By Taste By Service
- Ohana 1. Ohana
- 1900 Park Fare 2. Rose and Crown
- Le Cellier 3. Brown Derby
- Yak and Yeti 4. Crystal Palace
- Rose and Crown 5. Le Cellier
- 50s Prime Time 6. 50s Prime Time
- Brown Derby 7. Yak and Yeti
- Crystal Palace 8. 1900 Park Fare
Ohana really stands out in both food quality and level of service. From the moment we were welcomed into the restaurant we felt like we were special. Of course, as part of the show everyone was called ‘cousin’. So we were treated well by Cousin Chris. He was attentive without being overbearing. The food was excellent from the Chicken Wings, to the Pork and Beef from the hardwood fire, there wasn’t a bad tasting item to be found. And my wife could not get enough of the shrimp. She practically consumed a complete skewer on her own. Our drinks were kept full and the general atmosphere was fun! The coconut race was fun to watch, also.
Items 2 – 7 on taste are virtual draw. All of the food in these restaurants were better than expected and lived up to the reviews I have seen before on both Disney Parks Food Blog and from the Liners.
Rose and Crown stands out a bit on service because of the time of our meal. We purposely chose a time after 7pm with the intent to see Illuminations from there. Our server, Amelia, did not disappoint. She suggested we hold our dessert until after the show and then escorted us to the patio to view the fireworks. We could not have asked for a better seat!
The food at the Crystal Palace was much like our local Hometown Buffet. There was nothing special about the food or the presentation. However, our server, Kip, made up the difference. He not only interacted with his guests, he interacted with the characters as they came by our area. We sat Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger. For characters, big yes. For food, maybe not.
Brown Derby was a special event, ‘Dine with an Imagineer’. The meal was very good, but don’t ask me to tell you what it all was. I can’t pronounce most of the dishes…lol. The meat was cooked the way I ordered and the soup was very good. We were really focused on the conversation, so didn’t really pay attention to the food. Take your kids to this, it will be worth it!
The only Counter Service I want to comment on is Wolfgang Puck’s Express at Downtown Disney. I had the Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf with potatoes and it was very good. The food in general seemed to be well prepared, however the service was somewhat below what I would expect with the name attached to it. The cashier was rude and curt. He didn’t seem at all concerned about what we really wanted to order, we were kind of pushed through the line and then he made comments to my son that I felt were beyond his responsibility.
We were on the Standard Disney Dining Plan that included one Table Service, one Counter Service and one Snack per person per day. It was part of the FREE promotion which makes its value a bit higher. Up front I would say we saved about $1500 by not paying for the plan. I do not yet have the real numbers of what we would have spent, but I can tell by looking at the original receipts that we would have paid a bundle out of pocket.
I would love to hear your feedback or comments…please respond to this blog openly. Thank you!!
My son’s review will be up tomorrow.
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