A recent menu change has struck one of our favorite dishes at a fan-favorite Disney World restaurant and you know we had to scope it out.

There’s a short list of Disney World restaurants that just don’t seem to let us down, no matter how much Disney plays with their menus. Sometimes, these changes are for the better, and sometimes they still can’t quite measure up to some of the surrounding restaurants, but very rarely do we find a change that doesn’t feel much like a change. When we heard that one of our beloved dishes at California Grill had changed, we knew we had to investigate — stat!

If you’ve never heard us talk about California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, we’ve got a LOT to say about this restaurant. This restaurant is one of a handful of Disney World restaurants to earn recognition in the Michelin Guide and has built quite a reputation for itself over the years.

It’s known for its signature style, innovative chefs, market-inspired menus, and incredible quality in its dishes served as a 3-course prix fix meal. You’ll find after visiting this restaurant why it’s a popular place to watch the nightly Magic Kingdom fireworks, Happily Ever After.

Atmosphere

When you walk into Disney’s Contemporary Resort you’ll need to make your way to the 2nd floor of the building. As you arrive, there’s a small check-in desk just under a colorfully lit California Grill sign — usually with a few Cast Members waiting there to check you in for your meal!

Once you’ve been checked in and after the notification that your table is ready, you’ll approach the check-in stand once again to let them know you’re ready to be transported to the restaurant. This is done by a designated elevator ride up to the very top floor of the hotel. As you exit the elevator you’re greeted by another set of hosts that will assist you in making your way through the restaurant…

…possibly past the vibrant bar with a gorgeous chandelier hanging just above it…

…and over to your area of the dining room. From there, you’ll find your seat at either a table or booth that will be flanked on one side by cascading windows giving you a stunning view of Magic Kingdom in the near distance.

Depending on the time of year and time of the evening you’re dining at California Grill, it’s possible that the shades could be drawn a bit over the large windows until they reach a manageable point where it’s blinding you and your dinner party as you’re seated. Don’t worry, once the sunsets to a degree that’s acceptable, the restaurant will roll up the remaining shades so you can really get a good feel of the view that awaits.

As you look around you may notice the semi-open kitchen as the chefs prepare the meal dishes and desserts. If you can steal a few minutes away from your table, it’s fun to walk over and watch them working so vigorously for a few moments!

Another huge reason folks are drawn to this restaurant no matter the occasion is due to its exclusive fireworks viewing area. Whether you plan your dining time to watch the fireworks from your seat through the window or want to step outside and take them in from the observation deck, there’s plenty of space to see them in full.

Don’t worry though! If you choose an earlier dining time, just be certain to hold on to your receipt and arrive back at the 2nd floor check-in to be let back up to the restaurant before the fireworks start that night. You’ll still get a chance to see them from such a great viewing area as long as you’ve dined there previously that evening.

Menu

This signature dining restaurant operates on a prix-fix meal where you’ll pay a predetermined price (plus any upgrades and drinks) for your meal. The cost for adults here is $89 and children ages 3-9 are $39. There is also a deluxe wine pairing you can add to your meal for an additional $72 per person.

To start off your meal, you’ll make a selection from the Market Inspirations followed by one of the dishes from the Chef’s Journey selections…

…and finish your meal off with your favorite of the Sweet Creations.

There’s even a few prix fix options for kids to choose from. Appetizers start with choices of chicken noodle soup and Hearts of Romaine, and then entrees are offered in grilled steak, chicken, salmon, and mac & cheese.

…a few choices of sides, and finally fresh fruit, Baymax in San Fransokyo, and Cookies ‘n Cream Ice Cream Sandwich for dessert.

There’s an extensive list of drinks offered here too, as you would imagine!

Wines are available by the glass and bottle like sparkling offerings, pinot noir, merlot, and blends…

…riesling, chardonnay, rosé, and more.

Cocktails are in no shortage either!

California Grill also offers a few other selections of sake, beers, and hard ciders.

We took a few moments to look over our menu, talk over a few options with our server, and ultimately landed on what we best felt represented a variety of what the restaurant had to offer.

Eats

Before our food even started to appear, we were offered the restaurant’s complimentary bread service. Here, that’s a few rolls of sourdough bread accompanied by an olive oil dip and butter.

We’re suckers for Disney World bread service but this sourdough bread was a treat! It was the perfect blend of that familiar sourdough taste without being overbearing. It also was fairly easy to break apart aside from the edges which gave a little resistance.

When you added the olive oil dip that had a nice savory taste to it (thanks to the mixed-in deli meat and veggies) and the salted butter…

…it gave an almost buttermilk taste to the bread. It was equally fascinating and mouth-watering and by the middle of enjoying the window view with our bread our food started to arrive!

For our appetizer, we were very set on trying out the main reason for our visit this evening — the Sonoma Goat Cheese Cappelletti. This used to be offered in a ravioli version but has recently made the change to a cappelletti made of organic mixed mushroom ragout, tomato-fennel brodo, and California extra virgin olive oil.

WOW! So, this one was quite the bang to start your meal off in the best way possible. Our server came over and poured the tomato sauce right at the table and made it all the better. The cappelletti was firm but easy to cut through and that Sonoma goat cheese inside was so creamy!

The mushrooms were stacked towards the center of the dish but one of the hosts came around to talk to me about the change and said that some of the mushrooms were blended in with the cappelletti and you could certainly taste the mushrooms without even picking up some of the pieces in your bite.

We were huge fans of the ravioli version of this dish, but we’re happy to report that the change isn’t all that different and you’ll still get an incredible taste from the new way it’s been revised.

For our next dish, we opted for our server’s recommendation of an Oak-grilled Filet of Beef. This dish is made of oak-grilled filet cooked to your preferred temperature, roasted baby carrots, carrot purée, carrot top pistou, dukkah, mulled cabernet demi.

We opted to have our filet cooked to a medium temperature which means it was presented to us with a pink center to the beef — but don’t let that color fool you! This meat was so tender and definitely makes the shortlist of best filets among Disney World’s restaurants.

The baby carrots along with sitting in the carrot purée were a great addition as accompaniments and it was interesting to taste the dynamic between the two made from the same ingredients. When you got a bite of the beef with the purée and mulled cabernet demi sauce it was like a firecracker of flavor set to the juiciest bite. The demi was just the right mix of savory and salty to craft the perfect solution in place of a bottle of steak sauce.

It was unreal just how good this dish was! But, if we weren’t already full from the 2 courses AND bread before, we still had to save room because our last course was on its way.

To round out our meal for a sweet treat, we opted for the Caramel Mousse and Apple Spiced Cake made of seasonal apples, caramel sauce, chantilly cream, and caramel tuile.

This dessert was so precious we almost didn’t want to cut into it! The caramel mousse separated with such ease as we cut the dessert in half and the floating dab of caramel sauce ran down each center half.

As we pulled our spoon over to take a bite, we were met with little resistance in the spiced cake underneath and the mousse on top as it cut through it like butter. The taste was just as you would imagine with notes of caramel, crisp sugary bites, and cinnamon spiced cake, and when we got to the apple slices they truly added that missing touch of a juicy, fruity texture.

If we had to be critical of this one, we could totally have used some layered cinnamon sprinkled over the apple slices and wouldn’t have minded the sweeter slices swapped out in favor of maybe a bit tarter apple. All in all, though, this dessert was perfection and if we did the meal all over again it would be our top choice for dessert.

Overall

As a whole meal, this was an incredible dining experience — and I use experience over just meal because it was the whole kit and caboodle really. Everything from getting to dress up a little fancier than your regular Disney World theme park clothes, taking an exclusive elevator all the way up to the very top floor of one of the most notable Disney World hotels, to enjoying a beautiful meal with a stunning view as the sunsets AND getting an exclusive view of Magic Kingdom’s nightly fireworks was top notch.

Overall, we walked away with very minimal critiques of the meal and the experience, and can’t wait to plan to have another meal back again soon.

Nosh or Not?

Make it a point to stop in for a meal at California Grill if…

• You’re looking for an unmatched elevated dining experience at Disney World. You won’t soon forget the gorgeous view, nightly fireworks from your seat or deck, and delicious foods that lend a hand to an experience with dining at Disney World that’s hard to beat.
• You’re celebrating something BIG! This restaurant has a hefty price tag attached to it, so if you’re really looking to do something huge to celebrate this could be a great way to spend your evening.
• Food quality is your priority over budget. We really had a hard time coming up with anything to critique our meal about. If you’re willing to spend a good chunk of change but cautious to do it for a meal that’s really going to live up to the hype, California Grill is a safe bet!

You’ll probably want to skip this restaurant if…

• A signature dining restaurant isn’t quite the experience you’re looking for. Look, we get it…you’ve spent a LONG day in Disney World. If the thought of taking time out of your day to dress up when you’re just looking for a good meal and off to crash in your hotel room afterward, this might not appeal to you.
• Have you tried the bar? Not looking to stay for a full meal but would like to see the view? Maybe the bar is more of the experience you’re looking for this time.
• The pricey meal isn’t important and there’s another place you can view the fireworks from this hotel for FREE. That’s right — if you’re not looking to pay for the meal to get the view, you can get a similar viewing experience on the 4th floor observation deck of the same hotel totally for free. You’ll want to arrive early for the fireworks though because this can be a popular option to see (and hear) the show!

Disney World is constantly changing its menus with new dishes and drinks! Be sure to stay tuned with us at Disney Food Blog to know all about these changes first!

REVIEW: Is It Possible To Fall in Love with a Disney Snack? Asking for a Friend.

Have you ever dined at California Grill? Tell us all about your experience in the comments below!

The post REVIEW: Disney World Just Changed Its Iconic Goat Cheese Ravioli…But We Have GOOD NEWS! first appeared on the disney food blog.