Yachtman's Steakhouse or Calif. Grill for date night?

[Hobbitmomma]

Hi,
My husband and I are hoping for one date night when we take the kids to WDW in Dec. These two restaurants caught our eye for different reasons. Which would you recommend? Or if I'm totally in left field here and you have a better choice, I'm happy to hear suggestions. Thanks.

 

[Hootch]

at CG and the view of Wishes is nice if you can get the ADR times right, but is one of the noisier signature locations.

You mentioned this was a date night and that these two restaurants caught your attention. The date night comment leads me to the Yachtsmen as a recommendation.

 

[Lamandpercy]

We have been disappointed with our last 2 visits to YSH, the food has always been good but the service has been poor especially on our last visit. If you decide on YSH take a jumper as they seem to like the A/C set to Arctic.

We love Cali Grill and have always had good service there. The food is amazing too. We have never found it to be too noisy and the view is fantastic.

 

[itchin2go]

We liked California Grill much better. I'd give CG a 9 out of 10, and I'd give Yachtsman a 6. In fairness, we were on the DxDDP when we ate at Yachtsman and we were stuffed every minute of the day. Still, the waitstaff was not particularly knowledgeable and the food, at least IMHO was unimaginative.

The waitstaff at CG is one of its major pluses. Our server was exceptionally knowledgeable. Everything we ate was delicious, and our server even recommended a delicious and unusual wine to go with the cheese plate. It was aMAZing.

If you eat at Yachtsman, you can walk over to the Boardwalk afterwards. It's so pretty at night! But, just FYI, Flying Fish is our favorite signature, and strolling the Boardwalk would be even easier from there!

P.S. If you're leaving the kids at a Kids' Club, the one in the Beach Club (Sandcastle Club) is my daughter's favorite. They have all of these old-school video games (full size - like from arcade) that the kids can play for free. My daughter played Ms. Pac-Man non-stop!

 

[Brook1099]

Yachtsmen is my familys fav restaurantand we usually dine here twice on our 2 week vacation. It would be wonderful for a adult quiet dinner. Then a nice stroll around the Boardwalk maybe with a nightcap, and watch Illuminations from the Boardwalk or Beach. Aah makes me consider putting my kiddies in the program for a night.

Can't speak for CG have never been ,may try someday.

 

[wdwobsessed]

I have never been to YM but CG was amazing. Best steak I ever had and that is saying a lot as I love steak! Nice atmosphere too.

A

 

[Golf4food]

Cali Grill is busy, noisy, hectic, and not at all romantic unless you are deaf or can ignore all noise and are sitting near a window. The view is great if you can see it, and the food is certainly good, but no better than any of the other signatures, really. CG is not a romantic date-night type of place. Worth doing at least once? Absolutely. Romantic? Hardly.

Our favorite signature is Jiko - much quieter and subdued, and best server (Ron) we've ever had in any restaurant anywhere in or out of WDW.

I'll let you know how we like the Yachtsman in 4 weeks.

 

[Dr Ellis]

My DW are planning on being there during Thanksgiving and for our first anniversary. We are planning on doing California Grill and having reservations so we can catch wishes. For our anniversary, we are trying Citricos.

Dr. E

 

[Brucefan28]

I was at California Grill years ago and I am not in a position to comment on the restaurant because I don't recall much about the meal other than the impressive view from the top of the Contemporary Hotel. The Yachtsman Steakhouse is amazing. My wife and I were just there in March and had a wonderful time. The onion rolls that are served prior to the meal will make every basket of bread you ever receive at another restaurant seem ordinary. The steak is of a fine quality and the side dishes are delicious. California Grill might be a great choice, but I can only speak with certainty as to the Yachtsman Steakhouse.

 

[Scrappy_Tink]

We absolutely loved the Yachtsman during our honeymoon. It's such a lovely quiet atmosphere, and the meal was wonderful. We loved it even over the much coveted Le Cellier. Also, afterwards there's the Boardwalk for a nice romantic stroll, or you can head over to Jellyrolls for some fun and a few drinks. If you choose the Yachtsman, try to book it so your meal will be done by 9:00, and then you can catch Illuminations from the bridge!

 

[bleeps]

We've been to both, several times. We've had great service at each, and fair-to-poor service at each. Food overall has always been good, but some experiences have been better than others.

I would recommend making the choice based first on which menu interests you more (the choices really are quite different) and second based on what you'd like to do before or after the meal. A stroll around the resort area or even over to Epcot is lovely after YSH, a monorail ride or stroll in MK after CG would also be special.

Bottom line: IMHO, you can't go wrong either way!

 

[Pakey]

We been to both at least 6 times each and overall I would say that I like the food better at CG (because I enjoy sushi; the other dishes are not as good) but we've had better dining experiences at Yacthsman. CG is so noisy; it can often be hard to even have a conversation with your tablemates.

 

[goofy4prez]

While the CG is a very good restaurant, there is absolutely nothing romantic about this place; it is loud, very loud. As a pp stated, it does have a nice sushi selection and the view is excellent.

But with that said, my pick would be the Yachtsman. The steaks here are among my favorite in WDW, I have always had excellent service (3 visits), it is quiet, and the location near boardwalk is nice as well. Either choice you make, I think you will be happy.

 

[christianweecare]

Another vote for CG. DH & I visited both CG & YMSH during our last visit. CG won hands down.