SciFi Dine In - Is it really that bad??!!

[Piglet'sPal]

Okay everyone, I am leaving in appx. 3 weeks for my first trip with my son, who is 4. I made reservations for us at Sci Fi for our MGM day, but after reading all of the bad reviews I am wondering if I should switch to either Prime Time or somewhere outside of MGM. I know that my son will get a real kick out of sitting and eating in one of the cars (and watching the trailers!), but I don't want to eat there if the food is as bad as some people are saying. I mean, I don't expect a gourmet meal, but for a table service meal I do expect the food to be edible. I know that you are going to get bad reviews some of the time, but it just seems like Sci Fi gets a great deal of them!

So tell me....how bad is Sci Fi? Anyone have any good meals there lately???

 

[LegoMom3]

We had a resv. to eat there last year (didnt' end up going - that turned out to be "melt-down day"... ). However, we were going to go for lunch, which I've heard is far better over dinner. If you stick to basic burger fare, you should be ok. I'm disappointed we didn't make it, but I still plan to try it on our next trip, despite the "bad" reviews it gets here. I have three boys and they would LOVE it there!

 

[Dav2205]

It's a burger joint first and foremost. From what I read the bad reviews tend to come from people who've ordered the 'fancier' stuff on the menu (steaks etc).

We went earlier in the month and had a great time. Stuck to burgers for entrees and it was excellent.

Just don't be too adventurous in your choices and it'll be fun.

Oh, and get the hot fudge sundae for dessert.

 

[DonnaDuck]

We dined there for the first time in June. My boys (7 & 4) loved it!! They are excited about eating there again on our upcoming December trip.

We took the advice of the DIS boards...we stuck with burgers, ice cream & shakes. We also got the Spinach and Artichoke Dip appetizer, it was all really good. We were pleasantly surprised.

I, like you, was really scared from the reviews that I read. I think your 4 year old will like it. My 4 year old still talks about it. We let him and his brother sit alone in the front seat...they loved that car!! LOL

Hope you have a great time.

 

[BriarRose59]

Its one of our favorite places to eat and my family would be upset if I didn't get ADR's there for each trip. No, its not what I would consider "fine dining" but if you stick with the basic burger, onion rings and shake you'll do great. We tried both Hollywood & Vine and Prime Time once each and don't intend to go back. We did not like the food or the atmosphere at either one. We last ate at Sci-Fi in April of this year. Don't worry, unless your son is scared of monsters. Most of the movie trailers that are played are from old sci-fi movies and with the screen being large, it might scare him if those kinds of things are upsetting to him.

 

[Colleen27]

We haven't been there lately, but it is the only must-do that we have on our Disney dining list. The food isn't anything special - burgers, onion rings, milkshakes - but it is decent/good and we love the atmosphere. I really think a lot of the poor reviews have as much to do with the pricing as with the food itself, because people expect a lot out of a $20 dollar burger-and-fries lunch, and the food quality at Sci-Fi isn't better than any number of places where you could get the same food for half the price. But none of those places have car booths and B movie trailers!

Or maybe we're just easily pleased. LOL. I have yet to experience a Disney restaurant that I'd give a really bad review of, although San Angel comes close.

 

[DonnaDuck]

I have yet to experience a Disney restaurant that I'd give a really bad review of, although San Angel comes close.

I gotta agree with you about that!

 

[Piglet'sPal]

Thank you all so much for your replies! I feel much better now about our reservations. Our ressie is for lunch, so we will probably either get burgers or sandwiches, so hopefully our food will be okay. I really do think my son will enjoy the atmosphere, so I think that we will stick with it. Thanks again!

 

[sah95]

We liked Sci-Fi and still sing the song Laaaambert the sheepish lion.... from the cartoons that were showing. We ate lunch there 2 yrs ago. My mom and I split the turkey sandwich w/ cucumber salad type stuff and I can't remember what my son had off of the children's menu. We had onion rings too. Plenty of good food for us. However, we chose not to use TS credits for this meal b/c the food isn't as expensive compared to other TS restaurants. I hope you all enjoy lunch there

 

[heather31]

We are going in January for the first time and I can't wait to try it. I figure for every bad review there is always someone else who loved it. We went to Donald's breakfast in Animal Kingdom a couple of years ago after reading lots of bad reviews and we liked it. I figure it is worth a shot for us and my kids are excited about trying it out.

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

We'll be trying it in November -- glad to hear the more positive reviews. I figure even if the food isn't anything to write home about, the atmosphere should be great! My 9 year old LOVES old cars & anything 50's.

 

[mollygirl13]

Dh and I absolutely, 100% LOVE the Sci-Fi. We love it for the atmosphere and for the food. We have eaten there on every trip and never had a bad meal. To the OP, please don't be afraid of the bad reviews. My motto is, "You can't please everyone." In my experiences, I personally want to be the one to determine if a place has bad food or not. What I like may not be what another person likes and vice versa. Sci-Fi has always (for us) had great service, good food and a very fun atmosphere! I say try it! Have fun-you'll be in Walt Disney World. There is no better place in the world I can think of being!!!

 

[Princess_Michelle]

We went there Sept. of last year and LOVED it. I got the BLT soup and it was SO yummy. I also got the steak and thought it was really good...I don't remember what I got for desert, so it must not have been all that good....I remember my sister got some kind of pasta and didn't like it, the other got some kind of salad and didn't like it, DH got a Burger, Onion Rings and Choc. Shake and loved it, so I think it really just depends. We really enjoyed it. It was different, dark and cool and the food was good, OH and the kids got ice cubes that lit up, and got to sit and cars and watch TV; so they were set

 

[Pakey]

DH and I always eat at the deluxe places for dinner. We dress nicely, have a great meal, share a bottle of wine, etc. But for lunch, give me the Sci-Fi each and every trip. I don't go in there expecting to order duck in a cherry reduction sauce. It's a burger place with one of the most unique atmospheres I have ever seen. Go, enjoy a burger and a shake, laugh at the silly movies, take pictures sitting in your "car" table and talk about how you will be back the next trip!!!!!

 

[simonkodousek]

Sci-Fi's atmosphere is really unique, and probably one-of-a-kind, but the food and service is not up to par with the restaurant's interesting design. Our family of five ate there this past July, and we all agreed that it was the worst food we've ever had in WDW. I ordered a hamburger and fries. The burger's bun was dry, the burger was overcooked so it was rubbery and flavorless, and the fries were soggy. Our waitress was slow, rude, and impatient. Unless the food and service gets better, I will not return.

 

[mommylicious]

Sci Fi is our "official MGM restaurant of choice." My sons would not react well to a trip without SciFi at MGM. Of course I'm certain that has more to do with sitting "in the front seat" of the car and the glow cubes in their drinks than the food! We've always been happy with it. We've always had burgers though. I want to say DH had a chicken ceasar salad there at one point but I could be wrong on that. Even if the burgers aren't on the dinner menu, they will still make one for you.

We've enjoyed it there. It's hardly WOW or anything but it's good. Personally, I appreciate that it's dark, cool and the fact that the kids are sitting "up front" and focused on the movies means it's also quiet. With 3 little kids, b mid trip, that's a nice little break!

 

[Rescue Ranger]

Are their ribs good? I love their artichoke dip!

 

[Charleyann]

Oh, I love the Sci-fi. The food was so good when we were there. We have reservation again for our upcoming Christmas trip!

Charleyann

 

[Statler]

I thought it was too dark. I took the ketchup bottle and put some on my fries. I took a bite only to discover that it wasnt the ketchup bottle, it was the mustard. Oops!

 

[Ron from Michigan]

We have eaten there several times for lunch and always enjoyed our food.