Rainforest Cafe-worth the $?

[zcrsdad]

I'm considering having dinner @ rainforest cafe on our next trip. Looking at the menu, it seem a little pricey for the food. Is it worth the price?

[spinnerf]

I would say its not worth the money. The food is fine though, but.... there are so many Rainforest Cafes in many other cities, personally I would try for another Disney themed Restaurant that may be more unique. That being said, kids love the place and if you have never been to one before it might be worth going.

[faline]

If you've never been to one, it's worth the experience. I rarely go as I find it's rather pricey.

[Mickey'sGirl]

The Rainforest Cafe's have great atmosphere (We've been to them in Toronto and in San Francisco). If it's something you want to experience, and you don't have access to elsewhere, then I'd say sure ... go for it. Otherwise, I would not recommend it at all. In my opinion the food is horrible, and absolutely overpriced (microwaved/reheated processed foods). I would never choose to eat at a Rainforest Cafe for the food. :mickey:

[faline]

Also, keep in mind that some little children find it a bit frightening. Every 10-15 minutes, they simulate a thunder shower with lightning flashes and thunder booming - I've seen some little kids be quite upset by this.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I agree with the other posts. If you don't have one near you, and have kids, it is a neat place. My DD has always loved it.

But, we do find it really pricey, and we don't go often (about once a year, if that). The food is OK, nothing special, but it will be fine.

[forever a child]

The first time we went my DD was about 9 years old and I thought she would love it. Wrong! She hated the smell of the place from all of the plastic animatronics..and wanted to leave almost immediately. We have been back a few different times since then and we always enjoy it. Our last visit to RFC was in May of last year. We had reservation later that evening for an event that would serve some food and so we were hungry but didnt want to fill up. We ate an appetizer and some drinks and really enjoyed ourselves. We did not have reservations and just did a walk up. Our server was great.

If you have never tried it...you should at least once. DD has gotten over the smell of the place too. :D

[Dulcee]

I'd say its not worth the money. Food is pretty typical of what you could get at an applebee,s friday's etc. That being said several years ago we went with my niece who was dying to go so we made later reservations for just desserts and cordials which was pleasant and she got to enjoy the atmosphere.

[KennyandKim]

Wow! We have one two hours from us but have never eaten at Rainforest before. Yea it was pricey but we LOVED IT. One of the best meals of our trip. In fact our daughters have chosen this as their birthday dinner for our next trip. It costs us almost 200 for 4 and that was food, dessert, plus my DH had a drink, we got the light up cubes, and tip.

[LuvDaDuckMost]

The food is so-so. I guess it depends on what you are use to eating but, it is of the quality of Ruby Tuesday's if you ask me. You are paying for the atmosphere and the animatronics. And like others have stated above, depending on the age of the child, some love it and some are scared to death of it.

[PETE FROM NYC]

DW and I have eaten at both RFCs.
Yes, the food is a bit pricy, but so is the food anywhere else on property. We enjoy eating there when its just the two of us. We are far from rich, but we ain't paupers either. To help us afford eating at some of the better restaurants, we often pack a lunch with us so we can splurge a bit for supper.
When we travel with others, where we eat and how much to spend becomes a decision for the whole group.

[patandtwins]

I'd suggest going for lunch. It is on the pricey side for blah/so-so food (Applebees-ish). We did it once when the kids were early elementary school age and they loved it. We went to T-Rex 2 years ago( kids were 10,10 and 12) and they loved that 1 more. DH and I enjoyed the food at T-Rex more than Rainforest too, but they really are pretty much the same.

[brownie]

If you have one sort of near you, I'd skip it at Disney World. The food is okay, it's more the atmosphere you get. I liked T-Rex better than Rainforest (no real difference in the food.) They're both Landry's restaurants.

[DisneyFr33k]

We went there once, and that was it. Never been back since - on Disney property or off. You are paying for the atmosphere/show. The food is average, and I am being kind here.

There are far better dining experiences at Disney I would choose over this one.

[Mogie]

TRex is a good alternative...similar type of themed restaurant but with DINOSAURS! :gator:

Food in both places is just ok.

[DizneyRox]

We go to the local one often, but haven't been to the Disney ones in a while. We don't mind the food so much and the little one likes the monkeys.

There are better places on property to have a good meal, but Rainforest isn't the worst choice you could make either.

[Fastpasssteve]

I've always enjoyed the Rainforest Cafe.

Most kids really enjoy the atmosphere. In my experience as a teacher for 12+ years, kids are not frightened if they have a reasonable expectation of what is to come. By the same token, kids look to their parents to see how to react. If the parents have a negative or frightened reaction, the children will follow suit.

My food there has always been good. Not great, but that's not why one goes there, either.

[CU Tiger]

I agree that it is pricey for what you get. The food is OK, not great, but not bad. The atmosphere is good and worth going if you have never been or do not have access to one near you.:mickey:

[magicofdisney]

Lunch prices are better than dinner prices. I usually get the burger. I think it takes a lot of effort to mess up a burger so I find that the safest choice many times. I also think their burgers are not quite as good as they used to be. They're fresh (not microwaved/reheated/processed foods). The sweet tea is good and we always enjoy the atmosphere. :mickey:

[mom2mickeyfan]

We went to T-Rex last summer but only got desserts and plan to do the same this year. Our DS really wanted to go but we too thought it was a bit pricey. Having a dessert kept our cost down but allowed us to take our DS to enjoy the place. We were there the perfect amount of time.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Well, we've gone every trip to the AK RFC...it is more about tradition because it was the first TS restaurant we ever ate at in DW and we don't have any close to us....

It is kind of pricey and while the food is decent, it certainly isn't the best restaurant in the World. However,the sandwiches are pretty good so if you stick to those it shouldn't be too expensive.

[Mousemates]

if a person has never been to the rainforest they should go once and experience it (the same as with T-Rex), but to us the cost/food do not warrant a return trip unless we are traveling with someone who has not ever been.

[flipadeeflop]

It is definitely a bit pricey for the food, but I feel as though you are paying more for the unique atmosphere. My boyfriend and I spent about $30 there for a light lunch and we enjoyed the food it was very tastey, but it was nothing special. I got an appetizer for my meal and he got a portabello mushroom burger with fries. What we liked most was the fact that we didn't expect it to be so loud. It was SO funny. There is a "storm/animals going crazy" every 15 minutes or so and every time it happened we had to stop talking because we sat near an elephant that joined in on all the commotion and it was too loud to hear each other (and the waiter). It was hilarious and I will always remember the experience.
:elephant:

:laughing:

[MinnieMommie]

We always took our kids to Rainforest and now that they are older they take themselves (even though we have one at home where they also like to dine). Right now they seem to prefer T-Rex at DD which is owned by the same company.

Is it worth the dollars? The food is fine and plentiful (and I would say much better than an Applebees or Fridays). The experience is also unique. If you don't have one at home I would give it a try. There's one at DD and outside of AK park.

I have to agree with DizneyRox. It's neither the best nor worse place to dine while vacationing at WDW. Unless you think your children will be frightened by the simulated thunder storm it could be a fun place to try. :mickey:

[TinkerbellT421]

I agree with a lot of what PP have said.

1) If you have never been to one, on disney property or off, its worth the experience.

2) Applebee's comparison is a good one, because thats basically the type of food you get, nothing to write home about

3) Pricey for what you get definitely.

4) Your paying mostly for the experience of the atmosphere.

IMO I definitely wouldn't do dinner, I would do lunch, which has cheaper prices and you can order almost anything that is also on the dinner menu, we have done both and it was no different except for price. But if you have access to a Rainforest cafe outside of Disney I would personally prefer that route. Theres better places you can eat for the money at disney, again, IMO. :)

[TheRustyScupper]

Our Ratings of Rain Forest Café & T-Rex Cafés:
. . . food price value: C
. . . food quality: C
. . . food quantity per serving: B
. . . food prep speed: B
. . . food selection: C
. . . seating quantity: B
. . . seating comfort: D
. . . eatery atmosphere: A
. . . eatery convenience: C
. . . staff friendliness: B
. . . staff helpfulness: A
. . . character interaction: n/a

NOTE: The portions are pretty much commiserate with the price.
However, one is paying a premium for the atmosphere of Rain Forest
or T-Rex. The environment and animatronic are clever and amuse most
kids, as well as many adults. The Chocolate Volcano dessert at Rainforest
and Chocolate Extinction dessert at T-Rex are adventures.

[MarkC]

Agree for the most part with Rusty above but I'll raise the food quality to a B and the seating to a C in my opinion. You pretty much know its going to be busy with lots of families with little kids in there. But still worth checking out at least once. I've even gone to the one in the Mall of America on my own as an adult (while on a business trip) to keep my membership going.

[LudwigVonDrake]

If you've never eaten there go. If you have, try the T-Rex. Same type food just different theming :mickey:

[Magic Smiles]

The Rainforest Cafe's have great atmosphere (We've been to them in Toronto and in San Francisco). If it's something you want to experience, and you don't have access to elsewhere, then I'd say sure ... go for it. Otherwise, I would not recommend it at all. In my opinion the food is horrible, and absolutely overpriced (microwaved/reheated processed foods). I would never choose to eat at a Rainforest Cafe for the food. :mickey:

We have eaten at the Rainforest Cafe in Toronto, WDW and in Disneyland. I have to say that the food in Toronto was 'horrible', and we tried it twice. However the food in Disneyland was probably one of the BEST meals we have ever had in a restaurant. DTD in WDW is always good, not exceptional. On our upcoming trip we are going to try the Rainforest Cafe at AK. I think that the atmosphere is a huge factor in making it an enjoyable meal.

[magicgal]

I don't think it is..I much prefer T-Rex. They are both owned by the same company, but I think the atmosphere is better in T-Rex, and I like the food a lot better there as well. I also think their menu selection is larger. The thing I dislike most about RFC, is that the food is just so so, especially for what you are paying for it.

[PittFan]

We went for breakfast on our last trip. For 4 adults and 2 children ( 10 & 13) our bill was over $100 ... FOR BREAKFAST !!!! Needless to say that was our last time there.

[Tigerinvestigator]

My family and I love Rainforest! We have eaten at both at WDW as well as TREX. We like the food but it is the atmosphere that make them unique. We have also been to one in Grapevine mills in TX and Opry Mills in Nashville. The kids love them because it reminds them of WDW. If you have never been they are definately worth the price at least once.:thumbsup:

[Jared]

Is anything truly "worth the money" at Disney? I'm not really sure if that's necessarily the best way to judge if you should dine there or not. Sure, Rainforest Cafe is ridiculously expensive for the quality of food and service you will receive.

But if they've never been, your kids will probably love the experience. The meal could become a wonderful memory from your vacation. That alone makes it worth it.

[johnO]

We ate at the one outside AK. It was fun, food was fine, not great.

[tnpoohbear]

We have eaten there several times, the first was just because it looked so cool and it was. The food was good, the second time we ate there I had a gift card so that is why we used it. Personally I would not go back to this restaurant, the atmosphere is nice and interesting but the food was just OK to me and it is a little pricey. I feel the same at the T Rex Cafe, it was nice one time but I would not do it again.:mickey: