Is Yatchsman actually a good steakhouse?

We ate at YSH once and never again. All four of our steaks were gristly and mine was rare on one side and well done on the other side. I sent mine back and the next one was just as bad. My kids still joke about how we were given only butter knives to cut the steaks. When we complained to a manager, our server gave us the stink-eye the rest of the meal. It was such a miserable experience that the manager gave us all of our dining credits back even though we didn’t ask for anything.

Now Shula’s, on the other hand, is amazing. We try to go every trip. Amazing tender steaks that melt in your mouth!
 
Better steaks can be found less than 5 minutes away. Flying Fish and Shula's. Last time at Yachtsman my steak seemed less than a prime cut and I sent my broccolini back as it arrived cold.
 
Ate at.Yachtsman last week for my 50th birthday while staying at BC, having eaten her on a previous visit (around 4 years ago) and had a wonderful night) we found the steaks to be really fatty this time, both DW and myself didn’t finish our meals which rarely happens at a steakhouse!!
I also had a the ribeye at Jiko in AK which was superb and a porterhouse still the Boathouse which was also really good.
 
The ribeye I had at Citricos last week was the best steak I’ve had at all of the Disney signature restaurants.
 


We've always enjoyed Yachtsman and as others have said the steaks are wonderful and always perfectly cooked. Plus onion rolls! That said we ate at Shula's in the dolphin for the first on our last trip and it was definitely the superior experience. Not only were the steaks better, but the service impeccable! I'd heard this for years and thought Yachtsman was so good it couldn't be true, but it was.
 
We enjoyed Yachtsman much more than Le Cellier. ( Had filets at both and could have cut the Yachtsman's with a fork - delicious! ). We also had ready good steaks at Grand Floridian Cafe. It's not technically a steak house but we really enjoyed them.

We haven't tried Shula's yet but we hear really good things.
 


I find Yachtsman to be inconsistent. I’ve had some very good meals there and I’ve had some not good meals there. Flying Fish is my go to place among the Epcot resorts.
 
I very much enjoy the food and atmosphere at Yachtsman, but the missus finds the servers to be a bit too stuffy. Comparisons to Ruth's Chris seem mostly appropriate, although I like the lighting at Yachtsman better.

I will say that Flying Fish is also my go-to in the Epcot area, and their steaks are surprisingly good for a place with Fish in its name.
 
We ate at Yachtsman a couple of weeks ago for our anniversary. The steak was delicious, as well as the onion rolls of course. We had a lobster tail add-on that we planned to share, but the chef sent us an additional one for our anniversary. That was a nice surprise! Oh and they were very good too.
 
We love Yachtsman. I had one of the best meals of my life there a couple of years ago (and my wife and I are foodies, so take that for what's its worth). That being said, it can be a little inconsistent. Another big variable is your server, but that's true for all restaruanrat. I will be visiting there for the foreseeable future.
 
We really enjoyed Yatchsman on our last trip but thought it was a little over priced but that is just because we are at Disney and every thing is overpriced really. Overall the meal was really good and the service was just as good. I will say the best steak I have had was at California Grill.
 
We had a terrible experience there two years ago. Bad food and bad service.

We are going to try again as most give it good reviews!
 
A good steakhouse by what standard? Disney? Or general dining?

The reality is all restaurants on Disney property need to be graded on a curve, with the possible exception of Victoria & Albert's. As far as Disney-owned steak joints go, Yachtsman is probably the best. I don't think it's better than Shula's, which is the platonic ideal of a steakhouse. I also don't think it compares favorably to other high-end chain steakhouses, like Ruth's Chris, Del Frisco's and Capital Grille.

Does that mean Yachtsman Steakhouse is a bad choice for your vacation? No, certainly not. It's pretty good -- especially for Disney. But it's good to have realistic expectations.
 
We are foodies. We love all kinds of good food and cuisines. But we also have begun making a travel tradition of dining at a fine steakhouse in whatever city we go to.

Is Yachtsman actually a good steakhouse? Or is just average? For the price we want to make sure we're getting what we're paying for
Part of what you are "paying for" is being at Disney - if you understand that and adjust your expectations relative to price you can have good meals at WDW - but a $50 steak at WDW is not a $50 steak in the outside world. If you compare it to a $35 steak you'll probably be happy with it. Likewise a $35 steak is more like a $20 steak.

I live on Martha's Vineyard and we jokingly call things "vineyard good" or "vineyard cheap" - compared to the rest of America we probably wouldn't go certain places, but when you're stuck on an island it's the best you can do and you are paying out the nose for it. Likewise certain things are "Disney good" and i would put the signatures in that category for the most part - you pay more than it's worth but they are comparable to some excellent (if lower priced) options elsewhere.
 
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