Worst WDW Food Experience

[Minnesota!]

It's a toss it for us which is worse- CM's or H&V. Messy buffet lines, warm salads and cold main dishes, indifferent and slow service.

But our top place for worst restaurant goes to Coral Reef. Waited over an hour past our ADR to be seated and then had to wait 2 more hours to get through the meal and get our bill. A surly server who would disappear for ages (never did get the drinks refill we asked for repeatedly. The room was noisy, with kids running around, bumping into tables and diners. The food was overcooked and dry. And the manager? Looked at us like we had 3 heads when we complained about the slow service.

Oh, forgot about Coral Reef. It was bad, too.

La Hacienda. YUCK! We got a window table, crammed against a window with another table 6 inches from ours. The meat platter for two was disgusting, the dessert tasted like it came out of a box from the grocery store, and our server disappeared. The only good thing was that since our table was so very tiny we had the deep windowsill to keep the serving dishes of beans and rice on, both of which tasted like cardboard. We had dinner there a couple of years before and had a great experience, they've cut down on the amount of food and substituted some very nasty chicken and beef. We actually left before Illluminations and watched outside, didn't want to spend another minute in that restaurant.

And, La Hacienda. I don't remember the food, but I do remember being crammed into the tables, and the waitstaff was RUDE!!

 

[pa. dad]

We had the "Cheddar Cheese soup" and all 4 of us hated it...
I think everyone here would argue it's their "signature" dish...

We weren't steered to the soup but to the filets and the fries with bacon & cheddar which were very good.

 

[MrsDuck]

Brown Derby - just not impressed for the price.
AND
Hollywood and Vine

 

[Rickytopia]

I'd have to say any character buffet, they are fun but the food is mediocre, they are expensive - you are paying for the characters more than the food.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Crystal Palace 15 years ago - found a large piece of plastic/saran wrap wrapped around my chicken from the buffet (almost ate it, but thankfully, I had to cut it up and caught the wrap under all the sauce). Informed wait staff and got plate removed, but never saw them replace the buffet chicken or check any of it for more plastic (and got nothing comped). I actually haven't been back since...sometimes, it only takes one time.

 

[Maxpowers]

San Angel Inn...bland Mexican food is a crime.

 

[cluvsdisney]

Captain's Grill is at the top of my "never again" list. We went once for dinner...excellent service but the food was horrible, the worst I was ever served in a restaurant like this. We both had steak and they were both cooked weird (oddly uneven) and mine had no flavor even though it was supposed to be marinaded. It came with what was supposed to be a wine sauce or something but it was gross.

We tried again for breakfast. We were seated over 30 minutes after our ADR time (40-45 minute wait since we arrived early). For the last 20 minutes the hostess kept pointing to our table that needed to be cleared. It was not crowded at all so the extraordinary wait was a mystery. The food and service were eh.

For this one, it was two strikes and you're out.

 

[Kellett]

It's a toss it for us which is worse- CM's or H&V. Messy buffet lines, warm salads and cold main dishes, indifferent and slow service.

But our top place for worst restaurant goes to Coral Reef. Waited over an hour past our ADR to be seated and then had to wait 2 more hours to get through the meal and get our bill. A surly server who would disappear for ages (never did get the drinks refill we asked for repeatedly. The room was noisy, with kids running around, bumping into tables and diners. The food was overcooked and dry. And the manager? Looked at us like we had 3 heads when we complained about the slow service.

When did you go? I ask Bc we have reservations to celebrate my sons 8th birthday here but if service is really bad I will definitely reconsider it! I do not want to have a bad time on this day.

 

[minnie mum]

When did you go? I ask Bc we have reservations to celebrate my sons 8th birthday here but if service is really bad I will definitely reconsider it! I do not want to have a bad time on this day.

I would never say that everyone would experience the same problems that we did. If you do a search you will find almost as many people who rave about the place as who hate it. Personally, I wish I'd paid more attention to the negative reviews. But who knows? You may very well have a great time. Best wishes for a very happy birthday dinner.

 

[Gorechick]

1. Turkey sandwich from Fairfax Fare. That was a last minute choice I will not repeat.
2. Artist Point from 2012 trip. I'd dined there several times before and had great meals. This time the food was so tiny on my plate and dried out. Made me sad.
3. Boatwright's. Had the dish with crayfish bite and I think I had an allergic reaction because I was up sick all night. It came on fast and furious a few hours after dinner. I wasn't sick the rest of the trip and had p,entry of other seafood.

 

[Kellett]

I would never say that everyone would experience the same problems that we did. If you do a search you will find almost as many people who rave about the place as who hate it. Personally, I wish I'd paid more attention to the negative reviews. But who knows? You may very well have a great time. Best wishes for a very happy birthday dinner.

Thank you

 

[loves to dive]

I guess it all depends on what kind of service you expect. In American restaurants, we expect service to be very quick so we can get in and out to do other things. In Europe, service is slower, much slower. People take their time enjoying a meal. We've spent hours eating dinner in Paris where we might spend an hour or less in a home town restaurant. When we eat in Epcot, we like the slower, European pace while others may want a more American experience so they can get to their next FP+. Since the servers in the Epcot WS restaurants come from the countries represented, we expect slower service. In other restaurants, we expect it to be more like we have at home. Could this be the issue?

Nope, I've traveled all over the world and all over the states eating at mom and pop and upscale places. It's one thing to take your time and savor your meal, it's another to be done with your meal and have a dirty plate sitting in front of you or to wait for your menu, or drinks, or check. We know the international symbol for I'm done with my meal of fork and knife crossed over each other with fork placed down. The server at Sanaa was most likely more American than I am. The issue at Chef de France was more of an attitude thing, I'm aware of what I'm getting (I can read) and if I say I'm fine with ordering something I know I'm not going to finish, say thank you and take my order as placed, don't argue with me. I'm good with waiting for me food to come out, it's expected if everything is cooked to order.

 

[Muppetfan3]

Same here with Chef Mickey's - not a fan. And believe it or not California Grill - wanted to love it so much!! Have to give them props for sushi but that's it. The rest was a disappointment.

 

[aleksandr]

We've had a number of bad experiences over the years, usually the problem is with the wait staff, rather than the food itself. I've come to expect that Disney food is just not that great, and I'm OK with that.

I particularly recall one O'hana breakfast where our server was quite rude and uncompromising. The communal breakfast trays were delayed by the kitchen that morning. I asked her if she could bring the Mickey Waffles around for my son, who is autistic, has a very limited palate, wouldn't be eating from the breakfast platter, and was very hungry after we waited 40 minutes beyond our reservation seating time. She was quite rude to me and flat-out refused to bring Mickey Waffles around until *after* each table received their breakfast platter. Not only did she make him wait for the rest of the table, she (seemingly) made sure to visit our table last when bringing the waffles so he was the absolute last person at the table to have food.

 

[mikeyg1479]

My worst experiences are:

1. Chef Mickeys- Had ADR- was on time, but sat in their lobby until we we're seated 45 mins late anyway. The food was the worst kind of low quality buffet food imaginable. Many bathroom runs afterwards. Then we had to wait around forever after we ate what we could for Mickey to make his first appearance (the other characters made a 2nd round through the restaurant before mickey showed up) and of course he had a handler that made sure each table got time for one rushed picture and not a second more, unlike the more relaxed scenario with the others. While this meal got some obligatory character photo time out of the way, I wouldn't go back.

2. Hollywood and Vine- only did it for the fantasmic package- but basically see above- another terrible buffet- not a thing memorable about the experience- I heard they have characters now, nothing would bring me back.

I have to say, most everywhere else I've been fine- pretty much every country in Epcot, Raglan Road is an absolute favorite- but I love English/Irish palces, I even enjoyed Tonys for what it is.

While I don't want to pick on counter service too much- its low hanging fruit to target these- that said, you won't catch me dead at Cosmic Rays- the worst kind of overpriced themepark fast food devoid of taste and flavor- and inexplictly crowded at all times. I guess its just the default "burger place" for many, but ugh. Amusingly enough, I've heard tons of bad on the AMC Commisery, but when I travel with my parents they insist on going in claiming it to be the best counter service in the park, and acted hurt when I told them tons of people online brand it the worst place to eat on WDW property.

It just comes to show how subjective taste can be!

 

[jrmint2]

We've had a lot of bad food experiences at Disney, even at some of our previously favorite restaurants ...California Grill comes to mind. But the absolute worse to me is Boma and Kona Cafe. Kona Cafe was always so so, we'd hit it for the Tonga Toast. We went for dinner there the last trip and everything was terrible. The sushi was worst than the refrigerated stuff you get at the corner deli. My kids whom love sushi, even from Whole Foods wouldn't touch this stuff.

 

[jrmint2]

We go almost every year and eat all of our meals in the parks. We usually have at least one, sometimes 2, TS meals a day. In all of these years we haven't had a bad meal. Some were just OK but most were enjoyable. We like different foods and can't help but wonder if some of the bad comments are just because the food isn't what people are used to. We also tend to eat off peak, mostly because we like the slightly slower pace when restaurants aren't packed. I think that also helps get us better food because the kitchen may only have 20 meals at a time to prepare rather than 50. We actually tried the ABC Commissary two years ago and had the hamburger with shrimp and fries that we really enjoyed. It was around 3pm and the place was pretty empty. A lot of the food in Epcot is not as authentic and the menus have far fewer offerings. I am convinced that this is due to the Dining Plan and the need for Disney to make the numbers work. I remember DD couldn't decide between escargots and frogs legs for her appetizer in Chefs when she was about 10 (she's 29 now) and I used to love their Grand Marnier crepes. I wish they would go back to the more authentic and varied offerings for cash customers and then have a limited menu for the dining plan.

We haven't been to Chefs du France in ages, mostly because we can't get in, but before they had the DDP, it was a great restaurant and had great service. I honestly think the DDP has caused the astronomical price increases and quality drop. We just do QS now, just don't have the inclination to spend time and money on mediocre bordering on awful food.
Btw, we come from a city with a lot of great food, and both my husband and I are fairly well traveled and are very good cooks.

 

[mkla2015]

I know many people love it but for us the worst dining experience we've had was at CRT- seated way after our reservation, service was bad, characters were rushed, and the food was terrible- I had the traditional breakfast and the eggs were so bad, I couldn't eat them. For the price, I expected a little more. I hope it was just an off day but we won't be back any time soon. Breakfast at Akershus as 100% better.

 

[TheRealDrDisney]

I honestly think the DDP has caused the astronomical price increases and quality drop.

I couldn't agree more. Ever since they introduced the DDP the menus have been decimated so the "dumb masses" can think they're getting something for free, when really it's just pre-paid in their hotel charge.

The rest of us, the day trippers and the bargain room rate hunters, are hosed because of it.

On the bright side, we've discovered a lot of lovely restaurants off property that otherwise we would never have tried.

 

[oceanmarina]

We've had a number of bad experiences over the years, usually the problem is with the wait staff, rather than the food itself. I've come to expect that Disney food is just not that great, and I'm OK with that.

I particularly recall one O'hana breakfast where our server was quite rude and uncompromising. The communal breakfast trays were delayed by the kitchen that morning. I asked her if she could bring the Mickey Waffles around for my son, who is autistic, has a very limited palate, wouldn't be eating from the breakfast platter, and was very hungry after we waited 40 minutes beyond our reservation seating time. She was quite rude to me and flat-out refused to bring Mickey Waffles around until *after* each table received their breakfast platter. Not only did she make him wait for the rest of the table, she (seemingly) made sure to visit our table last when bringing the waffles so he was the absolute last person at the table to have food.

Thant's really a shame. I also have a son who is autistic, and after the terrible service we had at Ohana, my DH swears we will never go there again. For me it's a real shame as it was my all time favorite character breakfast.

I'm worried about eating at Les Chefs de France this summer with all the bad votes it got!