Would you choose Garden Grill or 50's PT?

[TruBlu]

We've never eaten at either. We have 1 TS to fill. Which would you choose? We are leaning toward 50's PT but can't decide. Any advice?

 

[lblume91]

We ate at GG in '07 (DDs were 4, 9, & 14) & 50s in '09 (DDs were 6, 11, & 16). GG is a fairly quiet place where food is served family style & the characters visit at a leisurely pace. This was our fave character meal (compared to 1900 PF, CM, CRT & CP) because it was still a relaxing meal. 50s was great for our family too. Our server was just the right amount of in-character for us. He teased & joked but didn't embarrass. He gave DD16 a hard time because, when he asked, we said she was the messiest person in our household. She then had to buss the table, etc. He didn't force anyone to eat anything or clean their plates, which DD11 was worried about. We had a great time & delicious food. While DDs & I would like to go back to GG, DH says it was just okay & prefers not to. The whole family 50s & it is a must do on our upcoming trip!

Long story short: it depends on what you're looking for. 50s is fun & "down-home cooking"; GG is more relaxed & not as many menu options. Either would be a good choice though. Have fun!

 

[wizzzzzard]

50's PTC. GG is OK, and it is leisurely. IMO, the food is better at 50's.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Do you have other character meals with the same characters?

We 50sPTC. The portions are huge. In fact, I plan to pay OOP for this meal to save a TS credit for another meal b/c DD and I will share a fried chicken plate. DH is requesting to eat there 2 times on our upcoming trip. That and time for a round of golf were his only requests.

 

[ohanaMAMA]

We really enjoyed Gareden Grill. Its the best character meal we have ever done and we liked the food better than 50's. The restraunt rotates.. so thats kinda special. I REALLY needed a quiet break that day and it was perfect.

 

[pixarmom]

That's a tough question - they are so different. Depends on what you are looking for, and where you plan to be that day. We really love both - Garden Grill has always been one of our favorites (our arrival night tradition!) and we tried 50's on our last trip and really enjoyed it. We have three boys, and they range from very picky (mac and cheese/chicken nuggets) to only wanting to order from the adult menu. They all like both, too.

We just returned a few weeks ago, and we think the food at Garden Grill has improved significantly. The food was great, character interaction was outstanding as always. They changed the menu a bit, and I know some people don't like the new offerings for kids, but the mac and cheese is still there and our kids liked the chicken drumsticks. Other posters have said that you can still get the old fries/chicken nuggets if you ask for them. Even our pickiest eater liked the food and did not request substitutions.

The food at 50's was great, too - especially the wedge salad and the pot pie. We thought the servers were very fun - and ours was entirely into the act. I used to avoid 50's because I thought the act would be annoying, and I even considered telling the CM to go easy on the act with our family. But I'm glad I didn't. Once we were there, it was really fun, and our server would break character once in a while with the adults and he was really funny then, too.

If I had to choose one, it would be Garden Grill because the food is very good and our boys love the characters. But it's hard not to recommend 50's! Again, just depends on what you are looking for and where you plan to be that day.

 

[TruBlu]

I think I'm going to find pictures of both and let the boys decide. The last time I let them choose between Teppan Edo and Garden Grill they chose TE. We'll see how it goes this time...

 

[onescgirl]

We liked both almost equally, but we like GG better.

Some reasons why:
The bottom level are rounded booths, you don't really see anyone else around you. I liked the privacy.
The characters were great
It's not a crowded restaurant.
They give the kids ice-cream for dessert with a variety of toppings they can put on it.
It's cool doing the 'Living with the Land' ride & see the food growing that they use at GG.
My kids loved it!

 

[TruBlu]

OK - I'm trying to re-work my plan so we can do both.

 

[Maren1111]

We have not done PT so can't compare directly but we loved Garden Grill! We were on the bottom of the two levels and it is much more personal, you don't see the other diners interaction with the characters so it's less frustrating for younger kids having to wait for their turn while watching them work the restaurant at the other character meals. We'll absolutely repeat GG next time we're on the dining plan. Great food too served family-style so no having to load up at a buffet.

 

[DisneyHolidayFan]

We always dined at both until a few years ago when we were served one of the worse meals ever at GG. 50's Prime Time has always been good (ate there again in Feb.). Considering trying GG again as it has been several years since the bad incident. Responders really need to let you know when they ate at each restaurant as sometimes, quality does change at Disney restaurants.

 

[jasmom]

We didn't like the 50's cafe. It was our least fav out of all the resturants we ate at last year. My husband is taking our DS's to the garden grill this year while I take DD to Norway for the princess dinner.

 

[TruBlu]

We're going to give them both a try. I was able to add 50's PT after Fantasmic one night, and I was lucky enough to get a GG dinner. We are just going to pay for Sci-Fi (lunch) and use the dining plan for 50s PT and GG. Yay! That means we'll try 2 new places this trip!!!

 

[Brian Noble]

Which park will you be in? That's how I would decide. Both are fine.

 

[TruBlu]

Which park will you be in? That's how I would decide. Both are fine.

We have park hoppers, so we could be in either or both. We just decide as we go...

I did see that Fantasmic is showing, so I planned our 50's dinner late enough that we can see the show first if we want to.

 

[nicki.momof3]

Garden grill is on our never again list. Food was boring and we hated the seating in those small booths - no room to move.

50's yummy