The Ultimate Epcot Food Guide

Join Ryan and Julie from Wonder and Beyond Travel as they take you on a delicious journey around Epcot at Walt Disney World, sharing their top recommendations for snacks, meals, and drinks that will make your visit unforgettable.

What You'll Discover:

Table Service Highlights:

• Chefs de France - Traditional French cuisine with prefix options including French onion soup and beef bourguignon
• Le Cellier (Canada Pavilion) - Famous for signature poutine, Wagyu steak tartare, and sauce flights
• Katsura Grill (Japan) - Affordable, impressive sushi and rice bowls
• Space 220 - Unique galactic dining experience with theatrical food presentation
• Takumi-Tei - Seven-course chef's table experience for true foodies

Quick Service Favorites:

• Yorkshire County Fish Shop - The hosts' favorite spot in all of Walt Disney World for fish and chips, plus great fireworks viewing
• Regal Eagle Smokehouse - Authentic American BBQ with amazing sauces
• Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie - French pastries and sandwiches, open before World Showcase

Must-Try Drinks:

• Tipsy Ducks in Love at Joy of Tea (Ryan's favorite drink in all of Disney World!)
• Margaritas at Choza de Margarita
• La Cava del Tequila experiences

Festival Food Roundup: Complete guides to dining at all four Epcot festivals:

• Festival of the Arts (January-February) - Artistically presented dishes
• Flower and Garden Festival (Spring-Early Summer) - Fresh produce highlights
• Food and Wine Festival (Summer-Fall) - The original and most extensive
• Festival of the Holidays (November-December) - International holiday traditions

Whether you're planning your first Epcot visit or you're a seasoned Disney veteran, this episode is packed with insider tips to help you eat your way around the world. Perfect for foodies, families, and anyone looking to make the most of their Disney dining experience.

Featured Countries: France, Canada, Japan, China, Mexico, Morocco, Italy, Germany, UK, and more!

Hosted by Ryan and Julie, your travel experts from Wonder and Beyond Travel

On the Balance Sheet®
Interviewing executives from community banks and credit unions about key economic issues.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Chapters

• 9:39 [Ad] On the Balance Sheet®
• 10:12 (Cont.) The Ultimate Epcot Food Guide

Transcript

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 0:00

Hello and welcome to All Things Travel. A big part of any trip experience is always the food you eat. Today we are going to take you around Epcot in Walt Disney World and share our top snacks, meals, and drinks.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 0:15

Listen in with Ryan and Julie, your travel experts from Wonder and Beyond Travel. I'm your travel professor teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation, and she's a Disney loving Maryland mom of three and a specialist in family travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 0:42

So it feels like we are back.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 0:45

We are back.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 0:46

as winter break is ending for our kids,

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 0:51

The Mondays of all Mondays,

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 0:54

It is such a Monday, and I know we both were, out of office, so there's

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 0:59

yep.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 0:59

of catching up going on.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 1:01

Yes.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 1:02

a lot of get, getting back in the groove and I'm sure a lot of of people listening are feeling the same thing.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 1:09

So let's take a little bit of a break and let's talk about travel and food and Epcot. Would that be fun for the next, uh, 20 minutes or so?

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 1:19

Your favorite things.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 1:20

Some of my favorite things, especially when we talk about the best drink at Walt Disney World, and we'll get there soon. But first, if you did not listen to last week's episode, we went back and recapped the top 20, 25 episodes as voted by you, the listeners, by your number of downloads. And I guarantee some on the list will surprise you. All right, Julie, so you worked on this episode, how do you want to start it out?

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 1:49

Okay, so we're gonna start with. items that are pretty much always available at Epcot. we've talked about this before, but Epcot has festivals throughout the year which have a lot more food options. So we'll cover those later in the episodes. let's start with stuff that's always there. the best part about dining at Epcot is all of the international flavor options, right?

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 2:14

100%.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 2:15

You've got Germany, the uk, France, Italy, Mexico, Japan, China, Morocco, and I didn't even name them all. So let's start with a couple of highlights at the table. Service restaurants. I wanna start with highlighting Chefs de France, which is in the France Pavilion. And I love this restaurant because it is beautiful. windows all through the fun of it as a really beautiful, lovely atmosphere. And I love getting this, traditional France style meal I like that they have a prefix option. And what I would usually recommend would be the French onion soup, the escargo if you're fancy. And then that beef born yarn, and I hope I'm saying that right,

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 2:59

Beef Bion

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 3:01

There we go. That's what you're here for pronunciations. that's like that traditional beef dish. It's got that lovely broth and mashed potatoes and it's just so delicious.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 3:10

comfort on a plate.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 3:11

It's so comfort and it's just so good. The next restaurant I wanna highlight is also table service, and it is Laier in the Canada Pavilion. And this one is really, really popular. It's got really interesting ambiance and some of the great things you can try here are the Wagyu steak tartar. And if you've never had that before, it's pretty much like thinly raw. Meat.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 3:39

Yep.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 3:39

but it is really like a delicacy. I think they also have escargo here and you cannot. here and not get the signature poutine, because that's pretty much what Canada is known for when you're going around Epcot They also have a 28 ounce ribeye that you can split for two, or I guess you could get it for just one, but make for pretty brutal theme park day. and this is cool, but you can add on a sauce flight, There's a Chardonnay truffle butter, a cabernet sauce, a peppercorn sauce, a benet sauce. Just that sounds awesome. I'm a big sauce person.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 4:18

Yep.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 4:19

Next up is Ky Sai, and this is a newer restaurant. in the Japan pavilion, on the second level. And they are known for their sushi, their rice bowls, their noodle bowls. I mean, this is really good sushi.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 4:32

I've eaten here with my kids several trips ago and we were all very impressed.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 4:37

Agreed. I also feel like it's pretty affordable for sushi,

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 4:41

Very much so.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 4:42

Yeah. space two 20 is on this list too, and that is kind of in the front of Epcot over near mission space, and it's newer in the past couple years in the whole themeing behind the restaurant is that you are launching off into space and eating in space. the environment itself and that experience is really unique. also some of the food items are unique too, this is always a really fun one, especially for kids who love space. And the last sit down restaurant I wanna highlight is Taite, which is a dining experience also in Japan. it's prefix. And this is not a decision to be taken lightly. This is a seven course meal and it is fancy. It is basically like a chef's table experience. what a really cool experience if you're just looking for something different to do, or if you really are like a big foodie. This has got to be on your list.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 5:37

So as far as quick service goes, I always tell clients Epcot is really an embarrassment of riches when it comes to any type of food, but definitely quick service, I wanna highlight a few of these that we would recommend or we know clients really enjoy. If I was to say, Julie, let's meet at our favorite quick service spot in all Wal Disney World. I know where we would probably meet, and that's where

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 6:01

The Yorkshire County Fish Shop.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 6:03

the Yorkshire County Fish Shop, which is right next to the sit down restaurant in England, right by International Gateway really good fish. really good chips. Just a gorgeous place to eat lunch or dinner because you're sitting outside on the patio. Really good quality as far as portion for what you're paying. And what I like about this spot, Julie, is this is a really good place to watch the fireworks show in the evening. What you're gonna want to do is about an hour before the fireworks show, you're gonna want to start working your way. Down the ramp and going all the way around the side and in back of the building there. You're gonna get a really good spot to watch the fireworks.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 6:46

I love that.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 6:48

The next I wanna highlight is regal eagle smokehouse. Usually I don't tend to go to the US when it comes to countries in Epcot because there's so many things to try and see, but Regal Eagle smokehouse is really good. They have really good smoked right there. barbecue options. Their brisket's really good. They've got North Carolina chopped and smoked pork, but the sides are really good. You said you're a sauce person. I'm the same way. When I go here, Julie, I get onion rings just so that I can dip them in the different barbecue sauces.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 7:20

Yes, absolutely. And if it's a place that has an onion ring sauce, like even better. Yeah.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 7:27

Yeah, so highly recommend Regal Eagle. And then there's the Cat Cura Grill, which is the quick service in Japan. And one of the reasons I like this is not only the food like Ramen, but the location is just awesome because you kind of wind your way back into the back of Japan it's a really nice place to relax. Not a lot of people know that it's there. so there's space to chill for a minute. You've got the bamboo that has grown up over, so you have shade. I really, really like it. And then there's the Laal Bakery, and this is in France. this is a must go-to for anybody who wants carbs, There's wonderful pastries. There's wonderful sandwiches, something for anybody in the family here. what I like about this too. Is it's open before the rest of the world showcase. So if you're coming in from the international gateway, you can stop here and grab a morning snack or a breakfast. and then lastly, in the more general edca area is connections eatery. And they have some really interesting food. I know Julie raised about the general, so chicken salad.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 8:31

I love this place because they have a lot of good options for kids, but the adult options are really good too, which I think can be hard to find.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 8:42

So what about snacks? And remember we're talking about non festival times, Julie, what's a snack that you always recommend?

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 8:49

Okay, so I love the refreshment port by port of entry, After you've gone through the front of Epcot, past Spaceship Earth and you go to make that right towards Canada. There is a fur freshman pork stand there and they always have seasonal poutine and I just love it. I don't even care what season it is. you have to stop and get the poutine. french fries topped with some sort of sauce and cheese. Yum.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 9:14

All right, so Epcot is known for drinks. what are some that we need to highlight, Julie?

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 9:21

All right. You have to go to the Cho Day Margarita. Stand in Mexico and try the cucumber Margarita or the blood orange Margarita. These are both like the fresh margaritas, like not frozen. I'm not really a huge fan of frozen, but these are both so refreshing.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 10:05

This next one has its own rope drop, cult following. There are people that line up for this to open at 11 o'clock, and that is lava delta tequila. Have you been here, Julie?

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 10:19

I haven't yet. I feel like I'm always at the attractions.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 10:24

my gosh. we did not go to this when we had our Epcot day last year.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 10:27

Mm-hmm.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 10:29

Oh man. I was going to, book the tequila, experience for us and we didn't do that.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 10:34

I

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 10:35

anyway.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 10:36

about it and then it just didn't work out. I don't know.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 10:38

All right, so this is inside the Mexico pavilion. This is an actual bar that's in there that has some really good options of margaritas and tequila tastings, and in fact, they have a tequila experience where you have A certified tequila guide that takes you through a selection of rare and unique agave spirits. Each spirit is paired with a flavor that's meant to enhance its essence, and some are even exclusive to that location. It's a really good spot, and it has a cult following for a reason. It even has its own merchandise, Julie, so you know that it's legit.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 11:16

That's hilarious.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 11:18

All right.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 11:19

It is your vibe.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 11:20

This is my favorite drink in all of Wal Disney World. I have gotten so many people to fall in love with this drink, think including you.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 11:30

I haven't tried it, Ryan.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 11:32

oh my gosh, what have we been doing? What have we been doing?

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 11:36

I have three little children.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 11:38

All right, so this is the Tipsy Ducks in Love, at the joy of tea kiosk in China. it's a little, food stand outside of China. You can also get other drinks here, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. You can get some egg rolls here, but I always come for the tipsy ducks in love and it is a combination. Julie, of chocolate coffee, tea. Cream and bourbon.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 12:06

Sounds so random.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 12:08

It is so good. On a hot day, on a cool day, in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, whenever you need it. Tipsy ducks and love is there for you.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 12:17

Oh, you cracked me up.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 12:19

All right, so we are gonna talk about the different festivals that are options to expand this eating in ebco for foodies. But first, let's talk about where in the world is wonder and beyond Travel. I'm not. Gonna talk about travel here, more of a, of a trip that I'm working on. I had a family reach out to me before Christmas and they want to go to Europe and they couldn't really decide which place fit them best. So I did two different options and I want you to think about what might. Be the place you want to go to. I think I know the answer, but I wanna talk about each of these. The first is, this is for four adults and they are going for 10 days and they're doing the greatest hits of Italy, they're starting off in Rome, then taking the train up to Florence, then taking the train up to Venice, within this 10 days, they're seeing all the highlights. So in each of the cities, they're seeing the main tourist attractions, but they're also doing some different experiences. So they're doing a pizza making, uh, class. They're doing a pasta and gelato making class. So that's all in Italy. the second one is the same timeframe, but in Greece where they're flying into Athens and they are spending several days in Athens. They're having a rooftop dinner overlooking the Parthenon. They are going to see. All the major sites that Athens has to offer, and then getting on a cruise. on this cruise they are going to several different islands such as Anos, Santorini, Patmos, they're going to roads and they're seeing all different things along the way. What do you think they should choose? They said they were tired of relaxing. wanted to see sights and wanted to eat food.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 14:13

I don't know. That's a really hard question.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 14:15

Both of them sound good, don't they?

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 14:18

I'm gonna go Italy because that's just who I am,

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 14:22

And I'm gonna go grease, so there you go. But you know, it's not our decision. It's their decision. I am certainly excited to bring them two different options. I hope they spend some time over Christmas, mulling through it and thinking about it and dreaming about it, because between those two destinations, you can't go wrong.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 14:39

I would say both.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 14:41

Just one after the other.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 14:43

just do it up.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 14:44

We love celebrating with our clients and seeing where they're headed and where we're planning with them. It inspires curiosity in both them and us, and we can't wait to hear about their trips no matter what stage of the planning process it is. And who knows if you work with Wonder and Beyond Travel, maybe we're gonna focus on your trip next.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 15:03

All right, so let's hop into the festivals There is a lot to do at these festivals and one of the biggest pieces of festivals is eating

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 15:12

Yep.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 15:13

There are four festivals. It's basically year round with a couple weeks without a festival in between. The first one we're kind of gonna go in year in like the order of the year. Right? So the Festival of the Arts is usually in January and February, there are a couple of options that in the past have been like, must do booths. The first one is the Opening Bites booth, and last year the item that was really awesome here was the Enchanted Rose, it was beautiful It's a milk chocolate rose with raspberry and a rose center. the whole idea of the food booths at Festival of the Arts is that it's. beautiful food that the presentation is so important. so that was a very beautiful option at the Opening Bites booth. The next one is over at Connections Eatery, which we mentioned before. this is like, if you wanna try something that's a little bit out there, it is Squid ink pasta with lump crab, truffle cream, and shaved truffles. That I'm not sure I like. Does squid pasta taste different, do you think, Ryan?

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 16:17

I would not like this dish because I don't like truffle, but I'd be perfectly fine trying the squid ink pasta.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 16:23

Well maybe you could ask for it without, I dunno. The next

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 16:25

I think if it comes with truffle cream and shaved truffles, I don't think it's really worth asking for it without,

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 16:31

the next one is over at the Goki booth, and it is the sushi donut. it's got salmon, tuna, shrimp, cucumber, sesame seeds, wasabi, sriracha, eel sauce, every type of sushi you could possibly want a donut shape. And it also, again, is beautiful to look at. last one I wanna highlight for the festival the arts is the gourmet landscape SPO over in Canada, this is the citrus braised beef tartar with a golden beet egg yolk. that just sounds so different. so I think that'd be a great option for those foodies. So tell us some of the options that we would recommend from Flower and Garden

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 17:10

Sure.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 17:11

next one.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 17:12

Yeah, so that's early spring, into early summer. this festival's gonna focus on using fresh produce. fruits, vegetables, really highlighting the flower and garden theme. Some options from the past and like Julie said, there's always gonna be new things to try and some classics. So that's what makes it exciting to go during a festival time. The first one is at the for Fresh booth. So all things Florida, you're gonna have conquerers with key lime aioli at the yacht grub, you're gonna have a trio of dips and chips. Caramelized onion dip, whipped feta dip and pimento cheese with house-made potato chips and caviar. That sounds really good to me. The honey bistro is one that's always really strong. last year they had honey glazed, cauliflower with honey roasted carrot puree, wild rice pi off spring vegetables, honey blister grapes, and sunflower brittle. the last is Ha Ma, which is the, Japanese, kiosk for flower and garden. You have FSI strawberry pineapple, and Honey dew, wrapped in coconut rice and tricolor soy wrap served with coconut cream sauce and toasted coconut. as we get into the summer and fall, then we hit the Big Daddy, the one that started it all, food and Wine Festival. Julie, what are some things that are always popular at food and wine?

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 18:43

All right, so I'm gonna start with the traditional ones and then we'll go into ones that are a little newer the last couple of years. The Canada booth is always really popular. You can

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 18:53

Um.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 18:54

cheese and bacon soup with the pretzel roll, which is phenomenal. I would recommend maybe going towards like the October dates or November dates of the festival and not getting this in August.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 19:06

Ooh, hot soup when it's 97 degrees out.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 19:10

Yeah, no thanks. You can also get the filet mignon that comes with mushrooms and mashed potatoes. I usually get both of these items from the Canada booth. It's like I've had them every time and I just can't not have them. The next booth that is a tried and true for me is the Hawaii booth. I love their slow roasted pork slider that has like this sweet and sour chutney with pineapple new. think it was last year or maybe the year before, was the Hawaiian rice bowl that had spam and eggs and rice it has spam, so I can't say no to that. I don't know how you feel about spam,

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 19:45

I love it. especially in, in Hawaiian cuisine, spam is awesome.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 19:50

They usually have a spam masui, so maybe that was in addition to these, or maybe this took its place. I didn't see it on the most recent menu, but I've also had that before. Again, I could eat everything at the Hawaii booth. All right, so this one is the Coastal Eats booth, and this has been around for a couple of festivals. And the one I like here that's really unique is the Peruvian ceviche with mahi mahi shrimp, sweet potato, and a couple sauces on there. I'm not a massive fan of ceviche, but again, I think it's just that idea of like trying something new and you would never think to go to a theme park and get ceviche.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 20:25

Right.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 20:26

The next one is the fry basket, You can get yucca fries with a plant-based aioli, or you can get the fry flight, which comes with sea salt, malt vinegar fries, truffle parmesan fries, or sweet potato casserole fries. I just think that's a really fun thing to get and share with friends.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 20:45

Yep, I've done just that thing and it is a really good menu item.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 20:49

I was gonna say, this sounds like Ryan this booth was newer last year, so I hope that they bring it back in the coming years. And this is the Zas of the Galaxy menu. they highlight a bunch of different dumplings and they're really unique and dumplings are delicious. So it's fun to try it with these new, fillings, I guess. So there was a Buffalo style one, a French onions. Soup style dumpling, and then a street corn style dumpling. I really hope they offered a trio that you could get one of each, because that sounds amazing.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 21:20

All right, so the year finishes with the Festival of the Holidays where each of the countries, and then throughout Epcot, we celebrate different traditions around the world. It is wonderful, and food is absolutely part of that. So to give you, some examples over at the shiatsu, which is the Japan area there is the sushi tree roll. So Christmas tree shaped sushi with K crab meat and cream cheese garnish with spicy mayo and colorful rice pearls. Over in the Mexican pavilion, there is a macaron de noel. large gingerbread macaroni was spiced filling. At the refreshment port, you mentioned that poutine earlier, Julie. They have Turkey poutine, sweet potato fries with Turkey gravy, cranberry relish, and crispy onions. Yes. Yes, yes.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 22:12

Yum.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 22:14

Also the swirled Showcase, and this is kind of an ice cream and yogurt type place. So they've got liquid nitrogen, chocolate, peppermint mousse, featuring m and m's holiday mint chocolate candies. that sounds great. And then we go back to Hawaii. It's great at food and wine. It's also great at the Festival of the Holidays. And we're going to Maki, maa, and then you're gonna have the KAA pork with coconut sweet potatoes and mango salad. Omi, omi salmon, which is kind of Like a Hawaiian ceviche, if you will. So you've got salmon with tomatoes, onions, salmon, row, yuzu, mayonnaise, and yucca chips. And you also have the coffee mocha cookie topped with coffee infused buttercream cocoa nibs, and chocolate covered espresso beans. Yes. To all of that for me.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 23:01

Yeah, I feel like they see a theme here between the Japanese style foods,

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 23:06

Yeah.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 23:06

style foods. there is just so many food options to consider at Epcot. Like talking about this, Ryan makes me be like, I need to go with just my husband and eat all these

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 23:18

Well, I'm really excited that we finish on the Festival of the holidays'cause the next trip that I'm gonna take is gonna be next year to experience the holidays. And yes, I'm super excited.

j_1_01-05-2026_145007: 23:28

You are gonna be at the Melly Kki Maka booth for sure.

ryan_1_01-05-2026_145007: 23:31

Yes ma'am. The world is full of wonder and your next great adventure is waiting at Wonder and Beyond Travel. We work with you to create a one of a kind journey, taking the stress off your plate so you can focus on the joy of exploring and the memories that will stay with you forever. If you're ready to start planning or you just want to dream a little bigger, head on over to Wonder and beyond travel.com. We'd love to help you get started. We look forward to talking to you next week on All Things Travel. When we start a best of series with our first stop in cruising.