Best resort dining options for two adults

[tiggeroo42]

I'm tagging along with my husband KID-FREE to a conference in Orlando, and I'm looking for a couple of evening resort dining options that are geared toward adults who appreciate food, the ambiance of the restaurant, and enjoy having conversation without it being too loud. We already have an ADR at California Grill during the fireworks. I was looking at Jiko, Artist Point, Yachtsman...anything else you all would suggest? It's been 9 years since we've been to Disney World! Bonus points if we can enjoy something at the resort after (i.e. fireworks, electrical water pageant, etc.)! We will also have a lunch at Disney Springs if anyone has any suggestions.

 

[SteveH]

I really like anything at Wilderness Lodge so Artist Point would get a vote.

I'd also consider the restaurants at the Swan/Dolphin; Shula's Steak House, Il Mulino, Todd English's Bluezoo and Kimonos all get very high marks.
https://www.swandolphinrestaurants.com/

 

[AllyBri]

BW/BC/YC
You have so many to pick from these 3 resorts and right next to them you have the Swan/Dolphin.

 

[earfulofmagic]

Based on desired characteristics, I can vouch for these places, and not necessarily in any order...

bluezoo in the Dolphin -> you could see Epcot fireworks (from outside of Epcot) then eat here afterwards, or do the reverse. after sunset there's a music/light "show" on the Causeway.
Artist Point in Wilderness Lodge -> can hop over to MK, or one of the other resorts around MK, to see fireworks after dinner. or you can see the EWP from WL. Possibly inconvenient to hop for fireworks viewing if you're driving in, and if you're doing MK fireworks from California Grill already, I'd just do EWP from WL
Jiko in Animal Kingdom Lodge, Jambo House -> animals on the savanna! I would get here 1-1.5 hours early, walk around and admire the animals and gorgeous resort, then eat at 7 or 7:30 depending on when sunset is at the time of year you are going. there are indeed night-vision goggles out on the savanna overlooks but it'll be much easier to take in the savanna during daylight hours, before nightfall.

I would also suggest Flying Fish (fantastic food, it's on the Boardwalk) but it can be loud-ish sometimes from the kitchen noise, though that noticeably decreases as the night goes on.

 

[EdnaMarieMode]

California Grill is a great choice.

We love the Yachtsman, and Shula's (we usually pick one per visit and sneak off for a date night).

Narcoosee's at the Grand Floridian offers a really nice view of the lagoon/ water pageant.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You could check out the Turf Club at Saratoga Springs. It's a little more adult.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

I would pick Jiko. We ate there for our anniversary in March and had a great time. The food and service were outstanding. We even received a homemade anniversary card. We can't wait to visit here again.

 

[KenHutch]

Jiko is the best restaurant in WDW in my opinion and depending on your ADR time you can wander around the hotel grounds and animal watch. I also have a weakness for Narcoossee's and the electric water show. The girls love going outside during dinner and watching the show.

 

[OneinThree]

and enjoy having conversation without it being too loud. We already have an ADR at California Grill during the fireworks.

Love the food and view at CG, but it's one of the absolute loudest, most bustling places you could choose. Be ye forewarned, lol.

In terms of food quality, the Swan/Dolphin restaurants eclipse anything Disney-run restaurants have to offer. For a nice quite sit-down, consider Artist Point, which evidently won't be around much longer.

 

[drwadadli]

We totally love Artist Point but there is no news about what will become of the restaurant after October.

I agree with @OneinThree that if you are looking to enjoy having a conversation without it being too loud, then I would NOT recommend CG. If you want to see the fireworks from the balcony, I would then recommend going up to CG for pre-dinner drinks, save your receipt but eat somewhere else (along the monorail loop or at WL) and then head back to CG to view the fireworks by showing your prior receipt.

As for lunch at DS, we love Raglan Roads but also greatly enjoy our meal at D-Luxe Burger. The sandwiches and fries portion are huge at D-Luxe so we would recommend sharing. That is what we do...we share a fries order and pick a burger we both want to eat and share.

 

[Kimrlav]

My suggestion would be Flying Fish at the Boardwalk Inn resort area. After your dinner, you and your husband can stroll along the Boardwalk to experience the night-time entertainment and catch a view of the Illuminations fireworks from the bridge between the Boardwalk and Beach Club.

 

[Cramden]

My wife and I did a Progressive Dinner/Pub Crawl of sorts in February when staying at the BC which included food and/or drinks at Kimono's and Il Mulino at the Swan, bluezoo at the Dolphin, Abracadabar on the Boardwalk with a break on the bridge to catch the Fireworks and ended at Yachtsman at the Yacht Club.

Previous year we did the same when staying at the Poly but visited Trader Sam's, Narcoossee's, The Wave, Geyser Point and the Territory Lounge and ended back at the Poly for the Fireworks and the EWP

Also what about doing the Wanyama Safari at AKL which includes dinner at Jiko or just dinner at Jiko and possibly the Starlight Safari afterwards?

For DS I love sitting at the outside bar at the Boathouse. Great place to grab lunch and a drink.

Have fun!

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Yachtsman!

 

[wdw&sonny]

Sanaa
Jiko
Cali Grill
Artist Point
Narcoossee
Victoria and Albert's $$$$$$$$$$

 

[DaisyDuck001]

I agree with the above recommendations for The Wave, Jiko, and Artist Point (the latter two of which were already on your list), but everyone is waiting to see if Artist Point is still fine dining after late October, as they currently aren't taking any reservations beyond that. So basically my advice is to add The Wave to your original list. I haven't been there for lunch, but have enjoyed breakfasts and dinners there.

RE: lunch at Disney Springs, if you're looking for something less noisy at lunchtime, maybe Edison... If noise is OK, I like the weekend brunch at Raglan Road because the Irish step dancers perform 12-4PM Sat and Sun.

 

[tiggeroo42]

My wife and I did a Progressive Dinner/Pub Crawl of sorts in February when staying at the BC which included food and/or drinks at Kimono's and Il Mulino at the Swan, bluezoo at the Dolphin, Abracadabar on the Boardwalk with a break on the bridge to catch the Fireworks and ended at Yachtsman at the Yacht Club.

Previous year we did the same when staying at the Poly but visited Trader Sam's, Narcoossee's, The Wave, Geyser Point and the Territory Lounge and ended back at the Poly for the Fireworks and the EWP

So how did this work? ADRs at each sit down place? I'm intrigued by this idea!

 

[tiggeroo42]

Thank you all for the fabulous suggestions! Swan/Dolphin weren't even on my radar! I've been to CG a couple times and know it's busy and loud, but it's our favorite so I can't give up our meal there. Really leaning toward doing Jiko or something in the Boardwalk Resort area. We may have to add in a pub crawl with appetizers around the monorail hotels because of all the fun choices! Would I still need to do an ADR if we're just stopping at Artist Point to get dessert only? We are going next week, so no worries about it being revamped in October.

 

[Cramden]

So how did this work? ADRs at each sit down place? I'm intrigued by this idea!

Nope, we didn't need ADR's. We had no problems getting into the restaurant bars on our Boardwalk Crawl. We did arrive at 3:45pm to line up at Trader Sam's to get in for their 4:00pm opening. There will usually be a lineup waiting to get in at that time. Geyser Point was pretty packed when we got there but found 2 seats at the bar after about 5 minutes. If you time it right it's a gorgeous boat ride from the Contemporary to Wilderness Lodge when the sun is setting.

I think you can also get the full AP menu served at Territory Lounge if you have trouble getting into AP without a reservation for you dessert.

Both Crawls were a lot of fun and a nice alternative to a sit down.

 

[BassetHoundMom]

Victoria and Albert's is hands-down my favorite for an adults-only dinner, though it is of course extremely pricey. Worth it for a special occasion, if the budget allows.

We also had a wonderful meal at Monsieur Paul - the food, ambiance, and location was fantastic - and our reservation was for 7:00, which timed perfectly with IllumiNations starting at 9:00.

 

[VAfamily1998]

If you end up choosing any of the Boardwalk/YC/Swan/Dolphin area restaurants, and you like to sing along to piano music, consider stopping at Jellyrolls. It's a 21+ bar with a cover charge (I think it was $12/person last time I went) and they have two piano players. No real food, just drinks, but it is so much fun!