YIKES. These 12 Disney World Restaurants Have Not Aged Well

Okay, Disney World, we have a bone to pick with you.

Now, don’t get us wrong: We love many Disney World restaurants. We even have our favorites at pretty much every price point. However, there are some restaurants that are in desperate need of updates, and we’re about to point those out.

So many restaurants have already received updates in Disney World, but we think these restaurants should be next in line.

Coral Reef Restaurant

The idea behind Coral Reef Restaurant at EPCOT is actually good. The floor-to-ceiling windows of EPCOT’s aquarium set the tone for a unique dining experience. The food, though, doesn’t live up to this atmosphere. The seafood here should be some of the best in Disney World, but mostly, it’s just mediocre.

What Coral Reef needs is an update to its menu, which is pretty limited to begin with. Many reviews of Coral Reef’s food have not been that great, so a menu refresh is needed here.

Be Our Guest

Now don’t get us wrong: Be Our Guest in Magic Kingdom still offers a good prix fixe dining experience. The atmosphere here is good, too — we love dining in Beast’s castle. However, the character interactions aren’t great. Also, we’re not always in the mood for a three-course meal.

That’s why it’s a shame that Be Our Guest used to offer a quick service option at lunch that didn’t lock you into three courses. It was more affordable than the prix fixe menu, too. We think this restaurant would benefit from bringing that or something similar back.

Diamond Horseshoe

Another restaurant that needs some updating is Diamond Horseshoe. When it reopened after Disney World’s closure in 2020, its menu became an exact duplicate of Liberty Square Tavern. We love Liberty Square Tavern, but does Magic Kingdom need the same menu at two restaurants?

Just before Disney World’s closure, Diamond Horseshoe offered quick-service options like sandwiches and other theme park food. The food wasn’t great then, but what we miss is when there used to be a show there, so we feel like Disney needs to revisit that idea because it once offered something unique.

‘Ohana

‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort used to be an absolute must for dining in Disney World. But recently, we’ve seen reviews that make us think it’s time for ‘Ohana to re-think its menu. Years ago, you used to get the big skewers of delicious meat delivered to your table at this all-you-care-to-eat establishment, but that’s no longer the case.

We’re seeing a lot of complaints from our readers about how the food quality seems to have gone downhill recently. We have such happy memories of the  ‘Ohana of old, that we want Disney to upgrade it to return it to the “must-eat” restaurant it once was.

Grand Floridian Cafe

Okay, so we don’t have any complaints about the food at the Grand Floridian Cafe at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, but the restaurant itself could use a refresh because it’s been a hot minute since it’s been updated (if at all).

We’re just going to say it. It’s only a few doilies away from feeling like you’re dining at your grandmother’s house. It’s so OLD and stale, so it’s time to modernize this restaurant a bit.

Value Resort Food Courts

We’re lumping all the value food courts into one category here because they are all essentially the same. First, we’ll point out that the All-Star Resort food courts need some serious updating because it’s been a while. However, our biggest gripe about the value resort food courts is that they all now have identical menus.

This wasn’t always the case. For example, Landscape of Flavors at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort used to have a fantastic menu with lots of unique options. Now, you’ll get the same thing there as you’ll find at the other value resort food courts. There is no “landscape of flavors.” We think Disney needs to put new thought into all of these food courts to make each unique to its resort.

Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo

Docking Bay 7, which can be found in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, isn’t bad, but we know it can be better. The menu is pretty limited, after all, especially if you’re comparing it to the menu at its location in Disneyland.

It’s true that Disneyland often does food better than Disney World, especially when it comes to quick service. Docking Bay 7 in Disneyland often gets menu refreshes and new food items, and we don’t understand why its lesser loved sibling on the East Coast doesn’t.

Sci-Fi Dine-In

So you don’t really go to Sci-Fi Dine-In in Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the food, you go for the vintage drive-in movie theater vibe. However, the food here is perfectly serviceable, and the menu changes often enough to offer some variety. The one thing that doesn’t change, though, are the “vintage” shorts they play on the movie screen. You’ll see the same clips over and over, and by the time you’re done with your meal, you’re over it.

Those same clips play every single day in Disney World, and we think Disney needs to switch those out or even think about playing a classic B monster movie or something that lasts longer than a few minutes. Those shorts get old fast, after all.

So those are the restaurants we think could use a little attention in Disney World. Some of these are pretty good to start with, but we think they could become great with a little TLC.

Check back with AllEars again soon for more.

I Travel to Disney World Alone. These Are the 8 Restaurants That Don’t Make Me Feel Awkward.

What do you think? Which Disney World restaurants do you think need an upgrade? Let us know in the comments!

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