Jiko, Yachtman or Artist's Point?

[Megara5115]

So I have narrowed it down to these three signatures for a second anniversary dinner for me and my husband. I was considering V&A where we have eaten a couple times and of course is amazing, but I think I would like to try somewhere new (husband is more of a "just tell me where to show up and when" kind of Disney vacationer). We have never been to any of these and from looking at the menus we would have plenty of food that appeals to us to chose from. Hoping for recommendations!

We will be staying at AKL that night and it will be our only kid-free evening as well... if we do Artist's Point I am thinking we will take the boat over to MK after to stroll around, same for Yachtsman and Epcot... not sure what we would do if we did Jiko maybe bus/drive to Epcot or DS? The after plan isn't a big factor but any suggestions about that too would be appreciated... thank you!

Also... what to order recommendation Thanks again!

 

[FSU Girl]

My vote is for Yachtsman. I love that place, been twice now and can't wait to go back. The steak is great and their truffle mac and cheese is amazing you should definitely order it. They also have amazing bread. I have reviews of it in my dining reports as well.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Of the three, my favorite is Artist Point (I like the salmon). The restaurant and resort are beautiful and the food and service have always been good. You could boat to CR and do a monorail resort tour afterward, or, as you mention, go to MK.

My favorite "date nights' are strolling through WS and Yachtsman is good, just not my favorite. We really enjoy Monsieur Paul in EP and prefer to do that on WS date nights. If you aren't on the dining plan, bluezoo and Shula's at the Dolphin are much better, IMHO.

If eating at Jiko, maybe consider going to AK afterward? See Pandora at night, ROL or do a night safari.

 

[Fangorn]

All three are excellent choices. It just depends on your tastes. We love Jiko. Best meal we've ever had at WDW was at Jiko. It's a very quiet place and an excellent spot for an anniversary. The food and service are superb.

Yachtsman has great steaks and the service is great as well. It tends to be a bit noisier and the atmosphere is not particularly "romantic". But you do have quick access to Epcot and the Boardwalk area after dinner.

Artists Point is also a wonderful place and gets a whole lot of love around here. The food is on a par with Jiko, imo. My problem with AP is that I live in the Pacific Northwest and the menu, while good, is pretty standard fare around here - nothing out of the ordinary and not as good as I can get at any of half a dozen places within a 10 mile radius of my house. So it just doesn't appeal to us while on vacation. But that's just my preference. If you've never had Northwest cuisine, Artist's Point will be a great experience.

So, I've been absolutely no help whatsoever.

You'll enjoy whichever one you choose.

Steve

 

[Babsy]

The other two are good, but Jiko is amazing! Best meal that we have had in WDW! The food, ambience, service - all are impeccable!

The grilled wild boar tenderloin was delicious as a starter. We also had a buffalo entree that was excellent, but looking on Allears I don't see it listed. Perhaps it was a seasonal item or a special?

You will enjoy whichever you choose, but for a memorable meal, I would choose Jiko.

 

[Megara5115]

Thank you all so much for the thoughtful replies so far!

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Since you will be at AKL, I voted for Jiko. We've had fine meals at all three, so the donvenience of the location gives Jiko a slight edge. Also, if you care for wine, Jiko,has an outstanding selection of South African wines that are hard to find elsewhere. Try the Wagyu Strip Loin with the mac n' cheese and African red wine sauce.

 

[loves to dive]

Haven't been to Artists Point but have been to the other two. We might be the only people who have eaten at Jiko that weren't impressed. The food was o.k. but not something that was wow. The service was good but again, not wow. What got us was the bill, we don't mind paying for a good meal, we just did V&A's last trip to the tune of $730 enjoyed it and while it won't be an every trip sort of thing we will do it again. We ate at Jikos, had no appetizers, no dessert just two entres and two wine flights. We got different wine flights because we like to share and test different wines, 2 out of the three wines in both flights were the same wine. I have never seen wine flights of 3 wines where two are the same. I ordered a white flight, my son ordered a red. Mine was two reds and a white, the same two reds in his. That weirdness aside our bill with tip came close to $200. He got steak I got fish. He didn't eat all his steak because he said it was just o.k. I didn't eat all my fish, it was good but not spectacular.

 

[tomlinson]

Definitely voted for Artist's Point. I found Jiko to be underwhelming and Yachtsman just felt like your normal steakhouse. I loved the atmosphere of Artist's Point, and the cereal milk / cookie dessert thing. Whatever it was. I cannot remember the name.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Of the three, my favorite is Artist Point (I like the salmon). The restaurant and resort are beautiful and the food and service have always been good.

I agree with you on this. Loooooooooooooove Artist Point. Food is outstanding, as is the service. And yes its gorgeous inside, nice and quiet too. The desserts are amazing as well, and what a work of art!

 

[belac]

FWIW out of the three Artists Point is our fav for a special night, if V&A is out.

 

[gharter]

All 3 are great choices. I don't think you can make a bad choice. I think it really comes down to whether one menu is more interesting to you. For that reason, Jiko wins for us. Great food, atmosphere, usually quieter, great service.
After the meal, the lounge is nice or a quiet stroll around the grounds or sit out by the Savana. In the midwest, we have terrific Steak Houses around us, so Yatchsman is nothing special for us. Artist Point has always been a wonderful meal. Has food selections that are not as common for us as well.

 

[ArwenMarie]

We were not fans of Jiko. We thought the portions were tiny and the food was meh.

Yachtsman is good. It's a classic, expensive steakhouse, kind of like Capitol Grille or Mortons. The ambience is very meh though.

My vote is for Artists Point! It has a very calm, pretty atmosphere and we really enjoyed our meals there (I think we ate there twice when we stayed at WL) And then you can walk around or take the boat to MK.

 

[Mousemom234]

I ordered a white flight, my son ordered a red. Mine was two reds and a white, the same two reds in his.

If I got 2 reds in a white flight, somebody had better be explaining that all the other whites got broken in a mysterious accident.
I don't like 95% of reds, and I wouldn't want to pay for something I didn't order.

Other than that, my vote is for Artist Point. We've almost never had a bad meal there (and the one time we did things were corrected as soon as possible). The ambiance is nice, it's normally rather quiet and romantic, and it's a nice walk around the property before or after dinner. If you time it right, you might end up watching the fireworks and/or EWP from out on the lake if you choose to take a 'cruise'

 

[NYCgrrl]

All great restaurants by reputation with 3 distinct cuisines and celebratory worthy. Given that you will be at AKL I would choose Jiko's.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

All three should be good choices; I don't think you would go wrong with any of them. I haven't been to Yachtsman Steakhouse yet (hoping to go next year) but I've made multiple visits to the other two. If you go to Jiko, then an idea for afterwards would be to do the Starlight Safari at AKL, if you can get a reservation for that (and if you haven't already been on it). If you choose Yachtsman, then afterwards you could go for a walk on the Boardwalk and then go to the Jellyrolls dueling piano bar. At Jellyrolls if you tell them it's your anniversary then they might ask you to do something a little silly, so if you're not up for that then just don't mention it. If you choose Artist Point, then afterwards you can walk around the grounds of WL and watch the Electrical Water Pageant and the geyser. The menus at any of the restaurants can change every few months, so it may be too far ahead to choose your menu items just yet.

 

[pork]

I'm going to have to give a vote for jiko. I've had great experiences at the others but jiko is my favorite sig on property.

 

[Megara5115]

Thank you all again so much... it sounds like we would have a great time at any of these. I showed my husband the options and some of the feedback and we decided on Artist Point. Thank you all again for your time... we will definitely be trying the others at some point down the line as well!

 

[GoGoBeans]

Seems like you've already decide, however I'd still cast the vote for Jiko. Especially since you're at AKL. You can take the time to linger, with your wine, to the fire pit, to the animals. Beautiful, low stress evening.

We've eaten artist point and the menu was too far off norm for me. It was an okay meal, but not one we'd ever rush back to.

Happy Anniversary!

 

[gatour]

I have eaten at all three.
First Choice: Jiko
Close Second: Artist Point
Distant Third: Yachtsman (Food was good, but it is just a steakhouse)