Saratoga springs dining?

kasey1988

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We will be here for 2 nights, and have never heard much about the dining options available or the quality? anyone ever dined here? most likely breakfast and lunch and one supper (the other we booked beaches and cream, yum!). or are we better off going to DTD and grabbing a bite to eat?
 

PhilharMagician

Well-Known Member
Portobella, Fultons, Wolfgang Puck and many other are in DTD which is a short walk away or just take a boat but walking is probably quicker. The Turf Club in SSR is good, but there are just so many interesting options across the lake.
 

sxeensweet

Love a little Disney every day!! ;)
Turf Club for dinner is a hidden gem! I and DH eat there almost every trip. Food is delicious and service is wonderful! I would definitely try there for dinner. Love the atmosphere too. It's very easy to get a Ressie here because so many people do not really know about it and not because it is not up to par by any means! Highly recommend!! :)
 

lostpro9het

Well-Known Member
B&C, very fun choice! Since you have no park obligations I'd set out and explore the other resort offerings.

For lunch: Since you are so close to DTD, I'd suggest Paradiso 37. They had a great variety of food options as well as drink options.

For Dinner: If you have a taste for Italian I strongly suggest Il Mulino at the Swan. Complimentary appetizer and after dinner drink and a very good menu with large portions! The DW and I will split an app and an entree and leave plenty full.

For breakfast: Cant go wrong with Kona! A coffee press and two people can share a Big Kahuna and leave full!
 

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
The Turf Club at SSR is good.

The menu has not changed in .... forever, and is small. Not that a small menu is a bad thing - it is better to do a few things well, than many things poorly.

I am a little jaded on it, because I have eaten there at least a dozen times, often multiple times per trip. We own at SSR and stay there often. As others have said, it is solid food and never has a wait (even if they tell you nothing is available, walk up anyway - I was once told nothing was available, and when I tried walk up at the time I wanted there were a total of TWO groups in the entire restaurant - don't trust Disney Dining Reservations for this location at all).

It's nice to eat outside during a rainstorm, when it is not too hot. (Clearly the outside is covered)

I would not go out of my way to eat there if I was not staying at SSR. But I have no problem eating there if I happen to be at the resort.

-dave
 

MikeyK72

Well-Known Member
My wife and I own at SSR and ate at the Turf Club for the first time this past January. We were pleasantly surprised with everything really...food (lamb and fillet entrees), service, atmosphere (we ate outside on the patio), and even the margaritas were excellent!

We had a brief chat with the manager to let him know what a great job his staff was doing and he mentioned that they are making necessary changes to eventually become a "signature dining" restaurant. I'm not sure how that's going or if it's even true at all...but I loved the idea of having a signature right there at our home resort.
 

slappy magoo

Well-Known Member
Pretty much on board with the Turf Club thing. Yes, it's not an expansive menu, but I've always enjoyed my meals there, there's never a wait, it's almost always easy to do a walkup, and the grounds are lovely to walk before or after a meal.

Artist's Palette's food is fine, but for a resort this size, it gets really REALLY crowded during peak times. We would only ever go there for lunch on off times (2pm-ish). My eternal recommendation - ask to stay in The Congress Park section. It's less than a 5 minute walk to the main building if you want to go there to dine or to swim, but you also have a quiet pool right there AND the fastest walk to Downtown Disney. You'll be on the Marketplace side, close to Wolfgang Puck Express, a great place for any meal but especially a better breakfast than Artist's Palette. AND they'll pack orders to-go; when we stay in SSR, there's usually one early night where I'll order ahead, walk over, pick dinner up, and we'll eat in our room or poolside.
 

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
My wife and I own at SSR and ate at the Turf Club for the first time this past January. We were pleasantly surprised with everything really...food (lamb and fillet entrees), service, atmosphere (we ate outside on the patio), and even the margaritas were excellent!

We had a brief chat with the manager to let him know what a great job his staff was doing and he mentioned that they are making necessary changes to eventually become a "signature dining" restaurant. I'm not sure how that's going or if it's even true at all...but I loved the idea of having a signature right there at our home resort.


Oh yeah, I forgot about that. That little bar back there by the pool table makes some good margaritas. I have had one or two (or ten)

Pretty much on board with the Turf Club thing. Yes, it's not an expansive menu, but I've always enjoyed my meals there, there's never a wait, it's almost always easy to do a walkup, and the grounds are lovely to walk before or after a meal.

Artist's Palette's food is fine, but for a resort this size, it gets really REALLY crowded during peak times. We would only ever go there for lunch on off times (2pm-ish). My eternal recommendation - ask to stay in The Congress Park section. It's less than a 5 minute walk to the main building if you want to go there to dine or to swim, but you also have a quiet pool right there AND the fastest walk to Downtown Disney. You'll be on the Marketplace side, close to Wolfgang Puck Express, a great place for any meal but especially a better breakfast than Artist's Palette. AND they'll pack orders to-go; when we stay in SSR, there's usually one early night where I'll order ahead, walk over, pick dinner up, and we'll eat in our room or poolside.

Yeah, the Artist's Pallette does get quite crowded, but it is decent. Congress park is a good place to stay.

-dave
 

PhilharMagician

Well-Known Member
My wife and I own at SSR and ate at the Turf Club for the first time this past January. We were pleasantly surprised with everything really...food (lamb and fillet entrees), service, atmosphere (we ate outside on the patio), and even the margaritas were excellent!

We had a brief chat with the manager to let him know what a great job his staff was doing and he mentioned that they are making necessary changes to eventually become a "signature dining" restaurant. I'm not sure how that's going or if it's even true at all...but I loved the idea of having a signature right there at our home resort.


Turf Club a signature restaurant? Not what SSR needs. Turf Club does not seem busy enough as it is.


The Turf Club at SSR is good.

The menu has not changed in .... forever, and is small. Not that a small menu is a bad thing - it is better to do a few things well, than many things poorly.

I am a little jaded on it, because I have eaten there at least a dozen times, often multiple times per trip. We own at SSR and stay there often. As others have said, it is solid food and never has a wait (even if they tell you nothing is available, walk up anyway - I was once told nothing was available, and when I tried walk up at the time I wanted there were a total of TWO groups in the entire restaurant - don't trust Disney Dining Reservations for this location at all).

It's nice to eat outside during a rainstorm, when it is not too hot. (Clearly the outside is covered)

I would not go out of my way to eat there if I was not staying at SSR. But I have no problem eating there if I happen to be at the resort.

-dave

Sitting outside was nice when the covered deck was open to anyone when SSR opened. You could get your food from Artist Palette and walk outside and eat at any time.

I am racking my brain trying to think what was in the restaurant area when SSR first opened. The pool table and a few tables were there to accompany the bar which is in a hallway (weird), but it was only open in the evenings and not much action at the bar. I will have to go back and look through my old pics. When SSR opened it was different from any other resort experience (but quiet) because it was a complete construction zone.
 

Phonedave

Well-Known Member
Turf Club a signature restaurant? Not what SSR needs. Turf Club does not seem busy enough as it is.




Sitting outside was nice when the covered deck was open to anyone when SSR opened. You could get your food from Artist Palette and walk outside and eat at any time.

I am racking my brain trying to think what was in the restaurant area when SSR first opened. The pool table and a few tables were there to accompany the bar which is in a hallway (weird), but it was only open in the evenings and not much action at the bar. I will have to go back and look through my old pics. When SSR opened it was different from any other resort experience (but quiet) because it was a complete construction zone.

That bar is in a strange location. I assume they put it there to make it easy to service the restaurant as well as walk up bar guests.

It would have made a much better bar in the large area where the pool tables are, but then it is not connected to the restaurant - which really is not much of a problem.
 

PhilharMagician

Well-Known Member
The Restaurant has always seemed like an afterthought since it did not open until 2 1/2 years after the villas. The bar seems the same way even though it opened with Phase 1 of the resort in May 2004. I remember in the early days of the resort they were receiving many complaints that there were not enough food options in the resort more so as Phase 2 opened with the Springs and the Paddock in 05'. When it was marketed to us in 2003 to buy into DVC one of the selling points were all the restaurants available in the nearby DTD which is just a short walk, bus ride of boat ride. Also back then a big selling point that was focused on by our salesman was the nighttime fireworks show over PI and the planned fireworks viewing gazebo which is still there with no fireworks to view.

I guess that is what happens when you try to repurpose an existing building and not completely plan for the future
 

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