Anyone want to offer dining suggestions for a foodie?

Wow, what impressive responses! Reviewing all now and can't decide between Tiffins and Tusker House for when we are in AK. Both are avail for our dates.
 
There are adventurous-foodies, food-quality foodies, and/or folks who just want have fun around food. Disney has something for everyone.

Fun-around-food - so-called 'uniquely-Disney' places like Sci-Fi Dine-In, 50's Prime Time, Coral Reef, Character meals, etc. You mentioned having been to these places.

Adventurous would include places that are not typical to where you're from or how you typically eat. I live in the mountains where seafood places are less common. For many people on Dis'Boards adventurous would include the curry-profiles at Jiko, Sanaa (which is also uniquely Disney because of the daylight viewing of animals), Nomad Lounge, and Tiffins. We prefer Sanaa & Nomad Lounge over both Signatures. Marrakesh & Spice Table would be on this list too.

Quality - Victoria & Albert is where dinner meets theater and is an over-the-top dining experience for most anyone. Swan & Dolphin Signatures are a cut-above 'typical' Disney Signatures. We very much enjoy the seafood @ BlueZoo and the amazing steaks @ Shula's (better value on lobster at Shula's than Narcoossee's; chocolate souffle is a 'must-do'). Not to be overlooked for any foodie is Capa @ Four Seasons for authentic tapas - they serve steaks too, but we like the small plates.

Also, look at the menus in Disney Springs. Celebrity Chef Rick Bayless serves fantastic high-end Mexican food @ Frontera. Boathouse has there own brand of (expensive) oysters that are delicious. Homecoming serves excellent fried chicken. Paddlefish just won a local award for their seafood.....

I'm a foodie. But I also have my 'guilty-pleasures' when at Disney....Mickey Bars....Casey's over-stuffed hotdogs....nachos at ESPN.....chicken'n'waffle @ Sleepy Hollow.....hand-made Margaritas to-go from 50's Prime Time....gelato @ Vivoli il Gelato.....

Enjoy your journey.
OMG! We are starving now! Thanks for also adding the extra guilty pleasures. I cannot believe I am booking days based around dining!
 
Wow, what impressive responses! Reviewing all now and can't decide between Tiffins and Tusker House for when we are in AK. Both are avail for our dates.
We have always liked Tusker House, only tried Tiffin's once and were underwhelmed. Do characters matter to you? If so, definitely go with Tusker House. If not, give Tiffin's a try - the atmosphere is really nice.
 


You've clearly had tons of great options, but not wanting to be left out some thought:

MK: We love Skippers Canteen and Liberty Tree Tavern lunch. Dinner is definitely best outside of the park
AK: Tusker House is the one and only character meal we like on property. You also can't beat Tiffins or Yak n Yeti. For quick service Flame Tree is great BBQ. And Nomads is our absolute favorite lounge on property. They have amazing drinks and fun small plates to share.
Epcot: Sadly food here has declined over the years, but we still enjoy Via Napoli for their great pizza and Tokyo Dining who has really up'd their sushi game
MGM: We like SciFi for the kitsch of it all, but otherwise skip most else
Disney Springs: Homecoming, Morimotos, and Boathouse are top of our list these days.
Resorts: California Grill is our all time favorite restaurant on property. We also enjoy Flying Fish, Jiko, Yachtsman, and Narcoossee's as far as signatures go. For table service Sanaa is tops. We also enjoy The Wave, Kona, and Grand Floridian Cafe breakfasts.
 
You've clearly had tons of great options, but not wanting to be left out some thought:

MK: We love Skippers Canteen and Liberty Tree Tavern lunch. Dinner is definitely best outside of the park
AK: Tusker House is the one and only character meal we like on property. You also can't beat Tiffins or Yak n Yeti. For quick service Flame Tree is great BBQ. And Nomads is our absolute favorite lounge on property. They have amazing drinks and fun small plates to share.
Epcot: Sadly food here has declined over the years, but we still enjoy Via Napoli for their great pizza and Tokyo Dining who has really up'd their sushi game
MGM: We like SciFi for the kitsch of it all, but otherwise skip most else
Disney Springs: Homecoming, Morimotos, and Boathouse are top of our list these days.
Resorts: California Grill is our all time favorite restaurant on property. We also enjoy Flying Fish, Jiko, Yachtsman, and Narcoossee's as far as signatures go. For table service Sanaa is tops. We also enjoy The Wave, Kona, and Grand Floridian Cafe breakfasts.
Brunch at CA Grill may have been the most enjoyable dining experiences at Disney (not named Victoria & Albert) that my family has ever enjoyed.
 
I just came back and found Tiffins to be one of the best meals I've ever had in a theme park. The service was amazing, the restaurant is beautiful.

We went for lunch, it also doubled as a nice long break from the heat.
 


I like your husband already (that sounds wrong :laughing:... but I build my day around food too). You've gotten some terrific suggestions here. Hollywood Brown Derby, Jiko, Yachtsman, Flying Fish, Bluezoo, Il Mulino, Boathouse, California Grill are all favorites. Not sure if this is a family trip or adults only... an alternative to picking just one or two might be a "crawl" either through the monorail resorts, around the Boardwalk area, or throughout Disney Springs. There are many bars & lounges and it would give you the opportunity to have a bite at each and sample more than you otherwise might have a chance to. This is probably more feasible for an adults trip or for a night out as kids probably wouldn't be too into it. Disney has an "official" monorail resort crawl with the Highway in the Sky Dine Around for $170 per person but personally I think it's more fun (& much cheaper) to construct your own route and order off the menu according to your tastes. Hope you have a great trip!!!
 
I like your husband already (that sounds wrong :laughing:... but I build my day around food too). You've gotten some terrific suggestions here. Hollywood Brown Derby, Jiko, Yachtsman, Flying Fish, Bluezoo, Il Mulino, Boathouse, California Grill are all favorites. Not sure if this is a family trip or adults only... an alternative to picking just one or two might be a "crawl" either through the monorail resorts, around the Boardwalk area, or throughout Disney Springs. There are many bars & lounges and it would give you the opportunity to have a bite at each and sample more than you otherwise might have a chance to. This is probably more feasible for an adults trip or for a night out as kids probably wouldn't be too into it. Disney has an "official" monorail resort crawl with the Highway in the Sky Dine Around for $170 per person but personally I think it's more fun (& much cheaper) to construct your own route and order off the menu according to your tastes. Hope you have a great trip!!!
 
Top of the Line: Victoria & Albert's--it's truly the only great foodie place at the World
Very good Signatures: Artist Point, Jiko, Il Mulino
Topnotch TS: Sanaa
Off base: BiCE over at the Portofino. Better than Il Mulino and worth the drive
 
Just curious. How are the restaurants where you live? We are fortunate to live between Baltimore and DC and have access to some great restaurants that are better than virtually anything at WDW. Although we do it some signature meals at WDW we prefer to just wait and spend it locally. It's a far better value.

Given that, California Grill: brunch and dinner, Flying Fish, and Jiko.

Coming back to this thread to finalizing dining!

We are so fortunate to see NYC from our roof and have been very spoiled with good food, esp Italian. I would agree to wait and go the amazing restaurants when we are hoe but DH wants amazing food any time, any where. He has the mindset, if you are going out, spend a little more and get something worthwhile and better quality. So, I know he is not smiling when I just make eggs for dinner or a can of soup - LOL! He is also a fire-fighter and his group has a strong connection to food and tries to "out do" each other when it is their turn to cook.
 
Shhh...don't tell anybody...

The lounges at WDW don't require ADRs and are often share a kitchen with signature dining. Cali Grill lounge and Territory Lounge are my current favorites. Hollywood Brown Derby is next on my list to try. We love to share some appetizers with the table (often the stars on the menu) and have a nice glass of wine, a beer and/or a cocktail. You can have the signature dining experience without the signature dining prices.
 
We have always liked Tusker House, only tried Tiffin's once and were underwhelmed. Do characters matter to you? If so, definitely go with Tusker House. If not, give Tiffin's a try - the atmosphere is really nice.

I’ve never eaten at Tiffin’s, but I have eaten at Tusker and I love it. It is a character meal, but not quite as chaotic or crowded as others. It is also a buffet instead of a regular TS. That can be preferable, depending on how you look at it.
 
Shhh...don't tell anybody...

The lounges at WDW don't require ADRs and are often share a kitchen with signature dining. Cali Grill lounge and Territory Lounge are my current favorites. Hollywood Brown Derby is next on my list to try. We love to share some appetizers with the table (often the stars on the menu) and have a nice glass of wine, a beer and/or a cocktail. You can have the signature dining experience without the signature dining prices.
This. Easy way to get into Sanaa. As a foodie with my wife, we loved the bread service. Being Nyers, if you feel like an off site visit, go to a place called Christini's. It is in Sand Lake plaza. Really old school Italian place. Get the double cut veal chop, but ask for a side of the pasta. Whatever the chef wants to make. My father was the president of a major medical company and this is where he took his clients. I have been with my wife a few times and we love it.
 
We rarely eat QS, so we usually have 2 meals a day, either late breakfast or early lunch and dinner.

Our faves are the following:
DS-Homecomin' and Frontera Cocina
EPCOT-Via Napoli, Spice Road Table and Le Cellier
DHS-Sci-Fi and Brown Derby
AK-Tiffins and Yak & Yeti
MK-Liberty Tree Tavern (lunch), CRT (breakfast) and BOG(dinner, but we'll see if that holds in January)
resorts-Cali Grill, Artist Point (though that will change soon), Narcoosee's, Grand Floridian Cafe, The Wave (breakfast), Trattoria al Forno (breakfast) and Kona (breakfast)

We're looking forward to trying these in January: Morimoto, Jungle Skipper, Flying Fish, Monsieur Paul and Jiko
 
Shhh...don't tell anybody...

The lounges at WDW don't require ADRs and are often share a kitchen with signature dining. Cali Grill lounge and Territory Lounge are my current favorites. Hollywood Brown Derby is next on my list to try. We love to share some appetizers with the table (often the stars on the menu) and have a nice glass of wine, a beer and/or a cocktail. You can have the signature dining experience without the signature dining prices.
Awesome!!! We totally have to try this.
 
This. Easy way to get into Sanaa. As a foodie with my wife, we loved the bread service. Being Nyers, if you feel like an off site visit, go to a place called Christini's. It is in Sand Lake plaza. Really old school Italian place. Get the double cut veal chop, but ask for a side of the pasta. Whatever the chef wants to make. My father was the president of a major medical company and this is where he took his clients. I have been with my wife a few times and we love it.
Sounds delish and adding this to the ever growing list.
 
I will admit my solo trip in February is completely planned around food:
Yachtsman
Cali Grill Brunch
Monsieur Paul
Narcoosees
Tiffins
Cali Grill dinner
Hollywood Brown Derby

With a few non signature thrown in
The Wave
Kona
Frontera Cocina
 

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