Reviews of California Grill
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Menus at California Grill
Reviewed by angiem0217 Review Date: 02/19/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
We had ADr and were seated right away. new renovation was really nice. Seated right by the window and had a great view of the fireworks. It was amazing. The food is awesome. It was me, husband and 6 year old son. The children's menu really did not have anything a 6 year old would like and he did not eat. I would not go back and take a child. This is a very nice upscale restaurant and if you want a nice dinner with no kids, this is the place to go.
Pros:
food, locationCons:
childrens menuReviewed by LucyKate0811 Review Date: 02/14/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
My husband and I went to the California Grill on 1/27 to celebrate his birthday. We had ADR's for 7:45, and despite a crowd at the check-in desk upon arriving to the Contemporary, we were seated promptly at 7:45. The table was covered in Mickey Confetti, acknowledging the celebration. Our waitress explained how the firework viewing worked, we ordered drinks and sushi, both were delivered to our table in time for the fireworks. Our table was in a prime spot to watch the fireworks, and we never had to get out of our chairs! We were able to eat and watch the fireworks at the same time, from the comfort of the restaurant. Everything that we ate was fresh and delicious. We ordered the tomato flatbread (which is one of the best items I've ever eaten), garden salad and the scallops. By the time dinner was over and the dessert menu arrived, we were stuffed. The waitress did bring a complementary order of the creme brûlée. It was phenomenal, definitely on par with the rest of the meal. The California Grill was by far our favorite meal of the trip.
Pros:
The view, ability to watch the fireworks while dining...Cons:
Transportation back to our resortReviewed by jenniemouse Review Date: 01/29/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
Amazing date night. Server was awesome! Flatbread was superb! Ravioli and spicy roll delish! Wine outstanding and watching Wishes from look out so memorable! Can't wait to go back!
Pros:
everythingCons:
noneReviewed by HappyClappy Review Date: 01/11/2014
Rating: (1) Recommended
We have dined many times at the old California Grill and we were looking forward to enjoying the new rehab. Oh dear, what a disappointment. We arrived 15 minutes early for our 7:30 reservation. Wishes was at 8:00. When we checked in the CM at the podium said they were very busy but that's nothing new.
However what we didn't expect was the total pandemonium in the lounge area. Every place in the lounge and at the bar was being used for walk ups eating. Worst of all we were presented with the sight of two adults eating on the floor! We understand that the fireworks are a feature but the management have full control of how many people they allow into the lounge. At no other signature restaurant would the management tolerate this ridiculous situation.
We did give the manager our views and his attitude was couldn't care less. He is obviously focused on squeezing as many dollars from letting as many people into the place as possible. Why have a reservation system at all?
The menu is hugely reduced, the staff appear new and inexperienced, our waitress never even bothered to offer wine suggestions. We didn't bother with deserts, we just didn't feel it was worth it. Sorry California Grill, you've lost your number one spot with me - spend your dollars or 2 table dining credits on Citricos instead - a much better signature experience.
Pros:
Firework viewCons:
Not a signature dining experienceReviewed by bosslady79 Review Date: 01/07/2014
Rating: (4) Recommended
Timed our meal for the fireworks on 11-12-13. Arrived 20 minutes before reservation. Server was spotty, it was my dd 10 and myself. Dined here last year it was amazing, this time was terrible. My dinner companion fell asleep at the table, did not eat dinner or dessert. They did not have packaging to take desert to go, very disappointing. We may have been ok if it had not taken 25 min for our server to take our order, and another 50 min for the food to arrive. I know it is signature dining, but a split app, two entrees and 1 dessert should not take 2 hours. May only go back for dessert during the fireworks, and not order an entree.
Pros:
FireworksCons:
everything elseReviewed by MWS Review Date: 01/07/2014
Rating: (9) Recommended
At the suggestion for the Disney Dining Reservationist, we tried California Grill for the first time and I must say it’s one of the best restaurants at Disney. Several staff members took great pride in telling us about the recent redo and it is a stunning restaurant. We started off with the goat cheese ravioli and it was yummy. I’m usually not a fan of mushrooms, but the crispy ones used in the dish were outstanding. Husband had the bison and he really enjoyed his meal, I had the filet and it was cooked to perfection and the risotto had a nice flavor as well. Our server Rob, was excellent, he offered suggestions and held our dessert until after the fireworks.
We watched the fireworks from the outside viewing deck, the view was better than in the park. I had the cheese board for dessert, except for the espresso flavored cheese, all the rest were exceptional. California Grill is expensive, but the service and food are worth it.
Pros:
Food, serviceCons:
expensive, noisyReviewed by John Review Date: 12/08/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
Even though eating at the California Grill was by far our most expenisve meal at WDW, it was also the best. The food, service and being able to view the Magic Kingdom in the evening was great.
The Duck in all it's Glory was wonderful and the steak I had was perfect. My daughter-in-law had sushi as both an appetizer and an entree and she said it was the best Sushi she had ever had. My son had the Pork two ways and my wife had the Chicken and they were both excellent.
Pros:
Great Food, Service, and LocationCons:
NoneReviewed by MargieVE Review Date: 11/24/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
My husband and I have dined here a number of times over the years and were interested in seeing it after its recent redo.
We arrived early for our reservation and enjoyed a cocktail in the lounge. The atmosphere seemed to be lighter and less congested - but that may have been due to our timing (i.e. early hour and less busy time of year).
We were seated on time for our reservation. After asking about wine, one of the sommelier-trained servers came over to discuss wines with us. In the end, we went against his suggestion (of a good wine we’ve had before) in favor of something less available that we wanted to try. It was very good.
We routinely share all of the dishes that we order and in this case we chose four starters and one entrée. The starters were the clam appetizer (good, but not entirely clear how it was supposed to hang together as a dish despite our server's advice on how to eat it); crispy shrimp salad (very good); ravioli appetizer (good); and duck appetizer (very good). We chose the snapper for the entrée and it was also very good.
Our server was very accommodating with our approach to ordering and sharing, and did a good job of pacing the dishes and ensuring that we had enough share plates.
We had been concerned that the menu seemed reduced from what it had been in the past, but we enjoyed all of the food we chose and would dine here again.
Pros:
Setting, food, wine, serviceCons:
PriceyReviewed by mharder Review Date: 11/23/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
My wife and I ate at the California Grill on Nov. 18. It was our second visit (first since the renovations). I know some have been critical of the new menu, but we very much enjoyed the dinner. We each had the filet, which was done perfectly (we ordered it rare and it was not the least bit overcooked, which is sometimes been a problem). I order the ravioli appetizer, which was great. Found a terrific 2007 Cab from a small Napa producer on the wine list that was great. Service was the appropriate level of attentiveness.
Only one critical comment: we had a booth next to and directly across from the station where final preparations occurred and food was picked up by the waiters. It was interesting and fun to watch the chefs and the waiters, but it also was noisy, busy, and because we were near the heat lamps, it was actually kind of warm, which is not what we wanted on an 86 degree day. Next time I'll request a seat away from the kitchen.
One other comment. There are now 2 balconies from which you can watch fireworks. We were closest to the south balcony. I would recommend viewing from the north balcony. The building blocked some of our views.
Pros:
Food; extensive wine list; views; unique vantage point to see fireworksCons:
Expensive; seats near kitchen are noisy and the area is busyReviewed by FoxzLem Review Date: 11/20/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
They did an awesome job with the remodel. Was very excited to dine there this past October. Our food was wonderful but did miss some of the old favorites.
Wine selection was outstanding and our server was able to recommend different things to try.
Already have our reservations for when we go back next time.
