Positive: Came to this restaurant, mainly because of the atmosphere. My daughter is 3.5 and I knew she would enjoy it, and she did! We asked to be seated next to "something that moved", we were seated next to the elephants, my child was entertained and happy! She also loved the little froggy crown they give to everyone. Not so positive: The kids meal was terrible. Costing about $6, we asked for pasta, which came with side. The picture showed spaghetti, the outcome was another type of pasta, I forget the name (small, Mac and cheese looking pasta) the Marinara sauce was acid. I had requested chicken for protein (additional cost). This is why we have an obese society. All carbs! for the side, we got broccoli, out of the whole meal, my child only hate the broccoli (the chicken had touched the acidy sauce). Adult meals (-) : I ordered the veggie burger. I loved that it had a generous amount of avocado, aside from that, the veggie burger tasted VERY SIMPLE, so seasoning at all. I ate it because I was very hungry, but definitely not worth the $11+. My friend ordered a regular burger, she said hers was ok. Not great, but ok. Adult meals (+): Appetizer was yummy and plentiful for 2 adults. Artichoke dip. Service: I believe her name was Isabel, was good. She had the curtesy of removing cost of children's plate as I explained the acid taste. This would have gone from good to great, had she offered to replace it with something else. Will I return? if in the area, maybe. We traveled about an hour, I would have liked the meal to have tasted better
(3)
Cristina W.
I went here for a "Breakfast with Santa" event.. Ok, i'm sure they were swamped, etc.. No excuse for bad service though. I mean, who serves coffee and doesn't bring spoons? Or, when i requested one, brought over a huge one?! The food was mediocre at best, and the staff was definitely not ready for this event, nor was Santa. We did not partake in the "santa storytime" as we had already waited 90 minutes just to get the event going and we were not about to go into the tiny play area with 400 other guests. Will not be going to another "Breakfast with Santa" event at the Rainforest Cafe. Overall, very touristy and they need to train their staff better.
(1)
Scott B.
Mediocre food served slowly, even with only about a 60% full restaurant. Unimpressive burgers, ok nachos and salads, frozen fries, and low quality kids meals, except for the mini cheeseburgers which were decent. Not worth the trip though. The blaring Mexican music seemed a little off from the 'tropical' theme. We would have done better and enjoyed ourselves more at Chipotle and had a more genuine atmosphere. The men's room smelled terrible from the urine all over the floor. My four-year-old said, "This place stinks!" I agree. This chain's corporate office should be ashamed. I've been to other Rainforest Cafes and was never disappointed like I was here.
(1)
Desiree D.
We were your typical tourists from CT and looking for a place to eat. I had never been to a RC before. We were promptly greeted, and then sat in front of the gorillas (LOL). Our waitress was VERY good, I believe her name was Shana? She heard me say that I had never been there before, and suggested some items on the menu and asked if I needed any help with deciding on what to eat. She was a good seller of their menu, and warned us about a possibility of the appetizer being spicy prior to ordering. She refilled all drinks without being asked, and you can see the "Teamwork" by all of the employees here. When she was not at the table and just dropped the food off, her fellow co worker /server said "I noticed your glass is empty, what were you drinking?" I was very impressed by how well everybody worked together to make sure we were happy as guests (my waitress was literally right behind her with the refill, but still very cool!) The food was good and very large portions. It is sad that here in my state, they closed the RC before I could ever try it. The manager also made a appearance at our table, asking if everything was ok. I really hope they see this review because they deserve to know that we were vacationing and were stuck going out to eat for 8 days in a row. This was by far the best experience of service we got that entire 8 days. Great job.
(4)
Ronnie R.
The food was horrible my pork was cold the waitress took forever to bring anything. I ordered a margarita and after 15 minutes she came back and I asked her to cancel it and she said oh I never put it in the first place sorry. this place has terrible food and it's way too overpriced. the only saving grace are the animatronic animals that are kind of cool and the fish tanks. I cannot stress how bad the food and service were here.
(1)
Idania C.
Kids love the place, food is pricy.
(3)
Marketa H.
Visited on Thursday night, restaurant was empty, ordered some appetizer but waited forever for plates, then asked again and received 2 plates for 4 people, food was ok but very salty, asked for a to go box for leftovers and a bag but apparently they have no bags, this restaurant needs better staff and less salt in their food, otherwise it would be a good place.
(2)
Kelli D.
I was very impressed and got more than we expected. Took my 4 year old son for his birthday. He loved it the fish tanks the animals and the trees. I had to drag my husband here, he kept saying the food would be terrible. He quickly changed his mind when we began to eat. My meal was great and so was his. It was pricey though for 3 of us our check was $100. We would go again.
(4)
Anais V.
Horrible experience! The food was the worst and so over priced and when I complained to our server she said she would tell the chef and came back saying " he apologizes, the food usually tastes better." I was thinking she would have brought a manager out but no just an apology. I will never go there again and do not recommend anyone to spend their money there. Yes the rainforest experience is fun for kids but the food and service were just awful.
(1)
Marqus R.
Part restaurant but mostly a kid's amusement place, so if you have kids with you, it's pretty much of a must for them or for you to buy them a novelty toy, shirt or stuffed animal. As for food, it's totally sub par as well as way overpriced. You're paying to the novelty whimsical entertaining atmosphere of the place. The chicken nuggets typical fast foodie types, and though it's been a while since I've eaten here, the best bet I found were the fish tacos. They are now trying to offer those very much in the vogue type signature wraps, but are clearly missing the mark. Any drink other than beer by the bottle is so-so but enjoyable to sit under the giant mushroom with its misty waterfall. This is not the place to go to eat. It's a place to go for amusement, basically children's amusement. For food two star but because of the novelty of the place I'll rate it more as a child's novelty shop saying it's OK and going three stars on that basis, but only on that basis.
(3)
Jose F.
The food and service was excellent! I would recommend calling and making a reservation, I did so and they had a table waiting for me the minute I got there. Very professional and friendly staff!! Must go place for parents with children.
(5)
Customer T.
Amazing seafood dishes: scallops, coconut shrimp, baked macadamia crusted tilapia, hazelnut crusted salmon, perfect balance of savory and sweet, also refreshing tropical drinks, and great atmosphere with real aquariums placed throughout the restaurant and shop, fun for kids and all ages. The restaurant has a fun gift shop where part of the proceeds are donated to saving the rain forests, you can dine and shop with confidence.
(4)
Amelia M.
In a nutshell: overpriced mediocre food and bad atmosphere Don't think I'll be returning anytime soon. I decided to pay visit here since it's been forever and I had credit from my laundry's select club card. Lesson learned. For a Friday night my sister and I noticed the place was rather empty. I think I only counted 7 other tables. The service was ok, but the food was not as expected and disappointing considering the prices they charge. I had one of their special entrees from the seasonal menu ( can't recall the name of it) that featured 4 coconut ship skewers, a steak, and shrimp scampi. My sister and I though Paula Dean was cooking in the back because the theme of the meal seemed to be butter. There was a dollop of butter on top of the steak and the shrimp scampi sauce had the appearance of the leftover residue of pasta sauce when you re heat it in Tupperware. It was this dark orange clear liquid with me absolutely no flavor. The steak was okay, the coconut shrimp skewers were really good, but the shrimp of the shrimp scampi was very tuff as if over cooked. My sister had the seaside clam chowder which was good, however their menu States it has bacon and I noticed it was pieces of ham in the soup. She also have the natural burger which is pretty much a veggie burger. She mentioned it just tasted like a regular veggie burger you could buy the local grocery store nothing special. The service was okay I think the waiter checked on us twice but it was the other visitors and atmosphere that ruined the meal. There was a family sitting beside us that we're all clanking their silverware together very loudly. Worst part was the father was the instigator of it. Another table was allowing their children too runaround the location barefoot as if it was a jungle gym. And lastly every time a table would order the ice cream volcano dessert the staff yell the word "valcano" from the moment they exited the kitchen area in the back till they got to the table. Considering almost every table ordered one during our visit it became annoying rather quickly. This place used to be packed all the time with a long waiting list and good food, but apparently those days are gone.
(2)
Vane V.
I really enjoyed this restaurant. It reminded me of something you experience at Disney. The wait was okay, 45 minutes for a busy Sunday afternoon. Thankfully there's a bunch of stores around that you can be browsing while you wait. I got the chicken fried chicken, which was amazing!!! It was so tasty and the portion was great. I had enough food to take home for dinner. Now the volcano dessert was a big disappointment. The picture made it look like it had 3 scoops of ice cream, it really had 2 and a ball of whip cream on top that looks like a 3rd scoop. The ice cream didn't taste great either. Now the service, the waiter who attended us was obviously bothered by something that day. He was rushing us to order then took forever to get our drinks, and even refill it. That's the main reason why I'm only giving this restaurant 4 stars instead of five. Everything else was great. I wouldn't change a thing. Also, take a good look at the bar! It's so cool!
(4)
Erika R.
Tried the veggie burger whatever it was. Yucky! super dry no flavor and just yea no! Drink was okay. I can't wait to take my nieces and nephews because it is an amazing set up they have going.
(4)
Jordan T.
I rated this place a 4 due to the food being 3/5 and the entertainment 5/5. The children loved it!
(4)
Tori J.
I have been to the Rain forest Cafe many times as my older child is 23, and she loved it as much as my 10 y old does now. I miss the coconut chicken tenders appetizer very much. They don't have it anymore, and this is about my most recent visit. I wasn't surprised to be told that I would have an hour long wait for a table two weeks ago on Sunday afternoon as the place is in Sawgrass Mills Mall, but it was for my daughter's 10th birthday , and a special treat so we waited. We ended up waiting about 40 min. instead of an hour. This place does seem a little pricey, until you consider that you are paying not just for the food but for the full RFC experience. (also, the birthday girl wanted the souvenir Iggy mug $8 with an icee, and I didn't realize that when the hubs ordered a beer, that came in a souvenir glass as well $9). My 2 warning about this place are as follows~ The service is quite slow. if you don't have time for a leisurely meal, this is not the place for you, keep on walking.Secondly, It is really noisy. This can be troublesome if you are prone to headaches or if you have a baby who may be frightened by the thunder and various animal noises. They can easily freak out a child who is easily rattled by thunder and lightning or a baby who is trying to sleep. Also, we had rented one of the mall shopping carts and had to park it in a designated parking area with over $500 worth of merch in it. We dragged our shopping bags over to our table. What irked me is that by the time we got around to desert, other people were being allowed to bring their carts and strollers with them to their tables which I don't think is fair. The good news is, The food was delicious. Our appetizer of onion rings were hot crispy and yummy. Served with ranch and ketchup (separately)for dipping. My hubs ordered the Pastalaya with rice instead of pasta to be more like a jambalaya and he loved it. My 10 y old enjoyed her chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes, but seemed to really love the french fries in my plate. Maybe she should have ordered those instead. My older daughter had steak fajitas. She enjoyed them. I ordered a chicken and ribs combo that came with cole slaw and french fries. I don't know what the fries tasted like as my daughter gobbled them up, but as any mother would tell you, you'd rather watch your kids enjoy a treat than eat it your self. The ribs were some of the most tender I have ever had. The chicken was not a quarter as the menu stated, but a half, and it was tender and delicious. I also really enjoyed the cole slaw. Some of the best chicken and ribs I have had in a long time. For dessert we had the volcano. The menu says it serves 2 or more. There were 4 of us at the table, and we did not finish this desert. It is a huge ice cream sundae surrounded by fudge brownie triangles so that it looks like a volcano with a lit sparkler in the top. Several of the staff members made more noise than you would think a hand full of people could singing happy birthday to my properly embarrassed little princess. That desert could have cost a little less and been a little smaller, but I guess they know what they are doing over there at the RFC, by the time it was all said and done, The got my $170 for lunch. But like I said, it was a special occasion, so it was worth it this time.
(3)
Lizzie D.
I will always have a special place in my heart for RC! Your first time experience there is close to jaw dropping- it's unlike anything you've ever experienced! There are big staged animals lurking throughout the restaurant and big standing, cylinder shaped aquariums. Every couple of minutes, there is a thunderstorm, where the restaurant gets dark and crackles like a real live thunderstorm! The ceiling is absolutely stunning- it is foggy and star lit, wonderful to gaze up at while eating! Don't order the volcano dessert unless you want the whole restaurant to hear "VOLCANOOOO!" The staff yells this if you order this dessert. It is very decadent and rich in flavor, totally worth the 5 seconds of embarrassment! The drinks and food are good and not outrageously priced. The gift shop is fun and has everything from some stylish tops, t shirts, key chains, mugs, anything and everything else- you name it! This will always be a unique place to eat and up there with my other top 10 favorites!
(4)
Patrick S.
The kids like this place well I guess if you order kids type food it's ok but there's lot on the menu that we ordered that after the fact the manager told us that we shouldn't have ordered ... LOL oh well
(3)
Kendra Z.
I have been wanting to come here for a while. I drove from kendall to do a little shopping and wanted to stop by rainforest cafe to eat after some shopping. The hostess in the front at 9pm we asked what time they close and she answered at 10 pm with attitude. Then she told us that the stroller is not allowed so to leave it at the front . We were ok with that so we asked if we can sit near the stroller to keep an eye on it and she said no with attitude again. She was not helpful and was oviously in a bad mood and didn't want us there. Never coming back to this place again
(1)
Ashley E.
Awesome! Great atmosphere. Good food (burger a little dry) but awesome place for kids. Very kid friendly and just a fun and cute place to eat.
(4)
Daniel H.
My wife and I came here for our Valentine's date. There were two ladies who were at the check-in station who were pretty rude. I was asking one of them a question, and she completely ignored me, but continued to stare at me. Once we finally got seated, we met our waiter who was very nice, and very helpful with the choices we were making. We decided to order an appetizer, I ordered the steak (medium) and shrimp, and my wife ordered a ruben sandwich. It took about 20 minutes for the appetizer to come out. We were both a little disappointed with it because it was a lot smaller than the picture made it seem. After finishing our appetizer, we had to wait another 50 minutes for our main course to come out. We were both very upset. My wife's sandwich was completely cold, and my steak was cold. We did not ask them to send it back since we were really on a time restraint to begin with. A manager stopped by our table and apologized for how long the food took and told us that he would like to give us free desert. We were already running extremely late for the event that we had to go to, so we politely declined. The manager then decided to waive our appetizer because of the inconvenience. This is a first and a last for both of us.
(1)
Denise O.
I'm only giving it 4 stars because the kids loved it and the food wasn't too bad. I'm not sure if I just had low expectations and was pleasantly surprised, but I had a pretty good experience there. The kids absolutely had a blast with the cheesy mechanical animals that started moving and making jungle noises every 15-20 minutes or so. The fishtanks are pretty nice too, they help keep the kids entertained while we waited for the food. I went for lunch, and I was actually expecting it to be more expensive than it was. I had the fish taco lunch and it was only $9.95 which I thought was pretty cheap. I also had a soda that was around $2. My daughter had a kid's meal hotdog, side dish and drink and it was only $5.99 or something like that. I thought it was very inexpensive actually. I would recommend if you have kids! Our server was very friendly and nice. FYI, on larger parties they put an automatic gratuity, I believe it was 15% but I'm not sure. Since our bill was so low, I upped the tip to about 25% because I thought our server was decent.
This is a touristy place, the only reason you should come here is for the ambiance/experience of eating here - most likely if you are with children or someone who isn't from Florida. The food is overpriced, however it's expected for a touristy restaurant. The food is also extremely mediocre, but again expected for a touristy restaurant. Cool things about this place: The decorations themselves make you feel as though you've walked right into the Amazon jungle. Vines all over the walls and ceiling, hidden animals that move and make sound, water falling from certain places in the ceiling. And every few minutes a thunderstorm happens, complete with lighting, thunder and animals waking up and moving. The volcano dessert, complete with small fireworks. It's expensive, about $15, but it's great for kids. Expect to feel swindled by the prices, but know that your kids had a great experience. And of course, you get to do some shopping for yourself while in Sawgrass Mall.
(3)
Brittany A.
I always love walking around this place. Legit rain forest feel. All the cool animals and the food isn't half bad. Everything is pretty expensive but you're pretty much paying for the surrounding.
(3)
Lacey S.
So, the only reason you should go is for the environment. The food is mediocre. Every time I go , the food makes my stomach hurt. It can be just me, but who knows. It's something nice to go once for the atmosphere, but after that, no.
(3)
Daisy P.
Meh. I've experienced better is exactly how I feel about this restaurant located inside Sawgrass Mills... Its almost a tourist trap... The food is sub-par and they're charging you anywhere from $19.99 to $24.99 for it... The half rack of ribs with soggy friends was not my favorite... The decor inside is nice ... Our table was next to the hostess who continually walked and said to incoming guests "And the Bathroom is Over the Rainbow". We couldn't wait to finish eating and leave.
(2)
Leslie C.
The wait was pretty long, but considering it was father's day, I can understand the wait time. Once inside it was really nice! It is a fun experience the rain and thunder noises and the lights changing like it's real lightning, was pretty cool. I liked their music selection it felt like I was eating in the Bahamas or something. Our waiter was nice and efficient considering the restaurant was really busy. He immediately took our drink order and came back with them pretty fast. Food was good and it didn't take very long for our appetizer to arrive at our table. The chicken parmigiana was surprisingly delicious! For dessert of course we ordered the Volcano!!!! It was delicious, if you like: brownie, ice cream gooey good-ness, you will enjoy. Over all the experience was nice. Personally, I feel that for the prices you can probably go else where and have better food. Although the experience is nice. The portions are really big, if you like to share. It is the kind of restaurant I will go to because other people in my party want to go or have never been. Other than that it is just A-Ok! Enjoy! Xoxo, Leslie Marrero :-D
(3)
Adam S.
While shopping at sawgrass my wife and I decided to go here for dinner tonight because we thought our 13 month old would like it due to all the animatronics and atmosphere. Our son did seem to like it however we were not to happy with our service. Our waitress was extremely slow and not very attentive what so ever. The food was ok but a little pricy. Do to our server being so slow we asked for our check before finishing our food figuring by the time she brought it to us we should be almost done. Once she brought it I place my card in it and waited for her to come back for it. After waiting for a little while we saw the mgr and asked him to take it so we could pay which he took it and than told us our waitress will be back with it shortly. The waitress came back and dropped off my card and receipt and didn't ask for my I.D. As it states to do so on back of card. Not sure if I will return.
(2)
Jesse W.
Marvell did a great job recommending gluten free items
(5)
Danny B.
We came here for my nephew's first birthday. I hadn't been here in years so it was cool to come back. They really go for the theme here, as in all the employees have uniforms of tour guides, and they refer to themselves as such. The service and everyone who attended us was nice and very attentive. The place is more geared to children of course. Every 15 minutes or so the animals in the cafe (animatronics of course lol) would start to roar, the elephants would do its thing, the chimps theirs, and so forth. It's pretty cool. They have a gift shop right next to and also a bar, which is really cool because it's under a giant mushroom. Like I said, it's geared for children and tourist. The food is kind of pricey, but I had no complains with the quality of it at all. It's cool to come here for a kid's special occasion, so ya.
(4)
Joe W.
OVERPRICED food aimed at tourists... hands down... Your regular American food, but overcooked, and bland as well.
(2)
Allen E.
Solid fare typical of a Landry's restaurant. Definitely a step up from Chuck E. Cheese if you are looking for a place to take the kids. I had the shrimp platter special. Scampi wasn't great but the bacon-wrapped stuffed shrimp were great. My wife had a tasty pasta. Kids meals were definitely on the lower end quality-wise but the boys didn't notice. Folks at the table next to us had nachos that looked out of this world. We will definitely try those next time. Overall, the atmosphere is cool and not as kitschy as one might expect.
(3)
Nadia B.
Well i have forgotten to write a review to this place. I absolutely loved it! I came here for my sons first broadband let me tell you he enjoyed every minute. About every 20 minutes there is a show cases of the animals displayed start to act up as if they were in the wild he enjoyed that very much. The food i must say a little pricey but its worth it. i was completely satisfied it was delicious. The gift shop on the side is a total must have to go. Or if you're to grown up for that there is also a bar on the other side : )
(4)
Thais A.
This restaurant used to be amazing when I was ten-years old. Today, it's gone down on the list. The food is just blahhh, for lack of a better word. It's more-or-less comparable to something you'd get at TGI Fridays or Chiles. Nothing great. They try to do those "speciality" platters, paired with steak, chicken, and shrimp, which is decent. But loaded with butter. You can barely taste the actual food, the only flavor that comes through is the butter. The restaurant itself is still pretty badass though. You're eating in a rainforest that rains every half-hour. Monkey, elephants, and tropical tress surround you and they try their hardest to make you feel like you're going on a safari adventure. They're great at accommodating large groups too. It's great for kids, they'll have the time of their lives. And foreigners who have never experienced a restaurant like this before will probably love it. But if you've had it once, you've had it enough.
(2)
Nadia L.
Food is bad quality, actually it is quite gross. Atmosphere is the only thing that has this place going. This place has been there for over 10 years, and you can tell. I really don't know why it gets so hella packed. Actually its mostly kids that want to go, so they drag their poor parents. If you want to go, just go to the gift shop, look at the talking tree and fake alligator. That's basically as exciting as it gets...
(2)
Gaby F.
I was lured in by the gorillas and over sized fish tanks. By the time I got over it, it was too late...I had already ordered. lunch was 32 bucks. my girlfriend ordered a subpar turkey wrap and I had a a 'signature' chicken chimichanga which wasn't bad at all...but over priced. The decor was made more as a children's attraction...and by the end of the 3rd 'lightning' storm I had a headache. you win this round rainforest cafe...but I wont be back (voluntarily) anytime soon
(2)
Jordan N.
The Appetizer sample was pretty decent and filling for two people. I was stuffed by the end of the appetizer even though I had ordered a meal for myself. The tilapia was not good. Fried shrimp skewers were tasty. Paella was weird - andouille sausage is a weird sausage to add to the paella and made it very spicy. Something was off, but I can't pinpoint my finger on it. The smoothies probably have way too many calories - more than a Big Mac probably. It was heavy, thick, and creamy. And on top of that, I didn't think it was that great. I was recommended the Key Wester and the "other" one that was like a chocolate Oreo cookie shake (this was slightly better, but it was nowhere the best shake I've ever had still). I don't find the food quality to be very high here. I do second Keat's comparison that it reminds me of the Cheesecake Factory. Why? High prices, fusion of cuisines (nothing to do with the cuisines of the South America, at all), and the flavors didn't really win me over - but I think that's because of the quality of the food or of the cooking. It tastes like the food has been prepared for a lot of people instead of it being prepared to order. It's family friendly and "fun" for kids. Just come here if you have plenty of money and also young family members that love entertainment while dining.
(3)
Jessica D.
Thought the kids would enjoy this while shopping on vacation in Florida and we were right! I have been to the one in Chicago and enjoyed that so I wanted to show the kids! The ambiance is great and the kids were mesmorized! The food is overpriced but you are paying for the experience!! We enjoyed everything we ate! It wasn't fabulous but we felt it was worth it for the overall experience! Oh, the strawberry lemonaide is AWESOME!!
(4)
Nick K.
just like all the reviews on here say, very touristy, great for kids, decent but overpriced food. this place is about more than the food. i have 4 kids and its always fun going to a Rainforest Cafe. I had the fish tacos which were really good however there was a lot of red cabbage on it.
(3)
Debra M.
My family and I had an early dinner at the Rainforest Cafe in Disneyworld. Nicole was our waitress. The food was beyond our expectations, excellent,excellent!!! Nicole was knowledgable she made some drink suggestions that were right on the money! The service was quick. and did i say the food was excellent. Nicole was very pleasant and she chatted with us and was cheerful. All in all a good time was had by all. Thanks Nicole.
(5)
Annie A.
The fact that I was dragged and consumed food from here saddens me.
(1)
Torrey R.
The Rainforest Cafe makes me think of a Disney style jungle. Everything is fake and animated way over the top but cool if you're into that sort of thing. There are huge fish tanks throughout the place and fake thunderstorms where the lights flicker and a little rain falls that can help keep you entertained while you wait for your food. The menu has a great selection of stuff. The quality is spotty though. I've been here a few times because I'm a sucker for over the top stuff and had great food and poor food so it's kind of pot luck. A little pricey though.
(3)
Lizett E.
The only thing good about this place is the kids playground across from it. I have been here several times with my family. The food is not good. The drinks are not good and everything is overpriced. They have added some new animals to the place but what they need to do is upgrade the quality of the food. The hamburgers taste like they were frozen and the other foods like the shrim tempura taste like flour. Never coming back.
(1)
Lauren B.
This place is very fun to take children or people who enjoy the novelty experiences that a place like this affords. Food is good, not amazing, but good. Certainly there is something for everyone. Its a great place to go as a tourist. The gift shop is a great place for kids while you wait for a table.
(4)
David S.
Sit at the bar for a quick No wait seat. Ask Brittany for the calypso salad. Add the chicken but sub for the rotisserie chicken instead of the grilled. Great slow cooked flavor and a nice change from boring grilled chicken!
A chain... but for the price.... you are filled, and the portions are good.... definitely a place to grab something with the kids... they love it.
(4)
Carlos G.
Stay away it's a tourist trap and I'm pretty sure I got food poisoning last time. They get one star for the lightning show.
(1)
Danielle B.
I had the lunch portion coconut shrimp. Although it was delicious I left there still hungry.
(3)
Ritz F.
Went here last night with my 7-year-old. I ordered the BBQ bacon cheeseburger, and he had the kids' mini hot dogs. We both had the kettle chips and lemonade, and he had the chocolate pudding-crushed Oreo-gummy worm kids dessert that is served in a little kettle, which delighted him. Everything was delicious, but within an hour we were both sick with pretty bad digestive problems. I don't know if it was the food, which really tasted very good, or something we picked up in their bathroom, which was disgusting. I'm giving this place two stars only because of the decor and theme, which is a fun novelty for children. Also, the service was very good, and we did not have to wait for our table on a Sunday evening. You can take your chances here with possible food poisoning or whatever we picked up in the bathroom, but as my 7-year-old says, we won't be going back.
(2)
Danielle D.
We went early around almost noon on a Saturday and the place was empty so we decided to sit at the bar. Ordered a couple drinks (large draft beer for $5.75) and ordered the appetizer sampler to split ($14) and that was pretty filling for us since we were only there for a light meal. The prices are a bit steep for what you get. I can't imagine paying the $11 for a Caesar Salad, I could barely justify the $14 we spent on the app sampler - but it was just a light meal. The servers who kept coming to the bar for their drinks would pull the ice out of the machine using the cup that the beverage would be served in (big health code no-no) when there was a ice scoop right next to the machine - guess it's just laziness but I found it gross. There was also a server that would rip the straws and leave the top on I guess to make it "easier for the customer" but on every drink I watched him do this, he would touch the part that would go into the drink - hope he washed his hands. I saw another server lean in to smell a drink and his nose was at most, 1/2" away from the drink. again, gross. First and last time ever going here.
(2)
Keat G.
I had the Awesome Appetizer sampler -- Caribe Chicken Tenders, Crab Dip, Fried Calamari, Chimi-Cha-Cha -- and liked the first three. The Chimi Cha-Cha was like a spring roll gone wrong, so that was the only weak appetizer. I loved the crispy and tender calamari, and the honey mustard dipping sauce for the chicken was yummy. Prices are in line with Cheesecake Factory, but the atmosphere is somewhat more downmarket but welcoming to families. I think kids will definitely love a visit to the Rainforest Cafe -- lots of faux stuff -- elephants and apes, plus waiters dressed as park rangers. There is also faux rain dripping from the ceiling into a river, and simulated thunder and lightning. I will definitely eat there again if I am the Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall.
(4)
Kristine A.
The food was good but the service was not at all. We had to ask our waitress to come to the table over 3 times and one of those times she didn't ever show up. She just wasn't around at all for when we needed her. And I feel like every time we would ask her a question her answers were just not that informative. She would just respond by letting us know the basic menu description...like she couldn't really tell you anything other than what was written on the menu. Example: we asked her about the size of a wrap and her answer was "average size" like I thought it was a joke. And after going through the list of desert options replying "yea we're not good with deserts" lol generally I think this was just funny. It's an exaggeration of a bad waitress.
(2)
Tobias S.
The food takes forever to come out. Once the food does arrive it's mediocre at best. The wait staff is very nice but that doesn't make up fir the time it takes the food to arrive. Been to this location 3 times in last week trying to decide if it's a regular stop for our family. The kids do like it but not enough to override the food / slow service.
(2)
Saly Ale O.
We all love this place, we are coming here since 2005 for my kids birthday, staff always lovely, fast service and awsome food, LOVE IT!!!
(5)
Dainelys M.
Great place for kids, the kids meal has a great variety! They also have a very good kids playground. Although i took a 2 year old thinking she would love the animals and the atmosphere and she was crying every time the monkeys and the lions started making noises because they're extremely loud ! I had to ask to move tables somewhere away from them! TIP: good place for kids OVER 3 years old. She did love the fish tanks very much though. The food was good but not memorable nothing out of the ordinary.. It just wasn't bad. The volcano dessert is my favorite one of the reasons why I go there, it's very big and you probably won't finish it with a party of three people. But it's still very nice and yummy :p OH My server was a mess, she messed up on my order and forgot to ring in the baby's food... But she was so nice that it was forgivable :)
(3)
Sean W.
We bought our two year to the restaurant she loves all the moving animals and sounds. The environment and theme was a lot of fun. The bad thing was the food was slightly over priced and not that good. My wife good the salmon it was over cooked almost burnt. In addition, the diet cokes that we got tasted flat. Definitely for one time experience and young kids.
(3)
Rose B.
Had 2 of exclusive entrees for lunch with my kids included and had a great time. The food was excellent. Could have split the entree it was so big. Would recommend and return.
(5)
Gen M.
Whenever I go to the RainForest Cafe I feel like a big kid in wonderland. Every fifteen minutes the animals wake up from their nap and make some noise, the kids love it, I love it, everyone goes bananas, they do say it's a wild place to eat . Oh and their Rasta Pasta is the best, a must try.
(4)
Cesar L.
Good job by the waitress, very good situational awareness and service. The place simply falls short, this was my second visit. We ordered the chilli queso with ground beef and a dinner with 3 different meats. The food was okay, although the chips for the chilli queso were soaked in grease. The drinks were okay and beer was served cold. I won't return.
(1)
Sheri Loves A.
I'll start off by saying the kids love it, atmosphere is very unique and entertaining. They have thunderstorms and moving animals and gigantic beautiful fish tanks. That being said, the food is horrible and expensive and the service is the worst. Seriously overpriced, example..try paying $14 for just a desert. If the food was good it wouldn't be so bad being price gouged Oh yeah and don't bother to use the bathroom, a porta potty is more sanitary. Oh and 2 of us had stomach issues that lasted hours after the meal.
(1)
Nydia M.
My previous review was from 7 years ago so I think it's time for an update. We've been to Rainforest Cafe several times with our preschooler. During the weekends the wait times are pretty long, but if you don't mind being on the outskirts of the rainforest action there's usually no wait to sit in the bar area. It's better lit and slightly less noisy there too. The portions are big enough for two. My husband and I split the Hickory chicken (sans cheese) on our most recent visit and were surprised at how great it was. I usually order the grilled chicken with a side of fruit for my kid. They have a dozen main dishes to choose from on the kids menu, a few options for sides, and I think juice, milk, or soda is included as well. Service is always friendly, though usually on the slower side.
Taking a 2 year old out to dinner can be a taxing feat. Taking three of them out nearly impossible. RC makes it easy to take out several howling children who are not on their best behavior, and you don't have to be mortified or fear that you will be asked to leave. The first thing, for a Sunday evening, you probably neeed a reservation. When I called to ask what the best place to park was, we were told that they were completely booked, no waiting list, no ability to stand in line. I explained we had a reservation. Wonderful. They said park at Vanity Fair. This worked out for several reasons. The first it is the closest place to park to get directly into the restraurant, also, the restaurant is open later than the mall and there is an exit right next to Vanity Fair so that you can get out of the mall when all the stores are closed. The fish and chips were a sizeable portion and delicious. Everyone else enjoyed their food, especially the kids (mac n cheese all around). The salmon was also quite good with rice and beans. The fishtanks are certainly a wonderfully beautiful focal point of the dining experience. They are enormous, well maintained, and stocked full of beautiful fish. They have a face painter, balloon blower, and a bird trainer for extra entertainment.
(4)
Joey E.
KILL ME PLEASE I HATE COMING HERE. Good, now that that's out of the way... Rainforest Cafe has a super cool ambiance. It's very geared toward kids and and weird adults that really, REALLY love the rainforest and its vast array of wildlife. However, they sell themselves as a restaurant, so I'll review them as a restaurant. The food is TERRIBLE. The chicken nuggets are oddly reminiscent of the Tyson brand chicken nuggets you buy at the store, and the ice cream tastes exactly like the cheap kind you buy in large tubs at Costco. The popcorn shrimp are of the variety that comes in bags in the frozen food section. The burgers are not meaty at all and taste like they've been frozen, thawed, and re-frozen. The Alfredo sauce is absolutely nauseating, and the salad dressing tastes very "nutty" (almost peanut butter-ish). I can't overstate how bad the food is here. I regret coming here every time I take the first bite of my meal, and I am relieved every time I walk out. The service is pretty awful. I have no idea how that's even possible, because I eat dinner early so restaurants aren't usually experiencing the "dinner rush" when I sit down. Yet, my drink stays empty, I have to wait a long time to find my waiter and ask for something, and the last time I couldn't even get my waiter to break a smile. I guess I wouldn't be smiling either if people complained about the food as much as I assume they do here. Why do I make that assumption? Because I don't see how anybody wouldn't complain about the food here. Statistically, people have to be complaining. The food really sucks. Not only is the food horrible, but the prices are high. This place isn't expensive, don't get me wrong, but the price-to-quality ratio is virtually off the charts. My pasta dish was a whopping $16, which was basically only pasta, very small pieces of grilled chicken, and broccoli. I won't even count the piece of bread, because it is BY FAR the worst accompanying bread I've ever had at any restaurant. Ever. The chicken nuggets and shrimp that we got our kids was $7, for about 4 nuggets (again, the Tyson kind), a handful of popcorn shrimp, and fries. Listen, I realize $7 isn't that much, but if you haven't eaten here you really won't know that I'm not exaggerating about the price. I'm not a cheapo either. I eat at expensive restaurants all the time, but I expect to get great food for the expensive price. Here, I expect to get AT LEAST mediocre food for the mediocre price. Nope. The ONLY thing on the entire menu possibly worth consuming is the Volcano dessert. It's a few pieces of chocolate cake surrounding a couple scoops of the aforementioned ice cream, topped with whipped cream. Oh yeah, it's $14. Rainforest Cafe is well aware that this is what you should be eating (even though it costs more than some of their entrees). If you look online at their website and click on the "Menu" tab, pictures of the Volcano are what you will be greeted with (there is a picture of a pizza, but that picture is clearly overlapped by a kid with a Volcano). Why do I come here, you ask? Because I have kids, dammit. And those kids enjoy the robot animals, simulated storms, monkey sounds, aquarium fish, disco drink cups and sparkling desserts. Damn you, Rainforest Cafe, for making my kids love this place and making the adults hate it. It's like watching the kids movies of the early 90s... plenty of kids jokes, nothing for the adults. I hate watching those movies, and I hate eating here.
(1)
Marqus R.
Part restaurant but mostly a kid's amusement place, so if you have kids with you, it's pretty much of a must for them or for you to buy them a novelty toy, shirt or stuffed animal. As for food, it's totally sub par as well as way overpriced. You're paying to the novelty whimsical entertaining atmosphere of the place. The chicken nuggets typical fast foodie types, and though it's been a while since I've eaten here, the best bet I found were the fish tacos. They are now trying to offer those very much in the vogue type signature wraps, but are clearly missing the mark. Any drink other than beer by the bottle is so-so but enjoyable to sit under the giant mushroom with its misty waterfall. This is not the place to go to eat. It's a place to go for amusement, basically children's amusement. For food two star but because of the novelty of the place I'll rate it more as a child's novelty shop saying it's OK and going three stars on that basis, but only on that basis.
(3)
Jose F.
The food and service was excellent! I would recommend calling and making a reservation, I did so and they had a table waiting for me the minute I got there. Very professional and friendly staff!! Must go place for parents with children.
(5)
Customer T.
Amazing seafood dishes: scallops, coconut shrimp, baked macadamia crusted tilapia, hazelnut crusted salmon, perfect balance of savory and sweet, also refreshing tropical drinks, and great atmosphere with real aquariums placed throughout the restaurant and shop, fun for kids and all ages. The restaurant has a fun gift shop where part of the proceeds are donated to saving the rain forests, you can dine and shop with confidence.
(4)
Daisy P.
Meh. I've experienced better is exactly how I feel about this restaurant located inside Sawgrass Mills... Its almost a tourist trap... The food is sub-par and they're charging you anywhere from $19.99 to $24.99 for it... The half rack of ribs with soggy friends was not my favorite... The decor inside is nice ... Our table was next to the hostess who continually walked and said to incoming guests "And the Bathroom is Over the Rainbow". We couldn't wait to finish eating and leave.
Taking a 2 year old out to dinner can be a taxing feat. Taking three of them out nearly impossible. RC makes it easy to take out several howling children who are not on their best behavior, and you don't have to be mortified or fear that you will be asked to leave. The first thing, for a Sunday evening, you probably neeed a reservation. When I called to ask what the best place to park was, we were told that they were completely booked, no waiting list, no ability to stand in line. I explained we had a reservation. Wonderful. They said park at Vanity Fair. This worked out for several reasons. The first it is the closest place to park to get directly into the restraurant, also, the restaurant is open later than the mall and there is an exit right next to Vanity Fair so that you can get out of the mall when all the stores are closed. The fish and chips were a sizeable portion and delicious. Everyone else enjoyed their food, especially the kids (mac n cheese all around). The salmon was also quite good with rice and beans. The fishtanks are certainly a wonderfully beautiful focal point of the dining experience. They are enormous, well maintained, and stocked full of beautiful fish. They have a face painter, balloon blower, and a bird trainer for extra entertainment.
(4)
Kristine A.
The food was good but the service was not at all. We had to ask our waitress to come to the table over 3 times and one of those times she didn't ever show up. She just wasn't around at all for when we needed her. And I feel like every time we would ask her a question her answers were just not that informative. She would just respond by letting us know the basic menu description...like she couldn't really tell you anything other than what was written on the menu. Example: we asked her about the size of a wrap and her answer was "average size" like I thought it was a joke. And after going through the list of desert options replying "yea we're not good with deserts" lol generally I think this was just funny. It's an exaggeration of a bad waitress.
(2)
Tobias S.
The food takes forever to come out. Once the food does arrive it's mediocre at best. The wait staff is very nice but that doesn't make up fir the time it takes the food to arrive. Been to this location 3 times in last week trying to decide if it's a regular stop for our family. The kids do like it but not enough to override the food / slow service.
(2)
Saly Ale O.
We all love this place, we are coming here since 2005 for my kids birthday, staff always lovely, fast service and awsome food, LOVE IT!!!
(5)
Cristina W.
I went here for a "Breakfast with Santa" event.. Ok, i'm sure they were swamped, etc.. No excuse for bad service though. I mean, who serves coffee and doesn't bring spoons? Or, when i requested one, brought over a huge one?! The food was mediocre at best, and the staff was definitely not ready for this event, nor was Santa. We did not partake in the "santa storytime" as we had already waited 90 minutes just to get the event going and we were not about to go into the tiny play area with 400 other guests. Will not be going to another "Breakfast with Santa" event at the Rainforest Cafe. Overall, very touristy and they need to train their staff better.
(1)
Scott B.
Mediocre food served slowly, even with only about a 60% full restaurant. Unimpressive burgers, ok nachos and salads, frozen fries, and low quality kids meals, except for the mini cheeseburgers which were decent. Not worth the trip though. The blaring Mexican music seemed a little off from the 'tropical' theme. We would have done better and enjoyed ourselves more at Chipotle and had a more genuine atmosphere. The men's room smelled terrible from the urine all over the floor. My four-year-old said, "This place stinks!" I agree. This chain's corporate office should be ashamed. I've been to other Rainforest Cafes and was never disappointed like I was here.
(1)
Sheri Loves A.
I'll start off by saying the kids love it, atmosphere is very unique and entertaining. They have thunderstorms and moving animals and gigantic beautiful fish tanks. That being said, the food is horrible and expensive and the service is the worst. Seriously overpriced, example..try paying $14 for just a desert. If the food was good it wouldn't be so bad being price gouged Oh yeah and don't bother to use the bathroom, a porta potty is more sanitary. Oh and 2 of us had stomach issues that lasted hours after the meal.
(1)
Nydia M.
My previous review was from 7 years ago so I think it's time for an update. We've been to Rainforest Cafe several times with our preschooler. During the weekends the wait times are pretty long, but if you don't mind being on the outskirts of the rainforest action there's usually no wait to sit in the bar area. It's better lit and slightly less noisy there too. The portions are big enough for two. My husband and I split the Hickory chicken (sans cheese) on our most recent visit and were surprised at how great it was. I usually order the grilled chicken with a side of fruit for my kid. They have a dozen main dishes to choose from on the kids menu, a few options for sides, and I think juice, milk, or soda is included as well. Service is always friendly, though usually on the slower side.
(4)
Ratchel D.
Positive: Came to this restaurant, mainly because of the atmosphere. My daughter is 3.5 and I knew she would enjoy it, and she did! We asked to be seated next to "something that moved", we were seated next to the elephants, my child was entertained and happy! She also loved the little froggy crown they give to everyone. Not so positive: The kids meal was terrible. Costing about $6, we asked for pasta, which came with side. The picture showed spaghetti, the outcome was another type of pasta, I forget the name (small, Mac and cheese looking pasta) the Marinara sauce was acid. I had requested chicken for protein (additional cost). This is why we have an obese society. All carbs! for the side, we got broccoli, out of the whole meal, my child only hate the broccoli (the chicken had touched the acidy sauce). Adult meals (-) : I ordered the veggie burger. I loved that it had a generous amount of avocado, aside from that, the veggie burger tasted VERY SIMPLE, so seasoning at all. I ate it because I was very hungry, but definitely not worth the $11+. My friend ordered a regular burger, she said hers was ok. Not great, but ok. Adult meals (+): Appetizer was yummy and plentiful for 2 adults. Artichoke dip. Service: I believe her name was Isabel, was good. She had the curtesy of removing cost of children's plate as I explained the acid taste. This would have gone from good to great, had she offered to replace it with something else. Will I return? if in the area, maybe. We traveled about an hour, I would have liked the meal to have tasted better
(3)
Dainelys M.
Great place for kids, the kids meal has a great variety! They also have a very good kids playground. Although i took a 2 year old thinking she would love the animals and the atmosphere and she was crying every time the monkeys and the lions started making noises because they're extremely loud ! I had to ask to move tables somewhere away from them! TIP: good place for kids OVER 3 years old. She did love the fish tanks very much though. The food was good but not memorable nothing out of the ordinary.. It just wasn't bad. The volcano dessert is my favorite one of the reasons why I go there, it's very big and you probably won't finish it with a party of three people. But it's still very nice and yummy :p OH My server was a mess, she messed up on my order and forgot to ring in the baby's food... But she was so nice that it was forgivable :)
(3)
Sean W.
We bought our two year to the restaurant she loves all the moving animals and sounds. The environment and theme was a lot of fun. The bad thing was the food was slightly over priced and not that good. My wife good the salmon it was over cooked almost burnt. In addition, the diet cokes that we got tasted flat. Definitely for one time experience and young kids.
(3)
Rose B.
Had 2 of exclusive entrees for lunch with my kids included and had a great time. The food was excellent. Could have split the entree it was so big. Would recommend and return.
(5)
Gen M.
Whenever I go to the RainForest Cafe I feel like a big kid in wonderland. Every fifteen minutes the animals wake up from their nap and make some noise, the kids love it, I love it, everyone goes bananas, they do say it's a wild place to eat . Oh and their Rasta Pasta is the best, a must try.
(4)
Cesar L.
Good job by the waitress, very good situational awareness and service. The place simply falls short, this was my second visit. We ordered the chilli queso with ground beef and a dinner with 3 different meats. The food was okay, although the chips for the chilli queso were soaked in grease. The drinks were okay and beer was served cold. I won't return.
(1)
Desiree D.
We were your typical tourists from CT and looking for a place to eat. I had never been to a RC before. We were promptly greeted, and then sat in front of the gorillas (LOL). Our waitress was VERY good, I believe her name was Shana? She heard me say that I had never been there before, and suggested some items on the menu and asked if I needed any help with deciding on what to eat. She was a good seller of their menu, and warned us about a possibility of the appetizer being spicy prior to ordering. She refilled all drinks without being asked, and you can see the "Teamwork" by all of the employees here. When she was not at the table and just dropped the food off, her fellow co worker /server said "I noticed your glass is empty, what were you drinking?" I was very impressed by how well everybody worked together to make sure we were happy as guests (my waitress was literally right behind her with the refill, but still very cool!) The food was good and very large portions. It is sad that here in my state, they closed the RC before I could ever try it. The manager also made a appearance at our table, asking if everything was ok. I really hope they see this review because they deserve to know that we were vacationing and were stuck going out to eat for 8 days in a row. This was by far the best experience of service we got that entire 8 days. Great job.
(4)
Ronnie R.
The food was horrible my pork was cold the waitress took forever to bring anything. I ordered a margarita and after 15 minutes she came back and I asked her to cancel it and she said oh I never put it in the first place sorry. this place has terrible food and it's way too overpriced. the only saving grace are the animatronic animals that are kind of cool and the fish tanks. I cannot stress how bad the food and service were here.
(1)
Marketa H.
Visited on Thursday night, restaurant was empty, ordered some appetizer but waited forever for plates, then asked again and received 2 plates for 4 people, food was ok but very salty, asked for a to go box for leftovers and a bag but apparently they have no bags, this restaurant needs better staff and less salt in their food, otherwise it would be a good place.
(2)
Kelli D.
I was very impressed and got more than we expected. Took my 4 year old son for his birthday. He loved it the fish tanks the animals and the trees. I had to drag my husband here, he kept saying the food would be terrible. He quickly changed his mind when we began to eat. My meal was great and so was his. It was pricey though for 3 of us our check was $100. We would go again.
(4)
Anais V.
Horrible experience! The food was the worst and so over priced and when I complained to our server she said she would tell the chef and came back saying " he apologizes, the food usually tastes better." I was thinking she would have brought a manager out but no just an apology. I will never go there again and do not recommend anyone to spend their money there. Yes the rainforest experience is fun for kids but the food and service were just awful.
(1)
Amelia M.
In a nutshell: overpriced mediocre food and bad atmosphere Don't think I'll be returning anytime soon. I decided to pay visit here since it's been forever and I had credit from my laundry's select club card. Lesson learned. For a Friday night my sister and I noticed the place was rather empty. I think I only counted 7 other tables. The service was ok, but the food was not as expected and disappointing considering the prices they charge. I had one of their special entrees from the seasonal menu ( can't recall the name of it) that featured 4 coconut ship skewers, a steak, and shrimp scampi. My sister and I though Paula Dean was cooking in the back because the theme of the meal seemed to be butter. There was a dollop of butter on top of the steak and the shrimp scampi sauce had the appearance of the leftover residue of pasta sauce when you re heat it in Tupperware. It was this dark orange clear liquid with me absolutely no flavor. The steak was okay, the coconut shrimp skewers were really good, but the shrimp of the shrimp scampi was very tuff as if over cooked. My sister had the seaside clam chowder which was good, however their menu States it has bacon and I noticed it was pieces of ham in the soup. She also have the natural burger which is pretty much a veggie burger. She mentioned it just tasted like a regular veggie burger you could buy the local grocery store nothing special. The service was okay I think the waiter checked on us twice but it was the other visitors and atmosphere that ruined the meal. There was a family sitting beside us that we're all clanking their silverware together very loudly. Worst part was the father was the instigator of it. Another table was allowing their children too runaround the location barefoot as if it was a jungle gym. And lastly every time a table would order the ice cream volcano dessert the staff yell the word "valcano" from the moment they exited the kitchen area in the back till they got to the table. Considering almost every table ordered one during our visit it became annoying rather quickly. This place used to be packed all the time with a long waiting list and good food, but apparently those days are gone.
(2)
Vane V.
I really enjoyed this restaurant. It reminded me of something you experience at Disney. The wait was okay, 45 minutes for a busy Sunday afternoon. Thankfully there's a bunch of stores around that you can be browsing while you wait. I got the chicken fried chicken, which was amazing!!! It was so tasty and the portion was great. I had enough food to take home for dinner. Now the volcano dessert was a big disappointment. The picture made it look like it had 3 scoops of ice cream, it really had 2 and a ball of whip cream on top that looks like a 3rd scoop. The ice cream didn't taste great either. Now the service, the waiter who attended us was obviously bothered by something that day. He was rushing us to order then took forever to get our drinks, and even refill it. That's the main reason why I'm only giving this restaurant 4 stars instead of five. Everything else was great. I wouldn't change a thing. Also, take a good look at the bar! It's so cool!
(4)
Erika R.
Tried the veggie burger whatever it was. Yucky! super dry no flavor and just yea no! Drink was okay. I can't wait to take my nieces and nephews because it is an amazing set up they have going.
(4)
Jordan T.
I rated this place a 4 due to the food being 3/5 and the entertainment 5/5. The children loved it!
(4)
Lizzie D.
I will always have a special place in my heart for RC! Your first time experience there is close to jaw dropping- it's unlike anything you've ever experienced! There are big staged animals lurking throughout the restaurant and big standing, cylinder shaped aquariums. Every couple of minutes, there is a thunderstorm, where the restaurant gets dark and crackles like a real live thunderstorm! The ceiling is absolutely stunning- it is foggy and star lit, wonderful to gaze up at while eating! Don't order the volcano dessert unless you want the whole restaurant to hear "VOLCANOOOO!" The staff yells this if you order this dessert. It is very decadent and rich in flavor, totally worth the 5 seconds of embarrassment! The drinks and food are good and not outrageously priced. The gift shop is fun and has everything from some stylish tops, t shirts, key chains, mugs, anything and everything else- you name it! This will always be a unique place to eat and up there with my other top 10 favorites!
(4)
Patrick S.
The kids like this place well I guess if you order kids type food it's ok but there's lot on the menu that we ordered that after the fact the manager told us that we shouldn't have ordered ... LOL oh well
(3)
Kendra Z.
I have been wanting to come here for a while. I drove from kendall to do a little shopping and wanted to stop by rainforest cafe to eat after some shopping. The hostess in the front at 9pm we asked what time they close and she answered at 10 pm with attitude. Then she told us that the stroller is not allowed so to leave it at the front . We were ok with that so we asked if we can sit near the stroller to keep an eye on it and she said no with attitude again. She was not helpful and was oviously in a bad mood and didn't want us there. Never coming back to this place again
(1)
Ashley E.
Awesome! Great atmosphere. Good food (burger a little dry) but awesome place for kids. Very kid friendly and just a fun and cute place to eat.
(4)
Daniel H.
My wife and I came here for our Valentine's date. There were two ladies who were at the check-in station who were pretty rude. I was asking one of them a question, and she completely ignored me, but continued to stare at me. Once we finally got seated, we met our waiter who was very nice, and very helpful with the choices we were making. We decided to order an appetizer, I ordered the steak (medium) and shrimp, and my wife ordered a ruben sandwich. It took about 20 minutes for the appetizer to come out. We were both a little disappointed with it because it was a lot smaller than the picture made it seem. After finishing our appetizer, we had to wait another 50 minutes for our main course to come out. We were both very upset. My wife's sandwich was completely cold, and my steak was cold. We did not ask them to send it back since we were really on a time restraint to begin with. A manager stopped by our table and apologized for how long the food took and told us that he would like to give us free desert. We were already running extremely late for the event that we had to go to, so we politely declined. The manager then decided to waive our appetizer because of the inconvenience. This is a first and a last for both of us.
(1)
Joey E.
KILL ME PLEASE I HATE COMING HERE. Good, now that that's out of the way... Rainforest Cafe has a super cool ambiance. It's very geared toward kids and and weird adults that really, REALLY love the rainforest and its vast array of wildlife. However, they sell themselves as a restaurant, so I'll review them as a restaurant. The food is TERRIBLE. The chicken nuggets are oddly reminiscent of the Tyson brand chicken nuggets you buy at the store, and the ice cream tastes exactly like the cheap kind you buy in large tubs at Costco. The popcorn shrimp are of the variety that comes in bags in the frozen food section. The burgers are not meaty at all and taste like they've been frozen, thawed, and re-frozen. The Alfredo sauce is absolutely nauseating, and the salad dressing tastes very "nutty" (almost peanut butter-ish). I can't overstate how bad the food is here. I regret coming here every time I take the first bite of my meal, and I am relieved every time I walk out. The service is pretty awful. I have no idea how that's even possible, because I eat dinner early so restaurants aren't usually experiencing the "dinner rush" when I sit down. Yet, my drink stays empty, I have to wait a long time to find my waiter and ask for something, and the last time I couldn't even get my waiter to break a smile. I guess I wouldn't be smiling either if people complained about the food as much as I assume they do here. Why do I make that assumption? Because I don't see how anybody wouldn't complain about the food here. Statistically, people have to be complaining. The food really sucks. Not only is the food horrible, but the prices are high. This place isn't expensive, don't get me wrong, but the price-to-quality ratio is virtually off the charts. My pasta dish was a whopping $16, which was basically only pasta, very small pieces of grilled chicken, and broccoli. I won't even count the piece of bread, because it is BY FAR the worst accompanying bread I've ever had at any restaurant. Ever. The chicken nuggets and shrimp that we got our kids was $7, for about 4 nuggets (again, the Tyson kind), a handful of popcorn shrimp, and fries. Listen, I realize $7 isn't that much, but if you haven't eaten here you really won't know that I'm not exaggerating about the price. I'm not a cheapo either. I eat at expensive restaurants all the time, but I expect to get great food for the expensive price. Here, I expect to get AT LEAST mediocre food for the mediocre price. Nope. The ONLY thing on the entire menu possibly worth consuming is the Volcano dessert. It's a few pieces of chocolate cake surrounding a couple scoops of the aforementioned ice cream, topped with whipped cream. Oh yeah, it's $14. Rainforest Cafe is well aware that this is what you should be eating (even though it costs more than some of their entrees). If you look online at their website and click on the "Menu" tab, pictures of the Volcano are what you will be greeted with (there is a picture of a pizza, but that picture is clearly overlapped by a kid with a Volcano). Why do I come here, you ask? Because I have kids, dammit. And those kids enjoy the robot animals, simulated storms, monkey sounds, aquarium fish, disco drink cups and sparkling desserts. Damn you, Rainforest Cafe, for making my kids love this place and making the adults hate it. It's like watching the kids movies of the early 90s... plenty of kids jokes, nothing for the adults. I hate watching those movies, and I hate eating here.
(1)
Denise O.
I'm only giving it 4 stars because the kids loved it and the food wasn't too bad. I'm not sure if I just had low expectations and was pleasantly surprised, but I had a pretty good experience there. The kids absolutely had a blast with the cheesy mechanical animals that started moving and making jungle noises every 15-20 minutes or so. The fishtanks are pretty nice too, they help keep the kids entertained while we waited for the food. I went for lunch, and I was actually expecting it to be more expensive than it was. I had the fish taco lunch and it was only $9.95 which I thought was pretty cheap. I also had a soda that was around $2. My daughter had a kid's meal hotdog, side dish and drink and it was only $5.99 or something like that. I thought it was very inexpensive actually. I would recommend if you have kids! Our server was very friendly and nice. FYI, on larger parties they put an automatic gratuity, I believe it was 15% but I'm not sure. Since our bill was so low, I upped the tip to about 25% because I thought our server was decent.
(4)
Tori J.
I have been to the Rain forest Cafe many times as my older child is 23, and she loved it as much as my 10 y old does now. I miss the coconut chicken tenders appetizer very much. They don't have it anymore, and this is about my most recent visit. I wasn't surprised to be told that I would have an hour long wait for a table two weeks ago on Sunday afternoon as the place is in Sawgrass Mills Mall, but it was for my daughter's 10th birthday , and a special treat so we waited. We ended up waiting about 40 min. instead of an hour. This place does seem a little pricey, until you consider that you are paying not just for the food but for the full RFC experience. (also, the birthday girl wanted the souvenir Iggy mug $8 with an icee, and I didn't realize that when the hubs ordered a beer, that came in a souvenir glass as well $9). My 2 warning about this place are as follows~ The service is quite slow. if you don't have time for a leisurely meal, this is not the place for you, keep on walking.Secondly, It is really noisy. This can be troublesome if you are prone to headaches or if you have a baby who may be frightened by the thunder and various animal noises. They can easily freak out a child who is easily rattled by thunder and lightning or a baby who is trying to sleep. Also, we had rented one of the mall shopping carts and had to park it in a designated parking area with over $500 worth of merch in it. We dragged our shopping bags over to our table. What irked me is that by the time we got around to desert, other people were being allowed to bring their carts and strollers with them to their tables which I don't think is fair. The good news is, The food was delicious. Our appetizer of onion rings were hot crispy and yummy. Served with ranch and ketchup (separately)for dipping. My hubs ordered the Pastalaya with rice instead of pasta to be more like a jambalaya and he loved it. My 10 y old enjoyed her chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes, but seemed to really love the french fries in my plate. Maybe she should have ordered those instead. My older daughter had steak fajitas. She enjoyed them. I ordered a chicken and ribs combo that came with cole slaw and french fries. I don't know what the fries tasted like as my daughter gobbled them up, but as any mother would tell you, you'd rather watch your kids enjoy a treat than eat it your self. The ribs were some of the most tender I have ever had. The chicken was not a quarter as the menu stated, but a half, and it was tender and delicious. I also really enjoyed the cole slaw. Some of the best chicken and ribs I have had in a long time. For dessert we had the volcano. The menu says it serves 2 or more. There were 4 of us at the table, and we did not finish this desert. It is a huge ice cream sundae surrounded by fudge brownie triangles so that it looks like a volcano with a lit sparkler in the top. Several of the staff members made more noise than you would think a hand full of people could singing happy birthday to my properly embarrassed little princess. That desert could have cost a little less and been a little smaller, but I guess they know what they are doing over there at the RFC, by the time it was all said and done, The got my $170 for lunch. But like I said, it was a special occasion, so it was worth it this time.
This is a touristy place, the only reason you should come here is for the ambiance/experience of eating here - most likely if you are with children or someone who isn't from Florida. The food is overpriced, however it's expected for a touristy restaurant. The food is also extremely mediocre, but again expected for a touristy restaurant. Cool things about this place: The decorations themselves make you feel as though you've walked right into the Amazon jungle. Vines all over the walls and ceiling, hidden animals that move and make sound, water falling from certain places in the ceiling. And every few minutes a thunderstorm happens, complete with lighting, thunder and animals waking up and moving. The volcano dessert, complete with small fireworks. It's expensive, about $15, but it's great for kids. Expect to feel swindled by the prices, but know that your kids had a great experience. And of course, you get to do some shopping for yourself while in Sawgrass Mall.
(3)
Brittany A.
I always love walking around this place. Legit rain forest feel. All the cool animals and the food isn't half bad. Everything is pretty expensive but you're pretty much paying for the surrounding.
(3)
Lacey S.
So, the only reason you should go is for the environment. The food is mediocre. Every time I go , the food makes my stomach hurt. It can be just me, but who knows. It's something nice to go once for the atmosphere, but after that, no.
(3)
Danny B.
We came here for my nephew's first birthday. I hadn't been here in years so it was cool to come back. They really go for the theme here, as in all the employees have uniforms of tour guides, and they refer to themselves as such. The service and everyone who attended us was nice and very attentive. The place is more geared to children of course. Every 15 minutes or so the animals in the cafe (animatronics of course lol) would start to roar, the elephants would do its thing, the chimps theirs, and so forth. It's pretty cool. They have a gift shop right next to and also a bar, which is really cool because it's under a giant mushroom. Like I said, it's geared for children and tourist. The food is kind of pricey, but I had no complains with the quality of it at all. It's cool to come here for a kid's special occasion, so ya.
(4)
Joe W.
OVERPRICED food aimed at tourists... hands down... Your regular American food, but overcooked, and bland as well.
(2)
Jessica D.
Thought the kids would enjoy this while shopping on vacation in Florida and we were right! I have been to the one in Chicago and enjoyed that so I wanted to show the kids! The ambiance is great and the kids were mesmorized! The food is overpriced but you are paying for the experience!! We enjoyed everything we ate! It wasn't fabulous but we felt it was worth it for the overall experience! Oh, the strawberry lemonaide is AWESOME!!
(4)
Leslie C.
The wait was pretty long, but considering it was father's day, I can understand the wait time. Once inside it was really nice! It is a fun experience the rain and thunder noises and the lights changing like it's real lightning, was pretty cool. I liked their music selection it felt like I was eating in the Bahamas or something. Our waiter was nice and efficient considering the restaurant was really busy. He immediately took our drink order and came back with them pretty fast. Food was good and it didn't take very long for our appetizer to arrive at our table. The chicken parmigiana was surprisingly delicious! For dessert of course we ordered the Volcano!!!! It was delicious, if you like: brownie, ice cream gooey good-ness, you will enjoy. Over all the experience was nice. Personally, I feel that for the prices you can probably go else where and have better food. Although the experience is nice. The portions are really big, if you like to share. It is the kind of restaurant I will go to because other people in my party want to go or have never been. Other than that it is just A-Ok! Enjoy! Xoxo, Leslie Marrero :-D
(3)
Adam S.
While shopping at sawgrass my wife and I decided to go here for dinner tonight because we thought our 13 month old would like it due to all the animatronics and atmosphere. Our son did seem to like it however we were not to happy with our service. Our waitress was extremely slow and not very attentive what so ever. The food was ok but a little pricy. Do to our server being so slow we asked for our check before finishing our food figuring by the time she brought it to us we should be almost done. Once she brought it I place my card in it and waited for her to come back for it. After waiting for a little while we saw the mgr and asked him to take it so we could pay which he took it and than told us our waitress will be back with it shortly. The waitress came back and dropped off my card and receipt and didn't ask for my I.D. As it states to do so on back of card. Not sure if I will return.
(2)
Jesse W.
Marvell did a great job recommending gluten free items
(5)
Allen E.
Solid fare typical of a Landry's restaurant. Definitely a step up from Chuck E. Cheese if you are looking for a place to take the kids. I had the shrimp platter special. Scampi wasn't great but the bacon-wrapped stuffed shrimp were great. My wife had a tasty pasta. Kids meals were definitely on the lower end quality-wise but the boys didn't notice. Folks at the table next to us had nachos that looked out of this world. We will definitely try those next time. Overall, the atmosphere is cool and not as kitschy as one might expect.
(3)
Nadia B.
Well i have forgotten to write a review to this place. I absolutely loved it! I came here for my sons first broadband let me tell you he enjoyed every minute. About every 20 minutes there is a show cases of the animals displayed start to act up as if they were in the wild he enjoyed that very much. The food i must say a little pricey but its worth it. i was completely satisfied it was delicious. The gift shop on the side is a total must have to go. Or if you're to grown up for that there is also a bar on the other side : )
(4)
Thais A.
This restaurant used to be amazing when I was ten-years old. Today, it's gone down on the list. The food is just blahhh, for lack of a better word. It's more-or-less comparable to something you'd get at TGI Fridays or Chiles. Nothing great. They try to do those "speciality" platters, paired with steak, chicken, and shrimp, which is decent. But loaded with butter. You can barely taste the actual food, the only flavor that comes through is the butter. The restaurant itself is still pretty badass though. You're eating in a rainforest that rains every half-hour. Monkey, elephants, and tropical tress surround you and they try their hardest to make you feel like you're going on a safari adventure. They're great at accommodating large groups too. It's great for kids, they'll have the time of their lives. And foreigners who have never experienced a restaurant like this before will probably love it. But if you've had it once, you've had it enough.
(2)
Nadia L.
Food is bad quality, actually it is quite gross. Atmosphere is the only thing that has this place going. This place has been there for over 10 years, and you can tell. I really don't know why it gets so hella packed. Actually its mostly kids that want to go, so they drag their poor parents. If you want to go, just go to the gift shop, look at the talking tree and fake alligator. That's basically as exciting as it gets...
(2)
Idania C.
Kids love the place, food is pricy.
(3)
Gaby F.
I was lured in by the gorillas and over sized fish tanks. By the time I got over it, it was too late...I had already ordered. lunch was 32 bucks. my girlfriend ordered a subpar turkey wrap and I had a a 'signature' chicken chimichanga which wasn't bad at all...but over priced. The decor was made more as a children's attraction...and by the end of the 3rd 'lightning' storm I had a headache. you win this round rainforest cafe...but I wont be back (voluntarily) anytime soon
(2)
Annie A.
The fact that I was dragged and consumed food from here saddens me.
(1)
Nick K.
just like all the reviews on here say, very touristy, great for kids, decent but overpriced food. this place is about more than the food. i have 4 kids and its always fun going to a Rainforest Cafe. I had the fish tacos which were really good however there was a lot of red cabbage on it.
(3)
Debra M.
My family and I had an early dinner at the Rainforest Cafe in Disneyworld. Nicole was our waitress. The food was beyond our expectations, excellent,excellent!!! Nicole was knowledgable she made some drink suggestions that were right on the money! The service was quick. and did i say the food was excellent. Nicole was very pleasant and she chatted with us and was cheerful. All in all a good time was had by all. Thanks Nicole.
(5)
Torrey R.
The Rainforest Cafe makes me think of a Disney style jungle. Everything is fake and animated way over the top but cool if you're into that sort of thing. There are huge fish tanks throughout the place and fake thunderstorms where the lights flicker and a little rain falls that can help keep you entertained while you wait for your food. The menu has a great selection of stuff. The quality is spotty though. I've been here a few times because I'm a sucker for over the top stuff and had great food and poor food so it's kind of pot luck. A little pricey though.
(3)
Lizett E.
The only thing good about this place is the kids playground across from it. I have been here several times with my family. The food is not good. The drinks are not good and everything is overpriced. They have added some new animals to the place but what they need to do is upgrade the quality of the food. The hamburgers taste like they were frozen and the other foods like the shrim tempura taste like flour. Never coming back.
(1)
Lauren B.
This place is very fun to take children or people who enjoy the novelty experiences that a place like this affords. Food is good, not amazing, but good. Certainly there is something for everyone. Its a great place to go as a tourist. The gift shop is a great place for kids while you wait for a table.
(4)
David S.
Sit at the bar for a quick No wait seat. Ask Brittany for the calypso salad. Add the chicken but sub for the rotisserie chicken instead of the grilled. Great slow cooked flavor and a nice change from boring grilled chicken!
The Appetizer sample was pretty decent and filling for two people. I was stuffed by the end of the appetizer even though I had ordered a meal for myself. The tilapia was not good. Fried shrimp skewers were tasty. Paella was weird - andouille sausage is a weird sausage to add to the paella and made it very spicy. Something was off, but I can't pinpoint my finger on it. The smoothies probably have way too many calories - more than a Big Mac probably. It was heavy, thick, and creamy. And on top of that, I didn't think it was that great. I was recommended the Key Wester and the "other" one that was like a chocolate Oreo cookie shake (this was slightly better, but it was nowhere the best shake I've ever had still). I don't find the food quality to be very high here. I do second Keat's comparison that it reminds me of the Cheesecake Factory. Why? High prices, fusion of cuisines (nothing to do with the cuisines of the South America, at all), and the flavors didn't really win me over - but I think that's because of the quality of the food or of the cooking. It tastes like the food has been prepared for a lot of people instead of it being prepared to order. It's family friendly and "fun" for kids. Just come here if you have plenty of money and also young family members that love entertainment while dining.
(3)
GM D.
A chain... but for the price.... you are filled, and the portions are good.... definitely a place to grab something with the kids... they love it.
(4)
Carlos G.
Stay away it's a tourist trap and I'm pretty sure I got food poisoning last time. They get one star for the lightning show.
(1)
Danielle B.
I had the lunch portion coconut shrimp. Although it was delicious I left there still hungry.
(3)
Ritz F.
Went here last night with my 7-year-old. I ordered the BBQ bacon cheeseburger, and he had the kids' mini hot dogs. We both had the kettle chips and lemonade, and he had the chocolate pudding-crushed Oreo-gummy worm kids dessert that is served in a little kettle, which delighted him. Everything was delicious, but within an hour we were both sick with pretty bad digestive problems. I don't know if it was the food, which really tasted very good, or something we picked up in their bathroom, which was disgusting. I'm giving this place two stars only because of the decor and theme, which is a fun novelty for children. Also, the service was very good, and we did not have to wait for our table on a Sunday evening. You can take your chances here with possible food poisoning or whatever we picked up in the bathroom, but as my 7-year-old says, we won't be going back.
(2)
Danielle D.
We went early around almost noon on a Saturday and the place was empty so we decided to sit at the bar. Ordered a couple drinks (large draft beer for $5.75) and ordered the appetizer sampler to split ($14) and that was pretty filling for us since we were only there for a light meal. The prices are a bit steep for what you get. I can't imagine paying the $11 for a Caesar Salad, I could barely justify the $14 we spent on the app sampler - but it was just a light meal. The servers who kept coming to the bar for their drinks would pull the ice out of the machine using the cup that the beverage would be served in (big health code no-no) when there was a ice scoop right next to the machine - guess it's just laziness but I found it gross. There was also a server that would rip the straws and leave the top on I guess to make it "easier for the customer" but on every drink I watched him do this, he would touch the part that would go into the drink - hope he washed his hands. I saw another server lean in to smell a drink and his nose was at most, 1/2" away from the drink. again, gross. First and last time ever going here.
(2)
Keat G.
I had the Awesome Appetizer sampler -- Caribe Chicken Tenders, Crab Dip, Fried Calamari, Chimi-Cha-Cha -- and liked the first three. The Chimi Cha-Cha was like a spring roll gone wrong, so that was the only weak appetizer. I loved the crispy and tender calamari, and the honey mustard dipping sauce for the chicken was yummy. Prices are in line with Cheesecake Factory, but the atmosphere is somewhat more downmarket but welcoming to families. I think kids will definitely love a visit to the Rainforest Cafe -- lots of faux stuff -- elephants and apes, plus waiters dressed as park rangers. There is also faux rain dripping from the ceiling into a river, and simulated thunder and lightning. I will definitely eat there again if I am the Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall.
(4)
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Address :12801 W Sunrise Blvd,Ste 315
Sunrise, FL, 33323
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Touristy Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Ratchel D.
Positive: Came to this restaurant, mainly because of the atmosphere. My daughter is 3.5 and I knew she would enjoy it, and she did! We asked to be seated next to "something that moved", we were seated next to the elephants, my child was entertained and happy! She also loved the little froggy crown they give to everyone. Not so positive: The kids meal was terrible. Costing about $6, we asked for pasta, which came with side. The picture showed spaghetti, the outcome was another type of pasta, I forget the name (small, Mac and cheese looking pasta) the Marinara sauce was acid. I had requested chicken for protein (additional cost). This is why we have an obese society. All carbs! for the side, we got broccoli, out of the whole meal, my child only hate the broccoli (the chicken had touched the acidy sauce). Adult meals (-) : I ordered the veggie burger. I loved that it had a generous amount of avocado, aside from that, the veggie burger tasted VERY SIMPLE, so seasoning at all. I ate it because I was very hungry, but definitely not worth the $11+. My friend ordered a regular burger, she said hers was ok. Not great, but ok. Adult meals (+): Appetizer was yummy and plentiful for 2 adults. Artichoke dip. Service: I believe her name was Isabel, was good. She had the curtesy of removing cost of children's plate as I explained the acid taste. This would have gone from good to great, had she offered to replace it with something else. Will I return? if in the area, maybe. We traveled about an hour, I would have liked the meal to have tasted better
(3)Cristina W.
I went here for a "Breakfast with Santa" event.. Ok, i'm sure they were swamped, etc.. No excuse for bad service though. I mean, who serves coffee and doesn't bring spoons? Or, when i requested one, brought over a huge one?! The food was mediocre at best, and the staff was definitely not ready for this event, nor was Santa. We did not partake in the "santa storytime" as we had already waited 90 minutes just to get the event going and we were not about to go into the tiny play area with 400 other guests. Will not be going to another "Breakfast with Santa" event at the Rainforest Cafe. Overall, very touristy and they need to train their staff better.
(1)Scott B.
Mediocre food served slowly, even with only about a 60% full restaurant. Unimpressive burgers, ok nachos and salads, frozen fries, and low quality kids meals, except for the mini cheeseburgers which were decent. Not worth the trip though. The blaring Mexican music seemed a little off from the 'tropical' theme. We would have done better and enjoyed ourselves more at Chipotle and had a more genuine atmosphere. The men's room smelled terrible from the urine all over the floor. My four-year-old said, "This place stinks!" I agree. This chain's corporate office should be ashamed. I've been to other Rainforest Cafes and was never disappointed like I was here.
(1)Desiree D.
We were your typical tourists from CT and looking for a place to eat. I had never been to a RC before. We were promptly greeted, and then sat in front of the gorillas (LOL). Our waitress was VERY good, I believe her name was Shana? She heard me say that I had never been there before, and suggested some items on the menu and asked if I needed any help with deciding on what to eat. She was a good seller of their menu, and warned us about a possibility of the appetizer being spicy prior to ordering. She refilled all drinks without being asked, and you can see the "Teamwork" by all of the employees here. When she was not at the table and just dropped the food off, her fellow co worker /server said "I noticed your glass is empty, what were you drinking?" I was very impressed by how well everybody worked together to make sure we were happy as guests (my waitress was literally right behind her with the refill, but still very cool!) The food was good and very large portions. It is sad that here in my state, they closed the RC before I could ever try it. The manager also made a appearance at our table, asking if everything was ok. I really hope they see this review because they deserve to know that we were vacationing and were stuck going out to eat for 8 days in a row. This was by far the best experience of service we got that entire 8 days. Great job.
(4)Ronnie R.
The food was horrible my pork was cold the waitress took forever to bring anything. I ordered a margarita and after 15 minutes she came back and I asked her to cancel it and she said oh I never put it in the first place sorry. this place has terrible food and it's way too overpriced. the only saving grace are the animatronic animals that are kind of cool and the fish tanks. I cannot stress how bad the food and service were here.
(1)Idania C.
Kids love the place, food is pricy.
(3)Marketa H.
Visited on Thursday night, restaurant was empty, ordered some appetizer but waited forever for plates, then asked again and received 2 plates for 4 people, food was ok but very salty, asked for a to go box for leftovers and a bag but apparently they have no bags, this restaurant needs better staff and less salt in their food, otherwise it would be a good place.
(2)Kelli D.
I was very impressed and got more than we expected. Took my 4 year old son for his birthday. He loved it the fish tanks the animals and the trees. I had to drag my husband here, he kept saying the food would be terrible. He quickly changed his mind when we began to eat. My meal was great and so was his. It was pricey though for 3 of us our check was $100. We would go again.
(4)Anais V.
Horrible experience! The food was the worst and so over priced and when I complained to our server she said she would tell the chef and came back saying " he apologizes, the food usually tastes better." I was thinking she would have brought a manager out but no just an apology. I will never go there again and do not recommend anyone to spend their money there. Yes the rainforest experience is fun for kids but the food and service were just awful.
(1)Marqus R.
Part restaurant but mostly a kid's amusement place, so if you have kids with you, it's pretty much of a must for them or for you to buy them a novelty toy, shirt or stuffed animal. As for food, it's totally sub par as well as way overpriced. You're paying to the novelty whimsical entertaining atmosphere of the place. The chicken nuggets typical fast foodie types, and though it's been a while since I've eaten here, the best bet I found were the fish tacos. They are now trying to offer those very much in the vogue type signature wraps, but are clearly missing the mark. Any drink other than beer by the bottle is so-so but enjoyable to sit under the giant mushroom with its misty waterfall. This is not the place to go to eat. It's a place to go for amusement, basically children's amusement. For food two star but because of the novelty of the place I'll rate it more as a child's novelty shop saying it's OK and going three stars on that basis, but only on that basis.
(3)Jose F.
The food and service was excellent! I would recommend calling and making a reservation, I did so and they had a table waiting for me the minute I got there. Very professional and friendly staff!! Must go place for parents with children.
(5)Customer T.
Amazing seafood dishes: scallops, coconut shrimp, baked macadamia crusted tilapia, hazelnut crusted salmon, perfect balance of savory and sweet, also refreshing tropical drinks, and great atmosphere with real aquariums placed throughout the restaurant and shop, fun for kids and all ages. The restaurant has a fun gift shop where part of the proceeds are donated to saving the rain forests, you can dine and shop with confidence.
(4)Amelia M.
In a nutshell: overpriced mediocre food and bad atmosphere Don't think I'll be returning anytime soon. I decided to pay visit here since it's been forever and I had credit from my laundry's select club card. Lesson learned. For a Friday night my sister and I noticed the place was rather empty. I think I only counted 7 other tables. The service was ok, but the food was not as expected and disappointing considering the prices they charge. I had one of their special entrees from the seasonal menu ( can't recall the name of it) that featured 4 coconut ship skewers, a steak, and shrimp scampi. My sister and I though Paula Dean was cooking in the back because the theme of the meal seemed to be butter. There was a dollop of butter on top of the steak and the shrimp scampi sauce had the appearance of the leftover residue of pasta sauce when you re heat it in Tupperware. It was this dark orange clear liquid with me absolutely no flavor. The steak was okay, the coconut shrimp skewers were really good, but the shrimp of the shrimp scampi was very tuff as if over cooked. My sister had the seaside clam chowder which was good, however their menu States it has bacon and I noticed it was pieces of ham in the soup. She also have the natural burger which is pretty much a veggie burger. She mentioned it just tasted like a regular veggie burger you could buy the local grocery store nothing special. The service was okay I think the waiter checked on us twice but it was the other visitors and atmosphere that ruined the meal. There was a family sitting beside us that we're all clanking their silverware together very loudly. Worst part was the father was the instigator of it. Another table was allowing their children too runaround the location barefoot as if it was a jungle gym. And lastly every time a table would order the ice cream volcano dessert the staff yell the word "valcano" from the moment they exited the kitchen area in the back till they got to the table. Considering almost every table ordered one during our visit it became annoying rather quickly. This place used to be packed all the time with a long waiting list and good food, but apparently those days are gone.
(2)Vane V.
I really enjoyed this restaurant. It reminded me of something you experience at Disney. The wait was okay, 45 minutes for a busy Sunday afternoon. Thankfully there's a bunch of stores around that you can be browsing while you wait. I got the chicken fried chicken, which was amazing!!! It was so tasty and the portion was great. I had enough food to take home for dinner. Now the volcano dessert was a big disappointment. The picture made it look like it had 3 scoops of ice cream, it really had 2 and a ball of whip cream on top that looks like a 3rd scoop. The ice cream didn't taste great either. Now the service, the waiter who attended us was obviously bothered by something that day. He was rushing us to order then took forever to get our drinks, and even refill it. That's the main reason why I'm only giving this restaurant 4 stars instead of five. Everything else was great. I wouldn't change a thing. Also, take a good look at the bar! It's so cool!
(4)Erika R.
Tried the veggie burger whatever it was. Yucky! super dry no flavor and just yea no! Drink was okay. I can't wait to take my nieces and nephews because it is an amazing set up they have going.
(4)Jordan T.
I rated this place a 4 due to the food being 3/5 and the entertainment 5/5. The children loved it!
(4)Tori J.
I have been to the Rain forest Cafe many times as my older child is 23, and she loved it as much as my 10 y old does now. I miss the coconut chicken tenders appetizer very much. They don't have it anymore, and this is about my most recent visit. I wasn't surprised to be told that I would have an hour long wait for a table two weeks ago on Sunday afternoon as the place is in Sawgrass Mills Mall, but it was for my daughter's 10th birthday , and a special treat so we waited. We ended up waiting about 40 min. instead of an hour. This place does seem a little pricey, until you consider that you are paying not just for the food but for the full RFC experience. (also, the birthday girl wanted the souvenir Iggy mug $8 with an icee, and I didn't realize that when the hubs ordered a beer, that came in a souvenir glass as well $9). My 2 warning about this place are as follows~ The service is quite slow. if you don't have time for a leisurely meal, this is not the place for you, keep on walking.Secondly, It is really noisy. This can be troublesome if you are prone to headaches or if you have a baby who may be frightened by the thunder and various animal noises. They can easily freak out a child who is easily rattled by thunder and lightning or a baby who is trying to sleep. Also, we had rented one of the mall shopping carts and had to park it in a designated parking area with over $500 worth of merch in it. We dragged our shopping bags over to our table. What irked me is that by the time we got around to desert, other people were being allowed to bring their carts and strollers with them to their tables which I don't think is fair. The good news is, The food was delicious. Our appetizer of onion rings were hot crispy and yummy. Served with ranch and ketchup (separately)for dipping. My hubs ordered the Pastalaya with rice instead of pasta to be more like a jambalaya and he loved it. My 10 y old enjoyed her chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes, but seemed to really love the french fries in my plate. Maybe she should have ordered those instead. My older daughter had steak fajitas. She enjoyed them. I ordered a chicken and ribs combo that came with cole slaw and french fries. I don't know what the fries tasted like as my daughter gobbled them up, but as any mother would tell you, you'd rather watch your kids enjoy a treat than eat it your self. The ribs were some of the most tender I have ever had. The chicken was not a quarter as the menu stated, but a half, and it was tender and delicious. I also really enjoyed the cole slaw. Some of the best chicken and ribs I have had in a long time. For dessert we had the volcano. The menu says it serves 2 or more. There were 4 of us at the table, and we did not finish this desert. It is a huge ice cream sundae surrounded by fudge brownie triangles so that it looks like a volcano with a lit sparkler in the top. Several of the staff members made more noise than you would think a hand full of people could singing happy birthday to my properly embarrassed little princess. That desert could have cost a little less and been a little smaller, but I guess they know what they are doing over there at the RFC, by the time it was all said and done, The got my $170 for lunch. But like I said, it was a special occasion, so it was worth it this time.
(3)Lizzie D.
I will always have a special place in my heart for RC! Your first time experience there is close to jaw dropping- it's unlike anything you've ever experienced! There are big staged animals lurking throughout the restaurant and big standing, cylinder shaped aquariums. Every couple of minutes, there is a thunderstorm, where the restaurant gets dark and crackles like a real live thunderstorm! The ceiling is absolutely stunning- it is foggy and star lit, wonderful to gaze up at while eating! Don't order the volcano dessert unless you want the whole restaurant to hear "VOLCANOOOO!" The staff yells this if you order this dessert. It is very decadent and rich in flavor, totally worth the 5 seconds of embarrassment! The drinks and food are good and not outrageously priced. The gift shop is fun and has everything from some stylish tops, t shirts, key chains, mugs, anything and everything else- you name it! This will always be a unique place to eat and up there with my other top 10 favorites!
(4)Patrick S.
The kids like this place well I guess if you order kids type food it's ok but there's lot on the menu that we ordered that after the fact the manager told us that we shouldn't have ordered ... LOL oh well
(3)Kendra Z.
I have been wanting to come here for a while. I drove from kendall to do a little shopping and wanted to stop by rainforest cafe to eat after some shopping. The hostess in the front at 9pm we asked what time they close and she answered at 10 pm with attitude. Then she told us that the stroller is not allowed so to leave it at the front . We were ok with that so we asked if we can sit near the stroller to keep an eye on it and she said no with attitude again. She was not helpful and was oviously in a bad mood and didn't want us there. Never coming back to this place again
(1)Ashley E.
Awesome! Great atmosphere. Good food (burger a little dry) but awesome place for kids. Very kid friendly and just a fun and cute place to eat.
(4)Daniel H.
My wife and I came here for our Valentine's date. There were two ladies who were at the check-in station who were pretty rude. I was asking one of them a question, and she completely ignored me, but continued to stare at me. Once we finally got seated, we met our waiter who was very nice, and very helpful with the choices we were making. We decided to order an appetizer, I ordered the steak (medium) and shrimp, and my wife ordered a ruben sandwich. It took about 20 minutes for the appetizer to come out. We were both a little disappointed with it because it was a lot smaller than the picture made it seem. After finishing our appetizer, we had to wait another 50 minutes for our main course to come out. We were both very upset. My wife's sandwich was completely cold, and my steak was cold. We did not ask them to send it back since we were really on a time restraint to begin with. A manager stopped by our table and apologized for how long the food took and told us that he would like to give us free desert. We were already running extremely late for the event that we had to go to, so we politely declined. The manager then decided to waive our appetizer because of the inconvenience. This is a first and a last for both of us.
(1)Denise O.
I'm only giving it 4 stars because the kids loved it and the food wasn't too bad. I'm not sure if I just had low expectations and was pleasantly surprised, but I had a pretty good experience there. The kids absolutely had a blast with the cheesy mechanical animals that started moving and making jungle noises every 15-20 minutes or so. The fishtanks are pretty nice too, they help keep the kids entertained while we waited for the food. I went for lunch, and I was actually expecting it to be more expensive than it was. I had the fish taco lunch and it was only $9.95 which I thought was pretty cheap. I also had a soda that was around $2. My daughter had a kid's meal hotdog, side dish and drink and it was only $5.99 or something like that. I thought it was very inexpensive actually. I would recommend if you have kids! Our server was very friendly and nice. FYI, on larger parties they put an automatic gratuity, I believe it was 15% but I'm not sure. Since our bill was so low, I upped the tip to about 25% because I thought our server was decent.
(4)George Y.
What can I say about Rainforest Café? Honestly, reading the reviews I was hesitant at first to take my family here to eat. Nevertheless, my daughter loves wildlife and she really wanted to go so we gave them a shot. Upon arrival, we had a wait time of 30 mins, which is honestly average with the flow of customers they had coming in and out the place. We walked around the gift shop and the nearby shops before being called to our seat. Our greeter asked if this was our first time here, which we said yes, so he took us to a mini tour of the restaurant. He informed us that every 15 minutes the animals will come alive and every 30 minutes we will have a thunderstorm. We were then seated next to the tigers, my daughters favorite animal, she was smiling from ear to ear. So far, so good. Our waitress came and took our order. She was nice. We ordered for starters the Pita Quesadilla. It was truly a remarkable dish to start things off. The pico de gallo was freshly made and the flavor of the quesadilla was delicious. For our main dishes, my daughter had the Jurassic Chicken Tidbits with Mashed Potatoes, my misses had the Fish-N-Chips, and I had the Blue Mountain Chicken Sandwich. We received the order fresh and hot, not heat lamp hot, straight from the kitchen to our table hot. My daughter enjoyed her meal just as much as seeing the tigers come alive during our visit. My misses complimented the freshness of her dish, including the coleslaw which she mentioned it having a sweet taste. My dish has surpassed my expectations. The ingredients were fresh and prepared the way it was described. We were going to have a dessert, but we were already full from the meal we just had. The prices some say are a bit high, but not by much to other places to dine in. It's a great place for kids and for parents who are still kids at heart. The staff was knowledgable and friendly. The manager asked if we were enjoying our visit at the Rainforest Café. Definitely would come back with the family whenever we are around the area.
(5)Ashley M.
This is a touristy place, the only reason you should come here is for the ambiance/experience of eating here - most likely if you are with children or someone who isn't from Florida. The food is overpriced, however it's expected for a touristy restaurant. The food is also extremely mediocre, but again expected for a touristy restaurant. Cool things about this place: The decorations themselves make you feel as though you've walked right into the Amazon jungle. Vines all over the walls and ceiling, hidden animals that move and make sound, water falling from certain places in the ceiling. And every few minutes a thunderstorm happens, complete with lighting, thunder and animals waking up and moving. The volcano dessert, complete with small fireworks. It's expensive, about $15, but it's great for kids. Expect to feel swindled by the prices, but know that your kids had a great experience. And of course, you get to do some shopping for yourself while in Sawgrass Mall.
(3)Brittany A.
I always love walking around this place. Legit rain forest feel. All the cool animals and the food isn't half bad. Everything is pretty expensive but you're pretty much paying for the surrounding.
(3)Lacey S.
So, the only reason you should go is for the environment. The food is mediocre. Every time I go , the food makes my stomach hurt. It can be just me, but who knows. It's something nice to go once for the atmosphere, but after that, no.
(3)Daisy P.
Meh. I've experienced better is exactly how I feel about this restaurant located inside Sawgrass Mills... Its almost a tourist trap... The food is sub-par and they're charging you anywhere from $19.99 to $24.99 for it... The half rack of ribs with soggy friends was not my favorite... The decor inside is nice ... Our table was next to the hostess who continually walked and said to incoming guests "And the Bathroom is Over the Rainbow". We couldn't wait to finish eating and leave.
(2)Leslie C.
The wait was pretty long, but considering it was father's day, I can understand the wait time. Once inside it was really nice! It is a fun experience the rain and thunder noises and the lights changing like it's real lightning, was pretty cool. I liked their music selection it felt like I was eating in the Bahamas or something. Our waiter was nice and efficient considering the restaurant was really busy. He immediately took our drink order and came back with them pretty fast. Food was good and it didn't take very long for our appetizer to arrive at our table. The chicken parmigiana was surprisingly delicious! For dessert of course we ordered the Volcano!!!! It was delicious, if you like: brownie, ice cream gooey good-ness, you will enjoy. Over all the experience was nice. Personally, I feel that for the prices you can probably go else where and have better food. Although the experience is nice. The portions are really big, if you like to share. It is the kind of restaurant I will go to because other people in my party want to go or have never been. Other than that it is just A-Ok! Enjoy! Xoxo, Leslie Marrero :-D
(3)Adam S.
While shopping at sawgrass my wife and I decided to go here for dinner tonight because we thought our 13 month old would like it due to all the animatronics and atmosphere. Our son did seem to like it however we were not to happy with our service. Our waitress was extremely slow and not very attentive what so ever. The food was ok but a little pricy. Do to our server being so slow we asked for our check before finishing our food figuring by the time she brought it to us we should be almost done. Once she brought it I place my card in it and waited for her to come back for it. After waiting for a little while we saw the mgr and asked him to take it so we could pay which he took it and than told us our waitress will be back with it shortly. The waitress came back and dropped off my card and receipt and didn't ask for my I.D. As it states to do so on back of card. Not sure if I will return.
(2)Jesse W.
Marvell did a great job recommending gluten free items
(5)Danny B.
We came here for my nephew's first birthday. I hadn't been here in years so it was cool to come back. They really go for the theme here, as in all the employees have uniforms of tour guides, and they refer to themselves as such. The service and everyone who attended us was nice and very attentive. The place is more geared to children of course. Every 15 minutes or so the animals in the cafe (animatronics of course lol) would start to roar, the elephants would do its thing, the chimps theirs, and so forth. It's pretty cool. They have a gift shop right next to and also a bar, which is really cool because it's under a giant mushroom. Like I said, it's geared for children and tourist. The food is kind of pricey, but I had no complains with the quality of it at all. It's cool to come here for a kid's special occasion, so ya.
(4)Joe W.
OVERPRICED food aimed at tourists... hands down... Your regular American food, but overcooked, and bland as well.
(2)Allen E.
Solid fare typical of a Landry's restaurant. Definitely a step up from Chuck E. Cheese if you are looking for a place to take the kids. I had the shrimp platter special. Scampi wasn't great but the bacon-wrapped stuffed shrimp were great. My wife had a tasty pasta. Kids meals were definitely on the lower end quality-wise but the boys didn't notice. Folks at the table next to us had nachos that looked out of this world. We will definitely try those next time. Overall, the atmosphere is cool and not as kitschy as one might expect.
(3)Nadia B.
Well i have forgotten to write a review to this place. I absolutely loved it! I came here for my sons first broadband let me tell you he enjoyed every minute. About every 20 minutes there is a show cases of the animals displayed start to act up as if they were in the wild he enjoyed that very much. The food i must say a little pricey but its worth it. i was completely satisfied it was delicious. The gift shop on the side is a total must have to go. Or if you're to grown up for that there is also a bar on the other side : )
(4)Thais A.
This restaurant used to be amazing when I was ten-years old. Today, it's gone down on the list. The food is just blahhh, for lack of a better word. It's more-or-less comparable to something you'd get at TGI Fridays or Chiles. Nothing great. They try to do those "speciality" platters, paired with steak, chicken, and shrimp, which is decent. But loaded with butter. You can barely taste the actual food, the only flavor that comes through is the butter. The restaurant itself is still pretty badass though. You're eating in a rainforest that rains every half-hour. Monkey, elephants, and tropical tress surround you and they try their hardest to make you feel like you're going on a safari adventure. They're great at accommodating large groups too. It's great for kids, they'll have the time of their lives. And foreigners who have never experienced a restaurant like this before will probably love it. But if you've had it once, you've had it enough.
(2)Nadia L.
Food is bad quality, actually it is quite gross. Atmosphere is the only thing that has this place going. This place has been there for over 10 years, and you can tell. I really don't know why it gets so hella packed. Actually its mostly kids that want to go, so they drag their poor parents. If you want to go, just go to the gift shop, look at the talking tree and fake alligator. That's basically as exciting as it gets...
(2)Gaby F.
I was lured in by the gorillas and over sized fish tanks. By the time I got over it, it was too late...I had already ordered. lunch was 32 bucks. my girlfriend ordered a subpar turkey wrap and I had a a 'signature' chicken chimichanga which wasn't bad at all...but over priced. The decor was made more as a children's attraction...and by the end of the 3rd 'lightning' storm I had a headache. you win this round rainforest cafe...but I wont be back (voluntarily) anytime soon
(2)Jordan N.
The Appetizer sample was pretty decent and filling for two people. I was stuffed by the end of the appetizer even though I had ordered a meal for myself. The tilapia was not good. Fried shrimp skewers were tasty. Paella was weird - andouille sausage is a weird sausage to add to the paella and made it very spicy. Something was off, but I can't pinpoint my finger on it. The smoothies probably have way too many calories - more than a Big Mac probably. It was heavy, thick, and creamy. And on top of that, I didn't think it was that great. I was recommended the Key Wester and the "other" one that was like a chocolate Oreo cookie shake (this was slightly better, but it was nowhere the best shake I've ever had still). I don't find the food quality to be very high here. I do second Keat's comparison that it reminds me of the Cheesecake Factory. Why? High prices, fusion of cuisines (nothing to do with the cuisines of the South America, at all), and the flavors didn't really win me over - but I think that's because of the quality of the food or of the cooking. It tastes like the food has been prepared for a lot of people instead of it being prepared to order. It's family friendly and "fun" for kids. Just come here if you have plenty of money and also young family members that love entertainment while dining.
(3)Jessica D.
Thought the kids would enjoy this while shopping on vacation in Florida and we were right! I have been to the one in Chicago and enjoyed that so I wanted to show the kids! The ambiance is great and the kids were mesmorized! The food is overpriced but you are paying for the experience!! We enjoyed everything we ate! It wasn't fabulous but we felt it was worth it for the overall experience! Oh, the strawberry lemonaide is AWESOME!!
(4)Nick K.
just like all the reviews on here say, very touristy, great for kids, decent but overpriced food. this place is about more than the food. i have 4 kids and its always fun going to a Rainforest Cafe. I had the fish tacos which were really good however there was a lot of red cabbage on it.
(3)Debra M.
My family and I had an early dinner at the Rainforest Cafe in Disneyworld. Nicole was our waitress. The food was beyond our expectations, excellent,excellent!!! Nicole was knowledgable she made some drink suggestions that were right on the money! The service was quick. and did i say the food was excellent. Nicole was very pleasant and she chatted with us and was cheerful. All in all a good time was had by all. Thanks Nicole.
(5)Annie A.
The fact that I was dragged and consumed food from here saddens me.
(1)Torrey R.
The Rainforest Cafe makes me think of a Disney style jungle. Everything is fake and animated way over the top but cool if you're into that sort of thing. There are huge fish tanks throughout the place and fake thunderstorms where the lights flicker and a little rain falls that can help keep you entertained while you wait for your food. The menu has a great selection of stuff. The quality is spotty though. I've been here a few times because I'm a sucker for over the top stuff and had great food and poor food so it's kind of pot luck. A little pricey though.
(3)Lizett E.
The only thing good about this place is the kids playground across from it. I have been here several times with my family. The food is not good. The drinks are not good and everything is overpriced. They have added some new animals to the place but what they need to do is upgrade the quality of the food. The hamburgers taste like they were frozen and the other foods like the shrim tempura taste like flour. Never coming back.
(1)Lauren B.
This place is very fun to take children or people who enjoy the novelty experiences that a place like this affords. Food is good, not amazing, but good. Certainly there is something for everyone. Its a great place to go as a tourist. The gift shop is a great place for kids while you wait for a table.
(4)David S.
Sit at the bar for a quick No wait seat. Ask Brittany for the calypso salad. Add the chicken but sub for the rotisserie chicken instead of the grilled. Great slow cooked flavor and a nice change from boring grilled chicken!
(4)Michelle J.
Overpriced food, dirty bathrooms, slow service. Enough said.
(1)GM D.
A chain... but for the price.... you are filled, and the portions are good.... definitely a place to grab something with the kids... they love it.
(4)Carlos G.
Stay away it's a tourist trap and I'm pretty sure I got food poisoning last time. They get one star for the lightning show.
(1)Danielle B.
I had the lunch portion coconut shrimp. Although it was delicious I left there still hungry.
(3)Ritz F.
Went here last night with my 7-year-old. I ordered the BBQ bacon cheeseburger, and he had the kids' mini hot dogs. We both had the kettle chips and lemonade, and he had the chocolate pudding-crushed Oreo-gummy worm kids dessert that is served in a little kettle, which delighted him. Everything was delicious, but within an hour we were both sick with pretty bad digestive problems. I don't know if it was the food, which really tasted very good, or something we picked up in their bathroom, which was disgusting. I'm giving this place two stars only because of the decor and theme, which is a fun novelty for children. Also, the service was very good, and we did not have to wait for our table on a Sunday evening. You can take your chances here with possible food poisoning or whatever we picked up in the bathroom, but as my 7-year-old says, we won't be going back.
(2)Danielle D.
We went early around almost noon on a Saturday and the place was empty so we decided to sit at the bar. Ordered a couple drinks (large draft beer for $5.75) and ordered the appetizer sampler to split ($14) and that was pretty filling for us since we were only there for a light meal. The prices are a bit steep for what you get. I can't imagine paying the $11 for a Caesar Salad, I could barely justify the $14 we spent on the app sampler - but it was just a light meal. The servers who kept coming to the bar for their drinks would pull the ice out of the machine using the cup that the beverage would be served in (big health code no-no) when there was a ice scoop right next to the machine - guess it's just laziness but I found it gross. There was also a server that would rip the straws and leave the top on I guess to make it "easier for the customer" but on every drink I watched him do this, he would touch the part that would go into the drink - hope he washed his hands. I saw another server lean in to smell a drink and his nose was at most, 1/2" away from the drink. again, gross. First and last time ever going here.
(2)Keat G.
I had the Awesome Appetizer sampler -- Caribe Chicken Tenders, Crab Dip, Fried Calamari, Chimi-Cha-Cha -- and liked the first three. The Chimi Cha-Cha was like a spring roll gone wrong, so that was the only weak appetizer. I loved the crispy and tender calamari, and the honey mustard dipping sauce for the chicken was yummy. Prices are in line with Cheesecake Factory, but the atmosphere is somewhat more downmarket but welcoming to families. I think kids will definitely love a visit to the Rainforest Cafe -- lots of faux stuff -- elephants and apes, plus waiters dressed as park rangers. There is also faux rain dripping from the ceiling into a river, and simulated thunder and lightning. I will definitely eat there again if I am the Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall.
(4)Kristine A.
The food was good but the service was not at all. We had to ask our waitress to come to the table over 3 times and one of those times she didn't ever show up. She just wasn't around at all for when we needed her. And I feel like every time we would ask her a question her answers were just not that informative. She would just respond by letting us know the basic menu description...like she couldn't really tell you anything other than what was written on the menu. Example: we asked her about the size of a wrap and her answer was "average size" like I thought it was a joke. And after going through the list of desert options replying "yea we're not good with deserts" lol generally I think this was just funny. It's an exaggeration of a bad waitress.
(2)Tobias S.
The food takes forever to come out. Once the food does arrive it's mediocre at best. The wait staff is very nice but that doesn't make up fir the time it takes the food to arrive. Been to this location 3 times in last week trying to decide if it's a regular stop for our family. The kids do like it but not enough to override the food / slow service.
(2)Saly Ale O.
We all love this place, we are coming here since 2005 for my kids birthday, staff always lovely, fast service and awsome food, LOVE IT!!!
(5)Dainelys M.
Great place for kids, the kids meal has a great variety! They also have a very good kids playground. Although i took a 2 year old thinking she would love the animals and the atmosphere and she was crying every time the monkeys and the lions started making noises because they're extremely loud ! I had to ask to move tables somewhere away from them! TIP: good place for kids OVER 3 years old. She did love the fish tanks very much though. The food was good but not memorable nothing out of the ordinary.. It just wasn't bad. The volcano dessert is my favorite one of the reasons why I go there, it's very big and you probably won't finish it with a party of three people. But it's still very nice and yummy :p OH My server was a mess, she messed up on my order and forgot to ring in the baby's food... But she was so nice that it was forgivable :)
(3)Sean W.
We bought our two year to the restaurant she loves all the moving animals and sounds. The environment and theme was a lot of fun. The bad thing was the food was slightly over priced and not that good. My wife good the salmon it was over cooked almost burnt. In addition, the diet cokes that we got tasted flat. Definitely for one time experience and young kids.
(3)Rose B.
Had 2 of exclusive entrees for lunch with my kids included and had a great time. The food was excellent. Could have split the entree it was so big. Would recommend and return.
(5)Gen M.
Whenever I go to the RainForest Cafe I feel like a big kid in wonderland. Every fifteen minutes the animals wake up from their nap and make some noise, the kids love it, I love it, everyone goes bananas, they do say it's a wild place to eat . Oh and their Rasta Pasta is the best, a must try.
(4)Cesar L.
Good job by the waitress, very good situational awareness and service. The place simply falls short, this was my second visit. We ordered the chilli queso with ground beef and a dinner with 3 different meats. The food was okay, although the chips for the chilli queso were soaked in grease. The drinks were okay and beer was served cold. I won't return.
(1)Sheri Loves A.
I'll start off by saying the kids love it, atmosphere is very unique and entertaining. They have thunderstorms and moving animals and gigantic beautiful fish tanks. That being said, the food is horrible and expensive and the service is the worst. Seriously overpriced, example..try paying $14 for just a desert. If the food was good it wouldn't be so bad being price gouged Oh yeah and don't bother to use the bathroom, a porta potty is more sanitary. Oh and 2 of us had stomach issues that lasted hours after the meal.
(1)Nydia M.
My previous review was from 7 years ago so I think it's time for an update. We've been to Rainforest Cafe several times with our preschooler. During the weekends the wait times are pretty long, but if you don't mind being on the outskirts of the rainforest action there's usually no wait to sit in the bar area. It's better lit and slightly less noisy there too. The portions are big enough for two. My husband and I split the Hickory chicken (sans cheese) on our most recent visit and were surprised at how great it was. I usually order the grilled chicken with a side of fruit for my kid. They have a dozen main dishes to choose from on the kids menu, a few options for sides, and I think juice, milk, or soda is included as well. Service is always friendly, though usually on the slower side.
(4)Kathy C.
I came here on a rainy Saturday afternoon with my two year old son. I was hesitant to dine here after reading the review about the other two year old being scared of the animals but I'm glad we took the chance in coming here. We were seated right next to the elephants and although my son was scared at first, he ended up loving it! By the time we left the Rainforest Café he was waving to all of the animals (minus the gorillas, they were pretty creepy). We wanted to start off with an appetizer and ended up ordering the nachos. In between ordering the appetizer and our entrées, we ordered the dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets and fries for our son. The plate must have come out about 5 minutes after we ordered it! We thought this could be a good or bad thing. However, the fries were hot and tasty and the chicken nuggets were average. We decided to order our entrees about 10-15 minutes after the appetizer since we figured the appetizer would be out any minute now. I took off a star because our nachos arrived after a long wait and maybe three minutes later our entrees were placed right in front of us...I definitely didn't like that. The nachos were surprisingly good. The cheese was hot and melted, there was plenty of beef all over and the ratio of bare nachos was very low. I wish we had gotten our appetizer earlier as we had to take home the majority of it in order to have room for our entrees. My partner ordered the BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and I had the Rainforest Burger. My burger tasted like a plain cheeseburger (I wasn't expecting anything extraordinary out of a plain burger) but I felt that my son's fries were somehow better than mine. The BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger was really good though and I like that it's not smothered in barbecue sauce. You can taste a small hint of barbecue that blends well with the bacon. I was surprised that they portion out the fries in a small little bucket rather than heaping a whole bunch of fries next to your burger. We definitely enjoyed our experience at the Rainforest Café and I will most likely be back sometime this year not only because this is probably one of the very few restaurants that I don't have to run out of with my son when he acts up because there are kids all over the place. If you are scared that your child might be scared of the animals just let them ease into the environment, you will be surprised!
(4)Alex L.
Taking a 2 year old out to dinner can be a taxing feat. Taking three of them out nearly impossible. RC makes it easy to take out several howling children who are not on their best behavior, and you don't have to be mortified or fear that you will be asked to leave. The first thing, for a Sunday evening, you probably neeed a reservation. When I called to ask what the best place to park was, we were told that they were completely booked, no waiting list, no ability to stand in line. I explained we had a reservation. Wonderful. They said park at Vanity Fair. This worked out for several reasons. The first it is the closest place to park to get directly into the restraurant, also, the restaurant is open later than the mall and there is an exit right next to Vanity Fair so that you can get out of the mall when all the stores are closed. The fish and chips were a sizeable portion and delicious. Everyone else enjoyed their food, especially the kids (mac n cheese all around). The salmon was also quite good with rice and beans. The fishtanks are certainly a wonderfully beautiful focal point of the dining experience. They are enormous, well maintained, and stocked full of beautiful fish. They have a face painter, balloon blower, and a bird trainer for extra entertainment.
(4)Joey E.
KILL ME PLEASE I HATE COMING HERE. Good, now that that's out of the way... Rainforest Cafe has a super cool ambiance. It's very geared toward kids and and weird adults that really, REALLY love the rainforest and its vast array of wildlife. However, they sell themselves as a restaurant, so I'll review them as a restaurant. The food is TERRIBLE. The chicken nuggets are oddly reminiscent of the Tyson brand chicken nuggets you buy at the store, and the ice cream tastes exactly like the cheap kind you buy in large tubs at Costco. The popcorn shrimp are of the variety that comes in bags in the frozen food section. The burgers are not meaty at all and taste like they've been frozen, thawed, and re-frozen. The Alfredo sauce is absolutely nauseating, and the salad dressing tastes very "nutty" (almost peanut butter-ish). I can't overstate how bad the food is here. I regret coming here every time I take the first bite of my meal, and I am relieved every time I walk out. The service is pretty awful. I have no idea how that's even possible, because I eat dinner early so restaurants aren't usually experiencing the "dinner rush" when I sit down. Yet, my drink stays empty, I have to wait a long time to find my waiter and ask for something, and the last time I couldn't even get my waiter to break a smile. I guess I wouldn't be smiling either if people complained about the food as much as I assume they do here. Why do I make that assumption? Because I don't see how anybody wouldn't complain about the food here. Statistically, people have to be complaining. The food really sucks. Not only is the food horrible, but the prices are high. This place isn't expensive, don't get me wrong, but the price-to-quality ratio is virtually off the charts. My pasta dish was a whopping $16, which was basically only pasta, very small pieces of grilled chicken, and broccoli. I won't even count the piece of bread, because it is BY FAR the worst accompanying bread I've ever had at any restaurant. Ever. The chicken nuggets and shrimp that we got our kids was $7, for about 4 nuggets (again, the Tyson kind), a handful of popcorn shrimp, and fries. Listen, I realize $7 isn't that much, but if you haven't eaten here you really won't know that I'm not exaggerating about the price. I'm not a cheapo either. I eat at expensive restaurants all the time, but I expect to get great food for the expensive price. Here, I expect to get AT LEAST mediocre food for the mediocre price. Nope. The ONLY thing on the entire menu possibly worth consuming is the Volcano dessert. It's a few pieces of chocolate cake surrounding a couple scoops of the aforementioned ice cream, topped with whipped cream. Oh yeah, it's $14. Rainforest Cafe is well aware that this is what you should be eating (even though it costs more than some of their entrees). If you look online at their website and click on the "Menu" tab, pictures of the Volcano are what you will be greeted with (there is a picture of a pizza, but that picture is clearly overlapped by a kid with a Volcano). Why do I come here, you ask? Because I have kids, dammit. And those kids enjoy the robot animals, simulated storms, monkey sounds, aquarium fish, disco drink cups and sparkling desserts. Damn you, Rainforest Cafe, for making my kids love this place and making the adults hate it. It's like watching the kids movies of the early 90s... plenty of kids jokes, nothing for the adults. I hate watching those movies, and I hate eating here.
(1)Marqus R.
Part restaurant but mostly a kid's amusement place, so if you have kids with you, it's pretty much of a must for them or for you to buy them a novelty toy, shirt or stuffed animal. As for food, it's totally sub par as well as way overpriced. You're paying to the novelty whimsical entertaining atmosphere of the place. The chicken nuggets typical fast foodie types, and though it's been a while since I've eaten here, the best bet I found were the fish tacos. They are now trying to offer those very much in the vogue type signature wraps, but are clearly missing the mark. Any drink other than beer by the bottle is so-so but enjoyable to sit under the giant mushroom with its misty waterfall. This is not the place to go to eat. It's a place to go for amusement, basically children's amusement. For food two star but because of the novelty of the place I'll rate it more as a child's novelty shop saying it's OK and going three stars on that basis, but only on that basis.
(3)Jose F.
The food and service was excellent! I would recommend calling and making a reservation, I did so and they had a table waiting for me the minute I got there. Very professional and friendly staff!! Must go place for parents with children.
(5)Customer T.
Amazing seafood dishes: scallops, coconut shrimp, baked macadamia crusted tilapia, hazelnut crusted salmon, perfect balance of savory and sweet, also refreshing tropical drinks, and great atmosphere with real aquariums placed throughout the restaurant and shop, fun for kids and all ages. The restaurant has a fun gift shop where part of the proceeds are donated to saving the rain forests, you can dine and shop with confidence.
(4)Daisy P.
Meh. I've experienced better is exactly how I feel about this restaurant located inside Sawgrass Mills... Its almost a tourist trap... The food is sub-par and they're charging you anywhere from $19.99 to $24.99 for it... The half rack of ribs with soggy friends was not my favorite... The decor inside is nice ... Our table was next to the hostess who continually walked and said to incoming guests "And the Bathroom is Over the Rainbow". We couldn't wait to finish eating and leave.
(2)Kathy C.
I came here on a rainy Saturday afternoon with my two year old son. I was hesitant to dine here after reading the review about the other two year old being scared of the animals but I'm glad we took the chance in coming here. We were seated right next to the elephants and although my son was scared at first, he ended up loving it! By the time we left the Rainforest Café he was waving to all of the animals (minus the gorillas, they were pretty creepy). We wanted to start off with an appetizer and ended up ordering the nachos. In between ordering the appetizer and our entrées, we ordered the dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets and fries for our son. The plate must have come out about 5 minutes after we ordered it! We thought this could be a good or bad thing. However, the fries were hot and tasty and the chicken nuggets were average. We decided to order our entrees about 10-15 minutes after the appetizer since we figured the appetizer would be out any minute now. I took off a star because our nachos arrived after a long wait and maybe three minutes later our entrees were placed right in front of us...I definitely didn't like that. The nachos were surprisingly good. The cheese was hot and melted, there was plenty of beef all over and the ratio of bare nachos was very low. I wish we had gotten our appetizer earlier as we had to take home the majority of it in order to have room for our entrees. My partner ordered the BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and I had the Rainforest Burger. My burger tasted like a plain cheeseburger (I wasn't expecting anything extraordinary out of a plain burger) but I felt that my son's fries were somehow better than mine. The BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger was really good though and I like that it's not smothered in barbecue sauce. You can taste a small hint of barbecue that blends well with the bacon. I was surprised that they portion out the fries in a small little bucket rather than heaping a whole bunch of fries next to your burger. We definitely enjoyed our experience at the Rainforest Café and I will most likely be back sometime this year not only because this is probably one of the very few restaurants that I don't have to run out of with my son when he acts up because there are kids all over the place. If you are scared that your child might be scared of the animals just let them ease into the environment, you will be surprised!
(4)Alex L.
Taking a 2 year old out to dinner can be a taxing feat. Taking three of them out nearly impossible. RC makes it easy to take out several howling children who are not on their best behavior, and you don't have to be mortified or fear that you will be asked to leave. The first thing, for a Sunday evening, you probably neeed a reservation. When I called to ask what the best place to park was, we were told that they were completely booked, no waiting list, no ability to stand in line. I explained we had a reservation. Wonderful. They said park at Vanity Fair. This worked out for several reasons. The first it is the closest place to park to get directly into the restraurant, also, the restaurant is open later than the mall and there is an exit right next to Vanity Fair so that you can get out of the mall when all the stores are closed. The fish and chips were a sizeable portion and delicious. Everyone else enjoyed their food, especially the kids (mac n cheese all around). The salmon was also quite good with rice and beans. The fishtanks are certainly a wonderfully beautiful focal point of the dining experience. They are enormous, well maintained, and stocked full of beautiful fish. They have a face painter, balloon blower, and a bird trainer for extra entertainment.
(4)Kristine A.
The food was good but the service was not at all. We had to ask our waitress to come to the table over 3 times and one of those times she didn't ever show up. She just wasn't around at all for when we needed her. And I feel like every time we would ask her a question her answers were just not that informative. She would just respond by letting us know the basic menu description...like she couldn't really tell you anything other than what was written on the menu. Example: we asked her about the size of a wrap and her answer was "average size" like I thought it was a joke. And after going through the list of desert options replying "yea we're not good with deserts" lol generally I think this was just funny. It's an exaggeration of a bad waitress.
(2)Tobias S.
The food takes forever to come out. Once the food does arrive it's mediocre at best. The wait staff is very nice but that doesn't make up fir the time it takes the food to arrive. Been to this location 3 times in last week trying to decide if it's a regular stop for our family. The kids do like it but not enough to override the food / slow service.
(2)Saly Ale O.
We all love this place, we are coming here since 2005 for my kids birthday, staff always lovely, fast service and awsome food, LOVE IT!!!
(5)Cristina W.
I went here for a "Breakfast with Santa" event.. Ok, i'm sure they were swamped, etc.. No excuse for bad service though. I mean, who serves coffee and doesn't bring spoons? Or, when i requested one, brought over a huge one?! The food was mediocre at best, and the staff was definitely not ready for this event, nor was Santa. We did not partake in the "santa storytime" as we had already waited 90 minutes just to get the event going and we were not about to go into the tiny play area with 400 other guests. Will not be going to another "Breakfast with Santa" event at the Rainforest Cafe. Overall, very touristy and they need to train their staff better.
(1)Scott B.
Mediocre food served slowly, even with only about a 60% full restaurant. Unimpressive burgers, ok nachos and salads, frozen fries, and low quality kids meals, except for the mini cheeseburgers which were decent. Not worth the trip though. The blaring Mexican music seemed a little off from the 'tropical' theme. We would have done better and enjoyed ourselves more at Chipotle and had a more genuine atmosphere. The men's room smelled terrible from the urine all over the floor. My four-year-old said, "This place stinks!" I agree. This chain's corporate office should be ashamed. I've been to other Rainforest Cafes and was never disappointed like I was here.
(1)Sheri Loves A.
I'll start off by saying the kids love it, atmosphere is very unique and entertaining. They have thunderstorms and moving animals and gigantic beautiful fish tanks. That being said, the food is horrible and expensive and the service is the worst. Seriously overpriced, example..try paying $14 for just a desert. If the food was good it wouldn't be so bad being price gouged Oh yeah and don't bother to use the bathroom, a porta potty is more sanitary. Oh and 2 of us had stomach issues that lasted hours after the meal.
(1)Nydia M.
My previous review was from 7 years ago so I think it's time for an update. We've been to Rainforest Cafe several times with our preschooler. During the weekends the wait times are pretty long, but if you don't mind being on the outskirts of the rainforest action there's usually no wait to sit in the bar area. It's better lit and slightly less noisy there too. The portions are big enough for two. My husband and I split the Hickory chicken (sans cheese) on our most recent visit and were surprised at how great it was. I usually order the grilled chicken with a side of fruit for my kid. They have a dozen main dishes to choose from on the kids menu, a few options for sides, and I think juice, milk, or soda is included as well. Service is always friendly, though usually on the slower side.
(4)Ratchel D.
Positive: Came to this restaurant, mainly because of the atmosphere. My daughter is 3.5 and I knew she would enjoy it, and she did! We asked to be seated next to "something that moved", we were seated next to the elephants, my child was entertained and happy! She also loved the little froggy crown they give to everyone. Not so positive: The kids meal was terrible. Costing about $6, we asked for pasta, which came with side. The picture showed spaghetti, the outcome was another type of pasta, I forget the name (small, Mac and cheese looking pasta) the Marinara sauce was acid. I had requested chicken for protein (additional cost). This is why we have an obese society. All carbs! for the side, we got broccoli, out of the whole meal, my child only hate the broccoli (the chicken had touched the acidy sauce). Adult meals (-) : I ordered the veggie burger. I loved that it had a generous amount of avocado, aside from that, the veggie burger tasted VERY SIMPLE, so seasoning at all. I ate it because I was very hungry, but definitely not worth the $11+. My friend ordered a regular burger, she said hers was ok. Not great, but ok. Adult meals (+): Appetizer was yummy and plentiful for 2 adults. Artichoke dip. Service: I believe her name was Isabel, was good. She had the curtesy of removing cost of children's plate as I explained the acid taste. This would have gone from good to great, had she offered to replace it with something else. Will I return? if in the area, maybe. We traveled about an hour, I would have liked the meal to have tasted better
(3)Dainelys M.
Great place for kids, the kids meal has a great variety! They also have a very good kids playground. Although i took a 2 year old thinking she would love the animals and the atmosphere and she was crying every time the monkeys and the lions started making noises because they're extremely loud ! I had to ask to move tables somewhere away from them! TIP: good place for kids OVER 3 years old. She did love the fish tanks very much though. The food was good but not memorable nothing out of the ordinary.. It just wasn't bad. The volcano dessert is my favorite one of the reasons why I go there, it's very big and you probably won't finish it with a party of three people. But it's still very nice and yummy :p OH My server was a mess, she messed up on my order and forgot to ring in the baby's food... But she was so nice that it was forgivable :)
(3)Sean W.
We bought our two year to the restaurant she loves all the moving animals and sounds. The environment and theme was a lot of fun. The bad thing was the food was slightly over priced and not that good. My wife good the salmon it was over cooked almost burnt. In addition, the diet cokes that we got tasted flat. Definitely for one time experience and young kids.
(3)Rose B.
Had 2 of exclusive entrees for lunch with my kids included and had a great time. The food was excellent. Could have split the entree it was so big. Would recommend and return.
(5)Gen M.
Whenever I go to the RainForest Cafe I feel like a big kid in wonderland. Every fifteen minutes the animals wake up from their nap and make some noise, the kids love it, I love it, everyone goes bananas, they do say it's a wild place to eat . Oh and their Rasta Pasta is the best, a must try.
(4)Cesar L.
Good job by the waitress, very good situational awareness and service. The place simply falls short, this was my second visit. We ordered the chilli queso with ground beef and a dinner with 3 different meats. The food was okay, although the chips for the chilli queso were soaked in grease. The drinks were okay and beer was served cold. I won't return.
(1)Desiree D.
We were your typical tourists from CT and looking for a place to eat. I had never been to a RC before. We were promptly greeted, and then sat in front of the gorillas (LOL). Our waitress was VERY good, I believe her name was Shana? She heard me say that I had never been there before, and suggested some items on the menu and asked if I needed any help with deciding on what to eat. She was a good seller of their menu, and warned us about a possibility of the appetizer being spicy prior to ordering. She refilled all drinks without being asked, and you can see the "Teamwork" by all of the employees here. When she was not at the table and just dropped the food off, her fellow co worker /server said "I noticed your glass is empty, what were you drinking?" I was very impressed by how well everybody worked together to make sure we were happy as guests (my waitress was literally right behind her with the refill, but still very cool!) The food was good and very large portions. It is sad that here in my state, they closed the RC before I could ever try it. The manager also made a appearance at our table, asking if everything was ok. I really hope they see this review because they deserve to know that we were vacationing and were stuck going out to eat for 8 days in a row. This was by far the best experience of service we got that entire 8 days. Great job.
(4)Ronnie R.
The food was horrible my pork was cold the waitress took forever to bring anything. I ordered a margarita and after 15 minutes she came back and I asked her to cancel it and she said oh I never put it in the first place sorry. this place has terrible food and it's way too overpriced. the only saving grace are the animatronic animals that are kind of cool and the fish tanks. I cannot stress how bad the food and service were here.
(1)Marketa H.
Visited on Thursday night, restaurant was empty, ordered some appetizer but waited forever for plates, then asked again and received 2 plates for 4 people, food was ok but very salty, asked for a to go box for leftovers and a bag but apparently they have no bags, this restaurant needs better staff and less salt in their food, otherwise it would be a good place.
(2)Kelli D.
I was very impressed and got more than we expected. Took my 4 year old son for his birthday. He loved it the fish tanks the animals and the trees. I had to drag my husband here, he kept saying the food would be terrible. He quickly changed his mind when we began to eat. My meal was great and so was his. It was pricey though for 3 of us our check was $100. We would go again.
(4)Anais V.
Horrible experience! The food was the worst and so over priced and when I complained to our server she said she would tell the chef and came back saying " he apologizes, the food usually tastes better." I was thinking she would have brought a manager out but no just an apology. I will never go there again and do not recommend anyone to spend their money there. Yes the rainforest experience is fun for kids but the food and service were just awful.
(1)Amelia M.
In a nutshell: overpriced mediocre food and bad atmosphere Don't think I'll be returning anytime soon. I decided to pay visit here since it's been forever and I had credit from my laundry's select club card. Lesson learned. For a Friday night my sister and I noticed the place was rather empty. I think I only counted 7 other tables. The service was ok, but the food was not as expected and disappointing considering the prices they charge. I had one of their special entrees from the seasonal menu ( can't recall the name of it) that featured 4 coconut ship skewers, a steak, and shrimp scampi. My sister and I though Paula Dean was cooking in the back because the theme of the meal seemed to be butter. There was a dollop of butter on top of the steak and the shrimp scampi sauce had the appearance of the leftover residue of pasta sauce when you re heat it in Tupperware. It was this dark orange clear liquid with me absolutely no flavor. The steak was okay, the coconut shrimp skewers were really good, but the shrimp of the shrimp scampi was very tuff as if over cooked. My sister had the seaside clam chowder which was good, however their menu States it has bacon and I noticed it was pieces of ham in the soup. She also have the natural burger which is pretty much a veggie burger. She mentioned it just tasted like a regular veggie burger you could buy the local grocery store nothing special. The service was okay I think the waiter checked on us twice but it was the other visitors and atmosphere that ruined the meal. There was a family sitting beside us that we're all clanking their silverware together very loudly. Worst part was the father was the instigator of it. Another table was allowing their children too runaround the location barefoot as if it was a jungle gym. And lastly every time a table would order the ice cream volcano dessert the staff yell the word "valcano" from the moment they exited the kitchen area in the back till they got to the table. Considering almost every table ordered one during our visit it became annoying rather quickly. This place used to be packed all the time with a long waiting list and good food, but apparently those days are gone.
(2)Vane V.
I really enjoyed this restaurant. It reminded me of something you experience at Disney. The wait was okay, 45 minutes for a busy Sunday afternoon. Thankfully there's a bunch of stores around that you can be browsing while you wait. I got the chicken fried chicken, which was amazing!!! It was so tasty and the portion was great. I had enough food to take home for dinner. Now the volcano dessert was a big disappointment. The picture made it look like it had 3 scoops of ice cream, it really had 2 and a ball of whip cream on top that looks like a 3rd scoop. The ice cream didn't taste great either. Now the service, the waiter who attended us was obviously bothered by something that day. He was rushing us to order then took forever to get our drinks, and even refill it. That's the main reason why I'm only giving this restaurant 4 stars instead of five. Everything else was great. I wouldn't change a thing. Also, take a good look at the bar! It's so cool!
(4)Erika R.
Tried the veggie burger whatever it was. Yucky! super dry no flavor and just yea no! Drink was okay. I can't wait to take my nieces and nephews because it is an amazing set up they have going.
(4)Jordan T.
I rated this place a 4 due to the food being 3/5 and the entertainment 5/5. The children loved it!
(4)Lizzie D.
I will always have a special place in my heart for RC! Your first time experience there is close to jaw dropping- it's unlike anything you've ever experienced! There are big staged animals lurking throughout the restaurant and big standing, cylinder shaped aquariums. Every couple of minutes, there is a thunderstorm, where the restaurant gets dark and crackles like a real live thunderstorm! The ceiling is absolutely stunning- it is foggy and star lit, wonderful to gaze up at while eating! Don't order the volcano dessert unless you want the whole restaurant to hear "VOLCANOOOO!" The staff yells this if you order this dessert. It is very decadent and rich in flavor, totally worth the 5 seconds of embarrassment! The drinks and food are good and not outrageously priced. The gift shop is fun and has everything from some stylish tops, t shirts, key chains, mugs, anything and everything else- you name it! This will always be a unique place to eat and up there with my other top 10 favorites!
(4)Patrick S.
The kids like this place well I guess if you order kids type food it's ok but there's lot on the menu that we ordered that after the fact the manager told us that we shouldn't have ordered ... LOL oh well
(3)Kendra Z.
I have been wanting to come here for a while. I drove from kendall to do a little shopping and wanted to stop by rainforest cafe to eat after some shopping. The hostess in the front at 9pm we asked what time they close and she answered at 10 pm with attitude. Then she told us that the stroller is not allowed so to leave it at the front . We were ok with that so we asked if we can sit near the stroller to keep an eye on it and she said no with attitude again. She was not helpful and was oviously in a bad mood and didn't want us there. Never coming back to this place again
(1)Ashley E.
Awesome! Great atmosphere. Good food (burger a little dry) but awesome place for kids. Very kid friendly and just a fun and cute place to eat.
(4)Daniel H.
My wife and I came here for our Valentine's date. There were two ladies who were at the check-in station who were pretty rude. I was asking one of them a question, and she completely ignored me, but continued to stare at me. Once we finally got seated, we met our waiter who was very nice, and very helpful with the choices we were making. We decided to order an appetizer, I ordered the steak (medium) and shrimp, and my wife ordered a ruben sandwich. It took about 20 minutes for the appetizer to come out. We were both a little disappointed with it because it was a lot smaller than the picture made it seem. After finishing our appetizer, we had to wait another 50 minutes for our main course to come out. We were both very upset. My wife's sandwich was completely cold, and my steak was cold. We did not ask them to send it back since we were really on a time restraint to begin with. A manager stopped by our table and apologized for how long the food took and told us that he would like to give us free desert. We were already running extremely late for the event that we had to go to, so we politely declined. The manager then decided to waive our appetizer because of the inconvenience. This is a first and a last for both of us.
(1)Joey E.
KILL ME PLEASE I HATE COMING HERE. Good, now that that's out of the way... Rainforest Cafe has a super cool ambiance. It's very geared toward kids and and weird adults that really, REALLY love the rainforest and its vast array of wildlife. However, they sell themselves as a restaurant, so I'll review them as a restaurant. The food is TERRIBLE. The chicken nuggets are oddly reminiscent of the Tyson brand chicken nuggets you buy at the store, and the ice cream tastes exactly like the cheap kind you buy in large tubs at Costco. The popcorn shrimp are of the variety that comes in bags in the frozen food section. The burgers are not meaty at all and taste like they've been frozen, thawed, and re-frozen. The Alfredo sauce is absolutely nauseating, and the salad dressing tastes very "nutty" (almost peanut butter-ish). I can't overstate how bad the food is here. I regret coming here every time I take the first bite of my meal, and I am relieved every time I walk out. The service is pretty awful. I have no idea how that's even possible, because I eat dinner early so restaurants aren't usually experiencing the "dinner rush" when I sit down. Yet, my drink stays empty, I have to wait a long time to find my waiter and ask for something, and the last time I couldn't even get my waiter to break a smile. I guess I wouldn't be smiling either if people complained about the food as much as I assume they do here. Why do I make that assumption? Because I don't see how anybody wouldn't complain about the food here. Statistically, people have to be complaining. The food really sucks. Not only is the food horrible, but the prices are high. This place isn't expensive, don't get me wrong, but the price-to-quality ratio is virtually off the charts. My pasta dish was a whopping $16, which was basically only pasta, very small pieces of grilled chicken, and broccoli. I won't even count the piece of bread, because it is BY FAR the worst accompanying bread I've ever had at any restaurant. Ever. The chicken nuggets and shrimp that we got our kids was $7, for about 4 nuggets (again, the Tyson kind), a handful of popcorn shrimp, and fries. Listen, I realize $7 isn't that much, but if you haven't eaten here you really won't know that I'm not exaggerating about the price. I'm not a cheapo either. I eat at expensive restaurants all the time, but I expect to get great food for the expensive price. Here, I expect to get AT LEAST mediocre food for the mediocre price. Nope. The ONLY thing on the entire menu possibly worth consuming is the Volcano dessert. It's a few pieces of chocolate cake surrounding a couple scoops of the aforementioned ice cream, topped with whipped cream. Oh yeah, it's $14. Rainforest Cafe is well aware that this is what you should be eating (even though it costs more than some of their entrees). If you look online at their website and click on the "Menu" tab, pictures of the Volcano are what you will be greeted with (there is a picture of a pizza, but that picture is clearly overlapped by a kid with a Volcano). Why do I come here, you ask? Because I have kids, dammit. And those kids enjoy the robot animals, simulated storms, monkey sounds, aquarium fish, disco drink cups and sparkling desserts. Damn you, Rainforest Cafe, for making my kids love this place and making the adults hate it. It's like watching the kids movies of the early 90s... plenty of kids jokes, nothing for the adults. I hate watching those movies, and I hate eating here.
(1)Denise O.
I'm only giving it 4 stars because the kids loved it and the food wasn't too bad. I'm not sure if I just had low expectations and was pleasantly surprised, but I had a pretty good experience there. The kids absolutely had a blast with the cheesy mechanical animals that started moving and making jungle noises every 15-20 minutes or so. The fishtanks are pretty nice too, they help keep the kids entertained while we waited for the food. I went for lunch, and I was actually expecting it to be more expensive than it was. I had the fish taco lunch and it was only $9.95 which I thought was pretty cheap. I also had a soda that was around $2. My daughter had a kid's meal hotdog, side dish and drink and it was only $5.99 or something like that. I thought it was very inexpensive actually. I would recommend if you have kids! Our server was very friendly and nice. FYI, on larger parties they put an automatic gratuity, I believe it was 15% but I'm not sure. Since our bill was so low, I upped the tip to about 25% because I thought our server was decent.
(4)Tori J.
I have been to the Rain forest Cafe many times as my older child is 23, and she loved it as much as my 10 y old does now. I miss the coconut chicken tenders appetizer very much. They don't have it anymore, and this is about my most recent visit. I wasn't surprised to be told that I would have an hour long wait for a table two weeks ago on Sunday afternoon as the place is in Sawgrass Mills Mall, but it was for my daughter's 10th birthday , and a special treat so we waited. We ended up waiting about 40 min. instead of an hour. This place does seem a little pricey, until you consider that you are paying not just for the food but for the full RFC experience. (also, the birthday girl wanted the souvenir Iggy mug $8 with an icee, and I didn't realize that when the hubs ordered a beer, that came in a souvenir glass as well $9). My 2 warning about this place are as follows~ The service is quite slow. if you don't have time for a leisurely meal, this is not the place for you, keep on walking.Secondly, It is really noisy. This can be troublesome if you are prone to headaches or if you have a baby who may be frightened by the thunder and various animal noises. They can easily freak out a child who is easily rattled by thunder and lightning or a baby who is trying to sleep. Also, we had rented one of the mall shopping carts and had to park it in a designated parking area with over $500 worth of merch in it. We dragged our shopping bags over to our table. What irked me is that by the time we got around to desert, other people were being allowed to bring their carts and strollers with them to their tables which I don't think is fair. The good news is, The food was delicious. Our appetizer of onion rings were hot crispy and yummy. Served with ranch and ketchup (separately)for dipping. My hubs ordered the Pastalaya with rice instead of pasta to be more like a jambalaya and he loved it. My 10 y old enjoyed her chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes, but seemed to really love the french fries in my plate. Maybe she should have ordered those instead. My older daughter had steak fajitas. She enjoyed them. I ordered a chicken and ribs combo that came with cole slaw and french fries. I don't know what the fries tasted like as my daughter gobbled them up, but as any mother would tell you, you'd rather watch your kids enjoy a treat than eat it your self. The ribs were some of the most tender I have ever had. The chicken was not a quarter as the menu stated, but a half, and it was tender and delicious. I also really enjoyed the cole slaw. Some of the best chicken and ribs I have had in a long time. For dessert we had the volcano. The menu says it serves 2 or more. There were 4 of us at the table, and we did not finish this desert. It is a huge ice cream sundae surrounded by fudge brownie triangles so that it looks like a volcano with a lit sparkler in the top. Several of the staff members made more noise than you would think a hand full of people could singing happy birthday to my properly embarrassed little princess. That desert could have cost a little less and been a little smaller, but I guess they know what they are doing over there at the RFC, by the time it was all said and done, The got my $170 for lunch. But like I said, it was a special occasion, so it was worth it this time.
(3)George Y.
What can I say about Rainforest Café? Honestly, reading the reviews I was hesitant at first to take my family here to eat. Nevertheless, my daughter loves wildlife and she really wanted to go so we gave them a shot. Upon arrival, we had a wait time of 30 mins, which is honestly average with the flow of customers they had coming in and out the place. We walked around the gift shop and the nearby shops before being called to our seat. Our greeter asked if this was our first time here, which we said yes, so he took us to a mini tour of the restaurant. He informed us that every 15 minutes the animals will come alive and every 30 minutes we will have a thunderstorm. We were then seated next to the tigers, my daughters favorite animal, she was smiling from ear to ear. So far, so good. Our waitress came and took our order. She was nice. We ordered for starters the Pita Quesadilla. It was truly a remarkable dish to start things off. The pico de gallo was freshly made and the flavor of the quesadilla was delicious. For our main dishes, my daughter had the Jurassic Chicken Tidbits with Mashed Potatoes, my misses had the Fish-N-Chips, and I had the Blue Mountain Chicken Sandwich. We received the order fresh and hot, not heat lamp hot, straight from the kitchen to our table hot. My daughter enjoyed her meal just as much as seeing the tigers come alive during our visit. My misses complimented the freshness of her dish, including the coleslaw which she mentioned it having a sweet taste. My dish has surpassed my expectations. The ingredients were fresh and prepared the way it was described. We were going to have a dessert, but we were already full from the meal we just had. The prices some say are a bit high, but not by much to other places to dine in. It's a great place for kids and for parents who are still kids at heart. The staff was knowledgable and friendly. The manager asked if we were enjoying our visit at the Rainforest Café. Definitely would come back with the family whenever we are around the area.
(5)Ashley M.
This is a touristy place, the only reason you should come here is for the ambiance/experience of eating here - most likely if you are with children or someone who isn't from Florida. The food is overpriced, however it's expected for a touristy restaurant. The food is also extremely mediocre, but again expected for a touristy restaurant. Cool things about this place: The decorations themselves make you feel as though you've walked right into the Amazon jungle. Vines all over the walls and ceiling, hidden animals that move and make sound, water falling from certain places in the ceiling. And every few minutes a thunderstorm happens, complete with lighting, thunder and animals waking up and moving. The volcano dessert, complete with small fireworks. It's expensive, about $15, but it's great for kids. Expect to feel swindled by the prices, but know that your kids had a great experience. And of course, you get to do some shopping for yourself while in Sawgrass Mall.
(3)Brittany A.
I always love walking around this place. Legit rain forest feel. All the cool animals and the food isn't half bad. Everything is pretty expensive but you're pretty much paying for the surrounding.
(3)Lacey S.
So, the only reason you should go is for the environment. The food is mediocre. Every time I go , the food makes my stomach hurt. It can be just me, but who knows. It's something nice to go once for the atmosphere, but after that, no.
(3)Danny B.
We came here for my nephew's first birthday. I hadn't been here in years so it was cool to come back. They really go for the theme here, as in all the employees have uniforms of tour guides, and they refer to themselves as such. The service and everyone who attended us was nice and very attentive. The place is more geared to children of course. Every 15 minutes or so the animals in the cafe (animatronics of course lol) would start to roar, the elephants would do its thing, the chimps theirs, and so forth. It's pretty cool. They have a gift shop right next to and also a bar, which is really cool because it's under a giant mushroom. Like I said, it's geared for children and tourist. The food is kind of pricey, but I had no complains with the quality of it at all. It's cool to come here for a kid's special occasion, so ya.
(4)Joe W.
OVERPRICED food aimed at tourists... hands down... Your regular American food, but overcooked, and bland as well.
(2)Jessica D.
Thought the kids would enjoy this while shopping on vacation in Florida and we were right! I have been to the one in Chicago and enjoyed that so I wanted to show the kids! The ambiance is great and the kids were mesmorized! The food is overpriced but you are paying for the experience!! We enjoyed everything we ate! It wasn't fabulous but we felt it was worth it for the overall experience! Oh, the strawberry lemonaide is AWESOME!!
(4)Leslie C.
The wait was pretty long, but considering it was father's day, I can understand the wait time. Once inside it was really nice! It is a fun experience the rain and thunder noises and the lights changing like it's real lightning, was pretty cool. I liked their music selection it felt like I was eating in the Bahamas or something. Our waiter was nice and efficient considering the restaurant was really busy. He immediately took our drink order and came back with them pretty fast. Food was good and it didn't take very long for our appetizer to arrive at our table. The chicken parmigiana was surprisingly delicious! For dessert of course we ordered the Volcano!!!! It was delicious, if you like: brownie, ice cream gooey good-ness, you will enjoy. Over all the experience was nice. Personally, I feel that for the prices you can probably go else where and have better food. Although the experience is nice. The portions are really big, if you like to share. It is the kind of restaurant I will go to because other people in my party want to go or have never been. Other than that it is just A-Ok! Enjoy! Xoxo, Leslie Marrero :-D
(3)Adam S.
While shopping at sawgrass my wife and I decided to go here for dinner tonight because we thought our 13 month old would like it due to all the animatronics and atmosphere. Our son did seem to like it however we were not to happy with our service. Our waitress was extremely slow and not very attentive what so ever. The food was ok but a little pricy. Do to our server being so slow we asked for our check before finishing our food figuring by the time she brought it to us we should be almost done. Once she brought it I place my card in it and waited for her to come back for it. After waiting for a little while we saw the mgr and asked him to take it so we could pay which he took it and than told us our waitress will be back with it shortly. The waitress came back and dropped off my card and receipt and didn't ask for my I.D. As it states to do so on back of card. Not sure if I will return.
(2)Jesse W.
Marvell did a great job recommending gluten free items
(5)Allen E.
Solid fare typical of a Landry's restaurant. Definitely a step up from Chuck E. Cheese if you are looking for a place to take the kids. I had the shrimp platter special. Scampi wasn't great but the bacon-wrapped stuffed shrimp were great. My wife had a tasty pasta. Kids meals were definitely on the lower end quality-wise but the boys didn't notice. Folks at the table next to us had nachos that looked out of this world. We will definitely try those next time. Overall, the atmosphere is cool and not as kitschy as one might expect.
(3)Nadia B.
Well i have forgotten to write a review to this place. I absolutely loved it! I came here for my sons first broadband let me tell you he enjoyed every minute. About every 20 minutes there is a show cases of the animals displayed start to act up as if they were in the wild he enjoyed that very much. The food i must say a little pricey but its worth it. i was completely satisfied it was delicious. The gift shop on the side is a total must have to go. Or if you're to grown up for that there is also a bar on the other side : )
(4)Thais A.
This restaurant used to be amazing when I was ten-years old. Today, it's gone down on the list. The food is just blahhh, for lack of a better word. It's more-or-less comparable to something you'd get at TGI Fridays or Chiles. Nothing great. They try to do those "speciality" platters, paired with steak, chicken, and shrimp, which is decent. But loaded with butter. You can barely taste the actual food, the only flavor that comes through is the butter. The restaurant itself is still pretty badass though. You're eating in a rainforest that rains every half-hour. Monkey, elephants, and tropical tress surround you and they try their hardest to make you feel like you're going on a safari adventure. They're great at accommodating large groups too. It's great for kids, they'll have the time of their lives. And foreigners who have never experienced a restaurant like this before will probably love it. But if you've had it once, you've had it enough.
(2)Nadia L.
Food is bad quality, actually it is quite gross. Atmosphere is the only thing that has this place going. This place has been there for over 10 years, and you can tell. I really don't know why it gets so hella packed. Actually its mostly kids that want to go, so they drag their poor parents. If you want to go, just go to the gift shop, look at the talking tree and fake alligator. That's basically as exciting as it gets...
(2)Idania C.
Kids love the place, food is pricy.
(3)Gaby F.
I was lured in by the gorillas and over sized fish tanks. By the time I got over it, it was too late...I had already ordered. lunch was 32 bucks. my girlfriend ordered a subpar turkey wrap and I had a a 'signature' chicken chimichanga which wasn't bad at all...but over priced. The decor was made more as a children's attraction...and by the end of the 3rd 'lightning' storm I had a headache. you win this round rainforest cafe...but I wont be back (voluntarily) anytime soon
(2)Annie A.
The fact that I was dragged and consumed food from here saddens me.
(1)Nick K.
just like all the reviews on here say, very touristy, great for kids, decent but overpriced food. this place is about more than the food. i have 4 kids and its always fun going to a Rainforest Cafe. I had the fish tacos which were really good however there was a lot of red cabbage on it.
(3)Debra M.
My family and I had an early dinner at the Rainforest Cafe in Disneyworld. Nicole was our waitress. The food was beyond our expectations, excellent,excellent!!! Nicole was knowledgable she made some drink suggestions that were right on the money! The service was quick. and did i say the food was excellent. Nicole was very pleasant and she chatted with us and was cheerful. All in all a good time was had by all. Thanks Nicole.
(5)Torrey R.
The Rainforest Cafe makes me think of a Disney style jungle. Everything is fake and animated way over the top but cool if you're into that sort of thing. There are huge fish tanks throughout the place and fake thunderstorms where the lights flicker and a little rain falls that can help keep you entertained while you wait for your food. The menu has a great selection of stuff. The quality is spotty though. I've been here a few times because I'm a sucker for over the top stuff and had great food and poor food so it's kind of pot luck. A little pricey though.
(3)Lizett E.
The only thing good about this place is the kids playground across from it. I have been here several times with my family. The food is not good. The drinks are not good and everything is overpriced. They have added some new animals to the place but what they need to do is upgrade the quality of the food. The hamburgers taste like they were frozen and the other foods like the shrim tempura taste like flour. Never coming back.
(1)Lauren B.
This place is very fun to take children or people who enjoy the novelty experiences that a place like this affords. Food is good, not amazing, but good. Certainly there is something for everyone. Its a great place to go as a tourist. The gift shop is a great place for kids while you wait for a table.
(4)David S.
Sit at the bar for a quick No wait seat. Ask Brittany for the calypso salad. Add the chicken but sub for the rotisserie chicken instead of the grilled. Great slow cooked flavor and a nice change from boring grilled chicken!
(4)Michelle J.
Overpriced food, dirty bathrooms, slow service. Enough said.
(1)Jordan N.
The Appetizer sample was pretty decent and filling for two people. I was stuffed by the end of the appetizer even though I had ordered a meal for myself. The tilapia was not good. Fried shrimp skewers were tasty. Paella was weird - andouille sausage is a weird sausage to add to the paella and made it very spicy. Something was off, but I can't pinpoint my finger on it. The smoothies probably have way too many calories - more than a Big Mac probably. It was heavy, thick, and creamy. And on top of that, I didn't think it was that great. I was recommended the Key Wester and the "other" one that was like a chocolate Oreo cookie shake (this was slightly better, but it was nowhere the best shake I've ever had still). I don't find the food quality to be very high here. I do second Keat's comparison that it reminds me of the Cheesecake Factory. Why? High prices, fusion of cuisines (nothing to do with the cuisines of the South America, at all), and the flavors didn't really win me over - but I think that's because of the quality of the food or of the cooking. It tastes like the food has been prepared for a lot of people instead of it being prepared to order. It's family friendly and "fun" for kids. Just come here if you have plenty of money and also young family members that love entertainment while dining.
(3)GM D.
A chain... but for the price.... you are filled, and the portions are good.... definitely a place to grab something with the kids... they love it.
(4)Carlos G.
Stay away it's a tourist trap and I'm pretty sure I got food poisoning last time. They get one star for the lightning show.
(1)Danielle B.
I had the lunch portion coconut shrimp. Although it was delicious I left there still hungry.
(3)Ritz F.
Went here last night with my 7-year-old. I ordered the BBQ bacon cheeseburger, and he had the kids' mini hot dogs. We both had the kettle chips and lemonade, and he had the chocolate pudding-crushed Oreo-gummy worm kids dessert that is served in a little kettle, which delighted him. Everything was delicious, but within an hour we were both sick with pretty bad digestive problems. I don't know if it was the food, which really tasted very good, or something we picked up in their bathroom, which was disgusting. I'm giving this place two stars only because of the decor and theme, which is a fun novelty for children. Also, the service was very good, and we did not have to wait for our table on a Sunday evening. You can take your chances here with possible food poisoning or whatever we picked up in the bathroom, but as my 7-year-old says, we won't be going back.
(2)Danielle D.
We went early around almost noon on a Saturday and the place was empty so we decided to sit at the bar. Ordered a couple drinks (large draft beer for $5.75) and ordered the appetizer sampler to split ($14) and that was pretty filling for us since we were only there for a light meal. The prices are a bit steep for what you get. I can't imagine paying the $11 for a Caesar Salad, I could barely justify the $14 we spent on the app sampler - but it was just a light meal. The servers who kept coming to the bar for their drinks would pull the ice out of the machine using the cup that the beverage would be served in (big health code no-no) when there was a ice scoop right next to the machine - guess it's just laziness but I found it gross. There was also a server that would rip the straws and leave the top on I guess to make it "easier for the customer" but on every drink I watched him do this, he would touch the part that would go into the drink - hope he washed his hands. I saw another server lean in to smell a drink and his nose was at most, 1/2" away from the drink. again, gross. First and last time ever going here.
(2)Keat G.
I had the Awesome Appetizer sampler -- Caribe Chicken Tenders, Crab Dip, Fried Calamari, Chimi-Cha-Cha -- and liked the first three. The Chimi Cha-Cha was like a spring roll gone wrong, so that was the only weak appetizer. I loved the crispy and tender calamari, and the honey mustard dipping sauce for the chicken was yummy. Prices are in line with Cheesecake Factory, but the atmosphere is somewhat more downmarket but welcoming to families. I think kids will definitely love a visit to the Rainforest Cafe -- lots of faux stuff -- elephants and apes, plus waiters dressed as park rangers. There is also faux rain dripping from the ceiling into a river, and simulated thunder and lightning. I will definitely eat there again if I am the Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall.
(4)