Dining Reviews (Boma, Le Cellier, BOG, Coral Reef, Via Napoli)

[WDWParrothead]

Had a great trip a few weeks ago and tried a few new places. Here are a few dining reviews! Hope you all with find them useful and/or interesting. Here we go....

1. Boma: What a great experience! Completely lived up to all of my expectations. The soups, carved meats, and zebra domes were outstanding. Everyone was having a good time here, which contributed to a really neat atmosphere. For anyone worried about going to a "buffet" stop worrying right now... Boma defies every buffet stereotype out there. Servers were attentive, chefs cooking in plain view, etc. The food is fresh, delicious, plentiful, and refreshingly different. Yes, it might take a few extra minutes to get here, but it is so worth it. This was easily one of our favorite meals in over a dozen trips to WDW and is a new favorite!

2. Le Cellier: Really enjoyed it, easily one of the top theme park restaurants at WDW. Everyone raved about the filet, the strip, and the cheese soup. One very pleasant surprise about Le Cellier was that since it is designed to resemble a wine cellar, there was not any cell reception here. Why did I think this was a positive thing? Because it was the only meal on the whole trip that NO ONE in the entire place even touched a smartphone or iPad. I mean it, no one in the entire restaurant. Instead, there was a very positive atmosphere of conversation and laughter. Together with good food, this was an unexpected treat. In my mind, this made up for slightly ($5-$10) overpriced entrees. Service was flawless.

3. Be Our Guest: Absolutely 100% lives up to the hype. Disney knocked this one out of the park. The theming, decor, and atmosphere is unlike anything else at WDW. (The falling snow looked incredible) The pork chop and salmon were good entrees. Cupcakes were fun for dessert, but nothing to write home about. Also, Disney has enough security around this place at dinner to rival most nuclear missile silos. If BOG is a sign of where new WDW restaurants are going, we have a lot to look forward to in the coming years!

4. Coral Reef: Alas, this one fell short in our book. It usually isn't a good sign when the smell of fish is so strong upon entering a seafood restaurant that it smells like Shamu just got served mackerel of dubious origins. Service was spotty at best, and it wasn't just our table. Not sure where all the servers were going, but they all seemed to disappear in unison at various times. Nothing truly terrible, it ended up being funny more than anything else. The food wasn't very good (not awful), and was odd. My overall impression of CR is that the Dining Plan's effects are felt here more than anywhere else we saw on this trip. Overpriced, oddly prepared entrees, served in a rushed manner by indifferent servers. Unlike anywhere else, the waiting area was PACKED the whole time. If anyone is on the fence about this one (like we were), it would be best to pass and select one of the far superior places in World Showcase, or even on the Boardwalk.

5. Via Napoli: This place is so fun and enjoyable. After a day at the parks, nothing beats pizza and beer. Especially awesome pizza the size of a garbage can lid. Really upbeat atmosphere, friendly servers, and great food. Most tables around us got pizza and everyone seemed to love it. Great place for families of all ages and sizes. Service has improved dramatically from our meal here two years ago. If you love pizza and beer, can't go wrong here!

Hope you enjoyed the reviews!

[TysMomTink]

Thanks for the reviews!

[VWL Mom]

Thanks for the reviews. I'm so looking forward to our meal at BOG later this month, think we will probably skip dessert though. I actually just cancelled our LeCellier and replaced it with O'Hana. Our last meal there was wonderful, glad you enjoyed yours too.

[lawgirl]

I'm so glad to hear about BOG. We are hoping to do this in Dec. About how long did your meal take? I'm trying to figure out our schedule. Was it rushed at all, or was it a pretty good pace? Thanks, and so glad you had good experiences!

[Mickey'sGirl]

Thanks for your reviews!! I like that you discuss the atmosphere and the food ... because both are important to dining!

[SBETigg]

Thanks for the reviews. I'm not a big fan of Le Cellier, though I do like it well enough, but I think the cell phone thing puts it a little higher on my list. I have a no cell phone rule at dinner, but the husband always has to "check his work messages" and it drives me crazy. Though, he really doesn't do this much when we are at WDW. But still. Blocked cell phone is a good thing for me.

[AgentC]

Thanks for the reviews. We had a not so great experience at The Coral Reef years ago and I haven't been able to make myself try it again. I think I'm glad I keep skipping it!

[SBETigg]

Thanks for the reviews. We had a not so great experience at The Coral Reef years ago and I haven't been able to make myself try it again. I think I'm glad I keep skipping it!

Same here, Cindy!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Sounds great thanks for the reviews

[WDWParrothead]

I'm so glad to hear about BOG. We are hoping to do this in Dec. About how long did your meal take? I'm trying to figure out our schedule. Was it rushed at all, or was it a pretty good pace? Thanks, and so glad you had good experiences!

We had a 6:00 pm ADR and it took a little over an hour, since we ordered both salads and desserts. I was expecting to be rushed going into it, but was pleasantly surprised that we were not rushed at all.

[DisneyDawgette]

Thanks for the reviews! Was considering Coral Reef for our December trip, but we may consider other options.

[lawgirl]

We had a 6:00 pm ADR and it took a little over an hour, since we ordered both salads and desserts. I was expecting to be rushed going into it, but was pleasantly surprised that we were not rushed at all.

Sounds great! Hope we have a good experience too!

[#1donaldfan]

Great review !! Your review of all but BOG (not been yet) are similar to mine. I love Boma and Via Napoli as for Coral Reef I did it once and that was it, not terrible, but not "good" either........glad the great ones are still great ...

[MrPeetrie]

WDWParrothead, I did enjoy your review. Very thorough. Very Informative and helpful.

[January-2007]

Thanks for reporting.

[Ms. Mode]

I agree with most of your review, however, in defense of Coral Reef I would say that the steak is REALLY good there! Added to that, when we were there the patrons were giving the CMs such a hard time that they were just worn out by the time they got to us. This place is always packed, and mostly families with small children that have been in the sun all day and are very, very tired (as well as moms and dads that have done the same) so I would think it's can get difficult waiting tables there.

About the fish smell; well, it's an aquarium...

[dkmwong]

Great review, thanks for sharing