Favorite Resort Restaurant?

[NaCler]

I responded to this last May but I have some new favorites! We've done Tables in Wonderland this year & have eaten lots of new restaurants.

We really like Cape May Clam Bake at the Beach Resort and Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge.

I'm glad you said Cape May. We are staying there next week and have a ressie for the Clam Bake one night. I'm excited to try it for the first time.

My favorite is a tie right now... O'hana @ the Poly for wings and Lo Mein and Yachtsman Steakhouse @ the Yacht Club for the T Bone steak and Lobster Bisque.

[UncleScrooge477]

I like the Big River Grille & Brewing Works on the Boardwalk. It helps that I have a Gordon Biersch Passport Rewards card and I can earn "points" at Big River, as well as A1A in St. Augustine, and Seven Bridges in Jacksonville, so I can make a trip to Orlando, stop on way down and back, eat and drink well!

And Big River is often less crowded than other choices, so it is easy to walk in without a reservation. Traditional pub grub, good burgers, good meatloaf, great fresh beer.

Otherwise, I tend to like Boma, Citrico's and Artist's Point...

Hungry now - have to go eat!

[SorcererDonald16]

So far, I've eaten at Ohana (breakfast), Garden View Lounge at the GF (Afternoon Tea, but they have tea-type food, too), California Grill, Chef Mickey's (breakfast), Whispering Canyon Cafe, and Beaches 'n Cream.

I didn't dislike any of them really, but Chef Mickey's and the Garden View Lounge are my faves.

Out of the two, Chef Mickey's is my absolute fave. It's not gourmet food or anything, but the atmosphere, the monorail nearby, the view, and the characters all add up to the perfect *Disney* experience for me.

[Amy]

So far, I've eaten at Ohana (breakfast), Garden View Lounge at the GF (Afternoon Tea, but they have tea-type food, too), California Grill, Chef Mickey's (breakfast), Whispering Canyon Cafe, and Beaches 'n Cream.

I didn't dislike any of them really, but Chef Mickey's and the Garden View Lounge are my faves.

Out of the two, Chef Mickey's is my absolute fave. It's not gourmet food or anything, but the atmosphere, the monorail nearby, the view, and the characters all add up to the perfect *Disney* experience for me.

What did you think of the afternoon tea? Did you order a complete tea service or just ala carte? I just read a review about the afternoon tea and it looked like sort of a mixed bag...

[SorcererDonald16]

So far, I've eaten at Ohana (breakfast), Garden View Lounge at the GF (Afternoon Tea, but they have tea-type food, too), California Grill, Chef Mickey's (breakfast), Whispering Canyon Cafe, and Beaches 'n Cream.

I didn't dislike any of them really, but Chef Mickey's and the Garden View Lounge are my faves.

Out of the two, Chef Mickey's is my absolute fave. It's not gourmet food or anything, but the atmosphere, the monorail nearby, the view, and the characters all add up to the perfect *Disney* experience for me.

What did you think of the afternoon tea? Did you order a complete tea service or just ala carte? I just read a review about the afternoon tea and it looked like sort of a mixed bag...

We always do a la carte. We split two tea pots between the three of us, and that's really just so we can try two teas. My favorite is the Gardenview Blend, followed closely by Wild Strawberry Green (i think that's only available in the spring).

Over the years, we've tried the tea sandwiches (pretty good, nothing extraordinary, though), the Sally Lunn bread (sickeningly sweet to the point of nauseating), the scones with Devonshire cream (a must for us each time; so yummy!), and the mousse-filled swan pastries (also a must for us).

We've always had great service, tea, and food. We usually have the same waitress every year, a sweet lady with short, gray hair. She's wonderful.

My lone complaint with that place is almost every year, we get to deal with a Mr. or Mrs. or Miss Cranky Pants at check-in. All but one year, the CM working check-in has been snooty and/or outright rude to us. I've read of others having the same complaint as well, unfortunately.

[Amy]

Is the Devonshire cream more like whipped cream or a sour cream? Learned the difference between whipped cream and creme fresch the hard way
I wonder why the host/hostess stand CM is crabby? You would think they should be pleasant as they are the first person you interact with and therefore sort of set the stage for the experience. The review I read mentioned the really long wait past their scheduled reservation time. And they mentioned the fact that all the CMs seemed in a rush as the restaurant was overbooked and understaffed. Not something you would expect from somewhere that isn't exactly a cheaper dining experience

[SorcererDonald16]

Is the Devonshire cream more like whipped cream or a sour cream? Learned the difference between whipped cream and creme fresch the hard way
I wonder why the host/hostess stand CM is crabby? You would think they should be pleasant as they are the first person you interact with and therefore sort of set the stage for the experience. The review I read mentioned the really long wait past their scheduled reservation time. And they mentioned the fact that all the CMs seemed in a rush as the restaurant was overbooked and understaffed. Not something you would expect from somewhere that isn't exactly a cheaper dining experience

Devonshire cream is sweet, very yummy. Not sickeningly sugary, but still.

I don't know how they manage to have so many crab apples working at the check-in podium, but they do. They come across as annoyed by your presence and/or put out that they have to work at all. Really strange.

I've never had to wait more than 5-10 minutes though; usually seated almost immediately. I'm guessing the people with really long waits might have gone on a Sunday. Every time I've booked ADRs in advance, the Sunday ressies are always completely gone. We go on a Monday or Tuesday after 4pm, and the lounge has always been close to empty. I'm looking at a pic of my mom that I took last May right now, and I see a whopping 3 (maybe 4, hard to tell) people behind her at two different tables. They never seem to have more than 2-3 waitresses, but considering it's always close to empty when I go, that isn't unusual. I don't know how many they have when it's super busy.

I think it's worth a try once. You may really like it, like I do overall!

[coxsarmy]

People rarely take the time to get over to Old Key West just for dinner, but it is usually pretty easy to get a dining reservation at Olivia's.
The food is wonderful... Prime rib.. pecan encrusted snapper ( last time I was there )and the same amazing hawaiian bread from Ohana ( which by the way
we also found being served at a small restaurant in Key West ).
If you are staying in the Downtown Disney area.. TRY IT!

[andrewgator]

I love Kona and Boma. I tend to like the resort restaurants for breakfast more than dinner. Boma is the standout for breakfast. So many more options than any other restaurant in WDW. For dinner I love going to the Poly hanging out at the tambu lounge and having the delicious bread at kona, along with the tuna oscar. The wave is a pretty good option as well. Everyone always loves their meal when I go.

[DemonOfMusic]

Even though I know there is technically "better food" and better atmospheres at other restaurants, I will always have a bit of a soft spot for Beaches 'N Cream at the Beach Club. I adore that place.

[Goofyfan]

The Marakeesh has been our favorite, but we ate at the Chef Le France in Epcot a few weeks back. OMG that was awesome.

My Opinion Only.......Stay away from Hollywood and Vine

[Amy]

The Marakeesh has been our favorite, but we ate at the Chef Le France in Epcot a few weeks back. OMG that was awesome.

My Opinion Only.......Stay away from Hollywood and Vine

Sounds like a story behind Hollywood and Vine ~ care to share?

[Goofyfan]

We had reservations for Hollywood and Vine for dinner 6 pm. at Hollywood Studios. We have never been there before so we thought we would give it a try. We got there 15 minutes early and thought it was closed, there were only about 20 people inside, so we asked and they asked if we had reservations. My wife and I looked at each other and back inside and told her yes. (The evil me wanted to say, Why? Standing room only in there?). So she made us wait outside for about 6-7 minutes, she then called us in and sat us down. The waitress in who took our drink order was very freindly. We went to the Buffet and ate. I am not a picky eater by any means. I would eat the dinner napkins off the table if i spilled gravy on them. I couldn't finish what i had. everything tasted bland, The meat was overcooked, the fish had the consistancy of mashed potatoes. The only thing that was tasty was the soft serve ice cream. When we left, we looked over at the 50's Diner and people were standing outside waiting to get in. Hollywood and Vine was probably the worst meal that we ever had a Disney. I would hope that it was just an isolated thing.

[Amy]

Wow, that sounds awful! I've never been so I can't tell you anything from my experience. I wonder how others have found their experience to be? Good service doesn't make up for mediocre food

[DemonOfMusic]

I have an old-fashioned and mostly sugar-directed love for Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club and The Palace at the Magic Kingdom, but I also LOVE Marakeesh. Mmmmm That is a horrible story about Hollywood and Vine!