Is the food really that bad?

[nrpofp]

I bought the deluxe dining plan for 12 days. This is our first trip and we will be staying at the Boardwalk. I keep reading all these posts about how bad the food is, and how it has gone downhill. Any suggestions on a good strategy to come away satisfied with the food. I'm a little discouraged by all the bad reviews I have read. I'm going to keep the deluxe dining plan because I don't wan't my hubby to freak out when he sees the prices. I have already checked out the menus on allears All of us our foodies. We love gourmet cooking even my 9 year old. Should we eat at mostly signatures. Those seem to have the best reviews. Any suggestions?

 

[MJMcBride]

some of the places I like are Teppan Edo, Boma, Brown Derby, Tutto Italia, and Kona Cafe. Signatures like Jiko and the California Grill are good bets. You should also try Kouzzina and Via Napoli. I have heard good things about those places

 

[gina2000]

Be prepared for inconsistancy. You may have a great meal one night and a terrible one the next night. WDW has lost the ability to control its kitchens and maintain a standard of excellence on a constant basis.

Will you starve? Certainly not. Just don't go into a restaurant and expect perfection. You may find it, however, in the most unlikely places!

 

[vicki_c]

In my opinion, no the food is not bad. With the deluxe plan, assuming you are doing signatures a lot, I'm sure your meals will be fine - or more than fine.

I think, in some cases, people's expectations are set by the price #s they see on the menus. Right or wrong, that kind of expectation is not realistic at Disney. You will not be getting your money's worth if you look at it in that way.

Le Cellier, for example. It was good, maybe even quite good. But I could get a wonderful steak or filet meal at a local steakhouse (like Ruth Chris but independently owned) for the same price. My local steakhouse meal I would rate probably a 10, Le Cellier's meal I would probably rate around a 7. But it was still a good meal that we enjoyed.

I have average expectations at Disney - lower for counter service, higher for signatures -- really I have very little expectations based on the price.

And we have rarely if ever had what I consider a bad meal at Disney.

(This does not address whether things are going downhill due to the dining plans and all the various other complaints you can see here, obviously quite a few DISers think things were better before than they are now. As a first-time visitor, you won't be making those comparisons and I think you will be fine if you have reasonable expectations.)

 

[Jessica14]

I'm glad you mentioned this. We just returned and with all the posts about how everything had gone downhill, I was a bit nervous since we also like good restaurants.

We did not have one bad meal. We had 6 TS meals in all. We mostly did buffets because it suited our family better. We especially liked Boma. We also ate at Tusker House for Breakfast, Biergarten for dinner, Akershus for lunch (delicious mushroom stuffed pasta), Crystal Palace (nothing very different, but tasty), and The Wave at the Contemporary. I had a delicious bison burger there and my husband had ahi tuna, both of which were yummy. Our CS meals were pretty much on a par with an Applebees type place, but nothing was inedible at all. The kids meals were kind of basic, but again, except for one burger at Garparilla Grill at the GF, everything was fine. We especially liked Columbia Harbor House where we had a hummus and broccoli slaw sandwich.

Everyone's taste and level of expectations are different. Go and enjoy. Not every meal, service, and restaurant are going to be perfect. We had good service most of the time and did not expect perfection. We were very pleased!
Jessica

 

[gypsydoodlebug]

Be prepared for inconsistancy. You may have a great meal one night and a terrible one the next night. WDW has lost the ability to control its kitchens and maintain a standard of excellence on a constant basis.

Will you starve? Certainly not. Just don't go into a restaurant and expect perfection. You may find it, however, in the most unlikely places!

The voice of reason! Agree with you 100%.

 

[scoobndolliesmom]

We try different places each time we go.There are some we love more than others but there was only one so far that we absolutley did not like and that was Raglan Road. As far as counter services we have our favorites in each park. I think you will enjoy alot of the restraunts.

 

[Colleen27]

On the deluxe plan, signature dinners with one other meal per day is a popular strategy. Three table service meals quickly gets to be both too much food and too much time in restaurants, and the signature restaurants do have more creative, varied menus than one-credit locations.

We've never had a terrible meal at Disney. We've had some that were disappointing or just plain blah, mostly in places that are known more for atmosphere or characters than food, and some that were excellent. We are currently planning our 3rd deluxe dining trip (5th trip as adults), and we have a much longer list of must-dos than of places we don't want to go back to. And we do have signature dinners most nights, partly because several of the signature locations have made it onto that must-do list.

You aren't going to find gourmet at Disney short of going to Victoria & Alberts (not on the dining plan) but it isn't Golden Corral either. With a very few exceptions the reviews are mixed on every Disney restaurant, and more positive than negative for the vast majority of them. There is still a wide variety of very good food available on property, and I think choosing based on menus rather than reviews is a pretty safe bet.

 

[Sweet Melissa]

I don't really have any advice, other than to say that you should not let the opinions of people on this board color your experience. There's a wealth of information available about Disney dining online. You can find relatively accurate menu information and get an idea of which restaurants will be good for your party that way. Food is so subjective; you can't trust us to determine what's right for your palate.

When it comes to service, Disney is pretty good at separating the wheat from the chaff. Any restaurant can have an off night, but bad service is not normal for any Disney establishment. I think that as long as your expectations are reasonable (ie: you understand that your server is not your personal valet or your bestie), you'll enjoy yourself and your meal.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

I wouldn't worry about it. Food is such a subjective thing anyway but I will say that we've been to Disney several times in the past 3 years and haven't been disappointed. In fact, we were pleasantly surprised by many meals we had. I can understand your question though, there have been negative reviews circling around here but don't sweat it. Go, enjoy the food and atmosphere and form your own opinions! For what it's worth, we love Le Cellier, Brown Derby, Narcoossee's, San Angel Inn, Crystal Palace, Grand Floridian Cafe, Kona and even Ohana! And we always do the deluxe dining plan as well. Have a great trip!

 

[sophie832]

With the exception of breakfast at the Beach Club Marketplace, we didn't have a bad meal in 10 days of CS/TS dining. However, I would only say 1 or 2 meals were really outstanding. Just don't go in expecting 5-star food all the time, and I think you will be happy. We enjoyed the DDP and our food enough that we're using the DxDDP at the end of this month.

 

[Pakey]

If you are a true "foodie" you will be disappointed. The food and service at the restaurants not on the dining plan are much better and provide an experience that foodies can appreciate; Disney's restaurants begun to go in a different direction in the past 5 years and have veered from the foodie/adult dining into more mainstream, economical menus.

There are still some decent appetizers available at the signature restaurants; the entrees and desserts have suffered a lot more in recent years.

Some of the signatures are still good. I'd recommend Flying Fish, Jiko and Citricos. The others are not as good. I think Brown Derby is decent for a lunch and Ca Grill has good sushi and is worth going to for that. Yachtsman is an average steak house, if you are a foodie you will know that even a chain like Ruth Chris is better. Artist Point is not a favorite of mine; you might like it--it's more "hearty" than I enjoy. Narcoosees is the worst of the bunch.

The majority of visitors range from happy to very happy with Disney dining. It's only a small and vocal group of us here on the dis who have eaten at WDW regularly for many years and have seen the changes and compare the dining now to what it was 10 years ago or to a gourmet experience outside of WDW.

 

[auntfrannie]

I agree with Colleen27 regarding doing one TS and one signature per day. As she said, three TS every day gets to be too much and too much time. In all the years I've been going to Disney I've never had a bad meal. Maybe less than memorable but certainly not bad.

Service, on the other hand, can be very spotty. Probably the worst service I've ever had was at Narcoossee's.

 

[Kim1964]

I am one who tends to say things like, "Disney food doesn't impress me." It's not that we've had terrible meals, it's that I don't think the food quality matches up to the Disney prices. I've come to accept that I pay higher prices for the experience of dining at Disney World, and I choose to pay it for a few meals each trip. Next year's trip will only include two TS meals (CM because it's a tradition and Boma to keep my not-as-crazed-for-Disney DH happy). We've found a few offsite restaurants that we like more than Disney restaurants, and can get great food for the same price as OK food at Disney.

That said, if I ever have the opportunity to go back to the Yachtsman Steakhouse at YC or the California Grill at the Contemporary, I would do it. We had excellent meals at both places.

 

[ConniegB]

I tend to agree with Sophie832, we have been pleased with all of the places and food that we've eaten at at WDW, we've eaten at several different venus at each of the parks over the years & our stays and have been pleased! Don't go in having the highest of expectations, or hanging on all of the reviews, go in with an open mind and be willing to try different food at different places at WDW and I think you will be pleased, hopeing you will have a Magical time/trip!

 

[coopersmom]

We were very recently at Disney and ate daily at various Disney-owned table service restaurants. Nothing we had, including Le Cellier, was above the caliber of any chain restaurant you're going to find nationwide (think Chili's, Applebee's or Outback). Service was also sub-par across the board and, as we paid out of pocket, the prices outrageous for what you get.

The only exception was Victoria and Albert's, which was divine.

You won't starve. We didn't get food poisoning, but, wow, it was not good. My Disney advice is: Don't go for the food.

 

[Colleen27]

We were very recently at Disney and ate daily at various Disney-owned table service restaurants. Nothing we had, including Le Cellier, was above the caliber of any chain restaurant you're going to find nationwide (think Chili's, Applebee's or Outback). Service was also sub-par across the board and, as we paid out of pocket, the prices outrageous for what you get.

See, this is a good example of how subjective dining reviews can be - I'd put our worst Disney dining experiences on par with Applebees/Chilis/Outback. I don't go in looking for value for the money because of the "captive audience" pricing factor and because we use the DxDDP to insulate us from menu price sticker-shock, but nearly every meal we've had on property has been at least a step above the dime-a-dozen real world chains.

I will say, though, that some of our most lackluster meals have been with the DIS-hyped places. I think at some point they become victims of their own popularity and start focusing on how to serve more customers rather than on maintaining the experience that made them so popular in the first place.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

Just came back from our 3rd trip, 2nd time on deluxe dining plan. We absolutely love Disney dining. Bad food experiences can happen, we had a few but none we couldn't live with... I'll list them here but we had many more great dining experiences... I'll list some of those too but look out for my dining review coming in about a week... I think a lot of people are more upset about the cost or have very high expections.

"Bad" Food

Ribs at SciFi Diner in 2009 were fatty and gross (I filled up on the appetizer and shake anyway). Ribs at Whispering Canyon Cafe in 2010 were same (I ate other food on the skillet). Do people like fatty ribs or something? However, the ribs at Hoop Dee Doo, and Spirit of Aloha, were great. The ribs at Yak and Yeti were the best I've ever had (but Yak and Yeti is not a Disney Restaurant, still takes dining plan though.

Lunch and Dinner Buffet at Hollywood and Vine. OK, not really bad food... but no where near the variety and quality of other buffets like Crystal Palace, Tusker House, Biergarten, and others. Still, we came back in 2010 for breakfast to see Agent Oso and Handy Manny.

Escargot at Chefs de France. Well, I just wanted to try them for the 1st time. I ate them all but I still think eating snails is gross. To each his own!

Great Food!

SIGNATURE MEALS AND SHOWS

Flying Fish Cafe (2 credits) - our favorite signature, outstanding food and service, loved the seafood. Entertainment right outside the restaurant on the boardwalk (evening.) For signature restaurants... we also like Citricos, Brown Derby, Jiko, and California Grill (great food at all of them).

Shows -- Hoop Dee Doo. OK, it's just fried chicken and ribs and such here... but the food was GOOD! Service was comical and DS4 laughed non-stop at the show.

PARK FOOD --

Yak and Yeti in Animal Kingdom - love, love, love the food here. Great service too. I mean.... really good appetizers, thai chili wings, baby back ribs, malaysian seafood curry....

Crystal Palace- Excellent buffet. Large variety. Always good for lunch... been here 5 times so far. Carved meats and salmon are delicious.

50s Prime Time - great food and fun theme. I was reminded several times to keep my elbows off the table and to put away the walkie talkies (cell phones) during lunch. Food was pretty good..... heck who cares... I could have made a meal out of the milkshakes.. yes, I had 2... Strawberry for my drink, and Peanut Butter and Jelly to go for my dessert (I just wanted to try it!)

Biergarten - Excellent buffet, and great beer too! Easy to get reservations and affordable price.

Restaurant Marrakesh - I don't care what people say... I love the food here and the music and belly dancing make for great tableside entertainment.

Coral Reef - Great food. We really enjoyed our view -- table right next to the aquarium window (watched the sea turtles our whole meal). Great seafood, great steak.

CHARACTER MEALS - ALL FUN, ALL PRETTY GOOD FOOD...
Already mentioned Crystal Palace. We really liked Garden Grill (only serves dinner) - delicious food. Breakfast places serve the same food for the most part - we like them all...just depends on which characters you want to see" Hollywood and Vine, Cape May Cafe, Tusker House, Ohana, 1900 Park Fare.

 

[TinkandGoofy'sMom]

I wouldn't worry about the negative reviews. We haven't done the DxDP yet,or tried any signatures yet, but have done the regular twice, third time coming up in January. Our favourites include Yak&Yeti, Tutto Italia, Le Cellier, 1900 Park Fare, Tusker House, Crystal Palace and Teppan Edo.
I would go by what's on the menu and if it appeals to you, then it's worth a try! The only terrible food I've eaten at Disney is Flame Tree BBQ.

 

[soontobehoyt]

It just depends on your expectations. For "theme park food" it is great. Compared to most restaurants off site, it is good, but generally not so good you'd choose Disney's restaurants over the others if it weren't for location.

Some food is average, some is slightly less, some is outstanding. When there are so many restaurants and so many people with different tastes it is so hard to make an overall assessment. That said, don't let naysayers get you down. People like to complain, and on top of that, for regular visitors things really have gone down hill compared to what it was. But forgetting past glories, I still always enjoy eating at Disney. Another thing is price. I know what it is going in, expect it because the prices are comparable to Disney economy prices on everything. They charge way more on anything because they can, and if you don't accept this going on it will be a thorn in your side every time you buy anything there.