All foodies: Attention please

[Farro]

Ah.... Disney Springs has minimal appeal to me --dunno why??? Maybe cause I'm not a shopper? I fully agree that there are numerous NEW places to eat there, which is a very good thing!

We just go there in the evening for a cocktail and dinner. It's actually quite a picturesque place, makes for a really nice night.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I’m not inclined to go to Disney Springs because of the time transport takes, but I was glad to see that Disney put in a lot of restaurants when it went from Downtown to Springs.

With the popularity of the dining plan, more seats and dining options were def needed. Many WDW venues were built in a time when they just didn’t need to be so large.

 

[gharter]

We go to Disney for the entire package. Love the themes of the different parks, the attractions and the rides. We do spend a fair amount of time deciding on the restaurants for each trip. That includes QS and TS. Each trip, we do favorites and try to add a few new ones. Reading the experiences of others at restaurants that we haven't dined at is helpful to a degree.

 

[Paulines]

Realblast, what are some of your favorite places to eat?

DD and I have reservations at a number of signatures, mostly the ones that get a lot of mention here. Are there any ‘hidden jewels’ left to be discovered, lol?

 

[RealBlast3]

Hi Paulines! Well, I have eaten at many over the years, and first I will say that I am pretty easy to please. That being said, there are only a couple of places I would never go to again of the sit down eateries. For the most part, I find that Disney knows how to do every sort of eatery really well! From the more casual places, like say, The Plaza on Main Street in Magic Kingdom or Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club resort to the super fancy and elegant signatures like California Grill or of course, the posh Victoria and Albert's.

I have had a few so-so dining experiences at Disney Springs, but I have found that some of the eateries are not really run by Disney in the same hands on way that all the theme park and resort places are, so some of these places are like outsourced to different chains or whatever, so let the buyer beware because I could definitely tell a difference in the way the attitude was from some of people in charge there - the pixie dust doesn't seem to reach all the restaurants in Disney Springs, and it's a bit like eating in any kind of city restaurant at times and you can have a cold and rude reception from some wait-staff.

I only mention Disney Springs because people who know I go to Disney often are always hearing about all the new eateries they are opening there these last few years and then they are curious to know if I am going to any of them and then when they find out I mostly avoid Disney Springs, they wonder why. I would trust a new non-Disney Springs eatery before I would try one of theirs. That being said, my favorite Disney Springs places to eat, for the overall "experience" and I very much include the entire outing in my analysis, from ambiance and atmosphere to courtesy and friendliness and professionalism of the host and wait-staff, to the food and drink quality and efficiency to the X-factor - the "pixie-dust", of course, would be Raglan Road and the two kid-friendly places - Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex (more for lunch for those). Those places deliver, in terms of what is promised in memorable ways that are satisfying. Rainforest can be found at Animal Kingdom as well. With those two places, the food level is on that of like a Fridays or Chiles or Ruby Tuesdays - that sort of thing, so as long as you're aware of that going in and don't expect anything more and can enjoy that sort of food, those 2 places are gangbusters for the overall experience.

I also love the Coral Reef at Epcot for the same reason - it always delivers. It's probably a slightly better version of Red Lobster, I suppose, on food quality (I actually think, it's considerably better but others might not) but anyway, the overall experience there, for me, is always magical, the atmosphere and the service are very outstanding and I always have a great time.

Alot of the restaurants in the resorts really are terrific! Try to visit as many as you can and give a try to ones you haven't tried yet, because even the second tier ones at the luxury resorts are really terrific! Like, you can have 3 great meals a day at either Kona Cafe or the Grand Floridian Cafe, for instance, at the Polynesian or Grand Floridian resorts but these places often get lost in the shuffle because of their competition in their same resort, but they are always easy to get into, often without a reservation or on short notice and it's top notch food.

Some somewhat newer places I love in the theme parks are Spice Road in Morocco in Epcot and Skipper Canteen by the Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom though I am a bit of an adventurous eater! Which is why I also love all the Animal Kingdom Lodge eateries as well, people flock to Jiko because it's a signature but they might overlook it's sister's resort's restaurant, Sanaa across the way. (Animal Kingdom Lodge is comprised of two resorts, as you may know - Jambo House, which has the signature Jiko plus the famed buffet, Boma, while Sanaa, which is a fusion of like African and South East-Asian flavors, resides at Kidani Village). Anyway, Sanaa is easier to get into, and also does lunch, and if you eat in the daytime, you can see the animals grazing through the windows there, and the food is great.

I am also looking foreward to eating at the newish signature in the Animal Kingdom Park, Tiffins - I was there when they first opened, in Disney, but missed it.

Some of my other favorite magical dining experience are in Epcot, at the higher-end French restaurant, Monsieur Paul, the Mexican main restaurant, San Angel Inn, and the United Kingdom's Rose and Crown. Other resort faves include Citricos and Narcooses at the Grand Floridian, too.

For years, I also did all the character dining and always had a blast at the various buffets with that. Now, since I've been there and done that quite a few times over the years and gotten all my pics with enough characters and I'm pushing 40 (not that there's an age limit on such things) but I tend to want to dine at "quieter" places :lol: Unless I am going with some people that want to have fun, but now I tend to go solo, as well, but if you are into character dining, I can recommend the Crystal Garden buffet at Magic Kingdom for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as being pretty terrific. I used to enjoy the Norway food at Akershush in Epcot, too, that the princesses are a part of, which has a cold buffet of apps and then a sit-down dinner, and other character dining is always a safe choice for like, breakfast, such as Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary or Hollywood Park and Vine at Hollywood Studios.

Sorry for the long post, I can go on and on about Disney dining!

 

[NYCgrrl]

Hi Paulines! Well, I have eaten at many over the years, and first I will say that I am pretty easy to please. That being said, there are only a couple of places I would never go to again of the sit down eateries. For the most part, I find that Disney knows how to do every sort of eatery really well! From the more casual places, like say, The Plaza on Main Street in Magic Kingdom or Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club resort to the super fancy and elegant signatures like California Grill or of course, the posh Victoria and Albert's.

I have had a few so-so dining experiences at Disney Springs, but I have found that some of the eateries are not really run by Disney in the same hands on way that all the theme park and resort places are, so some of these places are like outsourced to different chains or whatever, so let the buyer beware because I could definitely tell a difference in the way the attitude was from some of people in charge there - the pixie dust doesn't seem to reach all the restaurants in Disney Springs, and it's a bit like eating in any kind of city restaurant at times and you can have a cold and rude reception from some wait-staff.

I only mention Disney Springs because people who know I go to Disney often are always hearing about all the new eateries they are opening there these last few years and then they are curious to know if I am going to any of them and then when they find out I mostly avoid Disney Springs, they wonder why. I would trust a new non-Disney Springs eatery before I would try one of theirs. That being said, my favorite Disney Springs places to eat, for the overall "experience" and I very much include the entire outing in my analysis, from ambiance and atmosphere to courtesy and friendliness and professionalism of the host and wait-staff, to the food and drink quality and efficiency to the X-factor - the "pixie-dust", of course, would be Raglan Road and the two kid-friendly places - Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex (more for lunch for those). Those places deliver, in terms of what is promised in memorable ways that are satisfying. Rainforest can be found at Animal Kingdom as well. With those two places, the food level is on that of like a Fridays or Chiles or Ruby Tuesdays - that sort of thing, so as long as you're aware of that going in and don't expect anything more and can enjoy that sort of food, those 2 places are gangbusters for the overall experience.

I also love the Coral Reef at Epcot for the same reason - it always delivers. It's probably a slightly better version of Red Lobster, I suppose, on food quality (I actually think, it's considerably better but others might not) but anyway, the overall experience there, for me, is always magical, the atmosphere and the service are very outstanding and I always have a great time.

Alot of the restaurants in the resorts really are terrific! Try to visit as many as you can and give a try to ones you haven't tried yet, because even the second tier ones at the luxury resorts are really terrific! Like, you can have 3 great meals a day at either Kona Cafe or the Grand Floridian Cafe, for instance, at the Polynesian or Grand Floridian resorts but these places often get lost in the shuffle because of their competition in their same resort, but they are always easy to get into, often without a reservation or on short notice and it's top notch food.

Some somewhat newer places I love in the theme parks are Spice Road in Morocco in Epcot and Skipper Canteen by the Jungle Cruise in Magic Kingdom though I am a bit of an adventurous eater! Which is why I also love all the Animal Kingdom Lodge eateries as well, people flock to Jiko because it's a signature but they might overlook it's sister's resort's restaurant, Sanaa across the way. (Animal Kingdom Lodge is comprised of two resorts, as you may know - Jambo House, which has the signature Jiko plus the famed buffet, Boma, while Sanaa, which is a fusion of like African and South East-Asian flavors, resides at Kidani Village). Anyway, Sanaa is easier to get into, and also does lunch, and if you eat in the daytime, you can see the animals grazing through the windows there, and the food is great.

I am also looking foreward to eating at the newish signature in the Animal Kingdom Park, Tiffins - I was there when they first opened, in Disney, but missed it.

Some of my other favorite magical dining experience are in Epcot, at the higher-end French restaurant, Monsieur Paul, the Mexican main restaurant, San Angel Inn, and the United Kingdom's Rose and Crown. Other resort faves include Citricos and Narcooses at the Grand Floridian, too.

For years, I also did all the character dining and always had a blast at the various buffets with that. Now, since I've been there and done that quite a few times over the years and gotten all my pics with enough characters and I'm pushing 40 (not that there's an age limit on such things) but I tend to want to dine at "quieter" places :lol: Unless I am going with some people that want to have fun, but now I tend to go solo, as well, but if you are into character dining, I can recommend the Crystal Garden buffet at Magic Kingdom for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as being pretty terrific. I used to enjoy the Norway food at Akershush in Epcot, too, that the princesses are a part of, which has a cold buffet of apps and then a sit-down dinner, and other character dining is always a safe choice for like, breakfast, such as Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary or Hollywood Park and Vine at Hollywood Studios.

Sorry for the long post, I can go on and on about Disney dining!

Do you mean the Crystal Palace @ MK? Or Garden Grill @ Epcot?

 

[RealBlast3]

Do you mean the Crystal Palace @ MK? Or Garden Grill @ Epcot?

Oh, sorry, I mean the Crystal Palace LOL at Magic Kingdom! With the Winnie the Pooh characters. I have never actually eaten at the Garden Grill that rotates in Epcot with those Chip and Dale characters! Though I have always meant to.

Years ago, though, I did dine with those two critters while at the Liberty Tree Tavern, back when they used to have character dining and always enjoyed that experience. I think they also show up at Ohana, or at least they used to once upon a time when I went.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Dining/disney food is a huge part of my trip. I go during F&W, so yes, i enjoy eating. Im a foodie, but im not one of those snobs that think disney food is subpar. I love the food at disney a lot! Its mostly about the food for me, but its everything else too. I love the rides and the shows too. My trips are far from relaxing as im always on the go. I wanna see and do it all, but I do make time to chill as well. I'll take a midday break to swim or nap for example.

 

[OneinThree]

Im a foodie, but im not one of those snobs that think disney food is subpar.

So if you can get significantly higher quality beef, seafood, hibachi, Italian, French, etc. elsewhere, and for significantly less money, you're a "snob" ? The food at WDW is, on the whole, average to above average, while the prices are very high. Love it or leave it, that's the reality of it.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I can go on and on about Disney dining!

OK, so when are "we" going again?

 

[drwadadli]

For us, dining at Disney IS part of the experience of WDW as much as the attractions are.

 

[goofyintoronto]

So if you can get significantly higher quality beef, seafood, hibachi, Italian, French, etc. elsewhere, and for significantly less money, you're a "snob" ? The food at WDW is, on the whole, average to above average, while the prices are very high. Love it or leave it, that's the reality of it.

I was simply referencing another post that I saw about food snobs at Disney (not sure if its an earlier post from this thread?). I'm not suggesting that people who like outside food better (and put down Disney food) are food snobs. Honestly though, being labelled a food snob isnt exactly a bad label. Im a snob in other ways and I dont take offense to it. Such as a coffee snob. Im the biggest coffee snob around.

Read into it what you will.

 

[rg35]

The parks and attractions are the #1 for us, but we always look forward to our meals and eating is a close 2nd. At home our picks range from fast casual chains to fine dining, so we never have problems w/ the food at Disney. Sure, some places are better than others, but we have enjoyed just about every place we have tried. As our kids get older they also get involved in picking where they want to go which also adds to the fun.

 

[freshmanjs]

As several posters have alluded to (and stated), being a foodie doesn’t always rise to gourmet standards, if that makes sense. Heck, foodies have been known to pine for good ole carnival junk food ( I do draw the line at fried butter)!

Fine dining is wonderful, but looking forward to good/decent food in a fun, relaxing setting!

Agree with this completely. However, I don't think anyone is saying WDW food isn't fancy enough or isn't gourmet enough. The criticism is it's not good enough to be interesting as a foodie destination. I absolutely love good BBQ, tacos, burgers, delis, bar snacks, and pizza. WDW does not have any of those things delivered at a level anywhere close to the excellent quality you can get in most good food cities. Again, I think WDW food is pretty good for a theme park resort. We enjoy planning our dining. We enjoy the restaurants (usually). But, it's not up to par as a food oriented destination. Nothing to do with fanciness.

 

[OneinThree]

The criticism is it's not good enough to be interesting as a foodie destination. I absolutely love good BBQ, tacos, burgers, delis, bar snacks, and pizza. WDW does not have any of those things delivered at a level anywhere close to the excellent quality you can get in most good food cities. Again, I think WDW food is pretty good for a theme park resort.

And this really embodies the point, and the response to the OP. The food (particularly for price) at WDW in no way could stand on its own. We enjoy a lot of the Disney restaurants for what they are. But just like the resorts, the restaurants in and of themselves are held up by the fact that they fall inside the bubble, one held up by the parks themselves.

 

[Paulines]

Thank you so much Realblast for your awesome, detailed response!

Tiffins is on our maybe list. We have Jiko & Sanaa booked, so Tiffins may not be the best choice, although the reviews have been very positive.

I think what may be missed here is the family (multi member) aspect of a DW vacation. Some of the family are park commandos and attractions are first and foremost. For myself and DD we are limited in that, so dining (and shopping) become the primary interest. Food destination by default?, lol

 

[Castillo Mom]

It's not the primary reason for us. However, the dining experience is definitely a major element of our WDW trips, especially now that my kids are all over the age of 21 and pushing 30. In fact, ever since they became of age, I always book our vacation in conjunction with F&W.

This September we'll be experiencing more specialty F&W events, in fact, there's one day in particular where we have three to attend. As far as restaurants are concerned, the majority of our ADRs are at signature venues. We enjoy having at least one sit down meal together per day which gets us out of the heat and serves as great family bonding time.

 

[Ed597]

Curious if you go primarily to DW to dine, is the main objective of your vacation to eat good food, try new cuisines and relax?

For me, the rides and attractions are somewhat limited...the Haunted Mansion and Thunder Mountain are as adventurous as I get (whoopy!). Ask me to check out a menu though, I’m all over it, lol

We went in Dec of 16, and the only bad meal we had was at Garden Grove at the Swan

Curious if you go primarily to DW to dine, is the main objective of your vacation to eat good food, try new cuisines and relax?

For me, the rides and attractions are somewhat limited...the Haunted Mansion and Thunder Mountain are as adventurous as I get (whoopy!). Ask me to check out a menu though, I’m all over it, lol

We went in Dec of 16 and the only bad meal we had was garden grove at the swan. We didn’t eat at any signature restaurants, but we did enjoy eating there. Some how they can do things like make a rice crispy treat taste better! Idk how they do it but they’re better at Disney lol. I’ve been reading so many restaurant reviews I can’t wait to go back lol. As far as rides go, did you try Soar’n, or the new Avitar ride, or the safari ? The barnstormer was a fun little coaster also. But I understand what your saying about the food, I’m from a big city so I know good food. But there is something about eating at Disney that can turn a normal thing like rice crispy and make it better. Would people rave about the “Grey Stuff” or a Dolewhip if they were eating them in their kitchen? Idk ? Happy Eating and discovering some new rides !