Review: California Grill Restaurant at Contemporary Resort, Walt Disney World, Florida

This article is based on reviews from my family. We dined at the California Grill on Monday, January 21^st, 2008. We also were using Disney's Deluxe Dining plan to pay for our meal. The dining plan allows us to order a beverage, an appetizer, an entree (main course) and a dessert.

We booked this meal way in advance. We selected the earliest time available, which is 5:30 PM. We also made sure we showed up at this restaurant. This is one place where you do not wish to blow off your reservation. The California Grill charges a $20 no show fee per person. If you know that you are not going to be able to make your reservation please cancel 24-48 hours in advance. The reservation system at Disney asks for your credit card information when booking your reservation. As with all Disney restaurants try to arrive a few minutes early so that you can check-in. Allow ample travel time if you are using Disney transportation to get to the California Grill.

We arrived at the Contemporary Resort about 25 minutes early. Check-in for the California Grill is on the second floor of this resort. After we checked-in, we were escorted in a specially marked elevator to the 15^th floor. We then sat in the lounge/waiting area for our pager to go off.

We were seated on time and had a window seat with an amazing view of the Magic Kingdom and surrounding areas. Our server was Roberto. He was very informative and helped us make the hard decisions on what to order. (It all sounded so good!) My husband and I both started with sushi as our appetizers. Roberto informed us that Chef Yoshie is one of the top female Sushi Chefs. My husband ordered the California Roll ($17) and I had the Hurricane Roll ($19). My husband did state that the California roll was the best he ever had eaten. It probably helped that it had real jumbo lump crabmeat in it and not imitation crab. My hurricane roll was good too. Surprisingly it was both sweet and a little spicy. (It was topped with tempura squid, which was a really nice touch.) Our 6-year-old daughter ordered the romaine salad with the buttermilk ranch dressing for her appetizer. The waiter also brought out bread, butter, and olive oil before our appetizers arrived. He even thought to bring out a plate of goldfish crackers for our little one. (Very nice to think of the children.)

Main Course - My husband, with the help of Roberto, decided on the oak-fired filet of beef ($36). I ordered the Ahi Tuna. Our daughter ordered the roasted salmon with rice and green beans. While I enjoyed my dish, I was wishing I had ordered sushi as my main course instead of the tuna. (The tuna was good but the sushi was excellent.) Our daughter's food must have been good or she must have been really hungry because her plate was almost empty.

We didn't order dessert for two reasons. The first being that we were so full and we couldn't eat another bite. The second, we were running a little late and were in a hurry to get to the Pirate and Princess Party. Roberto suggested that we get the dessert to go but we did not want to have to carry it around at the party.

Overall we were really glad we were able to try the California Grill. Everything about this restaurant screamed "Quality". We had read so many reviews before trying this restaurant so our hopes were really built up and I have to say that we were not disappointed.

You can make a reservation to the California Grill by calling 1-407-WDW-DINE.