Updated October 7th, 2010 with the refurbished La Cantina de San Angel
Epcot is where you’ll find the most diversity in your dining options. While you’ll still be able to sniff out a hamburger, it won’t be as easy as at the Magic Kingdom where it seems like they’re haunting you at every turn. Since the Fountainview Café and Boulangerie Patisserie serve mostly snacks, treats, and desserts, I won’t be considering them in the following recommendations. Both are strongly recommended for a midday snack, especially the Boulangerie Patisserie where you can purchase a wide variety of delicious, freshly baked French treats.
Be sure to read over the full reviews for more information on any of the counter service locations listed. You can either click here for the full list in alphabetical order or click the individual highlighted links throughout this post.
Most Unique Menu
5. Sommerfest
9. Liberty Inn
The Tangierine Café is the top choice in terms of uniqueness because it serves food that you not only won’t find anywhere else at Disney World, but also won’t find in many people’s hometowns either. Shawarma Platters, lamb wraps, falafel, and Mediterranean pita pockets are all on the menu. In addition, most entrées are served with couscous, Moroccan bread, lentil salad, and hummus. Kringla Bakeri og Café, serving traditional Norwegian pastries and sandwiches, offers unique flavors as well. You won’t find school bread or lefse in most cities, nor will you find an apple and ham sandwich, potato goat cheese and vegetable tort, or salmon and egg sandwich. The rest of the list includes restaurants that serve food that you’ll be able to easily find outside Disney World. Yakitori House serves inexpensive sushi options including the California roll, spicy tuna roll, and sukiyaki beef sushi roll as well as teriyaki dishes and tempura that you won’t find anywhere else at Disney World. Sunshine Seasons, Sommerfest, La Cantina de San Angel, and Lotus Blossom Café all have several items on the menu that are unique, but most people will be familiar with Sunshine Season’s sandwiches, Lotus Blossom’s Americanized fast-food Chinese dishes, and Sommerfest’s bratwursts. Yorkshire Fish only serves fried fish which can be found throughout Disney World and both Liberty Inn and Electric Umbrella offer mostly standard Disney hamburgers, chicken nuggets, and salads.
Best “Value” AKA Most Expensive Meal on the Dining Plan
1. Tangierine Café (Average Entrée Cost $11.56, Most Expensive Entrée Cost $13.99)
2. La Cantina de San Angel ($10.84, $11.95)
3. Sunshine Seasons ($9.20, $9.99)
4. Kringla Bakeri og Café ($8.20, $9.99)
5. Yakitori House ($8.57, $9.99)
6. Lotus Blossom ($8.19, $8.49)
7. Liberty Inn ($8.09, $8.59)
8. Electric Umbrealla ($7.24, $8.39)
9. Yorkshire County Fish Shop ($7.99, $7.99)
10. Sommerfest ($6.65, $6.69)
Tangierine Café is the clear winner here with the most expensive counter service entrée at Epcot and the highest average cost. With a drink and dessert you’re looking at a meal in the $20+ range. La Cantina de San Angel is a close second, with an average entree cost just shy of $11. With dessert and drink, the most expensive meal at La Cantina is about $20 with tax.The next three all feature a $9.99 entrée, but Sunshine Seasons is the place to go because their desserts are the most expensive. Kringla comes in third because their desserts are slightly less expensive and Yakitori House rounds out the top four. The rest of the choices are all in the $8 range, except for Sommerfest, which only serves bratwurst or a frankfurter on the cheap.
Best Value Out of Pocket
1. Sunshine Seasons
2. Tangierine Café
3. Kringla Bakeri og Café
4. La Cantina de San Angel
5. Yorkshire County Fish Shop
6. Sommerfest
7. Yakitori House
8. Lotus Blossom
9. Liberty Inn
10. Electric Umbrella
Sunshine Seasons delivers the most bang for your buck in terms of cost compared to the quality of ingredients, freshness of food, and portion size. I would shy away from the Asian entrées, but the rest of the choices are excellent, especially the gigantic sandwiches and tasty grilled options. Although Tangierine Café is the most expensive counter service at Epcot, the Schwarma Platters are large enough to share, especially if you add one or two extra side dishes that each cost about $2. The wraps may be enough for two people to share as well and are moderately priced at $9.99, which is about as much as most entrées at the other counter services cost. The same is true for Kringla, which serves large sandwiches for about $8 and the highly recommended school bread for only $2. A sandwich and two school breads should be plenty of food for two people to share and would only cost about $12 for two people, making it an excellent and inexpensive choice as well. La Cantina is on the expensive side, but the food is high quality and it is presented better than other counter services. Both Yorkshire Fish and Sommerfest have limited menus, but both serve nice size portions of high quality food for one person in the $7-$8 range. Either would be a fine choice depending on what you’re in the mood to eat. Yakitori House and Lotus Blossom serve average fast-food style Asian dishes that will satisfy most people looking for quick Japanese or Chinese food, but won’t compare to your favorite places back home. Yakitori House is slightly better because the portions are larger. Both Liberty Inn and Electric Umbrella serve the famous $8 cheeseburger/french fry combo that isn’t much of a value at all. Any of the top five choices come highly recommended when paying out of pocket.
Best Seating
1. Liberty Inn
2. Electric Umbrella
3. Sunshine Seasons
4. Kringla Bakeri og Café
5. La Cantina de San Angel
6. Lotus Blossom
7. Yakitori House
8. Tangierine Café
9. Sommerfest
10. Yorkshire County Fish Shop
Why does it always seem like the seating rankings are the exact opposite of all the other categories? Liberty Inn and Electric Umbrella are in the top two spots because they offer both air-conditioned indoor seating and outdoor seating. Liberty Inn has the most indoor seating of the two, but the Electric Umbrella does have upstairs seating, so make sure to check there if the downstairs is crowded. Although Sunshine Seasons’ seating is completely indoors and air-conditioned, it’s also located in one of the noisiest areas at Epcot, with Soarin’ and Living with the Land right next door. Instead of being an open space, Sunshine Seasons’ seating area is reminiscent of a maze with strange pathways connecting the different sections. Nonetheless, there are usually available tables and it is comfortable temperature-wise. Kringla is at the top of the outdoor-seating-only counter services because there’s (almost) always available seats under a canopy that keeps the temperature somewhat cool, even during the hottest months. La Cantina de San Angel has excellent seating options between 11am and 3:30pm because guests can choose to sit outside on the covered patio or inside the air-conditioned La Hacienda de San Angel. The problem is that after 8pm there is very little seating because the tables have such a good view of Illuminations. Chances are very good you won’t be able to get a table after 8pm, which is why La Cantina drops to the 5th. If you do get a table, it is an excellent place to sit and enjoy a meal. Lotus Blossom also has a large seating area overlooking the beautiful Chinese Gardens, but the temperature is usually hotter. Although Yakitori House does have a small amount of indoor seating and the outdoor seating is picturesque with its own miniature garden, there generally aren’t enough seats to meet demand. Tangierine Café’s seating area is relatively small and not air-conditioned, which can make it uncomfortable in the heat. Both Sommerfest and Yorkshire Fish have grossly inadequate seating areas. You only have about a 5% chance of getting a table at Yorkshire, which means you will almost always have to find seating at a nearby bench or curb. Sommerfest isn’t much better, but it isn’t as popular so you have a slightly higher chance of getting a table.
Best Food
1. Tangierine Café
2. Sunshine Seasons
3. Kringla Bakeri og Café
4. La Cantina de San Angel
5. Yorkshire County Fish Shop
6. Sommerfest
7. Lotus Blossom
8. Yakitori House
9. Liberty Inn
10. Electric Umbrella
Overall Best Counter Service at Epcot
6. Sommerfest
9. Liberty Inn
Sunshine Seasons wins best overall counter service because of its diverse menu, fresh food, large portions, and ample air-conditioned seating. Chances are high that everyone in your group will be able to find something they like and it’s a good value on or off the Disney Dining Plan. The only real deterrent is the noise from all the people in the Land Pavilion and the confusing layout of the seating area. The ordering process is also a little odd. Instead of one counter or window, there are several stations that all serve different food. You’ll have to check them all out to get an idea of what you want to order and then you pay at the registers once you’ve collected all of your food and drinks. The Tangierine Café is the most expensive counter service and an excellent value on the Disney Dining Plan, but the menu may not be for everyone and the seating and ordering areas are often congested. Nonetheless, the portions are large and the food is unique and delicious. If you’re in the World Showcase and the Tangierine Café is nearby then it would get my vote. Sunshine Seasons isn’t so much better that it’s worth making a special trip out to Future World from the World Showcase. Kringla Bakeri serves delicious desserts and sandwiches, but the menu is somewhat limited and service can be slow depending on time of day. I would definitely order a “school bread” at some point in your trip as a snack, but eating lunch here isn’t mandatory. If the sandwiches and soup sound good then give it a try. You won’t be disappointed. La Cantina de San Angel serves high quality food tha is carefully prepared and presented well. The abundance of lunchtime seating is a nice bonus, but getting a table after 4pm will be a much bigger hassle, especially as you get closer to 9pm for Illuminations. Despite a lack of seating, Yorkshire Fish does the one thing it does do well – serve fresh, lightly battered fish with tasty chips. If you don’t like fried fish or can’t eat without a table then it’s probably much lower on your list. Sommerfest is similar to Yorkshire Fish in that they only serve frankfurter and bratwurst. Both items are excellent, but you’ll want to skip it if it doesn’t sound good. Sommerfest also serves the best pretzels in Disney World, so return here for a snack or add one to your meal.
Lotus Blossom edges out Yakitori House because of Lotus Blossom’s superior seating area and better tasting food. If you’re a big eater then you may want to visit Yakitori House because their portions are much larger, but the quality of the food isn’t as good in general. Yakitori House’s “sushi” is mass produced and prepackaged, but may still taste good to the very casual sushi eater. Liberty Inn and Electric Umbrella round out the list in the final two positions. The Liberty Inn is better because they offer a unique hot roast beef and cheddar sandwich, which is a recommended entree for the unadventurous eater. Otherwise, there’s really no reason to visit either of these locations unless you don’t like anything other than Disney hamburgers and chicken nuggets. All in all, depending on your personal food preferences, the top five counter service locations are slam dunks. Despite some reservations, even the bottom four counter service locations aren’t terrible.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
One nice thing about Electric Umbrella is that the soft drinks are self-serve, which means you can get free refills. Of course you don’t actually have to purchase the beverage at EU in the first place if you want to be a bit sneaky…
What about the Boulangerie in France? The sandwiches are huge and the dessert selection – OMG. To die for.
RANDOM
The Greek salad at Electric Umbrella is a nice change, tasty, and worth a mention.
The fruit bowl is a nice option for desert as well.