OK, I have a few minutes here, so here is my subjective discussion of WDW TSs
Signature dining. My top 3 are Monsieur Paul, CG, and Jiko (as a caveat, I have not been to Tiffins, Yachtsman, or the “new” Flying Fish yet). I give the food at MP top marks, the view/atmosphere at CG top marks, and Jiko top marks for a “romantic date night”. If I had to pick an overall favorite between the 3 it would go to CG - as long as it included Wishes. Le Cellier, Hollywood Brown Derby, Artists Point, and Citricos are all pretty much tied in my next tier of favorites; mostly depends on where I plan to be near dinner time. Narcoossee’s and the “old” Flying Fish round out the list. The food at FF was very good, but the old decor was just not “fine dining” to me, and my one dinner at Narcoossee’s was marred by less than attentive service - but the view of Wishes from the deck is pretty good.
MK. This park has some of the best rides and some of the worst meal options. My favorite meal in the park is lunch at LTT. BOG is a beautiful restaurant and is probably worth trying at least once just to see it. I had lunch there and it was a non-descript QS sandwich brought to my table. I may try dinner sometime, but lunch was one-and-done. Tony’s was “OK” for dinner; the caprese salad and bread were actually excellent, the entree was lackluster, but not “bad”. I’d go back if I didn’t feel like leaving the park for dinner. I avoid all CMs, so no comments about thoses.
DHS. HBD is hands-down the best in the park - but as it’s a signature restaurant, you would expect it to be. Sci-fi, 50s, and Momma Melrose are all restaurants that I enjoy, Sci-fi perhaps less than the other two. IMHO, MM has the second best pizza in WDW (VN in EP easily wins that contest). 50s is a lot of fun and the fried chick is excellent. To me, Sci-fi is more about the theming than the food.
AK. Although I have not been there yet, Tiffins has gotten nothing but rave reviews and is number one on my list of places to eat on my next trip. I’ve always had good food at Yak & Yeti; the seared ahi salad may be my favorite lunch in WDW. Although I am generally not a fan of either buffets or CMs, I enjoy Tusker House. The food is above average and is somewhat unique, and the character interaction is good. Rain Forest Cafe is another place you go to more for the theming than the food. Average food, kids love it, one-and-done for me.
EP. So many choices, so few dinner slots… 14 TS options (16 if you count the two CMs), ranging from good to excellent. I already mentioned Le Cell and MP above, so I’ll leave them out of this discussion. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be Biergarten. My mother was fist generation German and I’ve eaten a lot of German food in my days - and BG is some of the best I’ve had that wasn’t from my mother’s recipes. The great theming and live music (and very good beer) round it out perfectly. Via Napoli, for the pizza, is my other EP favorite. Going around the World…
In Mexico, SAI has the better atmosphere, La Hacienda has the better food. DON’T miss getting a margarita at La Cava.
Norway has Akershus; it used to be an excellent Norwegian restaurant, now it’s a princess stable. Dining surrounded by scores of “little princesses” belongs in a ring of Dante’s Inferno.
The food at 9 Dragons in China isn’t “bad”, it’s just no better than what you would get at your local Chinese take-out but at 2 or 3 times the price. But it is very pretty inside.
Teppan Edo kind of falls into the same category; the food is good, but probably no better than a teppanyaki restaurant that might be in your home town. Tokyo Dining is kind of the hidden sister to TE, but I really like it. It has excellent sushi and other traditional Japanese selections that don’t come off of the teppan.
As I said above, VN has excellent pizza, but for traditional Italian “dinners” I would choose Tutto Italia. It’s a beautiful restaurant that serves very authentic Italian food. I’ve never had less than excellent food and service.
Morocco has Marrakesh, which may be the most stunning of all the WS restaurants. I love Moroccan food and have had very authentic “home cooked”, so I am of mixed opinions about Marrakesh. The apps and desserts are spot on, but the entrees seem to be kind of flat. Although I haven’t been discussing QS locations, I would add here that Tangerine is one of my favorites in EP and I’m much more likely to eat there than at Marrakesh.
France has Les Chefs (and Monsieur Paul, which I discussed above). I’ve only eaten there once, for lunch, a number of years ago. I found it over-crowded and loud, my server was unfriendly, and the food was mediocre, at best. Many people list it as one of their favorites, and it’s always jammed, so this may be an example of an “off day”. I should really go back and try it for dinner, but after the one lunch, I’ve been gun shy…
I already mentioned Le Cellier in Canada. I said that I thought MP had the best food in EP, but I’ll add one caveat - between the two,if you are specifically looking for steak, you can’t go wrong at Le Cellier. It’s “what they do”. And the beer cheese soup is to die for.
Rose and Crown is actually two separate restaurants; the walk-up “pub” in front and the dining room in back. I LOVE going into the pub for a beer. If you can find a place to sit, the “pub grub” food is pretty good. The dining room has less than impressed me. The patio in back is a great place for a late dinner while watching IllumiNations, but other than for that one event, I think Raglan Road in DS scores way higher marks on both food and atmosphere. One more QS plug - Yorkshire Fish and Chips is probably my favorite in EP.
That leaves the 2 FW options. I have not eaten at Garden Grill so I can’t comment on that other than it’s AYCE family style with Chip and Dale. Coral Reef in The Seas may well be the most inconsistent restaurant in WDW. Personally, I’ve never had bad food or service, but others have listed it as their worst meal in WDW. It’s a very unique restaurant and although it’s certainly not in my “top tier” of favorites, I would not hesitate to go back.
Non-park dining. I’ve already discussed the signatures, so here are a few of my other favorites. Raglan Road in DS is near the top of my list. Great food and drink coupled with live Irish music and dancing. If I was a local, this would be one of my main hang-outs. Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Lodge-Kidani. Excellent Indian-inspired food, cool decor, and picture windows overlooking the savanna. Go during daylight hours. Morimoto’s Asia in DS. Excellent oriental “fusion” food. Stunning restaurant and actually not quite as expensive as you might fear given the name.
OK, that was long. There is SO much more that I could say about WDW dining. Happy to answer specific questions about specific locations if I can…