bad dining experience

[traceya89]

if anyone has a bad dining experience with poor food or service, please remember to ask for your receipt as in florida i do find that you are not always given a receipt. i had the unfortunate experience of a very bad dining experience and i was most concerned. my letter of complaint was 2 pages. i will not mention the restuarant but complained via the company web site and I received $100 of vouchers to use on my next visit to florida, as the company wanted to restore my faith in their good food.

[Nostromo]

We had a nauseatingly bad dining experience recently at the Bongos' Cuban Cafe in Downtown Disney. I did send a written complaint, but so far (more than 3 months later) have not even received a reply. :(:(

[Cruella DeVilla]

Dennys and Ponderosa, so we sort of avoid those type of places now. Got really bad food poisoning from the Ponderosa a few years ago. Capt Jacks in DTD was disappointing but did not complain as with friends.:(

[traceya89]

hi nostro,

bongos cuban cafe in orlando has a web site, i would suggest you copy your letter via the web site and hope that you get some response. i am sure some letters are ignored if they are from overseas cos i had to send mine 3 times as i was determined to get a reply and an apology. i wrote to head office, the restaurant and sent my letter via email through their web site. hope you get some response!

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by traceya89
hi nostromo,

bongos cuban cafe in orlando has a web site, i would suggest you copy your letter via the web site and hope that you get some response. i am sure some letters are ignored if they are from overseas cos i had to send mine 3 times as i was determined to get a reply and an apology. i wrote to head office, the restaurant and sent my letter via email through their web site. hope you get some response!
[/quote]

Thank you, I'll do just that.

[traceya89]

[msnmad]

[Gillian-B]

We had an occasion at one restaurant where our food took over an hour to appear. My other-half though was more worried that his second beer hadn't arrived:(. It all turned out okay though when he put his head towards the table and pretended to be asleep - the manager saw, came over, couldn't apologise enough and gave us the whole meal free :D. The delay didn't actually bother us at all as we'd rather have a leisurely meal than be rushed out of a restaurant.

[CarolAnn]

Sorry to hear bad experiences:(
We really have had bo complaints anywhere we have eaten, accept the weight we all put on[msnoo][msnscared][msneek]

[eclipsed]

The worst meal we had was at Ponderosa, never again,awful place. The place was filthy not a vacant table was clean,the food areas were a mess,people had dropped food and no one seemd bothered about clearing it off the floor.I had to find someone to clear a table,I did complain but the staff said it was busy, but there were many empty tables. The best meal we had this trip was chinese, near the Hard Rock Vault,but can't remember the name of the resturant.The place was very clean,food hot,service excellent and very reasonably priced.[msnsmile2]

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Ponderosa for us too. It was dirty, the food looked and tasted cheap and was badly labelled so we could not tell what had meat in and what didn't, staff were indifferent and the coffee tasted like coloured water. Never again - yuck!

[pbensur]

When you are dissatisfied with your dining experience, it's best to speak up immediately and ask for the manager. In most cases they will try to bend over backwards to make it up to you. It's best not to wait until after the fact because often times you will not get results like in Tracey's case. Places like Ponderosa are probably a lost cause. . .[msncry]

[tinyburst]

It is such a shame about Ponderosa. I remember the first one we visited it was on OBT. The food and service was fantastic. I have noticed a decline in quality on every visit since.

Tiny

[traceya89]

Ponderosa used to be one of my favourite places when i first visited florida but that was until i discovered golden corrall!!! however, it was not ponderosa that i had the bad experience with.

i think the chinese restuarant eclipsed refers to could be ming court. i can always remember going there on my 2nd visit to florida when i was a youngster with my friend and the waiters coming back to us saying we had not tipped them enough. we were mortified and could not believe how rude they were to us then, as we felt we had left them a more than generous tip.

[AndyB01]

Got back from Florida a few weeks ago and Ming Court was certainly our worst dining experience. Massively overpriced, undercooked, rude waiting staff and we were whisked in and out in under 45minutes.

Utterly appalling and would certainly warn people off going there, despite its reccomendations in many guides. We complained, left a smallish tip and certainly knew we weren't welcome anymore.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by pbensur
When you are dissatisfied with your dining experience, it's best to speak up immediately and ask for the manager. In most cases they will try to bend over backwards to make it up to you. It's best not to wait until after the fact because often times you will not get results like in Tracey's case. Places like Ponderosa are probably a lost cause. . .[msncry]
[/quote]

I cannot bring myself to complain until after I have eaten (if its edible), I heard many horror stories of what happens to your food once you have complained!!!

Lucy

[traceya89]

I have seen restaurants from hell and would suffer in silence in the restaurant but after getting home i got to work on the computer and generated a 2 page letter listing every point and enclosed the receipt so the exact timing/server could be pinpointed. It did some considerable time before I eventually got some response, 3 letters and an email to head office. i think they thought with me being british they could safely forget my complaint, but that incensed me more and I refused to give up! I do find in a lot of restuarants you never get your receipt but I certainly made sure I got this receipt.

[eclipsed]

No it wasn't Ming court it was China Garden<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by traceya89
Ponderosa used to be one of my favourite places when i first visited florida but that was until i discovered golden corrall!!! however, it was not ponderosa that i had the bad experience with.

i think the chinese restuarant eclipsed refers to could be ming court. i can always remember going there on my 2nd visit to florida when i was a youngster with my friend and the waiters coming back to us saying we had not tipped them enough. we were mortified and could not believe how rude they were to us then, as we felt we had left them a more than generous tip.
[/quote]

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by pbensur
When you are dissatisfied with your dining experience, it's best to speak up immediately and ask for the manager. In most cases they will try to bend over backwards to make it up to you. [/quote]

We tried this at Bongos and it did not work I'm afraid. With one exception, all the staff seemed bored and had that "we've heard it all before" expression on their faces. We got to see a managerial type after some persuation and he did not seem too bothered either and certainly did not apologise. Bongos is possibly the worst food and atmosphere that we have ever encountered while eating out...and that's going back over 30 years.

[Ana]

I too was disappointed with Bongo's. Our waiter was a really nice chatty guy, but both the atmosphere and food were bland to say the least.

[pbensur]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Nostromo
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by pbensur
When you are dissatisfied with your dining experience, it's best to speak up immediately and ask for the manager. In most cases they will try to bend over backwards to make it up to you. [/quote]

We tried this at Bongos and it did not work I'm afraid. With one exception, all the staff seemed bored and had that "we've heard it all before" expression on their faces. We got to see a managerial type after some persuation and he did not seem too bothered either and certainly did not apologise. Bongos is possibly the worst food and atmosphere that we have ever encountered while eating out...and that's going back over 30 years.
[/quote]


I'll make note to NEVER go to Bongos!!!! I always figure that a bad experience can happen even in the best of restaurants - it's how they deal with it that matters.

[traceya89]

I will definitely not go to Bongos nor China Garden and after hearing the horror stories about food poisoning will not be going to Pondersona, although after discovering golden corral last year Ponderosa was way down the list of restaurants to visit.

[Liam_Sandie]

We went to the Black Angus Steakhouse on the 192 and were really disappointed, we were told the wait was approx 30 minutes, ok we were fine with that, 45 minutes came and went and we were still waiting. We noticed there were quite a few tables where guests had left however were still uncleared, but we put that down to lack of staffing..ok, we are on holiday no rush! When we eventually got a table (50 minutes later), we ordered our food and it arrived, all at different times! and Liam got the wrong order!! I took one of the kids to the toilet and you have to go through to the reception of the hotel it is attached onto and the toilets were disgusting, not one of them could be used without first attacking them with domestos and rubber gloves.[msnmad] I went to the reception to complain and stood for 10 minutes whilst the harassed receptionist was dealing with a multitude of complaints from other guests. Eventually I gave up, went back to my seat, paid the bill and left. I know that we should have complained however by that stage we had just had enough!..[msnsad] Needless to say, we wont hurray back there again. Fortunately, out of the whole fortnight this was the only disappointing meal![msnsmile]

Sandie & Liam

[blott]

As far as I know, the Black Angus has closed down now - not surprisingly, after all that! [msnoo]

[Liam_Sandie]

That doesn't surprise me at all Blott!

[Lesley 999]

Surprised to read the post about Black Angus. We went to Black Angus on the 192 a couple of miles west of the I4 twice during our holiday, (got back yesterday Friday 13th ) and had no problems. The food was good, all arrived together and had no wait. We didnt visit the restrooms though!! Maybe you caught them on a bad day.

[Silver Dollar]

I'll agree with all comments and this is why unless we go somewhere quite nice to eat, overall most days now we eat at home. There is a lot of bad food joints here and I wish I could count the amount of times one of us has come down with food poisoning. The chinese ones are the worst. Never go China Garden. One year my poor daughter was sicking and ******* (I'm sure u know what I mean) so bad, that she literally dehydrated within a couple of hours. She's only a small tiny thing but lost half a stone. She couldn't stand up she was so ill.

If I could give any advice, it would be please stay away from the all you can eat buffets as tempting as they look! Because these foods are kept hot for a long time, not always at the right temperature either and with the cheaper ones, how can you tell whether or not they are re-heating leftovers too? I'm sure thats why a lot have cheaper lunches etc to dinners because it wouldn't surprise me if they were reheated leftovers. Because nothing tastes that fresh there.

Also dont go to Captain Nemo's either. It's expensive and the food is yuck. On top of that the waitresses are sneaky and add their 15-20% on your tab automatically....and you all know how I feel about mandatory tipping!

So do what I have learned to do. Go where the locals go and trust me it's none of the places we would go to.

If you like Southern Food (which I do) try Stevie B's on 192...heading East after Walmart. It's an all you can eat...not a Brit in Sight, the locals use it and at least the food tastes like food. Other than that. Eat in Orlando. I try and steer clear of the restaurants/buffets in Kissimmee. After a few days at least ONE of you will have the rotten trots.

[50sumtng]

Cooking is one of my hobbies - so I tend to spend a lot of time eating at the villa. To me it's part of the fun of the holiday - new ingredients etc.
Also - you can drink whilst you cook and eat.
One the occasions when I have eaten out, I cannot say that I have had many gastronomic experiences. I love seafood and our US cousins seem to cover everything in batter and fry the taste right out of it.
Mind you, I have had a few good breakfasts at Pondososa

[Cruella DeVilla]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by 50sumtng
Cooking is one of my hobbies - so I tend to spend a lot of time eating at the villa. To me it's part of the fun of the holiday - new ingredients etc.
Also - you can drink whilst you cook and eat.
One the occasions when I have eaten out, I cannot say that I have had many gastronomic experiences. I love seafood and our US cousins seem to cover everything in batter and fry the taste right out of it.
Mind you, I have had a few good breakfasts at Pondososa


[/quote]
Maybe it is just your luck, I would not go anywhere near the Ponderosa as I said earlier on this thread it gave me really bad food poisoning, I had cramps afterwards for days. I was literally crawling on the ground...honestly. Anywhere that has food lying around for ages is a bredding ground. I should have turned on my heels cause it looked run down when we went in. This was in 92 on I Drive so it might have changed but I would never give them our cash again![V]

[anna maria freak]

Second the comments about the Ponderosa,ate there on our first trip, found the food pig swill so will never make that mistake again.

We always try to find where the locals eat,usualy off the beaten track but worth it.


Lorraine.

[Maureen]

We've always found the Ponderosa near LBV great for fast breakfasts before the parks although my husband took our little boy to the one on 192 (near splendid china exit) for breakfast and said it was atrocious. Glad to hear the stuff on Bongos, as I was thinking of booking it for the whole family for New Years Eve. Perhaps Not!!
Best place, so far, albeit a bit pricey is Fulton's Crab House in DTD. Fantasic service and wonderful food. We stay in The Savoy in London on special occasions and the waiter would not have been out of place there! Even let our little 5 year old draw on the tablecloth - not that he usually does but it was encouraged!!

Can anyone recommend a restaurant for Boxing Day night and New Years Eve. There will be five adults and 1 5 year old. However, only 3 of us are over 21.

[floridavilla]

"Can anyone recommend a restaurant for Boxing Day night and New Years Eve. There will be five adults and 1 5 year old. However, only 3 of us are over 21."

Have you ever tried Crazy Buffet in Casselberry. It's up north of Orlando. A very good buffet, but not cheap. About $. 20.00 per person. Great Sushi Bar, Lots of Chinese and Japanese Food. It's a place where a lot locals goes to eat. It was recommended by a local person and we enjoy it every time we're in Orlando. It's usually our last place to eat before we leave Orlando. You know, saving the best for last. Just mentioning it, makes me hungry and I just ate!!
I'm not sure I can post their website here, but just google and "Crazy buffet" and you should get result. Otherwise, just private mail me.

Another great place is "The Cheesecake Factory". Big menu selections, big plates and a big waiting line!

[Maureen]

Thanks floridavilla,

I'll look on google for crazy buffet but my husband would love to know where 'Cheesecake factory' is. It's probably his idea of heaven!:D

Mo

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

The Cheesecake Factory is at the Mall At Millennia - next junction on the I4 north of Universal Studios.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Maureen
Thanks floridavilla,

I'll look on google for crazy buffet but my husband would love to know where 'Cheesecake factory' is. It's probably his idea of heaven!:D

Mo
[/quote]

[floridavilla]

Hi Mo, there's a Cheesecake Factory at the entrance of Mall at Millenia. You cannot make a reservation, but you can give your name at the reception and you will be handed a pager. After receipt of the pager, you can do some windowshopping in the mall. Enjoy!! Maria

[eastender]

Why is the name of this retaurant a big secret?

[stuart]

Terry,

If you mean the Cheesecake Factory, its no secret because Cheesecake Factory is its name[msnsmile2]

Kim

[markalex]

I find myself saying "You get what you pay for in life, but even so ..... ".
Our first ever visit to fl, resulted in many visits to Ponderosa where we were happy with service and food (relatively speaking, you understand, as $2 for breakfast cannot be sniffed at and we certainly didn't expect the best cuts of meat, etc.
However, I have to agree with the above comments, even at such a cheap price, it is no longer a enjoyable dining experience. The staff are now sloppy, uncaring and dirty (I am talking personal hygiene not the actual restaurant).
I think that perhaps they are victims of their own success(and greed). Shame really!

[markalex]

Oh, forgot to mention.

For a lovely, relaxing, great service, good food, experience, we visit 'The Butchers Shop' everytime that we visit Fl. It has a great atmosphere and the smell from the flame grill is just lovely. New York Strip to die for!!

Quite costly (by comparison) but a nice change from the 'touristy' type dining experience.

[Achilles2k]

I just checked out the website for the Crazy Buffet - looks GREAT [msntongue][msntongue][msnsmile2]. Will try to convince my better half that Sushi is actually very tasty. She isn't into sea food in a big way [xx(]

[traceya89]

I agree that when we first went to florida we thought Ponderosa was fantastic but after finding other places for meals we began to realise it was the cheapest possible food on offer and became aware of how long the food kept being heated. Having said that I have never had food poisoning in florida but after reading other peoples problems of food poisoning will be steering away from these outlets in the future.

[traceya89]

I have never been to the Butchers shop. Is it a chain restaurant or one of its kind. tried to find a web site for it. Have passed it lots of times but just never went in. Might go on mark and alex's recommendation. are there any discounts available for there?

[Suzanne]

All of my dining experiences in Florida have been ghastly. I'm not talking about the service or the environment, but the universally tasteless food wherever you go and the fact that the menus are virtually the same whatever restaurant you go into. I welcome any recommendations other than restaurants that serve chicken strips, burgers, steaks or ribs and fries with everything .......

[traceya89]

Hi Suzanne,

What restaurants have you been in? you must have had back luck with every restaurant. There are so many restaurants and if you want you could visit a different restuarant for every meal and you could still not have visited all that are around the kissimmee/orlando areas. As I love steaks I live on them in Florida, having them for breakfast and supper so I dont usually gone wrong, unless they end up rarely cooked and pooling blood when i asked for them to be very well done.

[8D]

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Suzanne
All of my dining experiences in Florida have been ghastly. I'm not talking about the service or the environment, but the universally tasteless food wherever you go and the fact that the menus are virtually the same whatever restaurant you go into. I welcome any recommendations other than restaurants that serve chicken strips, burgers, steaks or ribs and fries with everything .......
[/quote]

Perhaps that's too sweeping a statement? I agree that food tastes the same in most 'fast food' joints in the USA (as it does in the UK or elsewhere) but good restaurants are refreshingly different. It also depends on the type of food to some extent. In my experience, Indian and Chinese food in Florida is nothing to rave about, Continental Cusine can vary from mediocre to excellent and Latin and Caribbean food is generally good. Places like Bahama Breeze, Latin Quarter etc serve varied and well prepared cusine.

[Genie]

Suzanne , have you been to Cracker Barrel ? we always go there at least once while we are there !

Have you tried the Cheesecake Factory at Millenia Mall?

We went there on Monday night and it was superb, vast menu, food quality excellent, good service and fantastic cheesecakes!!

Lucy

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lal
Have you tried the Cheesecake Factory at Millenia Mall?

We went there on Monday night and it was superb, vast menu, food quality excellent, good service and fantastic cheesecakes!!

Lucy
[/quote]

There are even better cheesecakes on Palm Beach. [msnwink][msnwink]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Nostromo
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lal
Have you tried the Cheesecake Factory at Millenia Mall?

We went there on Monday night and it was superb, vast menu, food quality excellent, good service and fantastic cheesecakes!!

Lucy
[/quote]

There are even better cheesecakes on Palm Beach. [msnwink][msnwink]
[/quote]

Really?? Tell me more?

Taste buds are going!![msnwink]

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:[i]Originally posted by lal
There are even better cheesecakes on Palm Beach. [msnwink][msnwink]
[/quote]

Really?? Tell me more?

Taste buds are going!![msnwink]
[/quote]

I am not sure YOU would be that interested. The Palm beach Cheesecakes have two legs and very nice toppings. :D

[cjboatman]

We had a really ba experience at Rainforest Cafe. Ans as suggested we spoke up straight away. To my suprise the manager tried to laugh the complaint off. He refused to apologise even though i told him this is all i wanted. Both the food and the service were in question.

He eventually decided to give us both a free drink, which i think totalled about eight dollars an apology for a really poor fifty dollar meal.

I hope that not all Rainforest Cafe outlets are as disappointing, or i dont think i will be returning.

Craig and Karen.

[traceya89]

hi craig and karen,

write to head office straight away and give details of your receipt. what a terrible manager. i think there is a rainforest cafe web site which should give you details.

[Suzanne]

Thanks guys - for all your comments - but please tell me where I can find a menu in Orlando (whatever restaurant), that doesn't only include chicken strips, steak, ribs, pizza and fries (and I appreciate from colleagues' comments that Indian/Chinese isn't that good) - taking the considerable Spanish/ Latino presence in Florida, I'm amazed that this hasn't been incorporated in any way into the food that they offer!

[traceya89]

hi suzanne,

think subway might fit the bill!! or dunkin donuts.[8D]

[blott]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Suzanne
Thanks guys - for all your comments - but please tell me where I can find a menu in Orlando (whatever restaurant), that doesn't only include chicken strips, steak, ribs, pizza and fries (and I appreciate from colleagues' comments that Indian/Chinese isn't that good) - taking the considerable Spanish/ Latino presence in Florida, I'm amazed that this hasn't been incorporated in any way into the food that they offer!

[/quote]Genie already told you, Cracker Barrel. Good home style American cooking and no pizza, steak, ribs, pizza and hardly a French fry in sight!

[traceya89]

CRACKER BARRELL IS WONDERFUL BUT THEY DO SERVE STEAK AND IT IS GORGEOUS AND ONLY $12.99. THE SHOP THAT GOES WITH THE RESTUARANT HAS SOME LOVELY THINGS IN TO BUY. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.

We went to the Grand Floridian last night to Cinderella's Buffet and for $99 for 2 adults, one teenager and 2 children it was very disapointing.

The food was very disapointing, service was below avaerage, and I expected much more from a Disney hotel and the characters were few and far between, Cinderella, Prince Charming and 2 mice.

Won't do that again!!

Lucy

[Elaine311]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Also dont go to Captain Nemo's either. It's expensive and the food is yuck. On top of that the waitresses are sneaky and add their 15-20% on your tab automatically....and you all know how I feel about mandatory tipping![/quote]

I can echo this - don't touch Captain Nemo's with a bargepole. I'm allergic to seafood so we asked before we were seated if I could have a steak. We were assured that that was no problem at all, were shown our seats then given the option of the all you can eat buffet and nothing else. Because we were tired and hungry we stayed anyway - bad move. The non-seafood selection of the buffet was rubbish.

The all you can eat buffets are great if you have no tastebuds and an enormous capacity to stuff your face but in my limited experience they're awful. We tried two of them (one of them Captain Nemo's) and certainly didn't get value for money as the food was so yuck that none of us came anywhere near 'all we could eat'![xx(]

[50sumtng]

In general, I have to agree with all of the coments. One gets the feeling that there is one great big kitchen underneath Florida, and no matter where you go, the same food is served.
BUT, I did get a very tasty Japanese style lunch recently, in the Florida Mall food section. There is a japanese type bar, in amongst all of the other typical chicken / burger and fries bars.

[blott]

Try the Cracker Barrel menu http://www.crackerbarrel.com/menu.cfm?doc_id=170

[anna maria freak]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Elaine311



The all you can eat buffets are great if you have no tastebuds and an enormous capacity to stuff your face but in my limited experience they're awful. We tried two of them (one of them Captain Nemo's) and certainly didn't get value for money as the food was so yuck that none of us came anywhere near 'all we could eat'![xx(]



Could`nt agree more, but these places do offer great value for young families when the kids cover everything with ketchup anyway, If you want good food which actualy tastes how it is meant too then one needs to spend more :)

Lorraine

[caroline]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Suzanne
Thanks guys - for all your comments - but please tell me where I can find a menu in Orlando (whatever restaurant), that doesn't only include chicken strips, steak, ribs, pizza and fries (and I appreciate from colleagues' comments that Indian/Chinese isn't that good) - taking the considerable Spanish/ Latino presence in Florida, I'm amazed that this hasn't been incorporated in any way into the food that they offer!

[/quote]

OK!
Seasons 52
Bahama Breeze
California Grill at The Contemporary
Victoria and Alberts at The Grand Floridain
Primos at the Grande Lakes Marriott
Choup Chop at the Pacific Resort (Universal)

that 6 without even trying, you may well find there is a steak of some description on the menu but I guarantee there will be plenty of other choices - all these restaurants are excellent.

Just thought of some more
Portobello Yacht club at Downtown Disney
House of Blues also at Downtown Disney

[Genie]

Hubbie had Mam's chicken dumplin's and son had Meatloaf at Cracker Barrel they both said they were delicious !! I just bought the big cockrel out of the shop, he looks great on top of the freezer !

[Lyn]

We always eat at the Ponderosa while in Kissimme and have never had a bad meal, we use the one opposite Old Town and it is always very popular. My son is a very fussy eater but because of the vast range on the buffet there is always plenty for him to eat (and at 17 her eats plenty!) We have tried others and they have not been as good as this one so perhaps it might be which one you choose.

[blott]

I agree with you Lyn. That one is the very best Ponderosa that we've found too.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Just to add another opinion this is the Ponderosa we went to and found really bad with poor quality of food and coffee that was like coloured water.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Lyn
We always eat at the Ponderosa while in Kissimme and have never had a bad meal, we use the one opposite Old Town and it is always very popular. My son is a very fussy eater but because of the vast range on the buffet there is always plenty for him to eat (and at 17 her eats plenty!) We have tried others and they have not been as good as this one so perhaps it might be which one you choose.
[/quote]

[bridget]

Ponderosa. I will never set foot in the place again. In fact, I don't do buffet meals at all!

[Suzanne]

Thankyou Caroline - if I ever return to Florida I will definitely try out the recommendations you've made. Anything that challenges my memories of eating in Florida is welcome which for me is brilliantly summed up by 50sumtng's description of this great big kitchen beneath Florida that serves up the same food whatever restaurant you visit.

[Ray&Sarah]

Haven't had a bad dining experience in Florida. Would agree with the Ponderosa not seeming quite as inviting as it did the first time we visited Florida. Only really negative experience I can remember was the Bob Evans, near our villa on the US27, definately needed a revamp and clean. :D

[Harry and Jayne]

Just to add my tupence worth, Restruants I don't recommend are Captain Nemos, over priced and awful food and service. The new chinese buffet in the Mercado was the worst chinese food I have had in my life and bad selection. Ponderosa, well you get what you pay for, prefer Sizzlers although some of these becoming shabby now.
Recommendations For steak lovers got to be Butchers shop in Mercado, not cheap but wonderful food not a french fry in sight (they do a 16oz fillet if you are hungry!!!) Excellent attentive service also recommend Portobello mushroom as starter. If you like a good drink with your meal take plenty of money, a bottle of good champagne in here will cost you twice the price than a good resturuant in UK.
Also as others have recommended The Cracker Barrel good home style food and good value
I also like the Olive Garden Italial style eateries

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by bridget
Ponderosa. I will never set foot in the place again. In fact, I don't do buffet meals at all!


[/quote]

I have to agree!!!

Having had a bad experience even at the Grand Floridian I don't even do up market buffets[gun]

[bellaepovera]

Wont be served french fries or ribs at the Olive Garden. For a good steak which you can order a bake pot. instead of fries is Outbacks or better yet a sweet pot. with melted butter and cinnamon on top.oooh i love em!!!wont order the steak as I am not a meat lover and order the fish pasta as its very good at Outbacks.
For a fast lunch meal Perkins is my fav!! Wont even go to Dennys as service is horrid and the food just has a bad look to it now.

[lisi]

Anyone had any bad experiences in the Gulf Coast area? Didn't find the food bad at all in Kissimmee - is it a case of "you gets what you pays for"? But you do get fed up after a while of the sameness - I so look forward to someone else doing the cooking but after a while I am quite happy to get back to the villa and cook a good wholesome British meal! [msnsmile]

Lisi

[KJH]

We still think LOGAN's on Sandlake Road and the 192 are the best for Steaks, can even pick the one you want from the display.

Kids thought it was great fun with all the monkey nuts. It has a good atmosphere for young old and in betweenies.[beer][drinkpepsi]

Oh my god I sound like my dad, I must be growing up at last (21x2)[msneek]

Karen

[magicgirl]

We had a problem with a meal at Bob Evans. The sweetcorn had so much pepper in it you almost sneezed moving it on the plate and the two steaks which should have been medium were well done. We did not complain when the food came out becouse we were starving and had already waited 45 minutes. I mentioned it to the server at the end who called the manager over who was very apologetic and cut the bill right down. Normally I would complain at the time.

I happen to still like the Ponderosa but find some are better than others.

[LiesaAnna]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Lyn
We always eat at the Ponderosa while in Kissimme and have never had a bad meal, we use the one opposite Old Town and it is always very popular. My son is a very fussy eater but because of the vast range on the buffet there is always plenty for him to eat (and at 17 her eats plenty!) We have tried others and they have not been as good as this one so perhaps it might be which one you choose.
[/quote]

we ate here, found it very good my family loves it...anyone remember Rocky the coloured guy who serves you??????
lovely personality mad with the kids (i'm nearly sure its opposite old town,) we've eaten there and spent a silly lot of money in Bargain world.... silly stuff!!!!!!

[Nostromo]

I have not been to Ponderosa for a long time myself, but it is odd how there seem to be widely conflicting opinions about the place. Maybe they use Marmite with everything so that you either 'love it or hate it' :D:D

[Kickstart]

I would also recommend the Olive Garden, there was a nice variety of dishes, good quality, kids were happy as well and not a burger in sight.
Some of the park restaurants are OK, we had nice meals i the French one in EPCOT, and the fishermans wharf in Universal.

Didn't think much of TGIFridays, and the waiter made a fuss when we didn't tip him the normal amount, which annoyed me even more. Perhaps if he had just got the order right instead of trying to pressure us for a bunch of extras we didn't want to order, and had remembered my daughters dessert then I would have tipped higher.
I hate this whole tipping thing!

[LiesaAnna]

i hate having to tip as well, you tip if the service is good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Harmony]

As the meals are so cheaper I don't mind giving a good tip especially if the services has been good. If the service has been bad it's no tip and I tell them why. It's interesting to see the diverse range of comments on a given restaurant and only goes to show that we all like or hate different things. Unless a review is really bad we do not take too much notice and prefer to try places ourselves. Sometimes we lose and sometimes we win, but it's always fun trying new places.

Jeff

[blott]

We like Ponderosa and have never had a bad experience in the one opposite Old Town although some of the others are not up to the same standard.

Worst meal ever in Florida was at Darryl's in Liberty Village on the 192, but I guess other people had the same experience as it's now closed down! [sick][sick]

Second worst experience was at Golden Corral on the 192 which looks dirty with food all over the floor, yuck! [sick]

[Kissyme]

I know I will probably be in the minority here but, one of the worst meals we have was at the Outback I had pasta with Chicken and most of the pasta was hard and dry and just did`nt taste nice, Hubbie said his steak was "alright but nothing special"

[ellie]

Cracker Barrel food is very fresh and the hot biscuits and corn cakes which are complementary are delicious. It is very clean, very efficient - usually - and the staff have been, without exception, polite and friendly. It is good plain food, but you can get delicious jacket potatoes instead of fries, and the puddings, especially Chocolate Cobbler is out of this world, pecan nuts, chocolate sauce, lovely sponge, am dribbling at the thought of it!!!

Must admit, my idea of a holiday is not exchanging one cooker for another, so although I have cooked Christmas dinner, and enjoyed it, we much prefer to go out and relax, avoiding Ponderosa, Sizzler and Shonneys, some of which seem very run down. Agree that Golden Corral on 192 west of Disney is pretty grim, though it was supposed to be getting a facelift - we haven't been in it since 9/11. The Golden Corral at the lower end of International Drive has had a refit and is probably one of the better ones - it has a good bakery with lovely cookies. If you take the price into consideration, it is pretty good value, but its not the Ritz.

We like Bennigans on the 192 near marker 8. The food is freshly cooked, and service is generally pretty slick - if not, complain and they will do their best to make up for it. However, we have found some of the other Bennigans - on OBT, for example, are not so good. They, too, do jacket potoatoes - Baked Idaho potatoes - which are a delicious change from fries.

Western Steer was a recommended breakfast buffet in Brits Guide but we found it was disgusting, poor quality, swimming in grease, pretty dirty - so 'steer' clear of that one. Mind you it IS cheap so what can you expect?

Planet Hollywood by Downtown Disney Pleasure Island is a real experience If you want a typical burger and fries meal - good quality and service.

If its just a snack, then Panera Bread do great soups, salads, sandwiches and delicious Danish pastries - there is one in Mall at Millenia and a new one at Florida Mall.

Trouble is, food is a very personal thing, and what suits one person won't suit another, and lets face it, if you've got kids they probably call the shots anyway! However, I cannot agree that all food is bad. It just needs care, just as it does in the Uk, and we always look first, BEFORE we sit down - check out what others are eating - a quick glance will tell you a lot -they do not seem to mind you taking a look before you commit yourself to a meal, and we have always found restaurants very helful in this way.

Ellie

[Carla]

We can't eat in Cracker Barrell. We tried once, and found that we had to queue for a table in the shop area. The overwhelming and cloying smells of the perfumed goodies that they sell (as bad as The Body Shop!!), ensured that we gave up almost immediately and went elsewhere, rather than get a thumping headache and cold-like systems from the conflicting perfumes. You couldn't smell the food at all.[gun][gun]

It's a great shame because we've eaten in one in Vermont and they didn't have a shop, and the food was delicious.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ellie
Cracker Barrel food is very fresh and the hot biscuits and corn cakes which are complementary are delicious. It is very clean, very efficient - usually - and the staff have been, without exception, polite and friendly. It is good plain food, but you can get delicious jacket potatoes instead of fries, and the puddings, especially Chocolate Cobbler is out of this world, pecan nuts, chocolate sauce, lovely sponge, am dribbling at the thought of it!!!

Ellie

[/quote]