Everyone's Best and Worst Dining Experiences?

[popcenturylover]

Best Character meal: Akershus breakfast
Best dinner: 'Ohana
Best couples dinner: California Grill while watching the fireworks
Worst food at Disney: food court at CBR- very bland, not alot of variety compared to other resort food courts.
Most over-rated: Via Napoli- Very expensive for pizza that was just, meh.

 

[GVentola]

Worst was the Sci-Fi Drive In. I love the atmosphere and the concept, but I can never seem to get a dish I like there. The first time I ate there was with my parents; I think I was still a minor. I didn't like my food and I was picking at it, and Dad criticized me, and I said I would pay for it just to get him to shut up. At which point he growled some words at me. I don't remember what he said, but it upset me greatly.

The best experience I've had was what might be the worst experience to some. I went with some people from an online meetup group to Rose and Crown this past October. Our server, imported from England, was Rebekah, and she was the most charming, goofiest server ever. Think Lucille Ball with an English accent. I asked for a Shirley Temple; she didn't know what that was, so I explained it to her--simple enough, Sprite and grenadine. She had never heard of Shirley Temple the person either. She brought out some ice water for the diner next to me--and spilled it all over her! Some water got on me as well. But we forgave her because she was so charming. She explained she was from a town near Manchester, and I said, "That's where Davy Jones and Peter Noone are from!" To which she replied, "Are they friends of yours?" The diner on the other side of me exclaimed, "Oh, I wish I could take you home with me!" No one was mad at Rebekah; everyone just loved her. I gave her an extra big tip to make up the embarrassment she must've felt over spilling the ice water. I still think of her from time to time and hope I run into her again.

 

[Phonedave]

So that's a no on Cape May

I rarely am totally disappointed with a meal and I never write off a restaruant on the basis of one visit - but I am going to have a hard time giving Cape May a second chance after that night.

-dave

 

[IowaHawks7]

Best QS- Big fan of Flame Tree and Restaurantosaurus
Best TS- Biergarten, we make it a regular visit each trip
Worst QS- Really do not like Columbia Harbor House
Worst TS- Really hated Fultons, family is originally from Massachusetts and that seafood was nasty.

 

[DisneyJunkie]

In each park, Disney Springs, and resorts......

MK: BOG wasn't there on our last visit. We usually just do quick service meals in MK, so BEST is probably Cosmic Ray's. WORST was probably Tony's Townsquare Restaurant. Everything about our meals was bland or just not good at all.

EPCOT: BEST is probably Coral Reef (it's on our list of must-dos) as we consistently have good meals there. WORST might be Restaurant Marrakesh as our entire party agreed the food was bland as could be and not worth going back to.

DHS: BEST goes again to some of the quick service stops like Rosie's. WORST might be Mama Melrose or the 50's Prime Time Cafe. Both my wife and I disliked the food in MM and at 50's Prime Time, the food was "meh" at best and the waitress wasn't playing her part.

AK: Another stop for primarily quick service meals. BEST is probably Pizzafari. Haven't really come across a WORST yet.

DISNEY SPRINGS: BEST might be Wolfgang Puck. WORST just might be T-Rex simply because it's food is no better than your local Applebees (but far more expensive), and instead of a fun atmosphere, it was just noise.

RESORTS: As BEST, I'd go with 'Ohana at Polynesian, Roaring Forks at WL. Can't say I've come across a WORST place, but we weren't overly thrilled with the dining options at Caribbean Beach.

 

[Noellikechristmas]

Best: Ohana & Biergarten
I like the food at the biergarten, but the love the atmosphere even more....and everyone loves the drink menu

I have not really had a worst yet. . I was not a huge fan of the food at Spice Road Table, but my service was great and I had a front row seat to IllumiNations.

 

[slappy magoo]

Off the top of my head, I can't remember a "worst meal" though the worst repercussions from a meal came the last time I ate at Boma, a restaurant I dearly love. Not to get overly graphic, I didn't get much sleep that night, and the next couple of days were no picnic either.

There was one meal at 50s Primetime which was fine, though we felt we "missed out" a bit on atmosphere because our server was very young, from China and had no frame of reference for 50s era TV. Not like I blamed the guy, he was courteous and wanted to do a good job, but we had none of the fun everyone else was having with their servers.

Best meal...best meal experience at least....was when I popped the question at Rose and Crown a few minutes before Reflections of earth began. Wait staff was kind enough to get us a patio table. I had flowers delivered to the table, got down on one knee, people applauded, the wait staff came out to sing "All You Need Is Love" loud and off-key. It was glorious.

 

[mf1972]

Off the top of my head, I can't remember a "worst meal" though the worst repercussions from a meal came the last time I ate at Boma, a restaurant I dearly love. Not to get overly graphic, I didn't get much sleep that night, and the next couple of days were no picnic either.

There was one meal at 50s Primetime which was fine, though we felt we "missed out" a bit on atmosphere because our server was very young, from China and had no frame of reference for 50s era TV. Not like I blamed the guy, he was courteous and wanted to do a good job, but we had none of the fun everyone else was having with their servers.

Best meal...best meal experience at least....was when I popped the question at Rose and Crown a few minutes before Reflections of earth began. Wait staff was kind enough to get us a patio table. I had flowers delivered to the table, got down on one knee, people applauded, the wait staff came out to sing "All You Need Is Love" loud and off-key. It was glorious.

off topic, but cool Rose & Crown story.

 

[Sonconato]

Although this is bringing up an old thread, I thought this was worth sharing. We sometimes will swing by a resort food court to eat there rather than in the Parks. Tonight was one of those nights and we chose to go to Art of Animation for dinner since we hadn't been for a couple of years. My son decided to get the Steak Sandwich which appeared to be okay on the photo but when he received it, well...you can see for yourself below. You will see the advertised image and the other image is what it really looked like. He did say that it tasted okay at best...at least better than what it actually looked like.

 

[Cesar R M]

Although this is bringing up an old thread, I thought this was worth sharing. We sometimes will swing by a resort food court to eat there rather than in the Parks. Tonight was one of those nights and we chose to go to Art of Animation for dinner since we hadn't been for a couple of years. My son decided to get the Steak Sandwich which appeared to be okay on the photo but when he received it, well...you can see for yourself below. You will see the advertised image and the other image is what it really looked like. He did say that it tasted okay at best...at least better than what it actually looked like.
View attachment 143995 View attachment 143996

lol, I honestly could say that McDonalds food looks better.
Was it a busy day when they served you that?

 

[Sonconato]

lol, I honestly could say that McDonalds food looks better.
Was it a busy day when they served you that?

The pasta line was very busy and in general the food court was busy but this line and the salad line had no one in them and the burger line was about 10 deep. We think part of the reason it was so busy at that time is because there were thunderstorms and heavy rain, so everybody was leaving the parks and heading back to the resorts. Believe it or not, we often choose to go to McDonald's before we head to the Park because we think the Quick Service product has diminished in quality below that "McDonald's" threshold. On top of it not being that great...it was pricey too!

 

[DfromATX]

Although this is bringing up an old thread, I thought this was worth sharing. We sometimes will swing by a resort food court to eat there rather than in the Parks. Tonight was one of those nights and we chose to go to Art of Animation for dinner since we hadn't been for a couple of years. My son decided to get the Steak Sandwich which appeared to be okay on the photo but when he received it, well...you can see for yourself below. You will see the advertised image and the other image is what it really looked like. He did say that it tasted okay at best...at least better than what it actually looked like.
View attachment 143995 View attachment 143996

Both photos look kind of gross, but the real photo looks more like a burnt hamburger than a steak sandwich. I'll be at AofA in July, can't wait!

 

[Sonconato]

Both photos look kind of gross, but the real photo looks more like a burnt hamburger than a steak sandwich. I'll be at AofA in July, can't wait!

 

[DfromATX]

WORST might be Restaurant Marrakesh as our entire party agreed the food was bland as could be and not worth going back to.

I agree with you on Marrakesh, but I suspect we are in the minority. My husband is Iranian so I've tried a lot of Middle Eastern foods, but this place just wasn't that good to us. Same with Boma, everyone else raves about it, but we didn't like it.

 

[ynahtebwdw]

Best: Victoria & Albert's without a shadow of a doubt
Worst: Hollywood Brown Derby - had booked it on the last night of our very first trip as a treat, all three main meals arrived cold and the desserts were just nasty. Although when we complained they did reimburse us with the table service credits for the meal (we were on the dining plan) because it was just so terrible. Nice gesture but it was the last night of our trip so were unable to use them

 

[Dylan Ann]

Although this is bringing up an old thread, I thought this was worth sharing. We sometimes will swing by a resort food court to eat there rather than in the Parks. Tonight was one of those nights and we chose to go to Art of Animation for dinner since we hadn't been for a couple of years. My son decided to get the Steak Sandwich which appeared to be okay on the photo but when he received it, well...you can see for yourself below. You will see the advertised image and the other image is what it really looked like. He did say that it tasted okay at best...at least better than what it actually looked like.
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This picture just made me laugh out loud so hard - thanks!

My best meal at Epcot was Marrakesh when I was about 12 years old. The whole experience was amazing, and it was probably the first time I had Moroccan food. True story - Morocco was added to my bucket list that day and is still there (I've hit every other continent, so it's next!). In the half a dozen times I've been back to Disney since then, we never manage to get there (one time we actually had reservations and a hurricane closed all the parks). I'm going in December and will make sure I get there - but now I'm nervous that 25 years later it won't live up to expectations because I've been exposed to so many other great exotic foods since then. But no matter what, I consider that meal when I was 12 actually life changing.

Worst was probably the Cape May Cafe, through no fault on its own. We were there a few years ago for my parents' 60th birthday celebration, and my brother's then-girlfriend/now-wife was with us. It was her one request, but unfortunately no one in our family really likes buffets. My dad hates them, which means to keep the peace my mom tells him to sit and fixes him a plate first before getting her own. It's one of those weird family dynamics that we are typically able to avoid by not bringing my dad to buffets. The food wasn't bad by any means, but I don't remember there being anything particularly good about it, and the buffet thing with my dad just stressed everyone out. My December trip will be with just me and my mom, and I'm looking forward to trying Boma!

 

[Hockey89]

Worst was probably the Cape May Cafe, through no fault on its own. We were there a few years ago for my parents' 60th birthday celebration, and my brother's then-girlfriend/now-wife was with us. It was her one request, but unfortunately no one in our family really likes buffets. My dad hates them, which means to keep the peace my mom tells him to sit and fixes him a plate first before getting her own. It's one of those weird family dynamics that we are typically able to avoid by not bringing my dad to buffets. The food wasn't bad by any means, but I don't remember there being anything particularly good about it, and the buffet thing with my dad just stressed everyone out. My December trip will be with just me and my mom, and I'm looking forward to trying Boma!

Why does he hate Buffets? Just curious... I'm no a fan either.

 

[Hockey89]

Although this is bringing up an old thread, I thought this was worth sharing. We sometimes will swing by a resort food court to eat there rather than in the Parks. Tonight was one of those nights and we chose to go to Art of Animation for dinner since we hadn't been for a couple of years. My son decided to get the Steak Sandwich which appeared to be okay on the photo but when he received it, well...you can see for yourself below. You will see the advertised image and the other image is what it really looked like. He did say that it tasted okay at best...at least better than what it actually looked like.
View attachment 143995 View attachment 143996

Honestly both pictures look disgusting

 

[cornandacobb]

I had previously posted but somehow forgot to mention one meal.
Not that it was the worst experience but definitely one of the most disappointing experiences.
December 2012 we made the early morning trek from Yacht Club to the Poly. Breakfast at Kona Café. We had dined there before and loved it. My parents, my wife and I are all big coffee drinkers. First thing we ordered when we sat down was two French Press Pots of Kona. YUM!
ERRRRRR! "Sorry, we are out of Kona. There is a shortage."
Apparently they had been out for a couple of days and didn't know when next shipment was coming in. It was not available anywhere in the Poly.
The cup of Kona blend was inadequate, unfulfilling, disappointing.
Sorta put a bummer on breakfast. My Tonga Toast was good though.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Best: MK Liberty Tree - I seriously love the Pilgrim's Feast and it's always consistent. I also love Crystal Palace. Solid buffet.
Worst: Pinnochio's - Got food poisoining and no doubt it was from there. The food isn't good either.

Best: Epcot Teppan Edo. Consistently the best service of any WDW restaurant and always good food.
Worst: Epcot Seasons - Everything there seems cold and tasteless to me (despite rave reviews here) Dessert is OK.

Best: Hollywood - 50s Prime. Some of the best fried chicken anywhere, period...not just good for WDW. Great milkshakes.
Worst: Commissary - I agree with OP. The food never looks good and always very meh.

Best AK: Yak and Yeti - WAY better than expected and awesome curry dishes. Tie, Flame Tree BBQ. The best BBQ at WDW and possible as good as any bbq chicken you've had at restaurants. It's VERY good bbq.
Worst: Nothing that bad, but Pizzafari is kind of basic, disappointing.