AK lunch--Tiffins, Yak & Yeti or Rainforest?

[Ursula_Fan]

We are heading to AK in October. It'll be me, parents, DS5 & DS4 on a Wednesday. I snagged a reservation at Tiffins, which I've always wanted to go to, but I cancelled after a friend told me lunch takes 2 hours. There's no way my kiddos can sit that long. Unfortunately right now there are no reservations at Tusker House (which we loved), and only one at Y&Y for 3 pm. Rainforest has a noon one that I took but I can go to Rainforest Café elsewhere, so I'm a bit bummed.

Has anyone dined at Tiffins for lunch recently? How long was it?

If not Tiffins, would you head to Yak & Yeti or keep trying for Tusker House? Or is there another option that I'm overlooking? This will be our first time doing an all day AK visit. TIA!

 

[SamFaniam]

Length of lunch at Tiffin's will depend on what you decide to order. If you order drinks, appetizers, entrées and dessert, yes that meal could take two hours. But it certainly doesn’t need to. We also enjoy Yak and Yeti, and think the food there is pretty tasty. I would not do Rainforest Café. Keep your eye out for a lunch reservation at Tusker House, or use one of the reservation finders.

 

[OfCourseTheresAlwaysMyWay]

When I had lunch at Tiffins in May I’d say it took just under an hour and a half. Worth the time and money, especially considering your other two options are a glorified P.F. Chang’s and a horse trough with jungle robots.

I second holding out for a last minute Tusker House though. Tiffins is really for adults.

 

[MikeWDW35]

I would go back to the Yak & Yeti if given the opportunity. Service was excellent, food was okay I had meatballs and chow mein and I got a souvenir Buddha Cup. It was extremely crowded.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Doesn’t the Landry’s membership card work at Yak and Yeti’s? $25 membership which is credited at first meal and you get walk up priority seating.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Doesn’t the Landry’s membership card work at Yak and Yeti’s? $25 membership which is credited at first meal and you get walk up priority seating.

Yes, it does! We love the Landry's card. OP, if you decide on Y&Y, I highly suggest getting the Landry's Select Card. It's $25 to sign up, but that $25 goes toward your bill and you can show up whenever you want, without an ADR, and get priority seating.

I would also keep trying for Tusker House as people change plans all the time.

Another option (if you aren't on the dining plan or don't mind doing a meal OOP), you can go to Nomad Lounge and order off both Nomad's menu and Tiffins. Nomad is walk-up only. Or, stick with Tiffins. As PP's have said, it doesn't have to take 2 hours to eat there.

 

[jcarwash]

To try for the Tusker House reservation, I recommend the Touring Plans Reservation Finder. It's free to use (you need an account, but not a subscription), and it does the searching for you. You put in your day(s) and time(s) and it will notify you if something opens up.

Here: https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/reservation-finder

 

[steg]

your other two options are a glorified P.F. Chang’s and a horse trough with jungle robots.

This is the single best description of these restaurants that I have ever read

 

[steg]

but I cancelled after a friend told me lunch takes 2 hours.

According to the time data on the pictures of our tiffins lunch it took us 45 minutes, we only ordered entrees though, no apps

 

[sponica]

I don't think it takes 2 hours to eat at Tiffins. It CAN take that long, if you order apps, entrees, desserts, drinks, etc, etc.

I think when we ate there for lunch it took about an hour and a half, BUT we were hot and not in a rush to get anywhere, and took our time. My 20 month old (after she woke up from her nap) was entranced by the place.

I'd book the lunch at Tiffins but keep looking for Tusker House.

 

[drwadadli]

I know you asked about Tusker House and Rainforest Cafe. We haven't tried Tusker House and for us, when we go to WDW we would like to some place we can't typically anywhere else which leaves Rainforest Cafe off the list since it is a chain.

Have you tried or looked at the menu of Satu'li Canteen in Pandora - The World of Avatar? We ate there on our last trip and was very impressed. The food was good and quick.

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

Yak and Yeti gets my vote - flavorful and fun. Tusker House would be my second choice. Tiffins has fallen so far since its initial opening that it is only worth a visit to the lounge for cocktails.

 

[mousestruck]

Yes, it does! We love the Landry's card. OP, if you decide on Y&Y, I highly suggest getting the Landry's Select Card. It's $25 to sign up, but that $25 goes toward your bill and you can show up whenever you want, without an ADR, and get priority seating.

I would also keep trying for Tusker House as people change plans all the time.

Another option (if you aren't on the dining plan or don't mind doing a meal OOP), you can go to Nomad Lounge and order off both Nomad's menu and Tiffins. Nomad is walk-up only. Or, stick with Tiffins. As PP's have said, it doesn't have to take 2 hours to eat there.

Yes... all good advice! We recently had a wonderful meal at Yak & Yeti and benefited from the $25 sign up reward.

 

[rg35]

Tiffins is really for adults.

In what regard? We have dined there twice (2016 and 2017) for dinner when our triplets were 7 and 8 years old, respectively. They had no issues with the food or the restaurant -- either the atmosphere or the length of the service. I can't say that I remember how long service there was, but our kids are used to dining out, so long-ish meals on vacation haven't been an issue.

 

[gharter]

We usually do Satu'Li or Yak and Yeti for lunch and enjoy both. Then Tiffin for dinner. Have not tried Tiffind for lunch.

 

[OfCourseTheresAlwaysMyWay]

In what regard? We have dined there twice (2016 and 2017) for dinner when our triplets were 7 and 8 years old, respectively. They had no issues with the food or the restaurant -- either the atmosphere or the length of the service. I can't say that I remember how long service there was, but our kids are used to dining out, so long-ish meals on vacation haven't been an issue.

While V&A is the only restaurant at WDW explicitly not for children, I do think some of the restaurants are more adult than others and I think Tiffins certainly falls into that category despite it being in the middle of the one of the parks. The ambiance and the menu are both a step up in sophistication and variety from anything else in AK. There's a reason why you can always snag a reservation there. When I dined in May it was pouring rain all lunch and it still didn't fill up.

I think there any many families who feel like it isn't for them, which is a shame because it's excellent.

 

[rg35]

While V&A is the only restaurant at WDW explicitly not for children, I do think some of the restaurants are more adult than others and I think Tiffins certainly falls into that category despite it being in the middle of the one of the parks. The ambiance and the menu are both a step up in sophistication and variety from anything else in AK. There's a reason why you can always snag a reservation there. When I dined in May it was pouring rain all lunch and it still didn't fill up.

I think there any many families who feel like it isn't for them, which is a shame because it's excellent.

I'm confused - you're saying the restaurant isn't for children, then on the other you're saying that there are some families who feel like it isn't for them. What kinds of families does the latter group include, since the majority of families at Disney are families with young children.

Just because a restaurant might seem like a step up in sophistication and food choices does not mean it is not for children. Perhaps if Chuck E. Cheese's is the only place a family dines out at home, Tiffins would be a shock to them. But some of us expose our children to many different foods and life experiences and don't hand our kids cellphones to play with at dinner, so they are definitely not out of place at more sophisticated establishments.

And FWIW, there are no ADRs available for Tiffins on our AK day in August. I originally didn't book any dinner ADRs because we are doing moonlight magic that night, but we then decided we wanted to eat at Tiffins again. There have been no ADRs available for a party of 5 for lunch or dinner that day for several weeks now. It has taken a while, but I do believe that the popularity of Tiffins is growing. Perhaps it being included in the RoL dining packages has helped with that, but it's hard to say. There are

 

[OfCourseTheresAlwaysMyWay]

I'm confused - you're saying the restaurant isn't for children, then on the other you're saying that there are some families who feel like it isn't for them. What kinds of families does the latter group include, since the majority of families at Disney are families with young children.

Just because a restaurant might seem like a step up in sophistication and food choices does not mean it is not for children. Perhaps if Chuck E. Cheese's is the only place a family dines out at home, Tiffins would be a shock to them. But some of us expose our children to many different foods and life experiences and don't hand our kids cellphones to play with at dinner, so they are definitely not out of place at more sophisticated establishments.

And FWIW, there are no ADRs available for Tiffins on our AK day in August. I originally didn't book any dinner ADRs because we are doing moonlight magic that night, but we then decided we wanted to eat at Tiffins again. There have been no ADRs available for a party of 5 for lunch or dinner that day for several weeks now. It has taken a while, but I do believe that the popularity of Tiffins is growing. Perhaps it being included in the RoL dining packages has helped with that, but it's hard to say. There are

My point got a bit confused.

I was saying that some families feel like Tiffins isn't for them because it isn't actually for them. Not every restaurant at WDW has to have the widest appeal possible, although most end up that way. I truly don't think Tiffins is intended for children, although as you point out obviously children are welcome and can have a wonderful time there.

At the risk of being indelicate, there's a reason why the menus at WDW are so similar. The past few years in particular have seen a dumbing down of menus across the parks and resorts. Unique items keep getting dropped off menus because they aren't selling. Disney is obviously running a business, and I'm not suggesting they sell a bunch of food that's going to lose them money, but the beauty of Tiffins is that it doesn't feel like it's bending to the will of whitebread American tastes.

During my visit two months ago, I dined at both Sebastian's Bistro and Skipper Canteen for the first time and the tables on either side of me were going on and on about how exotic the menus were and how terrible it was that there was nothing for them to eat. I was really surprised by it, because to me the offerings aren't at all unusual. I think more people at only eating at Chuck E. Cheese back home than you think.

Every family should choose the restaurants that are best for their family and their vacation. For some that may mean Tiffins, for other it means macaroni and cheese or steak for every meal.

It sounds like we both love Tiffins, and that's most important. It's a must for me on every AK visit.

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

My point got a bit confused.

I was saying that some families feel like Tiffins isn't for them because it isn't actually for them. Not every restaurant at WDW has to have the widest appeal possible, although most end up that way. I truly don't think Tiffins is intended for children, although as you point out obviously children are welcome and can have a wonderful time there.

At the risk of being indelicate, there's a reason why the menus at WDW are so similar. The past few years in particular have seen a dumbing down of menus across the parks and resorts. Unique items keep getting dropped off menus because they aren't selling. Disney is obviously running a business, and I'm not suggesting they sell a bunch of food that's going to lose them money, but the beauty of Tiffins is that it doesn't feel like it's bending to the will of whitebread American tastes.

During my visit two months ago, I dined at both Sebastian's Bistro and Skipper Canteen for the first time and the tables on either side of me were going on and on about how exotic the menus were and how terrible it was that there was nothing for them to eat. I was really surprised by it, because to me the offerings aren't at all unusual. I think more people at only eating at Chuck E. Cheese back home than you think.

Every family should choose the restaurants that are best for their family and their vacation. For some that may mean Tiffins, for other it means macaroni and cheese or steak for every meal.

It sounds like we both love Tiffins, and that's most important. It's a must for me on every AK visit.

Has the menu changed? When we were there in December all of the exotic and interesting had been dumbed down and there were chicken and waffles on the menu.

 

[OfCourseTheresAlwaysMyWay]

Has the menu changed? When we were there in December all of the exotic and interesting had been dumbed down and there were chicken and waffles on the menu.

Chicken and Waffles definitely were not on the menu in May. I would’ve noticed them because I did notice that Shrimp and Grits were on the menu and I remember thinking how off-theme that was.

Were they really serving Chicken and Waffles at Tiffins? That’s so sad.

Anyway, I don’t mean to jack this thread. I’ll just leave with this:

Tiffins: Yay!
Menu Homogenization: Boo!