Restaurants most/least impressed by...

[redfive13]

I thought I'd start this thread mainly because I recently went to the clambake at the Cape May Cafe and was completely BLOWN AWAY. For whatever reason, my expectations were set pretty low (maybe because it was a buffet at a hotel?) but all of that changed about 5 minutes in. The food there was excellent and it has now made it into the must-do list of places to dine in WDW.

A couple others to mention are Jiko; I had the single best meal ever at Jiko (the steak w/ mac & cheese!!!) and yes... I loved the food at the Hoop-De-Doo, it reminded me of cookouts growing up.

I'm just curious to read about some similar stories you guys may have out there...

 

[invictor23]

I know its a chain of restaurants and in DTD, but I absolutly love eating at Planet Hollywood at least one night of my visit, always have and always will I think. I always seem to find the food a higher quality here than in other outlets of the chain I've visited elsewhere, and the service is incredibly friendly throughout.

Only problem I've had in the past though, is they didn't seem to like me booking in advance unless I had a big party (there were 4 of us) and we had to wait a while as standbys to be able to eat there, but it didn't bother me really

 

[belle_1022]

I am sure I will get some boo's from this response but DH & I were disappointed at the Coral Reef Restaurant. We went for our anniversary 2 years ago. DH was able to get the personalized menus which was wonderful. The food lacked something and the setting of the tables reminded me of the broadway dinner theater we have here in Westchester County NY.

We waited so long to be able to eat there and since we were not impressed, we won't go back. Trying LeCellier this trip for our 5 year anniversary - hope we have a better experience.

Also agree with invictor23, Rainforest and Planet Hollywood has better service and food in WDW vs other regions. Have been very impressed with these restaurants the last few visits. TRex was okay - not as impressed.

 

[kangaand2roos]

I would say our most impressive meal was Akerhaus, probably for the same reason. Our expectations were very low and we booked for the princesses not the food. However, I had a delicious mushroom ravioli and my husband had the beef tips and we both enjoyed the food alot.
Least impressed, hands down Garden Grill. It had decent reviews (at the time) and the food sounded good. Worst food I have ever had on or off Disney property. Everyone in our party of 6 left hungry.

 

[Ariel484]

Least impressed – and I know we are most definitely in the minority here – was dinner at Boma in May 2009. We were expecting it to be fabulous based on many positive reviews, and found it to be bland (maybe that’s to be expected with a buffet?) :shrug:

We were most impressed with/most pleasantly surprised by Chefs de France – this was a last-minute reservation for us and it was great from start to finish.

But our favorite restaurant at WDW is Jiko - just what you'd expect from signature dining. Worth every penny and a can't-miss for us.

 

[pacochran]

My DW and are have not been impressed with either Akerhaus or Hollywood & Vine. We have only been once, but have said we wouldn't go back.

We loved Le Cellier, and one of my favorites is 50's prime time.

 

[redfive13]

My DW and are have not been impressed with either Akerhaus or Hollywood & Vine. We have only been once, but have said we wouldn't go back.

We loved Le Cellier, and one of my favorites is 50's prime time.

We agree about Hollywood & Vine, we went once and will NEVER go back. Just bad.

 

[redfive13]

I am sure I will get some boo's from this response but DH & I were disappointed at the Coral Reef Restaurant. We went for our anniversary 2 years ago. DH was able to get the personalized menus which was wonderful. The food lacked something and the setting of the tables reminded me of the broadway dinner theater we have here in Westchester County NY.

We did Coral Reef last trip, it was good but it didn't live up to the hype. We would go back for the atmosphere...

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I found the food on our last visit to Le Cellier to be disappointing, dont think anyone in our party had a meal they enjoyed. Just wasnt up to previous standards. But the worst was undoubtedly Cape May Cafe mediocre sea food served in the atmosphere of a trough.

Never had a bad meal or Dish at the Cali Grill or Jikos but I have to say Kona Cafe is always a delight.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

I loved and was surprised at Tokyo Dining, the food was awesome, and I also thought Yak and Yeti was surprisingly good. While it is only a counter service, I was very underwhelmed by Peco's Bill, which everyone seems to rave about. I could find a better burger at any rest stop on I-95.

 

[redfive13]

But the worst was undoubtedly Cape May Cafe mediocre sea food served in the atmosphere of a trough.

Wow. You must have gone on a bad day or I went on a good one :ROFLOL:

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

^ Height of free dinning, and Disney maximising reservations at the expense of decent service/food presentation. Ive eaten in more refined field kitchens. There was more grit in the muscles than at the bottom of the BB wave pool.

 

[Master Gracey 5]

Least impressed has to be Liberty Tree Tavern. Last time we went was in 2006, and while the characters were fun to see in colonial garb the food left a lot to be desired. Lets just say we could tell Stouffer's sponsors the place.

Most impressed for me is tougher to pick out, but I'll say Plaza Restaurant. I know its just sandwiches but we found them to be made with great ingredients and were sized to give you quite a meal. This one has become a favorite ever since.

You go into places like Le Chefs de France and Le Cellier expecting a good meal, but finding a hidden jewel like Plaza makes it that much more enjoyable.

I like Coral Reef and have never been to Cape May, but tend to have lower expectations for seafood once I leave New England. Nothing beats the stuff we have up here.

 

[wolf359]

California Grill is at the top of my "most impressed by" list. I love the restaurant, the location, the food, and the staff. My wife and I have gone several times and it is always the highlight of our trip.

On our most recent trip we made a real effort to only visit restaurants we've never been to before, so I have some new restaurants to add to my list.

My new favorite restaurant in the Magic Kingdom is the Plaza Restaurant. The simple but very well executed menu, cute dining room, and great service all added up to a great experience.

Two new standouts for us were Whispering Canyon Cafe and Kona Cafe.

I'm a serious carnivor, so the Canyon Skillet was a big hit with me, but our server was really above and beyond great, which made a very good meal so much more memorable. And of course the Wilderness Lodge is absolutely beautiful, so it's a great excuse to go there.

Kona Cafe was also really nice. So much more relaxed and calm than Whispering Canyon, and I also absolutely love the Polynesian. The food was amazing, and I had one of the best steaks I've had in a long time and I loved the relaxed atmosphere. Sadly, we also had easily the most lackluster server of our entire trip, but everything else about our visit was good enough to keep this in the "impressed" column.

On to the "least impressive:"

Hollywood Studios. Whenever I plan returning to Walt Disney World I always feel like I need to avoid being hungry at DHS because of the limited and mostly awful dining options. This most recent trip again confirmed my feelings.

While the table service restaurants sit somewhere between acceptable and alright the counter service restaurants are a real disappointment. There just isn't enough variety to sustain multiple meals in the park because all of the menus are similar and pretty uninspired.

While I'm really excited EPCOT is getting two new restaurants this year I think Hollywood Studios needs a culinary boost much, much more. Only finding pizza and cheeseburgers no matter where you turn is a big letdown and a big cop out on Disney's part.

 

[redfive13]

I like Coral Reef and have never been to Cape May, but tend to have lower expectations for seafood once I leave New England. Nothing beats the stuff we have up here.

I'm from Mass too and I can say that my wife and I loved Cape May. It was our Plaza experience. Check it out next time you go.

 

[MillerPoppins]

I'm hoping this trip will give me even more answers to this question since I'm trying 7 new restaurants in October! But for now, Yak & Yeti was a surprise last time. Least impressed absolutely goes to Restaurant Marrakesh. Food was dry and bland and definitely not worth the money.

 

[zurgandfriend]

The Best

Victoria & Albert's

Shula's

California Grill

The worst

Artist Point

Hollywood & Vine

Rose & Crown

 

[forevermickey]

I am sure I will get some boo's from this response but DH & I were disappointed at the Coral Reef Restaurant. We went for our anniversary 2 years ago. DH was able to get the personalized menus which was wonderful. The food lacked something and the setting of the tables reminded me of the broadway dinner theater we have here in Westchester County NY.

We waited so long to be able to eat there and since we were not impressed, we won't go back. Trying LeCellier this trip for our 5 year anniversary - hope we have a better experience.

Also agree with invictor23, Rainforest and Planet Hollywood has better service and food in WDW vs other regions. Have been very impressed with these restaurants the last few visits. TRex was okay - not as impressed.

I have to agree with you, I was at the Coral Reef last Aug. and feel the same way about the table setting and was not impressed about the food.

 

[forevermickey]

Least impressed – and I know we are most definitely in the minority here – was dinner at Boma in May 2009. We were expecting it to be fabulous based on many positive reviews, and found it to be bland (maybe that’s to be expected with a buffet?) :shrug:

We were most impressed with/most pleasantly surprised by Chefs de France – this was a last-minute reservation for us and it was great from start to finish.

But our favorite restaurant at WDW is Jiko - just what you'd expect from signature dining. Worth every penny and a can't-miss for us.

Have to agree with you on Boma, my husband and I were not impressed which surprised me because of the great reviews.

 

[disneycouple07]

Most impressed with Le Cellier Steakhouse. Least impressed with Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. I was excited because of the atmosphere, but the food was disgusting and cold.