Advice on Dining at WDW

[GhostHostJeff]

Ok guys so my bf and I have 5 days in December so this is what I'm thinking about eating, please let me know if you suggest any better locations.

MK: Be our Guest (if its open) or Liberty Tree
HS: 50's Prime Time (lunch) Derby (dinner)
EP: The Mexican Restaurant

We are on a budget so please let me know your opinions!

[Yackerz]

Go for Be our Our Guest if it is open. I wanted to eat there so bad when I went, but it wasn't open yet lol. Liberty Tree isn't anything too great from what I hear. I just did quick serve at Pecco's Bill. It is a lovely atmosphere for a quick serve and plenty of seating.

At Epcot, the mexican place has nice ambiance but gets mixed reviews for food. It is no Blue Bayou in DL (food quality wise).
Le Cellier has to be one of the best places I ever ate! The filet mignon was to die for. Like the top 3 steaks I ever had. The risotto was great too.

Anyhow just my opinion! Be what it may.

HS: 50's prime time is nice and fun atmosphere. Brown Derby should be a good choice.

[miste2blue]

Hey Jeff! I'm going down to WDW in September and can't wait!! I'm a bit of a veteran on WDW...I've been a ridiculous amount of times & I think I've ALMOST easten everywhere....(okay maybe not everywhere, but gotta be darn close!)

I"m jealous...I REALLY want to try the Be our Guest Restaurant for dinner....so I would second you on that choice & say that's probably a good bet. (And I think you have a good shot at it being open...)

50's prime time is a staple in my family...we LOVE that place. I would highly recommend that you pay for the special Fantasmic viewing so that you don't have to wait in line while your down there (assuming that it's still available....)

And your last choice: I'm one of the ones that would not rate the Mexican Pavilion very high....I think there are definitely better options....depending upon how particular you are....I agree with Yackerz that the Canadian Restaurant is a pretty good bet, but I have heard fantastic things about the French restraurants (both of them)....I have not been able to snag a restaurant reservation yet for those (and they are under reno while I'm down there this Sept), but I"ve heard great things about that location.

The Coral Reef Restaraunt is ridiculous in terms of atmosphere...and the food is darn good too....another high recommendation from me for this spot.

And hands down, my favorite spot is The California Grill ontop of the Contemporary Hotel.....the filet that they serve is really really good (IMO). I heard that they are revamping that restaurant sometime this fall, so it might not be open for your Dec trip...but if it is, you should check it out.

I've got reservations right now for Victoria & Alberts this time around....I've always gone away from there before because of cost, but I REALLY want to try it this time around. Has anyone gone? Is it worth the cost?

Hope that helps!

[RooBear]

Living down here and going to the parks regularly, I might be able to help some...

Dining in the MK is really more miss than hit, when it comes to food. It wasn't planned with sitdown dining, really, and so, when the dining plan was first developed, they had to "shoehorn" several restaurants in. I recommend leaving the park and eating over at the Polynesian or Contemporary. Liberty Tree is more fun than good. We tend to go to Tortuga Tavern (we like Mexican food) or leave over to EPCOT. Be Our Guest, from my understanding, opens in late August. Good look getting a rezzie! And if you do-let us know what you think! Take pictures!

EPCOT? You really can't go wrong there. Understand there are three dining options in the Mexico Pavilion to choose from. A counter service is waterside; the San Angel Inn next to the ride, inside the pavilion and a third; newer one, La Hacienda, water side. This third one is much more authentic and the food is, by far, better. However, the prices reflect this--and can really tackle the pocket book.

I have eaten at most of the restaurants in EPCOT. And I'm pretty serious about eating. My personal favorites (understand, that doesn't mean it's a good place, but a good place TO ME...) are Via Napoli (pizza and Italian dishes in Italy) with gelato for dessert from the cart; Tokyo's food (all of their restaurants are good) with snowcones for dessert; all the restaurants in France (pastries for dessert!); the fish and chips location in the UK with Cadbury bars for dessert. Canada is wonderful, but is very expensive for what you get. Very expensive. Like, whoa. And its tiny, so it is very personable.

We love the Prime Time Cafe. If you have a good performer, waiter, its even better! I LOVE the Brown Derby, but, you guessed it, expensive.

I hope that helps! PM me if you want more options.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: we have a group of us that meet every Sunday at 2pm behind Club Cool and its fun to catch up with other MiceChatters!

Peace,
Roo

[Yackerz]

It definitely is a good idea to follow their suggestions about MK.
It is real easy to hop aboard the Monorail (free and quick) and get to the Contemporary, Polynesian, or Grand Floridian were the dining selections are much better. To leave the park and come back travel time is probably 30 minutes wasted, which after a whole day at the park is kind of a nice break.

On the cheaper end, I ate at the Kona Cafe, at the Polynesian Resort, when I was there last time. It's a sit down probably along the lines of the price of the Liberty Tree. Californian grill is also a good bet but a bit more pricey so are the restaraunts at the Grand Floridian especially Victoria and Alberts which I believe has a dress policy. Their food seems to get the best reviews of all the places to eat though. It by far is the most expensive. . Also, a favorite if you like to really stuff yourself with amazing food, buffet style is Ohana. Nice theme and atmosphere and tasty food, but more pricey than Liberty Tree.

At Epcot, I also ate at Via Napoli in Epcot. If you like Italian, it was average. Nothing special to write home about, but not bad.

[razza1987]

I'm still confused about Be Our Guest. Is it three different restaurants or three rooms in the same restaurant?

[NatdRat]

Be Our Guest has three themed dining rooms in the one restaurant.

-The West Wing
-The Rose Gallery (LUNCH ONLY)
-The Ballroom

Each is uniquely themed to the elements from the movie.

[BC_DisneyGeek]

My favourite meal of my last trip was Ohana at the Polynesian Resort. A quick monorail ride from Epcot or The Magic Kingdom. It might be a bit pricey compared to your other options, but being a buffet you can always budget by eating light during the day and indulging during dinner.

I thought the food at San Angel Inn was fine. Les Chefs De France was the best food at Epcot. Via Napoli is good, and sharing a pizza probably better fits your budget than the other choices.

[MJMcB]

I can tell u my faves

Jiko
Boma
Kona Cafe
Restaraunt Marrakesh
Teppan Edo
Yak & Yeti

Jiko is pricey but the others are not as bad. The Derby which you picked is quite pricey as well

I found LIberty Tree Tavern for dinner as below average. If you cant do Be our Guest, then get on a monorail to Kona