The Garden Grill: Restaurant Review

I have eaten at most restaurants at Disney World, and I thought it'd be helpful to provide some info and my thoughts on every place I've been- food at the parks does not come cheap, so it helps to know what you're getting before you go! I'll start with one of my all-time favorite restaurants, The Garden Grill.

Name: The Garden Grill Restaurant
Location: Epcot, Future World area in the Land Pavilion
Cuisine: American
Type: Table service, food served all you can eat, family style
Good for those who: Want a character dining experience, have an obsession with rotating restaurants, appreciate the value of sustainably-grown food.
Price Range: Disney lists this restaurant as a $$ on their pricing scale, which technically means $15-$35.99 per person. I can safely tell you that the prices here are much, much closer to the 35 end of that range than to the 15. The food is served family-style at a fixed price, which they do not list on the website, which I suspect is because it fluctuates occassionally. But, you can definitely count on it being at least $30 per person.


Times:  This restaurant serves dinner only, beginning at 4 pm.
Reservations: Make them!! Since this place only serves a few hours a day, and has limited seating, tables go fast. You can make reservations on the Disney World website, and I highly recommend doing so as far in advance as possible.

As I mentioned above, The Garden Grill is one of my favorite eateries in all of the parks. I went when I was like 5, and I loved it so much that I begged my parents to take us there every single time we went to Epcot after that. 15 years later, on my birthday, they finally did. It was everything I remembered and more. A childhood memory relived. Although this is a pricey place, for a special occassion, it is worth it for several reasons:

1- It spins. This is a round, very slowly rotating restaurant. For some reason, I love this. Don't ask why.

2- At some points along the rotation, you can see parts of the "Living With The Land" boatride downstairs. Again, I love this. I think I always just loved being able to see the boats going by, and looking out over the fake rainforest and the fake prairie... sigh. Its a simple thing that only Disney could think of.

3- It has characters. Yes, I'm 20, and yes, I still love Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale, who are usually the ones they have here. I never really grew up, in case you haven't guessed by now. They interact with you, will take pictures, whatever. And although this does make it a great choice for kids, if you are in a group with only adults like I was, no one will judge, promise!

4- Some of the food they serve comes from the greenhouses in the Land Pavilion (which you can tour through on the aforementioned boat ride). As someone who appreciates sustainable and locally grown food, this gives it a big plus in my book.

5-And, oh, yeah, they food here is pretty great, too (I guess that's important, too). It is served family style, (ALL YOU CAN EAT!!) on a fixed menu. Typically, you'll get some amazingly tasty rolls and salad to start with. The they bring you the entrees, which included turkey, steak and their "fish of the day", which I believe comes from the fish-farm thing they have in the greenhouses (I know, right? They have everything here!), served with vegetables, potatoes and rice, and then, of course, dessert, usually some type of fruit cobbler thing. As usual, if you are a vegetarian or have another special diet, they can accomodate that provided you let them know in advance:)

So... as you can see, you really do get a lot for the price at this place. I highly recommend it!

xoxo, Lily

*Keep in mind, prices and menu selections are subject to change, so I can't garantee that this info will be accurate all the time.