2nd guessing reservations...What did you think you'd hate but ended up loving???

[ktnryansmom]

I keep reading reviews of places I have ADR's for and they're not great...some are, some aren't and I realize it does come down to personal preference....

So, if you went in hesitant to a restaurant, which one did you end up loving that you didn't think you would?

 

[AlohaAnnie]

We were surprised by Hollywood & Vine. We were expecting a dirty nasty mess filled with nasty food.

We were pleasantly surprised that the food was normal, hot, and the buffet was clean.

Another one was Rose & Crown. We went in expecting nothing special but we found a great meal & view. It is a favorite now.

We also love Ohana, I am always surprised at the bad reviews. We love it.

But I think it is like you said. It depends on taste, atmosphere, and expectations.

That is why I think everyone should try a restaurant and them form an opinion.

 

[minnie mum]

I guess it's the uberplanner in me- I don't book a restaurant that I think I might hate. A couple of places that I had certain misgivings about definitely lived down to my expectations and were summarily removed from our list of return visits. But 99% of the time I book places that I am looking forward to trying, and with realistic expectations, 99% of the time I'm not disappointed.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I wasn't expecting to like Cape May Cafe seafood buffet because I don't like or eat Crab legs. But they had plenty of other stuff I did like and I ended up enjoying it. DH didn't care for it much but the kids loved it because THEY DO eat Crab legs.

 

[Tiggr924]

Similar to a PP, most of the places we book we are looking forward to trying. But I would say we were pleasantly surprised by Tusker House. We didn't know what to expect and loved it!

 

[DisDreamsAshley]

By now we have our "favorites" and pretty much just eat at places we know we will really enjoy. However last trip we ate at Narcoossee's for the first time. I was super excited but my husband thought for sure he would hate it. After our meal he proclaimed it his favorite meal and must do on every trip from now on!

 

[disneybliss2]

I was hesitant after booking 1900 Park Fare. The food sounded appealing to us and the characters sounded a lot of fun, but after booking I read countless negative reviews which left me worried. I was on the fence of whether to cancel or keep our reservation. I am so glad we kept it!

Like you said, it comes down to personal preference. I am so glad we kept the reservation because we found the food to be delicious, there was a large variety, and everything was fresh. The character interaction was the absolute best which turned our meal into a memorable experience.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

I don't book places I don't think I'd like, but I've definitely booked places that have either gotten mostly poor or mixed reviews on the DIS. We ate lunch at Hollywood & Vine in 2009 because of the characters, but I was surprised at how much I liked it. I thought the food was much better than the dinner was had a Chef Mickey's the on the same trip. We also really like Sci Fi and the Coral reef which both get mixed reviews here.

At the same time I would say that I found Chef Mickey's, Mama Melrose, and breakfast at 1900 Park Faire disappointing. But they get lots of great reviews.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I didn't think that I would like Akershus. I don't remember if it was the same type of place when we first went (1992) or not, but I didn't like it. I'm also not big on seafood so I wasn't expecting much. It is now a must-do for us. Not only is the food absolutely amazing, but the princess dining is top notch.

 

[bleeps]

Reading the reviews here can be a mixed blessing, that's for sure!

I'm not sure if this helps, but bottom line for us has become that we make our ADRs and dining decisions based on what we're planning to do each day, so that we're not running hither and yon based on where we're eating. That is, if we're in MK, we make our plans to eat in MK, rather than making a lunch or dinner plan that's going to require us to leave the park and travel someplace just to have that meal (which is what we used to do).

Don't get me wrong -- the food is a big part of our trips (we always use DxDP), but rather than making ourselves crazy we make the most of what a given location has to offer.

I guess in that vein I'd say that we've been pleasantly surprised by Tony's in MK, Mama Melrose in DHS, and Yak & Yeti in AK (all of which get their share of terrible reviews on here!) -- Y & Y has actually become one of our favorites!

I think that minimizing your travel time and going into any given meal with the expectation that it's going to be decent is the way to go!

 

[jlsmith376]

I wasn't sure about the character breakfast at Ohana and we were pleasantly surprised with the breakfast food (platters of eggs, bacon and sausage) and juice. We go back every time now. The characters are cute but the food is why we return.

 

[OutNChiTown]

I stayed at AKL and ate at Boma and was STUNNED.

I didn't think I would enjoy it but it was truly a great experience... Loved every minute of it.

Don't have a restaurant that I truly dislike at Disney. But, would say that the menu at Olivia's at OKW is ok at best. Nothing really special there.

Hope this helps!

 

[AlohaAnnie]

Don't have a restaurant that I truly dislike at Disney.

You know, I have to agree with this. We have ate at many places at WDW (not all of them, there are so many) and I have to agree. I have never truly disliked a restaurant at WDW there have been some places that the menu just doesn't appeal to me. We are also a partial plain family so if the menu is too mixed or unusual it doesn't appeal as much to us.

Most of my issue with restaurants have been cleanliness. I can't stand a dirty restaurant but we may have caught said restaurant at off time because in all our trips I have only had 2 dirty restaurants that grossed me out (bit of a germaphobe here).

 

[showers2flowers]

I didn't think that I would like Akershus. I don't remember if it was the same type of place when we first went (1992) or not, but I didn't like it. I'm also not big on seafood so I wasn't expecting much. It is now a must-do for us. Not only is the food absolutely amazing, but the princess dining is top notch.

Same here. One of my favorite meals of the trip. Surprised me, because I was basically expecting to endure it in order to not have to wait in line for princess autographs at another time. I really liked the food (in fact, I am trying to re-create the rice cream dessert today!)

 

[Pakey]

The restaurants I have not tried at WDW can be counted on one hand.

I'm usually not in agreement with the majority on these boards; I am not a fan of Le Cellier or O'Hana. There are a few others that I wouldn't be upset if I never had another meal at them.

The one that sticks out the most to me that was an unexpected pleasant surprise is Biergarten. I put off trying it for several vacations because I was sure that I would dislike it because its a) a buffet and b) the dishes are all pretty heavy.

I've now dined here 4-5 times and I have enjoyed every meal.

 

[Ripey]

We were very pleasantly surprised by the lunch buffet at Hollywood and Vine. One of our favorite meals. We also ate at our resort restaurant, Shutters, and LOVED it. That was at CBR. Didn't even cross my mind to go eat there, DH suggested it.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Same here. One of my favorite meals of the trip. Surprised me, because I was basically expecting to endure it in order to not have to wait in line for princess autographs at another time. I really liked the food (in fact, I am trying to re-create the rice cream dessert today!)

Please let me know how that works out for you! My husband absolutely loves that dessert and it is the only rice pudding I have ever found that I liked. I would love to be able to make it for our family one night when we do our "Ode to Disney" meals.

 

[dmiller64152]

Can't answer to the "ended up loving" part but ... trip in June this year and I think I've already cancelled or changed most of my ADRs!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Our biggest pleasant surprise was Sci-Fi. It constantly gets negative reviews & they used to be even worse. We decided to try it for lunch to see the restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed. The burger & onion rings were the best we've had on WDW property. It was also the quietest restaurant including signatures. It was so nice to have a relaxing, quiet lunch at Disney.

The other would be Tony's. Again, we had never tried it & wanted to see the restaurant once. After reading reviews, I warned DH that we may have to eat somewhere else after leaving there. I really wasn't expecting it to be palatable. It wasn't the best meal we've had at WDW, but it definitely wasn't even close to as bad as some of the negative reviews we've read. I would dine there again for lunch, & I can't say that for all the restaurants on property.

 

[mousiemom]

ours was the biergarten in germany. i'm not a huge fan of german food, well, we fell in love with the restaurant, the entertainment and the food! you would never know that restaurant is back there!! all 30 of us loved it!