Thanks to the World Showcase, Epcot has the most varied restaurants of any Disney property. Each country pavilion has its own restaurant, there are stalls offering miscellaneous ethnic foods scattered around, and the Future World area also has great food options (along with one of my favorite quick service places in all of Disney World).
If you have only one day at Epcot, the best use of your time is lunch at Sunshine Seasons, which is a fast food court located in The Land building. This building also hosts the popular Soarin’ and Living With The Land exhibits so you can knock out the rides before you have lunch. If you’re more of a burger person, try the Connections Eatery located near in Epcot globe. For dinner, book a reservation at any sit-down restaurant in the World Showcase. See the next section below for more details.
If you have more than one day at Epcot, it’s a good idea to try two or more sit down Epcot restaurants throughout your Disney vacation. For lunch, try an early lunch reservation at Coral Reef (located in The Seas pavilion in Future World, the same building as the Nemo & Friends ride) or a late lunch reservation at a World Showcase country pavilion restaurant.
By the time dinner rolls around, you should have visited every World Showcase pavilion. Pick any World Showcase country restaurant for dinner; see below for recommendations.
Quick Recommendations
World Nature / World Celebration / World Discovery
If you’re in the northern area of Epcot (the area immediately around the Epcot globe) the choice is easy: for fast food go to Sunshine Seasons located in The Land pavilion.
For a sit-down restaurant, the Coral Reef Restaurant in the nearby The Seas pavilion is lovely – you have gorgeous views of the aquarium while you eat. If you dislike seafood, then the Garden Grill restaurant located in The Land pavilion is top-notch: their ingredients come from the greenhouses you see in the Living With The Land ride.
World Showcase
Most country pavilions have both a fast food shop and a sit-down restaurant – sometimes more than one of each!
The vast, vast majority of survey responses regarding Epcot food are highly positive; no single restaurant runs noticeably behind the others. This is likely due to two reasons:
- Most of the sit-down restaurants cater to a wide variety of tastes: every restaurant has differerent entrees offering seafood, steak, chicken, or vegetarian-based foods. Perhaps the only exception is Spice Road Table which offers lamb instead of beef (but still has chicken, seafood and vegetarian options).
- Fast food restaurants and kiosks are much more limited in their offerings but you can usually find something the whole family will eat. Depending on where you are in the World Showcase lagoon, a great default option is the Regal Eagle Steakhouse (serving cheeseburgers, ribs, and salad) located in the American pavilion (the midpoint of the World Showcase lagoon area). If the American pavilion is too far away, other great default choices are the Lotus Blossom Cafe in the China pavilion (offers fried rice and potstickers) or the Yorkshire County Fish Shop (serves fish and chips) in the United Kingdom pavilion.
Recommended Fast Food Restaurants
Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe
This bakery/fast food restaurant is in the Norway pavilion conveniently close to the Frozen Ever After ride. It’s a great place for a meal with its ham or smoked salmon sandwiches. If you’d prefer a quick snack, the bakery has croissants, pastries, and chocolate treats for everyone.
Recommendation: The smoked salmon sandwich gives you a taste of Norway. Pair it up with a Frozen-themed pastry.
La Cantina de San Angel
Be careful with the name – this is the quick-service/fast food counter just outside the Mexican pavilion, while La Hacienda de San Angel is the sit-down restaurant (also located just outside of the Mexican pavilion, next to the lagoon waters). This is a great place for quick bite to eat – I love getting the Taco Trio and eating while walking to the next World Showcase pavilions.
Recommendation: The Taco Trio or Nachos. Add in a Mexican beer for further enjoyment!
Regal Eagle Steakhouse
A huge quick service/fast food BBQ restaurant with plenty of tables located in the American pavilion of the World Showcase. It’s located on the left hand side of the pavilion if you’re looking straight at it.
Recommendation: Everything is delicious! It’s also a good place to take a break: the American pavilion is the halfway point of walking around the World Showcase, so rest up before tackling the rest of the pavilions.
I recommend the BBQ Platter, with Banana Pudding for dessert!
Pizza al Taglio
Pizza al Taglio translates into pizza by the slice (literally: pizza by the cut). That’s a fitting name for this quick-service/fast-food counter. It’s located at the back of the Italy pavilion, to the left of the Via Napoli entrance if you’re facing straight into the pavilion.
Recommendation: If you’re hungry, this is a great place to buy a huge slice of pizza and a drink. Have a seat on the raised circle in the middle of the pavilion or one of the benches nearby. Unfortunately this pizza window is only open seasonally, so it may not be available if you go during a low-traffic time.
Sunshine Seasons
One of my favorite fast food/quick service restaurants in Disney World. Sunshine Seasons is located in The Land pavilion, the same building as Soarin’ and Living With The Land rides. There are multiple food stations, including an Asian themed station and a grab-and-go section.
There’s something for everybody here: there are healthy options with plant-based “meat”, heavy meat options such as roast beef for the carnivores in the family, and prepackaged salads and sandwiches for those who want to eat on the go.
Recommendation: I love the Asian food station here: there’s typically a stir fry option that tastes delicious.
Recommended Sit Down Restaurants
Coral Reef Restaurant
A vastly underrated gem of a restaurant. It can be easy to miss – the entrance is to the far right of the entrance to The Seas With Nemo & Friends. Once you get in, the atmosphere is wonderful – the restaurant is decorated in shades of blue and perfectly blends in with views of the aquarium. Make sure to ask for a table right next to the aquarium walls – I had a friendly stingray swim up and watch me while I was dining! Either that or he was sleeping – I’m not a marine biologist!
Recommendation: If you love seafood or the seas, come here. I strongly suggest the sustainable salmon and a key lime tart for dessert.
Garden Grill
An amazing restaurant – the restaurant slowly turns, Chip and Dale (from Rescue Rangers) visit every table, and you get to see some of the views from the Living With The Land ride. It’s located in the The Land building, the same building as Soarin’.
Recommendation: It’s an all-you-can-eat restaurant, so feel free to eat everything! I love the chicken and mac & cheese.
La Hacienda de San Angel
I love this sit-down restaurant, located just outside the Mexico pavilion right on the lagoon. The large windows bring in plenty of sunlight so you have a terrific view of the World Showcase.
Recommendation: The Carne Asada or the Osso Buco. Top off the dinner with the sorbet trio.
Nine Dragons Restaurant
One of my favorite restaurants in the World Showcase, the Nine Dragons restaurant is gorgeously decorated in dark wood-paneled walls and brightly colored lanterns. Take out your camera, it’s worth taking some pictures of the interior.
This restaurant is located in the Chinese pavilion – it’s on the left hand side if you’re looking in. If you see the fast food area or the shops, you’ve passed the restaurant entrance already.
Recommendation: I loved the Crispy Duck Fried Rice – so many complex flavors! Have the ginger ice cream for dessert.
Spice Road Table
Located right in front of the Morocco pavilion, Spice Road Table is a Mediterranean-inspired sit-down restaurant. It also has a great view of the lagoon – try to ask for a table near the water, in the patio section.
Spice Road Table is a tapas/small-plate restaurant, meaning that you get lots of small dishes of various foods, and the whole table shares. At the minimum order the following small plates: the grilled lamb kefta, dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), and the naan spreads. You’ll be glad you did.
Recommendation: This is a very underrated restaurant; the small plates are an excellent way to sample a large variety of food. If you love Mediterranean food, this is the place to be.
Teppan Edo
My favorite, bar none, sit down restaurant in Epcot. If you’ve been to a Benihana’s, you know how this works. If you don’t: the restaurant sits a group of people around a large counter with a grill, and a chef will come out and cook all the dishes in front of you. The chef will also entertain: they can make a volcano out of onion rings, draw Mickey’s face in oil on the grill, do a Jenga-style stack of vegetables, and many other fun tricks.
Recommendation: Teppan Edo is a must-see. I go to it every time I visit Disney World. I order Tori (grilled chicken) with Hotate (scallops) add-on enhancement, along with miso soup. Everyone gets rice, noodles, and a good amount of veggies with their meat selection.
Tutto Italia Ristorante
Make sure you enter the right restaurant when you make reservations for here. Tutto Italia is on the left hand side of the Italy pavilion, just behind the clock tower. There’s another restaurant – Via Napoli – in the very back of the Italy pavilion.
Most, if not all, of the waiters/waitresses here speak both Italian and English, so try asking them to teach you a few words in Italian! This restaurant feels much more refined than the louder Via Napoli next door – it’s great for couples or if you need a break from the hubbub outside.
Recommendation: I loved the lasagna, but the raviolo was excellent too. Order the cannoli for dessert – you won’t regret it!
Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria
Via Napoli is located at the very back end of the Italy pavilion. If you like people-watching, it’s a great restaurant: the kitchen is open and you can see the ovens from many table seats. It can get very loud in here, so if you want a quieter, more intimate experience, try Tutto Italia.
Recommendation: There are plenty of great options on the menu – I loved the chicken parmesan. But make no mistake: this is a pizza restaurant first and foremost. My table ordered both meat and vegetarian pizzas and all were terrific. Order a strawberry ice cream for dessert and you’ll be completely stuffed full of wonderful food.