Nine Dragons?

[hailbug]

Looking for some input on this restaurant. Has anyone ate here? Looks like it gets alot of bad reviews is it really that bad?

 

[c&m]

It's North Americanized Chinese food, just like PF Chang's. We had a snack at Nine Dragons once just out of curiosity and never went back. Too many deep fried items, too much soya sauce, too much goopy sauces. Really good Chinese food is cooked using fresh ingredients, and uses simplistic methods of cooking like steaming and stir frying.

But take my criticism with a grain of salt. My opinion comes from having lived in Hong Kong, traveled to China, and I currently live in Vancouver, an oasis for Chinese food. However, if you don't have access to a good Chinese restaurant at home, you may not have anything to compare it to, and Nine Dragons may be just fine. And I think that's where the negative opinions come from - when we compare it to a restaurant back at home.

Having said all of that though, I still enjoy every meal I don't have to cook!

 

[wdw&sonny]

It's North Americanized Chinese food, not as good as PF Chang's. More like typical Chinese take-out but at a table service restaurant. Having said that, my family absolutely LOVES it.

It's never crowded, a nice break from the heat, and it is the familiar Chinese food we are used to...sticky rice, General Tso's chicken, Lo Mein steamed dumplings etc.

We ate at the CS one time, but prefer the TS restaurant. It's nice to not have to make and ADR and just decide if we feel like Chinese food to go there for lunch.

 

[TDC Nala]

I haven't seen where anyone says it is bad, just that for the cost it is not very interesting, as it serves pretty much the same food you can get at your local mall food court in the US.

 

[PrincessAurora]

I have found the food to be mediocre for the price that is charged. Now since I live in San Francisco, surrounded by a wealth of Asian food of all kinds, I can get really good food for cheap. If you have that situation at home, I would tend to go elsewhere with your dining dollar but if Chinese food is in low supply where you live and you don't mind the price tag, then it's fine.

The place I never had much luck with was the counter service (where cold, greasy noodles go to die) but the sit down was just the price point for the quality.

 

[DisneyDetective]

sorry but we had the same experience as PrincessAurora. The food wasn't worth they charged and wasn't exactly warm. we went to the Land the next year and France, much nicer.

 

[wcpamotm]

The restaurant is pretty, and the food is not bad. But it's not great either; you're likely to be able to get the same experience at home, but at a much lower price. The are so many better options close by, that's all.

 

[coltsfanatic]

Here's a very favorable review of Nine Dragons I just read yesterday:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=43875327&postcount=844

 

[MicRac]

My family likes it. We had lunch there last May and it was not very busy at all. We were able to walk-up with out a reservation which is always nice at Epcot. Typical Chinese food but my family loves Chinese food and we don't have very many restaurants where we live. The red bean ice cream is awesome for dessert. We will return again I am sure.

 

[Eeyore98]

We liked it. The Chinese restaurants around us tend to serve questionable meat in skanky sauces, so it was nice to get something that was identifiably chicken. We liked the General Tso's dumplings app and the honey sesame chicken entree.

 

[FunFamily]

In my view the problem with this restaurant is the passage of time.

When Epcot opened, the typical American palate for Chinese food was less developed and the availability of Chinese food in many cities limited. In that era, a place like Nine Dragons was a welcomed stop for many guests.

Today, however, so-called Chinese food is available in abundance through out America. At the low price point it can be found in most large mall food courts and strip mall take out windows. PF Chang's created the high price point on a national scale. In short, the novelty and scarcity of Chinese food that existed when Epcot opened no longer exists.

Nine Dragons has moved from cool and different to boring and over priced -- not a good trend in any business. Nine Dragons needs to reinvent itself to stay relevant. Serving mall food quality Chinese food at PF Chang's prices is, in my opinion, ultimately the source of most complaints.

Nine Dragons sits in one of the more beautiful World Showcase settings. It is a shame that the restaurant has failed to keep pace with trends and expectations of Chinese food in America since the 80s.

My own wish is that the restaurant be reclaimed by the Imagineers and turned into something noteworthy and special.

Enjoy!

 

[TDC Nala]

Nine Dragons is operated by a third party, not Disney.

 

[Eeyore98]

A lot of people on this thread have compared ND to mall-quality Chinese food. At least compared to my local area, I think the meat at Nine Dragons is better quality, if prepared in a similar fashion. Mall food court places like Panda Express tend to serve dried-out, grisly bits of dark meat, battered and fried for way too long. Nine Dragons uses white meat - not necessarily authentic, I'm sure, but much appreciated!

I would have been rather ticked to pay what we did for lunch and get served a plate of Panda Express food...yuck! But that's definitely not what we got.

 

[gabzee]

I think there are so many better places to eat at in Epcot. Also, while not terrible, the food doesn't compare to Chinese restaurants back home for many people.

 

[YankeePrincess]

We like it. The Chinese around her is horrible and tastes like old grease so Nine Dragons is really good to us. I really like the honey sesame chicken!

 

[bcrook]

A lot of people on this thread have compared ND to mall-quality Chinese food. At least compared to my local area, I think the meat at Nine Dragons is better quality, if prepared in a similar fashion. Mall food court places like Panda Express tend to serve dried-out, grisly bits of dark meat, battered and fried for way too long. Nine Dragons uses white meat - not necessarily authentic, I'm sure, but much appreciated!

I would have been rather ticked to pay what we did for lunch and get served a plate of Panda Express food...yuck! But that's definitely not what we got.

I agree. The quality of the food is much better than the local Chinese carry out and especially the mall.

I typically pay about $50.00 for my family of four to carry out Chinese. At Nine Dragons, my family of four can eat for about $80.00. Although that is $30.00 more than carryout, it is still one of the more affordable dinners. Compare that to $170.00 for Boma or Biergarten, well I opt for Nine Dragons.

Plus, the building is attractive, the service is good, and the atmosphere is relaxed.

 

[Safari Queen]

Not the worst I've ever had but truly mediocre.