Say No to Spoodles

[LarryJ]

This is without a doubt the loudest resteraunt I have ever eaten in. They take simple food and destroy it trying to be creative. Service,however was good and location great.

I don't often talk down or dis a WDW restaurant, but SPOODLES is one we will never eat at again. The food was O.K., but when they brought all our main courses out first before the soups/salad appies we ordered and questioned that they said they serve what is ready and have no order so I guess you could get your cheese cake before your steak ... I'LL PASS. Also there are a lot of place just as nice to choose from.

Larry

 

[Cyndibear]

We ate at Spoodles a couple of weeks ago. We love the place. DH had the salmon and I had the pasta. It was wonderful. He enjoyed his fish more here than at Flying Fish the previous night. We also enjoy the flatbread and the lemon shrimp. Just yummy. Can't wait to go back in January. Always one of our favorites. Just a case of different tastes.

Cyndi

 

[LarryJ]

We ate at Spoodles a couple of weeks ago. We love the place. DH had the salmon and I had the pasta. It was wonderful. He enjoyed his fish more here than at Flying Fish the previous night. We also enjoy the flatbread and the lemon shrimp. Just yummy. Can't wait to go back in January. Always one of our favorites. Just a case of different tastes.

Cyndi

You didn't quote a post, but since your post followed mine please reread mine if the above was directed at me since it wasn't a food issue as much as a service/policy/management issue. My complaint wasn't over the food, but it was average, but the other stuff and your post was only about the food and not the service.

Larry

 

[lynninpa]

We wanted to try Spoodles-even booked an ADR last June. The appetizer menu sounded great! Yet the entree menu seems so "small & limited."

 

[MartDM]

Why would a self-professed meat and potatoes, "simple" food type person go to a mediterranean themed restaurant, and then be upset that it's not a meat and potatoes, simple food kind of place?

YES! Why??

I'm sorry but I can't take you seriously when you knowingly went to a restaurant that caters to a more sophisticated palate than yours and then you complain that the food wasn't "plain jane". Do you go to Red Lobster and complain that there isn't enough meat on the menu too?

If you want unimaginative food, stick to the unimaginative restaurants. Don't go to a restaurant that you knew (or at least could safely assume) doesn't have a menu with anything to your liking and then post a bad review as though they did something wrong. You set yourself up for disappointment and do everyone here a disservice with such a misleading subject line to your post.

(and, if I dare say, you are missing out by being picky in your food choices...Spoodles, sweet potato fries, and their breakfast service are all fabulous IMO)

 

[las3888]

Actually, I'm not a meat and potatoes gal at all...I am a former vegetarian that still tries to not eat meat when I can, although I will and do. I found the menu EXTREMELY limited for a vegetarian or even for non-vegetarians. There are just way too few choices. I have tried a pasta dish they had several times...we have worked nicely with the waiter to try several times to rig it so that it was to my liking, but it was really pretty bad to be honest. I can't imagine that in the mediterannean they don't have more than one pasta option...I know it's not "Italy"...just looking for a few more options...if you have found a dish you like at Spoodles (like my DH), great, but for those spouses and other family members, it is not an open enough menu to try to accomodate others to some extent (i.e. the token braised chicken offering at most of the more 'exotic' restaurants within WDW, esp. EPCOT). Just my 2 cents...

 

[nanadeb]

We tried Spoodles on 9/8 and it is one of our new favorites. We love the show of an open kitchen and revel in the distinctive flavors of the varied Mediterranean cuisines. This is not your basic Italian restaurant, but a mixture of Italian, French, Greek, Morrocan, and other Mediterranean countries. The flavors can be strong, but they can also be very delicate as well. I had the beef kebabs, my husband had the red snapper, and our daughter had the pork chop for entrees. It was all beautifully prepared. We had the four cheese flatbread, the Mediterranean dips, and the calimari for appetizers. Top marks for all of them. Our daughter had the white chocolate orange cake (very delicate) and myhusband and I had the dessert sampler. We were in heaven. And the best part of it was the home made gelato as one of the desserts on the sampler. The chocolate on the desserts was genuine European chocolate and not the insipid American variety.
As you probably also guessed, we were on the DDP.
I am a fine dining/casual dining/ hotel mystery shopper (among others), and I would give this restaurant high marks. The service was very good and our server was very friendly.
This is not a simple meat and potatoes restaurant, yet it is not too exotic for children. It is very family friendly.
After living in and traveling through Europe for 11 years, I would say that this is more of an authentic experience than many Americans are prepared for. Close tables, the clanking of pots and pans, and spirited conversation is the norm for this type of restaurant. You are supposed to enjoy your dining experience and make a social occasion of it.
Lighten up---you're at disney World!

 

[SauceBoss]

Actually, I'm not a meat and potatoes gal at all...I am a former vegetarian that still tries to not eat meat when I can, although I will and do. I found the menu EXTREMELY limited for a vegetarian or even for non-vegetarians. There are just way too few choices. I have tried a pasta dish they had several times...we have worked nicely with the waiter to try several times to rig it so that it was to my liking, but it was really pretty bad to be honest. I can't imagine that in the mediterannean they don't have more than one pasta option...I know it's not "Italy"...just looking for a few more options...if you have found a dish you like at Spoodles (like my DH), great, but for those spouses and other family members, it is not an open enough menu to try to accomodate others to some extent (i.e. the token braised chicken offering at most of the more 'exotic' restaurants within WDW, esp. EPCOT). Just my 2 cents...

Ask to speak to a Chef - they have one of the most accomodating kitchens around and are happy to accomodate special requests.

 

[SkrapKat]

Sorry spoodles wasn’t our cup of tea either we had bad service & our food was not the best. Our desert was burnt the server could not get the food straight the lemon shrimp had way to much lemon all you could taste but the drinks were good so go for the drinks.

 

['Countingmom]

Well..... to each his own, I say.. but we loved it when we ate their in June. We are staying at the BWV on our next trip and my DD says Spoodles is her current favorite. She is pumped that she will be 10 and get to eat off the "Adult" menu. She sampled everything we had last time and loved it. But we are a family that enjoys the different experiences. DH and DD loved the different dipping sauces. Food was good, service was good. Not too loud, I was actually relieved it was relaxed enough to take my 3 year old. We avoid the 'stuffier' restaurants when on family vacations. It's Disney and supposed to be fun, just a bonus to have good food too!

 

[Mulan82]

the only other thing that can make a restaurant loud aside from the grill line, i mean, it IS an open kitchen, would have to be the people. maybe we should all whisper when we eat. kidding. its possible that the way the building was built, the acoustics are poor and the sound kinda just bounces all around. Thus making the restaurant louder than it really is.

i will say, that DBF is a meat and potatoes type guy. however, i am the ADR maker. i go on allears and look at EVERY single menu of anywhere that i am interested in eating. the key thing here when i make an ADR is can i find something that DBF will eat so i can enjoy this new restaurant i want to try. after reading reviews on the DIS, looking at pictures of their entrees from pics posted on the DIS and looking at the Spoodles menu, i decided that this was a place I wanted to eat. DBF loved this place. He hated Jiko. Come to think of it, I didn't care for Jiko either ( see thread somewhere on restaurant board for a better explanation..). However, we had the most fabulous server. SHe was so fabulous that I don't even remember her name. we did leave her an extra 10 dollars on top of the 13 that the DDP tipped her. the food was amazing. and like i said on a previous post, their calamari is amazing! the peperoncini relish they serve it with is fabulous. spicy but fabulous. DBF enjoyed this place immensely. He was hesitant when I told him that style of food is prepared there, but surprised me by getting the Mussels appetizer. i thought he would get flatbread. i mean, its pizza only its called flatbread. pretty simple. generic. the rigatoni with sausage i knew he would get.
the one thing i have learned from these boards is although there are thousands of reviews here on the board, the decision that you make when trying a WDW restaurant whether it be TS or CS should be based soley on your OWN descrition (sp?). I mean, i could go on and on how amazing Spoodles is and you go and try it and hate it. Which was the problem when I went to Jiko. I had high expectations for a restaurant that I had heard rave reviews on. I even told DBF to get the entrees that generated the most buzz on the DIS. ugh. never again. So take these reviews for what you will. Next time, I will!

 

[Ron from Michigan]

We have eaten at Spoodles many times and all but 1 time really enjoyed it. We will be eating there again in December.

 

[gina2000]

We've eaten at Spoodles since it opened but the last time we were there (February), the food was not good. Neither was the service. It always had been one of our favorite restaurants.

 

[TigerKat]

Spoodles is one of our faves, can't wait to go back! Love, love, love that Sangria!!

 

[MsAmerica]

I agree with the OP that the restaurant is incredibly loud. I enjoy the place but probably won't go back anytime soon due to not being able to handle the noise level. I don't believe it is due to the open kitchen (though I don't think that helps), I believe it is the overall design of the restaurant itself, poor acoustics in my opinion.

The food is fine but the noise, oy vey!

JMO

MsA

 

[SauceBoss]

I agree with the OP that the restaurant is incredibly loud. I enjoy the place but probably won't go back anytime soon due to not being able to handle the noise level. I don't believe it is due to the open kitchen (though I don't think that helps), I believe it is the overall design of the restaurant itself, poor acoustics in my opinion.

The food is fine but the noise, oy vey!

JMO

MsA

High ceilings and wooden floors - nothing to absorb the noise.

 

[laughinplace199]

We love Spoodles! We eat there at least once every trip and we plan to go back in April '08. I find them to be very accomodating when you have a special request. I have a child with food allergies and a friend who is a vegetarian, and we've never been disappointed at Spoodles. They're always willing to help us.

I never minded the noise, but I have 3 kids so maybe I just didn't notice it was noisy. It probably sounded like home to me!

 

[the Fidge]

I'm confused. And I really mean this as a sincere, non-flippant question.

Why would a self-professed meat and potatoes, "simple" food type person go to a mediterranean themed restaurant, and then be upset that it's not a meat and potatoes, simple food kind of place?

I guess I don't understand if these bad reviews are a result of badly-done mediterranean food or a problem with the menu itself (being upset there isn't steak/simple food). I mean, certainly Italians eat steak, but I wouldn't go to an Italian restaurant looking for a great ribeye, kwim?

Probably because their wife drags them there! I was planning on it myself. DH does not eat italian, chinese, french or anything besides a burger or a steak. So I drag him to places that also serve a steak so that way I too can eat something on the rare occasions that have food I like. 5 out of 365 I get to dine where I can enjoy the menu too.

DH will always ask to remove any sauces gravy garnish and always his white plain baked potato! UGH!

 

[blue_94_trooper]

5 out of 365 I get to dine where I can enjoy the menu too.

DH will always ask to remove any sauces gravy garnish and always his white plain baked potato! UGH!

People have gotten divorced for less. Just sayin'...

 

[Meredisney]

I think it is a very bold move to name a thread Say No to Spoodles (or Say No to (insert restaurant of choice). I'm not trying to be mean, but what exactly does one hope to accomplish by posting this? While I understand that we all come on this board to learn about different guest experiences that may or may not assist us in making our vacation plans, the thing that we always learn when reading the replys that follow these types of restaurant bashing threads is that no two guest experiences are alike. People have different tastes. That’s why Walt Disney World offers a variety of different restaurants across their property. If we all had the exact same palates, then every single restaurant menu at Walt Disney World would display the exact same thing….which we have all made very clear in past threads that we detest.

I have been vacationing at Walt Disney World for 27years. I have seen lots of things change. When choosing a Dining Location, I can’t stress enough that you need to read the menu. All of the Disney menus have some sort of description on them describing the type of cuisine they serve. If you are a Meat and Potatos type, then perhaps a Mediterranean Restaurant might not be your cup of tea. If you like to experience all types of cuisine and you opt for trying something new and you either A) receive poor service, B) receive poor food quality, or C) Just hate what you ordered THEN SEND IT BACK! DUH!!!!! No one is forcing you to eat something you hate. Ask for a chef, manager, anyone…… Walt Disney World is a place where they train their employees to give their guests the Best Service possible. They will accommodate special orders, food allergies, or just picky eaters. If you honestly and truly do experience an awful time, the managers and Chefs can turn it around…….but they aren’t mind readers. You have to let someone know while it’s happening. Coming on this board and posting things like Say No to Spoodles doesn’t fix the problem for the next guest.