You know we love Disney food, but it can’t all be delicious.
In fact, some of the restaurants have garnered more infamy than they have fame. Today, we’re taking a look at what travelers think are the downright WORST restaurants in Disney World according to Yelp. Let’s check out that bottom ten!
Big River Grille & Brewing Works
424 reviewers on Yelp rated Big River Grille & Brewing Works at 2.5 out of 5.
Some particularly scathing reviews include one that said, “Even the water was awful,” and another that said, “We ordered Beer Cheese soup… The soup came and it had a weird taste; turns out there was a rather large pickle in it. When we asked the waitress about it, she said she would check and returned later to say we weren’t being charged for it, so guess it wasn’t supposed to be there.”
Click here to read our latest review of Big River Grille & Brewing Works!
ESPN Club
ESPN Club also received a mark of 2.5 out of 5 by 310 reviewers. Hot tip! If you show up on a game day, get there early (or be sure to make an Advance Dining Reservation), because the place can get packed.
But the times aren’t always full of sports and fun, one reviewer called the club “about as good as bubblegum on the bottom on my shoe that I flush down the toilet.” Another noted that “The burger I got is worse than the ones I got from lunch in 6th grade, and to top it all off, they have the audacity to burn the ESPN logo on the top of the bun as if they achieved something.” Yikes!
Want to know what’s going on with ESPN Club? Click here!
El Mercado de Coronado
The food court at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, El Mercado de Coronado, used to be known as the Pepper Market. It is NOT a favorite of 141 Yelp reviewers. It came in with just 2.5 out of 5 stars!
Though the service is good, reviewers are not fans of the food. One said, “The service was great and the Cast Members who work here are lovely. So, a nod to them. It is the quality of the food that makes this place one star in my book.” Another had a bizarre and salty experience saying “Everything and I mean everything was super salty! Even my Cinnamon Roll!”
To see more of El Mercado de Coronado, click here!
The Diamond Horseshoe
The Diamond Horseshoe in Frontierland is not one of our favorites, but it DOES tend to fly under the radar. Do keep in mind that this is a seasonal location. Still, 103 reviewers rate this spot at 3 out of 5.
One person thought the experience wasn’t worth the fight saying, “Do you have a huge appetite, a bottomless wallet, and a taste for mediocre food? If so, you’ll love this place!” But, by far our FAVORITE review was the one that said, “Waiter was very nice. Outfits are frumpy.”
Click here to see our latest review of The Diamond Horseshoe!
Pizza Window
The BoardWalk Pizza Window isn’t a favorite of ours and 65 reviewers agreed ranking it at 3 out of 5. Still, this spot is a good option to grab a quick bite if you’re around the BoardWalk in the evenings!
One comment gave us a big laugh! The reviewer said, “I love to see a business take the initiative and go green!!!! You almost wouldn’t know that the pizza crust is made from 98% recycled cardboard!!! Just kidding, of course. I’m sure the dough is intended to be edible and made from products approved for human consumption.”
Click here to see the best pizza places in Disney World!
Rainforest Cafe
Rainforest Cafe tends to be a spot we skip simply because Disney World has so many options that are much more impressive. The main criticisms that these restaurants sustain include the “how-is-it-really-Disney-when-we-have-one-in-the-mall-back-home” issue and the occasional long waits for a table (particularly at the Disney Springs location). 1,020 reviewers rated it 3 out of 5.
Folks have had some wacky experiences like this one: “We waited over an hour for our salads. They were…hot? Temperature-wise hot.” Still, the atmosphere tends to be a hit with one saying, “We did take a picture with one of the massive fish takes while waiting to be seated! That was seriously the only good part of this restaurant.”
To see our latest Rainforest Cafe review, click here!
Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe
Though we consider Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe one of the better quick-service spots in Magic Kingdom (hello churros!), it is not a big favorite among yelp reviewers. 444 reviewers left it at 3 out of 5.
One reviewer noted, “Disney, you can do better than an off-brand Taco Bell.” Yikes! Well, Taco Bell CAN be pretty good.
Click here to see a recent Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe review!
Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café
Yes! The home of Sonny Eclipse made this list with 3.5 out of 5 by 373 reviewers! IMO, while the atmosphere is a bit blah (save for the audio-animatronic alien lounge crooner, Sonny Eclipse), there’s plenty of seating and the food isn’t bad.
Some folks agree with our atmosphere thoughts saying, “Sonny Eclipse is the only good thing about this place,” and others have some specific issues with the food saying, “Here, expect to get that handful of fries and a shrunken down burger…but all the condiments you want!”
Want to see a burger covered in cheese dust at Cosmic Ray’s? Click here!
Hollywood & Vine
This one is actually an interesting one! We like Hollywood & Vine for its characters and their menu. Like, it seriously got a glow up! Now, over the past few years, much of those prior to the menu changes, 310 reviewers have left it with just 3 out of 5.
The price seems to be a big factor here! One reviewer noted, “Way overpriced for lunch, the buffet was definitely catered for little children (which is fine for them!).” Another said, “Sorry Disney… I vowed never to give less than three stars, but I’m really stuck here…”
Check out the last character breakfast we had here!
Pinocchio Village Haus
And finally, Pinocchio Village Haus has made the list with 3 out of 5 from 226 reviewers. This spot has some beautiful artwork, but we had a not-so-great meal here recently.
One reviewer rather eloquently noted, “Going forward I will tell my companions this establishment is forbidden ground.” Another gave us a chuckle when saying, “My nose would be growing if I said this place was even somewhat decent.”
To see our latest Pinocchio Village Haus review, click here!
Check out our DFB video on the worst Disney World restaurants here!
Whew, those are some pretty scathing reviews! You can check out our thoughts on these spots at the links above. As always, keep an eye on DFB for all the latest reviews from Disney World.
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What do you think of these restaurants? Tell us in the comments!
K. Sullivan says
Hope to see Casey’s Corner and Columbia Harbor House reopen. Even if Tomorrowland Terrace offers the same food, the atmosphere is not the same. We hate the required mobile ordering for counter service. Prefer to be able to stop and order and eat when we want. Too much planning.
Su Goods says
Have been to WDW multiple times and never stopped at Pecos Bills.
Took a tour and ate lunch there as part of the tour.
EVERY trip since that time we have eaten at Pecos Bills at least once.
Just love the nachos and all the fixin’s.
Cosmic Rays – never cared for until Casey’s “sent” the footlong hotdog offering to Cosmic Rays.
Now we stop every so often and split a footlong.
Ken says
I have to agree. Food quality has always been the missing ingredient at Disney. Peco’s Bill’s used to be good and varied, the new scaled back Tex/Mex version needs help…desperately…
Capt. Jack says
I Agree with the subject reviews, for the MONEY Disney charges for there food, one would Expect Better Quality. Is it Too Much to Ask!
jon1 says
i will never listen to the morons that review restaurants on yelp many are simply fools that have zero lifeskills —- however they are right the pizza at boardwalk is horrible and may taste similar to the pizza box
Rob says
What you get at the ESPN Club is exactly what you think you would get at a sports bar. Why would anyone think you’re going to get gourmet food?
Rita Damhorst says
We had the best food at ESPN. The turkey club was the best & so were the fish & chips. Great atmosphere. Excellent waiters. Gave it a 5
Jessica says
On January 2, I got the best pizza I’ve ever had on Disney property (yes, it’s a low bar) at the Boardwalk Pizza Window. Everyone in my family agreed! I don’t know if it was a particularly good night or what, but we were impressed, more so than the pizza at Via Napoli!
Jackie says
I totally agree on the Brewery & pizza window. The pizza window is also highway robbery, especially for disgusting pizza. It’s really inedible.
Sean says
I understand with the many different palettes that pass through Disney the food needs to be neutral. But to me the biggest problem with Disney food is that it has become way to bland, leaving alot of it flavorless. When your paying the prices you are, you want the food to be some what authentic in taste
Jena says
After a monorail bar crawl, the Boardwalk pizza window was the best pizza ever!
Cindy says
I’ve eaten at them all except ESPN and I like them all.
PegP says
Only one of these that I agreed with (of the ones we’ve dined at), is Hollywood & Vine. We’ve tried breakfast and dinner there and both were bad. It’s pretty hard to screw up breakfast, but they somehow managed. The food is on par with Chef Mickey’s, which isn’t saying much.
But I don’t get why Rainforest Cafe gets knocked simply because some people have one where they live. Most don’t. The food isn’t the greatest, but the ambience is great. Kids love it. And there’s a nice variety for even the pickiest of eaters.
But what do I know? Garden Grill seems to be everyone’s favorite, and I think that’s the nastiest food we’ve eaten at Disney World. It’s definitely the only place we’ve eaten at (at Disney or anywhere) where no one would eat the food and we headed straight to a quick service for food when we left GG. Yes, it was that bad
Don says
Hmm… the last time I was at Boardwalk Big River Grille was packed at night. So much for not liking it…
K. Sullivan says
I think you are too hard on the Rain Forest. Not everyone lives near one: we certainly don’t. They are fun and themed and we’ve never had a bad meal there.
Marc Shackelford says
Starlight Cafe….just no…..those nuggets and fries HORRIBLE (pulled pork at least OK)
Needs a serious theme and menu revamp (and degreasing)
John Herman says
I have a scientific way to tel! It’s restaurants are good to ask people that are 50 and up I am 60 we all have eaten good ,okay ,or great food in your time . If you see a line of old people in line the food and price must be great food . Old people like me watch out for there money we only eat good that is good to great we are not wasting our time or money .Problem Solved . If you go on Yelp my socks are older then these bad actor s think they know abfood food .
James says
The corned beef corner route menu is too salty.i wasted my money and the food by not eating it.i got 2 orders and it all went in the trash.sorry for wasting the food but hopefully one day they will put less salt or it will harm someone’s health if they will always serve that too salty corned beef from their store.
Richard+Mercer says
I had forgotten that Hollywood and Vine was even a restaurant! I had so completely ruled it out that I’ve drifted into thinking it was just another store. I would rather wait for 2 hours at Brown Derby than be seated immediately at H&V.