Citricos Dining Review

Have a special occasion coming up? You may be interested in dining at the luxurious Citricos located inside the fabulous Grand Floridan Resort and Spa at Walt Disney World. You’ll find Citricos on the second floor of the Grand Floridian. It’s off of the main atrium and tucked behind Victoria and Albert’s, so you know to expect big things from this restaurant. The following is our Citricos Dining review.

Citricos Breakdown

• Service: Table-Service
• Type of Food: Steak, Chicken, Seafood, Vegetarian-Friendly, Allergy Options
• Price: $$$
• Location: Grand Floridian Resort
• Discounts: Annual Passholder, Tables in Wonderland
• Features: Reservations, Alcohol, Full Bar
• Good For: Special Occasion Dining, Romance
• Menu: Official Disney Dinner Menu

A Look Inside Citricos

In 2021 Citricos reopened with a brand new look. The new design is modeled after Mary Poppins. You can see touches of her throughout the entire restaurant. If you want a reference below is what Cirtricos used to look like before it underwent a remodel.

Before we dive into the new decor at Cirtricos let’s take a look at the check-in area.

When you arrive at Citricos you can check-in for your reservation via the My Disney Experience app or at the counter pictured above. This area is tucked away in the back of the second floor of the Grand Floridian right next to the entrance of Vicotria and Alberts. When you’re alerted that your reservation is ready you will want to head back to this area to be seated at your table.

The first area you walk by as you head into Citricos is the small lounge area. Be sure to take a close look at the chairs and sofa. The sofa has a corset detail in the middle, a small nod to the corset dress Mary Poppins famously wears.

How often are you encouraged to get up close and personal with the lights at a restaurant? Or really anywhere? The lamps here have butterflies and birds resting on them. Here are the butterflies and I believe this is a nod to the Chalk Drawing Scene in Mary Poppins.

Also, look for the ceiling light towards the front that is inspired by Mary Poppin’s famous parasol. The great things about all these subtle details is if you weren’t a Mary Poppins fan you would just think it was a very elegantly decored restaurant.

Here you notice that you get more breathing room between tables and it has a nice bright and airy feel. It’s a relief because often at Disney restaurants the tables are crammed super close together to seat as many guests as possible. Citricos overlooks the grounds of the resort, we were seated next to the window overlooking the pool and gardens.

The decor here is practically perfect in every way! The color palette is a perfect representation of Mary Poppins. The fabric on the chairs is covered in cherry blossoms, to remind you of 17 Cherry Tree Lane, the address Mary Poppins so famously visits.

I even love that our waitress let us in on a tip that if you stand at the right angle you can find a hidden Mickey in the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

A closer look at the table settings. The napkin is similar to before they just updated the napkin font color to a deep purple color. The water glasses are a thick heavyweight light purple color. I really want to know where I could get a set for the house they were so cute.

Citricos Kitchen

I love when a restaurant has an open kitchen. It’s always so fun to see how all the people work seamlessly together to get dinner out on the tables quickly. The kitchen between the main area and the dessert prep section spans most of the length of Citricos. Odds are you will be able to get a good peek in on the action.

Private Sommelier Room

Citricos has a Private Sommelier Room, also fitting in the Mary Poppins theme. If you are able to when you visit see if you can pop and take a look. This room holds one of the best treasures in Citricos, Mary Poppin’s carpet bag and umbrella.

If you opt for the Private Sommelier Room guests get an elevated food and wine experience. While the menu and prices haven’t been released just yet it will features boutique wines paired with several dishes by Chef Andres Mendoza.

Citricos Dishes

The above show an example of the menu. This one pictured was from our trip in March of 2022. The following are a couple of the featured dishes on their menu.

Complimentary Bread Basket

To start you are brought a fresh basket of bread for the table. The bread offered was plain Ciabatta bread and a kalamata olive bread. Both were fresh and delicious we had to hold back from eating the whole thing before our meal came. The bread basket comes out with salted butter for pairing.

Strawberry Salad

The Strawberry Salad came with Chamomile Infused Goat Cheese, Frisée Lettuce, Bacon Vinaigrette, and Spiced Sunflower Seeds. The salad was so fresh and full of flavor. With the addition of goat cheese on this salad, I feel like you just couldn’t go wrong. I was thrown off by the fancy lettuce worried it may have too much of a licorice flavor but I didn’t mind it at all it was very mild.

Wild Mushrooms Arancini

This starter comes with Truffle Aïoli, Watercress, and Champagne Vinaigrette. Surprisingly this is marked as a Plant-based menu option. It reminded me of a mushroom risotto ball deep-fried. It was a very savory menu item. This dish is so popular that Disney released the recipe if you want to try and make this dish at home.

Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon

The steak is paired with Potato Purée, Broccolini, Cipollini, Bordelaise. This filet redeemed Citricos from past experiences. We had a terrible filet here years ago when we were visiting for our anniversary. This time our waitress told us that the chef was actually the one from Victoria and Albert’s while that restaurant remains closed he was here at Citricos working. This made me agree that the filet was worth a second chance.

The filet was so much better. It was full of that oak flavor you get at California Grill. However, the steak itself wasn’t quite as good as the one you get over there. There was a pretty sizable fatty chunk in the middle of this steak. The steak is several dollars cheaper here so maybe that played into the not quite up to snuff as Yachtsman Steakhouse and California Grill.

Bell & Evans Chicken

The Bell & Evans Chicken is served with Fregula Pasta, Mushrooms, Spinach, Sun-dried Tomato Pesto, Chicken Jus. My husband ate this one, he loved the chicken but wasn’t as crazy about the pasta that comes on the side. It definitely had some unique flavors from your standard dish but I loved it.

Guava Barbecued Short Ribs

The short ribs are paired with, Aged Cheddar Creamy Grits, Roasted Poblano, Curtido Slaw, and Brussels Sprouts. This is the best dish on the menu! It was recommended by our waiter and I took her advice! The beef literally melts in your mouth it’s so tender and the sauce!! Ah! I am already drooling and can’t wait to get back there to have this one again.

Truffle Macaroni & Cheese

This is a side item you can add with your entree. Unfortunately, you could not sub out for an existing side that comes with the entrees. House-made Gnocchetti, Summer Black Truffles, Sottocenere al Tartufo and Tarragon. The truffle taste was not subtle here it was packed with truffle flavor and the Gnocchetti versus just a standard pasta really elevated this side option. If you love truffle you do NOT want to pass up on this side.

Warm Chocolate Banana Torte

This Warm Chocolate Banana Torte is topped with a house-made Belgian Chocolate Crown. Be warned this dessert is rich! But still so chocolatey delicious!! I just wished there was more ice cream that came with it, my tip would be to ask for some extra when you order it.

Birthday Treat

On our last trip to Citricos, I was celebrating my birthday. We noted it on the reservation and at the end of the meal, they surprised us with these dark chocolate truffles.

Citricos Dress Code

There is a dress code at Citricos. Men must wear khakis, slacks or dress shorts and collared shirts. Jeans may be worn if in good condition. Sport coats are optional. Women must wear Capri pants, skirts, dresses, or dress shorts.

When we went I was wearing a very casual dress and I started to feel very underdressed as the restaurant filled up throughout the night. Lots of people were celebrating and as such many were wearing the attire to match.

Citricos Recommendation

This is high on my list of date night recommendation list. I wouldn’t bring the kids here it definitely is a quieter atmosphere with some fancy food and doesn’t really cater to young guests as well as other options. We have consistently had stellar service when we visited, in fact, I think we have had the same waiter a couple of times (what are the odds?!). Our first time here we had the filet and were underwhelmed. The second time we visited, we were blown away when we ventured to other items on the menu. So the main takeaway is that we will stick to eating our filet over at the California Grill!

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After reading our Citricos dining review, If you are interested in booking a reservation for Citricos you can do so through My Disney Experience.

Want more dining tips? Check out our Best Disney World Restaurants recommendations along with Worst Disney Dining Sit Down Restaurants. If you are visiting with young ones read our Best Places to Eat with Kids at Disney World.SaveSave

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