Disneyland Orlando - Restaurants

Helen_R_2

Has anybody been in the themed restaurants in Disney / Epcot?
I have my eye on the Sci fi Dine in theater and the Be our guest restaurant but was wondering if they're any good? It's just for me and my husband - no kids. Am just looking for places fun to eat that won't break the bank and have tasty food (am not expecting Michelin star quality though!!)

If anyone has any recommendations (or places to avoid) I'd love to hear them!


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KarenG

What do you like best? What sort of food? Those restaurants aren't cheap (for Orlando) but aren't the most expensive (for Disney).


Sci Fi is Ok, worth doing once. Food is just ok. You can't really see what you're eating but it's a fun experience. Not sure it would be my first choice. Personally, we prefer Moms 50s Prime Time Cafe (at Hollywood Studios also) which is fun if you don't mind some teasing.

Are you looking for really nice food, or unusual experiences?

There are lots of nice restaurants at Epcot. My favourites are the Japanese Teppanyaki dining, Le Cellier (steakhouse, overpriced), and Chefs de France (unsurprisingly, in France).

I have yet to eat at Be Our Guest which has only just opened - but the decor looks amazing.

ktandspen

The Little Japanese place in Epcot is a fave of ours. We ate in Tonys kin Magic Kingdom, food was ok, not overly impressed. In the Disney Village the Irish place is cool x

lgw29

From Disney studio get the shuttle boat to Disney boardwalk some Greg places to eat and spend the evening on the boardwalk

sunshinetours

If food is an importnat part I personally would avoid most of the in park Disney places. For what you get they are very expensive and i would rather spend my money outside the parks on some decent food of whoch tehre is plenty of choice.
If the theming is important then Epcot worth a shot at some of the places mentioned above

jeanniebeanie_2

In my opinion the Disney park food has gone very much downhill.

Since the advent of the Dining Plan for onsite guests, the prices have increased and the quality dropped. They no longer serve the more expensive dishes from pre Dining Plan days presumably because too many Dining Plan guests were choosing them (and why not), so making them uneconomical to serve. The Dining Plan restaurants are always busy now too.

Last May I had a short stay in the Swan (and Dolphin) with just DH. A steak at the Al Mulino (Dolphin, not included in the Dining Plan) was $39-$45 with no sides. Consider a starter or dessert, a side or two, a glass of wine and the 18% tip and you have a very expensive meal. We didn't try it.

We decided to skip table service meals this time for our couple of days and stay with counter service. Adequate, not amazing, but at least you don't have to pay the extortionate prices PLUS 18%! Some of the counter service in Epcot World Showcase is not bad at all and there is a nice small Tequila Bar (LA Cava del Tequila) now in Mexico.

If you don't mind going offsite, Johnnie's Hideaway for example isn't far (there are many others). Not cheap, but at at least the quality is there. Failing that there are a couple of restaurants that are still quite good at Downtown Disney.

ETA Johnnie's Hideaway link
http://www.talkofthetownrestaurants.com/johnnies.html

Just remembered! For a fun evening out with no kids (not allowed) try Jellyrolls Duelling Piano bar at the Boardwalk. Eat first, snacks only though.
http://www.jellyrolls.us/

Helen_R_2

Thanks for the tips! I guess I just want to go with the spirit of things and try out some fun and silly restaurants that aren't stupidly expensive and serve decent, tasty food. I like trying regular American fare when i'm in the US and am partial to a good calorific dessert!

I'm going to be in Orlando and Miami for 14 nights overall so am going to definitely check out some proper eateries ( I love Italian!) but though it'd be fun to try some of the places in the theme parks.

I'm also going to Universal Studios but it seems to be mostly chain restaurants there from what I can see but any recommendations would be nice!

xfive71

Hi, you might want to check the Dibb forum for some recommendations.

Dibb Dining Forum

KarenG

Helen_R wrote: »

Thanks for the tips! I guess I just want to go with the spirit of things and try out some fun and silly restaurants that aren't stupidly expensive and serve decent, tasty food. I like trying regular American fare when i'm in the US and am partial to a good calorific dessert!

I'm going to be in Orlando and Miami for 14 nights overall so am going to definitely check out some proper eateries ( I love Italian!) but though it'd be fun to try some of the places in the theme parks.

I'm also going to Universal Studios but it seems to be mostly chain restaurants there from what I can see but any recommendations would be nice!

At Universal CityWalk, I really like the atmosphere at Margaritaville - food is very reasonable too! Loads if people rave about Bubba Gumps (I found it just average). If you want a really really nice meal, not cheap, Emerils and Tchoup Tchop are both fabulous! Mythos, in Islands of Adventure, regularly wins awards for best theme park eatery, not too costly.

If you like a big dessert, consider sharing the Kitchen Sink at Disney - eight minute walk from the back entrance of Epcot, at the Beach Club resort. Just the thought of it makes me feel sick but loads of people like to take on the challenge

jeanniebeanie_2

KarenG wrote: »

If you like a big dessert, consider sharing the Kitchen Sink at Disney - eight minute walk from the back entrance of Epcot, at the Beach Club resort. Just the thought of it makes me feel sick but loads of people like to take on the challenge

Way understated Karen! :rotfl:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLsAMXSV5Ds
The Swan is a 5 min walk away from Beaches & Cream and we had the 'pleasure' of watching several attempts. Good fun though.

I second Karen's post on Universal Citywalk Restaurants- far better than Disney. I did quite like Lombard's Landing in Universal too, but haven't been for a couple of years.

I do get the wanting to just give it a whirl in Disney though, they are so good at theming. I guess my favourite if pressed would be San Angel in Mexico purely on atmosphere, if a bit dark for eating.
http://www.disney-pal.com/Epcot/images/mexico_san_angel_inn_large.jpg

Fun and silly? I agree with Karen- 50's Prime Time Diner at Hollywood Studios. Brace yourself for some ribbing!

Helen_R_2

haha that Prime Time Diner looks really cool (and my husband's worst nightmare!!) Thanks for all the tips guys!