Every time I book an ADR someone posts a negative thread!

[danielocha30]

I learn many times bad reviews comes from disappointment and high expectations, people judge their food from the price they paid for, the server, and even the location of the table inside the restaurant. I lost count of how many bad reviews Ohana gets from people who are vegetarians

 

[buddyjo143]

I read and read and read some more before our recent trip. My DH checked Yelp reviews also. We still went with our own plan after everything we read. We had pleasant surprises.

One thing I can say for sure, you won't go hungry. Even if you only eat the bread, food is certainly plentiful.

 

[loves to dive]

I agree with others, just book what seems interesting to you and go with it. I've never had an inedible meal at WDW. I've had experiences that weren't so great and meals that were just o.k. I've tried places that everyone raves about and left very disappointed (Sanaa and Jiko come to mind) because they were so hyped up and for us, either we had bad service or the food was just o.k. We've also had meals at places others have said they hated and have loved. It's all subjective, go for it.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I think the best way to choose a restaurant is by seeing the menu. Between MDE and allears, you can do that at all WDW eateries ahead of time.

No matter how many good reviews you may see about a particular place, if the menu doesn't appeal to you, you probably won't enjoy it.

 

[DrunkJam]

Check out the menus. If you like the look of them, you'll probably be OK.

I am really not bothered by negative reviews unless there are a large number and they talk about something that bothers me. By which I mean, if lots of people are saying the restaurant is not clean, or if many people have got sick, or if many people have people in their party who have ASD who hated the experience.

Normally we just look at the menu / the experience / characters and decide based on what we like / think we will like.

Only one time has this not gone well. Chef Mickey's.

Chef Mickey's gets a LOAD of bad reviews. We went anyway. The breakfast food was fine, nothing wonderful, but, fine, the characters were fine too. BUT, and this os why I now look at things that bother others with ASD, it was far, far too loud for my ASDer. And many reviews mentioned this.

I am also always torn about antics (50'sPT or WCC for example) I can't decide whether I would like them or not, I am slightly disappointed that we never really got any at either place, but, I suspect I (and my husband) give off NO ANTICS vibes. The food at both was perfectly fine.

I confess I am swayed sometimes by hype, but, I do then go to the menus, and mostly choose based on that.

 

[Xennia]

I think people generally just post a negative/complaint much more quickly than a positive.

Try what you want....
Ever see a movie that people loved only to be so disappointed?
LA la land, lol
It's just an opinion....after all
Enjoy ur visit

This

 

[goofyintoronto]

I tend to look at overall trends when deciding to eat.

E.g. Tony's was super negative but since we went on the dxddp once, we tried it. Waste of a credit.

The Wave is often negative, but we LOVED it for breakfast and it's now a must do.

Skipper canteen is usually somewhat positive, but we had such a bad experience (slow service, toddler meltdown, meh food) that we won't be back.

Funny I often hear the reverse....Wave gets good reviews and Skippers gets negative reviews. Lol. But i guess it all depends on which threads you're reading at the time.

I do agree that you have to take reviews with a grain of salt, and keep in mind every single restaurant has a negative review. Try whatever interests you. It'll be a learning experience. Having said that, I also believe that if a restaurant gets overwhelmingly negative reviews, i'd listen because there must be a reason for it. Tony's is a great example. I ate there anyway but i wish i hadnt. I wish I listened to the reviews...it was awful!

 

[marcyleecorgan]

It's so hard to know what exactly pushed the reviewer into "negative" territory. I've had great meals at terrible restaurants, I've had disasters at five-star restaurants.

If you like the menu and the food types, you should try it. Doesn't mean you have to love it, or go back, but you should try it!

 

[GillianP1301]

I agree with everyone else, don't let reviews deter you from an ADR. First off, people tend to complain more than praise (in general), so it's easier to find the negative reviews. Second, there are many WDW restaurants that I've read multiple rave reviews for that I did not like and likewise for those with plenty of negative reviews that I really like. Dining experiences are so subjective, you really do have to try it for yourself to know if you like it or not. Choose based on food type preference and what menus appeal to you and enjoy!

 

[JerseyJanice]

Having said that, I also believe that if a restaurant gets overwhelmingly negative reviews, i'd listen because there must be a reason for it. Tony's is a great example. I ate there anyway but i wish i hadnt. I wish I listened to the reviews...it was awful!

Tony's and Hollywood & Vine are two Disney restaurants I won't try due largely to the fact that I have read numerous bad reviews about them over the years.

Tony's is also Italian, which isn't great at Disney overall. I get great Italian food at home. Lots of Italian restaurants where I live, plus I'm a pretty decent Italian cook myself.

H&V consistently gets bad reviews, and when I see one that isn't negative, it's usually, "it wasn't bad. I found things to eat." I don't recall ever seeing someone say that they liked a specific dish there. Also, I don't like the look of the place. It's themed to be a 1940s diner kinda like Johnny Rockets where the most expensive meal might be $15. I'm not going to pay $50+ for a dinner with that sort of atmosphere.

 

[Thing 1]

The vast major of people have only been to a particular restaurant one time. Any place can have an off day. Our first time T Coral Reef was a huge flop...BUT we returned and had an absolutely delightful meal. There are tons of negative reviews for Mama Melrose and we have eaten there many times and enjoyed every meal. My BIL loves Sci-Fi and we don't care for it at all. Last month we did 7days, signature Dinning and did not have a bad meal. Some were much better than others but none bad, or even close to bad. We have only had one really bad meal once and it was CS years ago. Book what your family likes... it will be fine.

 

[sunflowerfields]

When we planned our first trip I thought Sci Fi sounded so neat but it seemed like all I read was negative. I fretted for weeks on if we should eat there or not. In the end we did....and LOVED it! Our food was very good! We have gone to Disney two more times since then and each time everyone in our group has wanted to eat there again. I just think if it sounds like something good to you go for it. It is possible to have a bad experience wherever we go, it could happen, but so far for us anyway, it hasn't. Wishing you a wonderful trip!

 

[Nettester]

I make picks based on the appeal of the restaurant atmosphere and location. Then I read the menus and research what offerings available for the foods I personally choose to eat. I read the reviews of those who share my dietary choices, that's all. That pretty much narrows it down for me. Many of my favorites get only mediocre ratings. And we do try the new most "popular" places, which sometimes become "one and done" for us

 

[fely1st]

Go and try whatever you want. As the others said, you find a negative for every positive review. I always check the menue and maybe pictures of the food. If I find menues that I like and the pictures look good, we go.Had a lot of fun, even with some not so great dishes.

 

[jsmla]

Sometimes it's not just the food but the overall experience that's important. To be perfectly honest I don't find the Disney eats to hit extremes of either "best thing I ever ate" fabulous or so terrible as to be inedible. It's generally fairly middle of the road for me. I went with lunch at Tony's for my September solo trip in spite of the negative reviews. I'm on the DP and the parade package seemed like a good deal for me. I'm short and not very assertive and figured this would be a good way to see Festival of Fantasy without the hassle. DH hates parades so this will be my chance to see it.

 

[tinkerbella16]

People are more inclined to write a negative review than a positive one. There are plenty of places that we LOVE that have gotten bad reviews. All that matters is if YOU go and try it out for yourself, and if YOU enjoy it. A few years ago we booked Garden Grill and cancelled it because of negative reviews and something told me to just go and find out for ourselves, so we re-booked it and I am so glad we did because it ended up being our favorite meal of our trip and we go every trip now, it has become our arrival day dinner tradition.

 

[AngiTN]

That's because there is a negative review for every restaurant on property. There isn't one that everyone likes. Book what you want, you won't know what you think till you try it for yourself.

 

[GreatLakes]

Food is subjective. Someone's great meal could be someone else's terrible experience. I wouldn't put too much into the review. I've also had bad meals at restaurants where I have had many good meals before, both locally and at WDW. Any restaurant can have an off night.

 

[amberpi]

Its so subjective. I have some restaurants I haven't visited since childhood because they are dining experiences I'm turned off by. I try to explain that. If its loud/chaotic - its a hard no for me. Some people love shows, antics, etc.; some hate them. Same with buffets. I try to make sure I explain why a dining experience wouldn't be enjoyable FOR ME. There's not a right or wrong answer for what type of dining anyone should enjoy - just what you would enjoy! As others have said - look at the menus and see if there is something specific in the reviews you wouldn't enjoy and then decide. I hope you've got reservations and have a lovely trip!

 

[DisneyHardin]

Don't stress out about it at all. We have eaten at quite a few Disney restaurants over the years and have only ever had one experience where the food was truly not good. Even that I chalk up to a bad day and would be willing to try it again if someone in my party wanted to.