What restaurant was one and done for you?

[KPeterso]

It always gets rave reviews, but for us it was Crystal Palace. After sitting a good 30-40 minutes past out ADR time on the porch, we were finally escorted in. We found the service seriously lacking (slow and not to mention them moving the family whose child had projectile vomited all over the other side of the restaurant next to us ---- can you say "awful smell and ewwww and so not appetizing?"), the buffet was meh, and the characters were a bit lacking (what characters? It was 45 minutes after we were seated that we saw our first character (were already pretty much done eating) and about an hour and a half to see them all. We were not leaving until we did at that price and we were not the only ones who felt that way.). It may have been an off night, but we will never know. That was 2005 and we have not been back yet.

Others that are more or less off the list (but did get a second chance at least) ---- Tony's, Coral Reef, Kona Cafe (although if they change the menu back to the old one, I would go right back. It used to be a favorite), Biergarten, and Grand Floridian Cafe.

 

[Moliphino]

At the top of my list, is Chefs de France, I'm not sure if Disney / Epcot has told the staff their to be incredibly rude because it's "French" etc., but my last time there my waitress threw a fit when we asked to split our bill, and literally grabbed the receipt out my hand and stormed off. I will never, ever, go back there needless to say.....

The last time we ate there we had the most charming waiter. He and his accent were lovely. And maybe it's because I'm a New Englander, but I've never found the French to be any more rude than Americans, you just had a one-off bad waitress.

 

[sah95]

Ohana. I love the concept, the food was pretty good, but the service and atmosphere was lacking. I didn't pay $80 pp (if I remember correctly) to be rushed and ignored during my entire dinner service.

Same.

 

[tobikaye]

So far, Crystal Palace is the only one I really do not want to eat at again. We did lunch, but I have no desire to try breakfast or dinner there. I found the food boring/bland and the atmosphere blah. There was nothing bad about the food or service, just not something I enjoyed. I haven't gone back to this one yet, 10+ years now, but would if I was with someone that really wanted to try it.

I have learned to try a restaurant again if the issue is bad service or food, but I will usually wait at least a year or two before considering it again. There have been a few restaurants where the second time around was much different. If it was bad food, I make sure to order a different type of dish because I will be more critical. So, if I had a chicken dish, I might do fish or beef. If the place is known for a specific dish/type of food and I originally got something different, I will try the specific dish/type of food the next time.

 

[disneyseniors]

I definitely have one that everyone seems to love! We ate at Art Smith's Homecomin, after anxiously awaiting to eat there! I was really excited due to all the favorable reports. We ordered the chicken dinner. The waitress recommended only ordering one as they were pretty big portions, so that's what we did. The chicken was okay, nothing to be bragged about. But the Potatoes!!!! They were soupy thin and you had to eat them with a spoon. They also had some weird spice in them so they tasted funny. The rest of the meal wasn't that good including biscuits. We were really disappointed in the meal, and the waitress charged us for 2 meals anyway. It was my fault for not looking at the receipt until later, and didn't want to go back to dS to change it. So, one and done for me.

 

[plygph]

Anything at Coronado Springs food court.

Boathouse

 

[nursejackie]

Whispering Canyon Cafe for me. Way too much meat on the table for us. it was off-putting so we didn't eat that much of it. We left unsatisfied and went elsewhere for dessert.

AYCTE and buffets are not for us, and we usually only go for the occasional breakfast because of the character interaction.

We tried, we failed, we moved on.

 

[Dug720]

Basically every restaurant will be on at least one person’s list if this thread stays around long enough.

 

[bakerworld]

Kona Cafe for dinner: Steak was burnt on the outside/raw inside and Noodles = LaChoy Chou Mien. I didn't touch the noodles and the waitress didn't take it off the check or offer a replacement. Some day I think I'd like to try the Tonga Toast and sticky wings because it is what they are known for and what we didn't order but every time I mention it to DH I get a 'no'. I can't think of any where else.

 

[LilyWDW]

Le Cellier... way too much money for a very basic okay steak at a too small table that was WAY too close to other tables.

 

[eiblehs]

Kona Cafe — We ate breakfast there two weeks ago for the first time. Service was mediocre, food was good (especially the tonga toast) but overpriced, and the coffee was average too. Definitely a one and done for us!

 

[Heffalump12]

I’m a Disboards lurker 99% of the time but I have to chime in on this one. We have been to Disney only once in 2019 and we ate at several places mentioned. However the #1 place my family will NEVER eat again is Storybook Dining at Artist Point. The service was very rushed but ok, the character interaction was wonderful and memorable... but the food... oh the food was nasty. I enjoyed the mushroom soup but my family hated it. My gnocchi dish was one of the worst meals I’ve ever had at a restaurant. My seven year old daughter still talks about how the food was gross. My alcoholic beverage tasted like they poured straight alcohol. My lips were numb after two sips. Needless to say I left 3/4 of the glass. Thank goodness we were on the dining plan.

 

[gatordoc]

Jaleo for us. What we had was Ok, but the experience was totally unacceptable. When we were seated, the waiter described for us the paella available that evening and we ordered one. After about an hour when we had progressed through a few small plates, the waiter returned to tell us that unfortunately they were out of the paella. We were disappointed, but these things happen, so we ordered a few other items and continued our meal. After about another hour we were ready to leave. As we were waking out we saw the paella we had ordered being prepared. Stunned, we asked a manager why we had been told that they were out. He stammered, mumbled, and couldn’t give us an answer, nor was any apology offered. And we saw our waiter in the background laughing at our conversation. Maybe it was an honest mistake, but if that’s the case, own up to it. We won’t be back.

 

[gharter]

We've had too many one and dones, but we go back and try it again.
In this category, Tonys is at the top of the list.
Not a fan of Ohanas.

 

[The WDW 3]

Via Napoli. We mostly went because our first date was at a restaurant also named Via Napoli (no relation). The food was just ok, and we certainly could eat it again, but with so many other options we wouldn’t rush back for any reason.

Peppers at CSR (I think may have been rebranded Recently) was horrible and filthy. I wouldn’t even walk in to refill my mug.

 

[sullyfam]

For us it was Cinderella's Royal Table. I didn't think the experience or the food was worth the price. The bathrooms were a swamp too. And they herd you in there like cattle and have this weird way of making you wait until exactly your ADR time, then lining you up in different areas, etc. The princesses were good and of course "being in the castle" is cool I guess. But it's dated and I was just unimpressed for how crazy expensive it is and how hard the reservations are.

It was a one and done for us. Checked it off the list but don't need to do it again.

 

[Krystal659]

Ohana. I love the concept, the food was pretty good, but the service and atmosphere was lacking. I didn't pay $80 pp (if I remember correctly) to be rushed and ignored during my entire dinner service.

It is rare that my family of 3 agrees on food, but on this we did....not for us. We were also confused as to why everyone LOVES it, we were certain we had "missed" something. However, we will not be going back to find out. There are just too many other restaurants.

 

[WDWEPCOT]

Biergarten
Chef Mickey’s
1900 Park Fare
Tony’s
Sci Fi
As the food at Disney degraded some of our favorites are getting added to the list of not for a while seeking improvement - such a shame as Disney used to have excellent restaurants - considering the price the food should be much better!

 

[NC State]

Biergarten
Chef Mickey’s
1900 Park Fare
Tony’s
Sci Fi
As the food at Disney degraded some of our favorites are getting added to the list of not for a while seeking improvement - such a shame as Disney used to have excellent restaurants - considering the price the food should be much better!

I agree and it's just not the parks. The cruise line has also degraded it's food as well.

 

[kwdw]

Liberty Tree Tavern for me. We had the family style meal and it was just ‘meh’. I guess I don’t crave Thanksgiving foods in the intense heat.

I would agree on the Thanksgiving family style there - it's just meh - too salty. However - LUNCH on the a la carte menu is awesome! The Pot Roast is a consistent favorite - but they usually have a great salad and a burger on the menu, too.