Disney food...SEVERLY underrated?

[jpolak]

Amazing is a very strong word, and out of all of our trips I can think of two meals that I would classify as amazing. One would be Fultons Crab House, but that was 10 years ago. The other would be LeCellier this past Feb. We have had some "really good" meals and some that I am still trying to forget. Now there have been times where hunger has skewed my perception of reality and I am sure at the time raved about things I ate that really weren't that good. All in all we go to Disney expecting pretty good food and anything better than that is a bonus.

 

[GolfCrazy]

Not only are there so many options for dining but I find the quality is quite varied too. The food at the theme parks is better than your average theme park food but in no way would I consider it great. Actually, I do not like anyof the dining options at MGM and I only like Crystal Palace at MK. Animal Kingdom is OK (for basically counter service) and Epcot FW has several very good restaurants.

Most of the better restaurants are at the resorts with a few being at DD as well. Some of the restaurants like California Grill, Flying Fish, Shula's, Jiko, Artist Point...are excellent. There are also some really good buffets like Boma and Cape May. Overall, I think the food is good but like anywhere, there are great-good restaurants and ok-bad restaurants....you just need to know where to go.

 

[PrincessMinnie28]

Amazing is a very strong word, and out of all of our trips I can think of two meals that I would classify as amazing. One would be Fultons Crab House, but that was 10 years ago. The other would be LeCellier this past Feb.

DBF and I ate at Fulton's in May and we would definitely still classify it as amazing! California Grill is our other favorite... we ate their twice in May and had excellent meals from start to finish both times. Jiko was also very good... DBF was not feeling well though, so it wasn't such a good experience for him (had absolutely nothing to do with the food or anything), but I had the filet and I thought it was delicious. Yachtsman has great steak, but we had terrible service (but that's not the topic of this thread). I think some of the signature dining restaurants are on par with nice restaurants in Boston (where we live). As for non-signature TS, I wouldn't really say it's anything above average (but that's just my opinion... I think I am also one of those food snobs! ).

 

[Scornelius]

DH and I LOVE Disney food, but we have an excuse. We're young (24 and 25)newlyweds, and I'm still learning the finer points of cooking a decent meal every night. There's a lot of frozen pizza and hamburger helper in our life. So a week of steak and cheesecake is a dream!!! When we have something really tasty at home, we call it 'Disney Good'!! Pathetic, I know!

 

[belle&beast]

We have had great table service meals and excellent service in WDW. However, I will say that we are not picky because we are so happy to be in WDW!!! It would take a lot to mess up our meals. And we had fabulous service everywhere we went especially at CRT, but that was prior to the menu changes and price increase.

 

[babybunrab]

I don't know, I've had a hands-down excellent meal at California Grill, Le Bistro and Flying Fish every time we've been to WDW, and I am for certain a 'food snob.' Maybe I'm just lucky, but the consistency in the quality of the food has always been pretty remarkable at all three restaurants. The price tag is always high, of course, but I find the food is so good that the price doesn't matter so much (the food is one of the things I save money for when DS and I go to WDW).

 

[crisi]

I wanted to come back to this thread.

I've had a few disppointing meals at Disney where the problem wasn't really with the food, it was that my expectations were out of whack. Boma comes to mind. Beaches and Cream I had my expectations reset, and the experience didn't even meet my lowered expectations - but had I known what it really was, I wouldn't have bothered to eat there.

Since our Boma experience, I purposely try and temper my opinions on Disney dining - I'm careful to try not to talk about "the BEST MEAL EVER!" I'd much rather have other DISers be pleasantly surprised that the food is better than I made out than disappointed that it wasn't as good as I said. If you think the food is much better at Disney than I said, you are delighted. If you think its worse than I've said, I've contributed to your disappointment.

I also try and describe what was problematic where I can. Its possible you think Edy's Ice Cream is great - in which case you won't be disappointed by B&C's sundaes - we were expecting more small batch, fresh sort of ice cream.

 

[hmp2z]

There seem to be 2 general categories of WDW guests: those who are just so darn happy to be there that every single thing they do and eat is wonderful. These are the people who don't mind mold growing in their rooms - in fact, to mention it would be an affront to their image of the Disney ideal. They respond with things like, "Well, I've been there and it was great," when they read a critique of one of the WDW restaurants on this board.

Then there are the visitors who have been to other vacation destinations and have spent similar $$ there, so they are more discriminating and expect more bang for the buck. If you've stayed at the Ritz Carlton for $300/night, and you pay $600/night for a GF room, then you expect at the very least that your experience at WDW will be on par with the Ritz Carlton experience. These are guests who travel & eat out a lot - they've been to places like Per Se or the French Laundry and don't consider Golden Corral or Texas de Brazil to be a great dining experience

The Disboards attracts both categories, which is why there is a lot of discrepancy in the dining reviews. Once you're on here for a while, you get people whose reviews you trust. Anyone who puts down a place like Cape May Cafe as an A rated restaurant isn't on that list for me

Cheers!
Heather W

 

[grumpy.uncle]

For every rave review there is a negative one. Since people's tastes are so varied, it is hard to figure out what's good and what's bad. I believe w/ Disney restaurants, you are paying as much for the atmosphere or theming as you are for the meal. These are dining experiences and so much rides on how good the service is. A mediocre meal can suddenly become good if you have phenomenal service. When you read threads about people's worst dining experience at Disney, alot of times they will say how awful the service was. I think the food at WDW is good, not fabulous, considering the prices that are charged. I'm not a food snob, but I want a tasty meal that is a good value for the price. I don't want to leave hungry or sick, but satisfied. I think service is where Disney sometimes fails at their restaurants. The only way for YOU to determine if you like a restaurant or not is to try it. A couple years ago, my sister had read online about some off-site buffet place in Orlando that everyone raved about. We decided to stop there on our way in to WDW because we were flying in in the a.m. This place was packed; should have been a good sign. It was so ghastly. It's probably great if you have a large family and want alot of food for not alot of money. We hated it. The breakfast choices were taken away right after we arrived and then we were forced to eat what was left. I think the only on the salad bar that didn't come out of a can was the iceberg lettuce. Oh well. We learned our lesson. What some people find wonderful, just doesn't work for others. Diners Beware!

 

[disneyquilter]

The family and I really enjoy Disney food.

We have never really had bad food at any Disney dining establishment, just bad service. And with that being said, we will return to some places just because the service could've been off that night.

 

[klineyqueen]

I disney food!!! My DH said to me that he goes to Disney because he loves their food. I guess we are just not food snobs!

 

[Scornelius]

I disney food!!! My DH said to me that he goes to Disney because he loves their food. I guess we are just not food snobs!

Oh Kliney, it's so nice to see someone else who will admit to the glory that is Disney food!

 

[JennyDrake]

I produce and market all natural meats. Some of my meats have won national taste tests. I am also a recipe tester for a national food magazine. I think some of Disney restaurants offer top notch food: Boma, Artist Point, Kona Cafe, Jiko, Raglan Road. I was also stunned by some of the new soups at the food court in The Land (whose name escapes me.)
Other food I find to be good in overall quality.
Most food court good is better-than-anticipated, but sure wouldn't win any awards.
OVERALL, I do find the WDW food to be underrated, but I sill think burger-n-fries are about the same at any park, anywhere.

 

[raidermatt]

When you strip away the location, the characters, the parks, etc, the food at WDW is really only so-so for the prices that are charged. Some restaurants are better than others of course, and a few probably hold up reasonably well to the outside. But as a whole, you are paying extra for the location.

 

[jedi jen]

DH and I LOVE Disney food, but we have an excuse. We're young (24 and 25)newlyweds, and I'm still learning the finer points of cooking a decent meal every night. There's a lot of frozen pizza and hamburger helper in our life. So a week of steak and cheesecake is a dream!!! When we have something really tasty at home, we call it 'Disney Good'!! Pathetic, I know!

So cute. I love it.

I really enjoyed Disney food last year. I enjoyed every TS we ate at. Some were better than others, but all were really good. I like to eat at nice restaurants, and I was pleased. I can be picky and really like seafood and vegetables. I do not like CS food and avoid it if at all possible. So, how is that for being a food snob. Additionally, I appreciate that my kids are happy, I am not cooking for them, and the atmosphere is--well I don't believe I can say it any better--magical. Can you tell I am a Disney fan, as I know we all are?