Recommendation - Garden Grill (Epcot)

[Minnie's Sal]

We dined here on our second evening and had no idea what to expect but it proved to be one of the best meals of the holiday.

It's a character meal - Mickey, Pluto, Chip N Dale, located within the Land pavillion.

We were seated more or less at our reservation time and soon after being seated our server came over and took our drinks order. She then explained that the meal would be served family style and showed us the menu, which looked great as there seemed to be plenty of vegetables coming my way!

We started with a mixed salad with a raspberry and walnut vinaigrette dressing, accompanied by warm bread and buttermilk biscuit with honey orange blossom butter.

Main meal was deep fried catfish, roast turkey and steak with potato casserole, green beans and carrots. I had told them I was vegetarian but it hadn't registered properly and so I asked them to bring me a portion of veg which was separate from the meat which they did. Karen says the meat was to die for and the vegetables, especially the potato casserole, were fantastic.

Dessert was a puff pastry envelope with vanilla custard filling, berries and cream - it was divine.

Character interaction was fabulous and the whole set up with the revolving restaurant just works.

We tried to get a second reservation for this one later in the holiday but it was fully booked. I will definitely go back one day and would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice dinner.

[SusieK]

Sounds lovely Sally.

[*~Nic~*]

Thanks for this Sally.

I've booked an ADR for lunch at the Garden Grill on my second day. After reading your review i can't wait!! :mickeybou

[Minnie's Sal]

Thanks for this Sally.

I've booked an ADR for lunch at the Garden Grill on my second day. After reading your review i can't wait!! :mickeybou


Hope you have an equally good experience as we did! :)

[mcsue]

I'd like to give this one a whirl (pardon the pun) but am worried I'd feel the effects of the revolving scenery.

[xxSarahxx]

Sounds fab - I've an ADR for dinner there, so looking forward even more now!

[MattF]

I'd like to give this one a whirl (pardon the pun) but am worried I'd feel the effects of the revolving scenery.

You don't notice the movement at all and we loved the food and interaction!

[truesdpr]

Stop it now Sally!!! Another one we haven't done yet. Mind you getting my itinerary filled up with your recommendations!

Pam.
:wavey:

[welshwiz]

Yum :tounge: Sounds fab Sally.

Def on our to do list next time........Thanks for the recommendation. :wavey:

[Minnie's Sal]

I'd like to give this one a whirl (pardon the pun) but am worried I'd feel the effects of the revolving scenery.


Nope you barely even notice it's happening. I was too busy looking for characters to cwtch anyway! ;)

[loadsapixiedust]

Oh no! I just scrapped this one from the itinerary so we could eat at Le Cellier again. I really fancy it but DH wasn't too keen on the menu.

Thanks for the report!

[Minnie's Sal]

Oh no! I just scrapped this one from the itinerary so we could eat at Le Cellier again. I really fancy it but DH wasn't too keen on the menu.

Thanks for the report!


I've never been to Le Cellier so I can't help you with a comparison I'm afraid.

[jue40]

We ate at the Garden Grill last July and we also had a great time! I nearly jumped out of my skin as I was busy looking around and taking it all in when someone sat down next to me. I calmly turned round thinking it was DD and Wohaaaaaaaaaaaa it was Mickey :d: Was beside myself which he found great fun!!!!!
Loved it:grin:

Julie

[disneydreamer]

Great to get positive feedback. Not done this one yet but doing lunch there on 2 Oct.

Jackie:)

[chris16sarah7]

Thanks Sally, we booked this and i was going to cancel as i could not find many good reviews.

I am going to stick with it now and i can't wait!

[jobowden]

We too had one of our best meals there this April, we had lunch & the character interaction was fab. You are seated in individual booths so the photo opportunites were great (no one else in the background) and the characters came around loads of times. You don't notice the movement unless you look very closely at the edge of the floor?? The children were also served chicken tenders, mac & cheese and fries. The meats were lovely and the veg & the pastry pudding was delicious. The children got to decorate their own cup cakes! It's definately on our list for next year.

[marlouwrig]

Excellent news. We have made an ADR for lunch there on 30th August

[D15NEY]

Ooh Goody!! We are booked here for dinner on Sunday 24th June :spin: .

[opticalhazer]

Brilliant! We have booked for there in October...can't wait! xx

[Mickey's Tyke]

sounds great guys we have a big ADR there and DM feeling pressure of all eyes on her choices for resteraunts, seems like she played a blinder here though!

[justinw]

Have an ADR for THIS SATURDAY - ohhh yeahhh, my little boy will be going mad - sooo excited

[Lindsaymc]

We ate here 2 weeks ago :cry: .
The meal was lovely and as everyone has said the character interaction was fantastic. I had my hair in bunches and both Chip and Dale thought it was great fun to pull them, which pleased our 3 year old godson no end!

We were also given a plate of fantastic sweet chilli ribs by the chef who welcomed us to the "Year of a Million Dreams" and said he had selected us for a special course, and as it was my husbands birthday we were also given the best birthday cake any of us have ever tasted :tounge:

You really don't notice the revolving as it's so slow it's meant to take the duration of your meal to do one revolution.

I would say add it to your ADR's.

[lindylou2_2002]

another yay for the garden gril was great. Nothing to fault it about. much as everyone else has said. if its not on your list it should be.

[Lesley_Perschky]

We have booked this for our next trip!

[mcsue]

Thanks for all the reassuring comments about the 'revolving'. I had a bit of a thing about it.

We are definitely going to give Garden Grill a try next time.

[tracyh]

Yea loving the recommendations, as we are booked for lunch here in Sept too. Glad I chose this now over all the other character meals in the parks, we are really really really really looking forward to it.....:spin: :spin:

[lynneandnick]

excellent, we have booked this so i am so glad to hear the good reports

[*Princess Jade*]

Isn't this a buffet restaurant!? I thought i had heard that somewhere!? Perhaps i'm just getting confused again...so many places to eat..so little time! hehe :)
Does it get extremly busy here? Sounds very popular! Will it definitly need to be booked?

Thanks x

[*Princess Jade*]

Isn't this a buffet restaurant!? I thought i had heard that somewhere!? Perhaps i'm just getting confused again...so many places to eat..so little time! hehe :)
Does it get extremly busy here? Sounds very popular! Will it definitly need to be booked?

Thanks x

[dee slack]

so glad to hear this as I'd thought about it for lunch in December. We've never been there before and I have a bit of an addiction to character dining:blush: I'm also a veggie.

[lindylou2_2002]

Isn't this a buffet restaurant!? I thought i had heard that somewhere!? Perhaps i'm just getting confused again...so many places to eat..so little time! hehe :)
Does it get extremly busy here? Sounds very popular! Will it definitly need to be booked?

Thanks x

It is eat as much as you want, the waiter brings you the plater of food as per the set menu. Then you can ask for more if you want it.
The food was really nice.

[dee slack]

anyone know if the lunch and dinner menu is the same, or different?

[jackiebt]

Do you have to book this meal before going to wdw or can we just hope we can get in

[ely3857]

Do you have to book this meal before going to wdw or can we just hope we can get in

If your going at a quiet time then you can risk not booking but if you definately want to eat there then booking is best.

:grin:

Jodie

[igoefamily]

We ate at garden grill last year and have booked again for this year.

A lovely meal, great service and the characters are really good.

I would highly recommend it.

[Minniespal]

Excellent ~ Thanx for sharing.

[Meeko1970]

This is on my list of restaurants to try at Epcot when we go, so was great to read all your thumbs up reviews. My youngest son loves Chip and Dale, so he's going to love it. Do they have a kids menu as well?

[MrBrady]

We've booked to eat at GG.. glad to hear it's all good.

I don't like fish, but I love mac 'n cheese - do you think if I ask nicely I can swap some fish for some lovely mac? :)

[stu1901]

Just bumping this up! Also thinking of booking this.

Also, as the last poster asked - i dont eat fish, so do you think i would be able to trade the fish for the chicken fingers from the kids menu?

[Flo]

I didn't like it here, food wasn't great and not much character interaction much better atmosphere and food elsewhere.

[Meeko1970]

I didn't like it here, food wasn't great and not much character interaction much better atmosphere and food elsewhere.

Sorry, I have to disagree. Just so that people can see both points of view. We had our best meal of the holiday here. All the characters spent good quality time with us. Chip and Dale were playing games with my boys and Mickey was dancing with them. We tried several character meals and we found many of them to be a quick autograph or photo before moving on, but that was not the case here. We found the food to be really good.

Maybe you went on a bad day (or perhaps we went on a good day!), but we'll definitely be going again.

[The Hardys]

After reading this we will definatlytry fo this as it sounds great! thanks

[dreamofdisney]

I'm glad you posted this too - we visited GG last year not knowing what to expect following mixed reviews. i have to say it is now a firm favorite with the family - my DD & DS love it because of the character interaction (I don't know we got round to it but Mickey Mouse confirmed he is a Man United fan!) and I loved it for the setting and the delicious food - just thinking about the steak dish is making me hungry!

[HeidiB]

We had a fab time at the GG back in 2004, and have booked again for our trip in December. We have a lunch booking.

But just found out on another thread that the character lunches are being stopped from Oct!! We'll have to try and change our booking to a dinner.

[Disney Posse]

Sounds lovely - might give it a go!!!:d:

[trickster2006]

oh sounds great we havethis booked for New years eve for our dinner so looking forward to it now even more xx

[jue40]

oh sounds great we havethis booked for New years eve for our dinner so looking forward to it now even more xx

We had New Years Eve dinner at Garden Grill last year and had a ball, we love garden grill :grin: