Disney World Restaurant Inconsistency?!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Interesting article from Touring Plans. If we have a bad experience somewhere, we don't tend to go back, but now I'm wondering if maybe we should give a few places another shot?

What are your experiences/thoughts on the topic?

Disney World Restaurant Inconsistency?!

by Tom Bricker 20 Comments

How helpful are Disney restaurant reviews? That’s a question I found myself pondering as we finished our meal at Via Napoli last weekend. We have been to Via Napoli before, and we weren’t impressed. The food was mediocre the previous time, and the place certainly didn’t live up to the hype. We had determined that we wouldn’t eat there for a couple of years, and would instead try other restaurants until Via Napoli’s turn in the “natural dining order” came up again. However, some friends were heading to Via Napoli, so we figured we’d tag along for camaraderie and joyous times. We didn’t even really plan on eating anything.

However, going to a Disney restaurant with the plan not to eat anything is like watching the Norway film and expecting to stay awake. It just doesn’t happen. So, we found ourselves sampling some of the appetizers on our table. Then, we found ourselves trying both styles of pizza on the table. “Not eating anything” quickly turned into “gorging ourselves” and we ended up saying yum and wow about every 5 seconds.

Succinctly put, the food was amazing. All of it. The calamari was crisp, perfectly cooked, and not over-salted. The Salami e Provolone was flavorful without being overly greasy, and even the Eggplant Caponata–something I wouldn’t normally sample–was delicious. And that’s just the appetizers. The pizza? The pizza was incredible, with the cheese pizza soft, perfectly cooked, and with excellent tasting crust. Likewise, the pepperoni pizza was also stellar. It went from being “nothing that knocks my socks off” as I called it in my previous review, to being an excellent pizza, and a worthy competitor to many real-world pizza places at which we’ve eaten. (Even though we favor Chicago-style deep dish pies, we loved these thin ones!)

This is not the first time we’ve had wildly different experiences at the same restaurant two different times we’ve eaten there. In 2006, Coral Reef was a colossal disappointment. Then, in 2010, the place was amazing, serving some of the best food we’ve had in Walt Disney World. This got me thinking, and contemplating some of the mixed reviews for other restaurants at Walt Disney World. For example, we were incredibly disappointed with The Plaza, but we’ve read some amazing reviews of that place. Did we simply have a bad meal there? Similarly, we’ve had a couple of great meals at California Grill, but we’ve heard from others that, for the purported level of cuisine offered there, the place is really overrated. While I love reading and reviewing restaurants at which we eat, this inconsistency made me wonder if reviews are really all that helpful.

To be sure, there are some restaurants that have a clear consensus. The cuisine at Tony’s and Sci-Fi Dine-In is pretty much universally panned (although Sci-Fi Dine-In is one of my favorite Disney restaurants due to the amazing theming!). Conversely, few people give Jiko, Kona Cafe, Citricos, and Sanaa poor reviews. In cases like these, where the disapproval or approval rating hovers at a high level, it’s a safe bet that you’ll have a similar experience. However, what about the restaurants like The Wave, Coral Reef, Via Napoli, or Kouzzina that receive a mix of positive and negative reviews?

If 10 people review these restaurants, and 6 report having excellent cuisine and service at these restaurants, and 4 report having awful cuisine and service, how helpful is that to you if you’re only eating there once? Even worse, what if you only stumble upon the positive (or only the negative) reviews? What if you make a decision not to eat at a particular restaurant after only reading one review, which happened to be a negative outlier? While I am of the mindset that every Disney restaurant is worth trying at least once regardless of any reviews I read, others who visit Disney less frequently may not have this luxury, and may only want to eat at restaurants that are more likely to offer excellent meals and service.

To this end, there are two solutions to this dilemma with which you’re faced when planning where to eat at Walt Disney World. Disney could improve the consistency at its restaurants so it’s clear which ones are definitively “good” or “bad.” Since “good” and “bad” are largely subjective value-judgments, plus me mandating that Disney improve its consistency doesn’t really make it happen, this probably isn’t the best solution. Instead, you should read a large cross section of reviews on various websites (even single sites that offer aggregate scores of many guests can skew one way or the other based upon the tone of the site) to determine where you want to eat.

Alternatively, you could read the reviews for comments on aspects of restaurants that are more static: ambiance, type of menu, and theme. For example, T-REX Café is a loud restaurant serving American cuisine in a pre-historic environment that will likely appeal to the dinosaur lovers in your family. This description is more objective, and two guests, going on different days in different months, are likely to both experience this. As those same guests describe their experience more, things that are more likely to vary between the two include quality of food and service. Heck, the same person could go to the same restaurant ten different times and give it a different score out of 10 each time. Some restaurants at Walt Disney World are that inconsistent!

With this, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t read Disney restaurant reviews. You absolutely should. For most Disney restaurants, there is a clear consensus. However, for those restaurants that get mixed reviews, maybe you should dig a little deeper, and determine whether the theme, style of cuisine, and ambiance are things that will likely appeal to your party. We have found that we’ve enjoyed a lot of restaurants that generally get less-than-stellar reviews. It’s up to you to determine whether you want to take a gamble on a restaurant with mixed reviews that might, for you, be a diamond in the rough or merely a lump of coal.

http://blog.touringplans.com/2011/10/07/disney-world-restaurant-inconsistency/

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

We are rethinking Le Cellier. It was one of the worst meals we ever had at WDW and the service was even worse! That was in 2004. Looking back at other revies, we have found that we went during a "low point" in food and service there. We are thinking about trying it at Lunch and seeing how that goes ...

There are a couple of other places we may try again also; California Grill being one of them. I think our experience at California Grill had a lot to due with the service (or lack there of).My cousin got tired of waiting for a drink refill and called over to the nearest person working at California Grill and asked if there was any way to get a refill ... it was the Head Chef. :rofl2: She got her refill, but the service didn't improve any. California Grill also had a tough act to follow - it was the fifth of the Signature Restaurants we ate at on that vacation.

[Lou... 3,118]

We are rethinking Le Cellier. It was one of the worst meals we ever had at WDW and the service was even worse!

We were there not that long ago, it was just OK, but they're classifiend as a Signature restaurant now, so who knows.

[floridarv 1]

We went to Le Cellier Nov. of last year and to me it was just OK I got a better steak at Logan or Outback. Maybe it was just a bad night there. We will give it another try just to be sure but it is not at the top of the list so it will wait.

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

Two 'Just OK' ratings means it hasn't improved much. Maybe it will wait some more ...

[fishngjb 2]

We used to rave about LeCellier, until about 3 years ago when we last ate there. The tables were so close together, felt rushed to eat and leave, and the quality of the food was absolutely not suitable for Signature Restaurant. The Outback over at Lake Beuna Vista Palace beats it by far anymore.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I have heard speculation in the past that much of the hype over Le Cellier over the past several years had to do more with it being (prior to becoming a Signature) a place where you could get steak for 1 credit. And then, as it became a hard to get reservation, the hype got even more amped up...to the point that people just had to get an ADR there, not because it had the best food or service, but because it was one of the more difficult to get ADR's. And over on the dining boards of another site, almost everyone raved about the place. But now, as it became Signature and requires 2 credits at dinner time, the reviews don't seem as good.

Humans are funny that way. We desire the things that are difficult to achieve, solely because they are difficult to achieve. And then when we obtain them we don't really want them anymore.

In any case, I'd rather have a good burger over a steak any day of the week.

But regarding the original post on consistency...this is a big issue for Disney. I've had great meals at restaurants that get only so-so reviews, and have had subpar meals at highly rated places. I know some people that love 1900 Park Fare for dinner, and that was by far the worst meal I've ever had at Disney. And while I have no plans to ever return, it's quite possible that I could go back there tomorrow and have a great experience. You just don't know, and that makes it really tough to plan, especially when you are talking about a meal which can cost a couple hundred bucks easy.

[Starbuc71 162]

During our trip to the fort last week, we usually eat out a lot. This time we wanted to try some different places rather than the usual Chef mickey, Trails end and Whispering Canyon, so I booked reservations at the Wave at the Contemporary. I guess I didn't do my homework before going and shame on me since my original background is a certified Chef. The Wave is one of the resturants which is more on the upper scale where the food looks better than it taste. I guess I shouldn't say that since the taste was OK, and being a chef you would think I would enjoy the bed of asian noodles with two seared slces of steak towered with a fresh sprig of rosemary and a carrot curl. Well, I guess I'm really not into that anymore and enjoy a thick juicy steak and a loaded baked potato vs. all the foo foo crap. After $125 + tip later for 2 adults and 2 kids. I was hungry for dinner if you catch my drift

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

During our trip to the fort last week, we usually eat out a lot. This time we wanted to try some different places rather than the usual Chef mickey, Trails end and Whispering Canyon, so I booked reservations at the Wave at the Contemporary. I guess I didn't do my homework before going and shame on me since my original background is a certified Chef. The Wave is one of the resturants which is more on the upper scale where the food looks better than it taste. I guess I shouldn't say that since the taste was OK, and being a chef you would think I would enjoy the bed of asian noodles with two seared slces of steak towered with a fresh sprig of rosemary and a carrot curl. Well, I guess I'm really not into that anymore and enjoy a thick juicy steak and a loaded baked potato vs. all the foo foo crap. After $125 + tip later for 2 adults and 2 kids. I was hungry for dinner if you catch my drift

Rick was the same way. I enjoyed the Wave, but a 4 oz steak just doesn't cut it for him. He wants 12 oz at least!!!!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

That's what surprised me about Narcoosees. We expected it to be a bit "froo froo" and not huge portions, but what we got was delicious, not fussy and MORE than enough. I actually couldn't finish my whole fried snapper (yup, whole.. and awesome!) and DH was more than happy to oblige... not because he was still hungry after his meal, but because it was THAT delicious.

We found the same to be the case at Flying Fish - good food and good portions.

I've been tempted to try The Wave... just because it seemed like a very different menu and I like trying new things, but I've yet to read a really good review of it that makes me want to risk the money.

I will definitely be going back to Narcoosees for this...

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Narcoosee's is my hands down favorite restaurant at WDW!!! However, we only have been once. We will probably only go on very special occasions. We dropped over $200 there even with Tables in Wonderland. (That was two appetizers, two entrees, two deserts, two cocktails, and a bottle of wine.)

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

We tried Narcoosees for the first time last year and it was a BIG hit! We spent a bunch too, and will probably pare it down a bit when we go back this year. We'd gotten 2 apps/entrees and a shared dessert and we were STUFFED.

This year we may skip the apps/dessert or just split one app.

Maybe a Dole Whip on the ride home.