REVIEW: Craving Chinese Takeout Food? This EPCOT World Showcase Pavilion Has Got Your Back

Hey, we get it. Finding food in EPCOT can be overwhelming, to put it mildly. From festival booths to quick-service to sit-down restaurants and all the snack carts in between, where should you eat when you visit?

We visited the Lotus Blossom Cafe at the China Pavilion in EPCOT to enjoy lunch, and we’re sharing all the details with you. Join us to explore the menu and decide if this spot should be added to your EPCOT day.

Background

Welcome to the Lotus Blossom Cafe! This restaurant offers Chinese take-out favorites from 11 AM to 9 PM every day in the China Pavilion. This restaurant does not offer mobile ordering, so you’ll walk right up to the counter to place your order, then pick it up in the back.

There are favorites like Pork Egg Rolls, Chicken Pot Stickers, Orange Chicken, Chicken Fried Rice, Mongolian Beef, and Stir-Fried Noodles. They also offer Coca-Cola fountain drinks, Black and Green Iced Tea, Lyhee Tea, and alcoholic beverages, such as Plum Wine.

Atmosphere

You’ll find this restaurant tucked in the China Pavilion in the EPCOT World Showcase. There’s a covered dining area, and since this restaurant isn’t usually too busy, we typically don’t have a hard time finding a seat. There’s a mix of tables and chairs, but not booths.

While this restaurant may not be your go-to choice when an EPCOT festival is in full swing, it’s a great option for when you need something familiar without a long wait. If you’re a fan of Panda Express (outside the Disney Bubble), this will totally hit the spot for you.

Food & Drinks

First up was the Chicken Pot Stickers for $7.35. These get a “meh” rating from us. They have a soft outside, with a bit of crispiness from being pan-fried, and while there’s a good amount of filling inside, it was pretty bland. We definitely recommend dipping them in the dipping sauce to add a bit more flavor. 

Overall, these tasted like the potstickers you can get from the frozen food section at the grocery store, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it may not be what you want to spend nearly $7.50 on in EPCOT.

We also had to grab the Orange Chicken Combo for $14.95, which is served with steamed rice, a pork egg roll, and a fortune cookie.

Our reporter is a sucker for Orange Chicken and thought this was actually pretty decent! The chicken is coated in a crispy coating and then tossed in a sweet orange sauce (which doesn’t have any spice to it), and the ratio of breading to chicken was good, as there is a fair amount of meat. The rice is pretty standard rice — slightly dry, but we did add a bit of the orange sauce on it, and it was lovely. The egg roll was also okay, as it tasted just like what you would get from a Chinese takeout spot, but the outside was crispy, and the inside was filled with tasty meat and veggies. We’d get it again, but again, it’s not going to blow your mind.

Our other entree was the Mongolian Beef Noodle Combo for $15.75, which is served with a pork egg roll and a fortune cookie.

This was also just…okay. The last time we had it, it didn’t totally impress us, so we wanted to give it another try. The beef was fairly tender and easy to chew, and you get a good portion of meat. It had a light, sweet sauce in it, kinda similar to teriyaki sauce. The noodles were tender and mixed with veggies, and tasted just like the chow mein noodles you can get at Panda Express. We’re sensing a trend here — again, it was fine, but nothing super special.

Then it was time for dessert! We snagged the Lychee Ice Cream for $5.35, and we were pretty impressed by this!

It tasted like vanilla ice cream with a hint of sweet lychee in it, and had tiny little chunks of lychee mixed in. It was served very frozen, and if you ate your meal at a normal pace and didn’t take a million pictures (like we do — gotta make sure to get the best shots!), it would probably be a really great consistency by the time you finish.

Magic or Tragic?

You should head to Lotus Blossom Cafe if…

• You’re a big fan of Panda Express or Americanized Chinese takeout
• You’re a pickier eater and know you like Chinese food like this
• You need something quick near the China Pavilion

Lotus Blossom Cafe should be a skip if…

• • There’s an EPCOT festival going on
  • You want a longer, indoor dining experience
  • You’re not a fan of Americanized Chinese food (if you want authentic, this is NOT it)

We think this spot is good for those who know that they like non-authentic Chinese food and are totally fine with that. If you know this is something you’ll eat and want a quick meal, this is likely a great stop. It won’t completely knock your socks off, but it can be great in a pinch!

We love sharing the best food reviews with you here, so be sure to keep following AllEars for more tips and tricks.

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Have you eaten at Lotus Blossom Cafe? Tell us your favorite item in the comments.

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