Gypsybear
It's all about the Villains
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2008
- Messages
- 983
Ok, so we went to CA for our trip this year, and boy did we have some issues with the meals at the parks.
First, let me preface these comments with the understanding that not all places are open, and dining reservations are at a premium.
Carnation Cafe - had breakfast here twice during our trip. The food was acceptable. It wasn't anything special to write home about or anything, and it was not bad, it just.....was.
River Belle Terrace - we had lunch here. I will give them MAJOR PROPS for being VERY informed on allergies, and some of the items I thought would be safe for us, weren't actually safe, and recommendations were made around that. We ended up with the burnt end grilled cheese with tots. The tots were going to be an issue, but they asked the kitchen to make a special batch that would be safe for us to eat. Overall, the food was good, though I will admit that the "burnt ends" were anything but. The best part of our meal were the tots. Also, the service was PERFECT.
Corn Dog Castle at DCA - very short line....corn dogs were on point. Nothing strange to report here, just be aware that the chips they provide are plain SUN CHIPS. We saw bags of them piled up on tables where people left them. Be prepared to wipe down your own table. They were a bit slow in that area.
Senor Buzz Churros at DCA - these were the worst churros we had during out trip. The sugar they used was not good in terms of flavor added. The churros themselves were cold. The line was typical in length for the churro carts.
Lamplight Lounge - One of the better meals during this trip. Even the cocktails were on point. Service was great.
Ghiradelli's - went for chocolate covered strawberries at 10am....they didn't have any made yet, so plan accordingly. When we returned later in the day, the line was exceedingly long.
Catal @ Downtown Disney - a very good meal. The portion sizes were large. We could have easily shared one meal. I had the fried chicken, which came with 3 good sized pieces of chicken. The Monte Cristo was also good and again, large in size. The service was slow, so plan accordingly. If you need to get back to the DL park quickly, I would suggest grabbing the monorail to Tomorrowland.
Flo's - didn't get to eat breakfast like we were hoping to do, as they don't open before 9:30, and the menu boards had lunch listed on them. Research before you go.
Pym's Test Kitchen - due to the long lines, we did the drinks instead. We mobile ordered, and had about a 10 min wait. The worst part of this was finding a place to sit. We did the beer flight, basically because we wanted the little beer glasses and ruler.
Terran Treats Cart @ DCA - This cart had a line of about 5 people at any given time. We tried the sweet spiral ration. It was decent, but seemed to look a bit burned.
Kat Saka's Kettle in Batuu - we went for the banana popcorn. The popcorn was decent, BUT, I would recommend getting it mixed with chocolate popcorn. The flavor is better, and not so artificial tasting. Short line, but the issue we had was that the booth was consistently empty of cast members. We had to circle back several times to find someone there.
The ice cream cart directly in front of the Haunted Mansion. We got Mickey Bars, since we learned that the vendor who provided the frozen bananas went out of business. Anyway, the bars were literally sooooooo hard, the chocolate cracked and fell to the ground. The ice cream, we held in our hands for about 5 mins for it to soften enough for us to bite through it.
Blue Bayou - literally the WORST experience of the trip, dining or otherwise. They have majorly reduced their menu. There are like 2.5 pages of drinks/beer/wine, and 1 page of actual food (including the kids menu). Due to allergies, we informed them of in person, and when we made the reservations (as I always do). She suggested a substitution for the lobster tail. We agreed. The salads were good. Nothing special, but literally the best part of the meal. As previously mentioned, there is no bread service. We waited for our entrees....1/2 an hour....we thought ok, no worries.....the food arrived with, you guessed it, lobster tails, instead of the chicken she said she would substitute. We sent them back. We waited again. Still no food....at this point, I literally saw CMs grabbing their backpacks and leaving for the evening. I found the person in charge for the evening. She said she would go find out what the issue was. She asked where were seated, so she could get back to us. She disappeared. We finally got our food, and once again, not what we requested. At no point, did the person in charge come back to our table to see if everything was ok. It was not. At this point, the CM asked if she should have the kitchen make them again. It's been nearly 1.5 hours at this point, and I told her NO, that I didn't have that kind of time to waste sitting. Her comment was "well, obviously, there will be no charge for the meal". I looked at her with a "you don't say" look on my face. Her next comment was "would you like to order dessert"? I literally was so upset, that I was shaking. Needless to say, I stopped at the Guest Relations office on the way out. My point here is "Stay on them", or eat what you get.
Churro cart in front of Haunted Mansion - best churros we had this trip. Warm, sweet, and couldn't ask for a better churro. We got in line with 3 people in front of us.
Although we didn't eat at the Shawarma place, I can confirm that the cart by the old Hyperion (where they did Aladdin), was always available. Never saw a line there.
Tropical Hideaway in Adventureland - Dole Whip. This line was CONSISTENTLY long and slow moving. Best strategy here is to get in line and send someone to locate a table.
I hope this helps some of you who are nearing your dates. Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, yes, the parks were crowded, especially as 11am rolled around. The parks were clearing out after the fireworks show.
EDITED TO ADD:
Storytellers - Definitely NOT worth the price. And we love the place normally. The food was lackluster and the offerings were limited, IMO. We went for dinner, and it was so forgettable. Event the cocktail was off. I ordered a watermelon margarita, which they served in a hurricane glass because they were out of margarita glasses. The drink was 90% tequila. No other flavor could be detected. It was STRONG at that percentage.
First, let me preface these comments with the understanding that not all places are open, and dining reservations are at a premium.
Carnation Cafe - had breakfast here twice during our trip. The food was acceptable. It wasn't anything special to write home about or anything, and it was not bad, it just.....was.
River Belle Terrace - we had lunch here. I will give them MAJOR PROPS for being VERY informed on allergies, and some of the items I thought would be safe for us, weren't actually safe, and recommendations were made around that. We ended up with the burnt end grilled cheese with tots. The tots were going to be an issue, but they asked the kitchen to make a special batch that would be safe for us to eat. Overall, the food was good, though I will admit that the "burnt ends" were anything but. The best part of our meal were the tots. Also, the service was PERFECT.
Corn Dog Castle at DCA - very short line....corn dogs were on point. Nothing strange to report here, just be aware that the chips they provide are plain SUN CHIPS. We saw bags of them piled up on tables where people left them. Be prepared to wipe down your own table. They were a bit slow in that area.
Senor Buzz Churros at DCA - these were the worst churros we had during out trip. The sugar they used was not good in terms of flavor added. The churros themselves were cold. The line was typical in length for the churro carts.
Lamplight Lounge - One of the better meals during this trip. Even the cocktails were on point. Service was great.
Ghiradelli's - went for chocolate covered strawberries at 10am....they didn't have any made yet, so plan accordingly. When we returned later in the day, the line was exceedingly long.
Catal @ Downtown Disney - a very good meal. The portion sizes were large. We could have easily shared one meal. I had the fried chicken, which came with 3 good sized pieces of chicken. The Monte Cristo was also good and again, large in size. The service was slow, so plan accordingly. If you need to get back to the DL park quickly, I would suggest grabbing the monorail to Tomorrowland.
Flo's - didn't get to eat breakfast like we were hoping to do, as they don't open before 9:30, and the menu boards had lunch listed on them. Research before you go.
Pym's Test Kitchen - due to the long lines, we did the drinks instead. We mobile ordered, and had about a 10 min wait. The worst part of this was finding a place to sit. We did the beer flight, basically because we wanted the little beer glasses and ruler.
Terran Treats Cart @ DCA - This cart had a line of about 5 people at any given time. We tried the sweet spiral ration. It was decent, but seemed to look a bit burned.
Kat Saka's Kettle in Batuu - we went for the banana popcorn. The popcorn was decent, BUT, I would recommend getting it mixed with chocolate popcorn. The flavor is better, and not so artificial tasting. Short line, but the issue we had was that the booth was consistently empty of cast members. We had to circle back several times to find someone there.
The ice cream cart directly in front of the Haunted Mansion. We got Mickey Bars, since we learned that the vendor who provided the frozen bananas went out of business. Anyway, the bars were literally sooooooo hard, the chocolate cracked and fell to the ground. The ice cream, we held in our hands for about 5 mins for it to soften enough for us to bite through it.
Blue Bayou - literally the WORST experience of the trip, dining or otherwise. They have majorly reduced their menu. There are like 2.5 pages of drinks/beer/wine, and 1 page of actual food (including the kids menu). Due to allergies, we informed them of in person, and when we made the reservations (as I always do). She suggested a substitution for the lobster tail. We agreed. The salads were good. Nothing special, but literally the best part of the meal. As previously mentioned, there is no bread service. We waited for our entrees....1/2 an hour....we thought ok, no worries.....the food arrived with, you guessed it, lobster tails, instead of the chicken she said she would substitute. We sent them back. We waited again. Still no food....at this point, I literally saw CMs grabbing their backpacks and leaving for the evening. I found the person in charge for the evening. She said she would go find out what the issue was. She asked where were seated, so she could get back to us. She disappeared. We finally got our food, and once again, not what we requested. At no point, did the person in charge come back to our table to see if everything was ok. It was not. At this point, the CM asked if she should have the kitchen make them again. It's been nearly 1.5 hours at this point, and I told her NO, that I didn't have that kind of time to waste sitting. Her comment was "well, obviously, there will be no charge for the meal". I looked at her with a "you don't say" look on my face. Her next comment was "would you like to order dessert"? I literally was so upset, that I was shaking. Needless to say, I stopped at the Guest Relations office on the way out. My point here is "Stay on them", or eat what you get.
Churro cart in front of Haunted Mansion - best churros we had this trip. Warm, sweet, and couldn't ask for a better churro. We got in line with 3 people in front of us.
Although we didn't eat at the Shawarma place, I can confirm that the cart by the old Hyperion (where they did Aladdin), was always available. Never saw a line there.
Tropical Hideaway in Adventureland - Dole Whip. This line was CONSISTENTLY long and slow moving. Best strategy here is to get in line and send someone to locate a table.
I hope this helps some of you who are nearing your dates. Oh, and in case anyone is wondering, yes, the parks were crowded, especially as 11am rolled around. The parks were clearing out after the fireworks show.
EDITED TO ADD:
Storytellers - Definitely NOT worth the price. And we love the place normally. The food was lackluster and the offerings were limited, IMO. We went for dinner, and it was so forgettable. Event the cocktail was off. I ordered a watermelon margarita, which they served in a hurricane glass because they were out of margarita glasses. The drink was 90% tequila. No other flavor could be detected. It was STRONG at that percentage.
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I mean, I am used to sweetness in some baked beans, but those were sweeter than my desert! Still, it was pretty good.
