What TS restaurant surprised you but in a good way?

[walkdmc]

I wasn't expecting anything but eggs and toast at Kona and was pleasantly surprised. Hands down, they have the best coffee on property and breakfasts were delicious. And, they had the nicest chef (Brad) who addressed my son's allergies every time we went (3x). By day #3, Brad knew exactly what my son wanted and he just came out from the kitchen to make small talk. That was my son's favorite part of the trip! Seriously!

 

[MicheinMA]

Garden Grill! We loved everything about it.

The setting was great, and relaxing after a long day at the park.

The food was fantastic, and plenty of it.

The characters were great

The service was awesome

It's on our repeat list for the next trip.

 

[lblume91]

50s Prime Time! We always do "secret ballot" voting to decide where we want to eat. (Every body in the family writes their top 5 choices on seperate pieces of paper & then I tally the votes to figure out where to make ADRs.) It was the only place she wrote down. In all 5 voting slots. No one else wanted it but I couldn't bring myself to not go to the only place she wanted. Anyway, we absolutely loved it!! Everyone in the house loved it. The food was great & our server was awesome. It was, by far, our favorite meal of the entire trip, which included, Chef Mickey's, Crystal Palace, O'hana, 1900 Park Fare, Biergarten, & Whispering Canyon.

 

[TheTXTaylors5]

Even with the bad reviews, we gave Nine Dragons a try four years ago ...

Now, we don't visit Epcot without a trip to Nine Dragons. It is fantastic and a hidden gem! We've never had any problem getting an ADR or walking in. My favorite is the honey sesame chicken. The chicken is hot and crispy with this really yummy honey sauce. My mouth is drooling. I want some now!!!!

Glad to read about Mama Melrose. I want to try it on our next trip. I honestly don't let restaurant reviews gauge where we eat. Everyone has their own tastes.

Jennifer

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

Probably not a popular response, but we were suprised by the great experience we had a Chef Mickey's for dinner. The food was okay, but the characters and our service was awesome.

I'm so happy to see Nine Dragons get some love on this thread. We really love the Lotus Blossom Cafe and have always wanted to try Nine Dragon.

 

[ClareH37]

I had a great lunch at Tutto - I'd heard mixed reviews but my meal really was superb, mozzarella/tomato salad nice and fresh, pasta cooked perfectly with just the right amount of sauce (penne caprese), attentive service and of course a fabulous wine list. It's on my must do list again next year.

 

[Tink6666]

DH & I tried the Wave at contemporary and loved the food and the service we received. We would definitely go again. My only complaint was that it was COLD in the restaurant.

 

[Nebula]

Mama Melrose's. I had heard some... ugly reviews about the place before we left (I had no control over where we ate as my awesome Aunt made all the plans - she's amazing). I was pleasantly surprised - I enjoyed everything except my dessert (which is a completely different story altogether). The portions were a bit small, but the food was tasty.

Cape May Cafe surprised me as well. We were originally going to eat at Cap'n Jack's but switched a couple weeks before we left. I've seen seafood buffets where the food is... not fresh. I was a bit worried. Everything here was excellent, though! And definitely fresh

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

TS - Akershus - The cold salad buffet was great and we got more than our money's worth on the shrimp (my son was in heaven with that) but I was even more impressed with the whole experience - beautiful restaurant, lovely and interactive princesses, and a nice meal for my family (and having the cold buffet is great when you have kids and need to eat RIGHT AWAY).

CS - Captain Cooks - I'm honestly stumped by the negative reviews. Every CS restaurant at a resort is going to be busy first thing in the AM so I'm not sure what the big fuss is there. I LOVE the ordering screens (again, not sure why the negativity) and one of my favorite meals is the grown up grilled cheese with Polynesian chips. And of course a Mickey waffle for breakfast! I'll sit right outside in that tropical atmosphere and enjoy

 

[kandls momma]

Crystal Palace (lunch) was much better than I thought it would be. we weren't expecting much from a character buffet but I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[nicole0992]

Akershus for dinner! For years we only did Akershus for breakfast. Last trip we tried it for dinner and it was delicious. I went in there expecting to just enjoy the cold buffet but we all enjoyed our meals.

 

[Joan S.]

Raglan Road There were 4 of us for dinner and we all had something different,every meal was EXCELLENT! We also had a VERY good server and I think this is what put it over the top for me! Joan

 

[goofeyken]

My favorite lunch place has to be Kona Cafe now. We went over there for lunch on our last trip and were blown away by the food quality. Everything tasted great and it was very affordable. The coconut cream desert was to die for. It was also just a nice quiet place to go to escape the park and the Poly lobby is so beautiful... highly recommended... cant wait to go back this coming Sept.

 

[leebee]

We used to do 50's Prime Time every trip but several years ago couldn't get an adr, so decided to try Mama Melrose. It has become a family favorite! We also adore Kona- don't even bother to try for Ohana anymore. Now I am thinking perhaps we should try Nine Dragons

 

[buckirj1]

Yakitori House blew me away the first time I visited. I must have timed it just right, because it was totally uncrowded. Beautiful, simple and peaceful. And oh...the udon!

 

[CathieArms]

I can't believe nobody has responded with Biergarten. It was the one restaurant I was totally dreading. I only booked it because my FIL loves German. I was NOT excited, and my dh was downright irritated at me for booking it. It was probably in the top 3 of all the restaurants we ate at during our last trip.

Thanks for everyone who responded about Nine Dragons...you've sold me.

 

[SnowWhite33]

TS - Akershus - The cold salad buffet was great and we got more than our money's worth on the shrimp (my son was in heaven with that) but I was even more impressed with the whole experience - beautiful restaurant, lovely and interactive princesses, and a nice meal for my family (and having the cold buffet is great when you have kids and need to eat RIGHT AWAY).

CS - Captain Cooks - I'm honestly stumped by the negative reviews. Every CS restaurant at a resort is going to be busy first thing in the AM so I'm not sure what the big fuss is there. I LOVE the ordering screens (again, not sure why the negativity) and one of my favorite meals is the grown up grilled cheese with Polynesian chips. And of course a Mickey waffle for breakfast! I'll sit right outside in that tropical atmosphere and enjoy

I am so looking forward to Akershus-we'll be there soon!

As for Captain Cooks-I love the chips!

I can't believe nobody has responded with Biergarten. It was the one restaurant I was totally dreading. I only booked it because my FIL loves German. I was NOT excited, and my dh was downright irritated at me for booking it. It was probably in the top 3 of all the restaurants we ate at during our last trip.

Thanks for everyone who responded about Nine Dragons...you've sold me.

Biergarten is a must for my family-I have had dreams about the food there

And another vote for GF Cafe-it is such a beautiful peaceful restaurant-the service is excellent and the food is great.

 

[Avery&Todd]

I can't believe nobody has responded with Biergarten. It was the one restaurant I was totally dreading. I only booked it because my FIL loves German. I was NOT excited, and my dh was downright irritated at me for booking it. It was probably in the top 3 of all the restaurants we ate at during our last trip.

This is the SAME situation Im in!! Well, except its my DH who is "insisting" we go there - he has a "wee bit o' German" in him and wants to experience it - so, we're going..

and I'll sit with a table full of strangers and enjoy myself!!

and I also wanted to give a shout out to the Earl of Sandwich at DTD - DELICIOUS!!

and to Yak & Yeti - very good food!!

Im excited to see that others have liked 50's and Tutto and Tony's - we're trying all 3 in a few weeks for the first time and I get so nervous when I read some of these reviews!!

 

[Mamu]

I read tons of negative reviews about Yek & Yeti CS, yet I love it.

 

[Mamu]

CS - Captain Cooks - I'm honestly stumped by the negative reviews. Every CS restaurant at a resort is going to be busy first thing in the AM so I'm not sure what the big fuss is there. I LOVE the ordering screens (again, not sure why the negativity) and one of my favorite meals is the grown up grilled cheese with Polynesian chips. And of course a Mickey waffle for breakfast! I'll sit right outside in that tropical atmosphere and enjoy

I think I can answer this: Some years ago this restaurant when through rehab. Have not eaten here since but it seem to be getting good reviews. I do have to say it was really bad before the rehab. I would list it as the all time worst at that time. I remenber a reply by another Diser "He would rather eat sand from the beach then eat the food from Captain Cooks"