What WDW Restaurant Pleasantly Surprised You???

[poeticdiabetic]

I've seen a lot of negative reports on restaurants recently, but what restaurant pleasantly surprised you? I have 2: Coral Reef and Flame Tree BBQ.

First up, Coral Reef. I was pleasantly surprised at one item on Coral Reef's menu: The steak. That steak tasted great and was very tender. And it's a lot of meat! I remember when I ate one. I was sitting cata-corner to another guy who ordered the same thing. You can see the satisfaction on his face, and I guess he saw the same thing on mine; because we looked up at each other and started laughing.

Again, after a while, I was getting stuffed, and we looked up. He had that same stuffed feeling! Crazy!

OK. Flame Tree BBQ. Now I'm originally from St. Louis so I am naturally let down when I go to BBQ restaurants. I mean, I have to go to St. Louis to eat BBQ at a restaurant where I feel absolutely confident. (with the exception of here in Atlanta- KC Pit is pretty close.)

So when I went to Flame Tree, I have that same reservation. OK, it's no St. Louis, right? But the ribs were pretty good for a restaurant in a theme park. They were tender and had a good taste in the sauce. Plus, you are really full and get your money's worth.

HONORABLE MENTION: Food's not anything to write home about. Some of it was even not good at all. But Whispering Canyon Cafe was REALLY fun! But you kinda have to get into it. It's loud, rude, and crazy... but it was really fun to be there!

[RedOnion]

I've got three:

Crystal Palace at the Magic Kingdom: I'd read some mixed reviews, but sometimes the kids gotta meet the pooh, so I thought we'd take a chance. Maybe some nights are "off," but our night was completely "on": the food was fresh and plentiful, and of surprisingly high quality. The service was terrific, and the characters were really having a great time. It was our first "real" meal on-property, and we had a ball.

Biergarten at Epcot (Germany): I'm part German, so I'm familiar with the food and wasn't surprised that I liked it ... but the surprise was that my wife and kids both really loved the food! Everyone found something to enjoy, and we ate the heck out of the place. Much to my wife's delight in particular, it turns out that German food is not just brats and kraut! (And I can't think about the beer or the desserts without drooling.)

It's not a WDW restaurant exactly, but the Hoop Dee Doo Review at Ft. Wilderness also impressed us. We were really there for the show and didn't expect much from the meal, but for all-you-can eat fare brought to you in buckets, the quality was outstanding! The chicken and ribs were moist and tender and flavorful. Everything was really top-notch. (And I don't think it was the all-you-can-drink beer and sangria talking either!)

[mpetti]

I second Hoop Dee Doo We loved the show and the food was the best I tasted on our last trip Aug 09.

Also I was very impressed with Tony's Town Square at MK. I had read so many bad reviews which made me nervous. I am so happy we went. The steak was perfect and the dessert was the best.

[minnieandfamily]

On our last trip, we decided last minute to dine at a TS restaurant in Epcot. We had only a couple of options and we decided to be exotic and try Marrakesh. I am not a very adventurous eater (and no one in my family is either) so I was very apprehensive. However, we LOVED it. The food was delicious (I had the chicken couscous) and I loved the atmosphere. They also had entertainment - musicians and belly dancers. As an added bonus, we had a celebrity sighting there - Marie Osmond was eating dinner there with her family! I was pleasantly surprised and would return in a heartbeat!

[Belle4mygrl]

Captain cooks at the Poly! The hamburgers, turkey club sandwiches, homemade chips , and breakfast sliders were great. I didn't expect to like them so much.

Chefs de France-- I was skeptical about trying this restaurant last year. All I thought about was cooked snails. :rotfl: But the onion soup and creme Brulee is awesome!

[KatMark]

For counter service it would probably be Cosmic Rays. When we went years and years ago, we couldn't stand it. We've gone the last two years and it has become a must do for us. Love the Barbecued pork sandwich with the eclipse chips.

For table service I would probably have to say Sci Fi. I remember it from years ago when the kids were younger and we found it to be just "okay". We went for the first time a couple of weeks ago (hadn't been in 10 years) and it was a great meal. The onion rings were to die for; my husband found his all new favorite reuben sandwich and the cheeseburger was really good.

[froggygrrrl]

I was pleasantly surprised with our meal at The Plaza. The menu is relatively simple, but everything I ate tasted good. And of course the desserts were delish!

[TillyMarigold]

Akershus. We booked it because we thought the food looked good and we needed an Epcot dinner between our Undiscovered Future World tour and our priority seating for Illuminations (it comes with the tour). The food was absolutely amazing, the salmon was one of the best entrees we had on the trip. Everything we had was really top-notch.

The food was also surprisingly great at Mama Melrose, but the service there was really bad.

[mamaboogie]

Sci-fi Dine in Theater - we went there for the atmosphere but ended up having some really great food in fantastic, relaxing surroundings. Good service too.

Columbia Harbour House - great little Counter service place. As was Wolfgang Puck Express - more like a table service restaurant!

Also - Shutters at CBR - we stayed there last year and went on our first night as a convenient option - we loved it so much we went back on our final night!

Glad to hear about Restaurant Marrakesh as we hope to go there next year!:cool1:

[katepass72]

Crystal Palace breakfast - was not really expecting much (just thought it was a good way to get into the park early:rolleyes1) but the food was excellent. I'll definitely go to this one again:thumbsup2

[doryfan]

For me it was Raglan Road, one of the best meals we had in a week long trip!

Another surprising meal was the Hoop Dee Doo!

[JW2]

I second Raglan Road - after many bad reviews, I had no hope but wanted to try it. I couldn't stop my boys from eating all the Dalkey Duo; I loved the Shepherd's Pie and DH devoured the bangers and mash. And of course ..... the bread pudding .... TO DIE FOR!!!

[catne]

Raglan Road - probably our new favorite restaurant at Disney

Boma breakfast -- we really, really did NOT like Boma dinner so were a bit concerned about the breakfast. We had guests who really wanted to see AKL so decided to give breakfast a try. The BEST breakfast on property, I think.

[wezee]

Rose & Crown: We almost canceled this ressie, but glad we didn't. The new Scotch Egg appie was wonderful and we really enjoyed the fish and chips with an ice cold beer.

Planet Hollywood: We had gone here many years ago and I was sick for the next two days, but decided to give it a second try. Dh thought his steak was pretty good and I loved the fajitas.

Citricos: DH was unsure about this ADR after checking out the menu online, but it ended up being one of the best meal of our whole 10 day trip. The service was great and the atmosphere was very elegant. DH raved about his steak.

[Beckypooh1972]

we really liked Boma and I was glad we tried it; we had been a little worried about spicy flavors but it was delish.

[tpholland]

I was very apprehensive about eating at San Angel, but booked it for my dh who has been wanting to try it for years. I ended up really enjoying it. I think maybe even a little more than he did :goodvibes

[disneyfav4ever]

Hollywood and Vine. I was a little scared to try it after all the bad reviews I'd read, but the service was excellant, and the food was decent.

[dzneelvr]

Lunches at SciFi, The Plaza, and Tony's makes our annual to-dine-at list since our first trip over a decade ago:thumbsup2 regardless of what the reviews say:surfweb:

[cinderella_mom]

Princess Storybook breakfast at Azkerhaus was a great surprise. We loved the potatoes! Having a cold buffet meant not having to wait too long and the hot platters meant not having cold eggs! Plus, since we don't eat meat, they brought us pancakes.

[look1angel]

Our first time at Cinderella's dinner was surprisingly wonderful, second trip was ok.

Sci-Fi has never dissapointed us. :thumbsup2

Chef Mickey's first 3X was GREAT, our trip this past June was a nightmare :sad2:

I guess it's just a hit or miss sometimes :confused3

[poeticdiabetic]

Yeah, Chef Mickey's is pretty hit-or-miss. And Ragland Road, huh? I've never tried that restaurant before.

Rose and Crown is another one that I haven't tried. I didn't particularly care for English food while in England- I stuck to American food and somehow stayed away from pubs. I might try that one too. Might.

As far as San Angel Inn, I ate the fish and that was pretty good. But are they still serving up "Veg-All" as their mixed veggies? I could go again or not. My wife and youngest son, the "Taco Bell" crew, hates it though.

And Hollywood and Vine? I've tried it twice. Pass.:sad2:

But there are a few restaurants that I have to try, I see.

[JaimJaim76]

Im definitely with you on Flame Tree BBQ. I had read several bad reviews but the food sounded good to me and we liked the way it looked, so we gave it a try. Actually, besides Sunshine Seasons, it was our best QS meal...I honestly can't believe those meals are considered QS! All three of us had a delicious and filling meal.

We also really enjoyed the outdoor seating, as it was nice and shady and we were greeted by tons of ducks and cranes. They were cracking us up!

I must say I was also very surprised by the food at Sci-Fi...it was one of my Top 2 favorite dinners. The Beef and Blue was absolutely delicious.

[MickeyLuvrLauren]

We tried it and loved it this summer. Can't wait to go back in February.

[vettegirl]

Biergarten, love the food and the entertainment.

[plutosgirl]

Another vote for Ragland...was one of our favorite meals the last trip from service to dessert it was all wonderful but dh's Salmon was the BEST actual meal of the whole trip....best Salmon I've ever had!:thumbsup2

[katiebelle21]

I was surprised by the San Angel Inn. My husband really wanted to go there, but I didn't because of all the bad reviews. We really enjoyed it!

[JESW]

This year we tried Yak & Yeti and Nine Dragons for the first time - despite the bad press they get on these boards - and we liked them both. We were lucky enough to go to WDW 3x this year and each trip we ate at both places - and one trip we ate at Y&Y 2x! :)

Jill

[poeticdiabetic]

This year we tried Yak & Yeti and Nine Dragons for the first time - despite the bad press they get on these boards - and we liked them both. We were lucky enough to go to WDW 3x this year and each trip we ate at both places - and one trip we ate at Y&Y 2x! :)

Jill

Hey, I like Yak and Yeti too. I liked the taste and the large portions. I had a great time there. The only thing that I don't like is the name: Yak and Yeti. My DSs have a great time calling it the "Yacking Yeti."

[Uncleromulus]

Paridiso 37.
I expected a loud, Bongo's-like spot. But it's not that loud (at least at lunch) and the servers don't dance w/ each other when they are supposed to be serving YOU. The decor is nice and artful, the food basic but good, and they have a fine beer/wine/drink selection.

[LImom222]

CAPE MAY..They had such a large variety of food, the ribs were excellent, I recommend eating there for both breakfast and dinner.