Chrelaine
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2014
We just returned from a fantastic, 4 night, adult only, anniversary trip! No DDP. We were very lucky in our choices this year. Here are our thoughts, I hope someone finds them helpful.
Via Napoli dinner: We had a 7:30 ADR and checked in at 7:20. The lobby is a bit congested and confused which didn't have us feeling optimistic. We were seated right on time at a table for 2 toward the back. Hostess and server were friendly and attentive. We ordered a pitcher of sangria and 2 individual pizzas the pepperoni and the proscuitto e melone. We loved the pizzas. DH wants the dough recipe
The prosciutto pizza was so unusual that I can't really describe the sweetness with salty meat and the arugula to cut the richness. It was just perfect. Our experience was excellent and we found the food a decent value for Disney. We will go again.
ESPN Club lunch: We stopped in wanting a quick lunch. DH and I each ordered a drink. I loved The Espy, it was the perfect vacation drink. I had the PB & J burger and DH had the Cuban burger. Both were good for a chain style restaurant, although we found them to be slightly overcooked. Both came with shoestring style fries. Service was very good. We would definitely go again, especially if there was a good game of any kind on.
'Ohana dinner: DH's favorite meal of the trip. We didn't like the confusion of check in across the upper level of the Poly. We watched many people head right to the restaurant to try to check in. We checked in about 7:45 for an 8pm ADR and were seated on time. Water and bread were delivered immediately. Our server was excellent, constantly checking on what we needed/wanted. There was salad, pot stickers, wings, noodles, beef, shrimp and chicken. All of the meat was cooked well. The beef was our favorite. I hate having to peel the shrimp so I only had one serving. By the time dessert came, I was quite full so DH ate most of the ooey gooey bread pudding by himself. It is the best dessert ever. I laughed when the server offered us another! DH seriously considered trying. I had the sangria and did not like it as much as the one at Via Napoli. (I had a Lapu Lapu last year and it was not for me.) No real complaints, another solid meal.
Columbia Harbor House lunch: We hit the restaurant right at 12:30 so it was quite busy. I can't imagine what it would be like when it is peak season, the stairs were crowded and hard to pass with full trays. DH and I each ordered the lobster roll and iced tea slushies. The roll was ok but what you expect for a quick service lobster roll outside of New England... a little too wet and a little too full of other things. We both liked the crispy chips that came with them. The drinks were too thick for the straws provided and definitely more lemonade than tea. Friendly service. We will go back but will order something different after looking at other plates! A good choice for quick service in MK.
La Hacienda de San Angel dinner: A last minute ADR gave us a favorite place in Epcot. We decided to have appetizers before eating around the World Showcase. We checked in at 6:15 for a 6:30 ADR and were seated a bit early. The restaurant has such beautiful views! We were surprised when we walked in. I finally had an avocado margarita and I am glad to say it didn't disappoint. It was delicious, although, I can honestly say I couldn't pick out the avocado flavor. We split the Gorditas and Queso Fundido. I found the corn cakes a little hard in the gorditas but enjoyed the flavors of the dish. The queso is really a plate of melted cheese with chorizo and peppers served with tortillas. We liked it, but prefer the dip style that you see in most restaurants served with chips. My complaints are small. We loved the meal and will gladly go again. Service was attentive if maybe a little stiff
The Wave breakfast: A hidden gem. The best selection I've seen on a breakfast buffet. We loved that almost everything is served in small, single serving portions. You could get a yogurt parfait rather than piling yogurt in a bowl with toppings. It's already done. All of their a la carte items are found on the buffet: Eggs Benedict with Key Lime Hollandaise, Sweet Potato Pancakes, Egg White fritatta. All were very good. We really liked richness of the pancakes. We were very impressed with the food quality, especially for a buffet. Everything was hot and well prepared. We will definitely go again.
Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar for drinks: We had time to kill before an ADR at the Boathouse, so we stopped in for a drink. We didn't eat, so I can't speak for food. We expected the place to be large and it is really quite small inside. We pulled up seats at the bar. I ordered Reggie's Revenge and DH had the Wrong Island! My drink was sweet and citrusy, like you would expect of a Florida drink. DH's Wrong Island was quite strong with very little sour mix or soda....great if you like that sort of thing It was a bit too much for his tastes. Not a cheap place to have a drink but nowhere is. We would go again but I'm sure it gets quite busy making it hard to find a seat.
The Boathouse late lunch: I was afraid of this one, having seen such mixed reviews. I loved the brightness of the restaurant and I didn't find it nearly as noisy as some other places. There was not a band playing, so I can't speak to the noise level if that is going on. We ordered the Local Cedar Key Middle Neck clams. I cannot tell you how delicious the sauce on these was. I made them leave the plate to dip bread in the sauce. The garlic and wine sauce was so delicious soaked into the table bread! DH ordered the Lobster Papardelle and I had the Grilled Ponce Inlet Amberjack Fish Tacos. The sauce on the pasta was full of garlic and plenty of lobster. DH was in heaven. I had 3 tacos. I loved the cooling slaw. There was a nice heat to tacos. I've learned Amber Jack is not my favorite fish, but that isn't the restaurant's issue. We each ordered a Lake Squall. They were pricier than other places, but the drinks were huge! Well worth it. We will definitely go again. The restrooms were some of the nicest I have ever seen!
Kona Cafe breakfast: We walked in without a reservation and were able to be seated after checking our bags on departure day. DH had the Samoan and I had the steak and eggs with toast. My sunny side eggs were cooked correctly and the portion of steak was perfect for breakfast. The steak was definitely more cooked than I would have preferred but didn't have time to ask for it to be changed. I am certain they would have made the change with out complaint. DH practically licked his plate. The pork had a delicious cooked all day taste to it. When everything was mixed together it was a delightfully rich dish. I don't know that we would go out of our way to eat at Kona again but we liked the meal.
We stayed at the Poly and found Captain Cookes frustrating. Ordering was confusing for people and at one point, we waited 10 minutes to buy drinks. If staying at the Poly, I recommend bringing your own drinks or buying a refillable mug!
Overall, we didn't have a single meal we were disappointed in. We were very happy with the portion size and taste of everything we were served. We hope others have the same experience!
Via Napoli dinner: We had a 7:30 ADR and checked in at 7:20. The lobby is a bit congested and confused which didn't have us feeling optimistic. We were seated right on time at a table for 2 toward the back. Hostess and server were friendly and attentive. We ordered a pitcher of sangria and 2 individual pizzas the pepperoni and the proscuitto e melone. We loved the pizzas. DH wants the dough recipe
The prosciutto pizza was so unusual that I can't really describe the sweetness with salty meat and the arugula to cut the richness. It was just perfect. Our experience was excellent and we found the food a decent value for Disney. We will go again.ESPN Club lunch: We stopped in wanting a quick lunch. DH and I each ordered a drink. I loved The Espy, it was the perfect vacation drink. I had the PB & J burger and DH had the Cuban burger. Both were good for a chain style restaurant, although we found them to be slightly overcooked. Both came with shoestring style fries. Service was very good. We would definitely go again, especially if there was a good game of any kind on.
'Ohana dinner: DH's favorite meal of the trip. We didn't like the confusion of check in across the upper level of the Poly. We watched many people head right to the restaurant to try to check in. We checked in about 7:45 for an 8pm ADR and were seated on time. Water and bread were delivered immediately. Our server was excellent, constantly checking on what we needed/wanted. There was salad, pot stickers, wings, noodles, beef, shrimp and chicken. All of the meat was cooked well. The beef was our favorite. I hate having to peel the shrimp so I only had one serving. By the time dessert came, I was quite full so DH ate most of the ooey gooey bread pudding by himself. It is the best dessert ever. I laughed when the server offered us another! DH seriously considered trying. I had the sangria and did not like it as much as the one at Via Napoli. (I had a Lapu Lapu last year and it was not for me.) No real complaints, another solid meal.
Columbia Harbor House lunch: We hit the restaurant right at 12:30 so it was quite busy. I can't imagine what it would be like when it is peak season, the stairs were crowded and hard to pass with full trays. DH and I each ordered the lobster roll and iced tea slushies. The roll was ok but what you expect for a quick service lobster roll outside of New England... a little too wet and a little too full of other things. We both liked the crispy chips that came with them. The drinks were too thick for the straws provided and definitely more lemonade than tea. Friendly service. We will go back but will order something different after looking at other plates! A good choice for quick service in MK.
La Hacienda de San Angel dinner: A last minute ADR gave us a favorite place in Epcot. We decided to have appetizers before eating around the World Showcase. We checked in at 6:15 for a 6:30 ADR and were seated a bit early. The restaurant has such beautiful views! We were surprised when we walked in. I finally had an avocado margarita and I am glad to say it didn't disappoint. It was delicious, although, I can honestly say I couldn't pick out the avocado flavor. We split the Gorditas and Queso Fundido. I found the corn cakes a little hard in the gorditas but enjoyed the flavors of the dish. The queso is really a plate of melted cheese with chorizo and peppers served with tortillas. We liked it, but prefer the dip style that you see in most restaurants served with chips. My complaints are small. We loved the meal and will gladly go again. Service was attentive if maybe a little stiff
The Wave breakfast: A hidden gem. The best selection I've seen on a breakfast buffet. We loved that almost everything is served in small, single serving portions. You could get a yogurt parfait rather than piling yogurt in a bowl with toppings. It's already done. All of their a la carte items are found on the buffet: Eggs Benedict with Key Lime Hollandaise, Sweet Potato Pancakes, Egg White fritatta. All were very good. We really liked richness of the pancakes. We were very impressed with the food quality, especially for a buffet. Everything was hot and well prepared. We will definitely go again.
Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar for drinks: We had time to kill before an ADR at the Boathouse, so we stopped in for a drink. We didn't eat, so I can't speak for food. We expected the place to be large and it is really quite small inside. We pulled up seats at the bar. I ordered Reggie's Revenge and DH had the Wrong Island! My drink was sweet and citrusy, like you would expect of a Florida drink. DH's Wrong Island was quite strong with very little sour mix or soda....great if you like that sort of thing
It was a bit too much for his tastes. Not a cheap place to have a drink but nowhere is. We would go again but I'm sure it gets quite busy making it hard to find a seat.The Boathouse late lunch: I was afraid of this one, having seen such mixed reviews. I loved the brightness of the restaurant and I didn't find it nearly as noisy as some other places. There was not a band playing, so I can't speak to the noise level if that is going on. We ordered the Local Cedar Key Middle Neck clams. I cannot tell you how delicious the sauce on these was. I made them leave the plate to dip bread in the sauce. The garlic and wine sauce was so delicious soaked into the table bread! DH ordered the Lobster Papardelle and I had the Grilled Ponce Inlet Amberjack Fish Tacos. The sauce on the pasta was full of garlic and plenty of lobster. DH was in heaven. I had 3 tacos. I loved the cooling slaw. There was a nice heat to tacos. I've learned Amber Jack is not my favorite fish, but that isn't the restaurant's issue. We each ordered a Lake Squall. They were pricier than other places, but the drinks were huge! Well worth it. We will definitely go again. The restrooms were some of the nicest I have ever seen!
Kona Cafe breakfast: We walked in without a reservation and were able to be seated after checking our bags on departure day. DH had the Samoan and I had the steak and eggs with toast. My sunny side eggs were cooked correctly and the portion of steak was perfect for breakfast. The steak was definitely more cooked than I would have preferred but didn't have time to ask for it to be changed. I am certain they would have made the change with out complaint. DH practically licked his plate. The pork had a delicious cooked all day taste to it. When everything was mixed together it was a delightfully rich dish. I don't know that we would go out of our way to eat at Kona again but we liked the meal.
We stayed at the Poly and found Captain Cookes frustrating. Ordering was confusing for people and at one point, we waited 10 minutes to buy drinks. If staying at the Poly, I recommend bringing your own drinks or buying a refillable mug!
Overall, we didn't have a single meal we were disappointed in. We were very happy with the portion size and taste of everything we were served. We hope others have the same experience!
