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

[ickeynickey]

I went through several of responses, and I saw one other (there might be more). This is completely against the norm...but.....Art Smith Homecoming. I'm basing it on the 'huge let down" part of the post. We planned a last minute trip. We usually plan a year or more in advance. We were literally less than 60 days. I was able to make dining right away. I booked Homecoming and that was the only restaurant that wasn't moved, changed, etc...I was so excited. We ordered the hushpuppies. They were delicious. The pimento cheese is out of this world. But oh my goodness...you get a TON of hushpuppies. I think there are 10/order. Way too much for 2 of us. We both ordered the fried chicken. I had mac and cheese. My husband had mashed potatoes. They were both good. Not great. Not "oh my gosh I HAVE to go back before we leave". The seasoning tasted too much like poultry seasoning. It had A LOT of sage. It was a heavy heavy dinner. Needed something to lighten it up a bit. I had built it up so much in my head that I think I expected too much. Was it outstanding. Nope. Was it horrible. Absolutely not. It was just 'meh. One and done for us.

Fried chicken as a whole is a heavy meal. As for the seasoning, his chicken has always been like that. A little more dense than others but he has a great following for the taste. So someone must like it. Oprah was a big fan!

 

[ickeynickey]

You are correct, it is basic, way too basic. It has many fewer selections than other WDW buffets and, as I said, I hate the buffet set up.

Just don’t back then. Many other to choose from.

 

[linzjane88]

BOG dinner-- the strangely high prices mixed with cafeteria style dining is odd to me and not worth it.

California grill - - honestly I think it was what we ordered but it was still such a letdown that I never really wanted to go back. One of the appetizers was recommended by the waiter and it was a BLT pizza thing. It was pita bread with mayo and shredded iceburg lettuce among the few other toppings. It was not good at all and I couldn't figure out why it was even a thing.

 

[ickeynickey]

I am more annoyed with the guests then with Disney on this. People see something different and act as if Disney is trying to poison them or something. I have heard countless times people commenting on how "disgusting" and "weird" some things look. They won't even try it. I think Disney wants to give the variety but it does not sell enough. So people like you and me who like to try new things are finding it hard to. I wish that they would ban all the standard American food for a year. No burgers, hot dogs, chicken strips, mac and cheese, etc. Have the people eat some rotisserie chicken instead of chicken strips. Oh the horror!

I completely agree with you. The food is as big an experience as the parks and rides! I do not go there to eat mall style food court food. I like to try new things and only eat at table service and signature dining restaurants. I don’t rush my meal and enjoy my food and bottle or bottles of wine.

 

[stepdisney]

Wow. A lot of folks are disappointed with Ohana. Can someone who is less than pleased with Ohana please let go of an ADR for someone who loves this place? (I'm the someone).

 

[captaindavidhook]

Wow. A lot of folks are disappointed with Ohana. Can someone who is less than pleased with Ohana please let go of an ADR for someone who loves this place? (I'm the someone).

Ohana gets a lot of hate. Mainly people seem to dislike the dinner there. It's a beautiful resort imo but the price for dinner is too high along with mediocre food to boot.

 

[stepdisney]

It is a must-do for us when we go. It just seems odd that it gets so much hate and I cannot find a dinner reservation. LOL

 

[5Tulips]

BOG - enough
Liberty Tree Tavern - the turkey, ewww. It was too processed.

 

[phyllis1966]

Via Napoli is meh but Dominoes is delicious?!? Mama mia, my Italian heart can’t take it lol

 

[Embraer]

Agree on Ohana dinner, was very disappointed with it, slow service, cramped dining and the food was in no way memorable. We always dine for our first breakfast each visit but no interest in the going in the evening again

 

[Wakey]

There's a running theme here, restaurants that would be seen as average in the outside world at half the price, but get hyped up out if all proportion on Disney forums.
Main culprits being O'Hana, Beaches and Cream, Be Our Guest, Le Cellier. The hype for the last one seems to have dampened down the last few years as more people complain about the quality, but it's still in full swing for the first three. Beaches and Cream is the most overhyped restaurant in the history of WDW overhype, the tragic thing is if you want good quality ice cream its 400 yards away at Ample Hills. And a 5 Guys burger is substantially better than a Beaches and Cream one.
A lot of Signatures come in for a hammering also because most simply are not 'Signature' in the real world.

 

[chefski]

Have to say some of the places mentioned we didnt have issues with BOG i thought was OK on the dining plan. 2 Table service was way over priced for Dinner but our meal was pretty good. The one place i was disappointed with was CRT. I booked for our wedding anniversary and went to the check in and stated it was our anniversary (I know i should have ordered a cake from Main Street Bakery but didnt) , anyway i ordered and paid for a mickey cake (better than nothing) near the end of our meal our server came out singing happy birthday to my wife!!! (I let him know it was our anniversary his reply, oh OK sorry and off he went. A lady at the table across from us started singing Happy Anniversary which was nice though
Anyway the food was mediocre the service was terrible but at least we have done the experience of dining in the castle.

 

[scionchigirl]

View attachment 360629
What a shame. We had a spectacular 25th Wedding Anniversary dinner at Narcoossees in July. The bartender was a doll. He was so attentive and filled with great stories. Our waiter for dinner went out of his way to please us. The steak was outstanding. The almond cheesecake was beyond delicious. The wine and complimentary champagne was perfection.

When I look at the above photo, I have to wonder how anyone could prefer eating at Red Lobster over Narcoossees.

I had a similar experience on my birthday in 2014, simply the best wdw dining experience I had! Great server, great food.

 

[tallguy001]

Just back from a 10 day trip. Sadly, have to add 'Ohana to my list. Service was subpar (to say the least) and food was meh. Last ate there in 2015 and seems different. Don't know if it is, but it seems different.

Also, BOG. No way should this be 2 credits. Appetizers were fine, but same generic steak you can find at any of the table service restaurants.

 

[disneysteve]

There's a running theme here, restaurants that would be seen as average in the outside world at half the price, but get hyped up out if all proportion on Disney forums.

Exactly. I think I said that way back in the thread. My expectations for a meal are partly based on the cost. If I'm getting a $5 meal at a fast food place I expect something different than a $15 meal at a sit down place, but at Disney, that $5 fast food meal IS $15. Same for table service. Out in the world it might be $20 but at Disney it's $50.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Be Our Guest, Via Napoli, Le Cellier, Tusker House, Liberty Tree, Raglan Road and Coral Reef are the ones coming to mind.

 

[aristocatz]

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.

Whispering Canyon Cafe. We went there on Christmas morning during our honeymoon. I handpicked it because we were staying at the resort at the time and because of how special people said it was. We were completely disappointed in the entire experience It took forever to be seated. The breakfast skillet was pretty bad. Bacon was thin and cheap. Eggs tasted fake. Food was cold and stale. The waiter seemed arrogant, disinterested, and rude. We have no desire to go back.

 

[captaindavidhook]

Be Our Guest, Via Napoli, Le Cellier, Tusker House, Liberty Tree, Raglan Road and Coral Reef are the ones coming to mind.

Be our guest is very overrated imo. Food has not been great lately. Coral reef I have never eaten at before but I always here the food is mediocre at best but the restaurant is very nice inside. I happen to like via napoli but ince again I've heard stories of burnt pizza or just not good overall pizza.

 

[bluejasmine]

BOG breakfast, dinner and lunch, Im over the crowded seating and the bland food. CG brunch food was not up to par with past meals Ive had here, LTT dinner, I like lunch here better, Kona dinner, I had the noodles and they were so tasteless..Maria and Enzo we paid $100 for a piece of eggplant parm and chicken parm a small appetizer and two sodas and tip no sides what so ever.. Home Coming I was so excited about this place but it was just Meh...the mac and cheese was good the chicken and deviled eggs no better than I can make here at home.. Le Cellier hadnt been in a couple years and was dissapointed when we went back it wasnt as good as it use to be and not worth 2 credits.
We still enjoyed Ohana, Chefs De France, Trex, Tratoria, Biergraten on our last trip in Sept..

 

[mckenk]

Via Napoli