34 Best Restaurants in Epcot, Walt Disney World Orlando

A mere staircase away from EPCOT's busy World Showcase, Monsieur Paul is a subdued, sophisticated (and not very kid-friendly) French restaurant owned by chef Jerome Bocuse and named for his world-famous father, the late Culinary Institute of America's Chef of the Century, Paul Bocuse. Make a reservation here if you are looking for an expensive, polished, and delightful diversion from the theme park's bustle. The seasonal prix-fixe Gastronomic Meal of the French has six courses, including a cheese plate and dessert. Hors d'oeuvres of Maine lobster salad with passion-fruit vinaigrette, escargot cassolette, and saffron mussel soup precede a fish course featuring potato-scaled snapper or seared scallops served with maple pumpkin velouté, followed by an extravagant meat course (lamb, beef tenderloin, or chicken).

Hidden in the back of the Japan Pavilion, the impressive and intimate Takumi-Tei is split into five theme rooms inspired by water, wood, earth, stone, and washi paper. Though hours are limited, the dining experiences are of the highest caliber, with two omakase, multicourse options—an omnivorous meal ($250 per person) or a plant-based meal ($150 per person). Seasonal items include Japanese A5 Wagyu steak, lobster tempura, sashimi, vegetable tempura, and soba noodles. Children must be over the age of eight to participate, and there is no kids' menu.

Featuring fantastic views of the resort and EPCOT, this pricey restaurant on the 10th floor of the Riviera Resort is one the best on Disney property. In the evening, try handcrafted pastas such as rigatoni or the traditional bouillabaisse; at breakfast, enjoy a family-style character meal. While you indulge in sour cream waffles, wild mushroom scramble, or wood-fired butcher's steak, Mickey and friends come right to your table. 

This restaurant has character buffets at all three meals, with an array of Disney princesses, including Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, Aurora, Mary Poppins, and even an occasional cameo appearance by Cinderella. The breakfast menu is American, but lunch and dinner feature an ever-changing assortment of Norwegian specialties. Appetizers usually include herring, goat-milk cheese, lefse bread, and gravlax (cured salmon served with mustard sauce), or fiskepudding (a seafood mousse with herb dressing). For a main course, you might try traditional ground pork and beef kjottkake (dumplings), fillet of salmon, or seared pork tenderloin with apricot glaze. Children will be happy choosing among mac 'n' cheese, corn dog nuggets, or Norwegian meatballs. Aquavit, wine, and specialty drinks are offered. All meals are prix-fixe.

Oktoberfest runs 365 days a year at this restaurant, where cheerful crowds and an oompah band set the stage for a buffet of German specialties. The menu and level of frivolity are the same at lunch and dinner. Mountains of sauerbraten, bratwurst, chicken or pork schnitzel, sausages, spaetzle, apple strudel, Bavarian cheesecake, and Black Forest cake await at the all-you-can-eat buffet, overlooking a three-level dining room and entertainment stage. Patrons pound pitchers of all kinds of beer and wine on the long communal tables—even when the yodelers, singers, and dancers aren't egging them on. Prices change seasonally.  The massive buffets and raucous music make this a surprisingly fun place for kids.

Strange but good brews—Rocket Red Ale, Southern Flyer Light Lager, Steamboat Pale Ale, Gadzooks Pilsner—abound at this microbrewery, where you can sip your suds inside amid giant stainless-steel tanks or outside on a lake-view patio. The menu emphasizes meat and fish, with baby back ribs dry-rubbed and topped with honey chipotle barbecue sauce, elaborate hamburgers, or blackened fish tacos. Wine and cocktails are available for the nonbeer-drinking crowd.

With the feel of a New England seafood house—the type your grandma might enjoy—this bustling spot in the Beach Club Resort features popular buffet meals. For breakfast, Minnie and other cast classics visit tables while families help themselves to American classics from waffles to sausage links from the buffet. In the evening, seafood is the star of the show. Instead of characters, diners dote on a turf platter of slow-roasted strip loin or a seafood boil with mussels, clams, shrimp, and a catch of the day.

This plush, bustling brasserie remains true to the spirit and the vision of Paul Bocuse, Gaston Lenôtre, and Roger Vergé, three of France's most famous chefs (Bocuse's son, Jerome, continues to run the restaurant). Classic escargots, a good starter, are prepared in a casserole with garlic butter; you might follow up with salmon marinated in white wine and lemon and served in a champagne sauce or grilled beef tenderloin with green peppercorn sauce; naturally, ratatouille is available, as is the occasional three-course, prix-fixe meal. Finish with your pick of a Parisian dessert.

Family-style meals are served here as the restaurant revolves, giving you an ever-changing backstage view of the Living with the Land boat ride. Offering quantity over quality, the restaurant serves all-you-can-eat meals with visits from Chip ’n’ Dale, Pluto, and occasionally Mickey. Typical choices include grilled beef, barbecue chicken, and seasonal veggies, plus kiddie favorites like mac and cheese. Beer and wine are available as well. Those who prefer a plant-based diet will appreciate a feast crafted just for them.  Except for the princess meals in Norway, this is the only EPCOT restaurant that has Disney character meet and greets during meals.

Those looking for their Starbucks coffee will appreciate the large space and quick-moving lines at this spot to the left of Spaceship Earth when you enter EPCOT. Disney-crafted bakery items change out regularly here, with some items inspired by whichever festival is happening in the park at that time.

With three kitchens offering a range of American-, French-, and Asian-inspired dishes, there's something for everyone at this brightly covered eatery. Picky eaters can enjoy an American burger or chicken sandwich, while those with sophisticated taste buds can savor the French Bistro Burger or an Asian-inspired salad. Disney is working on expanding its plant-based offerings, shown here in the California Burger or Niçoise-style salad. And make sure to save room for dessert. The Liège waffle and Black Forest baumkuchen (tree cake) are both delicious!

With stunning views of the 5.7-million-gallon aquarium, dining at Coral Reef is as entertaining as it is delicious. As you watch marine life—and sometimes scuba divers—swim by, enjoy dishes from a seasonal menu that's heavy on seafood offerings. Options might include shrimp and grits or seared mahi-mahi in a coconut and cilantro-lime sauce. This is a great option for those wanting to try upscale dining with younger kids, as they'll be able to either test new items such as lobster bisque or play it safe with grilled chicken. Plus, the aquarium is a great distraction while waiting for the food to arrive!

One of Disney World's finest restaurants—a high-ticket night out that's worth the price—has a menu heavy on seasonal seafood as well as steaks. Options include filet mignon, red snapper, and sea bass, as well as exotic fare like Verlasso salmon. Those looking for an extravagant meal can try the shrimp trofie pasta with shrimp, lobster, scallops, clams, and mussels. Special chef's table menus are available by reservation. The sparkling dining room is decorated with schools of glass fish flying overhead and gold highlights everywhere. Free self-parking is available; inform the entry booth that you are dining.

A 25-foot tree is draped with twinkling lights at this breakfast-only restaurant that's open Thursday through Monday. It's a great place for families to fuel up on everything from French toast to a pork roll on everything bagel.

Knife-wielding chefs prepare world-class sushi and sashimi, as well as other Japanese treats like soups and salads, at this sleek sushi bar, where bamboo-style floor tiles and dark teakwood furnishings set the scene. Popular items include the Dragon Roll (giant shrimp and tuna), Banzai Roll (spicy tuna, avocado, and krab), and Bagel Roll (smoked salmon, cream cheese, and cucumber). Cocktails are a draw, too, along with entertainment in the form of nightly karaoke.

Here you can order Norwegian treats such as kringla, a pretzel-shaped pastry with toppings; lefse, a soft flatbread with cinnamon, sugar, and butter; or a troll horn, a puff pastry filled with orange-marmalade cream. Wash it all down with a Nordic draft beer or a Viking coffee—hot or Elsa style (aka frozen).

Open only for dinner, this restaurant combines authentic Mexican entrées with a perfect location to view the fireworks. The alambre de res (flank steak with bacon in poblano and bell peppers) is delicious, while the chiles rellenos is an excellent vegetarian dish. Be sure to order a hand-crafted margarita, such as the orange-mango fire that includes a tajin powder rim, or the wild one, mixed with mango-passion fruit puree.

If you're looking for a break from greasy vacation food, stop by The Land Cart for a fruit and cheese tray or a veggie plate. It's a short walk to benches where you can eat overlooking the upside-down water fountain by Journey in Imagination.

Stone arches and dark woods help to evoke a cozy, well-heeled château setting at this restaurant, where a unique cellar of Canadian wines and beer complement such dishes as Prince Edward Island mussels, cheddar cheese soup, and AAA Canadian tenderloin. Lighter fare includes a plant-based Canadian tart or wild caught scallops. If you're itching to try yet another Canadian specialty, order one of the poutine dishes as a side. Desserts that nod to the land up north include crème brûlée made with maple sugar and a brown-butter pecan tart with maple ice cream.

The open-air Lotus Blossom Café offers authentic pot stickers and egg rolls, as well as entrées such as orange chicken with steamed rice, chicken fried rice, and a Mongolian combo. The Joy of Tea cart along the promenade serves hot and cold tea, plus trendy bubble milk tea, beer, and cocktails.

At the Refreshment Outpost, set on its own between Germany and China, kids love to test their drumming skills on the large authentic drums that invite players to improvise their own African folklore performances. Village Traders sells African handicrafts and—you guessed it—souvenirs relating to The Lion King. Buy a hot dog or frozen slushie, and enjoy the break at a table by the lagoon. A cool mist is set up to offer respite on hot days.

This all-American smokehouse offers barbecue from Texas, Kansas, Memphis, and the Carolinas. Although some aficionados might find it sacrilegious, consider having everyone in your party order a different type of barbecue and then decide which region should reign supreme. The beer-battered onion rings are the perfect side, and the Tennessee lemonade, made with Jack Daniel's, finishes the meal.

If you're an Anglophile and you love a beer so thick you could stand a spoon up in your mug, head here—not only to soak up the suds but also to enjoy the British pub culture and feast on the best fish-and-chips in town. Other traditional English fare includes Scotch eggs, shepherd's pie, and, at times, bangers and mash (sausage over mashed potatoes); vegetarians can always find an adapted item, such as a savory hot pot. For dessert, try the sticky toffee pudding. A dinner package is available to enjoy a meal and one of the best fireworks-viewing seats at EPCOT.

Set at a Mexican market in perpetual twilight, this restaurant gets high marks from guests for its food and atmosphere. Everyone enjoys sharing the guacamole or queso fundido, and the camarones a la diabla (pepper and garlic-sautéed shrimp over poblano rice and crispy Brussels sprouts) are especially good. Although kids will enjoy tacos or quesadillas, their highlight might well be when the boats from the Gran Fiesta Tour attraction next door float by your table.

If you're just looking for a bratwurst and a cold beer, pop by the Sommerfest counter at the entrance of the Biergarten restaurant. There's not much seating, so you might have to eat on the run.

At what is, literally, an out-of-this-world restaurant, you board a special elevator to travel 220 miles above the planet to a dining room with panoramas of Earth through viewports that use real-time, above-the-clouds imagery. The prix-fixe menu ($55 at lunch and $79 for dinner, $29 for kids under 9) includes a liftoff (read: appetizer) and a star (main) course. Liftoff selections include starry calamari, blue moon cauliflower, and space greens; the star course menu features dishes like galactic miso salmon with glazed rainbow carrots and slow-rotation short rib with cheddar grits. 

To accommodate the clamor for more fireworks dining, this restaurant was built along World Showcase Lagoon, and it's a great place to catch a meal and watch the 9 pm display. Here you'll find the cuisine to be more Moroccan-American, so amid the rice-stuffed grape leaves and the tiropitakia, you'll find house-made hummus fries and spicy fried calamari. Book the Fireworks Dining Package for the best views.

This market-style restaurant is great for a substantial meal or just a quick, healthy bite. Made using food sourced primarily on-site, dishes might include stir-fried chicken or shrimp, vegetable korma, or oak-grilled salmon. Fruit and cheese plates plus assorted fruits and vegetables grown in the Living with the Land attraction are also available. 

Above the Mitsukoshi department store is this teppanyaki steak house, where chefs do performance cooking at 20 grills. Standouts include filet mignon and Tori chicken breast, but the restaurant also has a small sushi selection, as well as a kids' menu with Teppan-style chicken or shrimp with rice and veggies. Be sure to save room for green tea ice cream, though! Kids will enjoy watching the talented chefs while parents relax with some sake.

Celebrity chef Todd English designed the menu for this upscale seafood eatery, known perhaps more for style than substance. It resembles a sleek, modern, underwater dining hall, with blue walls and carpeting, aluminum fish along the wall behind the bar, and bubblelike lighting fixtures. The menu is pricey, with entrées like lobster bucatini at $43.