Best Epcot-area restaurants for a 3-year old?

[norybell]

HELP!!!! After years of either solo or adult-only trips, I'm suddenly in charge of planning a trip with my 3-year-old niece for early this April. Her first trip! We're staying at the Beach Club, and I'm looking for recommendations for sit-down restaurants she might enjoy.

So far I'm thinking Biergarten and Akershus...any other ideas? She loves sushi, so maybe Teppan Edo? Or Garden Grill, for the characters? Or Coral Reef, for the fish? The rest of the family are foodies, so the better the food, the better.

TIA for any help. This is a whole new world of WDW trip-planning for me!

 

[JimmyV]

What does she like to eat? When my daughter was 3, she loved bluezoo, Cape May, Flying Fish, and The Fountain. (Il Mulino was not yet open, but she certainly would have found pasta dishes there that suited her.) If your niece likes fish, the first three I mentioned will work. The kitchen can prepare things more simply if the stated preparations seem to complex. If she likes pasta, Il Mulino will fit like a glove. Burgers and hot dogs?? Go to The Fountain, or ESPN.

 

[norybell]

Hi JimmyV, thanks for responding! She's totally not a picky eater...right now her favorite food is sushi. But she's not very good at sitting still without distractions.

 

[JimmyV]

The best sushi on property is at Kimono's at the Swan. Don't worry about the distractions. Disney is one of the best places in the world to walk around with a child while waiting for your food, or the check.

 

[teach22180]

Cape May has characters for breakfast, and it's right at your resort! The food is typical breakfast food, so I'm not sure of the foodies among you, but the little one would be entertained.

 

[ILuvMulan]

My vote would either be Akershus if she likes princesses or garden grill if she loves, Mickey, Pluto, and/or Chip and Dale. Both are great for a laid back character experience. Norway doesn't have sushi, but it is a great place to try a few new foods, which it sounds like she might be open to. I have adventurous eaters, who like to try new things and they enjoyed it.

I will add that we were not all that impressed with the Coral Reef on our last trip and the fish only kept my pre-teens entertained for a short time.

 

[nolanboys]

My vote is Garden Grill. We thought the food was very good with a lot of fresh produce. Great character interaction and the restaurant rotates. It was the first place my kids tried brussel sprouts - and they liked them!

 

[hoverpumpkin]

The wee ones in our family like to watch the fish at Coral Reef. It keeps them surprisingly still.

 

[MJMcBride]

another vote for the Coral Reef

 

[Paging Tom Morrow]

Another vote for the sushi at Kimonos.

 

[Main Street Matilda]

Teppan Edo is ok, but the atmosphere there is not any different from any other well-themed Japanese restaurant. Coral Reef is definitely unique and the characters at Garden Grill is fun for little ones. We did Akershus for the first time our last trip and were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed that.

When I'm choosing meals at WDW, I like to find a place where the atmosphere isn't something I could get at home. I live in an area where there are amazing restaurants with great food within a short drive - but none of them have Mickey visiting the table!

 

[haPevraftr]

You asked about Teppan Edo. We went there with DD 5 and DS 2 on our last trip. They were well entertained by the chef at the table and enjoyed it.

 

[pilferk]

HELP!!!! After years of either solo or adult-only trips, I'm suddenly in charge of planning a trip with my 3-year-old niece for early this April. Her first trip! We're staying at the Beach Club, and I'm looking for recommendations for sit-down restaurants she might enjoy.

So far I'm thinking Biergarten and Akershus...any other ideas? She loves sushi, so maybe Teppan Edo? Or Garden Grill, for the characters? Or Coral Reef, for the fish? The rest of the family are foodies, so the better the food, the better.

TIA for any help. This is a whole new world of WDW trip-planning for me!

Garden Grill. The Family Platter offers her some good options (stuff she probably won't get on most kids menus). The food is good, and the character interaction is neat.

The sushi at Teppan Edo is, IMHO, nothing to write home about. Maybe I'm spoiled because we have REALLY good quality stuff near my work place...and it's not a "special treat" for me..and it wasn't BAD. It just wasn't great.

Coral Reef is OK, but the dining options are pretty limited if you keep her ordering off the kids menu. The food for the adults IS pretty good, so that's something to consider.

I think Akershus is can't miss...we like the food and if you do one of the Princess meals, your niece will probably be in nirvana.

 

[norybell]

Thanks so much for the suggestions, everybody!

So far I have, for dinners:

Biergarten
Garden Grill
Cape May (something quick and easy for her night with Grandma, while the rest of the adults head to Tutto)
Akershus

I'm still on the fence about the last night, when it will just be my niece, her mom, and her grandma. I might be leaning toward Coral Reef, though I've heard such mixed things about the food. We love Kimono's, but I worry Clara will get bored there and make it harder for the grownups to have an actual conversation!

 

[Eliza'sMom]

I think I'd have your niece and her grandma do Beaches and Cream on their night alone, or even get a burger by the pool at Hurricane Hanna's and some ice cream from the to-go window. My DD is almost 3 and trying to manage a buffet alone with her is not particularly easy, at least it's not something I'd have my mom do on her own. Plus, DD really loves splitting a sundae with us at Beaches and Cream.

They also could walk into Epcot and do Chefs de France. DD ate well there and if they have an early ADR, they could catch Remy. Another option would be for them to go to Italy too, but head to Via Napoli to split a pizza. DD scarfed down their mushroom pizza on our last trip, and we loved it too. It is noisy in there, so I didn't feel like I had to worry too much about DD.

Our DD really liked Garden Grill, and we're headed back there this trip. It is really nice get some actual veggies in her there. She really liked breakfast at Cape May on our last trip, and we're trying dinner there this time.

If it were me, I might have everyone try Cape May, and send the girls on that last night to Akershus. That would be a fun grandma-mom-daughter outing.

 

[crazyoreilly]

Akershuers(sp?) in Norway has a great breakfast with many of the princesses!