Discouraged a bit

[Dchef]

Feeling a bit discouraged by what I have been reading lately. Correct me if I am wrong, but there seems to be a lot of "all you can eat, buffet food" and I am less than impressed with that thought.

I also understand that many places have individual entree's as well but it seems many of the must do places are buffet i.e.; BOMA's. I really am not a fan of the all you can eat thing and the buffet (having gotten deathly sick with food poisoning once) scares me. But I also don't want to miss out on some really unusual cuisine either. Am I over exaggerating here?

 

[Luv2Roam]

I sugget you be one of the first at the buffets. If you see how others treat the food you are about to serve yourself you would probably start a new diet.
I am not big on buffets. But I do like Boma's.
Many like Cape May. I can take it or leave it.

 

[jeancbpugh]

Feeling a bit discouraged by what I have been reading lately. Correct me if I am wrong, but there seems to be a lot of "all you can eat, buffet food" and I am less than impressed with that thought.

Don't worry, there are LOTS of restaurants without buffets at WDW. Just skip the buffets. At AKL do Jiko not Boma. Skip Chef Mickey's at Contemporary; try California Grill instead. etc.

 

[Harambe]

We like the family platter way of eating! LOL! Garden Grill, 'Ohana for breakfast and dinner. We tend to stay away from buffets, too, and prefer individual entrees, but I don't have a problem with the "skillet" approach.

 

[Kaycee]

You can have plenty of wonderful meals at WDW without visiting buffets. As Jeancbpugh suggested, try Jiko instead of Boma (Jiko gets better reviews in general anyway). For character meals, try Garden Grill (if it's open during your visit) or Liberty Tree Tavern. For other fun meals for kids (and adults!), try 50's Prime Time, Whispering Canyon or Ohana. For the Fantasmis Dinner Package, try Mama Melrose or Hollywood Brown Derby instead of Hollywood & Vine. For a yummy breakfast, try Kona Cafe or Spoodles.

I think that gives you an alternative to pretty much every buffet. And looking over the list, it seems that most of the alternatives get better ratings than the buffets, so you shouldn't feel like you're missing anything!

 

[crisi]

I'm "buffet-o-phobic" as well. It isn't food poisoning, or other people that frighten me. Its food is chafing dishes sort of stale and slightly warm. Its getting up to get my own plate.

If you want all-you-can-eat without the buffet, Whispering Canyon and Ohana's offer this. Otherwise, Disney is packed with real sit down restaurants, some of them excellent and most pretty good. But there is not really much unusual cusine in WDW. Boma's is disappointing, Marrakesh is OK (and sit down), haven't been to Jiko. Don't consider German or Mexican "unusual" At WDW "unusual" is couscous, hummus or sushi.

 

[wilderness01]

I don't really like Buffets either. I will go to Chef Mickey's for breakfast and the Crystal Palace for lunch but I prefer to go first thing in the am. The kids love the characters so we go......If I see (and I have) anyone bringing their plate back up to fill I avoid that dish like the plaque! Good luck with your decisions.

 

[Dchef]

Thanks everyone--kinda hard to put your food Phobia'a out there and DH says I am "annoyingly pickie" about food--yet adventurous at the same time and Disney seemed like a great place for the kids to try different things in one place. They eat lots of Ethnic foods here...we made that a rule since they were born and they even love Sushi (thank goodness) but somethings I wanted to try also like Marakesh, Boma's and even some things in Norway.
Thanks for the idea of Jiko instead of Boma's--I will do that for sure!!

Darlene

 

[Taratink]

Hi there. I am not a fan of buffets because I don't like my food to touch. Everyone has got their own food issue.
I booked:
Lunch at Cindy's castle
Lunch at the Plaza (My Fav.)
Dinner at Ohana's
Dinner at WCC at WL
There are many options at the world. I have booked a couple of buffets for character interaction. (Chef Mickeys and 1900 park fare) We are staying the same week as you at the WL. I replied to your post on the WL thread. I just booked all the ps plans yesterday and had no problems.
Tara

 

[Gillian]

Great ideas for my trip -- my dad & mom are joining us & dad is weird about food. Only eats certain things, doesn't like foods touching, doesn't like sauces, etc. We also find buffets a pain with the kids because they are too young to be left alone and we have to take turns. We like to relax and actually see each other while we eat!

 

[sunny04]

There are also restaurants at Epcot that are not buffet, such as Marrakesh in Morrocco, which is really good too. We were worried about the buffets a little too, but found them to be really good. However, if you really are against the idea, just look for the restaurants you can order from.

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

Have you been to www.allearsnet.com? That site has menus from all the restaurants at Disney, so you can see which ones are buffets and which are menu places.

Other posters above me have made some excellent suggestions for non-buffet places. I would second Jiko if you wanted Boma but don't want the buffet; they're both very good, but I actually prefer Jiko a bit. I've read that the sushi at Wolfgang Puck's Cafe at Downtown Disney is very good. California Grill also serves sushi, and it's supposed to be good. An off-site place serving semi Asian fusion cusine that we enjoyed on our last trip was Tchoup Chop at Universal. I know, off site, shudder the thought!! But it was REALLY wonderful! It's one of Emeril's restaurants, and we really enjoyed it a lot.

A friend of mine enjoyed eating at the counter service restaurant in Morocco. His father is Iranian, so a lot of what they were eating is stuff he gets homemade every day, and he still enjoyed it a lot. I think that's a pretty big stamp of approval.

There are definitely a lot of non-buffet places at Disney, and I'm very glad you posted your concerns so that we could help you find them!!

 

[crisi]

Buffets DO seem to be popular on this board. I think a lot of Disboarders like both the value (they are a good value compared to three courses of sit down) and the thought that they can eat basically one large meal a day. They are great for teenage boys. Young kids eat free. Picky eaters can pick until they find something they can eat.

But don't confuse the popularity for the quantity of them. There are lots of restaurants. And I wouldn't confuse popularity with quality. A lot of really popular restaurants are popular for reasons other than the quality of the food - Chef Mickey's wouldn't be nearly the favorite without Micky. I know a lot of people like the food at Boma more than I do, but there are also a lot of people who enjoy visiting the AKL and Boma is a great excuse with a varied and extensive buffet - even if they don't think the food is the best.

I really dislike the idea of "must do" places you alluded to in your OP. Our family may have a must do place - a tradition or something we can't wait to revisit. But I can't make recommendations to a stranger that you MUST go to Marrakesh - we enjoy it, I hope you would - but plenty of people don't. Most people have great vacations not going to Marrakesh without knowing they are missing anything.

 

[PrincessAurora]

Jiko is one of my fav places. Their steak with white mac & cheese is the best on property. I'm sure your kids will love this place. Flying Fish is also good for kids, as great food and a fun atmosphere. I don't really do buffets and most of the places I've eaten in the World are very good.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

Liberty Tree Tavern in the MK has a wonderful character meal that is family style. It is our favorite character meal of all we have done. Food is simple but good. We are planing a trip with friends that do not care for buffets so we will be making some changes this trip too.

Jordans' mom

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Hi Dchef! I saw you posted this thread and just wanted to give ya my two cents!

I really think Boma is a must try. That has become my favorite restaurant on WDW so far. I mean, I like Jiko better, but I like to sample a wide array of foods so I enjoy getting tiny tastes of EVERTHING at Boma! The food is so hot and fresh. I just don't think of it as a typical "buffet."

I also LOVED Akershus in Norway. I found the atmosphere a bit lacking. It is actally only "half" buffet. Only cold items are on the buffet line. the entrees are "all you can eat" but you have to order them and they come from the kitchen. You can only order one entree at a time...but I just learned you can also order a "Vikings Favorite" (certain section of the menu)for the table, in addition to the entrees you order for yourself and DH.

Anyway, there are plenty of sit down restaurants at WDW. To tell ya the truth, I do not care for WCC at WL. I also did not care for AP there, but I am gonna have to give it another try as I have heard so many great reviews on this board. To me, that is the only weakness of the WL..the restaurants.

Ok, sorry to ramble and hope this helps!