Meal Ideas

[MollyKat1527]

I'm going to Disney World in November and it's my first time. I was wondering about good places to eat (mostly for dinner). It get so flustered when i start looking at websites for ideas.

[Mickey'sGirl]

:hi: Welcome to Intercot!

Not to innundate you, but we need your help! What do you like to eat? Are you travelling alone? with another adult? with children/family ? Do you like Buffets? Are you interested in Character meals??

Our favourite restaurant is the Kona Cafe at the Poly (My family is me, DH and our two DSs). It is casual, but don't let that fool you! The food is delicious, and the dessert and coffee are terrific too! We all are also fond of Marrakesh in Morocco at Epcot. :eat:

My DS9's favourite is either 'Ohana (at the Poly) or the Sci-Fi (at MGM). My DS3's favourite is Cinderella's Royal Table at MK (which we feel is all atmosphere, and not necessarily great food).

Our favourite surprise venue was the Cape May Clambake at the Beach Club. A really terrific buffet.

I hope I didn't add to the confusion! There are just so many great places to go!

[MollyKat1527]

Sorry i did forget some crucial information didn't i. My bad:blush:. I'm traveling with my boyfriend and we really aren't picky eaters. I think the hardest part is deciding now what we are going to be hungry for in two months. We also we didn't sign up for the meal plan, so we would like to keep it down in price.

[Madame Leona]

Before DH and I were married and had kids (only 2 1/2 years ago) we would make one or two adrs to the places that really looked good then we would wing it the rest of the time. My top choices are:

Whispering Canyon in Wilderness Lodge
Bongos in DTD
Kona Cafe for Breakfast in the Poly

The counter service restaurants have really improved also. I am usually just happy with those choices. I like to keep things as casual as possible on vacation.

Have a great trip.

[SurferStitch]

Our favorite dinner places are (we don't have kids yet):

1. Narcoossee's (Grand Floridian) - awesome seafood and desserts
2. V&A - nothing better, but expensive
3. California Grill (Contemporary) - everything is great here, as is the service and view
4. Le Cellier (Epcot) - great fillet.
5. 'Ohana (Poly)- delicious, more basic food. Great service. We do dinner and breakfast here.

There are others that we love, but these are our absolute must-do's.

I must say, unless you are pretty flexible with your dining times and dates, you may have a pretty hard time getting into these places, especially Le Cellier. They book up very quickly. We made our December ADR's in June at the 180 day mark, and we still had to juggle a couple ADR's.

[cardshopgirl]

One of the places my hubby and I love is Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club Resort.
It sounds maybe silly...
It's not a fancy restaurant by any means. It is fashioned like a old time soda shop. Their burgers are to die for as well as their hot dogs. And don't get me started on desserts! It is loud because there is old music playing and families like to eat there...but it is yummy!

[MollyKat1527]

Thanks for the choices! I didn't think it was going to so tough to try to plan a relaxing vacation.:confused: Oh well!

[ElenitaB]

If you're trying to keep your costs down, you might consider lunch rather than dinner. Many restaurants offer similar dishes (particularly the appetizers) at a lower cost.

My exception to that rule would be California Grill (at the Contemporary) which doesn't open for lunch but also, even if it did, you would miss out on the lovely evening view. Without kids, it would be my number one pick of where to dine!

[KylesMom]

We also we didn't sign up for the meal plan, so we would like to keep it down in price.


My suggestion would be to look through the menus under InfoCentral. This will give you a better idea of pricing and food offerings. Although it's a lot of information to juggle, you could get dozens of answers to your question! As others have previously posted, some restaurants will be fully booked (like LeCellier, our favorite) but you should find room in others yet.

A few of our favorites on a budget include Mama Melrose & Sci-Fi Dine-In @ MGM, Garden Grill @ Epcot, Crystal Palace @ Magic Kingdom, Ohana @ Poly and Whispering Canyon @ Wilderness Lodge. Many of these are buffets or served family-style and easily can double as late lunch/early dinner kind of places, hence saving $$$.

I know it seems kind of daunting - and you can go without ADRs of any kind - but with Disney offering the dining plan, many more folks are actually sitting down for meals these days - and so it's harder to get in when you want to.

[jsdt]

Some suggestions (especially if you are trying to save some money).

1) Eat breakfast in the room - get some groceries and eat in your room rather than going out. It saves time and money.

2) Consider any of the buffets and do them at times where they can function as both lunch and dinner or breakfast and lunch - the "InfoCentral" tab has a category "buffets" in dining that explains what each has

3) Many counter service meal restaurants have enough variety and can serve as dinner as opposed to a sit-down meal. consider Flame Tree BBQ in Animal Kingdom for an early dinner or possibly the Tomorrowland Terrace (for chinese food) at MK with nice outdoor seating and a view of the castle.

4) After you "save" by doing some of these types of things, pick one or two nights to splurge and go to any of the fine dining choices that the others have listed.

[Natazu]

Jym's Top-7 Best Dinner Restaurants at WDW:
7. Grand Floridian Café
6. Le Cellier
5. Marrakesh
4. Wolfgang Puck Café
3. Kona Café
2. Narcoossee’s
1. California Grill

Editor's Note:
Not listed is Victoria & Albert's. This restaurant is by far the best restaurant at Disney, possibly in central Florida. For adult gourmet dining, there's nothing better. However, it is expensive, not really for kids, and has a strict dress code.

Also, Jym's Top-7 Best WDW Restaurants for Kids:
7. Anything with princesses
6. Chef Mickey’s
5. Marrakesh
4. Biergarten
3. Garden Grill
2. Teppanyaki
1. ‘Ohana