Nine Dragons Restaurant

[TiggerXx]

Would any of you reccomend it? Whats the best thing on their menu?

 

[beccasmom]

Here is a link to their lunch menu.....it has been awhile since we ate there. The food was ok as I recall....not outstanding but not terrible. It is gorgeous inside. I doubt you will be overwhelmed, but it is pleasant enough.

http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_9dl.htm

 

[WDW LOVR]

We've had lunch/dinner there a couple times and is it the best chinese we've ever had? No, but it is good (typical menu you would find in your hometown chinese restaurant), large portions, good service and beautiful inside.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

Well,...
Hmmm...
How do I put this?

I'm Chinese-American and my family eats "real" Chinese food both homecooked and restaurant. But since I was born in the States, I do enjoy the typical Chinese fare that are more geared towards Americans like sweet and sour dishes. So, I'm definitely not an authentic Chinese food snob.

My family and I have eaten at Nine Dragons numerous times, I'm embarrassed to say. And each time we say it will be the last!

All I can say is that it is way over-priced, bad Chinese food. Even if the food was good, it would have been expensive. But hey, we understand that we have to pay for the "rent" too.

The reason that we have kept going back is that when my grandfather was still alive, he loved going in to chat with natives (the waitstaff) that have just come over from the homeland. He. especially, loved that many of them came from rural villages just like him. The food sucked, but hey we were paying for the company for my grandfather. I even remember that the waiters kept apologizing to my grandfather for the food! One time they actually had the chef stir fry some simple vegetables because they said he wouldn't like what was on the menu.

After my grandfather died, the only time we went to eat at Nine Dragons was when we were at WDW with guests who wanted to "check it out." We warn them ahead of time. But maybe the lack of having rice for a week, makes them want to take a risk?

I'd like to give a restaurant the benefit of the doubt. Every place has a down time, management and chefs change. The last time I ate there was October 2003. We hadn't eaten at Nine Dragons for a few years by then. So, when the guests we were with wanted to try it out, we gave in again.

When we sat down, our waiter was surprised to see us. More so when we spole to him in Chinese. Mom asked him what he recommended or what was fresh. He looked around, leaned in, and replied in Chinese that the food was geared toward..."foreigners." That's o'kay, we are used to eating "foreigner" Chinese food. Anything that he would recommend? He kind of shuffled his feet in embarrassment and gave a little shrug, as if he would never eat any of it.

Well, we were there already. So, we ordered a few items. Our table was extrememly quiet during the meal which is extremely rare because in my Chinese family, meal times are extremely noisy. In any case, it was the worst Chinese food I have had there yet. We all started talking about how awful it was once we left the restaurant!

I wish it was a fluke. I have heard a few others on the board comment on how they enjoyed their meal. But after eating there at least 4-5 times in the last 10 years, and batting zero, I can honestly say, NEVER again. The food seemed to get worse, if that was possible. It went from not too good to yuck. So, in the future if some first timers want to "try out" the Chinese food at WDW, I will tell them that I will meet them all later, after the meal!

Good luck! Hope the food improves but I won't be the one to find out!

 

[MikeWazowski]

I went here for lunch with my mother and we had:

Nine Dragons Lunch Sampler for 2

Choice of:
Spicy Hot and Sour Soup, or, shanghai Won Ton Soup

Entrees:
Happy Family, Honey Sesame Chicken, Stir-Fry Seasonal Vegetables

Served with steamed rice and Fortune cookies

I really liked the Honey Sesame Chicken. Everything else was also good. Compared to the Chinese Restaurants in my area, this one is a little different from what I'm used to. It was pretty good for the price and I would do again but I would only go back for lunch mainly because the menu is cheaper.

 

[krystyana]

Guess I'm the exception here...but we really liked it. I liked the honey sesame chicken and we try to go on any trip. We think it's worth going to and always had a good experience. My advice is to try it for yourself....that's the only way to find out for sure! We think it's great!

 

[Philadisney]

i've stayed away from 9 dragons ever since a friend who worked as a chef there told me they use a ton of msg on everything....yuck

 

[jpmom97]

We had lunch there and loved it! The honey sesame chicken was awesome!

 

[Jasminesmommy]

One of my familys favorite resturansts. I have noticed the menu has changed greatly since Sept so i don't know if its still owned by the same people. We use to get the old menu for 2 and some Dim Sum but it doesn't look like they serve it for Lunch no more. If its the same then go for it. It has gotten new owners in the last couple years and improved greatly.

 

[Jennasis]

Hands down the worst restaurant I've ever eaten at (not just the worst in WDW). Horrible food...uninspiring decor. I've had real Chinese food, and real "Americanized" chinese food (I'm from NY originally), and this was nothing close to either of those things. Spend your money elsewhere.

 

[old lost boy]

I think the food is about what you can get at any neighborhood Chinese Restaurant in any average American town. It os waaay overpriced for the quality. If you like Asian food go to the Tepenyaki at Japan.

 

[lclark0621]

I think it is pretty average Chinese food.

It is about as good as anything we get here in TX (back in NY we could get GOOD Chinese food).

I have had better, I have certianly had worse.

But we eat there usually once a trip. It is decent food for us. We enjoy the decor, we are usually able to "squeeze" in at dinner time, even when they are very busy.

The waitstaff last time treated my DS like he was a prince. They were falling all over themselves to make him laugh & smile. So that is a plus for us.

We like it a lot more then the counter service garbage you get in the parks.

 

[Abba98]

Chinese food is virtually our favorite food,and we've eaten a fair quantity of it in our day.......We tried with 9 Dragons a few times,but we really couldn't take it anymore........But,what's funny is this,we like the attached Lotus Blossom Cafe for lunch,and always eat there, to get our fix of Chinese food.

For our big meal,we love the Norwegian buffet at Akershus!
Have fun,and happy eating!
Kirsten

 

[wtg2000]

I'm interested to read these opinions. We've tried it a couple times and for me the food was fine but then my only basis for comparison is the Chinese take out place at my local mall. It seemed on a par!

What I'm wondering is - is the Nine Dragons unique in this fashion? How does the San Angels Inn compare to other Mexican places, or Alfredo's to other Italian places? I don't eat out that often. Our Disney trips are about as fancy as I get regarding eating so I don't have much basis for comparison. And since I usually eat packaged/nuked food at home anything else is a step up.

These restaurants have a build-in customer base and no competition so I guess there's little impetus for them to improve. Or perhaps Nine Dragons is a poor exception.

 

[scrump]

I think most food at the WS is probably fine, personal tastes aside. Nine Dragons may not be the best Chinese food out there, but for most it probably wouldn't be the crummiest. We value theming a lot, and it seems that the people who have dined at this location enjoyed that element quite a bit, so it's probably worth a try.

When we sat down, our waiter was surprised to see us. More so when we spole to him in Chinese. Mom asked him what he recommended or what was fresh. He looked around, leaned in, and replied in Chinese that the food was geared toward..."foreigners." That's o'kay, we are used to eating "foreigner" Chinese food. Anything that he would recommend? He kind of shuffled his feet in embarrassment and gave a little shrug, as if he would never eat any of it.

Oh yes, I'm Japanese-American and I don't eat at the Japan Pavillion, though I'm sure the food is very good. I think we all have to "shrug" a bit at World Showcase. I love that park, and I have a blast every time I go. After all, it is Disney!