Citricos or California Grill?

[yaya74]

Should my family of 4 (DS 6 and DD10) have dinner at Citricos or California Grill? My kids will eat food offered at both places. I will get 10% off at Citricos with Disney Visa. But since we will be staying at GF, I thought it might be more fun to dine at California grill at a different resort. However, I am worried that CG is over-rated due to it's popularity (Pete and the crew rave about it). We won't be staying late enough to see the fireworks.

 

[Hopefully]

I think Ca Grille is a better choice,especially with a 6 and 10 year old

 

[Wild4Walt]

I've only done CG so I can't speak to Citricos. We enjoyed the food quite a bit BUT a lot of the draw is viewing the fireworks IMO. The service was good and the food was good, but it didn't Wow me.

 

[peabody58]

We've done both TS. CG was by far better on service, decor, food and overall atmosphere.

 

[kastoney]

I don't think CG is overrated and it completely lives up to the hype. Of course all tastes are different so I'm sure others will say the contrary but for us CG offers amazing seasonal food selections with some of the best views on property. Citricos is good too (though we actually prefer Narcoossee's) but IMO CG is in a league of its own

 

[phyllis1966]

Both are great, but with kids, maybe CG is better, specifically because dinner at Citricos can take a long time. Our daughter had a hard time making it through the entire meal there without getting tired.

 

[drwadadli]

I personally think CG is severely overrated. If it wasn't for the fireworks view, the restaurant would be as popular as it. The service is ok and the food is ok....neither are great or outstanding. With that being said, since you have young kids they will like to see the fireworks from the balcony. If I had kids their age, I would pick 'Ohana over CG hands down!!

 

[Corwin]

We've been to both, and greatly prefer California Grill. The fireworks and view are nice, but they're not the main reason we go there. We go for the food and service. CG is our favorite restaurant at WDW!

 

[KenHutch]

Another person who has eaten at both and if its just a choice between them its easy California Grill. If you looking for a signature that's unique check out Jiko.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I’ve eaten at both and enjoyed both. If you aren’t staying for the fireworks and you can get 10% off at Citricos, I would choose it! Either is fine for children! Personally, I’ve caught CG on 2 off nights recently so I’m giving it a rest, booked Citricos & Narcoosees for Aug. family trip.

 

[gharter]

We've eaten at both and definitely prefer CG. My wife prefers Narcoossees over Citricos. We ate at Citricos last fall. Walking out, my wife said, it was good, nothing special and we don't need to go back.

 

[smcabee]

We have done both as well. We would chose Citricos over CG every day of the week. The only thing CG has over Citricos is the Fireworks view in my opinion.

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

Aside from the view, CG s insanely over rated, IMHO. We each has the filet which, to us, was in this case a very poor cut of meat, slathered in their BBQ type of sauce. Mine, grilled to medium, could barely be cut. Sushi was average at best. Waiter was exceptionally rude. Restaurant had many empty tables, prob. held for a later reservation.

There were many families with young children dining at the same time as us (6:30 ressie).
CG is very open and loud.

We took our kids there several years ago when they were 8 and 11. They both remember the "restaurant in the sky."

Good luck with your choice and enjoy!

 

[Dean Marino]

Both .

 

[got15]

We have done both with our kids (8&4) and we enjoyed both. They liked watching the fireworks from CA grill -but they liked that Citricos was very chill and they loved their food their much more (we did too). We felt rushed to forgotten at CA Grill and aside from the fireworks- I dont know if we would do it again. Citricos, on the other hand, was terrific- food and service. For 10% off- i would go for it.. or do both if your budget allows.

 

[MomOTwins]

Citricos makes me feel like I was on a business trip. CG makes me feel like I am in Disney. We did not stay for the fireworks and CG was definitely magical.

 

[brksmith]

Tried both Citricos and California Grill on my trip in January 2024.

Definitely had the better experience at California Grill (and have had the same x3 prior) - the atmosphere was much more special, service more attentive and higher end (describing courses, suggesting things, presenting the wine). This may be server specific, but at Citricos was much more of a 'What'll it be' taking of the order with very limited interactions with the waiter. The bare minimum would be the way I'd phrase it, and definitely no effort to elevate things. Much better service at Spice Road Table and Liberty Tree Tavern the same trip for instance. Maybe I just got unlucky with the server. At California Grill the server was discretely topping up our wine during the fireworks and lots of special touches.

Food was good at Citricos, and the Guava BBQ short ribs were superb. California grill just as good.

Restaurant furniture and decor at Citricos has the edge, feels newer and plusher.

So my vote is California Grill here. Citricos with a better server? Maybe that would have changed it a bit, but it'll never be as special as a fireworks time table at Cali Grill.

 

[lubob]

California Grill with out a doubt

 

[tigerlilly]

We did both our last trip, as adults. For food, ambiance and service we would choose Citrico's. The staff was amazing, came and spoke with us, brought out new handcrafted cocktails to try (one was literally the best cocktail I have had on site). My family enjoyed their meal choices at CG (lamb, red snapper, cioppino). I ordered the filet and I made a better one last night from our local discount store Aldi on my grill that cost $6 lol. So if you do pick CG don't get the filet lol. I guess for a meal that cost over $700 for drinks/tip and meal I expected a touch more.

My advice, your children will probably enjoy CG more for the Fireworks and for the most part everyone loves their food

 

[Eastern]

CG for the fireworks.