Food! Terrible Food!

[mmtska]

I think it's all chalked up to taste. I love peppery steak-my husband hates it. We've gotten the same dish at a restaurant (not necessarily WDW-just an example) and I loved it, and he hated it-or vice versa. Saying that, I'm pretty easy to please for a picky eater. Last time in Disney I listed my ADRs for review and some people were like "EWWWW" at my Garden Grill ADR and I loved it! So whatever. To each their own. Like 'Ohana. I will probably never eat there because a-people keep raving about bread pudding and I hate bread pudding. I've had supposedly amazing bp, and I still didn't like it. B-None of the rest of the menu looks good either-so why waste time and money??

 

[4HppyCamprs]

We've never had terrible food at Disney.

I'm easy to please, give me a cheeseburger and some fries and I'm good to go. My DH is a bit tougher to please, but he is still a meat and potatoes guy so he'll always find something he wants to eat on a menu.

I believe it's all relative, some people are not happy no matter what. We;ve had good food everywhere we've been in Disney.

While that is true in some cases, I know that is not true in all cases and is a good defense for sub-par service and/or sub-par food. When there are particular restaurants that keep coming up over and over again as being "crossed" off it is time to evaluate the restaurant and not the client. The majority of people do not go into a restaurant looking to be disappointed, some people are disappointed more easily than others but that does not mean that there was not a true issue.

 

[momtotaryn]

I have never been to WDW, so I can't really say anything about the food there. However, at all other amusement parks that I've been to, including DL, I can say that most of the food was mediocre at best. While researching WDW restaurants, I admit that I am pleasantly surprised at the wide range of offerings, and so many feature items that sound and look delicious! I am really looking forward to trying out some of these TS and CS restaurants!

 

[Elliesmommy]

The only places I have had actually terrible food are... And ABC Commissary if we are counting the counter services.

The most disgusting food of my life was at the ABC Commissary. They had a meatball sub (thankfully not on the menu now) that when I bit into it the meatballs dissolved in my mouth.

They DISSOLVED! Ew, It has been several years and I still have not recovered. I will never try a meatball sub ever again in my lifetime because of that experience.

Other than that one experience, all the food I have tried at WDW was at least edible if not delicious.

I am at a theme park not at a five star restaurant in downtown Chicago so I only expect so much.

 

[Colleen27]

Over 4 trips with every meal eaten on site, there's only a couple of things that stand out to me as really bad.

First, Pizza Planet. I'm pretty tolerant of cheap, mass produced pizza (I don't mind Little Ceasars at ballgames) but theirs is by far the worst I've ever had. It is $1 Totinos microwave pizza quality, seriously. And that bothers me more than it really should, I think, because pizza is such an easy thing to get right even when serving huge quantities (I speak from experience; in high school & college I worked concert & sports concessions). Its not that I go to Disney for the pizza or anything, but that is just such a STUPID thing to do so badly.

Second, the crab legs at Coral Reef back when they were still on the menu. They were "fishier" than they should have been, served pre-cut and sat long enough to be a little rubbery, and a very small portion for the price. And again, just a stupid thing to do badly when steamed crab legs are so easy to prepare. We've since had very good crab legs at Captain's Grille, so I know Disney can do better.

Aside from those two specific complaints, I've found Disney dining to be okay at worst (Sci-fi, Chef Mickeys) and great at best (California Grill, Jiko). I've never run across any of the really awful short-cut stuff like Eliza61 experienced with the sodas, fortunately, and over the years we've gotten more particular about where we eat to the point where we really don't have much counter service or buffets at all.

 

[princess-rn]

We are a pretty easy to please family...but since you asked...I shall give our favs and our not so favs....

Favorites-
Cosmic Rays (best burger fixin's bar in WDW)
Casey's Corner (hot cheese..yum!)
Pinocchio Village Haus (although I miss the Figaro Fries)
Liberty Tree Tavern (although basic...still good comfort food)
Le Cellier (pretzel bread and beer cheese soup...yum!)
Sci Fi (I think we are the only people that enjoy this place)
Brown Derby (Our #2 fav of all WDW!!)
Pizzafari
Flame Tree Barbecue
Chef Mickey's dinner
1900 Park Fare Dinner (Strawberry Soup..YUM!)
Victoria and Albert's (our #1 of course. Honeymoon meal here..amazing food)
'Ohana Dinner


Not so favorites
Tony's Town Square (ties with Cinderella's royal table lunch as the worst food we ever had in MK)
Crystal Palace dinner (breakfast is GREAT!)
Cinderella's Royal Table lunch (ties with Tony's as the worst food we ever had in MK)
Hollywood and Vine (dry meat..rude servers)
Cap'n Jack's Restaurant (#1 worst food ever had in all of WDW)
Earl of Sandwich (Portions are TINY!)

Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue food was GREAT!!! Service was HORRIBLE!!!!! Which was pretty sad b/c the show was great too..but I don't think we will ever go back b/c of our rude server. Good service is a MUST (guess we are more picky about that than the food sometimes) and we tip very well for great service!!

 

[crabbygal902]

When you serve pancakes that are ice cold (butter simply sits on top and looks at you and laughs) then serve the bacon sitting in its on grease. that's terrible. CRT

Eliza, that is FANTASTIC! I just about spit my diet coke out onto the computer screen. Thanks for the laugh!

 

[Elliesmommy]

We are a pretty easy to please family...but since you asked...I shall give our favs and our not so favs....

Favorites-
Cosmic Rays (best burger fixin's bar in WDW)
Casey's Corner (hot cheese..yum!)
Pinocchio Village Haus (although I miss the Figaro Fries)
Liberty Tree Tavern (although basic...still good comfort food)
Le Cellier (pretzel bread and beer cheese soup...yum!)
Sci Fi (I think we are the only people that enjoy this place)
Brown Derby (Our #2 fav of all WDW!!)
Pizzafari
Flame Tree Barbecue
Chef Mickey's dinner
1900 Park Fare Dinner (Strawberry Soup..YUM!)
Victoria and Albert's (our #1 of course. Honeymoon meal here..amazing food)
'Ohana Dinner


Not so favorites
Tony's Town Square (ties with Cinderella's royal table lunch as the worst food we ever had in MK)
Crystal Palace dinner (breakfast is GREAT!)
Cinderella's Royal Table lunch (ties with Tony's as the worst food we ever had in MK)
Hollywood and Vine (dry meat..rude servers)
Cap'n Jack's Restaurant (#1 worst food ever had in all of WDW)
Earl of Sandwich (Portions are TINY!)

Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue food was GREAT!!! Service was HORRIBLE!!!!! Which was pretty sad b/c the show was great too..but I don't think we will ever go back b/c of our rude server. Good service is a MUST (guess we are more picky about that than the food sometimes) and we tip very well for great service!!

I liked the one meal I ate at sci-fi. The atmosphere was out of this world and their onion rings were from another galaxy.

Yummy!

 

[DisneySweetheart]

Only one restaurant I can't bare to eat at anymore and that's Chef Mickey's. Did it for the kids about 3 times and finally said: "Enough!"

Other than that, we've been really lucky and have enjoyed our meals...

 

[leebee]

Well... I got food poisoning at 1900 PF many, many years ago (10 years maybe?). Dinner at 6, vomiting (among other things) by midnight, and all through the night. MISERABLE! We have been back (with extended family because of the princess interaction) but I steer clear of steamed clams or mussels on a buffet now!

We've had mediocre food; I think any cs burger/fries combo meal is mediocre, despite the toppings bar. Not bad, just nothing to write home about- and I like McD, but they are mediocre, too. We didn't enjoy Teppan Edo because it's just like the teppan/hibachi we can get here in Maine, only in Maine it comes with soup and salad. The food was fine, but it wasn't a bargain and it wasn't unique. DD16 and I adored California Grill when we were there in August during free dining, and I will go again regardless of whether we are on free dining or not. Even with 2 ts credits during free dining, the appetizers, wine, and tip came to $65 and you can bet we loved every minute of it. Perfect food, perfect setting, watched the fireworks from the deck, perfect service. We also love Boma, Biergarten, Kona, and Chefs because the food is a different experience. Is it always 100% perfectly prepared or served? No, but it's always pretty darned good and we always return.

I have to say, Crystal Palace, a perennial favorite, was disappointing this time around. The food was basic... no breakfast lasagne, the bacon and sausages were greasy and cold, the characters were not in sync so we had to sit for 90 minutes and still didn't get to see Piglet. All together a not great experience... time to go back to having lunch here, I guess. We feel the same way about Chef Mickey's... the food has just become unexciting, and the buffet style lets it get dried out and just.. not... appetizing. We don't go anymore, but would if we were traveling with friends with kids who needed to do the character thing.

I think a great meal is an overall experience, just like a lousy one can be. Doesn't necessarily have to be the food, it can be the atmosphere or service that wreck a meal for someone. We will never go to CRT again because the cost is so over-the-top for what you get- it was really a terrible experience, even though the food was not bad, just basic, but it cost a fortune!

(Similar experience at Ruth's Chris in New Orleans... the steaks were so expensive, and basically a la carte, that we had a miserable time because we resented the cost of every bite, but at least at RC the meat was amazing!)

 

[MJMcBride]

the pizza at wolfgang pucks was soggy. I would put that experience as terrible

Trails end is basically 20 bucks for KFC. Plus, its impossible to get to

 

[disfan07]

We have never had a terrible meal. Sure we have had some that are not as good as others but nothing terrible.

We've always had good service. Many times, excellent service.
The food has always been edible. Maybe not the best but edible. And the majority of the time it is good.
we've never had problems with plates being removed too soon, no soda refills, no bread, etc.

I dont know if we have vacationed in a different Disneyworld than some of you or what but we haven't experienced the terrible food that has been mentioned here.

to each their own but that's why you have to take the restaurant reviews with a grain of salt because I have been on the complete opposite end of the spectrum of many of the "terrible" reviews on here.

 

[GeorgeG]

That this topic keeps popping up should scream volumes to the people that run Disney.

As others have said, it has a lot to do with expectations. It also has a lot to do with what each person considers good food. Then again, there are those of us who remember how the dining at WDW was special and one of the things that put it way above just being another theme or amusement park.

As a WDW veteran, I think most dining at WDW today is way overpriced by anyone's standards, more on a par with what you can get at places like Perkins, and most of what used to be special is gone. The counter service food is terrible by almost any standard (McDonalds is better) and the most common perception is that the free dining plan is the biggest reason for the decline.

Yes, we still go to WDW and still eat meals there, but are a lot more selective in where we eat.

 

[kirrrby]

I might get flamed for this one....

Le Cellier

Our server was new, but he was trying. I give him credit for how hard he tried. But whomever was training him, the veteran server was rude as I'll get out. Anyways, the food was horrible. Ever since my mothers heart attack, she has been on a low sodium diet. When we asked for no seasoning on our steak the trainee said no problem, but the girl who was training him scoffed. We brushed it off hoping our food would come out as ordered. We received our bread and soups (i'm not really a big fan of the cheese soup, but my mom is).
Shortly after, we got our steaks, they asked us to cut into them, cooked perfectly. My mom took one bite, and immediately spit it out. She said it was to salty (It was even too salty for me), the trainee server took it back to the kitchen, and the other server brought it back, slammed it on the table, and said in a very blunt tone "why don't you taste it now". Let's just say, the trainee server got cash tip in hand before we left.

 

[goofy4prez]

I might get flamed for this one....

Le Cellier

Our server was new, but he was trying. I give him credit for how hard he tried. But whomever was training him, the veteran server was rude as I'll get out. Anyways, the food was horrible. Ever since my mothers heart attack, she has been on a low sodium diet. When we asked for no seasoning on our steak the trainee said no problem, but the girl who was training him scoffed. We brushed it off hoping our food would come out as ordered. We received our bread and soups (i'm not really a big fan of the cheese soup, but my mom is).
Shortly after, we got our steaks, they asked us to cut into them, cooked perfectly. My mom took one bite, and immediately spit it out. She said it was to salty (It was even too salty for me), the trainee server took it back to the kitchen, and the other server brought it back, slammed it on the table, and said in a very blunt tone "why don't you taste it now". Let's just say, the trainee server got cash tip in hand before we left.

I won't flame you, I received horrible treatment at Le'Cellier, which is probably why I have so much disdain for this place.

We were escorted to a table right in the middle of the high traffic flow area and smack next to the entrance to the restrooms. Between our tables were two server stations, one for credit card transactions, the other a silverware station. I hated to hear toilets flushing, silverware clanking, and servers huddled next to the credit machine complaining. When we asked the manager upon being seated for another seat, her words were, "Sorry there is no other seats". When politely asking her again, she this time said, "NO, either sit here or you can leave and eat somewhere else." Exaggeration? absolutely not. The popularity of this place exuded so much arrogance from this manager.

Perhaps after this experience no wonder I thought the steak, like you was too salty, the risotto was a very average white rice out of a box of Uncle Ben's, and the mushroom sauce tasted like Campbell's Mushroom soup poured right out of the can.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

goofy ... Absolutely LOVE the LeLoser pics!!!!

 

[IheartDDuck]

I've never had anything at Disney that I would consider terrible, but I think that it's all subjective.

I've actually never been disappointed with any food I've had there. Sure, some has been mediocre, but this is how I view it. Am I really a gourmet chef at home that I truly have something tangible to compare it to?

 

[Colleen27]

I won't flame you, I received horrible treatment at Le'Cellier, which is probably why I have so much disdain for this place.

We've never gotten as far as a bad dining experience there. We made ADRs twice, and both times checked in to find them running so far behind that we went elsewhere. I don't care how good the place's reputation is, I'm not willing to wait an hour+ after our ADR time to be seated; the whole point of ADRs is so that we have a place to eat at meal times without wasting loads of park time.

They have been off my list now for almost two years, though I'm thinking maybe with the new signature status dinner will be somewhat less popular and we'll give it another go at getting in there.

 

[princess-rn]

I liked the one meal I ate at sci-fi. The atmosphere was out of this world and their onion rings were from another galaxy.

Yummy!

YAY!!! Someone else who appreciates Sci Fi!!! Yes the onion rings are AMAZING!! The atmosphere is amazing!!!

 

[princess-rn]

I might get flamed for this one....

Le Cellier

Our server was new, but he was trying. I give him credit for how hard he tried. But whomever was training him, the veteran server was rude as I'll get out. Anyways, the food was horrible. Ever since my mothers heart attack, she has been on a low sodium diet. When we asked for no seasoning on our steak the trainee said no problem, but the girl who was training him scoffed. We brushed it off hoping our food would come out as ordered. We received our bread and soups (i'm not really a big fan of the cheese soup, but my mom is).
Shortly after, we got our steaks, they asked us to cut into them, cooked perfectly. My mom took one bite, and immediately spit it out. She said it was to salty (It was even too salty for me), the trainee server took it back to the kitchen, and the other server brought it back, slammed it on the table, and said in a very blunt tone "why don't you taste it now". Let's just say, the trainee server got cash tip in hand before we left.

I won't flame you either. I am all about good service and realize that bad service can ruin a meal for you. I'm SO sorry to hear it though. While we do enjoy Le Cellier, we've also always had really good service there. If the service situation changes for us I'm sure we will not hold it in such high regard. BTW..I hope your Mom is doing well. We've got to take care of those Mother's of ours.