Great views, lots of noise

Review for California Grill

Orlando, FL

California Grill in Orlando, FL

by donnaeangelo June 07, 2010

Babies

Toddlers & Pre-K

School-Age Kids

Pre-Teens & Teens

What we loved:
Wonderful panoramic views of the resort and "Wishes"!

What we didn't love:
Open kitchen + too many kids=lots of noise and no romance

I know that most the people that come to Disney are families looking for a fun getaway, but there are also couples who come to Disney looking for the same thing, plus a little romance. The latter was us. The California Grill was high on our list of "must-see" places to dine. The food consistently gets great reviews and the views are not to be missed. All of that is true. What is also true it the amount of clanging and banging coming from the open kitchen. Its nice to be able to see chefs hard at work, but when you add a crowded restaurant with lots of kids under age 6 who arent used to upscale dining and your standard muzak tunes, it can get pretty loud and un-romantic pretty fast. Lots of folks are enjoying Disneys discount dining plans and dragging the kids along to 3-4 star restaurants after spending the day in the park and it ruins it for those of us who dress up for a nice dinner and pay full price. It would be nice if there was a glassed off area available for couples dining. Oh yes, the food. It was good, attractive, ecclectic, everything you would imagine for a contemporary restaurant. It just didnt WOW us and we were distracted by the kids crawling on the floor, crying or showing other obvious signs that they were ready to leave. The fireworks show was great; there is a space on the roof where you can watch and hear the music over the speakers. I enjoyed my sushi and a lovely sunset, but for these prices, I expected more. Try Emerils Tschop Tschop.