Kouzzina - really as bad as the reviews?

[IndyDisney]

So we're heading in to The World tomorrow and were trying to decide where to eat. DW and I are Food Network-aholics and were pumped that Iron Chef Cat Cora opened a place, but reading the reviews on this site, it looks like it's not worth the price tag. I know that more people rate bad experiences, so I thought I'd bring this to you all to see what y'all think.

Any insight would be most helpful.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I didn't think that it was bad, but it wasn't somewhere I would put on my must do list again. The food was decent, but definitely nothing to write home about. The only thing that was a standout was the Calamari...it was absolutely delicious.

 

[Ariel484]

Agree with DisneyInsider...not bad, not great. In general it’s very average, and for what we got I thought it was very overpriced. I personally wouldn’t go back – there are far better places in WDW – especially since there is excellent dining only a short walk from the Boardwalk area in Epcot. :shrug:

 

[GrumpyFannyPack]

My family ate there last September on the free plan. Mostly because the kids knew who Cat Cora was and the fact that it had just opened. We ate late in the evening and thought the food was decent and the atmosphere relaxing. We liked it enough to book it again for this September. (Although, if we can get Hacienda reservations we'll cancel Kouzzina.)

 

[karlbeau]

I have eaten there several times and truly enjoyed each time. My favorite menu item is the skirt teak which is always extremely tender with a flavorful sauce and tasty potatoes.

The prices were average for a restaurant of that caliber and we've always enjoyed the atmosphere. I will definitely be eating there again!

 

[gardenia]

We had breakfast there several months after they opened, because we were fans of Spoodles and wanted to compare it. It failed miserably! The "special" olive bread was hard as a rock, the breakfast flatbread was stale and tasteless, the prices were jacked up from Spoodle's, and none of the food was served hot. The waitress didn't know how to operate a press pot, so our coffee was a disaster also. It was a huge disappointment. I haven't ventured there for dinner yet, I'm not too tempted after our experience at breakfast. I hope Cat reads the reviews and DOES something about it.

 

[stlbobby]

I had breakfast there about a month after it opened and it was great.

 

[wdwmagic]

If any of you get a chance, please do leave a review on http://www.wdwmagic.com/Dining/Kouzzina/Reviews.htm

 

[wdwhoneymooner]

I agree with another poster that Spoodles was better, but Kouzzina was good. Service was very good but the food quality was about a "B" score.

My wife surprised me with a belated birthday dinner there and I admit that I was excited just to try a new place. We also had the calamari and found it to be fantastic: fried just right with the right amount of batter so that it wasn't rubbery or overcoated with batter. Our waiter saw that our serving was spilling oil onto our table (it's served in a paper cone to draw away the oil and keep the calamari crunchy) so he took it away after we already finished 2/3 of it. He came back with another full serving for no charge because he "didn't want anything to ruin my birthday celebration". Very cool.

 

[IndyDisney]

Thanks for the input everyone. We're still on the fence, but it's looking like we're leaning toward checking it out.

 

[pluto77]

We're going there for breakfast in August. The person I'm going with wanted to check it out because of Cat Cora, but dinner at Boardwalk wasn't really working out for us (kind of an awkward time to leave the parks if you want to maximize your time at the parks and not eat too late). So since they don't do lunch we are doing breakfast to at least check the place out.

 

[fairetails]

I enjoyed it a couple of weeks ago. Had the chicken and the flat breads. booked again for november.

 

[Disneygal24]

We enjoyed our meal at Kouzzina - is it on the same level as CA Grill - no. But it is on par with Rose and Crown and The Wave.

We had the one of the flat breads but checking the updated menus it looks like they are no longer on the menu.

My husband had the lamb shanks and said they were tender and flavorful. I had the Whole Fish and it was really good - the fish was so fresh and the flavor was amazing. My girlfriend had the Pastitsio which is the Greek Style Lasagna - it was interesting. It wasn't bad but it was very unexpected, it was good once you got over the fact that it is nothing like an italian lasagna.

All in all the food was really good. The open kitchen is fun - there was lots of "OMPA's" being yelled.

~Amanda

 

[IndyDisney]

So DW, DD3, and myself decided to eat there on Friday night. Great food. Don't know why I had any apprehensions. I got the trip which included smaller portions of the cinnamon chicken over orzo, the spicy lamb burger, and the Greek Lasagna. It was great. The burger was top notch, spicy and flavorful, cooked well. The lasagna was unexpected, but very good. The chicken was good, just not for me. DW had the Pork T-bone. It was a well seasoned piece of meat with an Ouzo-infused reduction of some type, cooked to order.

We would definitely go back. Just thought I'd follow up in the thread.

Cheers,
Dave