We are looking to try something new...

So...

I am looking for recommendations for new-to-us table service dining. Here are your guidelines.

Not in a park, so we are looking at restaurants in Resorts and Downtown Disney.
Not character dining.
Not signature dining.
Not Ohana or Kona or Boma or Boatwrights or Cape May or Grand Floridian Cafe or Beaches n Cream.

So I guess what I am looking for is your favorite out of the following:

Captain's Grill
That new Italian Restaurant on the Boardwalk
Olivia's
Turf Club
Sanaa
The Wave
Trails End dinner
or any of the table service places at Disney Springs...

So what do you like?

I'm very partial to Olivia's. Really good food, relaxing atmosphere and great service. I have never had anything less than a good experience. Usually a great one.

I also really like the Boathouse at Disney Springs, but it's significantly more expensive than Olivia's.

Steve

Trattoria al Forno at Boardwalk is delicious. I've had Captain's Grille breakfast and it was a very nice experience and I always hear good things about dinner there.

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Originally Posted by cer

So...

I am looking for recommendations for new-to-us table service dining. Here are your guidelines.

Not in a park, so we are looking at restaurants in Resorts and Downtown Disney.
Not character dining.
Not signature dining.
Not Ohana or Kona or Boma or Boatwrights or Cape May or Grand Floridian Cafe or Beaches n Cream.

So I guess what I am looking for is your favorite out of the following:

Captain's Grill
That new Italian Restaurant on the Boardwalk
Olivia's
Turf Club
Sanaa
The Wave
Trails End dinner
or any of the table service places at Disney Springs...

So what do you like?

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We love the Wave as both my lady friend and I eat there every trip. When my daughter and her family go down the eat there as well.

We also like Raglan Road at Disney Springs. The entertainment can get a little loud but is good as they are Irish dancers. The food is very good and the favorite dessert is their bread pudding.

We are going to try the new Italian Rest at the Boardwalk this trip as well as Portobello's at Disney Spring. The menu sounded really good.

Hope this help...:mickey:

We loved our breakfast & lunch at Olivia's. It was very laid back, bright and cheery. Been a few years since we are at the Wave but have never had a problem there. We like the portions and atmosphere of Rainforest Cafe - but it can be loud & have a significant wait.

I second the suggestion for Raglan Road at Disney Springs! It does get pretty loud and can be crowded when it's peak dinner hours but I found that it lends so much to the atmosphere of the Irish pub. I liked my dinner at The Wave a couple years ago, and it's pretty easy to get a reservation there.

Captain's Grill we have enjoyed both dinner and breakfast here on many trips
That new Italian Restaurant on the Boardwalk - had breakfast here and it was so bad we will never be going back for any meal there
Olivia's - this is at our home DVC resort and I have yet to find anything there that I like
Turf Club - haven't tried this one yet
Sanaa - love, love, love
The Wave - only eaten here for breakfast, not impressed
Trails End dinner - have not tried
or any of the table service places at Disney Springs...some we liked: Ragland Road (we find lunch to be less loud), Wolfgang Puck Café, Paradiso 37, if you have kids with you The Rainforest Café and T-Rex can be fun and one we hated was Portobello
2 at resorts we enjoy are Maya Grill at Coronado Springs and Boatwright's at Port Orleans Riverside.

We love the Wave, it's isn't very "themed" but I have had some of the best food and service of any of our trips for dinner here (about 4x). I would avoid Trail's End for dinner, we used to love it but on our last trip it was terrible. I mean really terrible, too many people in a tight space, not enough food on the buffet. Literally we were waiting 20 mins at a time for them to bring something out and then a mad rush would happen and we would be waiting again...

We are trying to new Italian rest at the Boardwalk in Sept :)

Trails End is a buffet and it is one of the best secrets in all of WDW... Very often there is never a crowd whether you do breakfast or dinner the quality of the food is great as well as the selection and if you have never visited Fort Wilderness plan a little extra time before or after as there are a variety of activities you can explore.

Just based on your list there, Sanaa is easily our favorite and the one we'd recommend. Also good are Olivia's and Turf Club. At Disney Springs, our favorites would be Morimoto's and Portobello (loved Morimoto's the one time we were there; Portobello's has been a great spot for us for many years - we go back as often as we can).

Captain's Grill == not tried it yet
That new Italian Restaurant on the Boardwalk ??
Olivia's == Good
Turf Club == not tried it yet
Sanaa == gross in all aspects
The Wave == great breakfast not so much for dinner
Trails End dinner == AWESOME !! .... even the breakfast is great !!
or any of the table service places at Disney Springs... Portebello's is GREAT !!

So what do you like?

We like Sanaa and the Wave. Trail's End is good too for dinner. We are trying the new Italian place in the fall ourselves so I can't help you with that one.

Have fun picking one!!

We LOVE Sanaa. Probably one of my favorites. I guess it depends on your taste. We love the gorgeous decor, theming and Asian/African influenced cuisine. Check out the menus of these choices.

If you're not a picky eater, of those, I would pick Sanaa. Indian/African fusion cuisine, with a view of the savannah around the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The restaurant itself is really cool, and I've never seen it packed.

Of those others, I've only eaten at the Wave and the Italian Boardwalk restaurant. The Wave was mediocre, and the Italian place was pretty good. But I can get pretty good Italian here at home. I can get good steak, too. So we don't generally go for those places at Disney. But that's us.

We are looking forward to trying Olivia's, as we plan to stay at OKW next fall.

Sanaa is one of our absolute favorite places ever, anywhere. The atmosphere is amazing, the service is always top notch, the food is incredible. I wish we lived closer so we could eat here more. Its outstanding. But definitely not for timid palettes.

The Wave was also really good. I love the atmosphere and the food was very good. I feel like Sanaa and The Wave feel like a destination themselves...very special and unique. We also love Jiko. But Sanaa is just magical!

I always love reading these types of posts. Such as vast difference of opinions for the very same restaurants. Just goes to show we are all very different people that show a common love of Disney. Suggestions for picking a restaurant for me has been to do my research - look at photos, find the menus and if they appeal to me go ahead and try it.

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Originally Posted by TheDuckRocks

I always love reading these types of posts. Such as vast difference of opinions for the very same restaurants. Just goes to show we are all very different people that show a common love of Disney. Suggestions for picking a restaurant for me has been to do my research - look at photos, find the menus and if they appeal to me go ahead and try it.

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I agree with your statement 100%. "Favorite restaurant" is in the eye of the beholder! Just one off experience can lead a strong vote against a place. But you are correct - check the menus, research the restaurant, and then try one and see what your experience is.

In reality, there are SO many great restaurants around Disney and no terrible places. The "less interesting" places have closed and been replaced!

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Originally Posted by ThanxForNoticin

In reality, there are SO many great restaurants around Disney and no terrible places. The "less interesting" places have closed and been replaced!

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I would argue that the ABC Commissary is terrible...

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Originally Posted by TheDuckRocks

I always love reading these types of posts. Such as vast difference of opinions for the very same restaurants. Just goes to show we are all very different people that show a common love of Disney. Suggestions for picking a restaurant for me has been to do my research - look at photos, find the menus and if they appeal to me go ahead and try it.

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Definitely! Totally agree. We love spicy, exotic food, so Sanaa is our dream place. But I read an earlier comment saying its the worst! So its totally about your tastes and feel. I love the dark, exotic atmostphere but some people would prefer light and airy. Definitely look at the menus and pics to see if its a good fit. And try it once...if you love it then great. If not, mark it off the list!

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Originally Posted by azcavalier

I would argue that the ABC Commissary is terrible...

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Sadly I do agree with you on this one. About every 4 or five years I give it another try, eat the things people rave about and still have found it to be just plain awful IMHO.

Turf Club Bar and Grill at Saratoga Springs. It is a hidden gem. They make a really good steak and lamb chops. It's right next to the dock where you can take a boat to DS.

Turf Club!:chef:

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Originally Posted by madhatterrules

Turf Club!:chef:

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Finally! Someone on here who knows what I'm talking about :tasty:

We really enjoyed Sanaa, and Captain's Grill was a very pleasant surprise when we had dinner there. I haven't tried it, but The Boathouse at Downtown Disney is on my list of new places to try.

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Originally Posted by azcavalier

I would argue that the ABC Commissary is terrible...

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Lol - agreed!

We love Turf Club. The French onion soup is good too!We have it as our first dinner when we arrive in Sept. Staying at Saratoga so also very convenient.



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We've only eaten at Captain's Grille and Trails End. We enjoyed both. The steak at CG you could cut with your fork that's how tender it is. Trails End was good comfort type food. It think this place is not as crowded as other restaurants because of it's location. We would eat there again. We aren't spicy type food eaters so Sanaa (and even Boma) isn't one of our favorites...not to say it's bad...we just don't like that type of food.

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Originally Posted by TheDuckRocks

Olivia's - this is at our home DVC resort and I have yet to find anything there that I like

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Have you tried the Duval burger? It has avocado in it, and I don't like avocado, so I don't like it. But DH loves it so much, he recommended it to our DDIL, and she loved it also.

I'm a huge Sanaa fan, especially the tandoori shrimp sandwich on naan bread.

Raglan Road is very good.
Sanaa is pretty awesome too.
One you didn't mention, but I would recommend, is Shutters at CBR. It was very tasty, and the service was awesome.

Captain's Grille, The Wave, or Turf Club
:thumbsup:

We love The Wave. The steak is to die for. We didn't expect much when I booked but it was one of the better meals we had.