Best under-rated or over looked restaurants?

[Cookie Princess]

Another vote for The Plaza! This place has yummy sandwiches, burgers and desserts. It is a wonderful break on a hot day at the MK. We generally pay OOP vs. using DDP credits as it isn't that expensive.

 

[TifffanyD]

Olivia's was surprisingly good, and the "family photos" make it quite charming. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here, but enjoy my stays at OKW that much more because it is there.

Glad to hear you say Olivia's since we booked that for Xmas eve. We will be staying at OKW and wanted to just eat closeby (plus the menu looked yummy!)

I would say LTT for lunch. I know a lot of ppl go for dinner with the thanksgiving meal and characters but lunch was really good. The fried cheese app is the best I've ever had

 

[GailT]

Overrated: IMO, CRT is overrated. Food is just average, not signature standard. they should only use 1 table service and charge for the picture.

Underrated: Artist Point. I just don't think it gets the credit it deserves. It's the best meal and service we've ever had on property by far!! Haven't tried V&A's though! Looking forward to that!

Glad to here that about AP I am having my Christmas dinner there

 

[mskayjay]

James' Top-7 Best Unsung Disney Restaurants:
7. The Wave
6. Liberty Tree Tavern (lunch)
5. Boatwright’s
4. Turf Club
3. Olivia’s
2. Grand Floridian Café
1. Marrakesh

I have to agree with you about the lunch at LTT. We had to cancel dinner adn were quite disappointed that we could only get lunch. Oh my! I had heard tales of the pot roast and it was awesome! Seriously awesome! I would love to have their recipe for that baby! Yummy!

Also had the shawarma platter at Morocco and was very very pleased.

 

[MissionMouse]

Don't be such a grump. The DIS is teeny-tiny compared to WDW's annual attendance of some 46 million annual park visits...

Not a grump but an individual with an understanding of business and a clear vision of the decline of dining at Disney...and the reasons.

 

[L107ANGEL]

Not a grump but an individual with an understanding of business and a clear vision of the decline of dining at Disney...and the reasons.

Somebody needs a hug

 

[jkid721133]

Not a grump but an individual with an understanding of business and a clear vision of the decline of dining at Disney...and the reasons.

isnt the point of this board to help others? Hey, no big deal.

 

[lunapnp]

James' Top-7 Best Unsung Disney Restaurants:
7. The Wave
6. Liberty Tree Tavern (lunch)
5. Boatwright’s
4. Turf Club
3. Olivia’s
2. Grand Floridian Café
1. Marrakesh

Not sure I can take the advice of a Vols fan...but I will take it into consideration! Roll Tide!

 

[OKW Lover]

Underrated: Plaza (MK); Beaches & Cream
Overlooked: Sand Trap grill (Osprey Ridge)
Overrated: LeCelier, Cali Gill, Rain Forest, Fultons, CRT

 

[tzeitel]

Not a grump but an individual with an understanding of business and a clear vision of the decline of dining at Disney...and the reasons.

Not sure what your "clear vision" has to do with what some feel is an underrated restaurant. It is not like these restaurants are really hidden - heck, Plaza is right on Main Street! It is not like Disney advertises or anything

 

[tzeitel]

I agree with Olivia's - very nice restaurant with good food. I also love the food and atmosphere at Marrakesh. We used to go to Artist Point during the holidays, when CM get really good discounts

 

[mickeysgirl17]

Over rated: Chef Mickeys. We didn't care for the service or the quantity of choices at dinner.

 

[lunapnp]

Over rated: Chef Mickeys. We didn't care for the service or the quantity of choices at dinner.

I have to agree...but I would also add CRT as overrated. We've been there once and would not be in a rush to go back! The price WWAAAYYYY exceeded the quality of the food and the character interaction. Much better interaction at Cape May's but that's my opinion.

 

[mskayjay]

Ut oh! I hope I didn't jinx it!




I'm sorry; I haven't tried any yet. But I'm told that the ones at Flame Tree in Animal Kingdom are the best. I keep meaning to try them, but Tusker House, Boma, and Jiko keep luring us away.

Besides, ribs are such an individual thing. Some like St. Louis style, some like Kansas City style, some like Texas style . . .

But I'm willing to try any of 'em!

Edited to add:
Here's a thread with lots of different opinions on the subject: ribs

We tried Flame Tree based on word of mouth on the boards. Eh.... Really just average. If you're looking for really exceptional ribs, I don't think a counter service in WDW is the place so shame on me for thinking they'd be that good.

I didn't get to dine there, but I can tell you that our room at WL was over Whispering Canyons and the smell of their barbeque about did us in! lol DH kept saying how unfair it was.....we would wake to the smell of the bacon, sausage and eggs and then smell barbeque all day after breakfast was done!

 

[ransom]

I didn't get to dine there, but I can tell you that our room at WL was over Whispering Canyons and the smell of their barbeque about did us in! lol DH kept saying how unfair it was.....we would wake to the smell of the bacon, sausage and eggs and then smell barbeque all day after breakfast was done!

Oh, the torture! We've always been out in the far wings, so we've never wakened to the smell of food cooking. That would be an experience.

We stay at WL all the time, and we've only been to WCC twice and Artist Point once. And on our upcoming trip, we aren't dining at either! But next time, we'll have to go back. I surprised myself by loving the buffalo steak at Artist Point, and of course the berry cobbler.

By the way, thank you for the tip on Flame Tree. I suspected as much. Ribs are such an individual thing. I've eaten them all over the country, and had a big variety of them, and I know the type I like. But I know people who like 'em prepared other ways. So while I'm always willing to try ribs at any given place, it's pretty rare that I find ones that are worth all the napkins and toothpicks I'll need afterward.

 

[disneyfan4u]

We really like Wolfgang puck express, the french toast for breakfast is so yummy. Another one is Akershus. We always enjoy all the food they have to offer. From the cold app. buffet to the yummy rice cream dessert.

 

[sarobison]

Under-rated- Cantina de San Angel. Plenty of good food on the Plato Combinacion for hearty eaters and of course churros! We prefer it to San Angel Inn in terms of quality and atmosphere. It's nice to eat and be able to sit by the lake and look all around the World Showcase. Sunshine Seasons in the Land is a great place if you're on DDP. Lots of options for families and there are some really yummy desserts too. Biggest issue here is that it can sometimes be hard to find seats.

Just the right hype- Coral Reef. Some will say it is over-rated but I happen to think the food (in most cases) is pretty darned good and eating next to a huge aquarium is always cool. That being said get the Lobster soup and avoid the Sea and Land appetizer.

Over-rated- Crystal Palace (IMHO). I wasn't impressed by much of anything here. Maybe if the dessert selections were better it might be okay but otherwise I found it (and other buffets too) to just be okay in terms of quality.


Again I think at any Disney Restaurant it comes down to ordering the right thing for the restaurant. I've had good and bad everywhere....

 

[buckeyebill1995]

Underrated -- The Wave.
Overrated -- CRT.

 

[Joe T.]

The Plaza in MK is one of our favorites. Good food and reasonable prices. Sandwiches are huge. Half a sandwich and Chocalate Mike Shake in air condition comfort! I can't wait until Jan. In the Deluxe category, Artist Point is certainly overlooked. Unless you are driving, not the easiest to get to. Well worth the effort. For breakfast or lunch the GF Cafe is worth a try. The best eggs benedict anywhere. Sandwiches are super size, but the shrimp ceasar salad is packed full of shrimp.

 

[aribelle]

We went to Garden Grove in the Swan Resort for a character dinner buffet....besides this restaurant having the only reasonable priced character dinners, it also had two very unusual characters....Timon and Rafiki! And the food was really very good.....and the desserts were to die for. I also remember eating an enormous amount of peel and eat shrimp which isn't really a standard for me.....plus there was a chicken dish that comes to mind as well. My kids remember the pudding bar, lol.

We went back to Swan for the character breakfast, which featured Chip & Dale, and again, extremely reasonably priced and the food was good. I don't recall any true standouts, it was your typical buffet breakfast with omelete bar, but I do recall it being better quality food then the breakfast buffets at the other character meals we attended.

AND....maybe the best part for a character meal....the time spent with the characters. It's such a hidden gem that literally half the tables were empty....which means more attention from the characters.

Oh yea......Swan doesn't take dining plan....or give a DDE discount, but we did get a AAA discount!



Most overrated....CRT dinner...great atmosphere, I don't regret for a minute going to this dinner and eating IN the castle and seeing the fireworks glow outside....but the food was eh....no characters stop by...Perla and Godmother put on a little show type thing but they don't do autographs or photos with you. We knew that going in so we weren't disappointed...but this is one place we've marked "been there, done that, don't need to return". It's really a once in a lifetime event, lol.

Another we won't do again is Akershus.....food was ok, but if you or your child isn't adventurous about food it could be bad as there wasn't a lot of choices for non-adventurous eaters. But the reason we won't go back is actually the entire reason we went.....the Princesses. With two Princess loving daughters this seemed a MUST do....plus it was the only place to see Ariel with legs, very important to my Ariel-loving daughter. But, the noise level made it impossible to have even a simple conversation with the Princesses, everything was shouted which is no fun.....tables are so crowded together that photos were difficult, because there was no where to back up to get a decent shot......and it was very obvious that they were rushing from table to table....they weren't rude, but unlike other places they also never hung around to talk, it was sign the autograph while she said a few things to the girls, photo time and move on. Again, I don't regret it....the smile on her face when she saw Ariel was worth every penny....but even she said she wants to go see Ariel with fins from now on...we spent a LONG time having a conversation with that Ariel. And for us, that's what it's about....a chance to talk to the ones they love, so time is quality.