Don’t worry friends we get it…you spend a lot of money to dine at Disney World and that LAST thing you want to have happen is for your food to be subpar or even worse…just plain awful.
Nine Dragons Restaurant
Throughout the years a few dining locations have gotten a bad wrap — some for good reason! Lately, we have given a few of these restaurants and a second chance and we’ve come up with a few that we believe you should try again too!
Nine Dragons
Nine Dragons is a table service restaurant in the China Pavilion at Epcot. They serve a variety of Chinese dishes including beef, chicken, and seafood and noodle dishes. BUT, these guys have a bit of a bad wrap. Many feel that the location does not serve the best or really the most authentic Chinese food. Because of this, many people choose to forego the location as Epcot has a lot of other great dining spots to choose from.
Nine Dragons Sign
But, we think that it might be time for you guys to give Nine Dragons another chance! We recently did and were pleasantly surprised — check out the review here! We do agree that it is a bit more like American Chinese takeout, but if that’s your thing this really isn’t a bad go to. The food might not be super authentic, but we thought it was freshly prepared and flavorful. The location also offers fantastic atmosphere, which is another bonus!
Honey Sesame Chicken
Last trip here, we gave the “Numbingly” Spicy Mala Beef a go and were shocked how flavorful it was. Heat wise, it wasn’t blowing our minds but that’s not too surprising. Plus the serving was HUGE! It had great flavor and we were majorly impressed.
Spicy Mala Beef
So, go out and give it another try and let us know what you think! Do you see improvements like we have?
Check out our latest review of Nine Dragons HERE!
ABC Commissary
One quick service location that has really gotten a bad rap over the years is the ABC Commissary in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. And for the longest time, we whole-heartily agreed. The location is BUSY and we found most meals weren’t enjoyed, rather, they were scarfed down! The food, for the most part, has been subpar standard theme park food. It was not a spot on our must-eat list…at all.
ABC Commissary
BUT, Hollywood Studios has been going through a major dining overhaul. Locations have been upping their game and changing their menus. So, when we saw that ABC Commissary had added a few new options to their menu, we decided to give it another try. And to our surprise, we enjoyed the food we ordered! Like…the food was good!
ABC Commissary
While we were there during our last visit, we tried the Pot Roast, buuut we’ve also had the BBQ Ribs Platter and the Shrimp Teriyaki Bowl too– read the full review here. And guys, most of the dishes were good and they weren’t just standard burger and fries options, so that made us happy.
Shrimp Teriyaki Bowl
AND back in June, ABC Commissary underwent a refurbishment and made way for an all-new dinner dining experience that you can now make reservations for (It still remains a Quick Service location though! Think of it like how you can book Advance Dining Reservations at Be Our Guest for Quick Service breakfast and lunch.). The recent updates included new self-service beverage stations, updated decor, and a new dinner dish that features Pot Roast served over mashed potatoes and root vegetables with crispy onion strings.
And you know what? We were impressed by the new dinner service and we thought the Pot Roast was absolutely delicious! Real plates, cutlery, and quality tasting food? Color us pleasantly surprised!
Pot Roast
With all the changes happening around Hollywood Studios, especially over at ABC Commissary, we think it’s time you give it another chance. Make sure you let us know what you think this time around!
Click here to see our recent review of ABC Commissary!
Sebastian’s Bistro
While Shutters used to be the primary spot for table-service dining at the Caribbean Beach Resort, Sebastian’s Bistro has bubbled up to take its place. Although Shutters didn’t have an outstanding menu or particularly tasty meals, Sebastian’s Bistro is worth a try as the new Old Port Royale jewel. The last time we were there, we tried the Empanadas and Classic Mile High Key Lime Pie among other menu items.
Sebastian’s Bistro
But, the real star was the Taste of the Caribbean, made with rice, black beans, and shaved carrot with a trio of proteins chosen by the guest! Although we picked the Coconut Shrimp, Jerk Chicken, and Slow-cooked Pork, we would go back again to try the Goat Curry and Plant-based Curry. You can read all about our review here!
Taste of the Caribbean
Even though you might not visit Caribbean Beach unless you’re staying there, the resort houses the center hub of the Disney Skyliner. So chances are if you take a ride on the Skyliner, you’ll be swinging by Caribbean Beach! It’s an easy-to-access location for many guests. While it might not be a destination spot, it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re on the Skyliner or staying at the resort. Plus, Banana Cabana is right next door for a GREAT pre-dinner drink (or two).
Banana Cabana Drink!
We’re happy we gave Sebastian’s another shot and, if you give it a chance, we hope you agree!
Check out our review of Sebastian’s Bistro here!
If you’re interested in what the locations you should really avoid while visiting Walt Disney World, make sure you check out the video below!
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We stayed at Riverside last month, but spent a lot of time exploring CBR thanks to the Skyliner. One night we decided to ditch our ADR at Chefs de France in favor of Sebastian’s Bistro. It blew us away. Great food, wonderful ambiance, and magical CBR cast members. We liked it so much, for our ninth anniversary dinner the next night, we actually cancelled our ADR for CRT (yes, we did), in order to come right back to Sebastian’s. Can’t recommend it highly enough.
We had the pot roast at commissary in September and it was just like the picture here. Over cooked and dried out with the meat being very dark. Horrible food.
Never tried Nine Dragons but we will now. I like the ABC Commisary; they used to have a decent steak. Also, I love Sebastian’s. Get the pull-apart bread with the 3 sauces!
The pull apart rolls at Sebastians are delicious, and the jerk oil dipping sauce? 🤤 I’m already dreaming of our next visit.
We love Nine Dragons. The Salt and Pepper Shrimp
Fried, Spinach Noodles with Garlic Dressing is so good!
Argh! The spelling and grammatical errors here hurt to read. Does DFB not have an editor?
I find it funny that in the article you noted we should give Nine Dragons a second chance, but then when I skimmed the video linked directly below the second chance restaurants article, which was entitled The Worst Restaurants in Disney World, one of the restaurants considered the worst was Nine Dragons! I’m assuming the video was done first and now we should give Nine Dragons a second chance, but it was just funny that after reading about giving it a second chance it was listed as one of the worst at Walt Disney World in the linked video! We are giving Sebastian’s Bistro a try on our next trip, but will probably still pass on Nine Dragons.
I love Nine Dragons. I’m in the UK and the food is delicious and a bit different to the Chinese restaurants here.
Guess what? We are having Easter Sunday 2020 Dinner at Planet Hollywood. Yeah, I know, everyone says DON’T DO IT but we are also having Sunday Brunch at Grand Floridian Cafe, so we’re having the good and the bad that day. We won’t be in any parks that day (flying into MCO the day before). We loved the PH at Cancun and Las Vegas so we want to enjoy the atmosphere. I’ll eat a hamburger and my partner will order the roasted chicken entree (he eats plain food, nothing spicy or with tomatoes).
When our son was small, we always stayed at the Grand Floridian, since MK was the main draw. During many trips, our favorite restaurant was always Narcoosee’s.
We now prefer to stay at Epcot resorts but, we always make it a point to still get to Narcoosee’s. We were just there in December and I’m sorry to say, it was one of the worst experiences we’ve ever had in a Disney restaurant. The problem was with my order. I had ordered the filet and asked for medium. When it came, there was no pink to be found, so I told the waitress who, unhappily, brought it back to the kitchen. When she returned with #2, it was also completely overcooked. I apologized and said that I needed to send it back. This was also in front of the server. By the time, #3 arrived, the manager and other higher level staff were the ones who delivered it. They stood there and watched while I cut into it and this time, it was fine. In addition, by the time they delivered my third meal, my husband and son, were finished with there’s. I think the biggest problem I had was the way it was handled (or not handled). We go to many fine restaurants and, although we have had great experiences in the past at this restaurant, I think we were treated as just a tourist who wouldn’t be coming back anyway.
One last thing – while we were still enjoying our wine, the waitress arrived with a box for us to take it with us. Clearly the table was reserved for another party. We told her that we wanted to finish it.
With that said, I really feel that with the price they charge, there should have been some adjustment made to the bill but, nothing was offered. There were just too many mistakes and lack of customer service.
After this experience, I honestly don’t think, I’ll ever go back.
???? not sure what happened……
I’ve eaten at Nine Dragons several times and have never had a poor experience. Is it 5 star gourmet? Nope. Is it good Chinese food in a pretty restaurant? Yes it is. Tried ABC for the first time ever back in September. We found it to be pretty good. The burgers aren’t as good as Sci-Fi, but they aren’t as gross as Cosmic Rays.
Wow, nothing worse than feeling rushed through your Disney table service meal. My partner and I have a mental map of the places at Walt Disney World where we won’t go because of that, and where we will go because we can happily stay as long as we please. We used to love Biergarten, but they get annoyed if you’re not ready to leave when they want your entire table to turn over. We had this happen more than once at our former favorite at Disneyland, Blue Bayou, as well.
Meanwhile, our favorites like Boma, Chefs de France, and absolutely Sebastian’s, your table is your table for as long as you want it. Which is exactly as it should be, given the ridiculously inflated prices that Disney charges for table service. Over-scheduling ADRs on Disney’s part is not my problem or yours or anyone else’s.
The Pot Roast at ABC was one of my food highlights last June. Perfect!!!!
My issue with Nine Dragons is not the food, but the service. Each time I’ve eaten there, I feel so rushed. The food comes out too quickly (so quickly that I have wondered how they could possible have cooked it fresh) and it’s as though they’re trying to turn the table for the next party. When I choose to do a table-service restaurant, it’s not just about the food; I’m wanting a nice relaxed experience that gets me off my feet for a little while.
We had a very similar experience to Michael Doyle who commented above. We were so impressed with Sebastian’s on a first visit on New Years Eve that we ditched another plan to return a second time later in the vacation. We were not disappointed. Excellent food, welcoming ambience and luckily a second table in the window overlooking the pretty lake (and the skyliners). We will be back hopefully to enjoy again a most impressive dining experience. Incidentally we had the same as the writer of the article.