UPDATE:
New name for Bistro de Paris will be “Monsieur Paul” — a fitting tribute to Chef Paul Bocuse!
There’s lots to anticipate over at Epcot’s France!!
We broke the news on the Epcot France bakery’s transformation and new menu earlier this year. Now we’ve heard even more updates from around the pavilion!
Boulangerie Patisserie
Look for Bistro de Paris to re-open in early December with a new name plus a whole new look! And the transformation of the Epcot restaurants includes the addition of a new bakery by mid-December along with an ice cream shop. Jerome Bocuse (owner of the France pavilion restaurants and son of the famous founding Chef Bocuse) revealed even more details!
Bistro de Paris
This Epcot restaurant will undergo a complete transformation including a new name — Monsieur Paul, less formal dining room with fresh and bright colors, costumes for the servers, and haute cuisine menu.
The elegant atmosphere will allow park guests to enjoy French cuisine in a nice (but not stuffy) atmosphere. For example, the servers will no longer wear tuxedos. Themeing will revolve around the Bocuse family history, which includes two centuries of French chefs.
The menu will reflect classical French cuisine with an “approachable, affordable twist.” A chef from a Michelin 3-star French restaurant will oversee the new menu.
New Bakery
A new building is being constructed near the theater exit area of the France pavilion. There will be a bread oven and show bakery, which will provide the baked goods for all three restaurants in France.
The bakery’s menu will be expanded to include salads and sandwiches so that guests can actually have a meal at this 90-seat location.
Glacier Ice Cream Parlor
The old Boulangerie Patisserie, the winner of our Disney Food Blog Bakery throwdown, will not be completely lost, however! This cozy spot will become the new Glacier Ice Cream Parlor!
As construction takes place, Les Chefs de France and Boulangerie Pastisserie will continue to remain open, according to Disney Parks Blog. Les Chefs de France will remain the same after the rest of the pavilion renovation.
What do you think about the transformations taking place at these restaurants in Epcot’s France pavilion? Chime in!
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These all sound like good changes. I’m just disappointed they are happening during my November trip! Our Bistro de Paris ADR was cancelled on us. We were really looking forward to trying to catch Illuminations over a nice meal. C’est la vie!
I hope the outside tables will still remain. The changes sound wonderful, but my favorite thing to do at Epcot is to sit at one of the tables up against the window of Boulangerie Patisserie, and eat a croissant and enjoy a glass of champagne.
All sounds like positive changes to me!
I’ve always wanted to go to Bistro but as they’ve sadly never had even one entree on the menu that was vegetarian I’ve never gone =/ SO hearing that there could be menu changes makes me very happy. I’ve had a lot of wonderful vegetarian meals all over France and it’d be great to get to replicate that authentically in a nice upscale setting.
I hope they still have that nice baguette/cheese combo at the new Boulangerie!!
Yay for the name change! Bistro never made sense to me.
The ice cream shop is a weird idea. Is Paris or France known for their ice cream? I hope they don’t try Euro sizing for the scoops or they’ll need to build a fake Bastille too.
Sad about this change. Bistro was our favorite restaurant in WDW. 🙁
Somehow ice cream just doesn’t make me think, “France”. I’m glad they aren’t making changes to Le Chefs de France. I really enjoyed it there and am looking forward to another visit.
when will all of this be done? hopefully before next summer, that’s when i’ll be at disney world, and hope to try something from these new restaurant’s 🙂
I am so glad The Bistro will be open still when we are down in 2 WEEKS!!! I have never gotten anything from here but it is going to change this year!!!!
I loved the old Bistro. We’ll see what happens I guess. This is certainly the first time I’ve ever seen the words “French cuisine” and “not stuffy” in the same sentence.
I echo Dana’s comment above about outside seating. Even if you have never visited France, think about any movie you’ve ever seen set in Paris. The street side cafes are iconic. Sitting at an outside table with a french inspired sandwich and a glass of wine is just the best. With a bigger menu and all those desserts – Ooh la la!
My only complaint is I am afraid they are ”dumbing down” the Bistro…I liked that it was formal…And for sentimental reason also: we ate there the night we got engaged and now it wont be anything like it was then:(
I second Liz “sad about this…Bistro was our favorite romantic restaurant in WDW”!!!! We spent our first married dinner there and have enjoyed every Anniversary celebration for the last 5 years. We always plan Bistro for the last evening that we’re in the World and will miss it dearly!
I’d definitely like to see more info about the new Bistro, but my first reaction is that’s really a shame. I thought that it was a really great, elegant restaurant. I had one of the best souffles I’d ever had there!
I wonder if most of the old items (such as, most importantly, NAPOLEONS) will still be on the bakery menu????
A little sad but not disappointed. I always figured when I “grow-up” I could go to the Bisto, but now I never have to grow-up! Thanks WDW!
Who wants ice cream when you can have French pastries? Major Bummer!
Any idea if the new Bistro will still be a signature dining option?
Meghan — My guess is that it will still be a signature dining option, but that’s just a hypothesis.
Oh, I’m so disappointed to hear this!! I loved it the way it was, I don’t want bright colors and costumes, I want tuxedos and “stuffy” atmosphere! I want formality! We’ll try it next May, but I’m almost convinced we’ll miss the old Bistro.
Just tell me they are still going to make the almond croissants (our favorite at Disney). They already did away with the almond flavored Bear Claw at Main Street Bakery which was disappointing – Almond pastries are so hard to find and a special treat!
Grace — have you tried the sweet almond pretzels at Kringla Bakeri in Norway?
Good news for the bakery expansion; bad news for Bistro. Like others, we looked forward to Bistro as a romantic place to be away from the madding crowd, the sometimes chaotic “family restaurants,” to watch illuminations, and to have special food in a quiet setting with great service. Now it will be gone and we will no longer use it for the special celebrations that we did in the past (including our last dinner for the vacation like others). Another sad, apparently economic, loss…
Rory
The Patisserie is our favorite place to get pastries, espresso and that yummy cheese bread. I hope they keep that on the menu – we always go there twice during our trip and even took a large bag home on our last trip. The tables on the little “street” are a classic I hope there’s still something like that too…
I usually post only make positive upbeat statements and or reviews. BUT after anticipating a napoleon from the French bakery at EPCOT that was worth a drive just for ONE bite, the “new” larger bakery is a huge disappointment. The napoleons previously had a crisp and flaky crust that melted in your mouth. The filling was rich and buttery and very thick. The fork was barely long enough to get through the piece. Those that I purchased on Monday evening, December 9th, were tasteless and tough, not worth the price of the cardboard to make the box. I wish I had photographed it, they look nothing like the previous napoleons. They appeared to be mass produced as though they came sraight out of a box in the freezer section of your grocery store. Can’t believe they would serve such an inferiour product. Don’t waste your money. If you want good baked items, steer clear and head to Norway. Actually should have eaten the box. NOW where will I find a good Napoleon???