

 

[Kittyskyfish]

DH and I love the BB! The atmosphere is by far and away the biggest draw for us. We go for lunch and love to sit next to the water and listen to the banjo. The experience is wonderful because we love POTC, the experience is cool and relaxing, and because we have so many happy memories being there.

We've had "pretty good" food at BB, but it's never been amazing for us. If it were located in an average location, we wouldn't go as often.

We've also eaten many times at the CC. It's fine, too.

Actually, or favorite after-dark dining location is Rancho del Zocalo. We love the western/Spanish theme and dining outdoors under the beautiful lights is a great experience. And it's relatively cheap.

 

[DoleWhip81]

I think you just have to take Blue Bayou for what it is. You have to understand that you are going to pay extremely high prices for sub-par food. The upside is that you get to have a table service dinner in POTC. Cafe Orlean's food, on the other hand, is extremely tastey. We always have Blue Bayou for a special dinner and Cafe Orleans for a good lunch.

 

[50sjayne]

You would think Disney would put a little more effort into the food there, take some pride y'know. I ate there as a teen-- I don't remember the food, just my grampa joking with my cousin who worked there as a hostess. She still works there, goes by Anne, but we know her as Anne Marie.
I think Blue Bayou works kind of like fast pass for Disney. People get off the ride thinking wow- you can eat there- and go to make reservations (after finding our you can't just walk up) They don't know much about it. Fast pass still works for Disney because most people don't even know how it works, and if they don't make it back to their return time, they don't use the ticket.
Blue Bayou can keep charging these ridiculous prices for sub par food because--they can.

 

[GrandBob]

I think you just have to take Blue Bayou for what it is. You have to understand that you are going to pay extremely high prices for sub-par food. The upside is that you get to have a table service dinner in POTC. Cafe Orlean's food, on the other hand, is extremely tastey. We always have Blue Bayou for a special dinner and Cafe Orleans for a good lunch.

Blue Bayou can keep charging these ridiculous prices for sub par food because--they can.

Why is everyone always ragging on the food at BB? I have to say, when we went DW & I both ordered the surf&turf (filet mignon and lobster tail), and it was superb! Best meal I've had at Disney, by far!

-Bob

 

[heatherleigh]

Cafe Orleans, if we are just talking about food. If you are interested in the experience/ambience, then BlueBayou would be great.

 

[pixiewings71]

I think you just have to take Blue Bayou for what it is. You have to understand that you are going to pay extremely high prices for sub-par food. The upside is that you get to have a table service dinner in POTC. Cafe Orlean's food, on the other hand, is extremely tastey. We always have Blue Bayou for a special dinner and Cafe Orleans for a good lunch.

The food at BB is not sub-par. I've never been that disappointed in anything I've ordered. DD13 ordered the short ribs once, she didn't like them much so she and I shared my Tesoro Island Chicken and I ate some of her ribs. They weren't bad, she just didn't like the sauce that was all over them. She's picky about her sauces. We've done dinner and lunch there and I've always left satisfied with my food. The "issues" I've had were from service, snarky hostesses checking us in, they tried to put us at a table by the kitchen once, we asked to have a different table and we were moved but they were reluctant to move us, we could tell. Once the server got snarky when I told him DD13 didn't want anything off the "adult" menu and she would be ordering from the kids' menu, he got rude and said "you can't tell me that, if you tell me you have to order something from the adult menu" so I said "well then she won't eat anything" and then he said "well that's what we are supposed to tell you but if that's the case it's OK". That same server was snarky because DBF was delayed meeting us at the restaurant, I already knew what he wanted to order and let them know that when we checked in, they didn't have a problem in the front and we were seated right away, but this server rolled his eyes at me and said "everyone is supposed to be here" I said "I know what he wants so I will order for him, there's no hold-up on that end" and I did order for DBF and he walked in just as I was ordering for him. So that particular server seemed to be having an off day, altho after his snark-fest he was fine, our drinks were never empty, rolls were never gone and plates were efficiently removed. So he did get a good tip, not as good as he would have received had he not been rude about DD's choice to order from the kids' menu but it was higher then it would have been had she been "allowed" to order from the kids' menu. Does that make sense?

You would think Disney would put a little more effort into the food there, take some pride y'know. I ate there as a teen-- I don't remember the food, just my grampa joking with my cousin who worked there as a hostess. She still works there, goes by Anne, but we know her as Anne Marie.
I think Blue Bayou works kind of like fast pass for Disney. People get off the ride thinking wow- you can eat there- and go to make reservations (after finding our you can't just walk up) They don't know much about it. Fast pass still works for Disney because most people don't even know how it works, and if they don't make it back to their return time, they don't use the ticket.
Blue Bayou can keep charging these ridiculous prices for sub par food because--they can.

I disagree, I think there are plenty of people who know how BB works. It's a huge topic of discussion here. And again, it's never been sub-par food for us.........

Why is everyone always ragging on the food at BB? I have to say, when we went DW & I both ordered the surf&turf (filet mignon and lobster tail), and it was superb! Best meal I've had at Disney, by far!

-Bob

 

[pixiewings71]

And remember everyone, that BB & CO share a kitchen...the food can't be worse at BB and better at CO if it's from the same kitchen. They do serve some items different but the gumbo, salad & Monte Cristo are the same.....

I do with the BB had the ratatouille and the beniegts. Mmmmmmmmmm

 

[AustinTink]

And remember everyone, that BB & CO share a kitchen...the food can't be worse at BB and better at CO if it's from the same kitchen. They do serve some items different but the gumbo, salad & Monte Cristo are the same.....

I do with the BB had the ratatouille and the beniegts. Mmmmmmmmmm

Are the buildings somehow connected? I'm having a hard time visualizing.

 

[cesariofamily]

We had a great meal and great service at the Blue and I loved the special theming. We went for lunch and it was a bit cheaper.

 

[jimreuter]

Blue Bayou and Cafe Orleans each have their own kitchen, The prep kitchen, (where long cook items like the gumbo and the short ribs are prepared) is shared.

 

[toby78]

Food at the Blue Bayou sucks.......but the atmosphere is great...

 

[wbl2745]

I was at DL in late April and ate at the Blue Bayou and then again in early June and tried Cafe Orleans for the first time.

The positive side of BB is definitely the atmosphere. Sitting by the water and hearing the sounds of the bayou has been great for 40 years. You just can't beat that. I had the Monte Cristo sandwich, which was quite good. Other in our party also liked their food. I suppose the quality of the good varies, but we've always been satisfied.

In June was my first visit to Cafe Orleans. I sat outside on the veranda and also enjoyed the atmosphere of watching people and the river boats on the Rivers of America. The service was excellent. I had a very attentive waiter. The meal was quite good. I started with a salad with pears and blue cheese with a vinaigrette dressing. This seems to be a really popular salad since I've seen it at several restaurants. Then had the seafood crepes with a Mornay sauce. Again I wasn't disappointed. Then for dessert I had the beignets which were OUTSTANDING! They came with a raspberry and a vanilla sauce for dipping.

I suppose if I were planning an event to celebrate something I'd probably go to the Blue Bayou. If I was just looking for a place to have lunch or dinner and the weather was reasonable I'd go to Cafe Orleans.

 

[Funball]

Blue Bayou and Cafe Orleans each have their own kitchen, The prep kitchen, (where long cook items like the gumbo and the short ribs are prepared) is shared.

good to know

 

[Funball]

Food at the Blue Bayou sucks.......but the atmosphere is great...

thats a funny take on it..dont hold your feelings or anything!

 

[Mary09]

You guys have me wanting to try pommes frites but we're so not DL 'sit-down and spend two hours' meal people. Can you walk up to CO and get food pretty quickly during off hours or is it pretty much reservations or wait for a table for a while?

 

[pixiewings71]

Mary we suggest a ressie but you can wait if you prefer. Service speed depends on your server and the kitchens. We've had a few really fast meals there and a few not so fast. the Pomme Frites are really really good.

 

[heatherleigh]

We had great luck getting a table at Cafe Orleans with a short wait and I remember the service being fast as well. I'd get a priority seating reservation ahead of time to ensure you don't have to wait.