Non-regular Visitor Dining:New Or Favorites?

[Raineman]

I would love to get your opinion on which way you would go with your dining choices if you are someone who is not a regular visitor to WDW. My DW, DD and I have only been to WDW a handful of times, but we have been almost once a year since 2014. We tend to return to mostly the same restaurants that we have eaten at before and liked. My question is-at these restaurants we have been to before, is it better to order something that you have had previously and enjoyed, or take the chance and order something that you haven't tried before? For example, last year, I had the chicken tikka masala at Y&Y in DAK, and I loved it, but I have never had Kobe beef before, and would love to try the Kobe beef burger the next time we are there this fall.

 

[belledream]

Personally, I would always want to try something new to expand my repertoire and experience something different, but I guess it comes down to just how much you love that item. If it's something you dream about and makes you want to cry (aka me with the Tuna Nicoise Salad at Be Our Guest lunch) then you might want to stick with it.

For what it's worth, I had the Tikka Masala at Yak & Yeti too, and thought it was good. But that menu is HUGE and there's gotta be something else on there just as good...and I've definitely read blogs about that burger saying it's one of the best on there.

Option 2: make your other family members order the chicken, get a new item, and eat their food too.

 

[danyoung56]

It's a fine line in any restaurant whether to go with something you've had before or try something new. At the Coral Reef I've always had the mahi-mahi, which is excellent. But then I saw a picture online of their steak, and now I rotate between the two. On the other hand, the beef filet at the California Grill is so incredible that I have no desire to try anything else whenever I'm there. So it's a matter of looking at the menu and making your own decisions!

 

[Gurt]

Go for the burger I had the chicken my BF had the burger, I was gutted I hadn't ordered it too, it is the best burger we have ever tasted and the other half has a burger wherever we go.

As for trying new foods as someone above said I will always for for steak at CG but at other restaurants I have a good go over the menu and google pictures before my trip and decided what sounds best and looks good for my tastes. Although when I am on free dining I am much more adventurous with my selections, if im paying out of pocket I tend to pick something I am pretty sure I am going to like.

Have you got places in mind that people could make recommendations for?

 

[Raineman]

Go for the burger I had the chicken my BF had the burger, I was gutted I hadn't ordered it too, it is the best burger we have ever tasted and the other half has a burger wherever we go.

As for trying new foods as someone above said I will always for for steak at CG but at other restaurants I have a good go over the menu and google pictures before my trip and decided what sounds best and looks good for my tastes. Although when I am on free dining I am much more adventurous with my selections, if im paying out of pocket I tend to pick something I am pretty sure I am going to like.

Have you got places in mind that people could make recommendations for?View attachment 218754

First off, you have tipped the scales for me-I am definitely getting the Kobe burger at Y&Y this fall!
Also, like yourself, I have been going over the menus at all of the places we have ADRs at this fall, and googling the pictures of the entrees, so I think I may already have my entire week's worth of meals planned already-kinda sorta lol. The TS restaurants we will be visiting will be Whispering Canyon Cafe, Cinderella's Royal Table, Planet Hollywood Observatory, Teppan Edo, Yak & Yeti, Tusker House, 50's Prime Time Diner and Be Our Guest. We've previously eaten at Yak & Yeti, 50's Prime Time and Be Our Guest, the rest will be new dining experiences for us. Whispering Canyon will be the first time we have ever eaten at a TS restaurant that is at a resort and not the parks.

 

[JIMINYCR]

We have dining places that we always go back to and favorite menu items that we always order again and again. If we were happy with it before then we're sure to enjoy the meal. Before a return trip we always check out the food reviews on several sites and also enjoy the Disney Food Blog site which keeps us informed of new and updated changes. If something appeals to us we will take the chance to order something different. Sometimes we are pleased with the alternative meal and other times not so much. You wont know unless you take a
chance and try it out.

 

[Raineman]

We have dining places that we always go back to and favorite menu items that we always order again and again. If we were happy with it before then we're sure to enjoy the meal. Before a return trip we always check out the food reviews on several sites and also enjoy the Disney Food Blog site which keeps us informed of new and updated changes. If something appeals to us we will take the chance to order something different. Sometimes we are pleased with the alternative meal and other times not so much. You wont know unless you take a
chance and try it out.

I guess in my case, if I try something new, and don't really like it, then I know it may be a year or two before I come back to have the dish that I like, which may make me a bit hesitant to try something new. If I was a local or someone who visited multiple times a year, that wouldn't be an issue. Having said that, we will be eating at quite a few new places this time, so I will be trying many new things

 

[DisneyPrincess5]

Great topic @Raineman !
DH and I WERE JUST having this conversation the other day as we began to plan our next trip. We go typically once a year, or once every year and a half for about a week at a time. We are always stuck on the question of do we eat at our traditional and well loved spots or do we try a slew of restaurants we haven't eaten at yet or in a long time. Classically, we try to mix it up but we usually end up doing all traditional with one or two new. If I had it my way we would do all new and like one old but we'll ya know But so hard because we'd miss our classics! Solution: Win lotto and take 3 2-week trips a year.

 

[Gurt]

First off, you have tipped the scales for me-I am definitely getting the Kobe burger at Y&Y this fall!
Also, like yourself, I have been going over the menus at all of the places we have ADRs at this fall, and googling the pictures of the entrees, so I think I may already have my entire week's worth of meals planned already-kinda sorta lol. The TS restaurants we will be visiting will be Whispering Canyon Cafe, Cinderella's Royal Table, Planet Hollywood Observatory, Teppan Edo, Yak & Yeti, Tusker House, 50's Prime Time Diner and Be Our Guest. We've previously eaten at Yak & Yeti, 50's Prime Time and Be Our Guest, the rest will be new dining experiences for us. Whispering Canyon will be the first time we have ever eaten at a TS restaurant that is at a resort and not the parks.

Personally of your restaurants I have only previously eaten at Y&Y and BOG, so Y&Y from now on will be the burger as for BOG I am determined to try the rack of lamb because I always go for the steak.

 

[Raineman]

Personally of your restaurants I have only previously eaten at Y&Y and BOG, so Y&Y from now on will be the burger as for BOG I am determined to try the rack of lamb because I always go for the steak.

During our last trip, we ate dinner at BOG twice, and both my wife and I had the steak one time, and the lamb the other. Both were good, the only complaint about the lamb (and it may just have been that particular day) is that it wasn't very warm when it was served, unless that is they way lamb is usually served, but that is a very minor complaint and didn't ruin the meal at all.

 

[larryz]

My philosophy is "why eat whatever you can get locally while you're at WDW?"

So, for example, Yak 'N' Yeti has an app called the ahi tuna nachos. I'd never seen (or thought) of that, so we tried it. It was great. So that's my recommendation, for lunch, for 2 -- a platter of ahi tuna nachos and an order of egg rolls.

 

[carriebeth]

I tend to try new things when repeating eating at places. The exception is if what I had before was just absolutly fabulous and I can't imagine anything on the menu coming close. Also, if what I had was pretty good and there really isn't anything on the menu that I think I would really like at all, I will repeat.

I have an advantage because I have 8 kids. At DIsney between my husband and I and the 4 kids who are on the adult dining plan, we end up covering a good portion of a menu when we order. A bite of everyone's food and then you know if you ordered the best thing on the menu or not!

 

[yedliW]

I'm all about trying new experiences.. I try to not duplicate meals when planning trips.. But we consider breakfast a different experience than lunch or dinner..