DW Food... Surprisingly Disappointed, with Exceptions

[disneydadazut2]

I don't mean to stir the pot here. I'm actually looking for direction - because we are headed back during Christmas '22

My wife and I made our first trip (ever) to DW - having gone to Disneyland as kids, teens, young parents, and now seasoned parents. We decided to go to DWR alone for the first trip, and then return with our kids if we felt it was worth it. YES - we loved it and we have already booked reservations to return!!! Can't Wait!

OK, now that you have a bit of background. We love Disneyland Treats/Food. In fact, we feel that it is the favorite of the trip - eating great Disney Food. So, we watched every video, read reviews, asked opinions - because we wanted to make sure we got the best food on our trip. We were so disappointed. We tried nearly everything on "top lists".

Met/exceeded expectations:
Gideon's Bakehouse... more on that later
Chicken Guy
L'Artisan des Glaces
Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie... now that is what we expected!

It's Good/OK:
Regal Eagle Smokehouse
Mama Melrose's
Be Our Guest

Bland, Tasted Like Costco Food:
Very long list - Via Napoli, Pecos Bill, Woody's Lunch Box, Dole Whips (DSLR is shaking it's head at the DWR Dole whips), Rice Krispie Treats, Pretzels, Slushies, Ice Cream, Popcorn, Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich (from Sleepy Hollow), Corn Dog (definitely not a Red Wagon Experience), and a variety of cinnamon rolls/cupcakes.

Yeah - we eat a lot

So help me out. Am I crazy to think that DSLR food > DWR food? I am hopeful because we didn't go to AK, and I have heard good things about their restaurants. We are headed back with the kiddos. We will book reservations for Mama Melrose, because the kids love spaghetti . And, we will give Sci-Fi a whirl for the experience, and possibly return to Regal Eagle - but DW and I are thinking just cart food the rest of the time because we don't believe any TS is worth it.

BY THE WAY, the Gideon Bakehouse cookies are true to the hype. The Triple Chocolate is hard to describe and imagine - it isn't too "chocolatey" - it's perfect! Chicken Guy was amazing - seriously, fantastic. My wife loved the Raspberry Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich from L'Artisan des Glaces. But the BEST was Boulangerie-Patisserie!!!! We bought buckets of treats from there - buckets! That is the type of treats we expected from Disney.

 

[kc51570]

I’m not sure that you actually tried any of the restaurants that would qualify as “best” on property. Be our guest was good the first year or two it opened and quality went downhill. I haven’t tried it since it became prix fixe since the menu doesn‘t interest me and my very plain palate kid would have 0 interest. We used to like it for the PPO breakfast but that hasn‘t restarted since Covid.
SciFi which you mentioned you didn’t try is just OK. The burgers are a average but I think most book it for the experience.
We usually do a couple of signature restaurants each trip-California Grill, Topolino’s, Flying Fish, Citricos are all very good if you are looking for high quality food. Kona Cafe and Grand Floridian Cafe are also good table service restaurants but at a lower price point.
In general the quick service foods are very average.

 

[DLgal]

Disneyland food has been heads and shoulders above WDW food for YEARS so you aren't crazy.

I don't know how WDW manages to screw up Dole Whip so badly. Why isn't it ever creamy? What are they doing wrong? It's literally a powdered mix. But I digress.

Some of my favorites at WDW are:

California Grill
Whispering Canyon Cafe
Yachtsman Steakhouse
Hollywood Brown Derby
Art Smiths Homecomin'
L'Artisan des Glaces (best ice cream at WDW)
Karamell Kuche (German pavilion AMAZING caramel treats)
Beaches and Cream
Columbia Harbor House
Contempo Cafe
Gasparilla Island Grill
Flame Tree BBQ
Garden Grill (breakfast)
La Cantina de San Angel


I liked Woodys, but we went there right when it was brand new so they were probably on top of their game. I still can taste that brisket grilled cheese on garlic bread. Mmmmm. I'm sorry to hear it might have gone downhill.

 

[lockets]

Just want to thank OP for the ranking of the restaurants they tried because I would tend to agree and I haven’t tried any of your “best” rank so this is very helpful!

Same for PP poster’s best list as well.

 

[acarsme123]

Via Napoli

Surprised you didn't like Via Napoli. We ate here are very first trip to DW several years ago, and we have reservations for next week. It's the first time we tried artichoke hearts on a pizza and we loved it.

 

[acarsme123]

Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie... now that is what we expected!

I have never been able to try the food from here in the past trips, but I'm trying to change that this trip next week. What did you try that were standouts? My wife is considering eating quick service here for dinner on our HS day...since we didn't see any restaurants at HS that sounded appealing we were gonna ride the skyliner to World Showcase and just eat quick service.

 

[Brett Wyman]

I don't mean to stir the pot here. I'm actually looking for direction - because we are headed back during Christmas '22

My wife and I made our first trip (ever) to DW - having gone to Disneyland as kids, teens, young parents, and now seasoned parents. We decided to go to DWR alone for the first trip, and then return with our kids if we felt it was worth it. YES - we loved it and we have already booked reservations to return!!! Can't Wait!

OK, now that you have a bit of background. We love Disneyland Treats/Food. In fact, we feel that it is the favorite of the trip - eating great Disney Food. So, we watched every video, read reviews, asked opinions - because we wanted to make sure we got the best food on our trip. We were so disappointed. We tried nearly everything on "top lists".

Met/exceeded expectations:
Gideon's Bakehouse... more on that later
Chicken Guy
L'Artisan des Glaces
Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie... now that is what we expected!

It's Good/OK:
Regal Eagle Smokehouse
Mama Melrose's
Be Our Guest

Bland, Tasted Like Costco Food:
Very long list - Via Napoli, Pecos Bill, Woody's Lunch Box, Dole Whips (DSLR is shaking it's head at the DWR Dole whips), Rice Krispie Treats, Pretzels, Slushies, Ice Cream, Popcorn, Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich (from Sleepy Hollow), Corn Dog (definitely not a Red Wagon Experience), and a variety of cinnamon rolls/cupcakes.

Yeah - we eat a lot

So help me out. Am I crazy to think that DSLR food > DWR food? I am hopeful because we didn't go to AK, and I have heard good things about their restaurants. We are headed back with the kiddos. We will book reservations for Mama Melrose, because the kids love spaghetti . And, we will give Sci-Fi a whirl for the experience, and possibly return to Regal Eagle - but DW and I are thinking just cart food the rest of the time because we don't believe any TS is worth it.

BY THE WAY, the Gideon Bakehouse cookies are true to the hype. The Triple Chocolate is hard to describe and imagine - it isn't too "chocolatey" - it's perfect! Chicken Guy was amazing - seriously, fantastic. My wife loved the Raspberry Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich from L'Artisan des Glaces. But the BEST was Boulangerie-Patisserie!!!! We bought buckets of treats from there - buckets! That is the type of treats we expected from Disney.

With the exception of Dole Whip(which are amazing!), your list is spot on. I enjoy the Sleppy Hollow items too.

My wife is a foodie, much less now that we have kids, but we use to hit up all the hot restaurants in town in our day. I always try to frame WDW food to her as “good for a theme park” as opposed to regular restaurant good. As she always complains about the food after she hears it’s “good”. WDW has very few truly excellent restaurants, and the ones that are excellent are in the resorts.

She thinks Sanaa, Jiko, The Yachtsman, California Grill, GF Cafe, Citricos, and Toppolinos are regular restaurant “good”. We haven’t eaten at Steak House 71 yet.

Me personally I love all kinds of WDW food

 

[TheDailyMoo]

I wish you had tried the chicken and waffles from sleepy hollow that's been something I go back to over and over again. Granted I've never been to DL and yes WDW food can be hit or miss depending however the list you have at the bottom are not even things I would expect to be good...if that makes sense. Like pretzels and popcorn and rice krispy treats.

Try a nice restaurant like Narcoosees while the fireworks are going on and you can step onto the deck. Those are the much better experiences food wise. Or Whispering Canyon. They aren't the greatest quality meats you'll ever eat but it's darn good and the atmosphere bumps it up a ton. Yeah I would think of incorporating some of the higher end restaurants maybe next time if you're looking for elevated cuisine. Lots of QS are just overpriced and kinda gross. Les HAlles is legit though! As are many of the world showcase restaurants btw. Fish and Chips from Rose and Crown. I love Biergarden. I mean again I have great authentic German restaurants around me but Biergarden is good enough with quality and again it's the atmosphere that bumps it up to great.

Now I'm hungry!

 

[Merlin's Magic]

We are not a fan of most of the quicker options, but there are gems. Our goal when we go to Disney is to try things we wouldn't normally eat at home or get elsewhere. I can say nearly every vegetarian option I tried was a highlight (the one exception was Teppan Edo, where the tofu was fine, but nothing to write home about). We ate at places like The Wave and California Grill, ones that changed their menu to reflect seasonal offerings.
Most of your choices in the 'bland' category would be in ours as well. We weren't impressed with snack offerings so we didn't get most of them. Epcot had a better choice of snacks overall, and my only disappointment was that the falafel is always served cold.
FWIW, go into Sci-Fi with the expectation of decent burgers, fun experience. We all enjoyed the food but sharing milkshakes and watching short little clips was the best part. And if you make it to Animal Kingdom, I'd suggest checking out the menu at Satu'li. We all got noodle bowls with different proteins, but everyone agreed it was one of the better quick service meals hands down.

 

[disneydadazut2]

Love the responses - Thank you!
To all, I should have qualified something. We don't wander outside the parks, in general, so we maximize our time with rides, etc... However, after seeing the responses/suggestions, maybe that is the problem.

We usually do a couple of signature restaurants each trip-California Grill, Topolino’s, Flying Fish, Citricos are all very good if you are looking for high quality food. Kona Cafe and Grand Floridian Cafe are also good table service restaurants but at a lower price point.
In general the quick service foods are very average.

Those suggestions look tasty... I think I will convince DW to 'wander off' with me to Citricos or California Grill while the kids play at MK.

Disneyland food has been heads and shoulders above WDW food for YEARS so you aren't crazy.

I don't know how WDW manages to screw up Dole Whip so badly. Why isn't it ever creamy? What are they doing wrong? It's literally a powdered mix. But I digress.

Some of my favorites at WDW are:

California Grill
Whispering Canyon Cafe
Yachtsman Steakhouse
Hollywood Brown Derby
Art Smiths Homecomin'
L'Artisan des Glaces (best ice cream at WDW)
Karamell Kuche (German pavilion AMAZING caramel treats)
Beaches and Cream
Columbia Harbor House
Contempo Cafe
Gasparilla Island Grill
Flame Tree BBQ
Garden Grill (breakfast)
La Cantina de San Angel


I liked Woodys, but we went there right when it was brand new so they were probably on top of their game. I still can taste that brisket grilled cheese on garlic bread. Mmmmm. I'm sorry to hear it might have gone downhill.

Similar to what I stated above - we may need to wander a bit. I will agree with L'Artisan des Glaces - excellent!

Surprised you didn't like Via Napoli. We ate here are very first trip to DW several years ago, and we have reservations for next week. It's the first time we tried artichoke hearts on a pizza and we loved it.

I was surprised as well - very surprised. There are three pizza places where I live that are superior to Via Napoli - and I live in UTAH! The pizza in Utah is average at best!

I have never been able to try the food from here in the past trips, but I'm trying to change that this trip next week. What did you try that were standouts? My wife is considering eating quick service here for dinner on our HS day...since we didn't see any restaurants at HS that sounded appealing we were gonna ride the skyliner to World Showcase and just eat quick service.

Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie IS a standout. I don't know where to begin. Croque Monsieur - even cold back at the hotel is tasted great! Breads (Baguette, Croissant, etc) are excellent. Beignet with chocolate (and hazelnuts?) fantastic. But favorites were - Creme Brûlée (on point!), Raspberry Mouse Cake!, Napoleon!, and Macarons!
Also, even though it's supposed to be "quick service", there was nothing quick about the wait in line. But, I found the wait to be worth it - which for me is nearly impossible

WDW has very few truly excellent restaurants, and the ones that are excellent are in the resorts.

She thinks Sanaa, Jiko, The Yachtsman, California Grill, GF Cafe, Citricos, and Toppolinos are regular restaurant “good”. We haven’t eaten at Steak House 71 yet.

Based on your conclusion and the comments of others, I will need to adjust our plans. A few of those you mentioned sound promising.

I wish you had tried the chicken and waffles from sleepy hollow that's been something I go back to over and over again. Granted I've never been to DL and yes WDW food can be hit or miss depending however the list you have at the bottom are not even things I would expect to be good...if that makes sense. Like pretzels and popcorn and rice krispy treats.

Try a nice restaurant like Narcoosees while the fireworks are going on and you can step onto the deck. Those are the much better experiences food wise. Or Whispering Canyon. They aren't the greatest quality meats you'll ever eat but it's darn good and the atmosphere bumps it up a ton. Yeah I would think of incorporating some of the higher end restaurants maybe next time if you're looking for elevated cuisine. Lots of QS are just overpriced and kinda gross. Les HAlles is legit though! As are many of the world showcase restaurants btw. Fish and Chips from Rose and Crown. I love Biergarden. I mean again I have great authentic German restaurants around me but Biergarden is good enough with quality and again it's the atmosphere that bumps it up to great.

Now I'm hungry!

Good suggestions. I was going to try the Chicken and Waffles - but after the Fruit/Nutella & Corndog experience, I didn't want to. That could have been a mistake.

I'm gonna put Narcoosee's on the potential list as well based on what you wrote.

FWIW, go into Sci-Fi with the expectation of decent burgers, fun experience. We all enjoyed the food but sharing milkshakes and watching short little clips was the best part. And if you make it to Animal Kingdom, I'd suggest checking out the menu at Satu'li. We all got noodle bowls with different proteins, but everyone agreed it was one of the better quick service meals hands down.

Great advice about Sci-Fi. Also, I do like a good Noodle bowl with proteins - so Satu'li will be on the hit list.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[loves to dive]

I've never been to DW but as far as snacks go, I'd probably agree WDW isn't the best. Having said that, we aren't really sweet snack people and never have been, even when my son was little he preferred things like nuts or fruit or even a bag of cheerios over sweets.

We like just about everything at WS but agree that France Ice Cream and QS are pretty good. I don't think I've ever had a cupcake at WDW, but I don't like cupcakes so don't eat them anywhere. Now the carrot cake at HS, love it, the only problem is you have to get it at Starbucks now and I hate Starbucks so more often than not, don't get it. I don't get the Dole Whip thing, I want real ice cream if I'm eating it so I go to France or the ice cream place on Main Street or the little stand in HS. AK has some interesting snacks, more on savory side but interesting.

As far as QS, I've never stepped foot inside Regal Eagle, I'm from Georgia so tend to be a bit of a snob when it comes to BBQ. Pecos Bills isn't great but MK doesn't really have a lot to offer in the QS area, I'm actually o.k. with the corn dog nuggets but I don't think I've actually had a corn dog itself there. At AK a lot of people love Satu'li and I think it's o.k. but I don't go out of my way to eat there. I'm more of a fan of Nomad Lounge for small bites instead or even Yak and Yeti QS. If you are willing to take the kids to a sit down, Tiffins is pretty good in AK, not your normal food though. HS hurts for QS but I hear the new offerings at ABC aren't bad. Again, I'm more of a small bite person so tend to eat at HBD Lounge outside.

 

[k5xs]

We just returned from a week at POFQ. I can honestly say that in probably 100 trips over the past 32 years we had never had a bad meal. We can't say that anymore.

Boatwrights: We have in the past enjoyed the Shrimp & Grits. The recipe has apparently changed, and now the grits are infused with either cheese or spices (or both). Disappointed. The tender and flavorful prime rib was tough and flavorless.

Chefs de France. Escargot was great, but the house salad wasn't the delicate lettuce and light dressing we had enjoyed so many times in the past.

Katsura Grill. Shrimp tempura was fine, but the Udon flavoring was way off.

I don't know if the issue is supply issues or staffing. It was disappointing in EPCOT to not see international program CMs, and I wonder if that translates into kitchen issues in France and Japan. It's surely no one's "fault," but it adds so much to the dining experience to be served by country-specific servers/order takers.

OTOH, the CS eatery in POFQ was awesome for every meal. And the CS eateries in all the parks were fine as well (Cosmic Rays did not disappoint), and Satu'li Canteen and Flame Tree in AK were both terrific. And every CM we encountered was friendly and cheerful.

 

[Kae]

Mickey Pretzels are the worst, but I have a local place by me that has ruined me forever. Last Trip Whispering Canyon Cafe breakfast was one of our best meals, We also love Chef de France, Capt Cooks QS at Poly & eating on the Tki Terrace.

 

[tink2424]

I feel that the quality of the food around WDW started with the dining plan. I think because they had people locked in to paying for food they just didn't care as much about the quality. I remember my first trips as an adult in the early 2000's to be fantastic with regards to food. Now it is very hard to find good food and the menu's are more and more restrictive. It is a shame that the quality of almost everything at Disney has gone down.

 

[starousse]

I have to say that the last couple of trips, August being the latest, we had some really great meals....better than ever. We did California Grill, Le Cellier, Boathouse, Narcoossees & Homecoming to name a few. Unfortunately, I feel like a lot of the places the OP mentioned were all counter service and snack huts for the most part which are cafeteria food and have never been of great quality. Mama Melrose is not known for being the best either. For the next trip, and if budget allows, I'd consider trying some good sit down or signature dining.

 

[RNRMOM]

I don't mean to stir the pot here. I'm actually looking for direction - because we are headed back during Christmas '22

My wife and I made our first trip (ever) to DW - having gone to Disneyland as kids, teens, young parents, and now seasoned parents. We decided to go to DWR alone for the first trip, and then return with our kids if we felt it was worth it. YES - we loved it and we have already booked reservations to return!!! Can't Wait!

OK, now that you have a bit of background. We love Disneyland Treats/Food. In fact, we feel that it is the favorite of the trip - eating great Disney Food. So, we watched every video, read reviews, asked opinions - because we wanted to make sure we got the best food on our trip. We were so disappointed. We tried nearly everything on "top lists".

Met/exceeded expectations:
Gideon's Bakehouse... more on that later
Chicken Guy
L'Artisan des Glaces
Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie... now that is what we expected!

It's Good/OK:
Regal Eagle Smokehouse
Mama Melrose's
Be Our Guest

Bland, Tasted Like Costco Food:
Very long list - Via Napoli, Pecos Bill, Woody's Lunch Box, Dole Whips (DSLR is shaking it's head at the DWR Dole whips), Rice Krispie Treats, Pretzels, Slushies, Ice Cream, Popcorn, Fresh Fruit Waffle Sandwich (from Sleepy Hollow), Corn Dog (definitely not a Red Wagon Experience), and a variety of cinnamon rolls/cupcakes.

Yeah - we eat a lot

So help me out. Am I crazy to think that DSLR food > DWR food? I am hopeful because we didn't go to AK, and I have heard good things about their restaurants. We are headed back with the kiddos. We will book reservations for Mama Melrose, because the kids love spaghetti . And, we will give Sci-Fi a whirl for the experience, and possibly return to Regal Eagle - but DW and I are thinking just cart food the rest of the time because we don't believe any TS is worth it.

BY THE WAY, the Gideon Bakehouse cookies are true to the hype. The Triple Chocolate is hard to describe and imagine - it isn't too "chocolatey" - it's perfect! Chicken Guy was amazing - seriously, fantastic. My wife loved the Raspberry Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich from L'Artisan des Glaces. But the BEST was Boulangerie-Patisserie!!!! We bought buckets of treats from there - buckets! That is the type of treats we expected from Disney.

You almost lost me at Dole Whip but I can understand why you didn't like most of the foods on your list. As others have said, those aren't restaurants I would consider in the top tier of any dining let alone Disney dining.

L'Artisan is amazing as you said. We tried Regal Eagle once, it's okay for what it is but I definitely wouldn't go out of my way for it anymore. Although my wallet wept a bit I decided after our trip in 2021 (which ended with food poisoning from Beaches and Cream ) that we would try to only have sit down meals at signature restaurants. When we returned in January 2022 that's what we did. If we're going the basic meal route we will go to character meals and at least get the interactions out of it (once Disney returns to full interactions).

I definitely agree with you, that a lot of Disney World table service restaurants are just serving frozen foods on nice plates (San Angel Inn is a good example).

 

[Disneyhanna]

I was at Disneyland for Halloween and just did WDW over MLK weekend and Princess. The food at Disneyland is leaps and bounds above the food at WDW! The specials were more creative (and not just desserts like all the 50th stuff) and everything was definitely fresher. That being said, WDW has way more table service options with all of the resorts. But QS and snacks in the parks are way better at Disneyland, for sure. I always thought this had more to do with Disneyland being more of a locals park, and they have to have more interesting and unique foods to keep the locals visiting, whereas WDW is so tourist heavy and they can get away with more standard theme park fare.

 

[rebelbuddhist]

There are many table services that you unfortunately didn't use. SteakHouse 21, La Tratorria, Narcoossees, Tusker House, and several others. But what is one person's best can be another's worst especially with children in the mix. We try to listen to dining reviews with a grain of salt and rely more on menu's over someone else's review. If we have a disappointing experience if it's service, we may return to that restaurant or maybe not; if it is badly prepared food, we add that restaurant to our no more list.

 

[purpliequeen]

I don't think you (OP) are stirring the pot. I haven't been to DL since I was a toddler so obviously I do not remember what the food tastes like. That being said, I follow several food bloggers & Instagram influencer people. "Disney foodie girl" just got back from DL and I respect her Insta quite a lot. She mentioned the food at DL is incredible. I've also heard this from many other people, including friends. I obv don't know why this is the case, but wonder if it's because DL was the first park and there are obviously recipes and tradition here that's carried through over the yrs?

Also note that you're judging WDW right now with all the issues related to the pandemic (smaller menus, not enough CMs, etc.) I don't think it's fair to compare pre-pandemic DL to current state of affairs WDW.

Cart food - We don't really do cart food because we're so stuffed from various meals (QS, TS, etc.) That being said, do not, I repeat do not, try any of the churros at WDW. Again, I've never had the DL churros, but the WDW churros get such a bad rap when compared to DL's. Again, not having had DL churros, I find the WDW ones appalling. They're stale, not hot, and the texture is not correct.

Signatures - You're traveling with kids so I understand if you don't want to do signatures, but I do think the signatures at WDW really shine. My fam loves California Grill. Jiko is also fab. It's really hard to go wrong with the sigs.

Character meals at Topolino's (breakfast) are great. Ohana's is a love to hate here on the DisBoards. Service has, and continues to based on reviews, be not good.

Resort TS are generally good. AKL is beautiful and worth checking out. We LOVE Sanaa. One of our faves. Boma (if your fam is adventurous) is fantastic for all meal periods too. I mentioned Topolino's breakfast already. Really thought the food and character interaction (even with COVID protocol) were excellent.

Epcot is hard to judge because everyone's taste buds are different. Just naming a few... I enjoy the udon at Japan's QS. Via Napoli is good. Le Cellier really, just depends on your taste buds and how adventurous you all are.

MK food I think is generally not worth it. Would be curious if you tried the nutella waffles at Sleepy Hollow. I love Sleepy Hollow. Columbia Harbor & Liberty Tavern usually gets good reviews as well.

AK has good food - but again, depends on how adventurous your palates are.

DHS - I love Woody's Lunchbox. Sorry you didn't have a good experience. I liked the theming and the food is solid - nothing to write home about - but coupled with the theming, I thought it was good.

DS is where all the good stuff's at though....

 

[sipnride]

Ok so Cali native here, grew up with DL and didn't make it to WDW until in my 30's. The reasons DL is going to have better food in general should be obvious, such as access to a WAY larger variety of fresh foods in CA. When thinking of the "good" places in WDW parks, such as Hollywood Brown Derby, you'll find a lot of citrus in the menu, and probably find grapefruit served more ways than you ever thought possible or necessary. Also, WDW caters to a lot more people with mild palettes.

Here's the thing about WDW that really slays DL, whether talking about dining or a lot of other aspects: it's not a park, or even a collection of parks. It's a city. If you come to do parks from sun up to sun down you're going to miss what makes the place special. Each resort has it's own magic to it, and the dining is part of that. Animal Kingdom Lodge has fantastic food. If you're from CA it's unlikely to be earth shattering, but when you wake up, throw on your flip flops, check in for your table at Boma, step outside for the wait gazing at the giraffe, then head to the buffet line where you fill your plate with delicious bobotie with mickey waffles on the side, and you'll get what makes WDW something totally different than the other places sporting the Disney brand. Then try it at the boardwalk, where after a morning at Epcot you walk back to your hotel for a nap, then ride around on a surrey bike while sipping a margarita from BW Joe's, capped off with a fresh cut porterhouse at the Yacht Club. It's not just the high end resorts either. Coronado and the Port Orleans resorts have their own special vibe, and though it's not exactly how I like to travel anymore, I won't forget how excited my kids were to enter their room at Art of Animation and see Nemo splashed all over the walls and bedding (though maybe you can skip the food there and take the skyliner to, say, Riviera which has a lot of good options). And then there's Disney Springs...getting...hungry.

Not saying there aren't any good options in the parks. Tiffins @ Animal Kingdom might be my favorite restaurant in WDW. Yak & Yeti is great too. Epcot has a lot of interesting if not quite spectacular places to eat. Even for quick service as someone mentioned above Satu'li Canteen or Docking Bay 7 which I prefer (not a popular opinion though) have some good and interesting options. But the parks get so many visitors, and again, many who simply aren't able or willing to expand their palette, that nearly every single eatery has to lower the variety and/or quality to meet the demand. The best culinary experiences are found at the resorts and the springs, and that's just part of a larger truth at WDW, which is that so much of what makes it special is outside of the parks.