Food...based on food quality alone what are your votes for best/worst?

[thepreciouspea]

I have read through a lot of the food reviews and am still not sure where to eat all of our meals. It seems like all have good/bad reviews but they are based on service, food, and atmosphere.

So based on food alone, what are your votes for best and worst? Please tell me all, not just one. Include all types of food too, table service, buffets, counter service and quick service.

 

[Happy Tappy]

Best:

California Grill: The food is very good (though very pricey). It is undoubtably the finest food in the resort.

Inventions: Whilst it's only a buffet, I've found the standard of food to be very good.

Annettes: Whilst it's not haute cuisine, the burgers are great and are cooked to perfection. I've never had a bad meal in there.

Walts: The highest standard of food that you can eat in the parks. Some lovely dishes and all are well prepared.

Worst:

Rainforest Cafe: The food is often cold and undercooked. It's not the type of restaurant where you're expecting much food wise but they often get the basics very wrong.

La Cantina: Food was barely warm and looked like it'd been left out for a long time.

It's hard to list a specific counter service restaurant as the menu's are all very similar. As a general rule of thumb I avoid the burgers. The Pizza's are ok and the hot dogs are decent. The fish and chips at Toad Hall were surprisingly nice and decent value.

 

[DLPdaft]

you will get a lot of differing opinions, because we all like different things .

I like trying things, my DD is 10 and is more fussy. Her favourite restaurants at DLP and mine are not the same.

We both like the pizza at Cafe Mickey, and they are big enough to share.

Restaurant des Stars and Plaza Gardens - we can both find plenty of choice (but I feel the same about most of the buffets to be honest - although my DD didn't rate the Agrabah Cafe, whereas I raved about it )

My absolute favourite so far, for quality of food for the price, is the Sunday brunch at the Chicago Steakhouse in the Village.

I wasn't overly impressed with the food in Walts I'm afraid, but for loads of others here its their favourite place to eat.

Oh, and in my opinion, the only good value counter service meal in the whole of the 2 parks is the double fish and chips meal deal at Toad Hall (because again, its big enough to share). The others are okay (I avoid the burger places and Caseys because we don't like hot dogs) but they aren't good value for money compared with Earl of Sandwich, Starbucks, and McDonalds in the Village.

 

[tinkertaylor05]

I agree opinions will be mixed, particularly with changing menus etc

Walt's - really enjoy the food here, typical to the kind of French restaurants we've been in at home but not as good as the ones we've been to in France

Blue Lagoon - we had a lovely meal in here, dd ate better than anywhere else but they've changed the kids menu since so not sure she'll do so well next time.

Auberge - except for the starter, really beautiful meals in here for us but not sure if people have said it seems to have gone down hill a bit

Cafe Mickey - to me is like the kind of stuff you get in table table/Harvester etc so ok but would probably stick with pizza, fries etc to share in future.

Inventions - had the most gorgeous desserts but for us the food wasn't great, find the seafood to be watery and bland, the mains not bad but not up to the price tag also the issue with me being a vegetarian and unless you like your meat typically french (rare) rather poor. The kids menu was fine but just meatballs, pizza etc We are trying the Sunday Brunch here next trip to give it another chance, as it may be we're just not buffet people

 

[thepreciouspea]

Thank you for the replies. I know that everyone has different taste, and it depends on what you order, but it is nice to hear directly from people who have been. Why do they change the menus?

We have reservations at Auberge for the Princess meal, and one for Cafe Mickey (but I'm thinking about canceling this one). I don't want to eat at Cafe Mickey if the food is bad. From all the reviews I have read, it doesn't seem like anyone is impressed with the food.

Anyone eaten at-
The Yacht Club
Silver Spur
Hakuna Matata
Agrabah

 

[princessmummy]

Re Agrabah Cafe:
I loved it here! The food was delicious, I liked everything! my DD age 11 filled herslef so fit to pop (about 4 plates of mains!) that she couldn't finish her hotdog at annettes 6 hours later!
Dd age 3 found there wasn't much to her taste! she did eat the couscous which was plain and some bread and salad. Plus lots of choclate fondue style pudding with fruit

my friends fussy daughter age 8 only ate 1 sausage and an apple! so be warned. For me (and DD1) it was a welcome break from the traditional disney fare, and great if you're being a bit diet conscious! (apart from the fact that you'll eat loads! LOL)

But if your kids like very plain food then give it a miss this time. It seems a shame to get stressed about the fact that there's not much for them to eat.....

I am def going back!

 

[AprilDuck]

I had dinner in the Yacht Club one evening when we stayed at NPB during September 2009. The food was pleasant but not exceptional. It was an enjoyable evening though, because it was a special Pirate themed night in the restaurant. It had been advertised in the lobby of the hotel that morning, so we booked because DS loves pirates. From memory, there was no extra charge. It was great because the restaurant was not crowded, so DS had lots of attention from Captain Hook, Mr Smee etc, and there was a face painter, and someone doing balloon animals and swords.

 

[Strawberryblush]

Best - Walts. Everything was perfect.

Worst - Chuck Wagon at the Cheyenne. This was the worst dining experience i've ever had anywhere. This is the only place i've ever been in that I couldn't actually eat the food in front of me. I was scared to try the chicken after seeing how pink it was inside!

 

[Isila]

worst - Mickey's cafe.

Best - Manhatan's restaurant in HNY.

 

[Carrie_Cat]

Thank you for the replies. I know that everyone has different taste, and it depends on what you order, but it is nice to hear directly from people who have been. Why do they change the menus?

The menus change twice a year - I guess it's so that people who go often still want to eat in the park as there is always something new to try.

Most dishes stay the same but there is a few that change

I like Walt's best of all the restaurants in the park.

Toad Hall and Fuente del Ore are goodish c/s but can be terribly slow.

EoS is our new favourite at the far end of Disney Village opposite Café Mickey.

Don't like Annettes, I've tried it 3 times and it's not for me, I find it subpar, the restaurant isn't clean and their food prepartion leaves a lot to be desired.

Agrabah was a fun meal and the theming in there is really nice but it can get very nippy so choose one of the inner rooms

 

[thepreciouspea]

Thanks Carrie_Cat! I can understand the changing to keep it interesting, but not when the options are not as good as before. For example Aubergene....where now apparantly you pay more and get a lot less.

 

[megarasweet]

Best - Blue Lagoon, it was our one meal where everyone was entirely happy. The chicken was the best my mum and I have ever had, my dad was entirely won over by the ostrich steak, and my sister (who is a very picky eater) still raves about the vegetarian dish. My brother adores seafood, and whilst I can't remember what he ate, I know he was impressed. Not to mention the crème brûlée was to die for!

Worst - Probably Planet Hollywood. It wasn't awful but the quality wasn't exceptional. I was a little suspect of my chicken, and we'd all have preferred our food a little hotter.

 

[Carrie_Cat]

Thanks Carrie_Cat! I can understand the changing to keep it interesting, but not when the options are not as good as before. For example Aubergene....where now apparantly you pay more and get a lot less.

Ah that unfortunately is a whole different kettle of fish. What they have done there is typical behaviour of companys that try and see how far they can reduce their costs while making the customer pay more and still selling the same amount

As long as reservations are good I think they chip away at things and will only increase them again if sales drop

 

[Ware Bears]

Favourites: Walt's, Inventions, Blue Lagoon, Agrabah Cafe

Worst: There hasn't really been any meal where I've been unhappy. I'm not keen on the hot dogs at Casey's whereas all my DDs love them

and one for Cafe Mickey (but I'm thinking about canceling this one). I don't want to eat at Cafe Mickey if the food is bad. From all the reviews I have read, it doesn't seem like anyone is impressed with the food.

We've always enjoyed our food at Cafe Mickey but it's not in the same league as Walt's, California Grill etc. I'd recommend it if you were interested in a character meal. If you're not, then give it a miss.

Cafe Mickey - to me is like the kind of stuff you get in table table/Harvester etc so ok

That's a really good way to describe it.

Anyone eaten at-
The Yacht Club
Silver Spur
Hakuna Matata
Agrabah

I've eaten at the bottom three albeit three years ago.

Silver Spur was gorgeous food. I can still remember I had a lovely steak, not quite as good as the one at Walt's the day before, but it was still excellent. Unfortunately I wasn't keen on the sauce I'd chosen but that was personal choice and no fault of the chef's.

Hakuna Matata - we were very excited as it was the only time in 5 trips that we'd found this open!! I can't remember what we had now I've just looked at the menu on DLRP Magic and I'm still none the wiser!

Agrabah Cafe - loved, loved LOVED it in here.