So much Disney food is terrible

[fla4fun]

I guess it’s a subjective thing. We used to stay at WL and husband requested a change because he thought the food was crap there. Now after staying at Poly the view is that the food is crap everywhere.

Food is very much a subjective thing. There is some Disney food I like, and some I don’t. I wouldn’t say it’s all good or all bad. But that’s just my opinion. V&A just won awards for their food recently, and looking at the menu, most of what they serve I would not like. However, it’s apparent that other people do, and that’s okay.

I can agree that I feel much of Disney’s food is overpriced for what you get, but they tend to get away with it because they have a captive audience. If you are willing to check out restaurants off of Disney property, you will find that Orlando has some very good restaurants, covering a wide variety of cuisines.

 

[nursejackie]

There are plenty of good food places in Disney IMHO. Maybe the QS is not gourmet food exactly, but plenty of those would beat McDonalds hands down. We visit for 2 weeks and never tire of the food and snacks at WDW, my only concern is my waistline

 

[DisneyDillyDally]

If you're looking for value.

I'd suggest

The Creperie
Les Halles
Primo Piatta
Artist Pointe
Capt Cooke
Yak and Yeti
Sleepy Hollow

When I stay at the Poly, I like to go to Gasparilla Grill for the bacon egg and cheese croissant sandwich with tater tots. Yummy! Captain cooks is one of my least favorite quick service places. I am happier, taking the monorail to Grand Floridian or Contemporary.

Thanks for the suggestion. Like you, we found Captain Cooks options not good.

 

[NYCgrrl]

We are not big on American style breakfasts but do enjoy a hot beverage to start the day with fresh fruit, yogurt, maybe oatmeal. When we travel with kids we tend to buy a pastry. You can get any of these items at any of the quick service spots.

We’ve enjoyed most of our meals @ Disney Springs and surprisingly even Chicken Guy’s.

As far as proper “Disney food” goes can always find an enjoyable meal at EPCOT, AK, and HS. Unfortunately, MK is a food wasteland IMO but there are nearby resorts (GF, WL, Poly, Contemporary) with something for everyone. Just noted OP doesn’t like the food at Poly. Well that’s sad and to think you paid so much money to be there!
Have you tried Kona Cafe yet? Perhaps that’s more your speed.

Don’t knock Flying Fish until you’ve tried it. BWI became our home resort when we discovered FF as a restaurant and frequent supplier of culinary staff at the CL.

Whatever it is you are looking for I hope you find it. If Mickey D’s holds a special spot in your heart, glad you found it!

 

[RivShore]

We had a shockingly reasonably priced late breakfast at Steakhouse 71 recently. Under 40 bucks (before tax and tip) for 2 and the food was very good. Considering a visit to a Panera type place gets close to that now, we were pleasantly surprised.

 

[bluezy]

I kind of threw Tusker House in there for variety, to cover the in park, character, buffet category. I didn't say it was "great" but it's definitely not "terrible". I don't look at prices on vacation so I guess if you're analyzing everything and comparing it to the price of McDonald's or the price of cooking and cleaning up at home, I really can't add anything here so I'll leave you to your cost analysis. I hope you figure it all out so you can enjoy the rest of your vacation.

We're the same way, we're not analyzing meal price/value on vacation. We eat what we want when we want and pay the credit card bill when we get home. While some Disney restaurants are better than others as far as the taste and quality of the food, in 13 trips, we haven't come across any restaurant at Disney that we would never eat at again. There are some specific meals that I won't order again simply because I didn't enjoy them, but I wouldn't consider them "bad" -- just not my thing. I can guarantee that we would *never* prefer to go to McDonald's rather than eat on property. We definitely have restaurants at home that are far superior to some of Disney's restaurants, but I would never consider the food at Disney to be terrible (as a general sweeping statement). When I'm on vacation, I'm not super fussy about food (other than I prefer not to eat at any restaurants that have a drive-thru). I'm just happy I don't have to plan, shop, prepare, and clean up the meal.

 

[Brian Noble]

Maybe it’s not the food.

 

[lowlight]

The way I judge food at Disney is 1) can I make it better myself and 2) would I eat eat there if it was near my home. The reality is that, outside of signature restaurants, food at Disney is mostly frozen, reheated (or likely large bags of sous vide prep style) food that is meant to appeal to a mass audience at a profit and can be converted to allergy free options easily. We can all name a place that is “good” for Disney property, but probably not better than our local restaurants.

A lot of people do not have good palates, so you will hear recommendations here and go try them and likely be disappointed. I have relatives that prefer stove top and a rotisserie chicken to home made stuffing and a succulent roasted turkey from an excellent caterer near me. They aren’t “wrong”, they just have terrible taste buds. Of course V&A, TT, and Monsieur Paul’s are outliers.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

I can honestly say I never had a terrible meal at Disney.

Have I had meals that were just OK? Definitely but terrible? No

I have also had incredible meals, but those were signature restaurants for the most part at resorts. Although I dare anyone to say Tiffin's isn't really good food at Animal Kingdom.

Burger Pods at AK are better then MD's

 

[DisneyDillyDally]

The way I judge food at Disney is 1) can I make it better myself and 2) would I eat eat there if it was near my home. The reality is that, outside of signature restaurants, food at Disney is mostly frozen, reheated (or likely large bags of sous vide prep style) food that is meant to appeal to a mass audience at a profit and can be converted to allergy free options easily. We can all name a place that is “good” for Disney property, but probably not better than our local restaurants.

A lot of people do not have good palates, so you will hear recommendations here and go try them and likely be disappointed. I have relatives that prefer stove top and a rotisserie chicken to home made stuffing and a succulent roasted turkey from an excellent caterer near me. They aren’t “wrong”, they just have terrible taste buds. Of course V&A, TT, and Monsieur Paul’s are outliers.

Yes - you’ve nailed it. If these restaurants were near my home, I wouldn’t eat there.

 

[Smugpugmug]

MK truly has awful food (quick and table service) but you can find something pretty decent at the other parks and great options at Disney Springs. Disney quick service is what it is but it's definitely better than the food at other theme parks. IMO Universal and Busch Gardens have significantly worse food. Some of the options at those parks are inedible.

I would absolutely never eat at any of the signature or resort restaurants at home as I can find WAAAY better food for less money but the food is good enough for a theme park resort. I do tend to stick to my favorites as I know they're reliable. Every time I've tried something new lately, it's been fairly mediocre.

 

[Minnie1222]

We used to stay at WL and husband requested a change because he thought the food was crap there. Now after staying at Poly the view is that the food is crap everywhere.

Do you folks have a Michelin chef as your personal cook at home? I don't! Maybe that's why I find Disney food very agreeable.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Maybe it’s not the food.

Yanno?
For my sight it’s difficult to understand what the OP is looking for. So they eat breakfast predominately at McDonald’s - is that for price point, enjoyment, desperation or just to kvetch? Somehow I need more info than what is being said in countless posts on the subject.

 

[lowlight]

Do you folks have a Michelin chef as your personal cook at home? I don't! Maybe that's why I find Disney food very agreeable.

I do get your point, but I love cooking. I’ve been doing it for 40 years. I make everything I can from scratch- literally almost everything. It started with being a cheapskate when I was young younger, but now I can practically taste the preservatives in mass produced food and only eat it when I’m in a time crunch. I’m not judging anyone, because really who has the time to do that (I have no hobbies), I’m just saying that if you have cooked long enough it’s really really hard to appreciate Disney food outside of a few signature restaurants.

 

[Brian Noble]

To be fair, the Egg McMuffin is criminally under-rated. It's Real Food (well, minus the "cheese" anyway).

 

[robotsneedlove2]

When I stay at the Poly, I like to go to Gasparilla Grill for the bacon egg and cheese croissant sandwich with tater tots. Yummy! Captain cooks is one of my least favorite quick service places. I am happier, taking the monorail to Grand Floridian or Contemporary.

I just came back from a quick 2 night stay at Pop Century. I found the options for breakfast and late night eating MUCH better at the Pop Food Court than what was offered at Captain Cooks from our December trip.

I'll need to remember this tip to walk over to Gasparilla Grill.

 

[DeeBee3]

To be fair, the Egg McMuffin is criminally under-rated. It's Real Food (well, minus the "cheese" anyway).

I just order it without the cheese. Perfect in a pinch.

 

[tx911]

To be fair, the Egg McMuffin is criminally under-rated. It's Real Food (well, minus the "cheese" anyway).

The Egg-White Grill at Chik-fil-a is pretty good too.

 

[DisneyDillyDally]

a as

Do you folks have a Michelin chef as your personal cook at home? I don't! Maybe that's why I find Disney food very agreeable.

I do get your point, but I love cooking. I’ve been doing it for 40 years. I make everything I can from scratch- literally almost everything. It started with being a cheapskate when I was young younger, but now I can practically taste the preservatives in mass produced food and only eat it when I’m in a time crunch. I’m not judging anyone, because really who has the time to do that (I have no hobbies), I’m just saying that if you have cooked long enough it’s really really hard to appreciate Disney food outside of a few signature restaurants.

Yes - we cook a lot at home.

 

[tx911]

a as



Yes - we cook a lot at home.

Try breakfast at Ale & Compass