Can you share a place you couldnt wait to eat but was a huge letdown

[Aimee Wolfe]

I think the problem with Disney dining is the outrageous prices...puts a bad taste in your mouth when the food is just mediocre or worse and you are paying such an exorbitant amount of money. I paid $60 for my 10 year old daughter to eat 5 bites of mediocre food at storybook dining last week. That is just outrageous. It was $150 for a rushed meal for the 2 of us and the food was not very good.

 

[Remy is Up]

It seems to me most, if not all, character experiences for dining tend to have less than adequate food at a ridiculous price. Hence why I said Ill avoid every buffet on property except Boma. People pay those prices due to making the kids happy and getting character interaction. most people just accept that the food at most of those meals is not worth any price but pay it for the experience. You tend to get what you pay for on those. When I had little ones I understood going in that the food would be below average by my standards, but, it was the experience for the kids. I have more of an issue with the sit down restaurants that charge the crazy Disney prices and then the food and/or service is not up to standard. The first two times I went to Via the food and service were good, but, the last two times it was awful and I have not been back since. Kona used to be a go to, but, when the chef left and they changed the menu, the food quality went in the toilet and I stopped going. On the flip side, Boatwrights used to be awful but has changed for the better and Homecomin which started off rough has improved dramatically. On the top level sig restaurants it helps to have an idea of Chef changes. Those do make a difference. Currently under all chefs at Sigs right now, I think Il Mulino is the best restaurant on property followed closely by Cali Grille. And thats a restaurant that used to be amazing, then became the pretentious place to go to be seen and now under a new Chef ( I want to say its the Chef who was at Jiko and made it a must do restaurant) has returned to it being about the food and it has rocketed up my list of restaurants.

 

[wendlle]

The only place I was so excited to eat at that did nothing for me was Be Our Guest for Dinner.
It was such a let down, the food was only just meh and the server we had was horrible.
We really enjoyed the Breakfast experience there but would never, ever do Dinner again.
And I also had a really bad experience at Raglan Road, but that was over 10 years ago, I think I'm ready to give it another chance.

 

[hammie59]

Cinderella’s Royal Table- food was ok, service was the absolute WORST. Our waiter was a jerk. It was one if those situations where you imagine for so long how great it will be when you finally go and then when you do, you leave feeling like you’ve been slapped upside the head.

 

[evilqueenmindy]

I have 3- Yachtsman Steakhouse (probably about 5 years ago), we had a great meal at Shulas a few months earlier and were excited to try Yachtsman, thinking it would be similar. It was not. The best and most memorable part of the meal was the bread basket. If all I remember liking at your steak restaurant is the bread, that's a problem.

2 was Morimoto's. (3 years ago I think) We were there for lunch, it was NOT busy, there were about 30 people on the waitstaff wandering around looking bored, and absolutely none of them could help you (oh, your spring rolls are not here? I'm the noodle bearer, you have to ask Dana, she brings out the spring rolls) a lot of our orders were messed up or missed (they told us when we ordered that all our food would be coming out at different times, so it made it really difficult to figure out if something was actually missing, or just hadn't arrived yet) It was a total mess and the food that did arrive wasn't very good.

3- Paddlefish. (last Feb) I wanted so badly to eat at Paddlefish. I don't know what I was expecting, but the cramped, uncomfortable, LOUD (OMG the noise, even by disney standards. It wasn't shrieking kids, just people talking normally, it just reverberated through the room) dining room and very very meh food were not it.

 

[wdw&sonny]

Biergarten. It's not that I couldn't wait to eat there...but was expecting better tasting food and better show. The food was blah and the show was not going on most of our meal.

 

[pezaddict231]

1. 50's Prime Time - we forgot to put my 6 month old nephew (who was too small for a highchair and was going to be held the entire time) on the reservation and they were incredibly rude about it. Made it seem like a huge inconvenience, huffing and puffing about it and threatened to not seat us at all. They claimed it was because they didn't have a table big enough. I said he's an infant and will be held so we don't actually need a larger table. And guess what, when we were seated after waiting almost an hour it wasn't a larger table, it was a table for 9 like we had reserved. I understand there are fire codes, etc, that wasn't the issue here, it's like they wanted to punish us for it. Never had the staff at any other restaurant treat us that way, even when we've been quite late for reservations. So we are finally seated and determined to have a good time anyway and the schtick is sort of there and sort of not to the point they just come across as rude, my niece said it was a weird theme lol. Food wasn't very good and it took forever. Theme is boring for kids, won't be back anytime soon.

2. Whispering Canyon - Used to enjoy the food and the fun. My DD loved the pony races and silly antics. In December there were virtually no antics and our food took forever.

3. Coral reef, food isn't great, view isn't good unless you are against the tank, kind of underwhelming overall.

In general it seems like a lot of the fun things are gone. No coconut races or maraca parades at Ohana, not pony races at Whispering Canyon. It's sad because kids really get a kick out of it and it's not like those things cost Disney money to do.

 

[Pens Fan]

I have to agree with the previous posts about Homecomin'. I was really looking forward to this restaurant and it just wasn't very good. The chicken thigh biscuit appetizer was good, as well as the pecan pie. But that's about it. I had the pulled pork which tasted like something you'd buy frozen at the grocery store. The mac and cheese was horrible. I couldn't eat it. The guys both got shrimp and grits, and they said it was ok - but nothing like they'd had other places. Also, while I loved the decor, the restaurant was so loud you could hardly carry on a conversation. It was difficult to hear our server as well.

With so many new restaurants in Disney Springs, I doubt we'll give Homecomin' a second try.

 

[captaindavidhook]

I have to agree with the previous posts about Homecomin'. I was really looking forward to this restaurant and it just wasn't very good. The chicken thigh biscuit appetizer was good, as well as the pecan pie. But that's about it. I had the pulled pork which tasted like something you'd buy frozen at the grocery store. The mac and cheese was horrible. I couldn't eat it. The guys both got shrimp and grits, and they said it was ok - but nothing like they'd had other places. Also, while I loved the decor, the restaurant was so loud you could hardly carry on a conversation. It was difficult to hear our server as well.

With so many new restaurants in Disney Springs, I doubt we'll give Homecomin' a second try.

Me and you both. Cannot over state it, homecoming is nasty food and would never, never, never eat there again.

 

[NYCgrrl]

bluezoo.
Exceptionally inept service that effected the quality of the meal. When a guest questions you about the type of Parmesan used for the lobster carbonara please remember to bring the cheese to the table before or at least with the rest of the dish as opposed to five minutes after. Nothing like congealed egg and cheese sauce to make a grrl go "Yuck"?!?

Should guests request the salad be served after the main course and you bring it as a starter said guests will not make a fuss about it just place the dish to the side and then have to explain over and over again to the server and her helper not to remove the dish. Finally lost the battle when the waitress swooped in and expertly picked up the finished entree dishes and salad being sure to plop the salad into a mixture of dirty plates guaranteeing you no longer want to eat it.

From the kitchen side of the equation our other entree (FL grouper) was nicely seasoned but definitely overcooked. It'll surely take a long time for me to return here but I know Flying Fish can make up the difference and then some.

There were other odd service issues that weren't as onerous but little annoyances do add up especially at this price point.

 

[acarsme123]

Ohana....
I can't fathom why people are ripping on Le Cellier...it was a fantastic meal. my favorite

 

[acarsme123]

After reading most of these posts, I'm really surprised this many people have had such bad experiences. I honestly can't say any of my experiences were "bad".....maybe just some weren't as great as they were hyped up to be. I kept my expectations low going in for most restaurants, and more often than not I was more pleased than disappointed. The only meal I've had at Disney World which was flat out gross and I'd never go back was Rainforest Cafe.....it's amazing to me how they can be so bad, yet T-Rx and Yak and Yeti can be so much better.

Splittsville is a no return for me.....just not a great experience.

Ohana like I previously mentioned is just "eh..." to me. I'm kind of indifferent about it. Would I go back? Probably....but I'm not gonna ever stress out trying to get an ADR there.

Le Cellier....I am really shocked this many people hate it. It was our best meal. Maybe it just depends on what you get there. I got the filet with mushroom risotto. It was fantastic. The red wine reduction poutine was fantastic too. I was actually disappointed in the beer soup that is so raved about!

 

[coldice371]

Le Cellier- It wasn't a bad meal, but with all the hype surrounding it I was expecting more. I would not be opposed to going back but certainly would not choose myself to go there again.

 

[Shughart]

1. Sci-Fi. Food was meh, but it literally felt like we were eating in the dark. I hated it. Plus we were a group of 10 at the time, and we were all split up by 2's. It wasn't a fun experience.
2. Akershus. The service, atmosphere, and character experience were absolutely lovely I have to say, but I am apparently not a fan of the food. Breakfast I'm sure would be a much better option if you're not into Scandinavian food. I needed a Princess experience for my daughter and CRT was not an option for us.

 

[Dakota731]

Tusker House and we are all adventurous eaters in our family, but we still want the food to taste good! After a week of great meals, this was the only table service we unanimously hated. The worst quick service was in China - blah the food was awful!

 

[Lilsia]

Tusker House and we are all adventurous eaters in our family, but we still want the food to taste good! After a week of great meals, this was the only table service we unanimously hated. The worst quick service was in China - blah the food was awful!

We are not big fans of Tusker House either. They have a bit of an identity crisis. They are not quite African but also not American. It is like they are trying too hard to Americanize the African cuisine. Whereas Boma does a much better job of keeping it African, making it much better. The variety of main dishes is also lacking at Tusker House. They have way too many different salads and side dishes and not enough protein or vegis.

 

[SpartanMommy]

I have ALWAYS wanted to try BOG for dinner, but we usually plan trips on short notice so it’s always booked when I try. Though, seeing how many people are disappointed with it, makes me a bit nervous for when I finally get my chance.

Mine is Akershus. We planned a last minute trip to Disney, so there were very limited options for us, reservations wise. My older daughter was 4 at the time and very into princesses, so a princess meal was a must! We went there for breakfast and the food was “meh” at best. Really bland. I was disappointed because it’s hard to mess up breakfast food!!

But, watching my daughter’s face light up when she interacted with the princesses made it worth it. And they were all so wonderful with her! She LOVED parading around the restaurant with the princesses. The atmosphere and service were great, and I would probably go back again when my younger daughter is a bit older- but with much lower expectations.

 

[Ratatosk]

Le Cellier -- steak was charred and dry. Overpriced. Didn't live up to all the hype.

Whispering Canyon Café -- Heard great things about it, so we'd decided to have a sit down meal after a long day at the park instead of grabbing a burger at the quick service. Food and drinks took forever and wasn't very good, was cold. CM/Waiter wasn't very attentive. Never again.

 

[LVSWL]

It can be more then one place. It also be can a cs or ts. I am looking forward to hearing some of the answers.

For me hands it was San Angel Inn. I love Mexican food. Let me start off saying that. In all my trips I had never eaten in any of the Mexican restaurant's at Disney. So I was excited to say the least. The food well was probe the worst or the nastiest food I ever ate in my life. It was dry, nasty and I couldn't even finish my meal. On top of that, the server was a creep. He rushed me threw out the whole meal. I'll never ate there again. Honorable mention goes to Flame tree BBQ. Nasty dry chicken and freakin birds all around me.

For us it was Saana. We were super excited about the bread service. Menu online showed that you could get it with either 3 or 9 choices. We wanted 3, server wouldn't let us do that. It was just the two of us and hubby doesn't like spicy. We made that very clear. After the bread service we ordered an entree to split an it was very spicy. Only finished half. Server was less than pleasant during the meal so it's a no go for us.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

We are not big fans of Tusker House either. They have a bit of an identity crisis. They are not quite African but also not American. It is like they are trying too hard to Americanize the African cuisine. Whereas Boma does a much better job of keeping it African, making it much better. The variety of main dishes is also lacking at Tusker House. They have way too many different salads and side dishes and not enough protein or vegis.

Tusker House used to be my favorite restaurant on property, partly because they had a variety of excellent specialty salads. But the last two times I went, the specialty salads and specialty dressings were gone, and they just had generic green salad with standard dressings you could find anywhere. For a while they had high quality beef at dinner, but that's also gone, and the remaining meats are pork, fish, or roasted chicken. Due to these changes and a loss of the specialty items that once made this restaurant unique, for me it's gone from a must-do to an I-can-take-it-or-leave-it. Sad.