Overrated restaurants in WDW

[cslafferty]

I'm wondering if the key word here is "inconsistency." Our first trip to Coral Reef in Aug. 2010 was hands down the best meal of our trip. Last Dec.it was probably the worst one. LOVED Le Cellier (especially the potato soup!) but couldn't get in last Dec. So, after reading lots of great reviews about Yachtsman, went there. Had an 8:00pm ADR, didn't get seated until 9:30, and didn't get our appetizer until after 10! And never any kind of apology from anyone. Steak was ok, but the rest of the food on my plate was cold. So based on that visit, Yachtsman would be my vote for most overrated. But I know that others rate Yachtsman as the best steak restaurant on property. I guess what I'm trying to say is after reading the forums, I think every restaurant has it's ups and downs. I guess the key is to find the ones that are more up than down!

 

[Monty]

Emigrated to Montreal in the 70's and had awesome meals which I treasure in my gastronomic adventures around the globe.Just wish my meal at Le Cellier was more memorable

I love Montreal, but have never had a steak there! LOL Can't get past Schwartz' smoked meat!

 

[Monty]

All personal opinions...

LC - it's not a Sig. It's a 2 point for dinner DDP restaurant. There is a difference.

Technically, while it may not meet your criteria for a Signature restaurant, Disney clearly lists it as a Signature Restaurant in the current DDP brochure.

 

[bethymouse]

Didn't care for Victoria and Alberts at all when we went on our honeymoon. Overpriced food, snooty servers once we advised we would not be having the wine parings, and overall uncomfortable atmosphere. Pretty much one of the only non magical memories of any of our stays at WDW.

Too "stuffy" for me!

 

[bethymouse]

I've never had a bad meal or service at Le Cellier, I always wonder when I read others' comments that they have done that maybe I get "special" treatment because I quite blatantly advertise that I'm Canadian. *Shrug*.

The only restaurant I absolutely refuse to return to is Liberty Tree Tavern. The food has never been beyond 'palatable' [my thought has always been that it equated to a TV dinner] and I've had genuinely horrendous service all but one out of four visits.

Wow- the pretzel breads, cheese soup ( not sure if they serve that anymore), and the filet mignon just watered in my mouth. It was a small portion, but it suited my tastes- although hubby didn't like the atmosphere- too dark. Our waiter was wonderful! ( This was before the dinner became "signature".)

 

[bethymouse]

Crystal Palace dinner isn't all that great.. Liberty Tree Tavern was terrible, I'll never eat there again... Mama Melrose is another no go for me... And I wasn't impresses with Brown Derby... Ohh, and Tony's Town Square... No thanks...

I ate in Le Cellier once and enjoyed it... I didn't think the place was over rated at all..

Did you get the famous Cobb Salad and Grapefruit cake? I am w/ ya on LTT and MM, but I like TTS. The simple Italian American fare and the steaks are good. But, like most WDW restaurants it was loud, and the service wasn't that terrific!

 

[Captain Chaos]

Did you get the famous Cobb Salad and Grapefruit cake? I am w/ ya on LTT and MM, but I like TTS. The simple Italian American fare and the steaks are good. But, like most WDW restaurants it was loud, and the service wasn't that terrific!

Actually, the meal I had at Brown Derby was for Dining with an Imagineer, which they have a set menu... And what they gave us, wasn't impressive...

 

[bethymouse]

I was not that impressed with Coral Reef at all.... And don't get me wrong on this one, I absolutely LOVE the atmosphere of Rose and Crown, but the last couple of times I have been, their fish and chips have not been good... This last time they were pretty much just all fried batter and no fish hardly inside at all... The fish there used to be sooo good, but the quality has gone down tremendously.

That's a shame. We had a wonderful experience @ Rose & Crown: the beer, the waiter "Guvna", and tasty food! Coral Reef didn't impress me either, although our waiter was nice and attentive.

 

[bethymouse]

Le Cellier lunch tops this list for me. It was by no means bad, but it was also a far cry from "best steak of my life" hype- IMO. The highly rated filet is on par with some of the local middle grade steak houses...i.e. good, but not comparable to any of the fine dining steak places. We're going back- but I plan on just eating the burger since a good burger at WDW is a good thing...and I'm hoping that will live up to the hype.

'Ohana dinner is my next overhyped place. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed it; however, for the $- if I had the time...I think driving offsite to Fogo de Chao or Texas de Brasil is the better option. The whole concept at 'Ohana is like a Brazilian steakhouse, and while 'Ohana has better atmosphere...the meat quality doesn't match up to the Brazilian places.

Tusker House breakfast was the worst breakfast we've ever had at WDW. While I keep wondering if we just went on a bad day...the meal for us was the trifecta of yuck...bad food (and I'm not a picky eater), bad service, and bad character interaction.

OMG my parents hated the Tusker House Breakfast experience! They really rushed us, and were not able to enjoy it at all!

 

[BamaDisneyFan]

The loser goes to Le Cellier. I had heard so much about it. I have to admit the food was good, but the service was Awful. It's not worth 2 Table Credits and We will not be going back.

 

[Hrudey3032]

To me Akershaus was the place I thought was overrated. I simply detested most of the food. My next spot would be Crystal Palace. Food was ok but $30 plus tip for a buffet is just not worth it.

 

[Tinkerfan4ever]

Our worst (and we haven't been back) was Chef Mickey's for breakfast. We had previously eaten breakfast at both Crystal Palace and Tuskerhouse and we thought the food was WAY better at both of those than at CM. It also took forever for the characters to get to our table and we almost left without seeing Mickey. We are chalking it up to "a bad day" and will we go back... sure, but we have a LOT of other resturants to try first.

 

[MissMorrow]

Le Cellier and Ohana for sure. Both used to favorites, but no longer. The food quality isn't there anymore. Jiko is another one. It's not bad, but I wasn't impressed enough to return. After Sanaa it's hard to eat anywhere else at AKL.

 

[GeoDonJac34]

I was definitely disappointed in 50s. I was expecting a lot though. The menu seemed almost perfect to me. I did not enjoy my meal, or the others I sampled. I will agree CP, food wise is not my favorite buffet, but I love the place. I am almost afraid to say it, but I was disappointed in Via Napoli. Some people seem to take negative comments about VN personal.

 

[Orpheus7696]

I have to say California Grill has been the most over rated restaurant in Disney World for me. I don't know if we ate there so late or just an off day. We had a party of 8 and I talked it up but did not reach our expectations.

 

[chrissyw14]

I'm finally going to go to Le Cellier in August and I'm excited. Honestly I am not worried about it not living up to my expectations because I think I am pretty easy going when it comes to restaurants, we are also going for lunch so it will be less expensive

 

[jpittore1]

The Brown Derby...not worth two credits...gave it two tries over a two year period...they couldn't get a filet correct either time...dry and over done.

We use to love the 50's Prime, but during our trip in June our waitress didn't even try...no one was really trying to act like "Momma" from the 50's...went there for the laughs...without the laughs you can get that type of food at Cracker Barrell or Bob Evans....

We had a great experience at Le Cellier during our trip at the begging of June, we went for lunch and didn't notice much of a change. They didn't have the chocolate raspberry milkshake on the menu, but when we asked they made it for my children....I think the issue is LeCellier got an "ego" when they became signature for dinner.

 

[Tinkerbella16]

I have never been to Le Cellier, but from the reviews of the place and how difficult it is to get an ADR there I told my sister on her last trip that she should really try it so she did and she did not like it at all.. the portions were tiny and she and her fiance both said the place was nothing to rave about.

From the restaurants I've been to, Coral Reef was not a favorite of mine at all. Mama Melrose was awful.. just another Olive Garden, and I hate Olive Garden! Sci-fi was not good and we even gave it a second chance and still wasn't good so we won't be returning there.

 

[Phonedave]

For me Le Cellier is the biggest let down. It is hyped so much, and delivers so little - on multiple visits

Cape May Cafe I have been to once, but it was so poor all around that I doubt I will ever give it a second chance.

The last meal I had at R&C was downright pitiful. But, I have had good meals there before, so that may have been a one off.


-dave

 

[experiment624]

The only restaurant I absolutely refuse to return to is Liberty Tree Tavern. The food has never been beyond 'palatable' [my thought has always been that it equated to a TV dinner] and I've had genuinely horrendous service all but one out of four visits.

I agree on the Liberty Tree Tavern. The food and smell of it made me physically nauseated.

On the other hand, I have to say, that I found some counter service restaurants that are pretty decent... I was very stuck up when it came to food at WDW and only ate at sit-down restaurants. Recently some close friends and fellow PAP holders, pointed out how much money we were spending in a single weekend for food at WDW and invited us to try counter-service with their family. We went to Sunshine Seasons at EPCOT and was pleasantly surprised at the next-to-gourmet offering, pricing, and quality of the food. I wont give up my sit-down restaurants, but I will save money and enjoy the counter service offerings more. I am excited to explore the counter-service restaurants in the park. Any suggestions for unique and tasty food?