Garden Grill Breakfast..."Sucks"?!

[eiblehs]

Hello there! I'm hoping someone can help me out here...

I have a trip planned for later this summer with my boyfriend. We rely on dining at QS locations only for our trip, but we splurge on one TS meal towards the end of our trip. (Last summer we did the Sci-Fi Dine-In for one last hurrah.) This summer I was going to switch things up and do a character meal. I booked an ADR for Garden Grill breakfast for our one TS meal. I'm excited because Chip N Dale are some of my absolute favorite characters, and the sticky bun cake looks life-changing.

However, I was talking about my upcoming plans with a co-worker who has gone (and will continue to go) to Disney World with his family every year for the past 12 years. They're like experts in my eyes. I said, "Have you ever eaten at the Garden Grill?" and he responded, "Yeah, it sucks!" He said the food was great but the restaurant is outdated, it didn't rotate when he was there, and the character interaction was short and sweet. He gave me other options that, in his opinion, were better than GG.

Here's my dilemma... We are on the summer quick service dining plan, so I don't want to spend too much money out of pocket on our TS meal. Garden Grill is a big splurge for us and the only reason we decided on breakfast was because it was cheaper than lunch and dinner. (And unlimited Mickey waffles just sounds like heaven!) We don't have children so long character interactions isn't a necessity for us, but I would like to get more than a "hi/bye" from them.

So, if you have dined at Garden Grill for breakfast in the last couple of years, please weigh in! Let me know if my co-worker is right, or if I should keep my ADR (and my excitement) for our breakfast!

 

[pattyw]

We have eaten there twice in the last six months for breakfast and another time for dinner. It's a family favorite. The restaurant rotated each time. We loved our breakfast! We are all adults and enjoyed a lot of character interaction. Our servers were great each time! If you have any other questions I'm happy to share more details of our experiences.

 

[danielocha30]

Go for it, you will always be wondering.

 

[King of Naboombu]

We were there last November for breakfast and it is excellent. The restaurant was rotating when we were there, but a few years ago for dinner it wasn’t so that can be hit or miss. I think the characters have always been good the 3 times we have been. Chip and Dale are a lot of fun and goof around a lot, which makes it fun even without kids. Not sure why your coworker would say it “sucks” if he thought the food was great. That seems like a harsh critique.

Even as a splurge, I think it’s worth it and for breakfast especially. As you mentioned, the Mickey waffles and sticky buns are a highlight. Also the fact that it is family style dining brought to your table so you can sit and enjoy without having to go to a buffet line or anything. I say keep the ADR and go enjoy it!!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I've not been but have heard really good things. I say go for it - especially if looking for a character meal, Chip and Dale are your faves, and the menu looks good to you. This review from the DIS Unplugged crew might help with your decision (spoiler alert: it gets off to a rough start (maybe stop at Starbucks first) but they liked it). Have a great trip!!

 

[HollywoodTowerHotel]

We enjoyed breakfast at Garden Grill so much, we are going again on our next trip! The characters came by frequently and were so much fun. The food was great and I loved that you could get more of whatever you wanted without having to go to a buffet. The restaurant revolving is so subtle in the first place that it won’t be missed that much if it isn’t when you ho.

 

[maxiesmom]

Had breakfast there in October, and loved it! Sis loved it so much she went back in February.

We had a great time with the characters. Even as a group of 4 adults they made sure we all got all of the pics we wanted. They even made it around to see us more than once. The food was very good too. Pretty much ties with The Crystal Palace as my favorite character breakfast place.

 

[Janet McDonald]

We love this breakfast! Went in December and going again in June. The restaurant rotated and the food is really good and super cute and fun characters. Also being first on Soarin, and not having to use a fast pass for it was awesome. With that being said, if I only had one table service to choose in a whole trip, it probably would not be a breakfast, but somewhere such as Yachtsmans, Sanaa, or another dinner or lunch meal but thats just me. The sticky bun, the waffles and the meal is as a whole is wonderful and I believe you will love it!

 

[G719]

Don't let one man's opinion sway you from trying it out for yourself.
We've been twice for breakfast and the kids have requested it again for this year. They were disappointed when they took sausage gravy off the menu though. It was on there the year they started breakfast but was removed. Maybe others don't have the love for sausage gravy that my kids do.

Eta: forgot to say that we had the best server at garden grill too.

 

[#1eeyoregirl]

We have gone to either breakfast or dinner there on our last four trips and it was my son’s request for breakfast on his 11th birthday when we go this July. We have had great meals, service and character interaction each time we have been. I would definitely give it a try and judge for yourself. I really do not think you will be disappointed.

 

[disneyvoice]

Not only do we love Garden Grill, I also think it has the BEST character interaction of any character meal at WDW. In fact, the characters come around approximately 2-3 times while you dine to the point that by the 3rd time they come by we just kind of wave and smile because we are over it. LOL!! We go to WDW 3 or 4 times every year (at least) and are moving to FL about 15 minutes away from WDW in July. GG is a family favorite. The restaurant has always rotated for us except for many years ago when there was an issue and it didn't rotate for a few months, I believe. I think you will love it!!

 

[soniam]

We just did it 2 weeks ago. It was one of our son's favorite meals. Our character interaction was short, but it was by choice. DS is 12. The cinnamon sticky bun is really good. The rest of the food was really good too. DS wanted extra bacon, so they brought us a whole plate of bacon. I'm sure we could have gotten more. The restaurant was rotating. The decor has not been updated in a very long. It may have looked the same when I ate there in the first couple of years that Epcot was open. However, it was in very good shape, not dingy or damaged. The service was great. I would definitely consider it again. I do think the selection and character choices are better at 1900 Park Fare, but that's just a preference thing. Also 1900 PF is an actual buffet, not just family style. There's always more choices, and usually custom omelets, at the buffets versus the family style ones, ie Garden Grill, Ohana.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

We LOVED GG breakfast!
And we were a group of 4 adults...
The food was excellent, and it really wouldn't have mattered if the restaurant had not rotated. (It did) Our character interaction was fun.
I think you'll have a great time!

 

[Rwethereyet?]

We had lunch there last summer and loved it. My little boy had a great time with the characters. The food was great too. It is one of our favorite places to eat!

 

[SaintsManiac]

Breakfast is a must do for my family.

 

[eiblehs]

I’m sold! I’m keeping my ADR and I can’t wait. You guys are awesome! Thank you!!!

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

This is good to know as I have it on my to do list for our trip in December

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

I’m sold! I’m keeping my ADR and I can’t wait. You guys are awesome! Thank you!!!

You will love it, enjoy those cinnamon buns!!!
DH thought he'd died and gone to heaven when they brought those out!

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

When we went in August, the restaurant rotated. Some of the scenes you see from Living with the Land as well as the painted wall back drops at certain parts of the rotation make for excellent backdrops for character pictures. Request a booth on the lower level to get this. We went for dinner, so I can't comment on the breakfast food, but our dinner was excellent and it was nice that we could ask for more of the foods that we liked.

The character interaction in our opinion was by far the best I have experienced at WDW. 3 of the 4 characters came by twice in the hour we were there. I've heard it's because the restaurant has a lower capacity than other character meals so the characters are able to come around more than once most times. We did have kids, but the characters stayed at our table for much longer than any other character meal. In fact, Pluto on his second time around played with my toddler for probably 10 minutes, conversing with him through gestures that only the two of them could understand. They played peek-a-boo, shared about a zillion hugs, Pluto put his stuffed Pluto on his head for some cute pics, shared nose kisses... A bunch of CMs ended up coming around and watching the interaction and were cracking up at it. Chip danced with my DD. My toddler just couldnt get enough of Mickey's hugs so Mickey got down on the floor and hugged him for probably 3 minutes straight. I highly recommend it. The last pic is a tad blurry, but wanted to include it because the CMs reaction to Pluto playing with DS is fantastic .

 

[eiblehs]

When we went in August, the restaurant rotated. Some of the scenes you see from Living with the Land as well as the painted wall back drops at certain parts of the rotation make for excellent backdrops for character pictures. Request a booth on the lower level to get this. We went for dinner, so I can't comment on the breakfast food, but our dinner was excellent and it was nice that we could ask for more of the foods that we liked.

The character interaction in our opinion was by far the best I have experienced at WDW. 3 of the 4 characters came by twice in the hour we were there. I've heard it's because the restaurant has a lower capacity than other character meals so the characters are able to come around more than once most times. We did have kids, but the characters stayed at our table for much longer than any other character meal. In fact, Pluto on his second time around played with my toddler for probably 10 minutes, conversing with him through gestures that only the two of them could understand. They played peek-a-boo, shared about a zillion hugs, Pluto put his stuffed Pluto on his head for some cute pics, shared nose kisses... A bunch of CMs ended up coming around and watching the interaction and were cracking up at it. Chip danced with my DD. My toddler just couldnt get enough of Mickey's hugs so Mickey got down on the floor and hugged him for probably 3 minutes straight. I highly recommend it. The last pic is a tad blurry, but wanted to include it because the CMs reaction to Pluto playing with DS is fantasticView attachment 312885 View attachment 312886 View attachment 312887 View attachment 312888 .

Wow, what a great story with pictures! That sounds like such a magical moment. Does a CM come with the character every time they come to your table? I’d love to have someone take our picture with the characters if at all possible.