Mouse Extra

Largely regarded as a top Disney World restaurant, Epcot’s Le Cellier is one of, if not the toughest ticket in all of the World Showcase.   If you are going to the Mouse, even in the slowest of seasons, you must make your reservations as early as possible if you want to try this terrific place.

I was an Epcot fanatic for years without ever even considering Le Cellier for a meal.  A Canadian steakhouse just didn’t seem to be all that interesting.  But as the Disney internet community began to grow, I became more and more intrigued.  The final straw came during my first trip to the Epcot Food and Wine festival.  There my wife and I both fell madly addicted to little cups of Le Cellier’s Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup.  We had to try the place.   Of course I soon found the rumors to be true as there was no chance of getting into the restaurant for a meal during that trip.  It would have to wait.

By the time our next trip came around the hype was overwhelming.  Between WDW Today’s Mike Scopa practically weeping tears of joy every time the name Le Cellier was even mentioned, all the glowing online reviews, and our own expectation, we may have been setting the bar a bit high.  Thankfully, that was not the case.  It cleared the bar with room to spare. 

The interior of Le Cellier is as gorgeous as the rest of the Canada Pavilion.  It is beautifully appointed, authentic and understated.   It doesn’t attempt to overwhelm you with flash and glitz.  But like the country it represents, it is complex, classy, and inviting.  The colors, lighting and architecture all set a wonderfully warm atmosphere that settles you instantly from a manic day at Disney World. 

Steak is the specialty of the house, but everything on this menu looks terrific.  I was there with a large party, and all were very satisfied with their meals.  Make sure you try the aforementioned cheese soup and the Maple Crème Brule, which is just heavenly.  For lunch, I truly enjoyed the Asian Grilled Chicken Sandwich, and I also heard raves about Calgary Barbecue Sliced Prime Rib from the table. 

The one and only issue, and this could be purely bad luck, was that the service seemed slow compared to other Epcot restaurants.  Not bad, just perhaps overwhelmed.  Considering Le Cellier never seems to slow down at all, that shouldn’t be surprising.  But with that aside, I recommend this place as highly as I can recommend any restaurant in all of Walt Disney World.  Just get your reservation early, and prepare to wait even if you do.

Good bye Alfredo’s, I knew you well. When I first heard the rumor that this restaurant was possibly leaving the Italy pavilion in Epcot, I was very dismissive. I didn’t believe that Disney would junk one of the most popular places to eat in Walt Disney World. When the rumors persisted, I was surprised. Now that its official, I’m still having trouble believing. This was consistently one of the first places in Epcot- the food park- to be booked. I recall the old days when you had to get to EPCOT Center first thing in the morning to make a ressie by video monitor with a CM at the base of Spaceship Earth (good old Walter Cronkite was still narrating back then too). Alfredo’s was almost always the first to fill. I attribute this more to the popularity of Italian cuisine in general as opposed to the delicacies offered here in particular. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s some sad and surprising news this morning for World Showcase lovers coming from Intercot…

Walt Disney World has announced that Alfredo di Roma Ristorante, a fixture at the Italy Pavilion in Epcot for over 20 years, is closing permanently at the end of July, 2007. There will be a replacement Italian restaurant opening in the same location, but at this time Disney has not released any further details. Guests who have advanced dining reservations beyond the closing date will be contacted by Disney in order to make alternate arrangements.

I can only assume that this is some sort of contract dispute, because the place certainly is not unpopular by any means.  This is a restaurant I love, mostly for nostalgic reasons.  A long standing Epcot tradition, Alfredo’s is always fun and good.

However, even I must admit it is not what it once was.  Like most Disney World restaurants, Alfredo’s menu seems to have dramatically shrunk over the past few years, and so have the portions.  Also, the entertainment value has also been scaled back somewhat.  But it never got to the point where I would not want eat there, and it certainly is not an easy reservation to get.  But in the end we are talking about a restaurant here, and hopefully Disney can replace it with something as good or better.  I certainly hope so, because there’s nothing like a good bowl of pasta to get the energy level up for more walking.

Looking for a taste of Paris? Chefs de France in Epcot’s World Showcase enables the travel without the hassle of flying. Read the rest of this entry »

I prefer the San Angel Inn to all the World Showcase restaurants. To start with, the atmosphere is, for my money, the best in all of Walt Disney World. Read the rest of this entry »

The World Showcase is where we head for today’s restaurant review.  The Nine Dragons can be found at the China Pavilion.  Should you make advanced dining reservations for this place on your next trip?  Let’s take a look. Read the rest of this entry »