Epcot....which would you choose?

[melbiel]

Hello,

I'm looking for people who are familiar with Epcot. This is going to be our first time. We are visiting with our 3 girls, ages 8, 6 and 3, as well as my parents. We do enjoy good food, which I found to be very difficult to find in MK the last time we went, but I have heard that Epcot has some really good restaurants. I'd also like a place where the kids will enjoy the food too. But I can't make up my mind b/c I don't know enough about the Epcot restaurants.

My questions is...out of the following restaurants, which would you choose for dinner:

Restaurant Marrakesh
Biergarten
Rose and Crown
Tutto Italia
Les Chefs de France
Bistro de Paris

Thanks SO much for any help or suggestions!!!!

 

[melbiel]

OK, I just wanted to say that I have crossed Bistro de Paris off the list. Sounds very fancy and they don't have a kid's menu. So I am left with the other 5 to choose from! I am also thinking Restaurant Marrakesh may not be great for kids, but not sure. Ugh! Very confused. I'm leaning towards Biergarten right now, or possibly Tutto Italia.

 

[Agri]

If you have more tame tastebuds, I'd pick Rose & Crown.

I really like Marrakesh - its a bit more adventurous, but there are also some really 'tame' items - like the beef kebab.

I'd also recommend Kouzzina - just outside World Showcase at the Boardwalk. Yummy Greek food! Cape May also has a great dinner buffet at BC.

Biergarten is *okay* as was Tutto Italia. I wouldn't eat at either again, tbh. Same for Les Chefs. For me, they were 'okay', but I have had better outside Disney, so I wouldn't eat at them again.

 

[Euphoria027]

Biergarten has that awesome German band... I think that's definitely your best call. Enjoy your trip!

 

[OhThePain]

I second Biergarten for dinner. The band is a lot of fun and the atmosphere is great. The buffet is alright, nothing fantastic but you won't leave hungry either. The atmosphere and band is really what makes Biergarten worth going to.

Les Chef's is my second choice. My girlfriend and I really enjoyed our dinner there this past May. We haven't gone for lunch yet but have heard good things, plus Remy is there for lunch which is supposed to be great.

 

[figment_jii]

I've eaten at most of these places recently, except Bistro and Marrakesh. As for the other four places, I like all of them and we tend to eat at them on each trip. I do not know much about the kid's menu, so I can't really provide any guidance there.

Are you children outgoing? The Biergarten does "Oktoberfest" and the kids are invited/encouraged to go out onto the dance floor. Our table mates had a little girl (probably about 4) and she had great time twirling about and "dancing" with the other kids. As for the food, it's German, so it's on the heavier side, but the buffet is pretty extensive and my family liked it.

The other three resturants on your list are all good. The Rose & Crown has the mildest and most familiar foods. [Edit: correction] Tutto Italia specializes in pasta and a wide variety of really yummy desserts (sorry about earlier error, it's Via Napoli that specializes in pizza). Les Chefs has a really good dinnner prix fixe menu (for adults).

 

[MJMcBride]

I would go Tutto Italia followed by Biergarten

My fave however is Teppan Edo

just sayin is all

 

[melbiel]

We don't particularly have tame taste buds, and being Greek myself, Kouzzina, as someone mentioned, sounds great, but I don't think everyone we're with is going to want to leave the park to eat dinner. (I am assuming it is outside of Epcot..,Please correct me if I'm wrong!). It sounds like Biergarten is fun for the kids - and yes, I think mine would dance! LOL. Just thought the food sounded heavy, as someone also mentioned, but I guess we just won't eat a ton of it if that's the case. So I'm thinking maybe Rose and Crown for lunch and Biergarten for dinner? Does that sound like a plan? I just don't want to end up missing a really good restaurant b'c I don't know what I'm doing!

 

[figment_jii]

Kouzzina is outside of Epcot, but it's over in the Boardwalk Area. You'd go out International Gateway (between UK and France) in World Showcase and then walk about 0.3 miles to the restaurant. In reality, it's probably take about the same time to get there as it would to get to the Biergarten from the UK.

Allears.net has a listing of some of the items you'll find on the Biergarten buffet. Based on my experiences, it seems like a pretty good list.
http://allears.net/menu/men_ger.htm

Seeing as it is a buffet, if you're thinking of having a sit down lunch as well, I would recommend trying for an early lunch (around 11:30 or noon, depending on when the restaurant opens) and then a mid- to late-dinner (maybe around 7:00 pm). That way you won't still be full from lunch when you go to dinner.

 

[cynzilla]

I would recommend two other places in EPCOT:

Teppan Edo, in Japan for kids that age. If they are picky eaters (like mine) you cant go wrong with chicken or beef and plain white rice, and if not there are three dipping sauces they can dip their chicken/beef into. The adult selection is GREAT, and while they are cooking it is a little show where they do the knife throwing, the onion volcano, the dancing chicken.....a lot of fun.

What about the Garden Grill (dinner only) to meet the characters with salad, bread, fish, turkey and some beef type dish, all served family style. This is a GREAT character dinner because they are not as rushed as the other character meals, and resturant spins slowly from a rainforest to a desert, to a farm.

Just a few suggestions...have fun.

 

[melbiel]

Unfortunately. there aren't any reservations for Teppen Edo or the Garden Grille available, so I have to choose from the others. I am definitely going to do Rose and Crown for lunch. Just need to decide on dinner!!! Thanks so much for all the info. It is SO helpful.

 

[Harlemgirl720]

I second Teppan Edo or even Nine Dragons. If it doesn't have to be in the World showcase, the kids loved the Garden Grill and Coral Reef.

 

[crisi]

Restaurant Marrakesh - we like Moroccan food. bellydancer is fun
Biergarten - good food - buffet, which isn't my favorite with kids
Rose and Crown - food marginal, service lousy
Tutto Italia - haven't eaten her
Les Chefs de France - food lousy, service lousy. Probably the worst Disney dining experience we've had.
Bistro de Paris - no kids menu, we haven't eaten here.

 

[baler31]

Just an opinion but we found the food at Biergarten to be awful. Frankly all the buffets are "meh" at best. I would try Tutto or Via Napoli for a sit down meal or Chefs de France for lunch only (we do not care for dinner there). Rose and Crown we used to enjoy but the last several times it has been just okay, they changed the fish and chips we used to enjoy for lunch and the new version seems to be of a much lower quality.

There are quite a few restaurants that are suitable for children but still offer items for a broader palate, however most of them are at resorts and not the parks.

Also, it is very easy to eat in World Showcase for lunch at any of the small eateries. We stop at several along the way and everyone gets one of their favorites.

 

[chipscamping buddy]

Biergarten is one of our favorites. Our DD, 10 now, has always loved it. The food is good, not fantastic, but never bad. The band is great funa nd teh dancing can really make your night if you are willing to go out on the floor and do the chicken dance.

 

[SunnieRN]

I would go to lunch at Teppan Edo, since there are no dinner ressies available. It is a fun experience and the food is really something that most kids really like.

Next choice would be lunch at Chefs De France, for Remy! He is SO cute and not there at dinner.

If you make a different reservation for dinner, you can check at Teppan Edo, before you go, to see if they have an opening that night. You may be pleasantly surprised!!

 

[disneybliss2]

Of your options, I would say Biergarten. Good food buffet--not outstanding, but good, and they have a fun band that plays; they even have a dance floor that your girls and you can get out and dance. Lots of fun!
Have you considered Akershus? It's my daughters' favorite restaurant at Epcot. It's a character meet-n-greet w/ the princesses in a castle. Pictures come included w/ the price of the meal. The food there is also very good. We love Akershus!

 

[AKL LOVER]

I second Akershus and Garden Grill! Both of these are great character meals. If there are no ADR's available for either (and you really want to try one of them) then here is what I would do:

Make an ADR at one of the places on your initial list. Keep going back on line or calling disney dining every couple of days (or even once a day!) to check for openings at Akershus and GG. Chances are something is bound to open up and you could grab it. Then once you've booked that, just cancel the ADR you made originially.

I did this the first time we went to Disney and snagged a great ADR time at CRT about a month before we left!

Good luck!

 

[ktlm]

My 5 year old loves Biergarten. She ranks it up there with Princess meals. She is a picky eater, and she always eats a ton at that meal. She also loves the band and getting out on the dance floor. The grown-ups like Biergarten too.