Which restaurants are more spacious / less crowded feeling?

[Jetku]

We’re going in 2 weeks and have concerns, so we are looking to revamp our restaurant approach. Perhaps more in the resorts than parks (in hopes it would be tourists rather than locals), and where possible, avoid restaurants where you’re packed on top of each other.

For example, our Oga’s cantina will soon be cancelled, and Trader Sam’s is off the list.

Our restaurant list is:

California Grill
The Wave breakfast @ California grill (is this seating different?)
Garden Grill
Toppolino’s Terrace
Teppan Edo - party of 8, will we get our own grill table?
Be Our Guest
Tusker House breakfast
Whispering Canyon
Sci Fi
Beaches and Cream (haven’t been since the remodel)
Chef Mickey’s
‘Ohana
Skipper Canteen

Any tips, advisements, and recommendations would be appreciated!

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Beaches & Cream is tiny. I also just read on another post that Skipper Canteen is seating tables super close together.

With a party of 8 you will be split up at Sci Fi as the cars fit 6. Not sure if they are seating parties together yet but maybe something to check into.

Several of the places on your list are spacious in size, but not sure how close they are seating tables currently (BOG, TH, Topolino's, CG...)

I think in general most restaurants at Disney have returned to pre-covid seating, so if dining is a concern for you it might be best to avoid indoor locations.

 

[Redhead5]

I would like to know if anyone has asked to be distanced in a restaurant and if that request has been accommodated. I'm not expecting six feet, but at least three or four feet would be nice. Are there any tables that seem to be a little farther apart than others? Our party will either be two or three (depending if our son will travel with us.)

 

[Bjkandma]

Tappan Edo's tables sit up to 8. So as long as you make a reservation for 8, you will have your own table. California Grill seating would be the same for breakfast or dinner.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

I would like to know if anyone has asked to be distanced in a restaurant and if that request has been accommodated. I'm not expecting six feet, but at least three or four feet would be nice. Are there any tables that seem to be a little farther apart than others? Our party will either be two or three (depending if our son will travel with us.)

I'm sure you can ask, and they will accommodate if they can, but I also wouldn't be surprised if some say they can't.

 

[Brett Wyman]

All restaurants are seating at the near pre-pandemic levels, just know that going in. You may be close to someone no matter how big the restaurant.

California Grill - Open and airy. Decent distancing at most tables.

The Wave breakfast @ California grill (is this seating different?) - Same as above.

Garden Grill - Good chance for table with large partition between other guests. Most tables are spaced well otherwise. Open and airy.

Toppolino’s Terrace - Also very open floor plan. Plastic partitions may still be up between booths. Not sure.

Teppan Edo - party of 8, will we get our own grill table? - Yes tables seat 8 for "hibachi"

Be Our Guest - Open room but packed in the there. There are more comfortable spaces if you can request them.

Tusker House breakfast - Lots of tables. Should be able to request something away from others.

Whispering Canyon - Very open but tables seem to close together. A few tables "outside" the restaurant on the "balcony" seem more spaced.

Sci Fi - They all seem too close to me.

Beaches and Cream (haven’t been since the remodel) - Way too tiny to space.

Chef Mickey’s - Very open with decent spacing.

‘Ohana - A little tight in there but a few tables in corners with more space.

Skipper Canteen - Still need to go here.

 

[PalmettoPath]

Ohana is pretty tights in most spots -- the backs of your chair bumping up against the back of the chair of the person behind you at the next table. They do, however, have a couple of bench seating spots that I think would accommodate 8 (a bench on one side and then two round tables side by side with chairs on the other side) and they are a *little* more distanced from the standalone tables. But not sure what are the odds of getting one of those.

 

[Eastern]

yeah, I would probably say no to Oga's. As far as the others, all of them have lots of air space, but you are also in buildings with hundreds of other people coming and going. I think I would try going to the first restaurant and see how you do and go from there. Even if you eat all CS, there are tons of people around you and constantly walking by you. If you're not feeling ok with that your trip might be stressful.

At least with the restaurants people are sitting. When you're in a line queue, people have a tendency to get close to you and there is not much you can do about it besides asking them to stay farther away.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I've heard that Oga's is still "seating" separate parties at tables together, so I'd agree that's off the list.

With a party of 8 at Teppan Edo will get you your own table but if you wind up having fewer people they were seating the whole table with a small plexi divider even last year just after reopening.

Topolino's is very spaced out and, as of this past Tuesday, the plexi partitions were still up between booths. We ate there for both breakfast and dinner last week and were very comfortable with both of our table assignments.

Tiffin's in the Animal Kingdom is pretty well spaced and tends to be less popular (food is fantastic, but signature so $$ and think the menu "scares" people) so that's a good option - one of the places we felt most comfortable.

I didn't join them but friends commented last week that Tusker House was very well spaced.

At Skipper Canteen in early July, I was decently close to other tables. Not super uncomfortably close like you see in Le Cellier, Chefs de France or San Angel Inn, but I wouldn't say it's one of the best in terms of spacing (nor worst)... just average.

 

[Jetku]

I would like to know if anyone has asked to be distanced in a restaurant and if that request has been accommodated. I'm not expecting six feet, but at least three or four feet would be nice. Are there any tables that seem to be a little farther apart than others? Our party will either be two or three (depending if our son will travel with us.)

I’m planning to ask this at Be Our Guest if we go, as I know they don’t use all available space for diners outside of the precovid breakfast and lunch.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I would like to know if anyone has asked to be distanced in a restaurant and if that request has been accommodated. I'm not expecting six feet, but at least three or four feet would be nice. Are there any tables that seem to be a little farther apart than others? Our party will either be two or three (depending if our son will travel with us.)

It would probably be based of the day’s reservations which have been running pretty high. Three to four feet separation is the norm for chair clearance in most eateries that are not set up as column seating. If you look at photos of the restaurants you are planning to go to you’ll get an idea of the seating distance.

 

[Jetku]

All restaurants are seating at the near pre-pandemic levels, just know that going in. You may be close to someone no matter how big the restaurant.

California Grill - Open and airy. Decent distancing at most tables.

The Wave breakfast @ California grill (is this seating different?) - Same as above.

Garden Grill - Good chance for table with large partition between other guests. Most tables are spaced well otherwise. Open and airy.

Toppolino’s Terrace - Also very open floor plan. Plastic partitions may still be up between booths. Not sure.

Teppan Edo - party of 8, will we get our own grill table? - Yes tables seat 8 for "hibachi"

Be Our Guest - Open room but packed in the there. There are more comfortable spaces if you can request them.

Tusker House breakfast - Lots of tables. Should be able to request something away from others.

Whispering Canyon - Very open but tables seem to close together. A few tables "outside" the restaurant on the "balcony" seem more spaced.

Sci Fi - They all seem too close to me.

Beaches and Cream (haven’t been since the remodel) - Way too tiny to space.

Chef Mickey’s - Very open with decent spacing.

‘Ohana - A little tight in there but a few tables in corners with more space.

Skipper Canteen - Still need to go here.

Thanks so much for your view here!

 

[Jetku]

I've heard that Oga's is still "seating" separate parties at tables together, so I'd agree that's off the list.

With a party of 8 at Teppan Edo will get you your own table but if you wind up having fewer people they were seating the whole table with a small plexi divider even last year just after reopening.

Topolino's is very spaced out and, as of this past Tuesday, the plexi partitions were still up between booths. We ate there for both breakfast and dinner last week and were very comfortable with both of our table assignments.

Tiffin's in the Animal Kingdom is pretty well spaced and tends to be less popular (food is fantastic, but signature so $$ and think the menu "scares" people) so that's a good option - one of the places we felt most comfortable.

I didn't join them but friends commented last week that Tusker House was very well spaced.

At Skipper Canteen in early July, I was decently close to other tables. Not super uncomfortably close like you see in Le Cellier, Chefs de France or San Angel Inn, but I wouldn't say it's one of the best in terms of spacing (nor worst)... just average.

Thanks for the advice! skipper canteen seems like it might be on the chopping block. Thinking about your suggestions here, thankfully we didn’t book Le Cellier, Chefs, or San Angel. Those are ‘regulars’ for us but i can see them being very cramped.

 

[supersnoop]

Is Beaches and Cream still seating some parties outside? That may be an option.

 

[LittleStinkerbelle]

Sharing our experience from last week - party of three and we had ADRs at Homecomin', Brown Derby, Topolino's, Sci-Fi and Oga's.

-Homecomin' gave our party of 3 an end table that was a four top and a two top pushed together and was quite far from the party of 4 next to us. We sat at the end of the table and had tons of distance between us and the next party.

-Brown Derby seated us in a half-moon shaped booth and there was plexiglass between the booths. Two of us sat in the center of the booth and one on the end and we felt distanced enough.

-Topolino's we were again in a half-moon shaped booth, this one was on the end of a row with no booth on one side so DH sat on that end and DD and I sat in the center and felt distanced.

-Sci-Fi was not seating "hitchhikers" the day we were there, the CM who seated us told us we'd have the car to ourselves and it seemed that was the case for other parties. There was also plexiglass between us and the car beside us.

-Oga's after reading reports here that parties were being seated together we cancelled because we were not comfortable with that possibility

I would like to know if anyone has asked to be distanced in a restaurant and if that request has been accommodated. I'm not expecting six feet, but at least three or four feet would be nice. Are there any tables that seem to be a little farther apart than others? Our party will either be two or three (depending if our son will travel with us.)

We did. We picked up a last minute ADR at Trattoria al Forno on the Boardwalk. When the CM walked us to our table it was right in the middle of other tables and a row of booths, all very close together. I was not comfortable with that and I looked around and saw an empty corner table against the wall and the table next to it was at least 6 feet away. I asked if we could have that table. The CM had to call the manager and we had to go back to the lobby to wait, but they did accommodate us and I was extremely grateful. The CM was empathetic too.