Clam Bake Buffet ??

[MITCH 112198]

ok, need more help, What do ya all think of the Clam Bake Dinner Buffet @ the Beach Club Resort? I am now thinking of going there instead of Garden Grill. Need to make my ressies on Sunday the 20th of Feb. thanks

 

[Phonedave]

ok, need more help, What do ya all think of the Clam Bake Dinner Buffet @ the Beach Club Resort? I am now thinking of going there instead of Garden Grill. Need to make my ressies on Sunday the 20th of Feb. thanks

I ate there Jan 9, 2011 after the marathon and thought it was by far the worst meal I have ever had in easily over 50 table service dinners I have had at WDW.

For you reading pleasure, it is reproduced below.




I had thought long about where to eat post marathon. I was going to expend 3,500+ calories running that morning - I needed a buffet in order not to go broke. A combination of places that were booked and places I did not want to eat at steered me to Cape May Cafe

Adult Dinner - $32.99
Blue Moon Beer - $5.75

This is now officially, in my book, the worst place to eat in WDW. When I entered the hostess gave me a rundown of the place, part of which was "of course over here is our dessert bar, which is the best part" that should have been a tip off from square one. My server disappeared for long stretches of time. When I ordered a beer, she took my water away. I then drank the beer, but she was nowhere to be found to either order another one or to get water.

Crab legs were ok, but nothing to write home about

Peel and eat shrimp - I understand the peel your own concept. Saves on costs and prevents patrons from gorging themselves. But could you at least de-vein them? Me, I eat anything, and have no problems ingesting a shrimps p00p-pipe, but really, any restaurant that serves shrimp with the veins still in needs to question its operation.

Overcooked rubbery PEI mussels that were the smallest I have ever seen, and tasted nothing like any PEI mussel I have ever had.

The fish was harder and drier than the table I was sitting at.

Clams have sand. I understand that. These had more sand than clam. I think I ground the enamel off my teeth. They are also NOT steamers, they are hard shell clams. There is a difference.

The ribs were just like my mother used to make when I was a kid. My mom made horrible ribs. You had to wrestle the meat off the bone.

Some highlights - the mashed potatoes were very good. - OK thats about it.

Then moving on to dessert - remember this is the best part. Utter dreck. Overly sweet, clearly pre-frozen and defrosted, some still with ice crystals. Items that had a crust were sogged out.

I ate a load of food because I was hungry, but really, it was not a place I want to ever go to again.


Plate 1

Plate 2

Plate 3

Dessert Plate

 

[Magical Dreamer]

We spent 10 days this past November and I got to say it was by far the worst meal of our entire stay....

Blah!!!!

 

[crispy]

I actually really enjoyed the dinner that I had there (October 2010). The only seafood I ate was a couple of grab legs and some calamari, and I enjoyed them both. The ribs, the salad selection, and the desserts were my favorite part of the meal.

 

[zurgandfriend]

If you are contemplating the Cape May Cafe for seafood, I strongly recommend considering the Flying Fish Café instead.

If you are contemplating the Cape May Café due to it’s proximity to your resort or due to the fact that you will be visiting Epcot please let me suggest the Captain’s Grille at the Yacht Club, the afore mentioned Flying Fish Café, one of the eateries in the Swan/Dolphin resort or any of the numerous restaurants of the World Showcase.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

My dad is a big fan of seafood, so we have eaten at the buffet on a number of occasions over the years. It definitely has seen a decrease in quality over the years, however to many people's liking more seafood has been added in place of more of the BBQ/Land food. Since they started changing the menu over to more seafood, I no longer go here since there just isn't enough for me to have with my shellfish allergy.

 

[menamechris]

This is interesting. My boyfriend is a seafood (especially crableg) buff, and is pretty critical of them. Each time we have gone, he has said it is some of the best he has had. Maybe it has more to do with the chef that is working that night? I dunno... One thing is for sure, this is NOT fine dining. This is a place to get your hands messy. SO maybe try it once and make your own conclusion. Like so many things at Disney, I think it really has to do with your expectations and what kind of dining experience you are really wanting...

 

[epcotWSC]

The food is nothing special, however, I don't think it was as bad as some here make it out. I do love the Oreo Bon Bons though.

 

[mickeysshoes]

ok, need more help, What do ya all think of the Clam Bake Dinner Buffet @ the Beach Club Resort? I am now thinking of going there instead of Garden Grill. Need to make my ressies on Sunday the 20th of Feb. thanks

Have not eaten here in over 10 years...BUT I will be making ADRs also on the 20th!!! Up bright and early Sunday...5:30 to get ready to 6 am ADR's!!! :sohappy:

 

[FLRick]

We have always enjoyed Cape May Cafe. Although it is a buffet, the food is quite good, and replaced fairly frequently. And, we have never experienced the bad service others complain about. Like all Disney restaurants, the price has gotten out of hand, but you go to Disney World knowing you won't be paying real world prices.

 

[mousebymarriage]

Cape May Cafe had become kind of a tradition for our family because it was great for the seafood lovers and non seafood lovers however, that tradition ended after our last trip. We ate there in Feb. 2010 and the meal was very disappointing. The food was tasteless and the temp of many items was barely luke warm. The items that were low or empty took forever to be replenished. The dessert selection was never great but, this past trip the selection was pretty bad. Our waiter was not very friendly which wasn't so bad because I think we only saw him twice (once when we got there and he took our drink orders and again when he brought the check- we had to flag down another waiter because our had disappeared after bringing our drinks when we got there. we waited almost 30 minutes for our check).
It's a shame because Cape May Cafe had always been one of our favorites. A friend of ours had been there in the late summer of 2009(a tradition for them also) and tried to warn us that things had gone down hill but, I just thought they had gone on an "off" night. Unfortunately, she was right!

 

[Tinkerbell 8]

We ate at Cape May Cafe in January 2011 and we enjoyed it. The food was always warm and replenished frequently. I had the new england clam chowder soup, which was very thick and delicious. I had about 3 plate fulls of the crab legs and they we very good. I also had some of the peel and eat shrimp, and some pasta. The pasta was very good, had a little spice to it which was different. The dessert was delicious, I think we tried one of everything, the chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal cookies were very soft and chewy which is how i like them. We also ate at Garden Grill i think in 2008 and that was also very good. I liked that they served it family style, and my fiance and I still talk about the bread and butter they served. If i had to pick between the two i would go back to Cape May Cafe.

 

[Mammymouse]

New England Clam Bake - Cape May is not. I am from RI and our clam bakes include soft shell steamer clams, lobster, mussels, corn on the cob, sausage and potatoes - all steamed together in a container. But the Cape May is a buffet that includes seafood items as others have mentioned - steamed hard shell clams, fish, chowders, mussels, peel and eat shrimp, and crab legs. Their variety of other food selections is good also and we enjoy going there. I had an issue with the sliced beef being too rare once (it was almost purple and I couldn't even cut it), but they brought out another roast and replaced my piece, which was very good. In fact it is the favorite of our family because the price is a little better that other buffets and there is something on the menu that we all 5 enjoy. I would give it 2 thumbs up!

 

[WDWScottieBoy]

I actually went there twice for my birthday and have always enjoyed it, even going with friends for a nice night. Not once have I ever had a bad meal here and didn't think the food quality was poor at all.