California Grill at Disney's Contemporary Resort

As you check into California Grill in the second floor lobby you can tell that this is going to be one special evening. Once you have been checked in and your reservation is confirmed you are taken into an elevator up to the 15th floor of the Contemporary.

When you step off of the elevator you are immediately immersed in the excitement of this incredible restaurant! You are greeted by the host or hostess at the front desk, once officially checked you are given your pager, you are told that there are three walkways that extend outside of the restaurant and that you are more than welcome to go out and explore them. After being given permission go ahead and explore do it!

The views from the walkways are amazing, you can see everything from downtown Orlando to the inside of the Magic Kingdom. No place else can you get these views.

Once the pager goes off you are escorted to your table I personally recommend a seat next to the Kitchen, the open kitchen is a sight to see, the chefs hustling to produce the food for all of the hungry customers is very entertaining especially if you have young children. Soon after being seated the waiter or waitress will come over and take your drink order, the wine list is suburb and has a great selection of California Wines. After you receive your drinks the server will ask if you to place your appetizer order, the sushi and flatbreads are to die for. After you order the starters you will be asked if you are ready to order your meal.

You cannot go wrong with any selection on the menu. However I would recommend the oak wood filet of beef. After placing this order you then wait for your meal to come it may seem like it takes a minute to receive your dishes but trust me the staff at this restaurant have the timing of the evening down to a science. After your appetizers and main courses have arrived your server will ask you to place your dessert order, again you cannot go wrong but the cheesecake is excellent.

As you are waiting for your dessert the lights will begin to dim and the music for wishes (the firework show at Magic Kingdom) will begin. Your server will ask you if you want to go outside and watch the show and trust me you do! This is a magical experience and by far the best place in the "world" to watch fireworks from. After the show is done you may see your server setting your table with the dessert (perfect timing). This restaurant is truly amazing I personally feel that no trip to Walt Disney World is complete without a stop at California Grill.

Dining with Stars at the California Grill

Laure Simms
laure@wdwtravels.com
1-888-214-6954
318-419-4353

As you may know the California Grill is located on the 15th floor of the Contemporary Resort. There are two observation decks that you may go out on and watch the fireworks in Magic Kingdom. Our reservation was at 8:50 pm so we were seated just before the fireworks began. It also happened to be on a night when Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party was going on so we got to see the special fireworks that you only see at the party. If you can I highly recommend getting a reservation here late so you can enjoy the fireworks and the spectacular view from the restaurant. We had a great table with a view of the Magic Kingdom, actually there are no bad tables in the restaurant because there are huge windows so you can see from just about anywhere in the restaurant.

I would like to begin my review of the California Grill by saying I was not that excited about dining there. I'm sure that's not what you were expecting to hear. I am somewhat of a picky eater and the menu selections were not really appealing to me.



I was dining with a group of six. We ordered appetizers and shared them. Our waiter was really great and his service was fantastic! He suggested we try some of their famous flatbreads as appetizers. We had the Triple Cheese and I believe the Roasted Saigon Pork, both were very good. They actually surprised me. Now I am one of the people at our table who likes sushi, I had the sushi chef create a special sushi for me that was delicious. It was so good, I even told them they needed to put it on the menu.



Before my trip, I did my research by looking up what was on the menu for dinner and had decided that the only entrée I would really like was the Oak fired Filet of Beef. It came with sour cream mashed potatoes and broccoli. Myself and another dining with me split the entrée which was great, the chef even went so far as to plate the entrée separately for us so we did not have to do it at the table. I must say that the Filet of Beef was incredible, cooked to perfection and the sour cream mashed potatoes were to die for.

Now enough about the food let me tell you about the stars.
We enjoyed our dinner and were just talking among ourselves when suddenly one of the ladies with me lets out a scream. I had no idea why until she leaned over and said “That was Tyra Banks.” I did not see her at first but then spotted her. She was dining with a group and had very tight security, so we got no autographs but one in our party got off a shot with her Iphone. We did make a trip out to the observation deck which meant we had to walk right past her table. I don’t think her security people appreciated that but we just had to get a closer look. In hindsight we probably should have asked for her autograph, all they could have said was no. So you never who you will see or what you will see at Disney. For us it was a great meal and a fun story to tell our friends back home.

I will say that I really enjoyed my meal at the California Grill much more than I anticipated that I would. I highly recommend it for a fine dining experience. If you have kids with you they are welcome but it is really a more adult experience. I would suggest that you let the kids spend some time in a kids club and let the parents have a night out as well.