Reviews of California Grill
Read prices, menu items, and more
Menus at California Grill
Reviewed by mindylee847 Review Date: 03/02/2015
Rating: (7) Recommended
I ate here for the first time the last week of February 2015. The views were a-MAZing up there. I had high hopes for the food.
I ordered the mushroom flatbread for an appetizer and this was the best I've ever had. Absolutely delicious.
I ordered the vegetarian squash ravioli and the ravioli was great, but it was sitting on top of some of the saltiest spinach I've ever had in my life.
Dessert was very lackluster. Nothing seemed that amazing. I had the sundae sampler since it seemed fun. The tiny soda bottle was cute, but the food was very average.
I don't know if I'd rush back for the prices they have. It's also hard knowing that I'll know what I'll be getting before going as a vegetarian. Limited options as far as entrees go.
Pros:
Views, FlatbreadsCons:
Salty Food, PriceReviewed by Dutchpixie Review Date: 02/25/2015
Rating: (10) Recommended
We had dinner at CG Feb 23rd. We were sealed in th smaller dining room. Our server, Ryan, was very knowledgable, friendly and fun. As a vegan, I ordered the mushroom flatbread without cheese and the vegan unlimited plate, which is not on the menu but made specifically for vegans. My hubby got the charcuterie and the filet mignon. We ordered a matching wine. It was one of the best meals we ever had, and we dine out often and upscale. Highly recommended. Not cheap, but very, very good!
Pros:
Atmosphere, amazing food, great serverCons:
NoneReviewed by Irene Review Date: 02/09/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
Beautiful place to watch the Wishes fireworks. Food was cooked to perfection. Service was excellent. Worth the two dining meals required. Only drawback was the number of young children in the restaurant. Our reservations were for 8:30. Two tables near us had young children that did not want to be there. You could tell they had a full day in the park and were tired. Crying, up and down in their seats, under the table was quite the distraction. You had to feel for them. But, for those having a celebration(30th anniversary) it was not what we hoped would be our experience.
Pros:
Service, food and viewCons:
Young children in the eveningReviewed 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 bryanmmunoz Review Date: 01/05/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
We just returned from a NYE trip to WDW. This dinner and one other stood out above the rest. This was my 20th visit to the world and can you believe I had never stepped foot in the restaurant? Without a doubt the view is simply breath taking. To be honest I had to fight back the tears.
That being said - my sister and I have over 20 combined years of service industry experience...so a view is not going to win us over when it comes to the meal!
I've read reviews about service being poor and the food being over priced for what you receive and I simply believe that to be untrue. Service will always be the wild card since you are dealing with personalities, but the food for the price was spot on. I felt the pacing of our meal went perfectly. We had bottles of wine, appetizers, entrees, desserts, and more cocktails (we went all out this trip) and felt as though everything was brought to us at the moment we were ready!
The entire staff was courteous and welcoming. Encouraging us to return for the fireworks later that evening (which we did).
This will now be on the list as a "must do again" at Disney. It was a fantastic experience and I recommend to anyone who is looking for an excellent meal and ambiance.
Pros:
View, pacing of meal, drink selectionsCons:
—Reviewed 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 Eean Review Date: 10/16/2014
Rating: (5) Recommended
My husband and I originally ate at the California Grill back in the summer of 2010. Since then, we had been itching to go back. We had a memorable and delicious meal. We went to Disney World in the summer of 2013, but the restaurant was closed for refurbishment. Consequently, I was very anxious when we booked our trip for August 2014 to make a dinner reservation at the California Grill. This time we had our three kids in tow with us. We have boys ranging in age from 6 to 12 years old. First of all, we were very impressed with the refurbished decor, and of course you can't beat the view! Although our table wasn't quite ready, we ordered a bottle of wine from a server in the bar area named Justin. He was very friendly, and he set the tone for what we thought would be a wonderful evening. However, our service once we were seated at our table wasn't quite what we were expecting. Although our server was efficient, she was less than friendly. Unfortunately her attitude put a damper on our evening.The food was fine, but I definitely remember it being better when we dined there before. Our kids actually didn't even like their meals. It's hard to justify spending two credits on a meal that was just so-so. Next time, I'm tempted just to go to the bar, order a glass of wine and maybe some sushi -and of course enjoy the view!
Pros:
Beautiful view and interior decor; great wine listCons:
ServiceReviewed by LLSS Review Date: 09/30/2014
Rating: (6) Recommended
My wife and I went for an anniversary dinner to California Grill. The view is absolutely spectacular.
We started with the appetizer meatballs. The flavoring was great, though they were a bit dry. We had the fillet and Seafood pilaf for our meals. The filet was good, but far from the best I have ever had. The seafood pilaf was actually quite good. We each had desserts which were good, but once again, not over the top great.
After dinner we hung around to see the fireworks from the deck, which was quite spectacular. Honestly, you are paying for the view here, not the food. The food was good, but nothing to write home about for the price we paid. Next time I think we will head elsewhere for a bit better food.
Pros:
View, good foodCons:
Very expensive for what you getReviewed by nlg0517 Review Date: 09/20/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
We didn't make reservations here but were happy to sit at the bar for dinner. We didn't miss the fireworks because it was Night of Joy & there weren't any. Everyone was very nice. We had the best service from Clinta the bartender. He was very personable, offering suggestions, making small talk & letting us take our time, all while he was training a new employee. We started with the ravioli (wonderful) & BBQ flatbread (very good). The mixed drinks were very good, not too strong. I had the chicken which was delicious, juicy with a crispy coating but I wouldn't call it fried. DH had the filet and he really enjoyed it, very tender & cooked well.
I was surprised at the number of small children here so late at night. One even sat at the bar for awhile, which I thought was illegal. All that being said DH & I were still able to enjoy a nice dinner & conversation
Pros:
Food atmosphereCons:
Hard to get intoReviewed 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.
