Le Cellier....

[acarsme123]

So I've been going on Trip Advisor to read recent reviews of all of our restaurant picks for our trip in a few weeks. Almost everything we've chosen gets pretty high praise. The one that i'm seeing the most negative reviews on though, is Le Cellier. This is a little surprising to me. I figured this was going to be the most expensive meal we ate. Is that the real issue? People expect really high end for the money being paid? Or is the food really bad or inconsistent? I see lots of reviews of over/undercooked steaks and rude or indifferent service. Kinda has me worried about this pick. The only reason I avoided Yachtsman was because we'll be at Epcot all day, and I don't quite feel comfortable going into a more fancy restaurant potentially all sweaty and in shorts and a tshirt!

Can anyone who has eaten here recently chime in and put my mind at ease? Also, what is the recommendation as far as what steak to pick? I am usually a ribeye guy, but the sides seem a little weird to me that they put with it. The maple-butter sounds intriguing though.
The Porterhouse sounds more traditional, and given all the sides they include, it seems to be a better value for the money. I've never had a Porterhouse though.

Also, if you were picking between the cheddar soup, or the signature poutine as an appetizer, which one would you pick? I'd love to get both, but I have a hard time swallowing over $20 on just appetizers given what the cost of the rest of the meal will be!

 

[bluejasmine]

Havent been to Le Cellier since 2012 bc they went to signature dining and cost 2 TS credits.. this trip in Sept though we decided to go back bc the mushroom filet and maple crème Brule is outstanding.
I think what ppl complain about is the restaurant itself is nice but not signature nice. Waiter doesn't come put a napkin in your lap, tables are very close together, its kinda noisy inside bc well its built like a wine cellar..
Ive had the cheddar soup and its definitely good but I haven't tried the poutine and would like to try that this trip

if there is anything listed on the menu that they put on a steak as you mentioned that you don't want you can tell them to leave it off

 

[Stephy811]

We ate there in December for the first time. It was fine but nothing spectacular. My hubby and I both agreed we’d skip it next time and try somewhere else. The atmosphere is nice and the cheddar soup and pretzel bread were both excellent. However the steaks (both of us had filet) were just average - same quality as say a Longhorn steakhouse or somewhere like that...definitely not as good of a steak as your higher end chains (Morton’s, Ruth’s Chris etc). It had been on my list for quite awhile so I’m glad we finally did it but honestly I think food quality was better at the Yachtsman which we tried a few years ago (just my opinion).

 

[CraigInPA]

LeCellier (LC for short) was, at one time, a one dining credit meal. During that time, it garnered huge praise for its value. People over looked the fact that the restaurant is in a basement, dark, and dungeon-like. The restaurant was originally set up to be a buffet, and not much was changed when it became a table service. As its popularity grew, LC decided to squeeze in a few more tables. The result is that it's very tightly packed. When they decided to become a signature (2 dining credit) restaurant, they changed nothing but the prices. The room is still tightly packed with tables. So much so that reviewers often complain about being virtually touching people at adjacent tables. LC, has from the beginning always had a young wait staff drawn from the college program. They aren't the best trained or experienced, unlike every other signature restaurant. Now competing with Yachtsman steakhouse (a 15 minute walk away) and Shula's steak house (a 20 minute walk away) and every other signature restaurant (Monsieur Paul, California Grille, Narcoossee's, Citrico's, Jiko, Artist Point, etc...), LC is a poor choice. The signature experience just isn't there. The food is merely ok. You'd be hard pressed to know you aren't eating at Bonanza, Outback, or other lower end steak house until your bill arrives.

If it's steaks you are after, I'd go to Yachtsman or Shula's. If you're looking for a signature dining experience, I'd go anywhere but LC.

 

[billy1]

We ate at there recently and would definitely not go back. Food and atmosphere very disappointing. Tables far too close together for a signature restaurant; I feel they are just trying to get as many people in at possible which for a signature is, in my opinion, not the way to go. One of the things we found most annoying was hearing the same 'stories' from the server which could not be avoided as the table are very close. Yachtsman far superior in my opinion; food, atmosphere and setting.

 

[bluejasmine]

I will agree Yachtman has better steak and ambiance

 

[acarsme123]

Yeah I know Yachtsman is probably better. I’m going to have been at Epcot all day though. Don’t feel comfortable going to a more upscale place in shorts and a T-shirt, if they’d even let us in!

 

[Vala]

I've been in November, and totally argree on what has been said before.

Tables pushed more tight together than at the Disneyland Paris Halloween Character Brunch 2016, and that was the most oversold meal I had seen at this point. Not what I expected from "fine dining." I had been warned that this would be the situation at H&V. I found LC much, much worse.

Food... meh. It didn't help that my filet had definitely been sitting under the heatlamp for too long. They tried serving me the entree when I hadn't even half finished my soup. I would have complained normally, but my food was dropped off by two different male CMs (not sure if they were busboys) while the actual female CM who hat taken my order was nowhere to be seen.

Funny enough I did try the filet and the cheese soup at the F&W stalls too. The pretzel bread tasted better in the restaurant, but the other two things tasted way better at the booth.

My initial server didn't come on me to check or ask "how is everything?" or the usual stuff. When it became clear that I wasn't going to order fancy and expensive wines like her other tables her attitude changed to curt, at the border of being rude. Her clear intention was getting me out as fast as possible. I was on the dining plan and had actually planned on paying for dessert OOP, and told her as much when she took my initial order. She brought my check without even asking if I wanted anything else. So at that point I left and went to the chocolate booth at F&W for dessert.

 

[Alicefan]

We went last year and had an excellent meal and didn't notice our tables being any closer than any other of the restaurants, and I've been to almost all of them. We both loved our steaks. I've eaten here at least 5 times and never had a bad meal. I think you should give it a try because it might be your favorite place. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the poutine. It literally was just soggy fries with gravy on them. The cheese soup is awesome. I think any cut of steak is going to be a good choice. Get your favorite!

 

[KenHutch]

The food is not bad just average. I live in Kansas City where its easy to get good steak. This really isn't it. Now the cheese soup is VERY good. I tell people we ate there when it was 1 credit and the food was good. Our breaking point was our last vacation when my carnivore teen ordered her steak rare. The waitress argued with her that she did not want it that way. And brought it out medium well which she sent back. You won't have a bad time and if you have never been there before you well enjoy it. Remember all these reviews (including mine) are just opinions and really need to judge it yourself.

 

[sponica]

I went in Jan 2013 and Sept 2016 and was not disappointed either time. Probably because I was expecting a big Canadian steakhouse, and that's what I got. I only went because my friends both RAVED about it (probably from the pre-signature days)

Don't fill up on the bread though. Made that mistake once.

As for which cut, get the filet. I think my husband got the ribeye the first time, but my filet was so tender you could cut it with a fork. So the second time around, he got the filet.

Only you can decide what is worth it for you. I think it's worth going once, if only to cross it off your list and never go again.

 

[DisneyArkie]

I’ve been to every signature but MP and it is one of my families favorite along with Yatchmans. Maybe we have lucked out there. I’ve never felt we were to close to other tables... never felt like I was at Longhorn or Outback. Always have had good service. Steaks have always been good. I’d say try it for your self. I have noticed there is a cult following of hate about this restaurant. Don’t listen to them. Don’t listen to me. You go and decide, it could be one of your favorites like it is ours. We originally didn’t go for the first time because of all the negative post I’ve read. Glad we booked anyways. We will be dining there summer of 2019 once again and trying MP for the first time.

 

[gharter]

I think LeCellier has the same problem some other restaurants have. People liked the food and atmosphere. Once the prices went up, people expected more, and they delivered the same experience, but at a higher cost. When we have eaten there, the food is good, but we have as good or better steak houses at home. It is noisy and crowded, the tables are very close together. Again, for the price, not the experience I expect.
It's been a few years since we have eaten there, but we never had bad food there.

 

[CynBeth]

We love dinner there!

 

[smcabee]

We went every year from about 2001 to 2010. Now we go about every 2 years, only because there are significantly newer and better restaurants. We love Bull and Bear for steak so that took away one of our LC slots at times and all the new stuff at Disney Springs we love as well. To us, the food is still good, the service is still good, the only thing that changed has been the price. This place has gotten rave reviews until it started to cost 2 TS credits or more cash and while I would never accuse someone of being wrong about their experience there, I personally believe the higher costs are a significant reason why the reviews have gone down,

 

[Dean Marino]

All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong.....

Get on the boat at the IG. Go to Shula's (Dolphin), or Yachtsman (YC). Bull and Bear, by all accounts, is better yet.
Just get out of the parks, please .

 

[JerseyJanice]

I don’t much to say that hasn’t been said already. The place has some tasty recipes, but it’s not worth the prices they charge. The service by college interns is flat out poor at that price level.

Right now—and I hope it lasts—you can get the cheese soup at the Refreshment Port.

FYI to the OP—a Porterhouse steak is a cross section of the beef rib that includes filet mignon on one side of the bone and strip steak on the other. It is my favorite steak and easy to grill at home.

 

[IndianaRRT]

We ate there on our last trip and enjoyed the meal and our service. We always pay OOP for our meals, and the prices were about what we expected. It is crowded, but we had a good experience. I agree with other posters that 2 TS credits on the DDP is too much, though. We will end there again.

 

[acarsme123]

Well thanks everyone. I think with only a few weeks to go I’m not going to panic and change my ADR. We ate at restaurants last time that got some hate and we ended up being pleasantly surprised by them. Like I’ve seen some people mention, price seems to be a big factor in reviews. I know full well I’m paying insane prices everywhere we eat on this trip, so maybe my expectations will be more realistic. This is the attitude I had last time, and I tried not to think about the money, and everything seemed to be better than I was expecting, including the often hated Tony’s Town Square!

 

[RealBlast3]

I think it's a nice establishment with cool atmosphere but not worth going to too many times, with all the competition. Try it once or twice and probably move on. Also, I didn't like the cheese soup (awfully salty and kinda gross), haha, I just wanted to add that minority opinion and also I have had better soft pretzel bread/sticks at like, I think Fridays, or Outback, one of those kinds of places, and also the steak was served in such a boring way with like no accompaniment of sauce or dressing and I hardly even remember anything else like a side on the plate? I just remember being underwhelmed by it, considering the price, but it wasn't bad. I did enjoy the desserts and wine. Wait to be seated was interminable on both occasions and I had to witness a terrible altercation from some very irate guests who were extremely dissatisfied by their dining experience before I was seated, in the waiting area, as they were leaving, that went on a long time, that sort of crystallized why this place has been getting bad reviews.

I get the curiosity about wanting to eat there, better to do a lunch, I think, than a dinner - it's just not a very impactful dinner when you have such amazing choices so close by.