EPCOT has no shortage of INCREDIBLE meals…but here are three you might want to skip!

As huge fans of both theme parks and food, EPCOT is pretty much our dream come true. Between the rotating festival food booths and the unique restaurants, we could spend our entire vacation just eating our way through the park. But as stellar as the EPCOT food scene is, not every restaurant is a winner! 

Here are three EPCOT restaurants you might want to skip when planning your next visit to the park!

Coral Reef Restaurant

Disney fans get super passionate when discussing their favorite spots. And there are TONS of EPCOT restaurants that get mentioned when people shout out their favorites, from the adorable character dining at Garden Grill to the incredible steakhouse food at Le Cellier. But we very rarely hear Coral Reef Restaurant listed in discussions about favorite EPCOT restaurants.

The theme here is marine-focused throughout, with a primarily seafood-oriented menu and a dining room lined with massive windows that look into the Living Seas aquarium.

On the plus side, this restaurant gives lots of options for major seafood fans. Plus, the theming is unique, and it tends to be (relatively) quieter and more relaxing than other EPCOT restaurants. But other than that, we can see why so many people don’t count this spot among their favorites.

For one, even though there are non-seafood options on the menu, it’s definitely very seafood-heavy. That can be a problem for parties with people who either don’t like — or can’t eat — seafood. Plus, as cool as the theming is, some people might find it a bit odd to spend the entire meal looking into the aquarium while dining on fish. It’s like staring down your meal the whole time!

Based on our most recent experience, we found Coral Reef to be “fine” — not fantastic, not terrible. But if we’re going to take the time (and money) to sit for a table service meal in EPCOT, we’d typically opt for one of the many spots with consistently incredible food, rather than a place that felt “okay.”

Plus, while the theming is cool (if it doesn’t weird you out), there are tons of restaurants with amazing atmosphere throughout the park. So, unless you’re specifically seeking out the aquarium, there are plenty of other unique dining experiences to choose from around EPCOT!

Lotus Blossom Cafe

Located in the China Pavilion of the World Showcase, Lotus Blossom Cafe is a quick service restaurant that serves up familiar favorites like egg rolls, potstickers, and fried rice.

The issue here isn’t that the food at Lotus Blossom Cafe is necessarily “bad.” Like we mentioned, there are plenty of crowd pleasers on the menu! It’s just that most of the options here are pretty much your basic Americanized Chinese food that you can get from any local Chinese restaurant at home for cheaper.

If you’ve got pickier eaters or are just craving familiar flavors, this might be exactly the kind of place you’re looking for! But if you love exploring the unique dining options around EPCOT and want to find something with exciting new flavors, Lotus Blossom Cafe will probably be a letdown.

Lotus Blossom Cafe can definitely satisfy a craving for Chinese takeout. But unless that’s the specific reason you’re stopping by, you may be better off saving your stomach space for more unique food options around the park, especially if there’s a festival happening!

La Crêperie de Paris

La Crêperie de Paris is a table service restaurant in the France Pavilion that serves both savory crêpes called “galettes” and sweet crêpes, among other menu offerings.

First, we have to give a shoutout to the Prix Fixe Menu here, which is one of the best dining deals we’ve found in Disney World! With the Prix Fixe Menu, you get either the soup of the day or the Salade Maison, a choice of a Galette, a choice of a Dessert Crêpe, as well as a choice between hard cider, soda, or juice. While many of the other prix fixe menus around the park are pricy and hard to justify the cost, this one is actually a solid deal at around $40 per person, so if you’re planning to take advantage of that, this restaurant is worth a stop!

But, if you aren’t looking for a multi-course meal, you might prefer to skip the table service experience and grab a crêpe from the restaurant’s to-go window, Crêpes À Emporter at La Crêperie de Paris. That way, you can still get your crêpe fix without spending the extra time and money on a sit-down meal!

Another reason La Crêperie de Paris might fall into the “skip” column for you is the theming. Unlike so many of the restaurants around the park that feature over-the-top atmosphere and entertainment, the design of La Crêperie de Paris is pretty bland. If you expect your EPCOT meal to be about the experience as much as the food, you’ll probably leave here disappointed!

Again, La Crêperie de Paris gets a big shoutout from us for the great deal on the Prix Fixe Menu. But between the restaurant’s lack of interesting theming and the option to snag a crêpe to-go instead, you might regret spending one of your precious EPCOT meals here!

We’ll keep checking back at alllll of the restaurants around Disney World to see which ones rise to the occasion, so stick with DFB for our latest food reviews and updates!

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Which EPCOT restaurant is a “skip” for you? Let us know in the comments!