Disney Reviews: Restaurant Edition #12 - Rainforest Cafe
I've already reviewed Rainforest's sister restaurant T-Rex (see full review HERE), so this one should be a bit easier since I don't have to give as much background.
We first ate here in 1999 (my first adult trip) and, at the time, I was hooked. In later years, it has become a bit more of an Asper-irritant and I prefer T-Rex anyway. We will end up back there someday, I just can't see it for the immediate future.
There are two locations of Rainforest, one in Downtown Disney (which is where we ate in 1999, so forgive the picture quality):
the old volcano:
Better pics from 2005:
The second location is at Disney's Animal Kingdom (which we first ate at in 2004). For a long time, it was really the only sit-down restaurant at Animal Kingdom, but that has changed over the years. It can be accessed either outside the park:
or inside:
(thought I'd throw in some Am and Matty for good measure)
my first solo of 2006 (with better outside pics):
(because I was seated right next to an elephant and the thunderstorm had him in conniptions, it was NOT a pleasant dining experience)
Since I was with my sister in 2007, we tried the AK location once more:
But I think that my experience in 2006 was just too much of a bad memory and we haven't been back to either location since. 2009 saw us going to T-Rex for the first time and we really haven't looked back. As far as Animal Kingdom goes, now that they have Yak & Yeti, it fills the void there quite nicely, so we don't really need to go to Rainforest there either.
The Downtown location got a pretty extensive exterior rehab last year, and I have a pic of the new volcano:
and a shot of it going off at night (it goes off in sync with the inside thunderstorm):
But lets get to the food, shall we! Remember, I didn't take food pictures before 2005, so that is where they start.
Drinks (in collectible light up cups - these are the ones that I mentioned didn't make it home in one piece):
Appetizers:
Then entrees:
Solo 2006:
(as if the restaurant antics and the rude staff wasn't enough that year, the mound of sour cream on my plate gagged me the entire time)
(and the bacon-wrapped scallops made me sick later on)
2007 was better because I LOVE icees!
but, despite asking for no sour cream - my wallflowerness guaranteed I would get it yet again:
Am's appetizer was practically a meal and that was all she had:
but here's my entree (same as previous year):
The food is a bit generic, but this is another one of those you go to for atmosphere (until it got to be too much and the food wasn't enough of a draw to get us to go). Like I mentioned in my T-Rex review, the food is very similar, just with different names (obviously Rainforest's names are jungle/animal themed versus T-Rex's dinosaur theme).
Just a final pic bunch...the Downtown shop (where we spend a crap load of money because the T-shirts are really cheap if you buy them in multiples):
Despite not eating there in a few years, I still get one of my co-workers a Cha Cha Frog figurine every single trip. It's pretty much become a tradition and a challenge to find something different...she has soap, keychains, pens, figures, plush, almost anyway I can get him! He's the character poking out at you in the picture above.
And that's it for Rainforest...not as glowing as T-Rex, but kids seem to love it (if you have them) and I would still eat there again (once I get the courage up, that is).
We first ate here in 1999 (my first adult trip) and, at the time, I was hooked. In later years, it has become a bit more of an Asper-irritant and I prefer T-Rex anyway. We will end up back there someday, I just can't see it for the immediate future.
There are two locations of Rainforest, one in Downtown Disney (which is where we ate in 1999, so forgive the picture quality):
the old volcano:
Better pics from 2005:
The second location is at Disney's Animal Kingdom (which we first ate at in 2004). For a long time, it was really the only sit-down restaurant at Animal Kingdom, but that has changed over the years. It can be accessed either outside the park:
or inside:
(thought I'd throw in some Am and Matty for good measure)
my first solo of 2006 (with better outside pics):
(because I was seated right next to an elephant and the thunderstorm had him in conniptions, it was NOT a pleasant dining experience)
Since I was with my sister in 2007, we tried the AK location once more:
But I think that my experience in 2006 was just too much of a bad memory and we haven't been back to either location since. 2009 saw us going to T-Rex for the first time and we really haven't looked back. As far as Animal Kingdom goes, now that they have Yak & Yeti, it fills the void there quite nicely, so we don't really need to go to Rainforest there either.
The Downtown location got a pretty extensive exterior rehab last year, and I have a pic of the new volcano:
and a shot of it going off at night (it goes off in sync with the inside thunderstorm):
But lets get to the food, shall we! Remember, I didn't take food pictures before 2005, so that is where they start.
Drinks (in collectible light up cups - these are the ones that I mentioned didn't make it home in one piece):
Appetizers:
Then entrees:
Solo 2006:
(as if the restaurant antics and the rude staff wasn't enough that year, the mound of sour cream on my plate gagged me the entire time)
(and the bacon-wrapped scallops made me sick later on)
2007 was better because I LOVE icees!
but, despite asking for no sour cream - my wallflowerness guaranteed I would get it yet again:
Am's appetizer was practically a meal and that was all she had:
but here's my entree (same as previous year):
The food is a bit generic, but this is another one of those you go to for atmosphere (until it got to be too much and the food wasn't enough of a draw to get us to go). Like I mentioned in my T-Rex review, the food is very similar, just with different names (obviously Rainforest's names are jungle/animal themed versus T-Rex's dinosaur theme).
Just a final pic bunch...the Downtown shop (where we spend a crap load of money because the T-shirts are really cheap if you buy them in multiples):
Despite not eating there in a few years, I still get one of my co-workers a Cha Cha Frog figurine every single trip. It's pretty much become a tradition and a challenge to find something different...she has soap, keychains, pens, figures, plush, almost anyway I can get him! He's the character poking out at you in the picture above.
And that's it for Rainforest...not as glowing as T-Rex, but kids seem to love it (if you have them) and I would still eat there again (once I get the courage up, that is).
Comments
Linda