The worst meal I've ever had in Disney

[DunkieKong]

Let me clarify that by saying, this is the worst table service meal we've ever eaten in Disney World. I also want you to know, I almost never complain about meals, and am usually always satisfied. That being said:

Dinner at The Wave.

This was our first time eating at The Wave, and we were very excited about trying this new place. Our service was decent, not excellent, but not really any complaints, other than the hostess seating us in the farthest corner of the restaurant next to a busy service door and under an extremely bright light. But service aside, my real complaint was the food. I ordered the braised lamb shank and my wife had the filet. The lamb was very dry, and bland. It had no taste what-so-ever. It was served with bulger wheat and lentil stew and red wine sauce. If there was any red wine sauce served with the dish, it must have been absorbed by the wheat and lentil mess that was on my plate. My wife orded the filet, which was cooked to her liking, but extremely small portion. Thankfully we were on the dining plan, because if I paid 29 dollars for a steak that couldnt have been more than 5 ounces, I would have been very upset. Her meal came with a white bean mash, which was good, and what was suppossed to be "local teardrop tomatoes". The "tomatoes" were actually some sort of boiled green vegetable (our best guess was asparagus) that was shredded and molded into a mound with two boiled tomatoes hidden inside. Needless to say, things were not going well. We had hoped that dessert would make up for the rest of the meal. It did not. I ordered a dessert called the Crispy and Crunchy. It consisted of vanilla braised pineapple spears, an almond pineapple raisin "baklava", and a zuchini carrot cake with vanilla pana cotta. The pineapple was okay, but just tasted like warm pineapple. The zuchini carrot cake was sitting in some sort of oil, very unappetizing, and the vanilla panna cotta was almost non existent. It was smaller than the size of a dime, and used to hold some sort of crunchy thing on top. Then came the "baklava". I use quotes because that is how it was written on the menu. It tasted nothing like any baklava I've ever had in my life. It was not sweet at all. I asked my wife to taste it, and she thought it tasted like they used old oil to make the dough. Not a good end to a bad meal.

Before you go and think it was all bad, there were a few brightspots: Our waitress was very friendly and attentive. The bread and butter topped with hawaiian red salt was delicious. My wife's sorbet dessert for the most part was excellent. And the overall atmosphere in the restaurant is very nice.

All in all, I can not reccomend this restaurant based on our visit. I'd love to hear reviews from anyone else that has eaten there. I can't imagine they would all be bad.

[mouseketeer mom]

The Wave was our very worst table service meal at Disney ever as well. This is the one and only table service meal that we would NOT go back to.
Toy Story Pizza Planet was by far the worst counter service meal we have had.

[Polynesian Dweller]

The quality may well have not been good and I have not heard great things about the Wave. But, a couple if things need to be said in fairness to the restaurant.

First, the size of filet and cost you indicate are reasonable. A filet is only about 2-3 inches in diameter by 1-2 inches thick and should be closer to one. It is not a large portion. As well, the cost is not based on size but on the rarity of the cut. At mist a steer produces only a miniscule 4-5 pounds of it. The muscle is only a few inches long and about 2-3 inches across. So yes it us expensive and tyically one pays over $25 for the size above. Never order it if you are looking for a typical size steak, you won't get it.

On the tomatoes, if they are actually teardrop then they are a small tomato, roughly like a cherry or grape tomato size but tear drop shaped. They can be yellow or red. They are often used as a side dish for meat as in this case but they will definitely not give that big beef tomato appearance or taste. What you describe is not unusual, use a green vegetable to build a nest and put a couple of tomatoes as eggs in nest is actually a classic technique.

[TiggerCat]

Here's a dumb question - where is the Wave? I thought I knew all of the restuarants but I'm not familiar with this one.

TC.

[SBETigg]

Here's a dumb question - where is the Wave? I thought I knew all of the restuarants but I'm not familiar with this one.

TC.

It replaced the Concourse Steakhouse at the Contemporary.

[big blue and hairy]

It replaced the Concourse Steakhouse at the Contemporary.

Although you will not find it at the former location of the Concourse Steakhouse. It occupies the former location of the Food and Fun Center.

[katzctkpt]

It replaced the Concourse Steakhouse at the Contemporary.

..seems like a big waste to get rid of the Concourse to add the Wave...just not a good replacement !!!

[PetefromRI]

That's why I very rarely order a Filet anywhere.Just not enough bang for my buck although it is a very good cut,My appetite is always calling for a 16 oz. T-Bone!

[Tinkermom]

I am sorry that you did not enjoy The Wave. DH and I ate at The Wave in October and enjoyed our meal very much. I think some places really do have "off nights". Although I totally understand being so turned off that you would not want to go back. This was our experience with 1900 Park Fare at dinner.

Here is a review of The Wave that I gave when we got back:


I loved the butter that was served with the whole grain bread. They sprinkle smoked sea salt on top of the butter - it was so good!

We got the shared appetizer - seared tuna and chicken filled summer rolls and it was so fresh and yummy!

For dinner DH got the lamb shank which he said was awesome and fall off the bone tender. (I tasted some and agreed!) I got the linguini with little neck clams and shrimp in a chunky tomato broth. Again, it was wonderful! The tomato broth was so fresh tasting as well.

Desserts are kinda cool. You get 3 small ramikins filled with your choice of dessert. There are 5 different choices including a sugar-free option. I got the "Decadent Flavors" which was blueberry compote with yogurt gelato, lemon cornbread with vanilla panna cotta and chocolate mousse with salted caramel (YUM!). I really liked getting a taste of 3 different things.

Overall, we really enjoyed our meal at The Wave and would definitely visit again!

[TiggerCat]

It replaced the Concourse Steakhouse at the Contemporary.

I hadn't eaten at the Concourse for quite awhile but I recall that it was pretty good. That's too bad.

TC.

[TiggerCat]

Although you will not find it at the former location of the Concourse Steakhouse. It occupies the former location of the Food and Fun Center.

Did they move the Food n' Fun Centre or did it join the list of "no mores"?

TC.

[tpalmer1031]

Lunch at Coral Reef--June 2007 is the only bad meal I have ever experienced at Disney.

[Emme&TeddysMommy]

Chefs de France in sept 2009. My filet was burnt so bad that it smelled like some thing at the table had just been extinguished. I mentioned it to my server and he gave me another one. The second was even worse than the first. I like steak and perfer not to eat charred steak. Oh well maybe next time.

[mom2morgan]

Hmm..I pretty routinely order Filet - and usually get a 8 oz portion for under 20 dollars. to me the portion/price this poster mentions does seem awfully steep.

[laprana]

Did they move the Food n' Fun Centre or did it join the list of "no mores"?

TC.

The Food 'n Fun Center is no more...it was replaced by the Contempo Cafe, which is located where the Concourse Steakhouse was, next to Chef Mickeys. They did a lot of swapping around!

[SurferStitch]

DH and I dined at The Wave in October of 2008, and it was by far one of the worst (if not THE worst) meal we've ever had anywhere, WDW or elsewhere.

We must have gotten the exact same table as the OP. I got so sick of my hair blowing around as servers whooshed past us the entire time. The place was only about 1/3 full at the most, too.

Our food was terribly bland, poorly cooked and just downright BAD. Worst crab cake I've ever had. My fish (main course) was also pretty bad. Our server was also totally inattentive and slow.

We didn't even waste money on dessert (we use the TiW card). We went back to our lounge in Sugarloaf (GF) and had amazing desserts there. Our concierge felt so bad for us that he comped the meal because we put it on our room charge. We didn't complain at all...he just asked if we liked our meal, and we explained that we didn't, but no biggie, because every place is worth a try.

[TiggerCat]

The Food 'n Fun Center is no more...it was replaced by the Contempo Cafe, which is located where the Concourse Steakhouse was, next to Chef Mickeys. They did a lot of swapping around!

That's discouraging. Oh well, maybe the Contempo Café will be just as good.

TC.

[laprana]

That's discouraging. Oh well, maybe the Contempo Café will be just as good.

TC.

It's excellent! Been there twice and it was great both times. They have a good variety of food, and more than just burgers and fries.

I'm really worried hearing all these bad reviews about the Wave, though! We'll be eating there for the first time this May, and hopefully we'll have a better experience there than others have had! I'm always willing to try any restaurant once, and if it's no good we just won't go back.

[pox24]

Ditto...
A close second was the buffet at the Garden Grove at the Swan Hotel.
Finishing third was Mama Melrose.. if my mama cooked liked that dad would have thrown her out of the house!

[scootch713]

Crystal palace dinner. The food was just ok, the place was freezing. We asked for another table and did not get one... they said they turned up the heat.. no way. We ate in our coats. It was warmer outside than in. Characters were in a hurry, terrible meal and we were not on the dining plan.