Tasting Culture: A Guide to Dining at EPCOT Restaurants

Looking for outstanding dining options at a Disney theme park? Look at EPCOT. With restaurants representing 11 countries, dining at Epcot is as much an experience as it is a theme park. And if you have the kids or grandkids along, even better. This is your opportunity to introduce them to foods from around the world in a place they already love. Whether it’s French pastries, Canadian poutine or Japanese sushi, EPCOT offers so many flavors.

Dining Info for Disney’s Phased Re-Opening

As Walt Disney World moves forward with the phased re-opening, dining at the Most Magical Place on Earth may look a little different. Some of the information below may not apply during the reopening period. Many dining experiences may be modified or unavailable in order to promote cleanliness and physical distancing. Advanced Dining Reservations are available up to 60-days in advance, which is a (maybe?) temporary change from the 180 days we’re used to. Face coverings are required to enter the restaurant and may be removed when you’re seated at your table. At this time, it appears buffets and most character meals are listed as temporarily unavailable. For more information, including a list of what is and isn’t open, read here.

Dining at EPCOT: From Food Stands to Fine Dining

When dining at Epcot – or any of the other Disney Parks parks in Walt Disney World Resort – dining reservations are best. There are lots of food options, from snacks, to quick service, to sit-down meals. If you want a sit-down meal, advanced reservations are best, even if you’re making them on your app while in the park. If you have the Disney Dining Plan, mention that when you make your reservation or let your server know as soon as you’re seated.

As a whole, theme parks aren’t known for a thriving culinary scene, but that’s not the case when it comes to dining at EPCOT. With an abundance of EPCOT restaurants ranging from food stands to quick service or counter service restaurants to sit down dining, there’s truly something for everyone—even the little ones in your group.

EPCOT has the unique mission of introducing us to cultures of the countries represented and, of course, food plays an important role. Here are just a few of our favorites at EPCOT that provide not only delicious food but also a chance to open up the world to your kids and grandkids through food.

Restaurant Marrakesh in the Moroccan Pavilion

You can visit Morocco without leaving the country. The Moroccan Pavilion and Restaurant Marrakesh were hand-tiled by the Moroccan King’s artisans creating a spellbinding location to taste Moroccan culture. You’ll find the national dish of couscous on the menu accompanied by beef, chicken, lamb and vegetables. Beef kebabs served with rice are also a favorite menu item. And for the little ones, there are familiar menu choices like chicken tenders and hamburger. If you can talk them into something a little different, go for the Moroccan style pasta. Dining at Epcot is a great way to introduce new foods, but the stand-by kid fare is there, too.

Where the real cultural interaction occurs is in the entertainment as Moroccan musicians and belly dancers dazzle diners young and old. If you want another dining option in the Morocco Pavilion, check out Spice Road Table, which is a little more moderately prices than Restaurant Marrakesh.

Dining  at EPCOT with Princesses – Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

Anyone who knows me knows that Norway is one of my favorite places on the planet. And at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in the Norway Pavilion, you too can get a taste of Norway. Norwegian meatballs and salmon dishes are on the menu for both adults and kids. But if you can’t convince a picky eater to try something new, kid favorites like mac & cheese and pizza are also available.

The food at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall is good. Not outstanding, just good. However, the big draw for eating here is princesses. Akerhus is one of two character meal options when dining at Epcot. The other is the Harvest Feast at Garden Grill so keep reading!

If you have a Disney princess lover in your group, Akershus is a great way to get a handful of quality character interactions without standing in long lines. As with all character dining, make sure you reserve as far in advance as possible. You’ll meet Belle upon entrance to the dining room and several other princesses visit you at your table. If you’re still hungry after your meal, hop on over to Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe for some delicious Norwegian Kringla or other treats. 

Adults who REALLY want a taste of Norway can try an assortment of cocktails made with Norway’s liquid treasure, Aquavit. It’s strong but it is true Norway—and I speak from experience.

Dining at EPCOT with Chip and Dale – Harvest Feast at the Garden Grill

Character dining is always a big splurge at Walt Disney world but getting the up close and personal time with favorite characters can make it worth the spend.

The Harvest Feast at EPCOT features good, plain food and lots of it. While the meals won’t win any awards for culinary creativity, family style meals full of comfort food that everyone likes have their place in dining at EPCOT, just as the fancier, more adventurous places do.

The Garden Grill offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is eggs, breakfast meats, potatoes, sausages, sticky buns, and of course, Mickey waffles. Lunch and dinner is salad, turkey, beef with chimichurri sauce, lots of sides and strawberry shortcake for dessert. A lot of the ingredients are grown locally at EPCOT. Meals are served family style and you can eat as much as you want. Characters include Chip and Dale, farmer Mickey and Pluto.

The coolest thing about this dining experience is that the restaurant rotates and offers a view of Living with the Land, one of the attractions at EPCOT.  Harvest Feast won’t do much to introduce your kids’ palates to new flavors but it can introduce conversations about sustainability and farming. 

Coral Reef Restaurant

Another fun option for dining with kids is the Coral Reef Restaurant. This eatery, open for lunch and dinner, offers a selection of seafood dishes and other seasonal cuisine and a view of colorful fish, sea turtles or even sharks. Panoramic windows give every table an insider view into the awesome, underwater world of The Seas with Nemo & Friends. 

You don’t have to be dining with kids to enjoy the menu or the view but there’s so much to see here that your kids of any age will be entertained. 

Via Napoli in the Italy Pavilion

As far as I’m concerned, you really can’t go wrong with Italian food. Who doesn’t love pizza and pasta? And you’re going to love Via Napoli in the Italy pavilion. Wood-fired in three ovens in the shape of three faces that represent Italy’s three volcanoes, the Neapolitan pizzas are the main attraction. They’re good…really good. Also on the menu is an assortment of pasta dishes.

Wood-fired in three ovens in the shape of three faces that represent Italy’s three volcanoes, the Neapolitan pizzas are the main attraction. They’re good…really good. Also on the menu is an assortment of pasta dishes. It’s a fun atmosphere with enough noise to help you relax if your kids or grandkids aren’t exactly quiet diners—like a couple of mine! And did I mention there’s gelato on the dessert menu?

And did I mention there’s gelato on the dessert menu? Definitely keep this in mind when dining at EPCOT with a group. Everyone can usually agree on pizza.

Goods Times in Germany at Biergarten

It’s a Biergarten Restaurant so it has to be fun! Located in the Germany Pavilion, the Biergarten is a buffet—and even has a special buffet just for the kids. Sample sausages to you heart’s content, try spätzle or fill up on pretzels and beer. You’re in Germany (sort of) and it’s all about a festival. Live music by an oompah band and plenty of crowd participation will keep you and the kids entertained.

As a Biergarten, there’s obviously a large selection of beers and they’re available in those infamously huge beer steins or in beer flights. I was happy to see my favorite German beer on the menu, Schöfferhofer Grapefruit—a lighter beer made with grapefruit which, of course, makes it a healthy choice, right?

Dining at EPCOT Brings a Taste of French Culture at Chefs de France

Dining at the France Pavilion’s Chefs de France is an excellent way to expose your kids or grandkids to French culture. It’s more of a grown-up dining experience that gives you the chance to expose your little ones to proper table manners at this table service restaurant.

The menu includes French delicacies like the Casserole of Burgundian escargots baked in parsley and garlic butter, French Onion soup topped with Gruyère cheese and Canard aux cerises—duck breast and leg confit with cherries, sweet potato puree and zucchini.

On the kid’s menu, simple entrees like grilled chicken tenderloin and pasta with ham and cheese are familiar. But seeing them on the menu in French is an ideal way to share a taste of French culture with the kids. If your kids are a little bit adventurous, this is a great choice.

Those firmly in the “chicken fingers and mac n’ cheese” camp might not be as happy with the choices. Singing “Be Our Guest” and talking about some of the delicacies the dishes put on the table for Belle might make unfamiliar French food more enticing to picky palates.

If you’re still hungry after your delicious French meal, the France Pavilion has amazing ice cream – check out L’artisan des Glaces  – crepes and other pastries.

Dining at EPCOT = Tasting the World

These are just a few of the choices for international cuisine at Epcot. The World Showcase has so many choices. Want Chinese Food? Check out Nine Dragons Restaurant in China.  There’s also sushi in Japan’s Pavilion if you want to explore a different variety of Asian flavor. Want fish and chips? Head to the United Kingdom. Tacos or other Mexican delights? The Mexico Pavilion has you covered.  And, of course, good ‘ole American barbecue. EPCOT offers the chance to taste the world without a passport, don’t miss out.

If you want to take tasting the world a little bit further, check out some of the options to explore the cuisine of Africa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom or Animal Kingdom Lodge. To see our review of Tusker House, check out this post.