Favorite memory of closed restaurants

[Pumbaa_]

so many changes going on

heres a place to share your favorite memory of a place that is no longer with us, a requiem, if you will

wolfgang Puck Express
our very first trip was in 1998. I had an airline credit from a bad business trip, first ever too, and we decided Disney! We stayed at Dixie landings for 5 nights. We were so so new and there was so little internet info.
anyway, we were on a very tight budget. We had dinner the first night at pucks. Omg! We loved it here. Barbecue chicken sandwich. We went back too. Good food at a decent price w the bonus of taking the boat! Loved that trip and pucks became a staple for every trip

 

[Rm4OneMore]

Fulton's Crab House. My wife LOVES seafood, especially crab. Fulton's was the first place she ever ate at that offered crab claws. It was a game changer. They also had this amazing crab dip/spread. She made sure to book us a reservation every time we went.

 

[Moliphino]

Bonfamilles. When I was little and we stayed at POFQ we had breakfast there every morning with beignets and strawberries and cream. My dad will always remember the waitress he accidentally double tipped there one time when my uncle's family was with us and triggered the auto-tip. Kathy from Kentucky.

The Fireworks Factory was another favorite. I think we still have some swizzle sticks from there.

 

[CHIPSTER]

Loved the following: Tangorora (sp?) Terrace at Poly - great breakfast buffet, make your own pizza at Fort Wilderness with the banjo player and sing along - beer by the pitcher; Crockett's Tavern at FW - you could get the same meal they serve at Hoop de Do for $10; Juan and Only's Mexican at the Swan, Cafeteria of the Stars at the then MGM Studios just to name a few. Also miss Fultons Crabhouse - they had the best Cioppino.

 

[HiStitch626]

From kid visits, I miss the Fiesta Fun center at the Contemporary. It was a huge (really huge) arcade area and they had pizza and snacks, perfect for tweens and teens.

From adult visits, I have the best memories of Flagler's at Grand Floridian. We went there on the first night of our honeymoon.

 

[Simba's Mom]

So many great memories of restaurants that are closed, or have changed their "style". I loved Crystal Palace when it was a Buffetaria. For some reason, I remember the little sparrows flying around in there and their excellent Black Forest Cake. I also remember the Fiesta Fun center at the arcade. DH and I ate, while our kids played games...and played.....and played...
Loved Minnie's Menehune at the Polynesian, great breakfast buffet and a great juice of orange and strawberry.

 

[gatordoc]

Palio at the Swan (not to be confused with Palo on DCL). The last good Italian restaurant WDW ever had (and that includes the current Il Mulino, which is a mediocre parody of the NYC original). Palio had outstanding food, a fantastic wine list, great service, and a delightful atmosphere including strolling musicians.

 

[Jennasis]

L'Originale Alfredo's di Roma....their fettucini alfredo is still the gold standard by which I judge all fettucini alfredo. And thusfar no place else has come close to comparing.

 

[CarolynFH]

The Empress Lily in Downtown Disney, early 1990s. DH and I celebrated a professional milestone there, and the food was outstanding. It rivaled V&A.

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

Mickey's Backyard BBQ. The food was plentiful and so much character interaction. The kids loved it. I doubt anything like it will ever come back.

 

[Kae]

The Orginal Chef Mickey's at Downtown Disney. So fun and the food was good.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

Earlier posts brought up fond memories of the arcade at Contemporary and Empress Lily. We also liked WPE and sad to see it closing.

Although not closed (just "under new management"), I remember when CRT was King Stefan's Banquet Hall (and you made a reservation for it that morning!).

Not restaurants, but I also fondly remember when Main Street Theater was an actual theater, and the Magic Shop was an actual magic shop, and then there was the Penny Arcade, 20K Leagues, skyride.. the list goes on and on.
I know, I know... my trip down memory lane is .


But, on the other hand, we didn't have Galaxy's Edge, Pandora (or any of DHS, AK, or even EPCOT for that matter) back then. So the changes haven't been all bad!

 

[loves to dive]

While the restaurant is not closed there used to be a great bar area upstairs at the Brown Derby in HS. It was an open area that overlooked the restaurant. We used to love to go up there before dinner and have a refreshing adult beverage or two.

 

[Simba's Mom]

The Empress Lily in Downtown Disney, early 1990s. DH and I celebrated a professional milestone there, and the food was outstanding. It rivaled V&A.

That reminds me-did anyone go to the character breakfast aboard the Empress Lily in the late 80s? Donald Duck was there-he was DS's favorite character. When Donald came to our table, DS told him "I've been waiting my whole life to see you!"

 

[Oneanne]

Fulton's used to be an almost every visit choice. One trip trip my Brother and family had flown on the same Alaska flight as the Copper River Salmon (he worked for Alaska Air and somehow knew the fish were also on the plane), so of course we all had to have some.

And I remember eating at Chef Mickey's in DT Disney the very first trip when I had my Mom with me, late 1980's. We walked up without an ADR (not even sure there were ADRs back then) and were surprised that Mickety was there, didn't know there was such a thing as a character meal.

 

[CarolynFH]

That reminds me-did anyone go to the character breakfast aboard the Empress Lily in the late 80s? Donald Duck was there-he was DS's favorite character. When Donald came to our table, DS told him "I've been waiting my whole life to see you!"

We did! On our first trip, again early 90s. It was our going-home morning. We hadn't seen Donald at all the whole week, so our kids were happy to see him there too. (And I might have been ecstatic.) And the photo of our kids with Mickey there is a classic.

 

[CarolynFH]

Fulton's used to be an almost every visit choice. One trip trip my Brother and family had flown on the same Alaska flight as the Copper River Salmon (he worked for Alaska Air and somehow knew the fish were also on the plane), so of course we all had to have some.

And I remember eating at Chef Mickey's in DT Disney the very first trip when I had my Mom with me, late 1980's. We walked up without an ADR (not even sure there were ADRs back then) and were surprised that Mickety was there, didn't know there was such a thing as a character meal.

Same thing happened to us on our first trip - we were walking around Downtown Disney at supper time and wandered in there.

Wow, what a great thread! Thanks for starting it, @Pumbaa_ !

 

[HiStitch626]

While the restaurant is not closed there used to be a great bar area upstairs at the Brown Derby in HS. It was an open area that overlooked the restaurant. We used to love to go up there before dinner and have a refreshing adult beverage or two.

The Catwalk Bar was great! I think they did or are going to turn it into a Club 33 location.

 

[quinacciani]

Kouzzina at the Boardwalk. One of the best breakfasted we’ve ever had.

 

[jillt2ph]

I loved the Concourse Steakhouse at the Contemporary. Was so much nicer before they moved Chef Mickey's in.

I miss the old Sunshine Seasons (I think that is what is was called) food court in the Land and the Soundstage restaurant/food court at Disney-MGM Studios.

Bring back Club Villain Does that count? There was food involved...