Worst WDW Food Experience

[akfan513]

It would have to be Biergarten or Tony's.

 

[TerryLP]

With out a doubt the Coral Reef was the worst dinning experience we ever had at any of the Disney World restaurants. The wait staff not only gave poor service, but was rude. We have never run into anything that came close to the dinning experience we received there. I know that we will never eat there again.

 

[LBlovesM&WDW]

We've had a number of bad experiences over the years, usually the problem is with the wait staff, rather than the food itself. I've come to expect that Disney food is just not that great, and I'm OK with that.

I particularly recall one O'hana breakfast where our server was quite rude and uncompromising. The communal breakfast trays were delayed by the kitchen that morning. I asked her if she could bring the Mickey Waffles around for my son, who is autistic, has a very limited palate, wouldn't be eating from the breakfast platter, and was very hungry after we waited 40 minutes beyond our reservation seating time. She was quite rude to me and flat-out refused to bring Mickey Waffles around until *after* each table received their breakfast platter. Not only did she make him wait for the rest of the table, she (seemingly) made sure to visit our table last when bringing the waffles so he was the absolute last person at the table to have food.

We had a not so great experience there once and really didn't see the need to return, but nothing what you experienced. I'm just so sorry she treated your family so poorly. I hope you spoke with a manager about your treatment.

 

[OhMari]

Whispering Canyon Cafe. I was so excited to try the skillet. My dh wanted the meatloaf, the waiter told him not to get to. So he did the skillet too. We told him no baked beans. Well, I think we must of made someone mad. My husband got a chicken leg in his skillet, one sausage, no beef or ribs, or pulled pork. He got a end piece of corn on the cob. I got a chicken wing, and a sausage. We finally got the waiter to come back to our table and we asked about the other meat, he acted shocked. 30 minutes later, a waitress walks out with a piece of beef, no ribs or pulled pork. We asked her and she said we need to tell our waiter. Our waiter brings our bill we ask if we could nay have to pay half, since we only received half. We didn't get potatoes or green beans either. He went and got the manager 20 minutes later and we were so over it. He apologized and said it was a very busy evening. He agreed to only charge us for one.
This was truly a one and done.

 

[JSDad]

Le Cellier, several years ago. Long wait though we had reservations, tables way too close together, and my request for a medium filet came out purple & cold in the middle.

The first time I mentioned that it was undercooked, they recooked the same steak till the grill marks were charcoal but the center was still not cooked. The second try had more burned outside but still was uncooked in the middle. Our server kept apologizing, and said that several people were sending back steaks that night, and would I like to talk to the chef? I declined and suggested that maybe a filet just didnt suit my palate, could I perhaps try a porterhouse.

A few minutes later, the chef arrived having butterfly cut the same piece of meat to overcook the center, and when I pointed out that the outside was now charred and the meat was tough he assured me that was how grill marks were supposed to be. At 1.5 hours into an awful meal and now being embarrassed by the chef insisting that he had in fact gotten the steak right the 4th time he served me what was clearly the same piece of meat we started with (I suspect a microwave was involved at some point), I politely chewed until he left, then requested that the server credit our bill. She agreed and asked if I wanted to talk to the manager. We were about to be late for fireworks reservations and I was frankly done with anything that might come out of that kitchen. Plus, my wife had finished her meal + dessert at least 45 minutes earlier, so there was no time left to save the meal. I left hungry and sorely disappointed about an experience I had been very much looking forward to with no intention of giving it a second chance - too long to wait and too expensive to risk a repeat performance.

I did enjoy a wonderful bottle of La Fin Du Monde, at least

 

[JoAnnPan]

Worst food: Flaming Tree BBQ & Cosmic Rays
Worst experience: Hollywood Brown Derby - ridiculously long wait for food/disappearing server - spoke to manager - we were highly annoyed and will never go back; unfortunate as I love the Cobb salad

 

[yaddakal]

Coral reef the food is just blah

 

[NuttyDisneyDad]

Dang the Commissary is getting blasted on here lol....my pick would have to be.... I actually dont have one Im not that fussy of an eater. If it goes down and doesnt come back up then its a good meal

 

[marchingstar]

well the worst dining experience I've ever had was at Boma. The food was great, the service was good, but I was traveling with a (then) friend who couldn't be made happy no matter how hard we tried. I got so frustrated at Boma that I burst into angry tears and I couldn't eat any yummy zebra domes. I blame the ex-friend and not the great restaurant for spoiling that dining experience though...

It's pretty rare that we have a meal that bombs, but we did have a really rough meal at HBD last spring. First time there we had a great meal--one of the highlights of our trip. But last spring the food was meh and the service was awful. The server came by maybe once every 20 minutes. I ordered the duck two ways (a confit leg and a pan seared breast) and the server confirmed that I was fine with the breast cooked to medium rare. But when my entree came out the breast was seriously half meat and half unrendered fat. I told the server I was unhappy with the thick layer of fat and he took my comments to mean I didn't understand what 'medium rare' temp is. He got quite mad, took the breast back to the kitchen, and didn't return for another 15 minutes. I complained to a manager about the situation but he also didn't seem too concerned, suggesting again that I was the problem. The situation could have been salvaged by either good food or good service but we got neither, and so we haven't made time for HBD on our latest 2 trips.

 

[HappyGrape]

Narcoossees was terrible - both food and service. Food arrived cold, the waiter was just absent apart from initial order and to throw the food and run before we get to complain about how cold it is!

Sanaa was bland. I was expecting more but service was good, food fresh and so pretty that I can't call it bad meal and would repeat it

Tangerine cafe was very poor but this was late during food and wine

 

[jo-jo]

I can't say we've ever had food so bad we threw it out.

We've had a few waiting for an hour past ADR and slow service. But the one the lives on in my mind, was the service at Garden grill. Food was fine, server was weird. Greetings went something like this.....Hi how are you?. Fine. How are you. I am so tired, I helped my mom move this weekend. After we had gotten food and was eating, server comes back maybe bringing more of something and then SITS DOWN WITH US. I had to move a bag for her to have a spot. It was like move my stuff before she crushed it. And then we heard all about her mom's rent being raised and having to find a new place and how hard that is on her......... My DH and I put down our forks. We couldn't believe she sat with us to complain about her life. I wanted to talk to manager, but DH said no.

 

[Chaoticsweetness]

Food - San Angel Inn

Service - the worst was Yachtsman Steakhouse in 2010, which we have yet to go back to.
We had an awful experience with service at California Grill before the remodel, but have been back.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

Food: Planet Hollywood

Service: Crystal Palace

 

[goofy4prez]

When did you go? I ask Bc we have reservations to celebrate my sons 8th birthday here but if service is really bad I will definitely reconsider it! I do not want to have a bad time on this day.

I agree the same as minnie mum does on this, do not let a negative opinion (or a positive) sway your decision one way or another when it comes to a restaurant. Choose and go to the ones that appeal to you based on their theme and menu's and experience it for yourself. I heard all the negative opinions about places like Coral Reef and San Angel Inn only to find them to be excellent experiences for me. I have also read the rave reviews about places like LeCellier and Ohana and have found them to be far from average and now on my "I'll pass" list.

We haven't been to Chefs du France in ages, mostly because we can't get in, but before they had the DDP, it was a great restaurant and had great service. I honestly think the DDP has caused the astronomical price increases and quality drop. We just do QS now, just don't have the inclination to spend time and money on mediocre bordering on awful food.
Btw, we come from a city with a lot of great food, and both my husband and I are fairly well traveled and are very good cooks.

There are no if, and's or buts about it, the DDP has had a big affect on the quality of food and certainly as well on the prices. Looking at the prices for a breakfast at BOG is an excellent example of this with $24 for a breakfast sandwich and a couple of previously frozen "Hostess or Entenmann's" quality pastries. But with that said, there are still a few Disney restaurants I enjoy and would say they are still pretty good.

 

[aleksandr]

We had a not so great experience there once and really didn't see the need to return, but nothing what you experienced. I'm just so sorry she treated your family so poorly. I hope you spoke with a manager about your treatment.

I didn't. I tend to not be a complainer, particularly while on vacation. Everyone has a bad day, I try not to get people in trouble for that. A bad or slow kitchen can really lead to a bad experience for the wait staff, which in turn leads to a bad experience for the patron. Sure, our server could have been more accommodating, but should she get in trouble for that? Probably not. Besides, it seems to me that many people who complain to managers are looking for some kind of freebie (not everyone is like this!).

 

[Epcot242]

Really surprised no one has mentioned Sci-Fi Drive in...food is always just ok. Sadly, same goes for 50s Prime Time, too. I enjoy the atmosphere of both places but it's not enough to keep us coming back and fighting the inevitably large crowds (regardless of having ADRs). Also, T-Rex and Rainforest Cafe. Great atmosphere but the food is never that good. We've now hit those restaurants and won't go back.

The Beerworks at the Boardwalk is always bland as well. Mama Melrose is OK but the last time we were there it felt hectic and rushed (which could happen at any restaurant) and having been there a few times before we agreed it would be our last for a while.

Most restaurants in Epcot have been great with a few exceptions.

And probably the most surprising to me was BOG. The Grey Stuff wasn't that great and surprisingly bland, everything else was just alright. I'm absolutely glad we went and was amazed by the restaurant itself, but I won't be fighting for an ADR again soon.

 

[nilla]

We found Sleepy Hollow to be nowhere near as good as it sounded. Though I was sick that day and not eating in the morning, my wife said the same about Starring Rolls.

We've had isolated incidents of lackluster service at several TS restaurants, but have had great experiences at those same restaurants, so I won't name them.

 

[nilla]

Really surprised no one has mentioned Sci-Fi Drive in..

That's because Sci-Fi is awesome! They have one of my wife's favorite steaks, awesome desserts, and really good ribs and burgers. Oh, and the shakes are wonderful, too. We've always had great service there, and the theming is tough to beat.

 

[rastahomie]

Wow, you guys must be eating at a different ABC Commissary than the one I ate at! I never had a complaint - in fact, the Cuban sandwich is to die for!

I was underwhelmed with Tony's Town Square, but it was edible. The flatbreads that everybody raves about at California Grill were just OK, I've had better at a bar at home. I thought Coral Reef was similarly "meh," but to be fair, Mrs. Homie and I had had a big fight the morning of so we weren't in the best mood, lol.

The only real restaurant experience that I have an actual complaint about would be the place at Wilderness Lodge where if you ask for ketchup they bring you all the ketchup in the building (Trail's End Buffet? I think?). For starters, we were seated in a kind of overflow area away from all the action. But the food - I've had better BBQ at Golden Corral (and if you're not familiar, Golden Corral is like the Walmart of buffet restaurants). Most disappointing was the corn-on-the-cob. At the time, I lived in Illinois. Corn-on-the-cob is supposed to be a little sweet and the kernels have a little "snap" to them. This corn was soggy, salty, and bland.

I know that corn seems like an odd thing to complain about, but when you've lived the better part of your life in Illinois (corn country), you develop a taste for good corn.

 

[TravelingTotMom]

Another for the ABC Commissary... a chicken sandwich from there was the only food I've ever thrown out at Disney. Rubber and inedible.

Also, Biergarten, but this is interested. About 10 years ago, I had Biergarten and ended up w/horrible stomach problems. Two to three years later decided to give it another try, and again, horrible stomach issues. Finally, we went this past Dec. (b/c I must be a glutton for punishment), and I thought the food was so much better than in the past! No stomach problems, and it ended up being one of our best Disney meals.

We are going back again later this month, so fingers crossed...