What WDW restaraunt won't you go back to? And why not?

[stitch63]

Hi all--great thread! A little history. We've been going to WDW since 1981 and I have to say that it seems to me the food quality has been getting worse as the years have gone by. Don't know if it's because of the corporate-mindset escalation (make more money), the increase in the visitor population, or what. That said, I don't remember having a truly awful meal at any restaurant at WDW. Sometimes the menu was not what I expected, sometimes the food was not really great--maybe just edible. Sometimes the service was poor, but never downright rude. I do find myself comparing things to years past, at times--I try not to do that because it makes me sad to think how far things have fallen. Like someone else said, go for the atmosphere and try not to dwell on the food too much.

It's hard not to dwell on the food too much when you're paying premium prices for mediocre to bad food or service. I was disappointed at the Park Faire character buffet at the Grand Floridian just because it was a Grand Floridian restaurant. I guess our mistake was that it was still a character meal! We were very excited because everything looked great but the food was bland and tasteless. We can get a dinner buffet at Golden Corral for alot less money with many of the items tasting better than the Park Faire buffet. Nonetheless, we'll keep attending character buffets until the kids are too embarrassed to attend.

 

[AmyBWV99]

Did you go for breakfast? They told me Mulan is only at breakfast, and DD loves her too! My friend had dinner there twice and both times Aerial was there. So hopefully she will be there when we go, especially because the food sound grose!

Yes, we were there for breakfast. The food was delicious (the best bacon I've ever had), it's just expensive for eggs and bacon... The character interaction was good, though.

 

[Terk-1]

Chef Mickey's (dinner) -- very slow/poor service. Food just nasty.
Pop Foodcourt -- Gross/stale food
Kona Cafe -- Slow service and food just so-so.
Rainforest @ DTD -- very slow/poor service. Food just nasty.
Tony's -- Food pretty bland. Could get better at Olive Garden for much less $$.

 

[kaysmommie]

Yes, we were there for breakfast. The food was delicious (the best bacon I've ever had), it's just expensive for eggs and bacon... The character interaction was good, though.

What characters were there, because I have to change that dinner it is scary! Thanks

 

[AmyBWV99]

Hi all--great thread! A little history. We've been going to WDW since 1981 and I have to say that it seems to me the food quality has been getting worse as the years have gone by. Don't know if it's because of the corporate-mindset escalation (make more money), the increase in the visitor population, or what. That said, I don't remember having a truly awful meal at any restaurant at WDW. Sometimes the menu was not what I expected, sometimes the food was not really great--maybe just edible. Sometimes the service was poor, but never downright rude. I do find myself comparing things to years past, at times--I try not to do that because it makes me sad to think how far things have fallen. Like someone else said, go for the atmosphere and try not to dwell on the food too much.

I agree 100%. We've been going at least once a year for quite some time and have noticed a marked decrease in quality. We live in a smaller metro area (300,000) and can get much better food for less money here than we can there. We are definately willing to pay for good food, but even the most expensive places, Yachtsman, Brown Derby, Narcoosees, etc, are, in our opinion, serving mediocre food at premium prices. Not that we don't know what we're getting when we sign up, I guess, but we spent $110 at Yachtsman (before drinks) for 2 people last time we went (2 weeks ago) and were sorely disappointed in the quality of the food and the service.

 

[disneyobessed]

BTW, in spite of everything bad said about it in this thread, I LOVED Liberty Tree Tavern.[/QUOTE]


Totally agree.. We ate there last summer for lunch and the pot roast was awsome!! It was on the to do list to go back this summer for the character dinner. Being a new englander, we do turkey day in style up here so its hard to match. after reading the turkey is processed. NO WAY. just wont go over with us.. another disappoinement was so many Big River Grill remarks... we are staying at BWV and that was on our list. May have to change it to ESPN..

As for my worse experiance......have to be Shutters at CBR. seemed to be the same chicken you could buy in the foodcourt just on a fancy plate and cost more... that was back in 99 though... last yr i may have to say Sci Fi my burger wasnt that great but the atmosphere makes up for it.

 

[AmyBWV99]

What characters were there, because I have to change that dinner it is scary! Thanks

We had Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Mulan and Jasmine. They were very interactive and the service was great, the price tag was just a little steep.

 

[kaysmommie]

I'll have to think about mine for awhile, but I wanted to add for all of those that chose Liberty Tree as their worst because it tasted processed. I read somewhere before our last visit that it is a Stouffer's restaurant. All the food is sponsored by Stouffer's Frozen Foods! So I guess you all were right I was going to go there on our last visit but after that review changed it figuring that I could eat Stouffer's for 2.99 out of my own freezer

The mac& cheese is definately stouffer's. My kids eat it all the time.

 

[kaysmommie]

We had Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Mulan and Jasmine. They were very interactive and the service was great, the price tag was just a little steep.

Thank you, DD loves Mulan & Jasmine as much as Aerial. Snow White she likes the least. It's funny because when she was 2 it was her favorite. I'm going to change that ADR and hope I can get in for breakfast. I don't like head cheese.

 

[cinmell]

I won't go back to Mama Melrose's because the food was terrible and served cold. I'm also in no hurry to go back to Sci Fi or 50's Prime Time Cafe.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

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I try not to say vague, negative things about restaurants because everyone has their own likes and dislikes. We love Marrakesh, and every friend that we have sent there has loved it as well.

I would never go back to Boma. The food just wasn't what anyone in my family likes. We all had a hard time finding things to eat (except desert), and we really aren't picky eaters. The restaurant is nice, and service was good though.

I've posted full details on Marrakesh before. But in a thread like this, rather than a full review thread, I didn't think people would want them here. But because you asked for them, I'll go ahead. .

Both of us that had Lemon Chicken on our plates ran into major problems.
When it came out, it looked like it had been cooked awhile and been sitting in a warming oven. But when I bit into mine It wasn't even cooked and wasn't even close. The other party cut into hers and yes, it was the same.
When a new piece for me came back and her old piece came back, it was cooked but even then it wasn't that good. Now I didn't expect the bold flavor of Mandarin Lemon Chicken. But this was bland, tasteless meat and 3 quality chicken. Mrs. Dash Lemon pepper would have been an improvement.
On my plate also appeared Lamb. No spice whatsoever. And note I wasn't expecting to breathe fire mind you, just the "delicate blend of spices." in the description. The Lamb was good but the only way you can really eff that up is to burn it or serve it raw, thankfully they didn't. Another in the party got the Kbobs. Dry as could be. And the sauce was watered down Contadina with nothing in it. On to the kids. Now I've never seen mine leave a burger and fries, until Marrakesh. I even gave the old Daddy's gonna taste this and when I see it's good, you're going to get it try.
Cough cough Gag...Have some lamb son. Cut Cut. Here's some chicken too.
On the plus side the seafood bastilla was good, but not extraordinary, and the crepes Atlas was wonderful, the Band nice (the set was a bit short,) and the belly dancer entertaining. I did like that she brought all the little kids out on stage with her. But in the end that wasn't enought to save it. And if you've read much from me, you'll see I'm not one of those that gets his nose out of joint at one little problem and deadpans a place. And even when I do, i post the good with the bad. I just didn't think people would want a full review in the thread. Maybe they had a bad night. Maybe most of the time it's great. But with so many choices down there, I won't take that chance.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

What kind of cheese is it? Sounds pretty Yucky to me. I'm thinkng of Le cellier and no princesses for DD. We are going to CRT though. I like 1900 park fare for food but DD does not like the "stupid prince". She is at a stage where she doesn't like boys at all.

Head Cheese isn't cheese at all. It's souse. It's kind of a Jellied loaf. It used to be made from the leftover parts of the head of a pig. Hence the name. but now leftover parts of all the pig are used.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Pizzafaria - me, my mom, and my cousin couldn't eat any of the food we got there, and we got three different things. Plus, the service there seemed really slow.

Also, not that the whole food court is bad, but I will never eat the pizza at the All Stars, or probably any food courts, again. It was the most awful thing I've ever eaten at Disney, and possibly in my life.

Not that I don't like pizza, I've just had continually bad pizza on Disney property. Though Pizza Planet is okay.

 

[mdhkitten]

For me it would have to be Rainforest Cafe............I LOVE the restaurant theming, but the food is way too expensive for the quality. I just don't think it's all that great. I would also say that Boma is a least favorite. I'm just not into the food. Jiko, on the other hand, is marvelous!

An excellent one would be Wolfgang Puck Express. The food here is wonderful and not expensive at all! I would say it is one of the best buys at WDW! My favorite desserts have been at Flying Fish, but the food was just so so.

 

[kaysmommie]

Head Cheese isn't cheese at all. It's souse. It's kind of a Jellied loaf. It used to be made from the leftover parts of the head of a pig. Hence the name. but now leftover parts of all the pig are used.

Now I know as I clicked on the link that descibed what it is, Yuck.

 

[BeckWhy]

Ok, first is the Hoop Dee Doo. There wasn't enough time to eat. It was the only place my sister would let me go to to get ribs, and when I needed seconds we waited like 30 min before a waitress came around. Then the second batch wasn't good. I ended up really sick. The rest of the food was really good. YUMMMM! Well then the people working at directing traffic were misinformed so we didn't get back to our hotel for another 2 hours after leaving HDD.

Secondly, Wolfgang Puck Express. Flame me for this if you want. I loved the food there. In fact when my boyfriend went away to school I found out they were opening an Express near him. Well they kept postponing the opening then decided to never opened it. Then I was visiting NYC for spring break and I found out they had an Express in Hoboken. So we went there. We got there and they were closed. My choice to never return there is the fact that I've been around the NE and everytime I try to eat the yummy food I get a huge disappointment finding out the place is close.

 

[goodeats]

Rainforest Cafe - Just no need to go there at WDW when there are at least a few within a 50 mile radius of me. I don't even like to go at home. We do have an ESPN zone around here and I would try that at WDW, though.

LTT Dinner - Blech. The lunch was pretty good, though.

I'll try 'Ohanas again some day, but probably not next trip. Same with Hoop Dee Doo. It was OK, just not worth $60pp.

Luckily most of our experiences have been pretty good. In fact when I was planning my ADRs, I had troubles because there were so many places I wanted to go back to.

 

[SandraVB79]

Now I know as I clicked on the link that descibed what it is, Yuck.

Have you ever tried it? Here in Belgium, and especially in Gent, it is a regional specialty, and it is very good. It "sounds" weird, but hey, trust me, there are yuckier things out than this.

No, not everyone should like it, but at least try it once before you call it yuck. It's exactly the same with the Norway menu. Just try it, it's not because it doesn't sound like your regular menu that you won't like it.


There are two big criteria on how you can say: I won't return to that restaurant.
The first one is bad service and/ or bad food (meaning it's not fresh, it's still raw (except for sushi of course! ), burnt, ..)
The second one is the fact "I don't like the taste of it", and I think in this case you shouldn't say "yuck" but "I don't like it". There is nothing more annoying then people constantly saying yuck about food you like. Example: last year on skiing trip with brother and his girlfriend, I had chosen the fish, they had the meat because they don't like fish. They were constantly saying things like "Yuck, that's disgusting", "yuck that fish smells bad" (the only thing you could smell was the basil etc, not the fish itself), ... It was quite hard for me to enjoy the delicious fish because of their negative remarks.

 

[kaysmommie]

Have you ever tried it? Here in Belgium, and especially in Gent, it is a regional specialty, and it is very good. It "sounds" weird, but hey, trust me, there are yuckier things out than this.

No, not everyone should like it, but at least try it once before you call it yuck. It's exactly the same with the Norway menu. Just try it, it's not because it doesn't sound like your regular menu that you won't like it.


There are two big criteria on how you can say: I won't return to that restaurant.
The first one is bad service and/ or bad food (meaning it's not fresh, it's still raw (except for sushi of course! ), burnt, ..)
The second one is the fact "I don't like the taste of it", and I think in this case you shouldn't say "yuck" but "I don't like it". There is nothing more annoying then people constantly saying yuck about food you like. Example: last year on skiing trip with brother and his girlfriend, I had chosen the fish, they had the meat because they don't like fish. They were constantly saying things like "Yuck, that's disgusting", "yuck that fish smells bad" (the only thing you could smell was the basil etc, not the fish itself), ... It was quite hard for me to enjoy the delicious fish because of their negative remarks.

That is very annoying while you are actually eating. But we are not eating now and if I want to say Yuck, I will. Alot of people posted this restaurant so I asked about it because me & DH & DD do not try things that sound grose. She wanted to see the princesses but I'm not going to eat there and be miserable I'll just change to breakfast. We are certainly not going to waste dining credits on food that no one will eat. We would certainly not sit in the restarant and say Yuck, but this post is about nasty food and service and I have a right to my opinion.

 

[MHopkins2]

Generally speaking, I've had very good experiences - both food and service - at WDW. The only place I've tried to which I will never return is the 50's Primetime Cafe. Don't ask me why on earth I went there in the first place, since "antics" aren't my thing. On top of the basic mismatch there, our service was TERRIBLE, and the food just adequate.

There are a couple of others that aren't quite "NEVER again!" but that I'm in no hurry to repeat. One is the Flying Fish - snotty service and iffy food. The only reason it's not permanently ruled out is that I think I may have just ordered the wrong thing. I've had several good meals at Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki, but it's only marginally different from the Benihana that's 20 yards from my work, so...