Comprehensive List of Restaurants to Avoid

[Jennasis]

I'm not playing. Everyone has different likes and dislikes. What a boring life I would have if I dismissed things out of hand based on strangers personal preferences.

 

[juliebug1997]

I'm not playing. Everyone has different likes and dislikes. What a boring life I would have if I dismissed things out of hand based on strangers personal preferences.

Not just strangers but internet strangers.

 

[Melisa1]

Hi! On your places to avoid list, there are some really good places that you are avoiding due to reviews, which is totally your choice, but I read reviews as well and if its somewhere I really want to try, I give it a chance. Just my imput:

Cosmic Rays: We went there in May and it was really good CS food. DH and I split a turkey sandwich, it was huge! I would go back here again.

Fultons: This is one of my favorites! I love the atmosphere and the food, have been many times and we have never had any problems and the food has always been great! It's one of our "must do's".

Ohana: Very good, I would go back again.

Pecos Bill: Really good burgers! Would go back again!!

Rainforest Cafe: I love the atmosphere here, the food is good and its a fun place. I might or might not go back at WDW simply because there is one here in DFW and I can go anytime.

Sci-Fi: This is a 'must do" for us on every visit, I love the theming inside and the burgers and ribs are really good!!

 

[fairytalelover]

Hello, folks! Today's song of the day is "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Johnny and June Cash.

The following is a list of restaurants that meet criteria (as seen below) that I will not be visiting at the World. If you wish to defend any of these as restaurants to try before I start scheduling ADRs, please do so via comment.

About my trip: Honeymoon for 2, no children, Deluxe Dining Plan, 7 days in early November

Criteria: Bad reviews on disboards or allears; menu unappealing; price (V&A alone)

First thread of two. Second post will include restaurants eager to try (in a few days).

#, A: 1900 Park Faire, Akershaus
B: Biergarten, Bluezoo, Bongos, Brown Derby
C, D: California Grill, Cantina de San Angel, Casey's Corner, Chef Mickey's, Chefs de France, Cinderella's Royal Table, Citrico's, Cooke's of Dublin, Coral Reef, Cosmic Rays

E, F: ESPN Cafe, Fairfax, the Fountain, Fulton's Crab House
G, H, I: Garden Grill, Hacienda de San Angel, Hollywood & Vine, Hoop De Hoo

J, K, L: Kona Cafe, LeCellier, Lotus Blossom Cafe
M, N: Mama Melrose, the Maya Grill, Monsieur Paul
O, P: Ohana, Pecos Bill, Planet Hollywood, Pizza Planet, Pizzafari, Pollo Campero, Portobello

Q, R: Rainforest Cafe, Restaurantosaurus
S: San Angel Inn, Sci-Fi Theater, Shutters, Spirit of Aloha
T, U: T-Rex, Tangeriene Cafe, Tony's Town Square, Tutto Italia

V-Z: Victoria & Alberts, the Wave, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Wolfgang Puck Cafe

Wow, based on your criteria, you should just stay home

We love T-Rex, Sci-Fi, Pizza Planet, Planet Hollywood, Fulton's Crab House, Cinderella's Royal Table and we just havent tried the others yet......but will probably like most of them

 

[jenniferma]

Hello, folks! Today's song of the day is "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Johnny and June Cash.

The following is a list of restaurants that meet criteria (as seen below) that I will not be visiting at the World. If you wish to defend any of these as restaurants to try before I start scheduling ADRs, please do so via comment.

About my trip: Honeymoon for 2, no children, Deluxe Dining Plan, 7 days in early November

Criteria: Bad reviews on disboards or allears; menu unappealing; price (V&A alone)

First thread of two. Second post will include restaurants eager to try (in a few days).

#, A: 1900 Park Faire, Akershaus
B: Biergarten, Bluezoo, Bongos, Brown Derby
C, D: California Grill, Cantina de San Angel, Casey's Corner, Chef Mickey's, Chefs de France, Cinderella's Royal Table, Citrico's, Cooke's of Dublin, Coral Reef, Cosmic Rays

E, F: ESPN Cafe, Fairfax, the Fountain, Fulton's Crab House
G, H, I: Garden Grill, Hacienda de San Angel, Hollywood & Vine, Hoop De Hoo

J, K, L: Kona Cafe, LeCellier, Lotus Blossom Cafe
M, N: Mama Melrose, the Maya Grill, Monsieur Paul
O, P: Ohana, Pecos Bill, Planet Hollywood, Pizza Planet, Pizzafari, Pollo Campero, Portobello

Q, R: Rainforest Cafe, Restaurantosaurus
S: San Angel Inn, Sci-Fi Theater, Shutters, Spirit of Aloha
T, U: T-Rex, Tangeriene Cafe, Tony's Town Square, Tutto Italia

V-Z: Victoria & Alberts, the Wave, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Wolfgang Puck Cafe

victoria and alberts? seriously? who doesnt' love that place? I would love to try it!

You have many restaurants on your list that we love and others that are ok.. certainly not worth banning.

Ohana is one of our must dos. Chefs De France has the best food we've eaten in the parks, CRT was great too. Kona was absolutely delicious, Garden Grill had great food, and I've heard great things about the Wave as well.

no offense at all OP-- but what was the criteria? Many of these places are fairly well liked.. only a few are hated.. at least I think so.

 

[DisneyFansInLINY]

#, A: 1900 Park Faire- I'm not going to say it's a must do or to completely avoid it. However, breakfast was good and so was dinner. The characters are different for both meals and the interaction is very entertaining.

Akershus- breakfast is great but dinner is to be avoided. Also, great option to see the princesses and cheaper than CRT.

B: Biergarten- never ate here because I do not eat meat so I don't know how the food is. But my parents like it and they are picky eaters.

Bluezoo- never ate here because I'm usually on the dining plan and it isn't accepted here but the reviews and menu sound great. I would only dismiss it since you are going to be on the dining plan.

Bongos- never ate here and food doesn't sound appealing so I agree to skip it.

Brown Derby- Do not miss this one. We always passed it up until our last trip and now we love it. Great food and service.

C, D: California Grill- the menu sounds great and the view looks fantastic. We would love to dine here but our kids don't care for the menu. For a honeymoon trip, I would definitely make a reservation there during the fireworks.

Cantina de San Angel- I love this quick service. The best Mexican food at the Mexico pavilion.

Casey's Corner- nothing special about hot dogs in my opinion so I agree to pass on it

Chef Mickey's- breakfast is always good here and it's an excellent way to see the fab five. But I wouldn't go for dinner.

Chefs de France- we used to love this restaurant but not so much anymore. The French bakery is not to be missed though!

Cinderella's Royal Table- breakfast looks good but lunch and dinner don't seem worth the price or dining credits. We have never eaten here but will on our next trip. In my opinion, you have to eat in the castle as least once.

Citrico's- never ate here nor have I ever wanted to, so I have no idea how it is.

Cooke's of Dublin- never ate here so I do not have an opinion of it.

Coral Reef- I personally like this restaurant but I know many disagree. Since it has a unique theme, I would suggest trying it out and deciding for yourself.

Cosmic Rays- this place has something for everyone including vegetarians. It's a good place to get a quick bite in MK. I wouldn't say it was great food but it is good for what it is.

E, F: ESPN Cafe- I like the food here and they even let me do takeout on the dining plan when my daughter was sick in our room. The menu selections surprised me and everything we had was very good.

Fairfax the Fountain- I don't even know what that is lol

Fulton's Crab House- this is one of our favorite restaurants and the reason my husband keeps going to Disney lol. The seafood is delicious and fresh. I cannot understand the bad reviews as we have always had great food and amazing service.


G, H, I: Garden Grill- the food is good and the characters are cutely dressed. This is another unique restaurant and I recommend eating here at least once.

Hacienda de San Angel- agree to skip this one as the food isn't good. Not to mention the one time we dined here, there was a hair in my husband's food!

Hollywood & Vine- breakfast and lunch are good. I haven't eaten dinner here so I don't know how it is. However, since you are on your honeymoon without kids, I would skip a character breakfast geared towards preschoolers unless you and your fiancé happen to watch Disney Junior lol lol lol

Hoop De Doo- never been to this so I don't know how it is.

J, K, L: Kona Cafe- never ate here so I don't know how the food is but I did stay at the Poly for my honeymoon and we disliked most of the food at their hotel.

LeCellier- this place used to be amazing but not anymore

Lotus Blossom Cafe- we always skip the food at the China pavilion because the menu isn't very impressive.

M, N: Mama Melrose- I agree to skip it as it's not Italian food it's I-talian food similar to the Olive Garden lol

the Maya Grill- I can't say anything about it as I never ate here but I do love the food court at Coronado Springs

Monsieur Paul- we want to eat here but the kid's menu is too fancy for my kids Mac and cheese and chicken nuggets taste buds lol But if I was on my honeymoon, I would be eating here. I would rethink your decision to pass this one up.

O, P: Ohana- the breakfast was good but I wouldn't eat dinner here. Like I stated above, I stayed at the poly for my honeymoon and my husband and I did not like the Hawaiian themed food.

Pecos Bill- my parents love this place but I never eat here because I don't eat burgers.

Planet Hollywood- never ate here but I agree to pass it up as the 90's have been over for awhile lol.

Pizza Planet- never ate here but I guess it's cute for being right out of Toy Story. But I wouldn't waste my deluxe dining credit on pizza that looks and tastes like it has been sat on lol

Pizzafari- same opinion here as Pizza Planet lol

Pollo Campero- I so miss Babycakes and watermelon sangria but this place is gone

Portobello- never ate here because the menu doesn't interest me

Q, R: Rainforest Cafe- never ate here but the theme is cute. However, like TREX, it is overpriced for what it is,

Restaurantosaurus- I never ate here so I have no idea how it is. Animal Kingdom has a lot of quick service locations. We only eat at Yak and Yeti. In fact my husband only goes to AK to eat at Yak and Yeti lol.

S: San Angel Inn- the setting is beautiful and the margaritas are terrific. The food is decent but nothing to write home about. It's good to try at least once though.

Sci-Fi Theater- great theming and okay food. Another one of those good to try at least once restaurants.

Shutters- ??? Don't know what this is either lol

Spirit of Aloha- terrible! Do not go! I agree with you to avoid this one! I went on my honeymoon in 2007 and the food was awful. The show wasn't worth it either. And the funny thing is my mom and dad went on their honeymoon back in 1976 and said the same thing about it! LoL

T, U: T-Rex- I ate here once because my son is dinosaur obsessed but wouldn't eat her again unless he made me. The food was mediocre and overpriced.

Tangeriene Cafe- great food that my entire extended family enjoys. It's one of the few quick services that I actually eat. We prefer table service restaurants but I would definitely use my deluxe dining credit to eat here.

Tony's Town Square- another I-talian food restaurant that I would pass on as well.

Tutto Italia- this is not to be missed. It is not I-talian food but rather authentic Italian food and quite delicious. The zucchini appetizer is amazing!

V-Z: Victoria & Alberts- this is the best restaurant at Disney. I ate here on my honeymoon. It is very expensive but worth the price. And if you are on your honeymoon, I highly recommend eating here. It will be a romantic and memorable experience.

the Wave- this is a hidden gem. The food is very good and reasonably priced. I would give it a try, you might be surprised.

Whispering Canyon Cafe- not my type of restaurant so I can't say to try it.

Wolfgang Puck Cafe- never ate here but we plan to on our next trip. I have never read a bad review about it and the menu looks good. But it all depends on your personal tastes.

 

[Candl]

As has been pointed out ad nauseum, many of the restaurants you listed I would reconsider. Here are a couple, and why...

Citricos: My wife and I have been twice. The first time was the week they opened while we were on our honeymoon. It was our most memorable meal of our trip, and a restaurant I wish I could go back to. Maybe in a couple of years, when I can leave our kids behind.

San Angel Inn: Someone else pointed out the atmosphere here. Yes, the tables are too close together. But, this restaurant has the most unique environment in all of WDW. I have been there with a group of 8 (and again when the group became 10). Nobody was disappointed.

Kona Café: Okay, this one is tough. We have been there our last 3 trips. First & Last were fantastic (although I was a little worried this last time). The one in the middle, was pretty bad. Service was lacking, food was over cooked. But, I would be willing to try it a fourth time because the first & last so were so good.

Fulton's: My wife is reading over my shoulder and suggested I add this one in. Having grown up on Long Island (New York), I do not consider myself an expert on seafood. However, I do have some pretty strong opinions when it comes to seafood restaurants. Fulton's, IMHO is an above average seafood restaurant. We have enjoyed eating there each and every time we have been. I just never feel blown away by their food. So, it's always a tough sell for me.

Not on your list of won'ts (and I have not checked your list of wills yet)... via Napoli: If you asked me for one restaurant I would at, everyday, during my next trip to WDW, it would be via Napoli. We've been twice, and we'll be going again in September. Our last trip, I skipped the menu and asked our server what was his favorite. That's what I ordered and I will do so again, and again, and again!

 

[brittanyyyrocks]

On our trip next week, every one of our reservations is at places that are on your avoid list. I know a lot of people have already defended their favorites, but I'll join in too. Also, this will be a honeymoon trip for us as well.

Biergarten: One of our absolute favorites. German food doesn't appeal to everyone (and I almost didn't go the first time we made a reservation here due to this), but it really was great. Plus, we found the atmosphere (which puts off a lot of people) to be fun.
Le Cellier: We've had this on our list of places to try for quite a while, but this is the first time we were able to book a reservation that fit around our schedule. Reviewers have said the quality isn't as good as it used to be but is still good. We've never been before, so we won't be aware of any quality difference, and are just looking forward to finally trying some poutine and the soup.
Sci Fi: The food isn't super high quality, but the atmosphere is fun.
Ohana: We went here for breakfast last trip and it was excellent. Looking at the menu, we're excited to try it for dinner too.
Portobello: When we went last, the food was great. The reviews normally are so so, but the gnocchi was some of the best I've ever had.

Also, if we had listened to bad reviews, we never would have tried Hollywood and Vine last time and it was one of our family's favorite meals.

 

[carmelhp]

Can't you use deluxe dining credits at V&A's any longer? Because I don't see why you would exclude that based on price unless maybe you can't use credits any more.

I don't think so, except maybe the "Platinum Plan".

 

[nkereina]

California Grill - one of the few that gets consistently good reviews. It is expensive but if you're on DxDP, I don't know why cost would be a factor.

Cantina de San Angel - Really good nachos. Nice view of the lagoon for a quick stop off snack.

Casey's Corner - Run, don't walk, away from this place. Gross.

Chef Mickey's - Probably not ideal for a honeymoon because it's a loud, lively atmosphere that caters to kids but we thought it was fun to watch, the food was good and the food options were plentiful (this was for breakfast).

Chefs de France - Loved this for dinner. Only complaint is that the tables were too close together. They pack em in there.

ESPN Cafe - kind of like a chain restaurant, but a great option if you want to catch sports. Good food, decent prices, no ADR needed. Never had to wait for a table. We stop by to catch some football there whenever we visit during the fall.

Kona Cafe - excellent breakfast here, but I would avoid while Poly construction is going on. Loses a little of its luster since the restaurant is open to the lobby.

Mama Melrose - Decent meal, really cute theme inside the restaurant.

Ohana - did not care for breakfast - overpriced for the limited offerings

Planet Hollywood - typical chain. I wouldn't waste a meal here since you can do this virtually anywhere.

Pizza Planet - same pizza you can get anywhere, limited seating. Agree to avoid.

Rainforest Cafe - typical chain again, and can be done in other major cities.

Sci-Fi Theater - love this, very unique and something you can only do at Disney. Good food and service. A good lunch stop.

T-Rex - owned by the same folks who own Rainforest Cafe. Very chain like. Avoid.

Tony's Town Square - mediocre. Better options in MK.

Whispering Canyon Cafe - must do every trip but like Chef Mickey's, its loud and caters to kids. Good food though, especially if you like BBQ.

 

[Iowajes]

This may be the first time I've seen V&A on a restaurant to avoid list (though I understand thinking it is too expensive. But for me, I'd just not go, I wouldn't "avoid" it.)

I would maybe avoid a restaurant if I was unable to find a positive review at all; but mostly, I won't -avoid- anything unless it is from my own personal experience.

Now, since there is limited time and a lot of restaurants, some that receive negative reviews might not make it onto my list, but I certainly wouldn't avoid them.


The restaurants on the list in that first post include MANY favorites. With the quantity of people they process, there is no way you can find a restaurant in Disney that doesn't have some bad reviews. You need to read the reviews and actually internalize if the things people complain about are a) reoccurring or b) matter to you (for instance- one board I read people are up in arms about a place that used to have table cloths and now doesn't. IMO- who cares?).

 

[aristocatz]

Welp, apparently I reeeeaaaallly stuck my foot in it with this thread. I genuinely thought that people were going to give me more constructive dish feedback rather than I just shouldn't dismiss restaurants wholeheartedly.

And, in many ways, you guys are very, very right. I should probably try these restaurants myself, forcing myself to eat things I might not normally eat. But I didn't just dismiss things based on one bad review. They were based on consistently bad reviews (and at least in case of both Sci-Fi and all of the Mexican epcot eateries- consistent food poisonings or in the case of Whispering Canyon Cafe and Sci-Fi again lighting and sound issues).

Also, I did not know that that was Johnny Cash and Fiona Apple. Shocked and surprised.

An aside: I'm a guy whose fiancee is a male, for the people that assumed I was a "she". Also, I'm not shelling out for Platinum and it doesn't even say that you can pay for V & A on platinum. That sticker shock was still waaaaaay too much.

Anyways, thanks for some tidbits from some users that I can consider looking at again, but I make no promises that it might return to my try it out list. I'm about to post the list of restaurants I'm anticipating and hopefully I will restore some of your faith in me! (PS: I'm going to be eating a lot of beignets if I get my way and stay at POFQ, so there's that).

What kind of food/cuisines do you guys like? That might help narrow down which restaurants you might want to try, which ones have entrees you might want to try?

I hope you love POFQ! We stayed there for our engagement trip & thought the resort was beautiful