Katsura Grill Review at Disney’s Epcot Japan Pavilion

Katsura Grill

For a look at all of Epcot’s quick service reviews, see this post.

Location: Katsura Grill positions itself in the Japan Pavilion on the left across from the Mitsukoshi Department Store and entrances to Tokyo Dining and Teppan Edo.

Food Type: The Japanese quick service focuses on Sushi, Teriyaki, Soup, Salads, and the like.

Dining Plan: One quick service credit and some items count as snacks.

Menu:

The menu represents about what you would expect from your typical local teriyaki joint, potentially with a couple of unique additions. Katsura has cut down on its menu considerably over the years. They no longer offer Baked Salmon, Garlic Shrimp, or a number of other entrees.

You can see a couple of those from this older menu, including some combos, which included beverage and ice cream.

Unique Items: Most items are either unique or only served in the Japan Pavilion. The exception is the Sushi, which Mitsukoshi distributes to most quick service cold cases.

Advantages:

• Air-conditioned indoor seating and peaceful, outdoor seating in the garden.
• Service is among the friendliest you’ll find at Walt Disney World. Orders are usually ready quickly.
• Familiar, relatively healthy cuisine for those who want to try something that isn’t a hamburger, but aren’t quite ready for lamb couscous.

Disadvantages:

• Sushi is grocery story quality and teriyaki items are often fatty with a sauce that may be too sweet.
• “Picky” eaters may not find something they’re interested in eating.
• Indoor seating space is limited.

Value: Below average to average. Portions are on the small side and prices are equal to or higher than most other quick services.

Reputation: Better than this review would insinuate. A lot of people enjoy Katsura Grill and its predecessor, Yakitori House. I like several of the items that aren’t drenched in teriyaki sauce.

Katsura Grill Food Choices:

Spicy Roll:

This is the same sushi that you’ll find prepackaged virtually everywhere on property, including the resort quick service locations, Sunshine Seasons, and wherever else. It’s probably similar quality to your local grocery store, which makes it inferior to the Kona Cafe Sushi Bar and (obviously) California Grill. But of course, it’s also much less expensive. I wouldn’t go out of my way to order it, but it’s perfectly decent, and a light lunch or shareable snack.

The other rolls look similar, just with slightly different ingredients.

Tempura Shrimp Udon:

An intrinsic problem with this dish is that the crunchy tempura shrimp are rendered immediately soggy in the soup. And while the bowls feature an attractive look, they aren’t insulated at all, which means your soup will cool off quickly. Otherwise, this is what you would expect from udon soup – a very salty clear broth and long, thick wheat flour noodles served with two fairly large shrimp. It’s not a particularly filling meal, but it’s potentially nice on a cool winter day. The beef might be a wiser protein.

Specialties like this Spicy Miso Seafood Ramen served with Garlic Shrimp and Vegetables may also grace the menu. When they do, seek them out, because they are typically better values than the standard menu items.

And it was really quite good – a lot of corn and broccoli mixed in with the unadvertised imitation krab and three garlic shrimp.

While the shrimp portion might be a little chintzy, there’s a ton of noodles involved. They soak up the salty broth nicely and this should be plenty to fill most appetites up. The $12 price also seems reasonable. This is very basic ramen, but I think it’s a worthy addition to the menu and I would order it again, which is something I’ve rarely said about Katsura’s entrees in the past. Morimoto’s offerings would obviously destroy it if you can get over there.

Chicken and Beef Teriyaki:

The few pieces of dry, stringy chicken are each drenched in an unremarkable, sweet and syrupy teriyaki sauce. The sukiyaki-style beef tends to be fatty with an unpleasant chew. Chances are that your local teriyaki place does it better, in larger portions, and for less money.

Shrimp and Chicken Teriyaki:

Served with Steamed Rice and Mix Garden Salad. This didn’t really change my mind about the teriyaki. At least the food wasn’t bathing in the sauce as it had been during my past visits. The shrimp were of decent size and prepared well. The chicken thigh was still tough and suffered from a strange crumbly textur.e With the rice and salad, it’s a decent amount of food for the money and probably healthier than a lot of the other options. At least if it isn’t doused in sauce.

Chicken Cutlet Curry:

The Chicken Cutlet Curry may look less appetizing than it tasted. It’s a brown curry with carrots over fried chicken and white rice.  This was served piping hot and is quite a bit of food. It’s a heartier dish than the sushi or teriyaki, probably in large part due to the calories in the panko breaking. The chicken ends up being nice and spicy which a thick, crispy coating. I enjoyed this one quite a bit and would order it again before the sushi or teriyaki options. It may be a little less satisfying on a hotter day outdoors.

Edamame:

Kabuki Cafe serves the same dish for the same money downstairs. You might add one as a side or to share with one of the larger entrees.

Kids’ Menu

Three teriyaki-based entrees make up the kids’ menu:

Kids’ Teriyaki Chicken:

The Teriyaki Chicken Kids’ Meal, served here with extra rice in place of vegetables, may also be a good choice for adults looking for a smaller meal.

Katsura Grill Beverages

Pull up the current, full Katsura Grill menu at DisneyWorld.com here.

Katsura Grill offers several alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages that you won’t find outside of the Pavilion.

Those looking to just grab drinks are better off at Kabuki Cafe on the Promenade, Garden House Sake Bar across from Mitsukoshi Department Store, or the Sake Bar inside Mitsukoshi Department Store. Certainly, adding a Beer, Tea, or just a regular Diet Coke would be a good choice if you’re also ordering food.

Iced Green Tea:

I noticed the Iced Green Tea was the same price as a standard soft drink and went ahead and ordered one. The cast member working the register will warn you that it’s served unsweetened. The tea arrived with virtually no flavor to speak of – it could have just as easily been green water. A sugar packet or two might have sweetened things up, or at least produced some flavor.

Seating:

Katsura’ Grill’s outdoor seating area is one of the most tranquil areas in Epcot. With the 90+ degree temperatures in the summer, it’s less popular.

Katsura also offers a few tables inside, making it one of the few air-conditioned seating options in World Showcase.

Japan recently added additional seating closer to the water. It’s a little less picturesque, but it helps spread people out.

Overall, Katsura Grill is a serviceable quick service outlet if you’re in the mood for Japanese fast food. With the exception of the Chicken Cutlet Curry and potentially one of the specialty noodle dishes, there isn’t anything that I would specifically seek out. A better option might be to grab snacks from Kabuki Cafe and enjoy the tranquility of the seating area while enjoying those treats.