3. Cous-Cous at Restaurant Marrakesh

Image: Jett Farrell-Vega

This one always pains me a little write about because I have such fond memories of Restaurant Marrakesh as a young person. It was where our family was introduced to Moroccan food, and boy did they deliver. Restaurant Marrakesh used to be one of the most flavorful, exciting restaurants at Epcot, but it seems times have changed for the worst.

Across the board, our experiences at Restaurant Marrakesh have been marked by unusually bland Moroccan food, and the cous-cous is one of the strongest examples of this. Several times, we received cous-cous and vegetables that were almost completely unseasoned, and unlike the vibrant food of the restaurant’s past, we keep experiencing dry and bizarrely bland food here. We hope this Epcot classic will gain its groove back some day, but in the meanwhile, if you are craving Moroccan and Mediterranean cuisine with a bit more punch, stop by Spice Road Table or Tangier Café for some more flavorful options.

4. The infamous glonut

Image: Jett Farrell-Vega

The glonut is one of Disney’s more blatant money-grabs in recent years, and it defies logic just how goofy of a concept it is. The dish first appeared at the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, but its name still pops up from time to time at other events, so we aren’t positive if it’s still lurking in circulation somewhere. Served in the lively Light Lab, a blacklight-soaked neon hideaway where guests could try wacky sugar drinks cooked up in lab equipment, the glonut certainly looked cool from a distance. Under the blacklight, the frosting glowed with an enticing violet iridescence.

We were very thankful for the cast members who told us the truth before we dropped any cash on it. The glonut is literally just a donut with white frosting. That’s it. Nothing special. No exciting filling. No infusion in the frosting. Just a plain donut. Nice try, Disney.

5. The mac n’ cheese (pretty much everywhere)

Image: Jett Farrell-Vega

If you’re a reader of Theme Park Tourist, this one might ring some bells for you. The kid version of Disney’s mac n’ cheese is seriously adorable thanks to a healthy dotting of goldfish crackers. It’s understandably a hit with the little ones and certainly can pass as a snack for a quick meal. However, most adults with a mac n’ cheese craving probably want something a little more substantial for the money Disney usually charges for their meals and buffets. It’s not like Disney restaurants have never made rich, delicious mac n’ cheese from scratch before.

The problem is that Disney keeps trying to sneak the kids’ version of their mac n’ cheese onto adult menus. We lambasted this previously in our scathing review of Epcot’s Garden Grill, and we’ve heard guests complain about it from other buffets and restaurants as well. The issue isn’t offering mac n’ cheese for kids so much as charging adults steakhouse prices for the same thing. While the mac n’ cheese may be passably tasty, it’s nowhere near the standard one would expect from Walt Disney World. Another victim of the Disney dining plan, we’re afraid.