Anniversary Dinner Suggestions

[SleepinB]

Thanks to SWA awards we are planning an unplanned trip to WDW for our 20th Anniversary in May. This will be our first trip without kids and we wanted to try some restaurants we had not had a chance to experience before. I had foolishly hoped to book an anniversary dinner at the California Grill. Obviously, at this late date, there are no ADRs available.

What other restaurants would you suggest for an anniversary dinner?

BTW, we are not big seafood fans. We are intrigued by Tokyo Dining based on the menu, but I am concerned it would not be considered romantic.

Thanks for the help.
.

[kakn7294]

We had our anniversary dinner at Narcoosee's after Cali Grill cancelled our reservations in favor of a "private event". We booked just 4 weeks before our anniversary which is in July and I had no trouble securing a reservation for the time we wanted. The menu is primarily seafood but they have a fantastic filet and a chicken breast. I also considered Artist Point at WL but Narcoosee's location on the Seven Seas Lagoon won out. My sister had her anniversary dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse and said it was great as well. As far as Tokyo Dining not being romantic, if it's what appeals to you, you can make the meal what you want it to be.

[DizneyRox]

Narcoossee's is a great place for a nice dinner. We just tried it recently and it's made our must do list.

[Tygger7]

I would suggest Artist Point or Yachtsman Steak House....we did California Grill for our 20th anniversary, and while it was very good, I was a little disappointed. I think my expectations may have been too high, but it was very noisy and crowded.

[c&d]

My first choice would be V&A's for something that special. I love Narcoosee's and Artist Point as nice places to dine.

[faline]

Victoria & Albert's is wonderful. However, if your budget is not up for that, I would suggest looking at Citrico's, Nacoosee's, or Jiko's.

[Jared]

I would advise against Tokyo Dining. It's not romantic or particularly festive. The food is decent, but it likely will not meet your expectations if you're hoping to celebrate such an exciting occasion.

How about Jiko at the Animal Kingdom Lodge? It's quiet a little less crowded than some of the more popular Grand Floridian signature restaurants.

The food is a tad more exotic than most places, but it's tame enough to please even picky eaters. It's definitely worth considering.

[crazygoalie39]

Definitely V&A's if it's possible. I would definitely say Narcoossee's is the next best. Others would be Artist's Point, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Bistro de Paris, and Il Mulino.

[azcavalier]

We also are celebrating our anniversary (15th!) in early May (3rd-7th) at WDW with no kids along. We did get our reservations at Cali Grill, however, without any problem, and we just made them late last week...maybe five or six days ago. It wasn't hard to get a table for two.

While there (four nights) we got ADRs for the Brown Derby, Cali Grill, Teppan Edo, and Chefs De France. The one we couldn't get was Le Cellier (replaced it with Teppan Edo).

I have never tried Victoria & Alberts, because I've just never wanted to spend that much. But, other than that, I would recommend one of the following:

Yachtsman Steak House
Artist's Point
Citrico's
Bistro De Paris
Shula's Steak House
Jiko

Or try back for the Cali Grill with more flexible times in mind. Go later and eat a good snack. Or go earlier, and plan to have lunch earlier so you're hungry. An early dinner at Cali Grill and then an evening at the MK would be an awesome anniversary.

[TheRustyScupper]

1) We just did our 25th Anniversary at Il Mulino (Swan).
2) You'll love it.
. . . great food
. . . large wine list
. . . superb service
3) It was nice not having a glass get empty.
4) Plus, the wine was refilled at the 1/2 glass level.

NOTE: Ask for "Aristede" and "Michale" as servers - there are always two per table.

[SleepinB]

We also are celebrating our anniversary (15th!) in early May (3rd-7th) at WDW with no kids along. We did get our reservations at Cali Grill, however, without any problem, and we just made them late last week...maybe five or six days ago. It wasn't hard to get a table for two.

Or try back for the Cali Grill with more flexible times in mind. Go later and eat a good snack. Or go earlier, and plan to have lunch earlier so you're hungry. An early dinner at Cali Grill and then an evening at the MK would be an awesome anniversary.

Thank you for the advice, AZCAVALIER.

We are going the first week in May, also. I used the online ADR service and it returned nothing available for dinner at any time, for any day of our stay. :-(
When you booked your dinner, did you have to choose an 'off' time or did they have regular dinner or Wishes preferred times available?

[SleepinB]

1) We just did our 25th Anniversary at Il Mulino (Swan).
2) You'll love it.
. . . great food
. . . large wine list
. . . superb service
3) It was nice not having a glass get empty.
4) Plus, the wine was refilled at the 1/2 glass level.

NOTE: Ask for "Aristede" and "Michale" as servers - there are always two per table.


Thank you, Rusty

We are staying at the Swan, so we may have to give that a try.

[murphy1]

If there is any way you could do V&A, DO IT!! It is honestly the most fantastic experience you will have! You get an artistic, incredible meal, with many items you may never have even heard of before. And actually the cost is not too bad for everything that you get. In fact, I have friends who have spent the same or more than what you pay at V&A for Cali Grill. You also get more than what they offer on the menu. The coffee service at the end is really cool, too. I did the wine pairing, but it ended up being too much , so you could even do a couple of glasses instead of the flight with each course.

[SleepinB]

If there is any way you could do V&A, DO IT!! It is honestly the most fantastic experience you will have! And actually the cost is not too bad for everything that you get. In fact, I have friends who have spent the same or more than what you pay at V&A for Cali Grill.

Thank you.

I was afraid to try V&A. I am a "twight wad" (wife's words) / frugal (my word) and my wife and I have very simple tastes. I was not sure that we would get the full experience/enjoyment that more sophisticated palates would appreciate. But based on your description, i am going to look over their menu (prices) and reevaluate my reluctance.

[SBETigg]

Victoria and Albert's would be the best bet. A close second might be Bistro de Paris. That said, California Grill is my current favorite. I got a seating for April only recently (at Wishes time) so maybe if you keep trying? Good luck with it.

If you get CG and want a more adult, quieter atmosphere, sacrifice the view of MK in favor of Bay Lake (you can see the Illuminations fireworks and also those at DHS if a Fantasmic night) and the Wine Room. Only legal adults are seating in the wine room (you don't have to drink wine). You can still enjoy Wishes from the observation deck.

If you don't get CG, Jiko and Citricos are also fantastic. You can get a Wishes view from Citricos if you're lucky. We didn't have one for our last anniversary, but they moved us to a table with a view for dessert. Wonderful service, amazing food, nice atmosphere. Il Mulino, I haven't been but the menu looks a little pedestrian to me. I'll have to take Rusty's word for it.

[murphy1]

Thank you.

I was afraid to try V&A. I am a "twight wad" (wife's words) / frugal (my word) and my wife and I have very simple tastes. I was not sure that we would get the full experience/enjoyment that more sophisticated palates would appreciate. But based on your description, i am going to look over their menu (prices) and reevaluate my reluctance.

I totally get that, b/c I am the same type of person. I loved everything, and I tend to be on the pickier side as well.

[hoop de do]

We did Artist Point in May with no regrets. The CMs were great. They made our 40th. very memorable. Have a great anniversary. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[lettripp]

My fiance and I had an amazing dinner at Bistro de Paris last time we went together. If you ask, you can get a seat by a window that overlooks the Illuminations fireworks. Truly an unforgettable moment!

[murphy1]

We did Artist Point in May with no regrets. The CMs were great. They made our 40th. very memorable. Have a great anniversary. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Also LOVE this place, fantastic!! They are hardly busy from when we've been and even when we just walk by.

[LittleLady]

Jikos would be a great place for an anniversary dinner. The atmosphere is serene and the food is fantastic.:thumbsup:

[azcavalier]

Thank you for the advice, AZCAVALIER.

We are going the first week in May, also. I used the online ADR service and it returned nothing available for dinner at any time, for any day of our stay. :-(
When you booked your dinner, did you have to choose an 'off' time or did they have regular dinner or Wishes preferred times available?

You know, I tried the online system first, and it was slow and driving me nuts. So then I just called WDW-DINE and told them we'd take a table for two for dinner any night that week, hours between 9-5. I figured that if we couldn't get the time we wanted, ANY time would be better than none at all.