On our arrival day we had made reservations to go to Raglan Road, because I have heard such great things. So I figured this was a “can’t miss” dining experience.
We arrived for our dinner reservation at 6:45. I overheard the cast member at the podium tell a guest that they seat within 15 minutes of your reservation. So that meant we would probably be waiting until 7 for our reservations that we made 180 days ago, but it was busy so we figured that was fair.
Unfortunately, we waited until 7:15 to be seated. We did have 8 people on the reservation, but, again, they had 6 months of knowledge that a large party would be coming in at that time. So by the time we were seated we were starving. The kids were still doing okay at this point, but we knew we didn’t have long before they began to fade.
Once we were seated our waitress, Charlotte, came to take our drink orders. Charlotte was wonderful. She was great with the kids, very friendly, and attentive. We all ordered our drinks and she brought them pretty fast. I ordered the Strawberry and Cucumber Mojito and it was delicious! Definitely recommend that one.
The appetizers came out pretty quick. I ordered the “Scallop Forest” which is basically fried scallops on forks. It came with two dipping sauces. One was creamy and the other was a chili jam. Our friend ordered the “Heaven on Earth” and those are baby back ribs with a Guinness glaze. Both the scallops and the ribs were very good.
Unfortunately, the entrees did not come out as fast as the appetizers. Charlotte brought out the mac and cheese plates for the kids, but it was quite a while before the other entrees made it to our table. We had been seated for at least an hour before our entrees finally came out.
Now for the food. The kids all got the mac and cheese and fries. It was standard mac and cheese and went over pretty well. The fries are thicker cut and were very good as well.
My husband got “The Pale” which has shrimp, clams, and roasted corn in a broth and it comes with two soda bread scone. The presentation is nice; it comes in a pan. My husband said it was good, but not really worth the price we paid for it. The portion was small and some of the clams were empty.
Two of us got the “Keen Eye for the Shepard’s Pie.” This one is a little different from the Shepard’s Pie I am used to. There was no crust, but it was still a perfect circle. The meat layer was pretty thick and it was topped with a layer of mashed potatoes. It was so good! The portion was generous and I was able to take half of it home to eat for lunch the next day.
One of my friends ordered the “Cluck Curry.” This was chicken breast that was in curry broth with onions, peppers, leeks, and served with steamed almond rice. She was very happy with her choice and also had leftovers for the next day.
Throughout the meal Irish dancers performed in the different rooms. We were in a room off to the side of the main room, but the dancers came to our section and performed. It’s fun to watch and the dancers are amazingly good! The main room is really nice. There is an actual stage in there and the decor is really nice. They also have lights that are programmed along with the show.
Overall, we didn’t think it was worth the $100+ that we paid. The atmosphere was fun, the food was good, and the waitress was very nice, but the wait was too long (especially since we had a reservation) and the food took a really long time to make it to the table. I would, however, try the restaurant again. I’ve heard many good things and maybe they were having an off night, but I would go during the day next time.
Thanks for reading!
*Liz*
We’re trying Raglan Road for the first time in November so I was glad to find your post. However, it is difficult to weigh your review without knowing the date of your visit. The day of the week can make quite a difference in the crowd level as can the season, so the date is very important. I’m not too concerned about the wait time as an ADR at Downtown Disney is not the same as an actual reservation at another local restaurant that is not on Disney property. We feel that the food is what we’re really paying for and it sounds like your meal was worth it even though your husband felt his was overpriced for what he got. It was great to hear about your meals but we’re sorry you didn’t review any desserts. I’ve heard great things and can’t wait to try the bread pudding! Perhaps your next restaurant review will be a bit more detailed. Thank you!
Hi Sara,
Our reservations were for a Wednesday evening in September. The wait time was a concern for us, because we had kids with us and didn’t realize that we would be waiting an extra half hour past our reservation time. So far on this trip that is the only restaurant to make us wait that long past our reservation. Every other restaurant has seated us within minutes of arriving, even Be Our Guest.
I wanted to get a dessert (total sweet tooth over here!), but we had already waited so long to get seated and it took a long time for our entrees to arrive as well. If I do try the restaurant again I would go during the day and (hopefully) get dessert. I’m a big fan of bread pudding, so I would have loved to have tried that.
As for “The Pale” we definitely felt that was not worth the price of the entree. It was good, but he was disappointed.
Sorry you felt the review wasn’t detailed enough. Hope this reply helped 🙂
Thanks for reading!
*Liz*