Restaurants that surprised you.

[crabbygal902]

Biggest Surprises:

Good--Mama Melrose. Was expecting bad to mediocre, was stellar in every way.
Eh--Hollywood Brown Derby. Our first signature, we were expecting a step up from the regular TS locations. It was not.
Bad--ABC Commissary. Was expecting good enough park food, it was TERRIBLE.

 

[larissawbb]

We were very pleasantly surprised by Garden Grill. None of us usually care for AYCE places, but we had a great meal. Everything was very fresh and we liked it so much that we went back a couple of days later.

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

CRT - the food was horrible. 4 of us had pasta and it was if they dropped a salt shaker in all of our bowls.
For the positive it was H&V and Chef Mickeys - we were always afraid to try it and they both turned out to be good meals.

 

[Miss Frankie J]

I would have to say Tiffins. I know its a love it or hate it type of place but when it first opened it got very mixed reviews and the prices are expensive. I've eaten there twice and the food and service was amazing. I love the little postcards that you get at the end of your meal and I just love the theme. It feels so calm and perfect for couples to get a break from the craziness of the park.

 

[OneinThree]

GF Cafe. Beautiful dining room, and was pleasantly suprised at how wonderful the service was and with the quality of our breakfast, back in March.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Nine Dragons. Because we tend to eat Chinese cuisine frequently at home and read less than stellar reviews, we weren’t expecting much. The food and ambience were great!

Same with us! We really enjoyed Nine Dragons. The other one that pleasantly surprised me was Boatrights. It was just something we could get at the last minute that was near where we stayed, yet we really liked it. The Louisianna Lugger was awesome!

Bad surprise-Kona Cafe.

 

[DISNEY1975]

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.

The best for a 3 year old is the BBQ. She/he can gt up, run around, dance with Mickey and friends (Minnie, Chip, Dale, Goofy) and mostly everyone on the dance floor is 6 and under with a parent. A 3 year old definitely wouldnt understand the skit at SoA, but might be fascinated by the fire dancers and hula dancers. The food isnt super kid friendly either. here are a couple of kids options, but the BBQ is a 3 year olds dream! Most times, my kids, when they were little, fell asleep during SoA!

You can easily take the monorail to the contemporary and then the ferry over to Ft Wllderness for the BBQ.

 

[deuceswild10]

Sci-Fi. We thought the food was very tasty. We loved how quiet and cool it was. Awesome break for all of us. Fantastic theming.

 

[tracysis]

Sci-Fi. We thought the food was very tasty. We loved how quiet and cool it was. Awesome break for all of us. Fantastic theming.

We had the same experience food was excellent.

 

[HopperFan]

What restaurant surprised you the most based on other people's .......... Reviews.

So got me thinking, what restaurants surprised you?

For years everyone on here and in person said you HAVE TO EAT AT CHEF MICKEY or it's not a Disney trip. I expected it to be magical and leaving me smiling. One of our worst experiences EVER in a restaurant from the food, to the characters, to the atmosphere, to the service, to the cleanliness. I was quite shocked that anyone would want to eat there.

Marrakesh. I decided on the DDP that we would try this against what seemed to be the feel on it. Food was very good, service excellent, fun entertainment and nice big open room. Have been back many times and always surprised at the available space.

I think most of my big enjoyments have come from restaurants that folks never talk about, like they are hidden gems to us.

 

[Shanbo]

For years everyone on here and in person said you HAVE TO EAT AT CHEF MICKEY or it's not a Disney trip. I expected it to be magical and leaving me smiling. One of our worst experiences EVER in a restaurant from the food, to the characters, to the atmosphere, to the service, to the cleanliness. I was quite shocked that anyone would want to eat there.

Marrakesh. I decided on the DDP that we would try this against what seemed to be the feel on it. Food was very good, service excellent, fun entertainment and nice big open room. Have been back many times and always surprised at the available space.

I think most of my big enjoyments have come from restaurants that folks never talk about, like they are hidden gems to us.

I've always found places that are recommended by people who say "YOU HAVE TO DO..." are a let down.
As you say, the restaurants you stumble across and go in on a whim can be the real hidden gems.
As I stated in my OP I read bad things about Yak n Yeti and tried it and it was perfect for us then.

 

[HopperFan]

I've always found places that are recommended by people who say "YOU HAVE TO DO..." are a let down.
As you say, the restaurants you stumble across and go in on a whim can be the real hidden gems.
As I stated in my OP I read bad things about Yak n Yeti and tried it and it was perfect for us then.

I jumped on Yak & Yeti as soon as it opened so I was in love with it from day one. So it has always surprised me the dislike for it. From the decor to most the entrees to the service and of course ............... the fried wonton dessert (that I will stab you with my fork if you try to take any) ............ we love it. One of our best meals was on the upstairs porch by the window during the parade. It was like having a box seat at a Broadway show.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I jumped on Yak & Yeti as soon as it opened so I was in love with it from day one. So it has always surprised me the dislike for it. From the decor to most the entrees to the service and of course ............... the fried wonton dessert (that I will stab you with my fork if you try to take any) ............ we love it. One of our best meals was on the upstairs porch by the window during the parade. It was like having a box seat at a Broadway show.

We ate there when it first opened and then again a few months later, and I swore never to go again. My biggest pet peeve, hot food should be hot, cold food should be cold, something they failed to accomplish. I always referred to it as the "Yak & Yucky" Then many years later my son (a lover of good food, I taught him well) said, "Mom you have to try it again! So with little to "NO" expectation, I did. I must admit, I enjoyed the meal, my fish was hot, moist and grilled to perfection so it's back in the every once in a while rotation.

 

[chocolateMinnie]

The ones we do as last minute decisions always seem to turn out as good if not better than those we make reservations for at 180 days out.
House of Blues had the best burgers and ribs we ever had at WDW.
Trails end found everything on the buffet to be fresh and well cooked. A nice change to Disney over jazzed up dinner menus at the end of a two week stay.
Rose and Crown after saying for years you can’t go on holiday to the USA and eat English food we had one of our best meals ever here.

Negative surprise was Raglan Road. Waited for ages to get there to eat one of our worst meals ever.

 

[Rich M]

Great thread here. For me I was very pleasantly surprised with Rose and Crown. My biggest disappointments have been BOG - Breakfast and Chef Mickeys. We are big fans of Goofys Kitchen at Disneyland so we looked forward to Chef Mickeys for dinner and it was just terrible. It has been awhile and wonder if maybe breakfast is better.

 

[Mother Brer]

Having not seen Tiffins mentioned much of anywhere at all on the boards, I didn't really know what to expect when we went there for lunch (ROL meal/ticket package). We'd eaten at Jiko a few nights prior and were underwhelmed for the price (so I guess that was a negative surprise). Tiffins, however, was AWESOME. I was very, very pleasantly surprised - I loved my drink, app, and main (the whole fried fish with forbidden rice, peanut something-or-other, delicious slaw). I will dream about the dessert...the passion fruit tapioca cream. I know, it doesn't sound too extraordinary, but I would go back to Tiffins after every meal to get this if I could. I would get it for my meal and then for my dessert. Best thing I ate this trip. Also, our waiter was above and beyond helpful and fun. (Oh, and I got the tiki-type drink and the cheese board for a starter. Both excellent).

 

[WorldWalker18]

Same with us! We really enjoyed Nine Dragons. The other one that pleasantly surprised me was Boatrights. It was just something we could get at the last minute that was near where we stayed, yet we really liked it. The Louisianna Lugger was awesome!

Bad surprise-Kona Cafe.

We have stayed at POR many times. I don’t know why we never ate at Boatrights. Definitely adding to our must-do list

 

[ShellyKP]

Bad: Casey's. I ordered a specialty dog and it was nearly inedible. The bun was mush, it was impossible to pick up and what little I did manage to eat gave me such painful reflux that it kept me awake most of the night.

Meh: ABC Commissary. Boring theme, boring food, just blah.
Sci Fi Dine-in: my fault for getting a salad, I know. But I don't eat red meat and can't have dairy so burgers and shakes were out for me. DH wanted to go there so we did. The theming was fun but the lighting in there just made all my food look gray. The lettuce was soggy, the chicken was cold, the whole thing was soaked in dressing. I left there hungry.

Good: Pop Century food court! No, really! I had several meals there and enjoyed them all! I had the chicken parm and penne one night, the quiche and soup another night. All were delicious! The soup tasted exactly like my grandmother's and the quiche was huge. The portions of that meal were very generous and very cheap, even for Disney! $7.50 and I couldn't even finish it.

 

[Rich M]

Good: Pop Century food court! No, really! I had several meals there and enjoyed them all! I had the chicken parm and penne one night, the quiche and soup another night. All were delicious! The soup tasted exactly like my grandmother's and the quiche was huge. The portions of that meal were very generous and very cheap, even for Disney! $7.50 and I couldn't even finish it.

I too have never had a bad meal at Pop when I stayed there. I actually like it there for QS meal but the best hotel QS for me is SSR.

 

[LabMouse]

Good surprise - San Angel Inn. It gets constant bad reviews, but we had a table right on the water, and enjoyed nearly everything brought to the table (the salsa was quite strange). The guacamole and carne asada were good, and the enchiladas verdes started me with an obsession to find a comparable version at home!

Bad surprise - Yachtsman. We had horrible, horrible service! It was our anniversary that night, too, which made it all the worse. And we've had better food at many non-signature restaurants throughout WDW.