Restaurants that pleasantly surprised you

[CrystalClear82]

So the precursor to this is that we had been in the airport for hours due to a delayed flight...

Whispering Canyon Cafe.
Im pretty sure we would have licked the skillet clean had it been appropriate. We even fought over the veggies.
The meat was flavorful. The waitstaff was very kind. We aren't into the antics and they were super respectful of that. Nothing fancy just good food!

 

[schmitty]

Sebastian's Bistro I was surprised about how good it was. That was PC though and now its family style so it may be different. We were also surprised by Tiffins when it opened up and has managed to stay good.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Sebastian's Bistro I was surprised about how good it was. That was PC though and now its family style so it may be different. We were also surprised by Tiffins when it opened up and has managed to stay good.

Agreed! I went thinking it would be a pastiche of Caribbean food and was very very happy to find it was the real deal.

 

[Kacy1111]

La Hacienda de San Angel and Brown Derby - we tried La Hacienda for the first time on our last trip and it was great. Brown Derby is a stop every trip.

 

[holden]

We went to Chef Mickey's in June because we were traveling with another family who wanted to go there. I don't like CM. I was pleasantly surprised at how good the breakfast was (served family style). We really enjoyed it.

 

[lukemorenus]

Topolino's Terrace... (possibly) the best meal I've ever had

 

[1GoldenSun]

Well, I really enjoyed the food at Hollywood & Vine, so I guess nobody should trust my opinion about anything.

 

[goofy4prez]

For me a few were really pleasant surprises that I was not expecting great things from.

1. Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen - All I can say about the service, atmosphere and food. WOW!
2. Tiffins- This has become one of my favorite signatures and is now a must do every trip.
3. Citricos- This was a last minute available ADR and while not a must do has become a repeat experience.

There have been a few greatly hyped places that have fallen short for me, but that is a post for another thread.

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

The Edison

 

[gharter]

Sebastian's Bistro I was surprised about how good it was. That was PC though and now its family style so it may be different.

We were looking forward to trying there on our next trip. The previous menu looked really interesting.
The new menu just doesn't interest me at all.

 

[fabfemmeboy]

We went to Morimoto like 10 days after it opened or something, we were the only people there for lunch, and it was surprisingly fantastic. We got a bunch of appetizers/small plates/sushi, and each thing we had was like...the best possible version of that thing. I'm really bummed that most of what we got (and loved) isn't on the menu anymore because that was one of our favourite meals we'd had on-property.

 

[HelsBels16]

Whispering Canyon Cafe. Admittedly this was pre-COVID, but the food was excellent and it had a fun atmosphere without being overbearing, as an adult-only party.

 

[Drewsdad]

La hacienda on our last trip and the Edison at DS.

 

[Magnoliafan]

PizzaRizzo. No, seriously. I love The Muppets, so decided to check it out for the theming. Plus I’m vegetarian and was intrigued by the plant based option - Beyond sausage in a toasted bun with marinara sauce, peppers and onions. It was honestly one of the best quick service options I’ve ever had. Plus I sat in the Banquet room and the atmosphere was unexpectedly awesome, with blinking lights and cheesy wedding songs. I loved it. I think I ended up going back two more times during my two week trip in May and then went again in August.

For Table Service, I was hesitant to try Skipper Canteen and didn’t check it out right after it opened. Then I brought my gluten-free Mom with me and decided it would be her best bet at MK. We both loved it so much that we ended up booking it on our second MK day too, and now it‘s a must do for all of my solo trips. I finally convinced myself to try the falafel instead of the cheese bread and holy moly was it good. I’m going for a long weekend and one of the first things i did was book an ADR.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Teppan Edo. Didnt think Id love being seated with a random family or even love the food, but the food was SOOOO good even my picky picky picky picky daughter ate the chicken (nothing else, but from someone who barely touches any kind of meat this was HUGE). I got filet mignon and my husband got a combo of meats, dont remember which ones. The random family enjoyed their meal, as we did ours...no interaction or small talk needed!! We were all focused on the chef!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Honestly, I have learned over the years not to really listen to other people's opinion of restaurants. I read them, but I tend to get disappointed in the hyped up ones and pleasantly surprised at the ones people hate. Some of our favorites are on what seems to be a large portion of the Disboards hate list, like Mama Melrose. We had a good meal at Tony's. Was it a 5 star experience? No, but we don't get that at Olive Garden or the local Italian place either. We love Skippers and Chefs (I like it better now that they don't bring that rat around to the tables).

I honestly have never heard a bad thing about Mama Melrose's. tony's I have heard mixed.

And now I want olive garden breadsticks hahahahaha!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

An oldie that is not there anymore, Kouzina sp? The reviews on here were not good, but the menu intrigued us and we went. One of our favorite meals of the trip. The food was good and the servers were awesome. My mom still talks about it and is mad it closed. That was about ten years ago.

Where was that? It sounds oddly familiar

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

House of Blues

LA Hacienda de San Angel

We love La Hacienda! Never been to the house of blues though

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Le Cellier.

I booked it because many sit down restaurants still weren't open this past spring break. I thought, well, it gets mixed reviews, but let's give it a go and find our for ourselves. (I also did that with Coral Reef. I get the bad reviews for that establishment.)

We loved our meal! All three of us were so splendidly surprised. My only disappointment was that I was too full for dessert. DD wasn't, and of course she chose the creme brûlée. Really??!! Ahh, that's my least favorite dessert!

DH found a new cocktail he absolutely adores, the Ottawa Apple. I don't even like whiskey, but enjoyed that drink. We have tried to replicate it at home but cannot master since we cannot get Crown Royal Maple. I tried with a little bit of real maple syrup but not the same. Still good though!

I will add, this was when capacity was only 50% so we didn't feel crowded. We all say that meal was our favorite part of that entire trip! lol

This makes me excited as we have a reservation for our upcoming trip!

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Topolino's Terrace... (possibly) the best meal I've ever had

one day I will get there!