What is diamond in the rough restaurant?

[TheMartellFamily]

What was a restaurant you went to and did not expect it to be really good and it surprised you?

[Nicki'sMom]

I was very surprised at how good 1900 Park Fare was. I thought all the offerings were very tasty and freshly made. We are going back for dinner and breakfast this time.

[Jared]

Kona Cafe was originally a surprise. I read about the merits of breakfast, but fewer posters talk about the restaurant as a viable dinner option.

Now, my family eats dinner at Kona Cafe every trip.

[EmisDisneyMom]

Akershus in Norway - none of the food sounded good and I have been back several times since.

[Natazu]

Jym's Top-7 Best Unsung Disney Restaurants that People Never Try:
7. Concourse Steakhouse
6. Liberty Tree Tavern (lunch)
5. Garden Grill
4. Grand Floridian Café
3. Olivia’s
2. Marrakesh
1. Kona Café

[Tinkerfreak]

Garden Grill. We tried this on one of our first trips and were expecting it to be all about the characters for our DD's but were really pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. We have been back a few times and have had great food every time. Plus our DD loves Chip and Dale and this is always one of her favorite character experiences. We have some wonderful pictures of my Mom's first trip with us and all of our group with Chip and Dale. They are doing some funny things like messing with her hair etc.

[kakn7294]

I don't know if it qualifies as a diamond in the rough, but we had a great experience at Tony's nearly 2 weeks ago. We were disappointed to have been seated outside when it was so hot and a potential storm was brewing, but when it was all said and done, the storm held off, the porch was cooler than we expected, and the food was better than we expected. We had a great time people-watching, especially since there was a P&P party that night and we could see everyone coming in with their costumes on.

[Momof2boys]

Garden Grill & Liberty Tree. I'm not one for family style meals, but these were both a great surprise for my family. The food was good, fresh, and quite tasty. We'll be sure to eat there again.

[bleukarma]

I was actually surprised by Raglan Road at DTD. I've heard good and bad about it so I went in not expecting much. Now it is a favorite!

[Disnamic Duo]

For us, Hollywood & Vine was a very pleasant surprise. We booked it just because we had never eaten there. We weren't really expecting much (just a typical buffet), but we thought the food was all very good - better than an average buffet.

For c.s., Pepper Market at CSR was way better than expected. We stayed there a couple years ago, and went there to eat just because we were there. We'd heard a lot of mixed reviews about it, but we now think it's the best c.s. at WDW. The variety is excellent!

[pox24]

Olivia's at Old Key West.:thumbsup:

[SignguyTom]

Pecos Bills surprised me. They served one of the best burgers I've ever had and the topping bar was awesome.

The Big River Grille & Brewery at The Boardwalk surprised me as well. Good food, excellent beers, good service and atmosphere.

[poeticeclipse]

Mama Melrose is my diamond in the rough. I heard a lot of negatives and a few positives. The menu suited us so we went. Ended up LOVING it! Everything was just wonderful and it was all reasonably priced.

[ElenitaB]

I was going to say Mama Melrose as well. We went a few years ago and I really disliked it, but gave it another try last May and it was surprisingly good (in spite of the raw asparagus).

Our other "road less travelled" restaurants include Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch and POR's Boatwrights.

[GrumpyFan]

Spoodles on the Boardwalk was a big suprise for us. We had passed it by several times simply because we had no idea what "Mediterranean" meant. We tried it on a whim in Feb of 2006, and fell in love with it. We'll be back there with a party of 14 in 9 days and are looking forward to it.

[DestinationWDW]

Liberty Tree for me....the whole sponsored by Stoffer's thing :sick: always kind of scared me off! Food was very good, meats great and dessert delish! Will definitely try there for lunch - salmon on griddled pumpkin bread sounds very unStofferish! :number1:

[tundramom]

Marrakesh for us (except the bastille) was a pleasant surprise. We're going back again this trip. Glad to hear someone say Spoodles, thanks to the Teppanyaki delay that's where we ended up for 10/14.

[Jared]

Mama Melrose is my diamond in the rough. I heard a lot of negatives and a few positives. The menu suited us so we went. Ended up LOVING it! Everything was just wonderful and it was all reasonably priced.
We've had two great experiences at this restaurant also. Since we have such great Italian food in New York, we expected to be disappointed.

We were disappointed to discover the delicious bread and pesto spread is now an appetizer instead of a handout.

[TBY2225]

Another vote for Kona Cafe! It is my favorite and we will be going again next month!

[mvelez15]

Marakesh had an awesome lemon chicken...it fell right off of the bone. My family is full of picky eaters but I some how convinced them to give it a go. They loved it.also the catfish at Garden Grill..mmmm

[laprana]

I was also very pleasantly surprised by Spoodles. We went there for the first time in June and it was wonderful! The best steak I had on the trip and maybe ever! And really good dessert. NIce atmosphere, too, with open kitchen. We were seated fairly close to it and were able to watch them at work - very neat! We were a little worried about it because the menu sounded a little exotic for our tastes, but it turned out being my favorite meal of the whole trip! We already have it at the top of our ADR list for our June 2008 trip!

[angel8783]

Liberty Tree Tavern for LUNCH is my pick. I had the salmon and wow was that good!! I have tried to make it back there for lunch a couple of times, but we always end up canceling our ADR for some reason. This time we are going to make it back because they have a fabulous lunch menu!!

[robyn221]

I was very pleasantly surprised by Chef Mickey's. I was expecting an acceptable breakfast buffet and a lot of characters, but was very impressed with the food quality and selection. Everyone had a great time and my difficult-to-please-when-it-comes-to-restaurants father-in-law talked about how much he enjoyed that breakfast for weeks after we returned from that trip.

Robyn:mickey:

[DisneyTeen]

Trails End @ Fort Wilderness Campground.
This place is overlooked because of its location, but I think its the cheapest all you can eat resaurant with very good food.

[martinfamily5]

We also love Liberty Tree Tavern, so much so that it will be DS's birthday while we are there and he chose to spend it at MK. When asked where he wanted to eat he said Liberty Tree Tavern. I love the Pot Roast but will have to try the Salmon this trip.

We also love Bomas. We enjoy trying new things.

[dog-ears]

The two I would pick as underrated or relatively unknown are Olivia's at OKW and Boatwright's at POR. They are a little off the beaten track if you're not staying in those areas but both delicious and very worthwhile.

[Mickie the Pooh]

Boatwright's Dining Hall at POR is deffinately a best kept secret place for me.

[dteed]

Yachtsman Steak House at the Yacht Club. We were had to make ADR's there last New Years since we were late in making ressies. It was just great, we went back without hesitation on our very next trip which was in July. We also have ressies for Feb trip. As good if not better than CG but not quite as pricey.

[mouseketeer mom]

Wolfgang Pucks EXPRESS. We could not believe we were eating counter service food. It was high quality and sooooooo delicious! Better than a great deal of table service meals that we have had at WDW.

[KAT1811]

Amazingly, Le Cellier. My mother and I were on a girls trip and decided to try something new. Before that we really didn't take the time to explore WDW dining. Now all that has changed and we are having the time of our lives at WDW both playing and dining. This year we have 15 of us and I got all of our favorite eateries.

[disneynarula]

Wolfgang Pucks EXPRESS. We could not believe we were eating counter service food. It was high quality and sooooooo delicious! Better than a great deal of table service meals that we have had at WDW.

I have to second this. I think this was one the best meals we had on our last trip. I am so glad it is included in the DDP.

I am so glad to hear so many people mention Olivia's. I wanted to take a break from eating at the parks one night so I made an ADR at Olivia's. It was pretty easy to get and ADR there so I am hoping it won't be so crazy.

I think the Pepper Market at CBR is also a nice meal. We went there one night because we were so tired we just wanted to hang at the resort.

[Jeniflower]

Tomrrowland terrace cafe - looks like a typical fast food joint but the food is excellent and they have quite the choice:mickey:

[LudwigVonDrake]

On my last trip I was pleasantly surprised by Kona Cafe and Le Cellier. I hadn't eaten at either restaurant and enjoyed them both very much! :eat:

[luvdiznee]

Boatwrights for dinner. Can't say enough about the Jambalaya and cornbread. :cloud9:

[ldc12377]

My Number one pick for unsung Table Service meal would definitely be Concourse Steakhouse!!! We loved it. The food was amazing. My steak was better there than at Le Cellier and my steak at Le Cellier was excellent!!! I would so recommend this place over and over again.

My number one pick for unsung Counter Service meal would be Pepper Market at CS. It has the feel and choices of a table service with the prices of a counter service. It's great!!

[Simba'sBud]

I would have to say breakfast at Akershus and dinner at Garden Grille. I didn't expect much of these two in the food department since they were both character meals, but I was pleasantly surprised! The family style breakfast at Akershus was the best breakfast we had the entire trip, especially after eating CRT a couple of days before. The Garden Grill had to be my favorite meal there, the raspberry glazed chicken, mashed potatoes, and the oven roasted pork were superb. And don't forget about the bread!

Great thread, by the way! :thumbsup:

[KarenP]

I would have to say Olivia's. I dined there for breakfast. lunch and dinner and was very surprised at how good the food was.

[Jungle Joe Bob]

Grand Floridian Cafe! On MK day take the boat over for a late lunch and relaxing break from the crowds. Then take the monorail back to MK.

[tomorrowschild]

I have to agree with everyone who said Kona. I have had breakfast here many times, but never supper. When we last stayed at the Poly we decided we didn't want to leave the resort for supper, so made an ADR at Kona. We loved it. The food was great! We were expecting it to be ok, but we were very surprised at the quality and presentation.

[snifflesmcg]

I have to say that, not only was I pleasantly surprised with the meal at the Biergarten but I have to say, I think it was the best meal of the trip. The entertainment was wonderful and the food was incredible. My BF, who is German, said it was pretty authentic and he loved it all. The one thing I was worried about was my "table mates". To my surprise, we sat with a table full of wonderful people.

[LibertyTreeGal]

Undoubtedly, it would be lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern (not to be confused with dinner there, different universe altogether! )

[MOJoe]

Gotta cast my vote for Spoodles. I really didn't know what to expect, but the whole family loved the food. Even the picky eater, my DS 13! On our last trip, Spoodles provided some of the best food we had at a Disney restaurant.

[EmcDuckRN]

For Me it was Marrakesh. We were wandering around epcot , and my DW saw the special sign and said let's try it! I was thinking ugh, no...

We got inside, and it was extremely nice, and the food was one of the top two meals of our trip. It is one of my favorites now.

[mudpuppysmom]

I was really surprised at Biergarten. I was expecting so so food with entertainment, but what we got was a good meal with great entertainment and we were seated with a lovely family from Texas. It was a little strange at first sitting with "strange" people, but once we started talking it was a great meal!! DS even ate, which is saying something, b/c he is all about how food looks.......and you know the hot dog salad is not the best looking thing out there, but he ate it and enjoyed it!!

[NJGIRL]

For us a surprise was the Hollywood & Vine.
The food was good and had something for everyone.

[cal5755]

Akershus in Norway - none of the food sounded good and I have been back several times since.

I agree totally. We looked at the menu like.. ewwww... and only booked it last minute when we found out there were no ressies for CaptN Jacks. We loved the food. My mom had lamb stew wich she loved. I had a cod dish with calamari and mussels.. melt in your mouth good! The appetizer bar was good. There was great interaction with the princesses and our server was great explaining all the menu items. The kids asked if we could go back again next year.

[rj]

I would say Kona Cafe. Last time we could not get in at Ohana, so we tried Kona and we loved it. Next time we will definetly go kack to Kona Cafe :mjump: