Of all the places to eat in Disney Parks, EPCOT boasts some of the most eclectic options. In fact, sometimes the best places to eat at Epcot are sometimes not “places” at all… and more like some outdoor kitchen at one of the annual festivals. This is our current issue with restaurants at Epcot. Of all the Disney Parks, Epcot is by far the most blessed when it comes to restaurant options thanks to the World Showcase. But, just because there are tons of food options, doesn’t mean they’re all good! You can, however, find some fantastic food at Epcot, if you know where to look. Here are the Epcot Restaurants to consider on your next vacation to Epcot, Walt Disney World.
The Best Restaurants at EPCOT Park
There is so much amazing food to be had at Epcot, and even more at the festivals, that there is no reason to not eat the best. While dining at Disney Springs is quickly rising to #1 in regards to food at Walt Disney World, Epcot has held the title for years! Here are our favorites.
Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie | France
- Where: World Showcase- France
- Views: Gift shop interior or French street outside
- Theme: French
- Character Dining: No
- Food: Breakfast, sandwiches and decadent desserts
We recommend it because:
This is one of our favorite places to grab an early breakfast before the World Showcase opens. Freshly baked croissants, breakfast sandwiches, and delectable little French pastries make this one of our favorite indulgences. Grab a mimosa or cappuccino to go along with whatever you’re having. It’s the second-best thing to actually being in a Parisian cafe. Enjoy it. Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie Menu
La Cantina de San Angel | Mexico
- Where: World Showcase- Mexico
- Views: Lake
- Theme: Mexican
- Character Dining: No
- Food: Authentic Mexican Food
We recommend it because:
We love the Mexican offerings here. With classic taco and burrito options, a great rice bowl, nachos, and empanadas you really can’t go wrong. Add in dining on the water, fast service, and some of the cheapest food in Epcot, and we find this to be a great lunchtime meal at the right price. La Cantina de San Angel Menu
Chefs de France | France
- Where: World Showcase- France
- Views: Fancy Restaurant
- Theme: French Dining
- Character Dining: No
- Food: French country staples
We recommend it because:
We love that this is one of the cheaper, and yet still cultural and fancy, restaurants in Epcot. You can get basics like Ratatouille, Lasagna and Chicken, or step it up a notch with braised Duck, Salmon, Escargot and more exquisite cuisine. The Gateau au Chocolat is by far one of the best chocolate cakes layered with mousse you will ever have. Be sure to indulge in dessert while you’re here. Chefs de France Menu
Regal Eagle Smokehouse Craft Drafts and Barbecue | America
- Where: World Showcase- America
- Views: Casual Restaurant
- Theme: Southern Barbecue
- Character Dining: No
- Food: BBQ meats, pulled pork, burgers
We recommend it because:
As the new kid on the block in Epcot’s quick service lineup, the BBQ Smokehouse has tons of flavors, options, and a plant-based burger too. We like this new addition as a casual sit-down restaurant if you want something a little more unique than your typical burger and fries. Be sure to try all the BBQ sauces! Regal Eagle Smokehouse Craft Drafts and Barbecue Menu
Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizza | Italy
- Where: World Showcase- Italy
- Views: The Pizza Ovens
- Theme: Italian
- Character Dining: No
- Food: Pasta, Italian meats, salads, and Pizza
We recommend it because:
You can find some pretty great Margherita Pizza at Via Napoli. It’s also one of those classier places where if you have two hours and want to lounge about eating Italian and sipping wine you absolutely can! And as far as Italian on Disney property this one is pretty close to the top! Withstanding Disney Springs’ multitude of up-and-coming Italian restaurants, of course. What we don’t love is that it’s all kind of pricey here! But it’s still worth at least one visit because the food is divine. Via Napoli Menu
EPCOT Restaurants That Almost Made the List
Biergarten: We love Biergarten. The festive atmosphere with singing and table sharing is enough to make you feel like you’re in an olde German village surrounded by friends. BUT… the food is still your basic buffet fare, and sharing your table with another family may not be your cup of tea. Definitely a fun experience you should have at least once.
Teppan Edo: This Hibachi restaurant in Japan combines freshly made food and an entertaining hibachi experience. While not crazy eclectic, the menu offers a limited selection of foods, especially for kids. This place is super allergy and gluten-free friendly. And the Matcha ice cream here is great. Read our Teppan Edo review.
La Hacienda de San Angel: We’ve given this restaurant several tries, without much luck due to a changing menu. As a result, we’ve had both great and sub-par meals here. On the plus side, La Hacienda de San Angel offers a great atmosphere, on the water, and a variety of Mexican flavors. The limited plant-based options here keep us looking for something better. Note, the quick service counter of this restaurant is QUITE GOOD!
Epcot Restaurants YOU CAN SKIP
Lotus Blossom Cafe
This is your basic fast-food Chinese. The pork and vegetable egg rolls here are decent, and the peach oolong tea is nice. Almost everything else on the menu has the standard high msg found in Chinese foods so finding somewhere else to eat, especially when it’s hot out, could be good for your heart and hydration levels! If you’re looking for Chinese we recommend heading to Disney Springs to visit the Morimoto Asia Street Food counter instead.
Restaurant Marrakesh
Restaurant Marrakesh offers little in the way of a unique dining experience, amidst a rushed dining experience. In and out in 45 minutes, every course came fast. With foods that were mostly overcooked, or potentially sitting under hot lamps. This one was a disappointment for us, and apart from the belly dancer show that happens while you eat, there isn’t much that differentiates this from basic middle eastern fare you’d find anywhere. You can grab the couscous and meats with more authentic flavor over at Spice Road Table, with better views.
Coral Reef
This restaurant can be found at The Seas building in the EPCOT World Nature area. Known for the fish tank feature that allows you to watch the tank while you eat, Coral Reef is more about the view than the food. While the food is adequate, if you’re a seafood person, you’re better off heading to the Boathouse at Disney Springs.
San Angel Inn Ristorante
Found in the Mexican Pavilion, this restaurant is themed to be outdoors at nighttime. That said it’s candlelight dining at best. The food is average but if we’re picking a Mexican place at Epcot, La Hacienda de San Angel is better for both counter-service lunch and table-service dinner.
Nine Dragons
Okay, so just know we’re pretty hard on Chinese Food. Nine Dragons is decent Chinese, but nothing compared to Morimoto Asia in Disney Springs. The experience and food are just better. So for our money, the Best Chinese Restaurant at Walt Disney World is Morimoto Asia, so why settle?
Akershus
This table service restaurant in Norway gets you all the Disney princesses in one place. The only other place on the property where you can get this is Cinderella’s Royal Table, for twice the price. Since the food here is heavy, a la classic Norway, it’s not our cup of tea, but may be worth it if you can scratch those Princess signatures off your Disney To-Do List. And get close to the Frozen Ever After line at the rope drop.
Best Restaurants in Epcot
Epcot, hands down has cultural cuisine covered. Whether it’s the awesome Japanese over at Tokyo Dining or the classic cheddar soup in Canada, there is a ton to eat at Epcot.
Rochelle Mariah is a writer, designer and photographer with an MLIS in Information Science and a B.S. in Arch and Design. Determined to make Planning a DIY Disney Vacation easier she makes lots of lists and drinks lots of coffee. When not designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she's watching old movies and planning the holidays. She has been traveling to Disney destinations since 2010.
It’s funny that some of your best are some of my worst. Garden Grill was a one-and-done for us. The food was bad. I mean really bad. The service wasn’t much better. It’s the only restaurant where we’ve paid a small fortune for a meal we didn’t eat. The kids wouldn’t eat the macaroni & cheese and they love mac & cheese. We left & headed straight to a quick service for dinner.
The Regal Eagle wasn’t what we’d hoped for, either. The burgers are served on garlic bread. I know some love that, but we didn’t. The garlic bread overpowered everything.
We’ve tried Via Napoli twice, and it won’t get a third chance. First time, we left without eating, or even ordering! We were seated at a table and no one ever came to serve us. Didn’t even get a drink order put in. We gave up after waiting 25 minutes. Second time, the service was great, but the food was just meh. I don’t know why everyone raves over their pizzas. We had a pepperoni pizza and I’ve seriously had better frozen ones. We got an individual pizza to split between two of us and left with half of it still on the tray.
We’re trying Tutto Italia on our trip next month. Hopefully it redeems our Epcot dining experience!
I guess that just goes to show you that we all have different tastes! For example, we do not like buffets (and never really have) and yet so many people do!
Walt Disney World has had consistency issues with their food within the last few years, and that always makes it difficult in posts like these. I’m sorry you’ve had bad experiences with these restaurants; we’ve never encountered anything like that at Disney.
Are there any Epcot restaurants that you do like?