Dining Review: Le Cellier

Le Cellier has such a reputation among Disney fans that it’s hard to go their without preconceptions.   You go expecting everything to be perfect.  After all, to get in requires booking and ADR as soon as your window opens up.  Even then you might not get in.  Can Le Cellier live up to that kind of hype?

The Food:

The food at Le Cellier is very good and consistent.   If you like red meat this is the place for you.  It seems like everything on this menu was mad to clog your arteries.  Even the options that don’t involve meat like the cheddar cheese soup has enough fat to make you swoon but it sure is good to be bad every now and then.

As far as the entrees go I will warn any vegans that there is not one option available on the standard menu.  You will need to let them know (in advance would be best) that you would like a vegan option. The apps are not much better either.  None of them are vegan  but at least they can leave the cheese off on a number of them.

For desert you can nab a lovely indulgence called maple syrup crème brulee.  If you don’t like custard then go with the tri of chocolate.  There are some other options including a no sugar added mousse.

The Drinks:

Why did I put drinks in a different category?  Le Cellier has some of the best alcoholic beverages in Disney World.  It’s a hidden secret.  For example they offer a flight of Unibroue beers.  These are the best beers available in Disney World but be warned!  They will knock you on your butt.  They have almost as much alcohol as a wine.

You can also get a great flight of martinis.  My wife did that and loved them.  They really mix it up and offer a number of different choices.  It’s really too bad Le Cellier doesn’t have a bar you can just go to and order a drink.

The Atmosphere:

I’ve covered this before and the atmosphere in Le Cellier is decent.  There are a lot of exposed wood accents that give the place a feel like you are in a cellar or dark tavern.  My only problem with the atmosphere is it feels claustrophobic.  I’m not a claustrophobic person but I feel like I’m in bomb shelter when I’m in Le Cellier.  I think this is because of the comparatively low ceiling, dark tones, and somewhat small dining room.

The Service:

It’s hard to beat the service at Le Cellier.  The servers are not stuffy they are the polar opposite of Chefs de France (see my review of Chefs de France for more info).  They are warm and friendly and will interact with you.  They also always seem to be smiling.

The Cost:

Here is where Le Cellier falls short.  The prices here are insane.  It’s hard to justify the prices here.  They just keep creeping up and up.   Add that to the fact that now Disney charges two dining plan credits to eat here for dinner and you start to lose value fast.

In the end Le Cellier is a great restaurant but if you cannot get a lunch reservation you’re better off going to a different dining option for dinner.   The dinner is just too expensive to justify if you are on the dining plan and it will hurt your wallet if you are not on the dining plan.   It’s not like one of the signature dining locations at the resorts.  This is still a theme park dining location.

Lumberjacks Protest New Le Cellier Dinner Menu

A group of smelly Lumberjacks recently showed up in Epcot to protest Le Cellier's new dinner menu. 

"We feel this new menu doesn't represent a classic Canadian Steakhouse.  Know what I mean, ehh?" stated one of the protesters.

As many know Le Cellier recently overhauled their dinner menu after raising the cost of dinner to two Disney Dining Plan credits and labeling the restaurant as a Signature Dining location.

The new menu which can be seen here, was overhauled to better reflect an upscale dining experience.  In the process some new menu items were added, some taken away, and the price adjusted on others.

"When I look at this new menu I see a lot of tree hugging hippy crap and not a lot of the good old soul food that we hard working individuals love to eat while watching hockey," explained a lumberjack with a massive mullet.

The lumberjacks were really drawing a crowd in the Canada Pavilion.  Between the flannel shirts, work boots, and hillbilly waterfalls many people have been showing up to take photos.

"It's great!  Some of them even brought their hockey sticks in case it got cold enough for the world showcase lagoon to freeze over.  I get the feeling none of them have ever been to Florida before," said one of the many Epcot visitors gathered to watch the protesters.

It's not known if anything will come of the protests but for now the Canada Pavilion will have some extra entertainment for everyone to enjoy.

Le Cellier: Does It Match the Hype?

People rave about Le Cellier. You’d think Le Cellier was the greatest restaurant on Earth if you believed half the things you hear about it. My wife and I hit for lunch to find out if Le Cellier could live up to the hype.

Food: The food at Le Cellier is good. The breadsticks are amazing and the pretzel bread lives up to expectations. The chedder cheese soup good but I was surprised by how thick it was. It is a very thick soup. It will fill you up. The steaks are good and cooked correctly. The salads are decent too. The deserts are good. My wife got the Maple Crème Brulee. My wife said it was good but I’m not a big fan of Crème Brulee so I can’t really comment on it. One of the things my wife liked about it was the top. It was cooked right and was crunchy.

Atmosphere: The dark wood beams and other accents make it feel like you are really in a cellar. For some people that might not be a good thing but if you like the idea of being in a wine cellar you’ll like it. Another good thing about the atmosphere is that it tends to be quite. That’s always nice when you are dining.

Service: The service was top notch. You will have a hard time finding better service than the service at Le Cellier. They are attentive, informative, and know their stuff.

Price: Le Cellier is expensive. It’s very expensive. I’m not talking California Grill expensive but I will say that it is the most expensive one table service credit in Disney World. If you are on the dining plan you will make out like a bandit here. If you are paying out of pocket and do not have Tables in Wonderland you will hurt when you see the bill.

Notes: I want to know something. Why would you bring a kid to Le Cellier who is going to order mac and cheese? What a waste. I only bring this up because a table behind us did that. I understand the parents want to eat in a nice restaurant but let your kids eat the bread and then grab them something at a quick service or a snack stand. It will be much cheaper and I bet the kid would enjoy it more.

Overall Le Cellier meets the hype but just barely. I wasn’t impressed it just met my expectations. I would not list it on my must do list but I would go back.

Dining Review: The Hollywood Brown Derby

The Brown Derby is the best restaurant you’ll find in a theme park. There I said it. There are so many good things about the Brown Derby it’s hard to list them all but I’ll try.

Food: The food is great. The Cobb Salad is a must eat. You can order it as an app that two people can split or as an entrée even though it’s only listed as an app. It’s one of the best salads I’ve ever had. Both my wife and I ordered it and we both loved it even though our tastes often differ.

Another great thing about the food at the Brown Derby is the deserts. They are amazing. I ordered the Grape Fruit cake. Some people might be turned off by the name but it is a great desert. It’s not too sweet and it’s not too tart. It’s a great end to any meal. My wife ordered the Banana White Chocolate Toffee Tower. It’s hard to describe how good that desert is. It’s unique. I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere else. My wife does not like banana flavored things but she tried it anyways. She loved it.

Service: The service was great. Our server was Kimberly from West Palm Beach. She was great. We couldn’t fluster her. I didn’t mean to but I forgot to ask for no blue cheese on my salad. She ran out back and had the order changed. She also stayed pleasant even though we both ordered water and ordered an app for an entrée. We weren’t trying to be cheap it’s just what we wanted. She was always upbeat and responsive.

Atmosphere: The Brown Derby is the best themed of any Disney restaurant. People might laugh at me and say it’s poorly themed. Those people are idiots. People overlook it’s theme because it’s in DHS. If you took the Brown Derby out of DHS people would say it has a great theme. It fits so perfectly into the Hollywood theme of DHS that people tend to overlook it. When you walk into the Brown Derby you are walking into Hollywood.

Price: A lot of people say that the Brown Derby is expensive. They are right but you’ll spend about the same amount if you eat at Le Cellier. Overall I think it’s a little over priced but when you consider it’s located in a theme park you realize it’s about on par for what they are serving.

Overall the Brown Derby is a great restaurant that everyone should try at least once.