Best EPCOT restaurants?

LaceC

Earning My Ears
Joined
Sep 25, 2015
Messages
71
Our ADR opens up Monday and we have plans for meals we are going to try to get every day except our EPCOT day. DH and DD have never been to EPCOT and our favorite part of our Disney trips is our meals. We would love to hear what your favorite EPCOT restaurants are and why! We plan to eat all three meals there that day as it is an Early Magic Hours day and open until 9pm. We do not mind spending half the day eating. ;)
 
Tangerine cafe is my favorite CS. The food is different, well prepared, and the portions are large. DM and I usually split a platter here for lunch. Teppan Edo and Via Napoli are our favorites as a family. The food is very good at both places and our kids enjoy the atmosphere. DH and I like Rose & Crown. We enjoyed our meals and the bar. Fun to sit out on the patio if it isn't too hot. Especially if you can time it right with illuminations. I don't know if Sunshine Seasons will be open again for breakfast once Soarin reopens, but it is a solid CS breakfast choice. The bakery in France also has quick, delicious options. If you're looking for a sit down the only options are Akershus and Garden Grille. Akershus is okay, but mostly about the princesses. Garden grille has been getting excellent reviews- we have it planned for our upcoming trip, but is a character breakfast.
 
- I love Rose & Crown. IMO, I prefer it over Raglan Road (which could be comparable.) But that's just my opinion.
- I think the QS in Mexico is very good.
- We love Teppan Edo. Can you find a solid Benihana anywhere? Sure. But it's beautifully themed and the food is great - plus it's a great value on the DDP.
- Also, the Japan QS is very good. The one toward the back.
- Try the French Bakery for breakfast. While the rest of the World Showcase is closed, the Bakery is open.
- Or, head to the Boardwalk Bakery beforehand. It's delicious and serves breakfast.
- We enjoyed Biergarten. Not sure we'd be back - it's sort of a one and done based on personal preference, but it was a good meal.

Honestly, if I were you I'd plan to do a QS breakfast, eat around the World and just do a dinner ADR. Get there early, grab a QS breakfast, spend the day eating around the world, then book a later dinner ADR.
 

Ooh. You're going to get a lot of opinions here. I look forward to seeing what everyone else has to say. :)

Not knowing your tastes, your daughter's age, etc, I'll throw a few things out there - see if any of them are helpful. :)

How old is your daughter? Is she into character meals? We REALLY enjoyed our character meal at Garden Grill in The Land Pavilion in Future World - we had a lovely time with Chip and Dale and Mickey and Pluto, and we thought the food was surprisingly good for a character meal. We had dinner there (the only option at the time, though it's now open for breakfast as well - and maybe lunch? That I'm not sure of). The food was fresh and tasty. The slow rotation of the restaurant added a little something extra, as you pass by parts of the scenery for the Living with the Land ride - my son (5 1/2 on our last trip) was absolutely tickled by that. Overall, a good experience. It's on our to-do list for our upcoming trip, the only problem for us is deciding between breakfast and dinner there.

I know that not everyone likes it/thinks it's worth the price, but my little family of 3 really enjoys Le Cellier, in Canada. It may not be the absolute best food you'll have in the world (or even in the World), but we've always had stellar service, good-to-great food, and the cool, dark "cellar" that is the restaurant's setting makes a really nice break from the Florida sun. We've enjoyed both lunch and dinner here.

Chefs de France, we've found to be really good. We've had lunch there a number of times over the years. Reasonably priced, for Disney, and the food has always been really enjoyable. Waiters have been very good as well. I'd eat there again. (And again and again!)

San Angel Inn seems to get mixed reviews, but that's another that we're fans of. Again, it's cool and dark inside, which is refreshing on a hot Florida day. The theming is awesome (the restaurant is in perpetual night, placed between a river and a colorful Mexican market). The food is quite good - though it is a more traditional Mexican menu - not Tex-Mex (which I think might be the source of some people's negative reviews). We've had good service there. The tables are a bit too close together for my preference, but once you're seated, it's not that big a deal - you won't *quite* rub elbows with the people at the next table over. :) Overall, I'd say this one is a winner - again, as long as you don't go in expecting crunchy taco shells and gorditas. :)

Restaurant Marrakesh has been a bit of a mixed bag for us. On one visit (2011, maybe?), it was among the best meals of our trip. Terrific food, a high level of service, and the added fun of the belly dancer, who got some kids - and some intrepid grownups - to join in on the dancing. On a later visit, we were let down - it was just mediocre at that point. If you like Moroccan food, or want to try something new, it might be worth giving a shot - but I'm not sure I can enthusiastically recommend it. We just might try Spice Road Table to get our fix of the same flavors - I've heard good things, but haven't tried it myself.

Are you going during the Food & Wine Festival? If so, you might not want to make 3 table service reservations - you can easily (happily!) eat your way around World Showcase, trying small plates from the various booths. We've done that before. Yum! :)

And I'll add - I'd personally avoid Coral Reef. I'm sure someone will recommend it - to each his/her own! - but I wouldn't. Full disclosure, I'm not a seafood person. Neither is my son. When we went, the whole place smelled fishy, which isn't my cup of tea. The whole place felt... dank. Humid and a bit musty under the fish smell. That was a turn-off for me, too, and that smell bothered my husband and son, as well. At the time, there were I think two things on the menu that weren't fishy, so it was pretty limiting - again, because of my preferences. We weren't seated particularly close to the aquarium wall, so while it was cool to see it off to our side, it wasn't really up close and personal. My husband said his food (a seafood dish) was decent. My son ate something off the kids menu and was fine. My dish was pretty bad - I've had better quality food at Wendy's.

Anyway - there's plenty of good food at EPCOT, so this is a fun decision to make. Hope I've helped! :)
 
The Garden Grill is by far our favorite character dinner in all The World, great abundant food and awesome character interaction! We also really like Yorkshire County Fish Shoppe for a quick yummy lunch.
 
Ooh. You're going to get a lot of opinions here. I look forward to seeing what everyone else has to say. :)

Not knowing your tastes, your daughter's age, etc, I'll throw a few things out there - see if any of them are helpful. :)

How old is your daughter? Is she into character meals? We REALLY enjoyed our character meal at Garden Grill in The Land Pavilion in Future World - we had a lovely time with Chip and Dale and Mickey and Pluto, and we thought the food was surprisingly good for a character meal. We had dinner there (the only option at the time, though it's now open for breakfast as well - and maybe lunch? That I'm not sure of). The food was fresh and tasty. The slow rotation of the restaurant added a little something extra, as you pass by parts of the scenery for the Living with the Land ride - my son (5 1/2 on our last trip) was absolutely tickled by that. Overall, a good experience. It's on our to-do list for our upcoming trip, the only problem for us is deciding between breakfast and dinner there.

I know that not everyone likes it/thinks it's worth the price, but my little family of 3 really enjoys Le Cellier, in Canada. It may not be the absolute best food you'll have in the world (or even in the World), but we've always had stellar service, good-to-great food, and the cool, dark "cellar" that is the restaurant's setting makes a really nice break from the Florida sun. We've enjoyed both lunch and dinner here.

Chefs de France, we've found to be really good. We've had lunch there a number of times over the years. Reasonably priced, for Disney, and the food has always been really enjoyable. Waiters have been very good as well. I'd eat there again. (And again and again!)

San Angel Inn seems to get mixed reviews, but that's another that we're fans of. Again, it's cool and dark inside, which is refreshing on a hot Florida day. The theming is awesome (the restaurant is in perpetual night, placed between a river and a colorful Mexican market). The food is quite good - though it is a more traditional Mexican menu - not Tex-Mex (which I think might be the source of some people's negative reviews). We've had good service there. The tables are a bit too close together for my preference, but once you're seated, it's not that big a deal - you won't *quite* rub elbows with the people at the next table over. :) Overall, I'd say this one is a winner - again, as long as you don't go in expecting crunchy taco shells and gorditas. :)

Restaurant Marrakesh has been a bit of a mixed bag for us. On one visit (2011, maybe?), it was among the best meals of our trip. Terrific food, a high level of service, and the added fun of the belly dancer, who got some kids - and some intrepid grownups - to join in on the dancing. On a later visit, we were let down - it was just mediocre at that point. If you like Moroccan food, or want to try something new, it might be worth giving a shot - but I'm not sure I can enthusiastically recommend it. We just might try Spice Road Table to get our fix of the same flavors - I've heard good things, but haven't tried it myself.

Are you going during the Food & Wine Festival? If so, you might not want to make 3 table service reservations - you can easily (happily!) eat your way around World Showcase, trying small plates from the various booths. We've done that before. Yum! :)

And I'll add - I'd personally avoid Coral Reef. I'm sure someone will recommend it - to each his/her own! - but I wouldn't. Full disclosure, I'm not a seafood person. Neither is my son. When we went, the whole place smelled fishy, which isn't my cup of tea. The whole place felt... dank. Humid and a bit musty under the fish smell. That was a turn-off for me, too, and that smell bothered my husband and son, as well. At the time, there were I think two things on the menu that weren't fishy, so it was pretty limiting - again, because of my preferences. We weren't seated particularly close to the aquarium wall, so while it was cool to see it off to our side, it wasn't really up close and personal. My husband said his food (a seafood dish) was decent. My son ate something off the kids menu and was fine. My dish was pretty bad - I've had better quality food at Wendy's.

Anyway - there's plenty of good food at EPCOT, so this is a fun decision to make. Hope I've helped! :)

We are huge foodies and willing to try anything at least once. Our daughter will be 8 at the time, but doesn't shy away from trying new things at all. She rarely orders from the kid's menu. She does enjoy character meals, but we already have several planned to schedule and good food is higher on our priority list than characters.

Thank you for your opinions! DH is excited to try SAI, he loves authentic Mexican. :)

Unfortunately for us we will miss the Food & Wine Festival by about a week. We thought about going back for it after our cruise, but ultimately decided not to.
 
We are huge foodies and willing to try anything at least once. Our daughter will be 8 at the time, but doesn't shy away from trying new things at all. She rarely orders from the kid's menu. She does enjoy character meals, but we already have several planned to schedule and good food is higher on our priority list than characters.

Thank you for your opinions! DH is excited to try SAI, he loves authentic Mexican. :)

Unfortunately for us we will miss the Food & Wine Festival by about a week. We thought about going back for it after our cruise, but ultimately decided not to.

Understandable, but a pity. Food & Wine Festival is foodie paradise. :)

My son is 6, but is a little foodie in training who of course likes his chicken fingers and fries, but is more likely to order grilled chicken or steak than "typical" kid food. He also likes to take his time eating - so we all get to enjoy our dining experience together. (I have to say, I love that. We eat pretty much anywhere, and he's happy to come along for the ride. He makes it easy.)

If you want quick service in EPCOT, Sunshine Seasons has tasty food (I often hear people specifically rave about the salmon though, again, not my thing). Place is often mobbed, but it's really good and worth searching for a table there. We also really like Tangierine Cafe and the Mexico pavilion quick-serve place. And of course, you can grab a pastry at the bakeries in Norway or France - yum!

I can tell you what we're considering for our next trip. Not sure how many days/meals we'll do in EPCOT yet, especially since we park hop (and our ADR window is still a few months off), but our preliminary list of places to eat (if we can squeeze them all in): Garden Grill, Spice Road Table (new to us), Rose & Crown (haven't been here in a while, really enjoyed it several years back), Le Cellier (one of our favorites), San Angel Inn (been a while, worth a return visit), Chefs de France.
 
Just as I expected, you got a list of virtually all the restaurants. I would recommend listening to the dining reviews on The Dis Podcasts. Also, review the menus.
 
We are big fans of the Biergarten in Germany for lunch (much cheaper than dinner with a lot of the same foods). They have a band and a dancefloor for the kids to dance on. It is a good distraction for my kids.
We also like Coral Reef, the fish tank is beautiful a and hold the kids attention as well. Again lunch cheaper than dinner for similar dishes..

For CS we like the QS in Mexico, Cantina de San Angel I think. It was relaxing to sit on the patio by the water and eat. Also a fan of Sunshine Seasons, food is good and a little different. My picky kids can usually even find something to eat there.
 
I will echo the votes for Sunshine Seasons if you're looking for a CS option. The food is fresh, (mostly) healthy and really delicious. [I may or may not already be daydreaming about the grilled veggie sandwich I plan to eat in August!] SAI is a favorite; the food and atmosphere are both really great. Have fun!!
 
Just as I expected, you got a list of virtually all the restaurants. I would recommend listening to the dining reviews on The Dis Podcasts. Also, review the menus.

We've reviewed all the menus and have an idea of what we think we will like. I mostly wanted people to explain their choices to me, so even if we get every restaurant listed I'll be happy hearing opinions! :)
 
We've reviewed all the menus and have an idea of what we think we will like. I mostly wanted people to explain their choices to me, so even if we get every restaurant listed I'll be happy hearing opinions! :)

Good point. I like the Dis reviews as they have usually done a restaurant multiple times and you get to understand their likes/dislikes. The recommendations here can be all over the place. What may be bad food to you and me could be a 3 star meal for someone else.

I look at menus and decide if they restaurant has too many dishes to do well or if some dishes are just beyond what I think they are capable of doing well.
 
Our favorites:

Le Cellier - The food and service are consistently good here. I love their filet!
Biergarten dinner - The service, entertainment, beer, pretzel rolls, and tomato/basil salad keep us coming back. We've enjoyed getting to know our table mates, also.
La Hacienda - The food. The view. :lovestruc
 
We loved Biergarten. It was my 4 YO's favorite meal of the trip. The food was great and the atmosphere was awesome. My kids loved being able to get up and dance.
 
We've reviewed all the menus and have an idea of what we think we will like. I mostly wanted people to explain their choices to me, so even if we get every restaurant listed I'll be happy hearing opinions! :)

Like you, I find it helpful to see why people choose what they choose - that helps guide me as well. :)
 
Via Napoli - amazing pizza and pasta!! And the tiramisu is to die for.

Teppan Edo - love the food here, and we get a kick out of watching the chefs cook.

Chefs de France - amazing cheese board, goat cheese salad, and the beef short ribs dish is to die for. The beef is so tender. Delish! And the creme brulee is phenominal.
 
Chefs de France is my absolute favourite restaurant at Epcot! We try to go there every time we are there for lunch or dinner. Delicious food, great service, and it's a place where I refuse to skip dessert :D
 
Chefs de France is my absolute favourite restaurant at Epcot! We try to go there every time we are there for lunch or dinner. Delicious food, great service, and it's a place where I refuse to skip dessert :D

I know what you mean; the strawberry desert is my favorite. Chefs de France has to be my favorite restaurant, which is why it would get my vote. That being said, Epcot has many wonderful restaurants, and it comes down to personal taste.
 
I would personally vote for Hacienda over San Angel Inn. My family has done both, and we live in an area where we have access to many real Mexican restaurants. We preferred the dishes at Hacienda- especially the Parradilla. We also felt that we had more room at the table than inside at San Angel Inn. I’d look at the two menus and decide which one looks more appealing to you. Several of the blogging sites have reviews with pictures as well.

We are trying Garden Grill this year for breakfast based on the reviews I have seen. The last time we went it was only dinner, but we enjoyed the food and the character interaction. They do also have lunch, which is the same food as dinner, I believe. We remember it being fresh and well-seasoned.

Rose and Crown is also a must-do for us each trip. We have never had a bad meal there, it has always been excellent service, and the view for Illuminations is one of our favorites. We have typically lucked out with a patio seat, but I know they have an area where they will let you watch it from as well if you are seated inside.

We have personally had poor experiences at Chefs de France, Via Napoli, and Coral Reef. This was mainly with the service, although it also affected some of the food (served cold or not cooked enough). Everyone seems to have a different experience, but we have not been back to these for several years as a result.

I would agree with either the French Bakery or the Boardwalk Bakery (a 10 minute walk out of the back of the park) as a quick service option. BB has a lobster roll that I think is pretty good. They also both have some great dessert options!
 














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