The demise of WDW restaurants is greatly exaggerated!

[Dreamfinder2]

That, of course, is my subjective opinion after spending the last week in the World, but also the consensus of eight others, ranging from me (who'll eat anything) and another one in our party, who hates Disney in general.

I won't go into specific reviews of each restaurant and CS spot, but just some generalities.

Here's what's hilarious ... the best, most attentive service we got all week was at the Sci-Fi Dine In. I kid you not. The best meal (out of places like Chefs, Le Cellier, The Wave, etc.) was at Yak & Yeti. Unbelievable. And, one of my favorite restaurants - 'Ohana, which is an annual stop - was way off its game. WAY off, especially in service. I was crushed. That doesn't mean you'll have the same experience, but I'll go into some detail later. We were all dismayed.

But, other than 'Ohana, we ate, and ate well, and I PROMISE I saw no decline in service or quality from the last hundred or so experiences.

Details to come!

ETA: OK, it looks like I'm going into more detail than I'd planned. And I apologize for a lack of photos... the rain was so perfectly awful while we were there that I basically gave up on lugging the camera around. You'll have to find food porn elsewhere. Sorry!!

[luvlumpy]

Glad to hear it!! We'll be there in 2 weeks and can't wait to EAT!! :)

[KatMark]

Anxious for the details....

[Pumbaa_]

The bad service is why I will not go back to 'ohana - bad once? ok, i will give you another chance....but 3 times? then that is the standard and I will not be back

looking forward to hearing the rest of your review :)

[JeNScHuB]

hmmmm...maybe it's good i didn't get a ressi at Ohana:sad2:

[torismom]

We really enjoyed our meal last year at yak and yeti...

Do you recall who was your server at Sci Fi???

[Kurby]

looking forward to seeing your tr

[LMO429]

That, of course, is my subjective opinion after spending the last week in the World, but also the consensus of eight others, ranging from me (who'll eat anything) and another one in our party, who hates Disney in general.

I won't go into specific reviews of each restaurant and CS spot, but just some generalities.

Here's what's hilarious ... the best, most attentive service we got all week was at the Sci-Fi Dine In. I kid you not. The best meal (out of places like Chefs, Le Cellier, The Wave, etc.) was at Yak & Yeti. Unbelievable. And, one of my favorite restaurants - 'Ohana, which is an annual stop - was way off its game. WAY off, especially in service. I was crushed. That doesn't mean you'll have the same experience, but I'll go into some detail later. We were all dismayed.

But, other than 'Ohana, we ate, and ate well, and I PROMISE I saw no decline in service or quality from the last hundred or so experiences.

Details to come!

Wow very similiar experience here 2! We just got back from WDW yesterday. Our service at Yak and Yeti & Sci Fi was amazing as well. Ohana they rushed us and our "cousin" was actually rude to us. If you are one of those people who could not get ohana adrs I would just go to the restaurant they were taking walk ups (i do not know if that had anything to do with the weather maybe there were cancellations but there were plenty of open tables while we were there they must of all gotten rushed out of ohanas,,,,,we actually asked our waiter to slow down at one point...... Also we had amazing service at the rose and crown

[Dreamfinder2]

All righty ...

Our first meal of the week was at 'Ohana. There were 9 of us, and since we were coming in late last Sunday, I got ADRs for 8:20 p.m.

(A word about ADR's - I called and made ours about 80 days out. I was on hold for maybe 5 minutes at about 2 p.m., and got everything we wanted, within a half hour or so of when we wanted them. I've never had a problem with ADRs. Re-read that last sentence. I'm not making that up. So if you're one of those folks breaking out in shingles worried because you won't get what you want, there is a perfectly good chance that you WILL.)

We were two families, one group of 4 (us) and one of 5. The group of five were staying at Port Orleans Riverside; we were in the new DVC Kidani Village - which so exceeded our expectations, words fail me. Now, the dad in the other party cordially detests Disney, but is a good sport and goes along with the rest of his fam.

Anyway, we were seated about a half-hour early for our ADRs. So far, so good. Our server appeared within seconds, explained the serving process and menu, got our drink orders, and was back with our soft drinks within a couple of minutes. Sounds good.

Then the wheels came off. While we were served the apps and sides within a reasonable amount of time, that was it. Our server disappeared. We flagged another server, and asked about our servers whereabouts. Nuthin'. Then we flagged down the runners with the meat skewers (we were right by the firepit). They brought us our steak, turkey, pork, shrimp, but there were plenty of times we were just staring at empty plates.

Our server surfaced again. We got drink refills, plenty of smiles, but I had no sense that she knew we were getting antsy. Then, poof ... she was gone again.

Fortunately, the runners picked up some of the slack at that point. We did ultimately have all we wanted to eat. And dessert - the bread pudding with ice cream and a bananas foster-type sauce - absolutely no complaints there.

As for the food quality as a whole: the salad with honey lime dressing was really simple but just fine. Pot stickers - OK. Noodles - I really liked them, but that was a matter of taste. Veggies - just right, just a little crisp. Chicken wings were sticky, messy, and yummy. The meats - the pork was the best. The turkey was in no fashion dry. I thought the steak was good, cooked medium to medium-rare. The shrimp was a split decision ... I thought they were good, but some in our party griped about having to peel 'em, and one batch came out overcooked, sort of leathery. But the three dipping sauces were all super, and it was fun mixing and matching different meats with different sauces. Everyone else in our group felt just about the same, and the WDW hater was actually pleased with the food quality.

Food, I'd give a B+; service, a C-. It was definintely our biggest disappointment ... actually, our only true disappointment. BUT DON'T LET THIS PUT YOU OFF 'OHANA IF YOU'VE NEVER TRIED IT AND WOULD LIKE TO. Like I said, in a score of visits, this was the only time we've had a challenging experience.

Oh, yeah ... they messed our bill up, big time. More on that later.

[rkwctw]

We have had very few problems at Disney resturants. The only one we will not go back to is Sci Fi. Other people love Sci Fi, but the food was not that good. We are trying Coral Reef this trip and half the people love it and the other half seem to hate it, we'll give it a try. We also love Cali Grill and 50's Prime and others do not care for those. I think it all comes down to personal taste, but also the servers that are working when you are there. Some are great and some should find other work.
:thumbsup2

[scotas]

Thank you for letting us know ADR's weren't so bad. I've never worried about them before, but with all the hype on here I was starting to worry for this year's trip. I am so glad you enjoyed your food on your trip. I've never had huge problems with Disney Restaurants besides the occasional service issue (which can happen anywhere)

[Dreamfinder2]

We had lunch at MK at Pecos Bill's Monday (my birthday!) It was storming, as in pair-'em-up-Noah rain. So Pecos Bills was packed with wet, shivering park guests. We used the kiosks to order our meals, and they were typical WDW counter service burgers. They were OK, not spectacular, and having some nice hot fixin's is always a plus (sauteed mushrooms, onions, etc.) Searching for a table wasn't much fun, and there were other folks hovering around us after we sat down like buzzards waiting for something to die.

We had my birthday dinner at the Wave. We'd never eaten there, and I'd read plenty of good reviews.

I will say that this one straddles the line between a 1 and 2 TS credit, not so much for the cost, but for the whole experience, which we found exhilirating. The Wave is suave, cooly elegant, and a great addition to the CR lineup. Service was quiet and attentive. We were a "hard table," in the sense that the pickier ones in my group wanted different sides and colored outside the menu lines. Not a problem.

I had the lamb shank. I made a comment elsewhere about shrinking entree sizes, but NOT so on this one. It was huge, and moist and tender, and just a delight. It came with a bulgar wheat and lentil stew, which puddled all over the plate, and propped up the lamb nicely. It was all richly sauced with a red wine reduction, and I cleaned my plate. Other entrees included the beef tenderloin, the linguini with clams and rock shrimp (it was loaded with protein - it wasn't just a chunky red stew), and the cinnamon rubbed pork tenderloin, which DW had. She wasn't crazy about it, but I tasted it. It was vaguely middle eastern in flavor, sort of sweetish, and I could see where that would be a turn-off based on personal tastes. And the little bite sized desserts is a culinary stroke of brilliance ... the only thing that was questionable was the lemon cornbread, which, again, is a matter of personal taste. As a southerner, I want my cornbread unadorned - maybe a little pepper, but that's it. But everything else (especially the carrot/zuccini cake) was outstanding.

Again, IMHO, I saw no evidence of either a slippage in service or in quality here. None. Oh, and we did have apps - DW had navy bean soup, which was thick and rich and very hearty; mine was the daily soup, which today was sort of a cream of artichoke, and again, savory and rich (with two tiny grilled cheese sandwiches, like toast points, on the side), and the lettuce wraps with scallops and lamb. DD and DDBF gave it thumbs up.

My faith was renewed after the challenges at 'Ohana. The service at the Wave was just what I wanted ... attentive, but not intrusive.

[Dreamfinder2]

Yak & Yeti. Who would have thought this was gonna be the ringer of the trip?

Again, I just didn't see any decline in service or food quality. We'd not been to Y&Y before, and I knew opinions were mixed.

We were seated within 10 minutes of our ADR time. It was pouring down rain, so we were thankful for the opportunity to dry out.

On request, we were seated upstairs, where it was a bit quieter. All the entrees - the shrimp and steak, honey chicken, and tamarind chicken - were all deemed really, really good. Two of us split the brownie sundae - variations of this are avaliable all over the country at any number of chain restaurants, and this one was no better or worse than anyone elses. But two of us got fried wontons, and DW declared it one of the best desserts anywhere.

Editorially speaking, I am genuinely sorry for folks who visit here and don't have good experiences. Again, Mark, our server, kept our glasses filled, was just chatty and winsome enough, and I never had to flag him down. Food came out in a timely way, and we didn't feel rushed at all. The presentation on our meals, especially the steak and shrimp, was clever and attractive.

For our group as a whole, Y&Y was the overall winner for the week.

Gotta say it one more time ... while experiences vary, expectations differ, and tastes are subjective ... Y&Y quality was all I could have wanted for a 1 TS spot.

Oh, yeah - portions were huge. We were stuffed.

[bcrook]

We will be arriving at WDW Friday. Your report is wonderful! My wife says she will never eat a restaurant with "Yak" in it, maybe she will change her mind after reading this. We will be staying in Kidani in July - can't wait!!!!

[bcrook]

Thank you for letting us know ADR's weren't so bad. I've never worried about them before, but with all the hype on here I was starting to worry for this year's trip. I am so glad you enjoyed your food on your trip. I've never had huge problems with Disney Restaurants besides the occasional service issue (which can happen anywhere)

Keeping with the theme of don't stress out on the ADRs...I am going to WDW on May 29, and my extended family wanted to add several ADRs two weeks out (I booked most of ours at about 80 days). We managed to add a 1:30 Coral Reef Lunch for 12, Hollywood Vine Dinner for 12 at 6:30, Marrakesh Lunch at 1:30. Not bad - it was exactly what we wanted. I can't wait to leave. I am very excited about the Marrakesh. I don't recommend waiting to the last minute, but we always find lots options when the Free Dining is not going on.

[Pumbaa_]

Moved over to the Dining Review Board :)

I am with your wife bc! Though for me it is more based on friends reviews and value. I am sure at some point we will venture over, but I don't know if I can keep my hubby away from Flame Tree!!! (we have gone to AK just for lunch at times!)

Glad to hear such good things about Kidani. We are there for 2 nights in Sept before we move to the BCV 1 br :banana:

[Dreamfinder2]

We will be arriving at WDW Friday. Your report is wonderful! My wife says she will never eat a restaurant with "Yak" in it, maybe she will change her mind after reading this. We will be staying in Kidani in July - can't wait!!!!

Yeah, the mental image of a "Yackin' Yeti" is something to behold. But it was really good.

As was Boma, which was our dinner spot this evening. There were six of us this time; three of us had been to Boma before, and the rest of the crew approached this one with fear and trepidation. ;) "Is is gonna be weird?" asked DDBF.

It couldn't have been too weird for him, because I KNOW he went back four times to the buffet. DW's aunt was part of this party - she and her Polish husband came over from Clearwater for the evening. We are all Southerners, and as Aunt Sandy noted, "This is not the peas and cornbread we all grew up with!"

But again - service was as good as you'd want from a buffet ... glasses refilled, table bussed, etc. And the variety on the buffet, for you Boma fans, was just as fine as always. No prime rib, but the carved strip was absolutely acceptable.

Once again, WDW excels in soups. The butternut squash was terrific. Now, I'd never tried she-crab soup before, which is supposed to be something special, but not for ME. I'll eat anything, but here's where I drew the line. It might have been expertly prepared and been a sterling example of what she-crab soup was supposed to be, but it reminded me of when I've changed the aquarium water at home and stirred up that sediment on the bottom. It tasted like that water smells. Nossir.

But even the pickiest among us ate well, and DW - who had decided beforehand that she didn't like zebra domes - broke down and tried them. Now she's an unabashed fan, even getting them at the Mara a couple of days later.

I can understand why some folks might struggle with some of the more exotic spices, but for us, that is a plus rather than a liability.

I can't stress this enough ... unless you're anti-buffet, and a lot of people are, for various reasons ... give Boma a shot, at least once. You can sample everything and determine what you like. If you don't like it, no one will make you go back.

*Jody, Y&Y is pretty expensive, and there is no seperate menus for lunch and dinner. But it makes it a good DDP option.

For the longest time, Flame Tree had our business exclusively. Getting our meals and going to sit in that little covered pavillion at waterside overlooking Everest was one special treat. Now, we've got another option, and it's a keeper.

[luvpooh]

Once again, WDW excels in soups. The butternut squash was terrific. Now, I'd never tried she-crab soup before, which is supposed to be something special, but not for ME. I'll eat anything, but here's where I drew the line. It might have been expertly prepared and been a sterling example of what she-crab soup was supposed to be, but it reminded me of when I've changed the aquarium water at home and stirred up that sediment on the bottom. It tasted like that water smells. Nossir.


I am loving your reviews, however, this just made me throw up a little in my mouth...hope to read more reviews that are a bit, um, tastier, soon! :)

[Dizneydaz]

Lovin' your report. Can't wait to read more. :goodvibes

It's so true that everyone's experiences can be different. Even our own at the same place has varied. Over the past few years our experiences with Calif. Grill and Narcoossee's have varied greatly. One that never disppoints us is Kona.

Your report is making me think of trying the Wave. I like to make ADRs an non-park restaurants for many of our days. Works best with our every changing schedule.

More please...

[Dreamfinder2]

Let me throw in a word about the Mara at AKL.

Two mornings, I made the trek from Kidani Village over to Jambo House to use some TS credits for breakfast. Rather than "taking orders" from the rest of the crew, I opted for what they called the "bounty platter," scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon, sausage, Mickey waffle, biscuit. It was a ton of food, and on the DDP included two drinks, so I'd get juice and a soft drink for later. It was a perfectly fine breakfast - I just laid the plates out on the bar in the kitchen at let everyone help themselves at their leisure.

Today was our DHS day. Let me work backwards and say that we had a CS meal scheduled for that evening. DW and I elected to come back to the villa, and we ate at the Mara again. She had Chicken Flatbread - corn, mozzarella and zough drizzle. Zough was a little like a sweet yogurt, and it was a hearty meal. I had a half chicken, which came with potatoes and veggies. The chicken was smoked, and I couldn't completely identify the spices they used - I did pick up on some coriander. Again, this was a perfectly acceptable CS meal, and the counter service folks were chipper and upbeat. I got zebra domes, DW had some carrot cake, and we shared.

Lunch at DHS today was at the Sci Fi Dine In. I'll tell you that heretofore, Sci Fi was pretty expendable. I didn't dislike it, but there were other options I'd prefer. We had ADRs for 12:45, but everyone was already hungry by 11. So, not expecting much success, we showed up at the podium at about 11:15 and were seated within 5 minutes. I'd say the restaurant was about 1/4 full at the time.

In one of those delightful surprises, we had the best server here of all the places we ate. Perhaps there sometimes is no parallel between the elegance of a spot and the quality of service. I wish I'd caught the gentleman's name - I do recall that he was Eastern European, but beyond that ... sorry.

At any rate, he was cordial, polite, helpful, attentive, and anticipated our needs before we asked for them. Our needs were pretty simple - just keep our glasses refilled - and that he did. What a charming older gentleman!

Our experience is that if you stick to basics at Sci Fi, you should do fine. So I had a Reuben, and other party members had turkey sandwiches and a buger. All with fries, but me ... they had an option for a black bean salsa instead of fries. I opted for that. It was a little marinated salad, made primarily of black beans, with olive oil and vinegar and a little cilantro. It was a nice break from fries.

We paid OOP for this one, and were in the restaurant just long enough to go through one cycle of clips, cartoons, and trailers. What was perfectly awful is that a couple of the movies I had actually seen in the theater as a young'un. Funny how buried memories surface - there was an intro clip that stated "Prevues of Coming Attractions" and I recognized the graphics, the musical fanfare, etc. from when I was 6 or 7.

Sci Fi, for us at least, and on this trip, was a winner. The girls liked their turkey sandwiches, and DDBF devoured his burger, which was loaded with toppings.

[Dreamfinder2]

On our Epcot day, we had lunch at Sunshine Seasons. What works for us is that there are so many options, no one has to do away hungry. DDBF and I went the Asian route, and I had a Thai chicken dish. It wasn't gourmet quality, nor did it try to be ... I'd put it a few notches above mall food court, but there are any number of Chinese places around us here at home that are every bit as good. But it's a great CS bargain. DD had a turkey sandwich, which was, well, a turkey sandwich, and DW had a pork chop - VERY generous portion, very moist. So this was a great lunch, again being mindful that this was CS.

Chefs de France was our evening meal. This tends to be a polarizing spot for DISfolks, but I've never been disappointed here in a score of visits.

We kept the streak alive.

Part of the fun was having Remy show up at tableside. Cute! And our server was a young lady named Louisa, who had only been in the states for about two weeks. She was worried about her English, but she had no reason to be. She said she speaks it better than she understands it, so we took our time in placing our orders. She was quite the charmer, eager to please. I made the mistake of trying out some high school French on her - she grinned, responded in French, and I could only catch a word or two. So I stuck with English, although she did insist that I order in French. Well, shoot, I could read the menu, so I was safe. It was still pretty funny. She was a great server.

There are some changes to the menus you'll find posted on line. For one, they offer three prix fixe options, with appetizer, entree, and dessert. Apps were either onion soup, lobster bisque, or a salad with blue cheese; entrees were beef short ribs, 1/2 of a rotissiere chicken, macaroni and cheese, or salmon filet; desserts were creme brulee, a lemon tart, or profiteroles. These were all $37 and were on the DDP.

DW was the only one who went with this option... onion soup (as good as we've ever had), mac and cheese (Lordy, this was rich!), and creme brulee. I wanted red snapper, and I was pleasantly surprised at the portion size - I'd say I had four generous filet pieces. It came sauced with lemon butter, capers, and black pearl rice. I'd consider this a classic presentation, and it was moist, flavorful, and the meat was flaky and not at all overcooked. DD had bouillabaisee, which was full of scallops, mahi mahi, and black tiger shrimp. Seafood stew - full of saffron and fennel - what wasn't to like? DDBF had beef tenderloin. He had the black pepper sauce on the side, and was grateful - it wasn't to his taste. But the au gratin potatoes he scarfed down, but shamefully didn't eat his green beans.

Oh, yeah ... I had escargot for an app. Don't let these little garlicky critters freak you out if you've never tried 'em. Their taste is hard to identify ... neither fish nor fowl, as it were. But they're just a bit chewy, perhaps tending toward a shellfish taste. Again, hard to describe. Sopping up their juices with a piece of French bread is a real treat, though.

And creme brulee all around. It's just one of our favorite desserts - I even bought a "kit" so I could make it at home.

So, at Chefs de France - I cannot, for the life of me, detect any decline in service or quality. I just CAN'T, and I strived mightily to nitpick. It was just very, very good, and the whole experience was wonderfully immersive. We waited perhaps five minutes after presenting ourselves at the podium, maybe fifteen minutes ahead of our ADR.

[MelanieC]

Loving your review so far :)

[Dizneydaz]

Glad to hear you love CdF. It's one of those I keep wanting to try and haven't yet made it. I think we will have to really make the effort this year. It all sounds delish and Remy sounds cute! If we go I don't think I'll tell DD9, then10 about him, let her be surprised.

We too really like SS, great selection. Where else can you get Rare Ahi Tuna for a CS credit? And it's really good.

[Dreamfinder2]

Before we headed home, we went to Downtown Disney and tried Wolfgang Puck's for a CS breakfast.

It was superb by any standard. I had the Denver Denver omelet - peppers, ham, onions, mushrooms, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. The two kiddos had Wolfgang's Breakfast Pocket -Scrambled eggs, peppers, Niman Ranch Bacon, onions, mushrooms, mozzarella and cheddar cheese baked into Wolfgang's pizza dough. DW opted for Applewood Smoked Bacon Pizza - scrambled eggs, Niman Ranch Bacon, mozzarella and cheddar cheese and Ranch Dressing.

These were all simply delish. But what made it even more special - and I know this is a funny thing to get excited about - were the side potatoes. If you've ever had brabant potatoes (sort of a New Orleans/Creole side; they're little puffy cubes, and just full of garlic), this is what WP serves. I could have eaten a bucket full of these things. WP Express continues to be the best CS option around, IMHO. We like Earl of Sandwich, too, but I'll eat breakfast here again.

Let me say something about a billing problem at 'Ohana.

When it came time to check out of Kidani Village, I noticed a charge on our folio bill for about $200 which I knew wasn't ours to 'Ohana. There was a seperate charge for about $30. I recognized that - it was our gratuity (an automatic 18% tacked on because of our party size, and we'd charged that to our room.) But ... what about this extra charge?

So I got to play "stump the concierge." The young lady made a phone call, and it turned out that this was the amount of the meals for the other family of five that had joined us that evening. Someone deep in the bowels of Disney accounting called this other family, who said, "We paid for this on our credit card. We have the receipt."

There was some head scratcing going on as to what to do next, how to remove this charge from my account, and then an older gentleman emerged from an office behind the concierge desk. After a quick consultation with the young lady helping me, he turned to me with a smile and said, "Mr. Martin, I will solve your problem for you." He got on the computer, made a secretive phone call, and printed out a new folio for me, sans 'Ohana charge. He said, "I just charged that amount back to 'Ohana. They can sort this out, because it is their mistake."

I simply said that our server at 'Ohana really seemed to be off that evening, and we'd had some service issues. I know that Disney CMs are duty-bound not to speak negatively about other components of the company, but I DID catch a glimpse of anger in the older gentleman's eye. He assured me it had been taken care of, apologized several times for the inconvenience, and sent us on our way.

Again, let me stress that you should not let our 'Ohana experience influence your opinion if you've never tried it and want to. It was simply an off night, and I speak from experience ... we'd never had an off night there before. I don't think we'll try to eat there on our next trip; but it's not totally off our radar, either.

[chocolateMinnie]

thanks for posting your reviews, I have to admit that on our most recent trip we still thought the food was excellent overall.