Join us as we visit Rose and Crown Pub and Dining Room for lunch!

The traditional British Pub, located on the edge of the lagoon in Epcot’s UK Pavilion, offers an authentic experience for lunch, dinner, and drinks.

It had been a while since I’d visited the Rose and Crown; so on a recent trip my husband and I made an advance dining reservation and headed over. This is the spot to find comfort food, and I have fond memories of dining here with my parents and older brother back when you had to make your reservations via the World Key kiosks when you arrived at Epcot!

Let’s take a little tour before settling down to eat.

Atmosphere

Like any good British pub, the Rose and Crown anchors the little “village” we know as the UK Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase. It’s the first structure you come to on your left as you exit the Canada Pavilion.

The Rose and Crown actually offers a couple of different service options. You can head into the Pub and order a pint or anything else from their full bar as well as a few “pub grub” food items, or you can dine at their table service restaurant. (But the English Bulldog, sadly, has still not made a return.) If you’re doing the latter, you’ll check in at a podium outside of the Pub.

This is a popular dining spot in Epcot, so I strongly recommend that you book an advance dining reservation if eating here is on your Disney bucket list.

And don’t forget — you don’t have to step inside the Pub for a drink. The Rose and Crown Beer Stand is also open for business, and offers lots of variety. You can also score your souvenir stein here.

The Pub is also an extremely popular spot. Go early (they open at noon) to avoid the largest crowds.

Don’t forget if you’re trying to find room at the bar, it wraps clear around. 🙂 I’ve had some luck scoring a spot right here before.

And if you time your visit just right, you may be treated to service from the Rose and Crown’s very own living legend, Carl! He’s been tending this bar for years and years and loves to chat with guests. He may even show you a fun trick or two!

Stained glass windows aid in the authentic feel of the pub and restaurant. Look for the rose and crown emblems included.

While the Pub and Dining Room are two separate dining spots, you can actually see into the Dining Room from the Pub.

Seating in the Dining Room is, well, cozy. It reminds me a bit of Liberty Tree Tavern in Magic Kingdom. The dark paneled walls and fairly low ceilings give the impression that you’re seated in an old inn, or even in someone’s home.

The windows at the back of the restaurant offer views of the restaurant’s patio, and beyond it, World Showcase Lagoon.

Most of the patio is well-covered, making it a perfect spot to dine rain or shine. However, I have eaten on the patio during a torrential downpour and it was less than enjoyable. Light rain? No problem. Freezing cold downpour? Nope and nope.

But the patio tables right off the back of the restaurant are some of the most sought-after in Epcot in the evening. They offer a great view of IllumiNations, Epcot’s fireworks spectacular.

If this is something that you’re after, here’s a TIP: book your advance dining reservation for 7:30 or after and request a patio seat when you check in. There are no guarantees, but you might get lucky. 🙂

Eats

Since we were dining here for the first time in a while, I wanted to take my time reviewing the menu and making my choices. So it was a no-brainer to try a few drinks as we checked things out.

Rose and Crown boasts an impressive array of drinks. You have your standard list of wines, but they also offer several British and Irish Beers and Ciders on draught. And I really love their Pub Blends, a whole list of combinations that you can enjoy.

There are also some impressive flights offered. Enjoy a beer flight (I love the Imperial Flight), or try out a variety of Scotch options with three different Scotch Flights. We reviewed the Single Malt Flight a while back and really enjoyed it.

I hadn’t had a Rose and Crown Signature Cocktail lately — from the list of Your Shout!!! options. I went with the Leaping Leprechaun, since I’d heard good things and I love me some Midori. This one combines Rum, Vodka, Whiskey, Melon Liqueur, and Sprite. It reminds me a little of the Victoria Falls Mist, one of my favorite drinks from Victoria Falls Lounge at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. While it’s not on the menu currently, if you get the right bartender, they can still whip one up for you. 🙂

But we also wanted to enjoy one of the Pub Blends. There are some great ones to choose from, and I know that lots of you make a ritual out of stopping for a Black and Tan! My husband gave this combo of Guinness and Bass Ale a try.

Oh, and if you happen to be visiting on one of those rare cold, rainy days in Orlando, the Irish Coffee is a good option here.

But this day was neither cold nor rainy! So as we sipped our refreshing drinks, we looked over the menu.

I decided to order several of our standard favorites to see if they still deserved that title, starting with the Crock of Potato Leek Soup. This newer version still doesn’t impress me was much as the soup that I loved from days gone by (see more details about the differences here), but it’s still better than many “house soups” you’ll find around Disney World. You get the subtle onion-y freshness of the Leeks mixed with the rich, filling Potato. So it’s a win, even though I still believe there’s much less butter and cream involved than there used to be.

It has been a while since I’d ordered the United Kingdom Cheese Platter, so we decided to see what it looked like these days. It’s definitely undergone some changes in presentation.

And prepare yourself to ask for more little toasts.

So, the main problem with the presentation here was that the garnishes pretty much covered the cheeses, so there was really no option to taste the cheese without the accompaniments. This was especially a bummer with the Cotswold Cheese, a Double Gloucester Cheese made from cow’s milk with chives added for extra flavor. It’s one of my favorites, but it was served with Pickled Vegetables, of which I’m not a fan. So I pretty much missed out on one of my favorite cheeses here because the pickled veg flavor pretty much overwhelmed the whole square.

McCall’s Irish Cheddar was our next selection. It was topped with an Onion Relish. This was the only one that we could taste sans accompaniment, and the sharpness was very enjoyable.

Our final cheese, Stilton, was combined with a heavy garnish of Toasted Almonds, Craisins, and a bit of tangy Berry Fruit Sauce. Thank goodness the flavor of Stilton is so strong, or it too would have been lost in the garnish. This one I enjoyed, though, as I like the combo of blue cheese with slightly tart berries and fruits.

Next, we ordered the Scotch Egg. If you haven’t had the pleasure, it’s a Boiled Egg that’s wrapped in Sausage and fried. These days, it’s served on a bed of bitter Mixed Greens with a Creamy Mustard Sauce. The mustard is a good condiment for this one, though the plating is still a little too fancy for me. 😉

I then decided to forge into some unchartered Rose and Crown territory and went for the House-made English Meat Pie next.

This dish is a somewhat modern twist on a traditional favorite. A Sausage of Pork and Apple is encased in a Short Dough, similar to a savory pie dough. The whole thing is shaped into a roll, rather than an enclosed shape like a pie or turnover. It’s served with a side of traditional sweet and sour Piccalilli.

The plating on this one was a little strange. It looked like they’d made a big meat pie, and cut it into sections for the various diners who ordered it. Weird. But the main event itself was delicious.

Ready to move on to entrees?!? Let’s go!

I liked seeing an Indian-style Chicken Masala on the menu here, since I can remember so many nights ordering take-out Indian food with my flatmates when I lived in London. Seems legit.

The dish comes with sauteed Vegetables, Cucumber and Yogurt Raita, and sides of Naan and Basmati Rice.

The creamy Masala sauce, flavored with Indian Curry and Tomato, covered the generous portion of Chicken Thigh Meat. This dish is very similar to my beloved Butter Chicken at Sanaa, so it was a big hit with me.

The dish of steamed Basmati Rice served alongside was more than enough to accompany the dish. For me. Not for my husband. There’s never enough rice for him, so if you have someone similar in your group, be ready to ask for more.

Our next entree was another traditional favorite — Bangers and Mash. A Rose and Crown signature dish, this one (thankfully) never seems to disappear from the menu. Traditional English Sausages sit atop a bed of creamy Mashed Potatoes. The whole thing is smothered with Shallot Gravy, and topped with Cabbage braised with Bacon. Seriously, it’s always good. That’s why I always seem to order it.

Finally, we ordered the Grilled New York Strip Steak with its sauce of Jameson Irish Whiskey and Peppercorns. But the real story is the side dish: a Loaded Yorkshire Pudding! You think I’m crazy, but, again, my husband is a huge fan of Yorkshire Pudding and will pretty much go anywhere that it’s served. But this isn’t just any ol’ Yorkshire Pudding.

This one is topped with Mashed Potatoes, which are mixed with Cheese, Shallots, and Bacon! What?! It was pretty much the most gorgeous combo of carbs, meat, fat, and…shallots…you’d ever hope to see. Why is this not a thing that happens all the time?

But we aren’t finished yet… we always look at the Dessert Menu.

First up was the Warm Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding. This one doesn’t really belong in the same category as my beloved Bread Pudding with Bananas Foster Sauce at ‘Ohana. Not all bread puddings are created equal. This one is kind of dry — even with the creaming pudding base — and was pretty forgettable.

I also finally had the chance to try the Jaffa Tarts for myself. The house-made Cakes are small domes of Spongecake with Orange Cream (Jaffa is a kind of orange), covered in Ganache.

The Pastry Cream carried the orange flavor nicely, and I thought there was a good ratio of cream to cake here. But I’m not a huge spongecake+cream fan, so this wasn’t my favorite dessert ever.

My husband can never pass up the Sticky Toffee Pudding, with its steamed pudding consistency and Vanilla and Hot Butter Rum Sauce.

But we also decided to sample the Banoffee Tart.

This version, basically a Chocolate Banana Cream Pie with a Jameson Whiskey Sauce, was housed in a Chocolate Shortbread Crust. A must-eat? Nope. It was fine, but nothing spectacular.

And that’s a wrap on another lunch at Rose and Crown!

Overall

I’ve been to Rose and Crown a LOT, and when I go there I expect to order British-y comfort food as well as remember a few family memories. On my past few visits, though, there have been more and more “fancy” additions to the menu, the plating, and the desserts. None of which, in my opinion, have really been carried off very well. When Rose and Crown does classic comfort food, they do a great job. But when they try to get trendy, things can really fall apart.

Highlights on this visit were the new-ish Chicken Masala — an Indian comfort food, and that phenomenal loaded Yorkshire Pudding. Who wouldn’t love that? Keep it simple when you order. Stick with “pub food” and you’ll be good to go.

Is Rose and Crown one of your favorite stops on your Epcot Trip Around the World? Let us know which dish is your favorite in comments below!