Reviews of California Grill
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Menus at California Grill
Reviewed by Piccaso7 Review Date: 07/13/2021
Rating: (7) Not Recommended
Nothing special here. The food is okay, but certainly not great. It’s uninspired and average. California food is usually much
fresher with more robust flavors. California Grill falls short. I will not be returning. Service is good and the view is amazing.
Pros:
Beautiful view. Good serviceCons:
Bland uninspired food.Reviewed by Moonwatcher Review Date: 02/10/2021
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
I know folks will hate this review but we actually had the worst filets in our lives at California Grill and it was so disappointing. We worked so hard to get the reservation and looked so forward to eating there. First of all, the sushi was wonderful. Then our waiter brought out our filets. I’ve never had such gristle in BOTH filets. How can you have gristle in a filet? And both? We respectfully showed this to the waiter and they discounted one of the two dinners. That helped but the chefs should know that they have a bad batch of filets and they should not serve them. Unfortunately, there’s too many good restaurants at Disney to schedule another meal there and give them another try.
Pros:
Sushi was phenomenalCons:
Massive gristle streak in filets. The chef couldn’t see that, or didn’t care.Reviewed by Jade Review Date: 11/12/2020
Rating: (6) Not Recommended
California Grill is a signature dining experience at the Contemporary resort. You will need to take a specific elevator to go up to the restaurant. California Grill is very sleek and modern with floor to ceiling windows with a view of the Magic Kingdom. They have an open kitchen so you can see all the chefs at work. They use ingredients that are in season so their menu changes a lot. We went for dinner at 6:25. We didn't have a window table but our server said that we could pause our meal at 8 when the fireworks started and go outside to watch the show. They pipe in the music and you get a spectacular view if Happily Ever After. We started with the complimentary sourdough bread which is served with olive oil and tomatoes. The bread was fresh from the oven and tasty. Next, for appetizers we tried the Sonoma Goat cheese ravioli and the California roll sampler. The ravioli was very flavorful and the sushi was very fresh. For entrees my boyfriend ordered the ramen and I had bison with Gouda macaroni and cheese. The entrees were just okay which was a bit disappointing since they were the most expensive part of the meal. For dessert we sampled the warm chocolate cake and butter pecan sorbet. The cake was really good! As an extra surprise our server brought me a complimentary cupcake lit up for my birthday. Overall this meal was just okay. The best part was definitely the fireworks show. Some other tips: you can actually go to the lounge without a reservation and still get an awesome view of the fireworks! The lounge is full service and sells all of the food from the restaurant. Also, they have two outdoor areas for viewing the fireworks. The one closest to the elevators is a "better" view but more crowded. Finally, if you are a pin trader ask to see their wine cork pin board at the check in desk.
Pros:
Beautiful restaurant with view of Magic KingdomCons:
Food could be better, expensiveReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 04/15/2019
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
Overpriced, average food, no dress code. Despite stating that they have a dress code, there were plenty of diners dressed in shorts and t-shirts. Add screaming kids to the equation and there's no way California Grill is a serious contender to be upscale dining. Won't be back. Can get better meals on 192
Pros:
Excellent server, good viewsCons:
Average food, expensive, over-rated, noisy, no dress codeReviewed by mangoman18 Review Date: 09/30/2018
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
After hearing all of the positive reviews for this place, I have to say we were really disappointed with this meal. I will say the view is amazing from the top of the Comtempory. The restaurant itself looks a little dated and sterile for my tastes. I ordered the cowboy ribeye and my wife got the filet. Probably not the best place to get a steak, but we had heard good things about the steaks. I will say that some of the other entrees we saw other people get looked really good such as the pork tenderloin. Our server was friendly but he did mess up are order, which is kind of annoying, especially at those prices. He did get it fixed and was apologetic about it. Our desserts were both good. My wife really enjoyed the chocolate lava cake and my creme brulee was fine. Overall I don’t think this restaurant is a good place to spend your money. There are much better signature restaurants on property.
Pros:
View of the Magic KingdomCons:
Food, service, costReviewed by mhw Review Date: 08/22/2015
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
My family has visited WDW for the past nine years and Cali Grill has always been a favorite place to go for a nice evening out. However, the past couple of years, the menu selection and quality of the food has declined drastically. In fact, when my family and I rated our favorite meals during this past stay, Cali Grill did not even make the top five. The only saving grace was the location of the restaurant, fireworks and the excellent customer service. Note to Chefs, check out The Boathouse because the food quality and selection is what Cali Grill used to be.
Pros:
Beautiful setting.Cons:
The selection and quality of the food has declinedReviewed by Dopey1wa Review Date: 01/13/2015
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
This use to be our favorite restaurant and we would always go 2-3 times during our stay. I was anxious to see the new remodel that was done since the last time we were there. Total disappointment! The remodel added a huge amount of tables (so more people can enjoy the experience, more money spent). If you are a couple looking for a romantic setting, forget it. You sit in a long row of "couple tables" that are only a couple of feet apart from each other. Barely enough room to walk between the two tables. The room is very noisy with the amount of people they have added to the room. Menu has changed again and was somewhat disappointed in the selection offered. Waiter we had was gone for long periods of time. My water glass (only drink I had) was empty most of the time. Will probably not go back again.
Pros:
viewCons:
crowded and noisy, menu, waiterReviewed by SharW Review Date: 10/20/2014
Rating: (7) Not Recommended
Definitely has gone downhill. Trying to make menu too fancy. Have gone here each year for the past 12 years but will be taking it off our schedule for next years visit. Waitress was very nice but we get great service and better food elsewhere at Disney.
Pros:
Great view of Magic KingdomCons:
food not that great and very costlyReviewed by BWK0701 Review Date: 06/23/2014
Rating: (3) Not Recommended
This is very hard to write since California Grill is one of my all time favorite restaurants. At first we were seated in front of the new kitchen which is extremely loud could not hear our own conversation, after requesting another table we were moved to an excellent location, waitress was nice. Food was not prepared correctly after pointing this out service and food quality went horribly wrong. After almost 2 hours of a very bad experience my party of three finally got out without desert or viewing fireworks. When concerns were brought to management they were basically ignored.
Pros:
ViewCons:
Food and serviceReviewed by Wendy55 Review Date: 01/25/2014
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
We have made CG a must do for over 30 years and it is always a wonderful experience - not on this past trip of January 10th! We invited 3 couples to join us that had never been to CG before but have listened to us boast on how wonderful it is. What a nightmare from start to finish! Seated 35min past reservation time - waiter was most likely busboy who was pulled to help wait tables - very unprofessional in every way. We asked to try both a white and red wine - bottles were brought to our table 1/2 empty, when we asked for unopened bottles to be brought and opened in front of us we were told - No try first, if you like it then I'll bring new bottles! Only 1 wine glass for table of 8 which our waiter poured and left us to go around to empty tables and get glasses for ourselves! 2 of our guests never received their appetizers. Entree's were wonderful that is the only positive. We had 1 guest with a gluten allergy - when she asked the waiter to speak with the Chef she was told - Order the steak - her response I don't eat steak waiters response - I'll have the Chef steam some veggies for you! Very disappointed with the entire evening and our guests will never venture back again - such a nightmare! We asked to speak with the manager - no luck, in fact we complained to the concierge at our hotel and he also tried reaching a manager at CG - no luck! We will not be back which is sad as we have always made this a special dinner spot when in Disney. Artist Point from now on - fantastic dinner/staff there!
