Wish food could be higher quality at disney

[Rockbro]

I don't know of a single restaurant at WDW that serves "high-quality meats/produce" at reasonable prices. There are many that serve exceptional food but I doubt they have only organic vegetable, grass fed meats etc. I would maybe stick to vegetable and fish options.

I agree. You really can't go wrong with fish at any Disney restaurant. Overpriced? Yes. But I've never been disappointed with fish there. Coral Reef, The Boathouse, Morimotto, even Cali Grill which is primarily a steakhouse is great. Sushi options include Miyaka. But I also agree that premium food comes at a premium price.

Perhaps the OP should opt to rent DVC points so that (s)he can cook own meals. Park restaurants can be good, but not as high quality as resort restaurants and QS is definitely going to be a no-go. Oh... I neglected to mention Tiffins and Flying Fish.

Let's put in in this perspective: My wife and I have stayed club level at every deluxe resort but 1 at a very premium price. Even those food offerings seem to be reconstituted from a prior night's dinner at some in house restaurant. $ talks... sometimes.

 

[Little_Mouse]

Dug 720 - I am fearful with a lot of foods, it's something I struggle with. My fear is how I will feel afterwards physically and mentally. I've been this way all my adult life.

As much as I love animals, I don't think I was meant to be vegan but after you start eating meat where the animal spent more time in the fields, you can tell the difference in taste and texture. When I eat the conventional meat I wonder how it was raised and what is in it. I have to admit inside there is a part of me that wants to go back to when I was a kid at disney and never thought about any of it... I had so many good times eating just plain ordinary food with my mom. Would love to live in a world where all meat came from animals that led good healthy lives and there was no bad and artifical ingredients in food...

Rockbro - I have a tendency to choose fish wherever I go. I think it's in my genes to like fish because I am Irish. Ragland Pub is one of my favorite restaurants in downtown disney, as well as Captain Jack's before they took it down. I liked Captain Jack's because it had a lot of good seafood, a good view, not too expensive and it was casual.

 

[karen4546]

I agree. You really can't go wrong with fish at any Disney restaurant. Overpriced? Yes. But I've never been disappointed with fish there. Coral Reef, The Boathouse, Morimotto, even Cali Grill which is primarily a steakhouse is great. Sushi options include Miyaka. But I also agree that premium food comes at a premium price.

Perhaps the OP should opt to rent DVC points so that (s)he can cook own meals. Park restaurants can be good, but not as high quality as resort restaurants and QS is definitely going to be a no-go. Oh... I neglected to mention Tiffins and Flying Fish.

Let's put in in this perspective: My wife and I have stayed club level at every deluxe resort but 1 at a very premium price. Even those food offerings seem to be reconstituted from a prior night's dinner at some in house restaurant. $ talks... sometimes.

I LOVE club level. The convenience is the BEST. IMO club level at WDW is not the best use of $$$, but when we don't stay CL then I miss it.... I do think CL on DCL was worth it.

 

[Rockbro]

Dug 720 - I am fearful with a lot of foods, it's something I struggle with. My fear is how I will feel afterwards physically and mentally. I've been this way all my adult life.

As much as I love animals, I don't think I was meant to be vegan but after you start eating meat where the animal spent more time in the fields, you can tell the difference in taste and texture. When I eat the conventional meat I wonder how it was raised and what is in it. I have to admit inside there is a part of me that wants to go back to when I was a kid at disney and never thought about any of it... I had so many good times eating just plain ordinary food with my mom. Would love to live in a world where all meat came from animals that led good healthy lives and there was no bad and artifical ingredients in food...

Rockbro - I have a tendency to choose fish wherever I go. I think it's in my genes to like fish because I am Irish. Ragland Pub is one of my favorite restaurants in downtown disney, as well as Captain Jack's before they took it down. I liked Captain Jack's because it had a lot of good seafood, a good view, not too expensive and it was casual.

Captain Jack's was one of my favorites, as well. That was the "good old days," when lobster was an offering in every restaurant on the regular dining plan... oh for it to be 2007 again!

 

[rwdavis2]

With all due respect, if food is really that important to you, I'd choose a different vacation destination. The best meal I ever had at Disney was at V&A's, but as I recall, it cost around $250 per person (chef's table). Cali Grill a close second.

But you can't expect a place like Disney to cater to every person individually.

We have a winner! ;-)
IMHO, WDW food is, on average, mediocre at best with a few exceptions. We never make plans around the dining. It's where dining fits around other plans.

 

[JZCubed]

I've been vegan for almost a year, but recently began eating meat again. I am low in weight and don't do well with a lot of carbs, hardly eat dairy and scared of tofu. Peanut butter was getting me by but I was getting deficient in so many ways. When I eat meat now it is mostly organic grass fed beef, organic chicken, wild fish but sometimes farmed, pasture raised eggs.
Please don't think badly of me for saying that. I didn't grow up eating grass fed and organic food. I don't have a lot of money. It's just with a stomach condition, a heart for animals, and realizing how food can affect you in so many ways I'm willing to spend a lot on it.

Something I wish for at disney is a little bit higher quality food at the parks. We pay so much to get into the parks. Disney is not hurting for business or money. I guess it is unrealistic to expect this type of food at buffet restaurants but for the price we pay at them I almost kind of do. Take for example my least favorite restuarant, Chef Mickey's. Last time I was there I made the mistake of not looking at the price and my meal cost me 60 dollars in the end. It's so crazy to me. Like I said in another post, I wasn't sure the eggs were eggs at all.
I think I just read it was reduced to half of that price though. I am not sure of that though. I would like to see them offer wild (but sustainable
) fish at places like whispering canyon. I would just like to see them offer better food to people even at restaurants that aren't fancy. Am I being unrealistic? Also, does anybody know where disney gets their meats and if they are humanely raised?

You've raised a few issues:

1.) Food quality in the Parks
2.) Price/Value of Character Meals

I am a former restaurant professional with a resume that includes managing some of the largest (by $$) restaurants in the world.

Disney serves fairly high-quality for the volume of food - at every price point.

If they have a 'weak link' it's the prices.....like most every entertainment venue anywhere, other than some of their ice cream parlors, Disney charges a price premium for food and beverages.

If you look at the cost of a buffet at Disney without Characters versus the cost with Characters, the price premium here is the Characters. Chef Mickey's is the Character restaurant most in demand - because folks who aren't going Parks dine here....the Monorail is free....and it's the only place to see the 'Fab 5'. Is it expensive for lousy food - Yes! Is it a fun time for children & families - Yes!

Value is very personal. Not every place at Disney is going to be 'your cup of tea'. Value is always relative to the personal calculus of wants & desires.

For instance - I hate the food at Sci-Fi Dine-In.....and yet, we go most every vacation because the ambiance is worth the price of admission for my family. Similarly, if Goofy is part of the Character list - I'm 'all-in'.....if Alice & friends are around - my daughter is 'all-in'....if Belle is part of the dining room cast - my wife is 'all-in'......

 

[butterscotchcollins]

I am a former restaurant professional with a resume that includes managing some of the largest (by $$) restaurants in the world.

Disney serves fairly high-quality for the volume of food - at every price point.

I respectfully disagree but would be curious to hear more about this opinion. I agree with OP in that I wish the quality of the food was better (maybe not quite to the same level, but anything has to be better than what they currently serve). To me the quality of QS is unacceptable from the stale cinnamon rolls to the sad dry burgers/chicken sandwiches and the rubbery iceburg lettuce in salads, and TS is only marginally better in the parks. I can get better quality food at a McDonalds or an Olive Garden (both of which I honestly like for what they are, at least they taste good). So why shouldn't I hold park food to the same standard?

 

[Moliphino]

I respectfully disagree but would be curious to hear more about this opinion. I agree with OP in that I wish the quality of the food was better (maybe not quite to the same level, but anything has to be better than what they currently serve). To me the quality of QS is unacceptable from the stale cinnamon rolls to the sad dry burgers/chicken sandwiches and the rubbery iceburg lettuce in salads, and TS is only marginally better in the parks. I can get better quality food at a McDonalds or an Olive Garden (both of which I honestly like for what they are, at least they taste good). So why shouldn't I hold park food to the same standard?

There's tons of good food to be found at QS restaurants if you look beyond the generic burgers, chicken tenders, and pizza that's there for the masses. Granted, not much of it at MK, but the other parks have good options.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

There's tons of good food to be found at QS restaurants if you look beyond the generic burgers, chicken tenders, and pizza that's there for the masses. Granted, not much of it at MK, but the other parks have good options.

Such as? We're QS people because we don't like to waste valuable park time, I've eaten it many many times over the years and have yet to find anything that wasn't truly disappointing with the exception of the new GE choices introduced at HS last year.

 

[Moliphino]

Such as? We're QS people because we don't like to waste valuable park time, I've eaten it many many times over the years and have yet to find anything that wasn't truly disappointing with the exception of the new GE choices introduced at HS last year.

Tangierine Cafe
Satuli Canteen
Harambe Market
Cantina de San Angel
Ronto Roasters
Docking Bay 7
BOG lunch used to be better than average, but is now TS
Sunshine Seasons

 

[kaytieeldr]

(maybe not quite to the same level, but anything has to be better than what they currently serve)

No. This makes zero sense, even as an opinion. It indicates Olive Garden, McDonalds, Joe's Hole in the wall, a hot dog cart (and similar at every level) have t be better than any Disney food. That's impossible.

It's like the old "A ham sandwich is better than eternal happiness" misstatement.

 

[Karebear]

Side note, I have not bought eggs from the grocery store since I got married in 1988. We have a small farm and our chickens are free range (in the orchard not the pasture) and I haven't seen the "pasture raised" eggs in the grocery store-but i haven't looked either. I will next time I go.

I buy Vital Farms eggs that are pasture raised. They are more expensive, but you can taste the difference. Maybe they have them at your local store

 

[butterscotchcollins]

No. This makes zero sense, even as an opinion. It indicates Olive Garden, McDonalds, Joe's Hole in the wall, a hot dog cart (and similar at every level) have t be better than any Disney food. That's impossible.

That’s why it’s called an opinion, my dude, and that’s mine If you’re cool with the trash quality then good for you. I personally would rather avoid the stale flavorless cardboard served at most QS and save my $11.

 

[kaytieeldr]

That’s why it’s called an opinion, my dude, and that’s mine If you’re cool with the trash quality then good for you. I personally would rather avoid the stale flavorless cardboard served at most QS and save my $11.

I disagree with:

• Disney QS food at most locations is flavorless cardboard
• All the places I listed and their competitors being trash
• That I eat at any of all those places.

 

[vinotinto]

Tangierine Cafe
Satuli Canteen
Harambe Market
Cantina de San Angel
Ronto Roasters
Docking Bay 7
BOG lunch used to be better than average, but is now TS
Sunshine Seasons

I enjoy all these QS and they are my go-tos. But, NONE of them address the OP’s desire for organic, grass-fed meats and organic vegetables.

 

[Dug720]

I enjoy all these QS and they are my go-tos. But, NONE of them address the OP’s desire for organic, grass-fed meats and organic vegetables.

And those are not things you are going to find at Disney - especially counter service. The reasons have been addressed here - largely cost and the demand if there at all is only from a tiny portion and therefore not cost-effective to even consider. It the OP is not going to be able to cope with non-organic foods, they either need to plan on cooking all their own meals or vacationing on an organic compound somewhere that their requirements can be met.

 

[karen4546]

I buy Vital Farms eggs that are pasture raised. They are more expensive, but you can taste the difference. Maybe they have them at your local store

lol I have not bought eggs in over 20 years. We have a small farm and our chickens and ducks are free range in our orchard. We grow our own produce also.

 

[Moliphino]

I enjoy all these QS and they are my go-tos. But, NONE of them address the OP’s desire for organic, grass-fed meats and organic vegetables.

Yeah, those were in response to a different poster, not the OP.

 

[vinotinto]

Yeah, those were in response to a different poster, not the OP.

Ah, gotcha! I went back and re-read and it all makes sense now. FWIW, I agree with you. Those are some good suggestions and they are our go-tos.

And, as I said earlier, I just don’t think there’s enough people that want to spend more at Disney for higher quality ingredients. There’s a few of us that would like that, but bottom line is king.

 

[patclairesmom]

Disney eggs are the best! Plus there are several high quality restaurants in the parks. CHH in MK has healthy high quality food.