Le Cellier--sell me on it

[southerngirl]

I realize that I'm probably stirring up a hornets' nest by asking this, but what's so great about Le Cellier? After hearing a lot of hype about the restaurant, I looked and was able to find an ADR for dinner there for the last night of our December trip. It's kind of late (8:15), but if it's a stellar place, then I wouldn't mind keeping our DS (2) up to go there, especially since we could give him a long nap that afternoon. I don't eat red meat, but my husband does, and if it's a truly amazing place, then I thought it would be a nice treat for him. I'm assuming the chicken or vegetarian options would be good for me. But, is it worth going here over Narcoosee's, which is our other option for a last night dinner? We are not on the DP (we got a 40% bounceback offer that worked out better for us), so that's not a concern.

[renecat]

Both of your options are great places. Actually we are doing both for our next trip. If you have never tried LeCellier and it sound as you haven't I would say go for it. I don't think you'll be disapointed. The food is great and so is the service. It may be less expensive also. If your husband likes red meat the fillet is a wonderful dish. I have always gotten the steak or years ago they offered lobster which was wonderful. I have heard the salmon is a great choice. I always say you should try things at least once.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Well, there is always going to be differing opinions but a lot of people including me believe they have pretty good steaks, really good cheddar cheese soup and yummy maple creme brulee. I wouldn't know about the non beef entrees so can't help you there:blush:

[disneymom15]

Well, we weren't to impressed with it. Although we enjoyed to bread and cheese soup, the rest was just so so. It was very expensive and not worth it in my opinion.

[#1donaldfan]

A good selling point is it's going to two TS credits next year...at least that's what I read...my sister has eaten there and loves it, we just can't get past the menu, nothing really jumps out at me as being "good".....:mickey:

[joonyer]

It's a basement, literally "the cellar" (OK, a wine cellar), so it's dark and cozy, maybe a little romantic, that's the atmosphere, but the food doesn't quite meaure up to the effects in my opinion. The steaks are good, but not fabulous or anything, I'd say I've had just as good a steak at Outback or similar chain. It's nowhere near as good as Ruth's Chris for a great steak dinner. The soup and bread were really good, but it takes more than yummy appetizers to make it a really great dining experience. Having been to Le Cellier before, I would personally choose Narcoosee's for us. But if you have never been there, it's worth trying out, you will probably enjoy the meal, it's not bad at all, just don't have unrealistic expectations and you won't be disappointed. I think we bought into the hype too much on our first visit to Le Cellier and were expecting something more.

[vicster]

Just ate there last week and my husband had the coffee crusted NY strip steak. He said it was the best steak he's ever had and is still talking about it. He thinks I can duplicate it (NOT). I personally am not that impressed and can't see using 2 table services for it next year - not a big fan of steaks. If your husband is a steak lover then go for it.

[SBETigg]

Narcoossee's is a far more special experience. Le Cellier is a hard one to get, but it's really nothing special. I think the reason Le Cellier so popular is that it is consistent. You don't see a lot of bad reviews. You can count on a good meal for the money. A lot of people never try the Signature Dining. But for a great meal, Narcoossee's is the one.

[brivers222]

I would love to tell you but in 4 visits (totally 40 nights at disney) i have not been able to get a ressie.... :wait:

[PinKy]

I must say, this is a different kind of post. LOL!

I think if I were you I would base my decision on whether or not I wanted to eat in the Park or outside of the Park. LeCellier is lovely - we go every trip and this is one of the primary reasons we make our dining reso's exactly 180 days out. Narcoosee's is also delish (we've been twice now) and may have more to your liking if you're not a big red meat person. Its a tad bit more "dressy" but I wouldn't call it formal at all. Also - you can usually schedule your dinner to align with the lagoon water parade with all of the brightly lit floats and I believe you can watch the fireworks from there as well. (they allow you to walk outside on the veranda to watch even if its during your meal)

[diz_girl]

I've eaten at both places and would choose Narcoossee's every time. While Le Cellier is good, it's not a 'must do' for me. The food is consistent, but it's not Narcoossee's.

Le Cellier is crowded and noisy, and you will probably have to wait maybe 15 minutes or so for a table, even with ADRs.

Narcoossee's is much more relaxing, and the food and service are great. It's really a perfect way to end your vacation, especially if you are able to view the fireworks during your meal. Also, the view from Narcoossee's is nice even without the fireworks and may keep your son occupied by his watching the boats to/from the GF, Poly and MK. At LeCellier you get a view of stone walls. Plus, the EWP goes by the GF at around 9:15, so if your meal ends around that time, your son might really enjoy them.

[buzznwoodysmom]

We've tried Le Cellier twice. We really wanted it to live up to the hype, but unfortunately it didn't either time. I can get a far better steak at almost any chain restaurant around home. We actually had a much better steak at Coral Reef on a different trip. If you'll be at Epcot and want to try a new place for steak I'll suggest Yatchsman's Steak House over at the Yatch Club. Its just a quick walk or boat ride from Epoct and both the food and service were outstanding. And I've heard nothing but wonderful things about Shula's over at the Swan and Dolphin, another quick trip from Epcot.

[Gator]

The steaks are really good here, regardless of what others say. I wonder if it gets a bad rap because some folks just don't want to go with "the popular" choice. The Filet is excellent, as is the New York and Prime Rib. I'd stay away from Coffe-Rubbed Steak - as interesting as it sounds, it's not good at all. The bread, soup, and desserts are all very good. You'll be happy you went.

[JerseyDad]

.....my wife snagged a dinner reservation for Le Cellier just 7 days prior to our Dec into Jan trip last yr...and it was well worth it. I'm a huge steak fan...but wanting to be different opted a the veal chop that was on the menue....it was incredible. My wife usually does not order steak...but if my memory serves me, she ordered the Mushroom Filet Mignon...with the mushroom risotto. She said it was out of this world.

.....I did...also find a conversation between a hopeful walk-up patron and the girl that was working at the reservation check-in stand...to be quite amusing. This was ( I think) the day before New Years Eve...when a man walked up and said, "Okay....give me the news...how long will I have to wait for a table"?

The girl answered quite matter of factly, "Six Months".

[buzznwoodysmom]

The steaks are really good here, regardless of what others say. I wonder if it gets a bad rap because some folks just don't want to go with "the popular" choice.

Perhaps that could be true about some people, but not us. We wanted to love it, we wanted it to live up to all the hype, which is why we tried it again when we weren't thrilled with it our first time. I am a huge believer in giving things a try at least twice because you never know when you just hit a bad night. I had the mushroom filet and DH the New York. Both were just OK, not anything to rave about. In our experience its a hugely over rated place. I'm actually kind of glad we didn't care for it because its awful hard to get ressies here. Its just one less place I have to stress about and we are one less family taking up ressies that other people so desperately want. All that said, isn't it great the WDW has something for everyone!!!!!

[southerngirl]

Thanks for all the feedback. I think we'll probably go with Narcoosee's, but I'll let my husband make the ultimate decision, because it's his meal. We were supposed to be going to WDW in July to celebrate the completion of his master's degree, and I had a big celebratory dinner planned with a cake, but I had to have emergency surgery two days before our trip, so we had to cancel that trip and roll everything over to our annual Christmas trip. So, we'll see what he picks.

[darthmacho]

Chiming in late, but I agree with those that say now is the time to try LeCellier. I thought it was great for one point on the dining plan, a nice menu from appetizers to desserts, and personally, I happen to like the "Wine Cellar" theme. I'm not sure it's worth 2 DP credits though. Then again, I'm not sure any of the restaurants really are, except maybe Artist Point. :mickey:

[azcavalier]

My DW loves Le Cellier. It's her favorite restaurant in all of WDW. I like it OK, but am just as happy with the Coral Reef. I don't care for the Le Cellier atmosphere, though I love the Canadian Pavillion. We found the service to be friendly, but slow.

I have never tried Narcoosee's, but it sounds like we should.

[TheVBs]

We've eaten there twice and really enjoyed the meals, atmosphere and service. I ordered the filet with mushrooms and risotto both times and my only complaint was that the risotto was a little too salty the second time. The steaks we ordered were really good, but not the absolute best we've had while eating out. That would be...


It's nowhere near as good as Ruth's Chris for a great steak dinner.

We at one of these in Chicago and the steak was amazing! :)

I would happily eat at Le Cellier again, but we're going to opt for some new places on our next trip. :mickey:

[LVT]

I prefer Narcoosie's. I like Le Cellier, but I am not a steak fan in general. I go for the soup and maple creme brulee.

[disneymom2000]

Out of 9 visits I have gotten to eat at Le Cellier 3 times. I do like going there but just for the ambiance. The food is ok but nothing outrageously spectacular. Once it goes to two TS I doubt I will make it one of my choices. I would rather spend two TS on Narcoosies or Bistro de Paris or somewhere like that.

[SBETigg]

Out of 9 visits I have gotten to eat at Le Cellier 3 times. I do like going there but just for the ambiance. The food is ok but nothing outrageously spectacular. Once it goes to two TS I doubt I will make it one of my choices. I would rather spend two TS on Narcoosies or Bistro de Paris or somewhere like that.

I agree, depending on what they do to Le Cellier, but just wanted to point out that Bistro de Paris (which is amazing and well worth a visit) is not on the Dining Plan.

If they make LC two credits, I think they're going to work on the menu and service to make it worthwhile. At least, I hope. I'll wait and hear some early reviews and see what they do.

[wdw dude]

Once it goes to two TS I doubt I will make it one of my choices. I would rather spend two TS on Narcoosies or Bistro de Paris or somewhere like that.

I agree. As much as I love Le Cellier, they're going to have to do some serious upgrading to make it worth 2 TS to me.

:mickey:

[Disney5+2]

We ate at LeCellier in late August. We were not on the dining plan, and I felt it was expensive for what you got. I am a big steak lover, and I have to say, it wasn't the best steak I have ever had. We waited 45 min for our table even with 6:30 ADR's. They said that the party before us was not in a hurry. We were a party of 8, so we had to wait until a large table was vacated. It was a little annoying. We sat in the lobby hoping that we'd be called any minute. I'm glad we went because I had heard so much about it, but would I be crushed if I couldn't get a reservation in the future? No. Plenty of other places to try.

[WishesFan13]

Dh and I have done le cellier 6 times in the last 8 years and only once had it not live up to our expectations. That trip I think it was what I ordered. We ate at narcoossee for the 1st time 2 weeks ago and I was really disappointed. We ate at California grill last year and I expected similar service and quality of the meal since both are signature dining. The appetizer was great desert was pretty good, but my filet was overcooked and didn't have much as far as seasoning or taste. Our server walked past us 4 times when my husband and I were both out of drinks and waiting to order desert, then walked past us 3 times once we were done desert. I figured maybe she was just having an off night, but I had a much better meal at le cellier for less $. We will be trying le cellier at least once after it changes to sig to see how it is but narcoossee is out for us.

[wire0monkey]

I like Le Cellier, I'd rather go to the Grand Floridian Cafe. It has better steak. (Le Cellier is very, very salty.) It's less crowded and quieter and has a very nice view of the lake.

[celebrationasheley]

Filet mignon, mashed poataoes and veggies all from Le Cellier.

[irish1967]

Sorry - have to say that we fall into the camp of thinking Le Cellier doesn't live up to expectations...

Food wasn't bad, just not what we expected given the rave reviews..

Service was even worse - we felt really rushed - revolving door rushed.

I was actually embarrassed - I had suggested the restaurant to the group I was with (we had gone to WDW individually for marathon weekend) based on the rave reviews here and it really did not live up to expectations!