I had probably one of the most fanciest dinners of my life at Cítricos at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. This is a fine-dining restaurant with American food that, for the most part, has some citrus flavoring (usually in their sauces).
With fine-dining, of course, comes higher prices, but the experience was very enjoyable with plenty of lovely dishes to select. I went for dinner just as they opened for the night, and on a weeknight, it was still somewhat busy. I saw most of the tables populated with guests staying at the resort. I, myself, spent part of my day at Magic Kingdom and took the monorail over before check-in. Because this restaurant served three courses, I made sure to also bring my appetite.
Like many areas of the resort, this restaurant is supposedly Mary Poppins themed, but the decor isn’t very reflective of it. Though you will find some drink inspired Mary Poppins cocktails.
Cítricos Vibes
Instagramable
3/5 – It is, but it depends on what time of day if you want shots of the decor. There are many windows within the restaurant, but they line up on one side of the building so the sun can make photos hard to take. While it is also elegant, it’s not a very themed restaurant nor is it heavily decorated. However, the dishes have a great presentation for pictures.
Family friendly
3/5 – I didn’t come with children but did notice some parties had children there for dinner. Again, it’s not themed, and to me seems more like an adult restaurant, but there is a kids menu with a few picky-eater friendly options.
Date friendly
5/5 – It is a very romantic setting. Having views outside to the lush property with the combination of a modern, simplistic design makes a great dining experience for adults. There are smaller tables seated next to the large windows, and the restaurant was quiet enough to hold conversation.
Cítricos Service
5/5 – Like many restaurants at Disney World, this restaurant was no exception to their wonderful service. When you are seated, your server for the night escorts you to the table and are excellent people to ask questions about the menu. My server was very charming and pleasant, giving me suggestions as I needed and adding some humor to a quiet dinner. I would say he really made the experience worth it.
Cítricos Consumables (Food&Bev)
Flavor
5/5 – I absolutely love citrus flavored anything so the food gets a high rating on flavor for me. They also had a wide variety of drinks outside of wines and other cocktails. I ordered the Purple Penguin, a pineapple, mango-guava, lemon, lavender, grenadine, house-made “zero-proof” seltzer.
For an appetizer, I got the arancini with roasted tomato aioli, and my main course was a porcelet chop with bok choy, Asian peer, and sweet potato. They both were dress in citrus based sauces. The guava cheesecake (pictured above) was also fantastic but didn’t offer anything citrus.
The flavors for everything, even the complimentary bread with salted butter, tasted fresh, exciting, and different enough so that each course was interesting. The sauces added some tangy, lemon goodness so each bite was quite savory.
Cost Vs. Portion
4/5 – Somehow I managed to eat everything (except one bite of cheesecake), and for the service you also pay with the meal, it was worth the price. The portion sizes were very giving per course though the appetizer was a bit smaller for what you would pay on its own. However, the entree was quite large to make up for this, and it wasn’t not too big to overwhelm you. I could see myself going back and getting just an entree with the complimentary bread and dessert -though it’ll only bring the total price down by about $20. The cocktail sizes were perfect, and the dessert was just enough.
Cítricos Quality
5/5 – Excellent quality food for a fine dining restaurant. C’est magnifique!
Bravery
2/5 – For adults, I think they offer enough options to cover all bases, but the citrus based sauces and other foods may not tickle everyone’s fancy. So for those who don’t like those flavors, this not might be a good option for dining. Even the kids menu offered some classic options, but for fine-dining, it might not be worth the price to pay for something like pizza at this kind of restaurant.
Would I recommend eating here?
Short answer? Yes.
Long answer? This restaurant would be best for one adult, a date night, or a small family gathering. If you’re staying at the Grand Floridian, it would be a very nice convenient spot for your party since getting to the resort can be somewhat annoying if you don’t have a car with you.
It’s a good option for a place to go to before or after Magic Kingdom or if you just want to do some resort hopping on the monorail or boat. It’s also not a long ways from the EPCOT transportation station by monorail, but of course, you can always take a bus from somewhere if you really need public transportation over.
By: Gina Monti
Leave a Reply