Which Restaurants to Try at DLR

[Jenna319]

So I am trying to decide which restaurants to eat at for our Sept trip.... waiting patiently for the 4th of July which is my 60 day mark to be able to book.... here are the ones I'm debating over:

Blue Bayou (dinner)
Napa Rose (dinner)
Goofy's Kitchen (dinner)
Carnation Cafe (lunch)
Cafe Orleans (lunch)
AG WOC Dining Package
WCT WOC Dining Package
Storytellers Cafe (breakfast)

It will just be myself and my DH celebrating his 32nd bday. We will be staying 4 nights labor day weekend at GCH. We are huge WDW fans, have been to DL 3X but never stayed on property and have never been to any of the restaurants listed above. We do enjoy character dining I.E. Chef Mickeys at WDW. Just trying not to "break the bank" as we like to enjoy good dinners but if we try all on the list it will get really pricey! We are not adventurous diners, more steak and potatoes couple, not seafood fans (DH is allergic). Leaning a little more toward AG for WOC but either way, it will be over $80 for the 2 of us to have dinner there. Is it worth it for preferred viewing? WOC is definitely a priority to me. But nothing on the picnic list sounded appealing to me. BB is a restaurant we've always wanted to try bc POTC is our fave ride. And Napa Rose never was on my must-do bc of price but all the positive reviews have gotten me curious! This would have to be done on our first night there.

Opinions welcome on which are must-do's for you out of my list and which are not worth it.

 

[onelilspark]

We really enjoyed Napa Rose, breakfast at Storyteller's & Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen.

 

[3BoysRDisneyFreaks]

we just ate at Goofy's on Sunday night for dinner. It was pretty good. The characters were great. We saw Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale, Minnie, Mulan & Mad Hatter. Chip & Dale were really funny and Mulan was beautiful. Even my DH commented on how nice looking she was.

We are doing the AG WoC on Saturday. I will report back about that.

 

[jenniferrose]

I am sure you have been at WDW but we LOVE ESPN for a quick lunch or even dinner. I know this isnt on your list but wanted to throw it out there as an option for a cheaper meal. Their prices and portions are very good. And, if you are in the park, it is a quick ride on the monorail into DTD.

 

[DizNee Luver]

So I am trying to decide which restaurants to eat at for our Sept trip.... waiting patiently for the 4th of July which is my 60 day mark to be able to book.... here are the ones I'm debating over:

Blue Bayou (dinner)
Napa Rose (dinner)
Goofy's Kitchen (dinner)
Carnation Cafe (lunch)
Cafe Orleans (lunch)
AG WOC Dining Package
WCT WOC Dining Package
Storytellers Cafe (breakfast)

It will just be myself and my DH celebrating his 32nd bday. We will be staying 4 nights labor day weekend at GCH. We are huge WDW fans, have been to DL 3X but never stayed on property and have never been to any of the restaurants listed above. We do enjoy character dining I.E. Chef Mickeys at WDW. Just trying not to "break the bank" as we like to enjoy good dinners but if we try all on the list it will get really pricey! We are not adventurous diners, more steak and potatoes couple, not seafood fans (DH is allergic). Leaning a little more toward AG for WOC but either way, it will be over $80 for the 2 of us to have dinner there. Is it worth it for preferred viewing? WOC is definitely a priority to me. But nothing on the picnic list sounded appealing to me. BB is a restaurant we've always wanted to try bc POTC is our fave ride. And Napa Rose never was on my must-do bc of price but all the positive reviews have gotten me curious! This would have to be done on our first night there.

Opinions welcome on which are must-do's for you out of my list and which are not worth it.

I can't help with all your choices, but will help where I can:

We did Blue Bayou for dinner last year. We really enjoyed our meal & the ambiance was awesome. We were seated by the water & got to watch the boats float by. We shared a meal & at that time it was a $5.00 share-meal charge. From what I hear now....they charge a whole lot more than that. Our dinner with tip ran close to $60.00 just for the 2 of us.

Never done Napa Rose...partly due to the money. From what I've read...its worth it....so hopefully in the future we can splurge on this.

Our family loves Goofy's Kitchen!! The buffet is huge! Character's we've seen: Goofy, Pluto, Max, Minnie, Aladdin, Jasmine, Alice, Chip, Dale, Baloo, Mad Hatter, Geppetto, & Sleeping Beauty. This is a popular meal with lots of activity.

We've only done Carnation Cafe for breakfast, but we love the quaintness & the food is very good!!

Love, love, love Cafe Orlean's. We had the Monte Cristo, Gumbo, Pomme Fritas & Beignets......delicious!!!

We will be doing the WoC dining at Ariel's Grotto at the end of July. I didn't want to deal with the FP line for the show, so we figured the dining package was the way to go. I'll report back on my trip report as how this goes. (my PTR link is at the bottom of this reply)

Chose Ariel's over Wine Country. One---Ariel's was cheaper & we've eaten there before. Two--WCT is no longer offering the appetizer with the meal but the price didn't change.

We're doing Storyteller's Cafe end of July. Again I'll report back on the TR on our return.

You can look at menus on the DIS as well as on allears.net
Good luck in your planning & enjoy your trip!!

 

[reynmagsmom]

we love Cafe Orleans its excellent food with even better service not to mention cheaper than Blue Bayou!!!

 

[Belle Ella]

We did Blue Bayou for dinner last year. We really enjoyed our meal & the ambiance was awesome. We were seated by the water & got to watch the boats float by. We shared a meal & at that time it was a $5.00 share-meal charge. From what I hear now....they charge a whole lot more than that. Our dinner with tip ran close to $60.00 just for the 2 of us.

I remember the split plate fee from one of my trips last year at BB was $12 and that got you each a side salad and veggies. However, there is still the option of just asking for a second plate, free of charge, and splitting it yourself.

I just adore BB. You cannot beat the ambiance!

 

[CrazyDuck]

I like breakfast at AG... Especially when you get to be in the park before it opens to everyone... It is quite serene before the madness!

 

[Jenna319]

Thanks for all the replies! I think we will save Napa Rose for another trip and do Goofys Kitchen for dinner the 1st night. Our 2 park days will be carnation cafe and cafe Orleans for lunch, and BB and WOC AG for dinner. Think I will save storytellers for another trip as well. Was going to do that for breakfast our last day.... Out of my list, is cafe Orleans the only restaurant you can't make ressies for?

 

[wdwfanatic316]

I think you can make PS for Cafe Orleans- we have one scheduled for our upcoming trip on 7/3

 

[Kayla's Mom]

Out of my list, is cafe Orleans the only restaurant you can't make ressies for?

You can definitely make reservations for Cafe Orleans. Cafe Orleans and Carnation Cafe are my favorite places to eat. The Monte Cristo and Pommes Frites at Cafe Orleans and the loaded baked potato soup at Carnation Cafe!

 

[JoytotheWorld]

Here's my take on the restaurants you're considering:

Blue Bayou (dinner) - This restaurant is very pricey and the food is mediocre at best but I still consider it worth doing once for the ambience and the experience. We did it at lunchtime since it's a little cheaper then. We simply booked the last lunch sitting and used that as an early dinner.

Napa Rose (dinner) - If I had to list one must-do restaurant at DLR, this would be it, particularly for a couple of adults. The food is exquisite, the service superb and the ambience amazing. I can't say enough good things about this restaurant. It is expensive but not much more so than Blue Bayou and it's a zillion times better in quality.

Goofy's Kitchen (dinner) - We have done all the character meals at DLR and this is our least favourite. In fact, when our first meal there was so terrible, we decided to try it one more time before giving up on it. It didn't improve at all when we tried again a year or so later. Both times we were there for breakfast. The food was okay but the character interaction was dreadful, largely due to where we were seated. Only four of the characters ever stopped by our table so it was a huge disappointment when we could see them in other parts of the restaurant. We complained to management about it but nothing was done. Plus the service from our wait staff on both occasions was nothing short of atrocious.

Carnation Cafe (lunch) - This is one of our fave spots for lunch. Great food, excellent service and a wonderful view of Main Street for people watching. And the prices are reasonable by Disney standards.

Cafe Orleans (lunch) - We found this restaurant to be merely ho-hum: a lot of the same foods that were served at the Blue Bayou but at lower prices and of course minus the fabulous ambience and view at BB. We were able to make ressies, though, for this restaurant.

AG WOC Dining Package - I haven't done the WOC package here but have dined here for dinner. I thought it was all right. Decent food and good character interaction. We dined outside and I would suggest you reserve an inside table if possible because of both unpredictable weather and the fact that not all of the characters seem to make it outside.

WCT WOC Dining Package Again we haven't done the WOC package here but we have dined here. In fact, we love this place. I've had both lunch and dinner here and have consistently been treated to wonderful food and fabulous service. My only caution again would be to specify indoor seating when you make your ressies if possible, this time solely because of the possibility of unpredictable weather.

Storytellers Cafe (breakfast) - Wonderful character meal with a gorgeous setting, great food and very good character interaction. We've eaten here a few times and my biggest recommendation here is to make a ressie for the earliest possible breakfast time, as long as you don't mind getting up and out early. That seems to make for the highest quality and quantity of character interaction.

 

[Jenna319]

Hmmmm Joy you've got me thinking now! Good idea on doing BB for lunch to save a little money! Maybe storytellers for dinner 1st night instead of Goofys? And napa rose.... What do you get to eat there that is your fave?

 

[Jenna319]

Also do any of these restaurants give a discount with Disney Visa?

 

[ktlm]

WDW vet here too. We went to DL/CA last week and from your list ate at Blue Bayou (lunch), Goofy's Kitchen (dinner), and Carnation Cafe (lunch). We did AG, but it was still a Princess dinner then as WOC was not officially opening for a few more days. Blue Bayou was great, but you might want to think about lunch instead of dinner. It is cheaper and the menu is not too much different (you can see the differences on Allears.net). Goofy's Kitchen Dinner puts Chef Mickey's dinner to shame. The food and character interaction were both much better. Last week, we saw Goofy, Minnie, Chip, Dale, Aurora and Mulan. Pluto was also there, but he did not make it to our area. The food at the Carnation Cafe was really good. If you are a potato soup fan, they have about the best I have ever had. As far as Ariel's Grotto, it was probably the worst food we had all week, but it still was not that bad. The Princesses were absolutely great. We had the best Ariel I have ever seen. She was wonderful with the kids. She made each one feel special. My understanding is the Princesses are no longer at dinner with the WOC. We would definitely eat at Ariel's again, but not if the Princesses aren't there. I wouldn't go to Ariels just for the food- I would call it mediocre.

 

[Sherry E]

Hmmmm Joy you've got me thinking now! Good idea on doing BB for lunch to save a little money! Maybe storytellers for dinner 1st night instead of Goofys? And napa rose.... What do you get to eat there that is your fave?

Goofy's Kitchen is great! I have been eating there since 1992, and there's no way would I keep eating there if it was bad (it's way too expensive to stick with if I don't like the food or characters). The character interaction is quite good most of the time when I have been there. We always have good service. Everyone I have ever brought there liked it, and I'd say 90% of the people on this board that I have personally referred to Goofy's (in other words, they specifically took my recommendation) have said they had a great time, both in terms of characters and food. However, I recommmend the GK breakfast instead of the GK dinner, but there is so much to choose from at their buffet (breakfast or dinner) that there is no way anyone could go hungry.

Goofy's Breakfast/Brunch buffet photos, from Fall 2009 - taken by Disneynerd420 – see Posts #338 and #339

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2268157&page=23

Now Goofy's is always subject to having off days, but so are all the DLR restaurants and character meals. There are some folks who don't like Goofy's, and there are folks who say that the Minnie & Friends food is inedible, and there are people who got food poisoning at Storytellers, and...and.... see what I mean? Not every restaurant is going to please everybody, but I am quite confident in recommending Goofy's! Every restaurant has those folks who love it and hate it. A lot of it has to do with personal taste and personal expectations. Whatever it is that I expect from my character meals is satisfied at GK.

Napa Rose is fine dining - not everyone has a taste for that.

Blue Bayou is great ambiance but very specific types of food (as is Ariel's). Not everyone likes those particular menus, but lots of people love them.

Storytellers is good as a regular restaurant and OK as a character meal. The food was not good at all the last time we were there (see? An off day!). This is a rather lackluster character meal, I feel. Lots of people prefer it because it's so laid back. There have never been any more than 5 characters there at one time when I'm there, and sometimes it's only four. The buffet is quite small. The restaurant itself is quite cozy and nice, but I prefer it for the non-character meals.

Carnation is really good, but I'm not as fond of it for breakfast as I am for lunch and dinner.

I have always enjoyed Wine Country Trattoria. However, since they reopened and changed their menu, people have been slamming the food. Again, it might just have to do with personal tastes and expectations, as well as the fact that the whole WoC thing is new and they are working out bugs. But in the past, WCT was a good place to eat.

 

[Sherry E]

I know you can use the Disney Visa to get a discount at Carnation and WCT. I think it can be used at Goofy's as well. I just looked at the list of restaurants where Visa discounts are accepted recently, but I don't think Goofy's was on it. It may have been and I skipped over it. In any case, I remember a DIS-er or two recently saying that they used their Visa to get a discount at GK.

 

[Jenna319]

To get discount, do you have to pay with DV or can you just show it and use reward points or gift card to pay for meal?

 

[Kayla's Mom]

You can also get the Disney Visa discount at Pizza Port and Rancho del Zocalo, in addition to Carnation Cafe. At DCA, it's Pizza Oom Mow Mow and WCT. Goofy's isn't on the list, but it wouldn't hurt to try!

 

[Kayla's Mom]

To get discount, do you have to pay with DV or can you just show it and use reward points or gift card to pay for meal?

I think it depends on the CM. Some have let me get the discount and use my rewards, others have said I have to charge it on the DV to get the discount.