Restaurants that surprised you.

[Smalerie]

I was surprised by Mama Melrose because I (perhaps unfairly) expected it to be bad since I'm so picky when it comes to Italian-American food.

I also once booked Spice Road Table just to try something new, and would absolutely go there again.

 

[married2mm]

Most reviews I've read watched including dis-

H&vine breakfast-it's wonderful

C.R.T breakfast-food was marvellous & so were characters

Coral reef-can't wait to return; really surprised by this restaurant.

(Just started a thread on our standouts from our recent trip)

Big disappointment- Cali grill
Even bigger (after eating twice there previously) Sanaa

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Restaurant Marrakesh. The food was great. Service was attentive and the belly dancer was fun to watch.

Only thing was the seats are very low. Not good for tall dh.

 

[pens4821]

Surprised for the good:
Trex/Rainforest- have been to both and will return to at least one each trip. The food is good, and the atmosphere is fun.
chef mickeys- very rarely do I see good reviews for dinner, but we love it

Bad:
Ohana- lately the reviews are mixed, but when we went 4 or so years ago the reviews were all good. our server was awesome, but other than that we didn't enjoy anything (well, the salad was good).

 

[Arielfan98]

Suprised in a good way: Garden Grill breakfast. I know this gets rave reviews, but a lot of people downplay character meals. This one was phenomenal despite criticism. We also were pleasantly surprised with Turf Club.

Bad: Ohana! Just no Service was awful and the meats were fatty/overcooked.

 

[Huff]

Jiko, didn't live up to the hype. For us the main entree was excellent. But the decor wasn't anything special. The dinner accompaniments were so-so. Server while efficient never said much of anything. Seemed like a robot. Not the signature experience I had expected.

Teppan Edo. Way over hyped to me so we were very surprised based on the reviews. Food was so-so, service lacking, decor was rather plain. Nowhere near the quality and fun of places such as Kobe's Japanese Steakhouse near Disney Springs or any number of Teppanyaki restaurants in our home town.

Portobello's (Now closed and replaced). One of the best Italian dinners we've had at Disney. Went on a day when all parks were closed due to hurricane. Disney Springs was the only thing to open in the evening so had no other choices. Was very surprised. Excellent food and service. Hoping the new restaurant is just as good.

Yak & Yeti. Had never tried here as the menu didn't look like anything special. We found the dinners way better than we had expected. Will be going back.

 

[sbrost13]

Good- Maya Grill at Coronado Springs. My family’s favorite meal of our trip last summer!

So Bad We’re Never Going Back- Ohana. I know I’m in the minority but I can’t state loudly enough how bad it was.

 

[captaindavidhook]

Chef mickeys was very good...biergarten was amazing food and the atmosphere was great too...pinnochino village is very delicious and surprised me how good it is.

 

[MomOfDisneyPrincess]

Hoop Dee Do Musical Review - the whole Dis Unplugged team raves about this, but my daughter and I thought the show was lame and the food was blah. The fried chicken was cold by the time it came to our table, plus it was dry and tasteless. She was 10 at the time and they all say that the whole family will enjoy it. We certainly did not. I even mentioned it today and she said, "We are NOT going there again, Mom!" I assured her we were not.

However, the Spirit of Aloha is one we enjoy and are including it in our upcoming trip, for the third time.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Trails End.....and not in a good way.

2015 I started a thread to ask which of 3 restaurants I had never been to would be best for a visit. Trails End won by a landslide. Of approx 100 responses, not one person had anything negative to say about this place and 1/2 said it really great.

I went, sat on the porch waiting for our name to be called. Enjoyed watching kids play with hula hoops, running around outside etc.. then our name was called. I should have stayed on the porch. Worst food Ive had ever at Disney.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Hoop Dee Do Musical Review - the whole Dis Unplugged team raves about this, but my daughter and I thought the show was lame and the food was blah. The fried chicken was cold by the time it came to our table, plus it was dry and tasteless. She was 10 at the time and they all say that the whole family will enjoy it. We certainly did not. I even mentioned it today and she said, "We are NOT going there again, Mom!" I assured her we were not.

However, the Spirit of Aloha is one we enjoy and are including it in our upcoming trip, for the third time.

I cant believe it! Finally someone who shares my feelings! After all these years of seeing rave reviews of HDDR, and negative reviews of SoA I really thought something must be wrong with me! There still might be, but at least I am no longer alone!

Ive been to SoA almost every trip. I love it. The food and atmosphere are great, the show is hit or miss, but for the most part good entertainment for a couple of hours. The ending never disappoints. I also like the BBQ (Maybe I just like being outside!), but HDDR...blah and blech.

 

[BachataMan]

Diamond Horseshoe was surprisingly good. I always passed by it because no one ever raved about it and the reviews I did hear about it weren't exactly positive.

Also, CRT was surprisingly good the second time I went.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

We were very surprised how good the food was at CRT. Awesome app (meat and cheese tray) and my steak was perfect!
Heard bad things about T-Rex. The girls wanted to see the dinosaurs so we ate there. The Meteor Meatloaf was so good!
Rainforest breakfast really surprised me after hearing so many negative reviews
BOG surprised me .... everyone said "You HAVE to eat there!" Um, NO! The food was horrible.
Chef Mickey's .... yep. I Love the food!
And last but not least .... California Grill. It totally exceeded my expectations. Best meal I have ever had at WDW every time we eat there.

 

[MIAMouseketeer]

I cant believe it! Finally someone who shares my feelings! After all these years of seeing rave reviews of HDDR, and negative reviews of SoA I really thought something must be wrong with me! There still might be, but at least I am no longer alone!

Ive been to SoA almost every trip. I love it. The food and atmosphere are great, the show is hit or miss, but for the most part good entertainment for a couple of hours. The ending never disappoints. I also like the BBQ (Maybe I just like being outside!), but HDDR...blah and blech.

Do you think a 3 year old would enjoy the Spirit of Aloha? We are staying at the Poly in December and trying to determine where to go for his Birthday dinner. I also always try to stick to meals by our hotel or the park we are going and we will be in Magic Kingdom that morning/early afternoon, but back at the hotel at dinner.

 

[DisneyFive]

Grand Floridian Cafe. Not because there were bad reviews, but because I just hadn't heard about it. A few years back we changed up our schedule last minute when we were on the Free Dining plan, and had to find a TS location around MK for the day. All the popular spots were booked up, so we decided to try the Grand Floridian Cafe. It was great! Location is fantastic.

The waiter recommended the char-grilled strip steak and it was the best we've had on property. Highly recommended. The dessert sampler was super cool as well (and large).

Dan

 

[dismoose23]

DW and I were pleasantly surprised with Artist Point. After the "meh" review from DIS Unplugged 7 in 7, we went in with low expectations. We loved our meal and the service was top notch. We would go back there in a heart beat.

 

[pillowbook]

I love CRT, I would do it every trip if it weren't so gosh-darned expensive. That being said, I've only been for breakfast and its fairly difficult to mess up breakfast foods.

I know the backlash toward BOG is starting in full-force too, even before I got a chance to go to it. I guess the novelty is still there for me because I enjoyed it immensely.

 

[Goofy'slady]

I would have to say - Yak & Yeti! I'm a pescatarian so the Ahi Tuna Nachos were absolutely delish! We have a reservation this August and I CANNOT WAIT!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Animal Kingdom can be sooooo hot, I mean I know all of Florida is hot especially in August but it seems that AK is hotter than many of the other parks and stepping into Yak & Yeti and enjoying the AC, a cold beverage and those nachos halfway through your day gives you what you need to get back and hit the pavement for more fun.

 

[Goofy'slady]

I will say I was so excited to take my girls to Chefs one year because ever since I was in middle school my family would make that one of our dining destinations in EPCOT and we always had such a wonderful experience there. So I took my girls there and we didn't really think the menu was very Frenchy if that makes sense. I mean there were a couple of things that one would recognize as French or French inspired but it seemed to take a turn for the worst since I had been there last. In my opinion it had begun to do what a lot of restaurants do in the US and that's make their signature dishes more appealing to the American taste buds. I guess from a business perspective I see why but honestly, I know most expect to have a slice of that country's culture and experience it through their culinary presentations. Why is it that soooo many people go to someplace Like Spice Table and say the food was to spicy. IT's CALLED SPICE TABLE for heaven's sake. Don't go to Chefs De France and get upset because there are no hot dogs on the menu or the food has to much cheese or sauce on it. It's France! of course it's gonna have tons of cheese and sauce.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Trails End.....and not in a good way.

Enjoyed watching kids play with hula hoops, running around outside etc.. then our name was called. I should have stayed on the porch.

pretty bad!