“A Sad Lonely Version of McDonald’s Fries”: This Is the WORST EPCOT Restaurant Review We’ve Ever Seen

EPCOT has long been a favorite of many guests thanks to its litany of dining options. However, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect for everyone.

The park offers sit-down dining, counter-service establishments, and snacks of all kinds that in turn appeal to all palates. That said, not all experiences are created equal. In our library of reader reviews, we’ve received several SCATHING takes on some of EPCOT’s most popular restaurants.

First up, an anonymous reader did not hold back about their experience at EPCOT’s Space 220.

They began their review with, “My husband and I dined at Space 220 last week 6/13/2024. I think it is safe to say that things have changed. We were seated along the back wall. We had no better a view than the view from the bar area. Our waiter was not attentive and seemed to truly not give a single **** about us. This was magnified by the amount of attention he gave to his other tables around us.”

After discussing the service, they went into the food itself, saying “The appetizers we ordered were fine. We had the beef carpaccio and shrimp tacos. The beef should have had a sauce and instead it was literally just mayonnaise. The taco shell was nice but the shrimp were not quality. They were the very small cheap shrimp like you find at any grocery store in the country. I had a cocktail and my husband had the space draft beer. The beer was very bad, even by craft beer standards. He talked about it with the waiter and a manager and no solution was offered. On to the mains. I had the steak salad as it was 98 degrees outside and I just could not eat anything heavy. Boy was that a mistake. My \”steak\” was cooked so long that it took another form. It was dry and rock hard. The sad bits of iceberg lettuce and four pieces of tomato did not make up for the steak rocks. Although maybe they were moon rocks, sticking with the theme and all. I digress, my salad was horrid. My husband got the steak frites. His steak was edible, but it was also overcooked. The fries that came with the steak were pathetic. Think of a sad lonely version of McDs fries and you’ll be close to these.”

According to the reviewer, the restaurant’s staff did take notice of their party’s negative experience. According to the reader, “At the end of the meal our waiter said he would “take care of us” and came back with a 15% discount. While that was nice, sort of, it in no way made our experience better. I would give it a 1/10 and that’s just because by cocktail was cute. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY OR TIME IN THE DINING ROOM.”

They did end their 1/10 review with something resembling a silver lining, advising others, to “Go to the bar. We have actually had several wonderful experiences at the bar.”

So that’s something… right?

Next, we’re moving into World Showcase, specifically Chef’s de France in the French pavilion, where another Anonymous reader alleged they had a bad experience on their birthday.

“I ate here in early August 2024 for dinner on my birthday since I remember this having been quite good for a theme park. Unfortunately, that is no longer true. First, they will not bring you bread or even say that there *is* bread until you have ordered, so you can’t have something to nibble on first so you’re not making an empty-stomach decision. Had I been less ravenous, I probably would have ordered a better choice. I got the strip steak, which was at least half fat/gristle that was not really edible. It had grill marks, but seemed like it had been cooked to temp and held, then tossed on the grill to finish so it was generally grey and sad-looking on the outside (I ordered medium rare, which it was). My steak came with a compound butter topping, but since the steak wasn’t hot and freshly-grilled, just kind of lukewarm, and the butter was hard out of the fridge, it didn’t melt. It tasted fine but it was very difficult to get an appropriate amount with each bite.The roasted potatoes had obviously been kept under a heat lamp for a long time, as they had a terrible, rubbery texture rather than a nice, toasty, roasted texture. The green beans were unseasoned and overcooked, and the portion on the sides was very very small – I got more green beans with my kid’s meal at Columbia Harbour House! Overall, the meal was pretty bland with nothing interesting going on outside of the butter. The bread, however, once I got it, was very very good. The service was fine, but definitely rushed. I was looking forward to enjoying my glass of wine (house pinot noir even though I pointed to the nicer one on the menu) and bread, but my steak was brought out not 10 minutes after I ordered it. I understand that this is a theme park restaurant and they want to churn tables, but that was a little much. They didn’t even pretend the steak was actually cooked to order. I skipped dessert because I had no faith it would be worth the money. I probably should have ordered the salmon, since that looked like it may have been cooked fresh. Such a disappointment. With tax and tip, my steak and house wine was $71.54.”

That certainly doesn’t sound like a happy birthday.

Finally, we’re moving across the World Showcase to Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria in the  Italy Pavilion.

An anonymous reviewer took issue with the food, but had a bigger problem with the restaurant’s attentiveness to allergies on their visit. According to the reader, “I had been hearing how great this place was and was really looking forward to giving it a try, especially this “amazing” pizza. The place is so loud and sound echos everywhere it’s difficult to have any conversation. I told the server I was allergic to pork and pork products. I ordered a margherita but what arrived was a pizza covered in every pork product on the menu. When the proper pizza arrived the crust was undercooked and they obviously used shredded mozzarella rather than the sliced. My partner’s chicken parmesan’s breading was moist and the dish overall was lackluster.”

While these negative EPCOT experiences aren’t in the norm for our readers – – Space 220, Chefs de France, and Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria each have 75%, 82%, and 84% respective recommendation rates from our readers – – it is important to note that some do have bad experiences at the Most Magical Place on Earth.

We want to hear YOUR thoughts! Leave a review right here on AllEars for the restaurants you’ve been to so you can help out fellow Disney lovers planning their next trip!

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What are your thoughts on these experiences? Let us know in the comments below!

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