Would appreciate your insight

[Mrs. Bradbury]

My husband, youngest son, and I are going to be in WDW 8 nights in October at CR, and will be on the dining plan. We are WDW veterans (well, maybe not my husband) and I am making some tentative plans in anticipation of making ADRs.

Here is the list of restaurants we are considering. The ones not listed we have either already been to and want something new, or are pretty sure we don't want. My husband & son are not adventurous eaters - bummer. On the other hand, I think the frou-frou dishes & descriptions at most restaurants these days are just plain silly.

I've made notes next to each one, and would love to hear your thoughts, one way or the other.

Tusker House - we don't normally do buffets, and unless there is a larger ratio of American to African food, it won't fly with my men

Coral Reef - never eaten there, always wanted to, reviews have kept me away

Garden Grill - my guys liked this last visit - I could take it or leave it except for the salad, that was good

Le Cellier - I liked this, but my husband wasn't wowed

Rose & Crown - The fried fish visual still gives me nightmares, but I'm game to try something else this time

The Plaza - simple & safe - but have they screwed up the hamburger buns? We'll pay out of pocket for this one, not a good use of TS credits

Jiko - does the steak & mac/cheese really live up to the hype? And 2 TS credits?

Cape May Cafe Clam Bake - just thought it might be different, but we don't like clams; other stuff sounds promising, but it's still a buffet

California Grill - in all my years of going to WDW, I've never eaten there. Afraid it might be too frou-frou - also 2 TS

The Wave - we miss the steak house at the Contemporary and I'm concerned we're not hip enough for this "sustainable" business. I want to eat, not be made to feel bad about hogging the planet's resources

Whichever one is the Benihana-style restaurant in Japan - I would thoroughly enjoy this; my husband won't eat Chinese - not sure how he'd take this

Raglan Road - we ate here last time, and enjoyed it; the ambience & band probably moreso than the food, but we thought our meals were good

Whispering Canyon Cafe - I could do without this one, but my son says it's a must do

Hoop de Doo - again, never been here, don't like country music, but I think the food has a good reputation?

Narcoossee's - haven't eaten at any GF restaurants, two TS, good reputation?

Kona Cafe - have only had breakfast here but really enjoyed it, have always wanted to eat dinner here

Ohanas - really on the fence about this one - changing from potatoes to noodles is a deal breaker for my guys, I think. Is everything else SO good that it makes up for the noodles? We won't particpate in any of the shenanigans - and I mean that in the nicest way, my son is squarely in the "that's uncool" stage

Thanks everybody!

 

[Sweet Melissa]

Coral Reef - If the menu attracts you, I would eschew the bad reviews, throw caution to the wind and try it. We've eaten there twice for lunch and twice for dinner and have always loved our meals. Most of their dishes are delicious and light enough to leave room for dessert, which they also do very well.

Le Cellier - I recently had lunch there and found both the service and my meal delightful. I know not everybody cares for it either because they find it overcrowded or overhyped, but I didn't have either issue with the place. I also did not have steak there, however. I had a salmon BLT when I went; it was fantastic.

The Plaza - I haven't been there since some of the restaurants changed their hamburger buns so I don't know if they were affected. I think that the new hamburger buns are mostly at the counter service places, not the sit-down restaurants. My issues with the Plaza are its limited menu and that the place is packed to the rafters every time we pass by.

Jiko - I feel that the filet with macaroni and cheese absolutely lives up to the hype. Jiko is my favorite of all the restaurants I've tried in the World, and I crave that dish. Some of their appetizers are really great, but I'm not fond of their desserts. I do find the restaurant to be worth the price (I've never done a dining plan so I can't really rationalize credits), but your husband and son might find the menu a little limited if they're unadventurous eaters.

California Grill - I don't think you need worry about the restaurant being too frou-frou. The price can seem intimidating but the atmosphere really is not. The menu has lots to choose from and this would probably be a good opportunity for you because it sounds like you may be more inclined to try new flavors than the others in your party. They'll find enough to appease them and you'll also have plenty of opportunity to try something a little more adventurous.

The Wave - I've only had breakfast there and drinks in the adjacent lounge. I'm not crazy about the main dining room and didn't feel that the lunch and dinner menus were a huge draw either.

Raglan Road - I've been there a few times for drinks and did have dinner at the bar there one night. I think it was a smoked salmon appetizer that I ordered in lieu of an entrée. It really whet my appetite for the place and I can't wait to try more from their menu.

Narcoossee's - I enjoyed my dinner at Narcoossee's and the novelty of washing Wishes from our seats there, but while I don't have anything bad to say about the place, I didn't find it very memorable either. On the other hand, I recently had lunch at the Grand Floridian Café and am counting the days until I can return.

Kona Café - There is so much good to choose from on their dinner menu, I could probably eat there every night and not tire of it. My only problem with the restaurant is that the open floor plan of the Grand Ceremonial House can lead to a fairly noisy experience, especially if you're sitting at one of the tables on the outer edges of the dining room. It's weird to sit there while a family waiting for a table at 'Ohana is hanging out leaning against the rail next to your table.

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'm only going to comment on the ones that we've been to:

Coral Reef: Have eaten there two years in a row and loved it both times. The blackened catfish and pepper jack cheese polenta are delish! I was worried about the restaurant before we first ate there. All I could picture was sitting in a restaurant that smelled like a fishy aquarium.

LeCellier: Ate there a couple of years ago and everything we ordered was really good. We're going back this May.

Garden Grill: I know we've eaten at the Garden Grill three times, maybe four. The food isn't outstanding but we had great character interaction. The one thing that I don't like about the Garden Grill is when our section of the seating looks out over the Land pavilion and everybody stares at you while you are eating. I feel like I'm in a fishbowl.

Rose & Crown: Been there once and won't go back any time soon. Didn't care for anything other than the sticky toffee something or other dessert. The fish and chips were just plain greasy and yucky. The only plus I can think of is that we were allowed to go into a little standing area and view Illuminations. Not much of a plus in my opinion.

The Plaza: Each of us ordered cold sandwiches and they were all good. It's been at least four years since we have eaten there so I don't remember if we ordered desserts or not. We have an ADR there for May because we wanted something different.

Whispering Canyon Cafe: Three of us ordered the skillet and we couldn't eat it all. My son ordered the burger. We liked everything we ordered especially the smores cheesecake for dessert. Unfortunately, we were seated on the outskirts of the restaurant and didn't get to partake in any of the "happenings" like the ketchup swapping.

Hoop Dee Doo: Been twice and am going back in May with my 76 year old mother. The show isn't all that countrified. Mostly just corny humor, singing, dancing and music. The food was pretty good.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Coral Reef - I loved my fish here but Dh and the nieces didnt like the food at all

Le Cellier - Fantastic!

The Plaza - LOVE the reuben and fries

Jiko - Great appies and desserts but the filet and mac was a huge bust for the two of us this past Nov

Cape May Cafe Clam Bake - Excellent!

California Grill - DH thought it would be too foo foo too but when I finally got him there he loved it

The Wave - Fantastic! Been here twice and it is like a signature place with cheaper prices

Whichever one is the Benihana-style restaurant in Japan - We have been here many times and it is good but we have better and cheaper locally so I prefer to skip it

Raglan Road - Gross, we had a horrible meal and service here

Whispering Canyon Cafe - Gross, we had a terrible experience here and lack of fun and games was very disappointing and the food was so fatty and greasy you couldnt eat it

Kona Cafe - Lunch is a million times better than dinner

Ohanas - DH didnt like it at all, he would rather go to Kona for dinner but breakfast is very good

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

Sweet Melissa & mickeystoontown, thank you. I think I've decided against The Wave for this trip. Maybe when it's just me & my husband we'll try it.

I'm torn between Narcoossee's & Grand Floridian Cafe, so it's interesting that you mention it, Sweet. Decisions, decisions . . . at least these are GOOD decisions and not icky grownup world ones!

Thanks for your input!

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

California Grill - DH thought it would be too foo foo too but when I finally got him there he loved it

The Wave - Fantastic! Been here twice and it is like a signature place with cheaper prices

Whichever one is the Benihana-style restaurant in Japan - We have been here many times and it is good but we have better and cheaper locally so I prefer to skip it

Kona Cafe - Lunch is a million times better than dinner

Ohanas - DH didnt like it at all, he would rather go to Kona for dinner but breakfast is very good

Thanks for your opinions! I'm really leaning toward the Cali Grill. We're not backward hicks but all the silly descriptions really get to me, and not just at this restaurant or even WDW. Imagine my surprise to find out the "flatbreads" are basically pizza, and "paninis" are grilled cheese sandwiches, with or without meat added. Pizza & grilled sandwiches are so much more familiar!

And now you have me reconsidering the Wave!

Good point about the Benihana-style restaurant. We would have to go over an hour to eat at one, so I'm still on the fence.

Interesting about Kona being better at lunch. We really prefer to get to the parks early, leave after lunch, rest, and get cleaned up for dinner. Basically the TGM way, which we did before TGM.

The biggest draw for Ohana is that there is a lot of meat. My husband and son are very limited in their vegetable eating. If you don't include potatoes & peas/beans, basically my husband will eat salad & green beans.

I appreciate your input!