Hollywood and Vine - really that bad??

[Wall-E1]

I have reservations for Hollywood and Vine on Thanksgiving. I am a little worried due to all the bad reviews. I do see that if I switch the park that I was planning to be at, I could get reservations at Tusker House on Thanksgiving. I'd appreciate any opinions on which of the two restaurants you would choose.

 

[Stitchnut]

My family has been to Hollywood&Vine several times for dinner. It was very crowded and loud, and we had to wait even though we had reservations. The food is served buffet style and while they offer many items, we only thought the food was fair. Nothing really stood out as wonderful, but again it was buffet style. I don't know how the food will be served on Thanksgiving though. I have read many good reviews about Tusker House, and would probably try that instead. Good luck with your decision.

 

[MouseMomx2]

We have also been to Hollywood & Vine more than once and had less-than-acceptable meals both times. I always give a place a second chance, but H&V failed both times. I used to love it when it was a cafeteria-style restaurant but the current buffet is not up to par, IMO.

Tusker House, OTOH, is wonderful. If you can switch I'd definitely suggest eating there instead...but that's just my opinion.

 

[Crocker98]

We've always been pretty happy with Hollywood and Vine. It is buffet style, but it is the best buffet I can think of, with food for adults and kids.

 

[MEK]

I have eaten at both once. TH in September and H&V in June. I thought TH was better and I liked the theming much better. That being said, I did not find H&V nearly as bad as some of the reviews I've read. I really like peel and eat shrimp and I'm not sure if you can get that anywhere other than H&V. I really enoy vegetables and salads and both restaurants had plenty to choose from. Our server at H&V was also very good and I enjoyed the desserts.

If I had to pick one, I would still go with TH. I think it was better.

 

[eventamy]

I've been to both, but only for breakfast. I enjoyed both of them very much, but H&V wins for me, the character interaction was WAY better and the food was really good! I like the food at Tusker House too though, and there's different things for me to eat, but my DH and Mom didn't like it as much as H&V

 

[hollieplus2]

We ate there last trip. Waited 45 minutes after our ADR time. HORRIBLE service HORRIBLE food HORRIBLE everything. We left there hungary.

But that's just us. What we don't like somone else may love. Go where you think you'll have a good time and what works for you.

 

[scard192]

It was our least favorite meal on our trip in September. Most of the food had no taste to it. There was a chicken/pasta dish that was the best thing there. My DGD loved seeing and dancing with the Little Einsteins characters; best part of the lunch.

I made an ADR before I read all the reviews here and was unable to change it. We had Free Dining so it wasn't a huge deal for us. For a holiday like Thanksgiving, I'd recommend going elsewhere if you can.

 

[Wall-E1]

Well, based on the consensus here, it would appear the Tusker House is the better bet.

 

[NHTikiBeckie]

We've been to Hollywood and Vine once and had a good experience, nothing amazing, but it was good.

 

[tinkgurl]

We do not like H&V at all. The service was horrible and the food tasted like bad cafeteria food.

 

[CR88]

We have gone there every trip since 2005 as part of the Fantasmic Dinner Package. I always warn the people going with us that I keep reading bad reviews and to select another restaurant, but they always insist on H&V. At least until we have our first bad experience. Every year I expect the worse, but every year everyone is happy we stayed with it. Maybe we are lucky though, we usually go at the slower times of the year. But, I do think there is merit to all of the bad reviews just because there are so many of them. Again, we may just be lucky and our experiences are more of the exception rather than the rule. As far as buffets go, as odd as it may seem everyone liked it better than Crystal Palace and Boma which were our only other buffets. All that being said, as far as food is concerned, it's not on par with Flying Fish, California Grill, LeCellier, etc., but we were all pleased. Service was VERY good the night we were last there. Surprisingly good.

 

[waltskids]

While the food is just ok, the character interaction is great. The characters came to the table often and spent alot of time with our children. The only reason we ate here was because DS is a huge Little Einsteins fan. If you don't have children who like the characters they offer, then it may not be your best bet.