EPCOT is the food Mecca of Walt Disney World. You can eat and drink around the world, out of the galaxy, and sustainably here in Orlando. Here’s the problem with EPCOT… There is so much food and you can only eat so much! Did you know that there are more than 50 places that sell food in EPCOT, and this does not include popcorn carts or festival booths! So let us dig into the best places to eat in Epcot, our ultimate guide to eating in World Showcase.
World Showcase Food and Dining
Sure, there is a lot of food at the front of the park, but let’s be honest with ourselves. If you are planning your stomach space for EPCOT, you’re thinking about World Showcase. EPCOT is famous for its festivals, festivals all about FOOD! And of course, drinks. There is almost always a festival going on with revolving menus based on the season. But did you know that there are almost 50 permanent places to grab a bite in World Showcase? Let’s start in Mexico because let’s face it, Canadian food is really heavy. If you start there, you will be down for the count early!
Mexico
Buckle up and prepare yourself for some of the best tequila-based cocktails of your life! Things can be safe and tame or get downright weird at this pavilion, so let’s start this adventure with our sense of adventure in our front pocket.
Choza de Margarita
This snack stand has a small selection of tacos, empanadas, guacamole and chips on the menu. What else does it have? I’m sure this is a total shock, but Choza de Margarita has a solid selection of margaritas. For being a small snack stand, the options are great for people who are bored with your basic margaritas.
MUST HAVE ITEM: Top Shelf Clasica - $16
This margarita on the rocks features Teremana Blanco Tequila and Gran Gala Orange Liqueur, fresh lime juice, agave, a hint of rose wine, and a BLACK ANT SALT rim!!! I told you it can get weird in the Mexico pavilion. I’m not sure you can get much more interesting than a Black Ant Salt rim. Vaya con díos…
La Cantina de San Angel
This quick-service restaurant is like Choza de Margarita’s big brother. This menu features 8 different traditional style tacos and empanadas, sides of black beans, rice, fried plantains, and nacho cheese, (hey, maybe where you come from nacho cheese is a side dish. We won’t judge.), and a full kid’s menu. You can even get your classic Disney treats here like Churros and a Premium Mickey Bar, but you’re not going to eat those here. You’re in EPCOT! You can get those anywhere.
You will also find a full list of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks on this menu. Alcoholic drinks range from $10.50 for a draft beer, and has a range of margaritas from classic frozen margaritas (think Applebee’s) at $12.50 to fancy hand-crafted cocktail margaritas with specialty liquors maxing out at $17.
MUST HAVE ITEM: Taco Trio - $14.99
How can you conceive of going to Mexico and not getting tacos? Exactly, you can’t. This dish lets you try one of each of their top tacos, barbacoa beef, chicken, and shrimp. The barbacoa beef taco features shredded beef on top of a homemade corn tortilla topped with red salsa and cilantro. The chicken taco has marinated shredded chicken, red salsa, and cilantro. The simple toppings on these tacos really allow the meat to be the main show. The shrimp taco is a little “extra”. This features homemade corn breaded shrimp on a corn tortilla with cabbage, salsa verde, and mango relish. This place is also served with a side of rice, black beans, and queso fresco.
La Hacienda de San Angel
The Mexico Pavillion is rather confusing as far as all of these “San Angel places”. Really, Disney? You couldn’t pick any other saints to name places after? Guadalupe? Diego? Something to break it up a bit! Alas, the second in the San Angel trio is La Hacienda de San Angel. This is table service dining right on the water of the EPCOT lagoon, AKA a great place to see the fireworks! If you make a reservation for 8:00 or 8:30 PM, be sure to request a fireworks view table.
The vibe here is elevated Mexican food. The menu features lots of bold flavors, marinated meats, and words that we might be embarrassed to try to pronounce. The food is very good, but also quite heavy, especially when visiting multiple pavilions. Funny enough, our favorite item on the menu is a salad!
MUST HAVE ITEM: Ensalada Hacienda - $13
This fresh mixed salad features arugula, watermelon, pumpkin seeds, toasted sesame seeds, queso fresco, and is topped with a lime oregano vinaigrette. The flavors shouldn’t work, but they just do!
San Angel Inn Restaurante
Experience classic Mexican food and culture in a beautiful dining experience at San Angel Inn Restaurante. If you were focusing your whole day just in the Mexico pavilion, we would recommend taking a three-course journey. However, assuming you’re snacking your way around the world, we recommend the cheesy goodness that is the appetizer section of the menu. Queso Fundido, Totopos con Queso, Tostadas de Pollo - all you need to know is that they are all covered in cheese! If you have a group, you definitely want to scan this dessert menu for fun that you won’t ever forget.
MUST HAVE ITEM: Chocolate “Fiesta” Pyramid - $34
What’s more fun than a pinata? One where you can eat everything, including the pinata! Be sure to bring friends in on the fun with this one because it is huge! This is a decorated chocolate pyramid filled with Mexican chocolate mousse and toffee on top of a traditional tres leches cake. If that’s not enough, it also comes with ice cream… and a hammer.
La Cava del Tequila (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/epcot/cava-del-tequila/menus/ )
This is the creme de la creme of tequila-based cocktails. This tiny, literal hole in the wall is inside the giant pyramid, and is the hottest “secret” of the Mexican pavilion. This is not a very big bar, so it fills up fast. Every drink features top shelf liquors, exotic ingredients, and yup, more ant salt rims! Don’t worry, there are other salt rims.
MUST HAVE ITEM: Blood Orange Margarita - $18.00
This drink features Ambhar blanco tequila, orange liqueur, blood orange juice, hint of rum and vanilla, with a spicy chile lime rim. Who doesn’t love a sweet and spicy concoction!
Norway
The Norway pavilion features a restaurant that has not yet reopened as of 2022. Akershus Royal Banquet Hall was a princess character dining that was almost half the cost of Cinderella’s Royal Table. Snow White, Ariel, Belle, and Aurora used to all parade the halls of Akershus, so for the price point, it was great for all little princesses. Keep watching our page for updates on the final phases of reopening!
Norway is one of the smallest pavilions, but they make up for it Elsa. Frozen fans, the Kingdom of Arendelle was in the heart of Norway, so it is only natural that EPCOT would build Anna and Elsa a summer house. This is where guests can go get an autograph and photo.
Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe
Getting ready to wait in the long Frozen Fever ride queue? Don’t forget a snack over at the Kringla Bakeri! This snack cafe has a bakery case filled with traditional Norwegian pastries. Flaky, buttery, custard-filled, pillows of happiness. Don’t forget your Joffrey’s Cold Brew to go with it!
MUST HAVE ITEM: Lefse - $3.29
Don’t even ask how to properly pronounce this! However you say it, it is a beautiful blend of simple ingredients and buttery pastry. Lefse is a soft flat bread rolled with cinnamon, sugar, and butter. It’s simple, for sure, but eating around the world, it’s sometimes the basic treats that just hit the right notes.
China
China definitely has one of the prettiest pavilion buildings, but don’t get caught up in architecture and forget the task at hand… FOOD!
Joy of Tea
This may be considered a “snack cart” but its pitiful snack offering of just 1 style of spring rolls is not why you stop here. This place is all about the tea and cocktails. We also consider this place like “Boba for Beginners”.
MUST HAVE ITEM: Tipsy Ducks in Love - $13.00
Yes, it has a funny name, but it’s so good that it’s not funny. This drink is a dangerous mix of black tea, coffee, cream, chocolate and bourbon. With this list of ingredients you would think that the drink is very heavy, but it’s light and delicious.
Nine Dragons Restaurant
Nine Dragons Restaurant is a table service restaurant in the China pavilion. This isn’t like your run-of-the-mill Chinese takeout back home, this is Chinese food, fancy-style. Okay, you will definitely recognize a lot of the menu from your typical takeout like chicken pot stickers, honey sesame chicken, and happy medley family, but it is in a beautiful atmosphere.
MUST HAVE ITEM: Crispy Duck Bao Buns - $13.95
Being that my favorite Pixar short is Bao, and my Turning Red is quickly becoming my favorite Pixar movie, I chose these bao buns. The buns are soft and chewy and the duck inside is so flavorful. A nice slaw really lightens up the dish. Sadly, I did not turn into a red panda or anything after eating, but it was delicious, and something that I have never eaten out of a white cardboard box before.
Lotus Blossom Cafe
Couldn’t get a reservation for Nine Dragons or just didn’t want to take an hour out of your EPCOT day? Panda Express… I mean Lotus Blossom Cafe has your American-style Chinese food. Seriously, this is like every mall food court in America. Of course, it’s delicious, it’s Chinese food! But it is not very interesting, and not really worth your stomach space in Disney.
MUST HAVE ITEM: Orange Chicken Combo - $14.50
This tastes exactly how you expect it to taste and sometimes there is a lot of comfort in that after seeing tiny broken ant bodies on the rim of a margarita back in Mexico… If your group is looking to enjoy something from every pavilion, you won’t be upset with this. The crispy orange chicken also comes with steamed rice, an egg roll, and a vegetable side.
House of Good Fortune
You walk up to this location and notice rather quickly, this is not a restaurant. No, it is not. It is a department store. However, it carries authentic Chinese snacks that are much more interesting and fun than Chinese takeout! This is also the location where you can see the cotton candy artist create those gigantic cotton candy flowers. Be sure to check your times' guide when you enter the park!
MUST HAVE ITEM: Lays Potato Chips
These aren’t at all like the chips that we sell here in the United States. I thought the most interesting chip ever was pickle, but boy was I wrong. Here is the selection on our last visit: chestnut, italian red meat flavor (is this trying to say meatball?), roasted chicken wing, numb and spicy pot, grilled squid, lotus blossom, cucumber and fried crab. This could be a really fun take home! I must say, I am intrigued by the cherry blossom. Which would you choose?
Germany
Fun Fact: Be sure to check out the train set in the Germany pavilion! While many people just breeze by, you should look a little closer. Imagineers redecorate the little town every few months to match the current festival in EPCOT. Seriously, look at the little banners on the light posts!
Karamell-Küche
As soon as you start making your way towards Germany you can smell it, the smell of sweet caramel. Smell faintly familiar? That’s because this booth is sponsored by Werther’s, so all of the caramel will bring back memories of stealing candy out of Grandma’s purse. If you are looking for Carmel corn in Disney World, be sure to get it fresh from this pavilion. Other items