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

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Some of the longest meals we've ever had in WDW were at Rainforest when the kids were really young -- and boy, is the food not worth that in our opinion! We gave up on both Rainforest and Y&Y many years ago -- the food is just 'meh' at best and far overpriced for what you get IMO.

We love Tiffins -- a must every trip. We NEVER take 2hrs in there or any restaurant in WDW. It's all a matter of how many courses you order, and how long you take to eat -- the service isn't slower than any other WDW restaurant for sure. I can't imagine it taking 2hrs unless you're really slow eaters.

As for whether Tiffins is for kids: we each know our own kids. Mine were always adventurous eaters -- we always encouraged them to at least give anything a try once. Our first Tiffins trip they were 9 and 11, but they most certainly would have been fine there at 4 and 5 (likely off the adult menu but most certainly something from the kids menu would have been fine).

 

[rg35]

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.

I agree with you 100%.
There are so many posts on this board that start off "should we dine here, my kids only eat chicken nuggets." Now, I have 3 kids and 1 of them can be picky with food due to anxiety issues (that we have been working on), but we cook dinner every night and expose them all to a variety of foods and flavors at home. I know some of this is a function of income and demographics, but it's not impossible to introduce new things even on a budget. No kid is going to like everything the first time they try it, but that doesn't mean you should never prepare it again. It always shocks me to see places like Boma and Tusker House described as exotic, but I try to keep things in perspective that not everyone's experiences are the same.

I was hoping to fit in Takumi Tei on our August trip this year because I fear the menu will be inevitibly "dumbed down" before long. Hopefully not, and we'll be able to fit it in in 2020 fairly intact. But I do understand that Disney is running a mass market business and needs to appeal to the most people. I guess though in many regards there is a wider variety of food at Disney now than ever before, which we can be grateful for.

 

[Dis703]

We LOVE Tiffins and go every trip now. Usually during lunch and I can't say it has ever taken us 2 hours to eat here. Maybe 1 1/2 when we do apps, entree, and dessert, but no more than that. Tiffins has become our absolute favorite restaurant in all of Disney so I definitely recommend giving it a try.

 

[Dis703]

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!

There were still plenty of the more "exotic" choices when we were there in January and April of this year. There was a chicken and waffles dish, but it still had enough flair to it that it was unique to anything you would find at your typical American restaurant. What I have loved most about Tiffins is while the options seem exotic, the flavors are still relatively simple and not overpowering.

As for the questions about whether or not it's for kids, my boys have been a few times at ages 5-10 with a mix of personal tastes, and a lot of food allergies as well, and they have enjoyed it each and every time. I will say that eating in the dining room with the totem poles has held the most interest for them and I'd suggest it if dining with a child who needs a little extra entertainment.

 

[Electra2D]

We really enjoyed Tusker House. No waiting for food, POG juiced poured quickly for thirsty kids, and refilled without asking, characters came at a good pace, cool, relatively quiet, food was tasty and prepared all. We had an 11 am res and breakfast was winding down while lunch wound up.

 

[sethschroeder]

Flame Tree BBQ

Interested in what people say for this though.

 

[Alicefan]

I've only done lunch at Tiffins once and while I loved the atmosphere I can't say I loved the food. Mostly because mine came to the table luke warm and when you're at Disney, time is of the essence and if you send it back it may take another 30 minutes to come back and who wants to risk that? There wasn't anything other than the fabulous but small dessert to lure me back. I can't remember exactly what it was but it seemed like it was a type of mango parfait of some sort. For me I wouldn't really call Tiffins kid friendly and we appreciated that. There was literally no one in there when we went. Maybe 2 other tables the whole time. I don't recall service being any slower there than anywhere else in the parks. I think Disney has some of the slowest service on the planet on the norm though. lol It always shocks me how slow they go when you would fully expect them to be trying to flip tables as fast as they can and rush you out. No wonder it's so hard to get ADRs these days. Anyway, based on how the OP said her kids wouldn't sit that long, I get the impression this place might not be as appealing as the other choices she mentioned. We honestly like Rainforest just because it's fun and the food's always on par with a TGI Fridays and that's okay by me for a theme park. Tusker House would be my first choice with the family and probably a no for Yak and Yeti because for me it was just way overpriced bad chinese. Nowhere close to the quality of a PF Changs so that comparison didn't work for me. Changs is at least tasty.

 

[wdw&sonny]

Back to the original topic...my vote is Y&Y. I would keep checking for a better ADR time or get the Landry's card. We love Y&Y (glorified PF Changs or not). It's easy to share apps and entrees and likely to have some options that everyone will enjoy.

 

[marikujawa]

If you choose Yak&Yeti or Rainforest don’t bother with reservations. Just get a Landry’s card as others have advised. In most cases you will be seated ahead of those with reservations.

 

[CartyGirls]

Yak & Yeti gets my vote. First time there in February and already books another reservation for our upcoming Oct trip. Good Food. Chicken Tiki Masala was fabulous.

 

[thepicklebee]

I love the Ahi Tuna Nachos at Yak and Yeti and get them every trip. If i could take them with me to the Nomad Lounge to drink outside with a Hightower Rocks, I would be in heaven.

 

[Saxsoon]

Man, it may not be the greatest but Yak and Yeti is a regular for my family. We have always have had good food and service and we like the atmosphere