baguette | the disney food blog

Review: Chefs de France in Epcot’s World Showcase

Deciding where to dine in the World Showcase at Walt Disney World’s Epcot is no easy feat.

Epcot Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

And the France Pavilion makes a strong case for itself — as well it should, representing a country whose cuisine is legendary. The dining options in France cover all the bases. Monsieur Paul features signature dining upstairs in the Pavilion, while Les Chefs de France offers table service in true Parisian bistro fashion.

Boulangerie Patisserie les Halles serves up quick service eats like a Jambon Beurre Sandwich and soups — plus stunning pastries. And if you want a frozen treat, L’Artisan des Glaces offers sorbet and ice cream in lovely flavors.

We enjoy all of the dining options in France, but on my most recent visit, I stopped into Les Chefs de France for a table service meal full of French favorites! Does Les Chefs de France live up to the lofty expectations its pedigree belies?

Les Chefs de France

Atmosphere

Les Chefs de France is located front and center on the street level of the France Pavilion. You’ll spot the deep red awning over the entrance and the classic French architecture that lets you know you are, indeed, stepping into une autre pays.

[Read more…]

Review: Updated Menu at Chefs de France in Epcot

By AJ and the DFB Team 17 Comments

Bonjour from Chefs de France!

Learn About:
Chefs de France

Epcot Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

Chefs de France is located, of course, in none other than Epcot’s France Pavilion. If you’ve been reading the DFB for any length of time you already know that France is a must-visit Pavilion when it comes to dining options in the World Showcase, what with Counter Service and snack showstoppers like Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie and L’Artisan des Glaces, as well as signature drinks like the Grand Marnier Orange Slush.

But the longtime favorite we’re visiting today is one of the Pavilion’s two Table Service restaurants (the other being Monsieur Paul, the signature dining option). And “longtime” is definitely the operative word, as Chefs de France has been welcoming guests since the park’s opening.

But that doesn’t mean things have stayed exactly the same over the years. In fact, our recent visit was due to some changes at Chefs de France that we wanted to check out for ourselves.

Chefs de France

The change includes a new menu, and we made a midday Advance Dining Reservation to scope out the situation. [Read more…]

Review: Les Chefs De France in Epcot’s France Pavilion

By AJ 14 Comments

We are enjoying a leisurely lunch today at Les Chefs de France, the table service restaurant in Epcot’s France Pavilion.

Learn About:
Chefs de France

Epcot Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

This iconic eatery has been the location of many happy meals and memories for me through the years. But as with other Disney spots, it’s always good to check in occasionally. Disney restaurants can be wildly inconsistent; a place that’s spot-on during one meal can go south the next time you visit. So I always make it a priority to check back in at all of Disney restaurants to see if they’ve gotten better or worse, and to show you what they’re serving up lately. You get to choose if they’re worth your time and money.

Let’s go. 🙂

Atmosphere

I have very early memories of this restaurant. When you walk by at night, it just looks so cozy inside! And it’s honestly beautiful any time of day.

Les Chefs de France in Epcot

Little has changed here since the restaurant first opened when the park did. But that’s ok. Because the whole point here is to look like a classic French bistro that you’d find in Paris. And it really, really fits the bill. [Read more…]

Review: Les Chefs de France in Epcot’s France Pavilion

By AJ 31 Comments

Bonjour, Mes Amis! We are heading to the City of Lights today for a luncheon at one of Epcot’s most iconic eateries, Les Chefs de France!

Learn About:
Chefs de France

Epcot Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

The bistro, located in the France Pavilion, has been a fixture of World Showcase since Epcot’s earliest days. It’s served thousands of meals to Epcot guests, and you’ll still find its tables full if you visit today.

Les Chefs de France has had the happy distinction for me of providing consistently decent food and friendly service — something that can’t always be said about Disney restaurants. Since I’ve had some truly fine meals here, I was ready to head back for lunch with AJ’s Mom and Dad (whom many of you know!).

Atmosphere

The food has been good to great during every visit that I’ve made in recent years to Les Chefs de France — but that’s only part of the story. Because I would be in love with this restaurant based upon looks alone.

Menu and Place Setting

That’s because I personally think that Les Chefs de France represents some excellent restaurant themeing. If it weren’t for the kid in Mickey ears at the next table, it’s very possible that you’d forget you’re actually in Florida.

We visited during the day, but I just couldn’t help but show you this gorgeous view of Les Chefs de France at night.

Front of Les Chefs de France at Night -- My Favorite View!

It reminds me so much of my first trip to Paris that I wanted to share it with you.

And that’s the beauty of this restaurant. If you’ve had the pleasure of a trip to Paris, you will probably have eaten in (or at least seen) a spot that looks Just. Like. This.

Inside Les Chefs de France

Photos of the original “Les Chefs de France” team — Paul Bocuse, Gaston Lenotre, and Roger Vergé — line the walls. These days, Chef Bocuse’s son, Jerome Bocuse, runs the France Pavilion restaurant empire. (Check out the photo of Chef Bocuse on opening day in front of Les Chefs de France that hangs upstairs in Monsieur Paul. You can see it in our review here.)

Decor Featuring Photos of the Founding Chefs

The color palette in Les Chefs de France tends toward [Read more…]

Review: Les Chefs de France Restaurant in Epcot

By AJ 37 Comments

Learn About:
Chefs de France

Epcot Restaurants
Disney World Restaurants

I can remember, years and years ago, while visiting Epcot with my parents on one of my family’s “Easter vacations,” we approached the Worldkey kiosk to book a reservation in France for that evening’s meal. All I knew — around age 7 — is that I probably hated French food, and I was 100% ready to dislike this restaurant.

Well, things have apparently changed in my old age. I’ve enjoyed all of the food I’ve ever had in the “real” country of France, and the same goes for anything I’ve had in the Epcot version of the place as well. Especially at Chefs de France.

Atmosphere

Les Chefs de France sits in a quaint corner of Epcot’s World Showcase, just across the bridge from the UK pavilion and the International Gateway.

Les Chefs de France

The restaurant is, aesthetically, one of my very favorites in Walt Disney World. With walls of windows framing a classic French bistro dining room, it’s one of the only restaurants that truly makes me feel as though I’m dining in a foreign location. (I can recall dining in a restaurant in Paris that looked a heck of a lot like this one, in fact!)

Front of Les Chefs de France at Night

Once inside the restaurant, everything is done in dark woods, beige, and [Read more…]