Review: Our First Few Visits to Connections Eatery at EPCOT
Connections Eatery is a large quick-service restaurant in World Celebration at Epcot. We’ve had the opportunity to dine here a couple of times and have been impressed for the most part with what we’ve tried. However, one items stand out among the crowd. We’ll get to that and more as we review the restaurant and discuss planning a meal here.
| Connections Eatery | EPCOT |
|---|---|
| Hours: | 11:00 a.m. until Park Close |
| Location: | World Celebration |
| Lunch and Dinner Menu | View Menu on Disney.com |
| Disney Dining Plan: | Yes |
Connections is not far past the park’s main entrance. You’ll stay to the left of Spaceship Earth when you enter the park. Soon after, you’ll run into Connections Cafe on your left. You can enter on the cafe side, which is also the Starbucks location for the park. Then, you’ll continue along the walkway that wraps around the inside of the building to the Eatery. The main thing is to be aware that one side (Connections Cafe) is Starbucks only, while the opposite side (Connections Eatery) is a full quick service restaurant.
One of the things we love about Connections Eatery is that they accept mobile orders. If you have a large group or plan to dine during prime lunch or dinner hours, you will most definitely benefit from mobile ordering. We like to preview the menu on the bus ride to the park or place our orders when we’re standing in line for rides. We discuss this and more time saving tips in our mobile ordering guide.
Now for the menu items that were available on our visit.
Sandwiches
- French Bistro Burger
- American Classic Burger
- Hand-breaded Chicken Sandwich
- Black Bean Burger
*Note several of the menu items on the menu board below are no longer available.
Pizza
- Margherita
- Pepperoni Pizza
- Cheese Pizza
*Note several of the menu items on the menu board below are no longer available.
Salad
- General Tso Chicken Salad
- Nicoise-style Salad
Plant-Based
- Black Bean Burger
Sides include coleslaw, French fries, a Mediterranean side salad, or a Mandarin orange.
Kids’ Meals include:
- Cheeseburger
- Grilled Chicken Skewer
- Chicken Strips
- Cheese Pizza
Dessert:
- Liege Waffle
- Apple Pie Gelato Shake
- Mango-Coconut Milk Shake
- Chocolate-Matcha Baumkuchen
Connections Eatery has a large kitchen and prep area open to the dining room.
The order area is similar to most other major quick service locations in the parks. First, you walk up on either side of the register to order. Then, you continue forward to the window to pick up your meal. Beverage and condiment areas are on each side of the restaurant.
A stunning mural completes an entire wall. (This is part of the walkway that connects the Cafe to the Eatery.)
A variety of seating areas wrap around the entire building.
On our first visit to Connections Eatery, I ordered the General Tso Chicken Salad. The salad is a kale and lettuce mix with crispy wonton strips, three crispy sesame-crusted chicken strips, and various veggies.
I can’t say enough good things about this option. The salad felt like a quality entree I might have ordered at a table service restaurant. My chicken was well-prepared, and the salad’s subtle yet tangy vinaigrette provided just the right amount of balance. This is the kind of meal that makes you wonder why we can’t have more comparable quick service locations in the parks. Unfortunately, they are few and far between.
On another visit, I tried the French Bistro Burger. Something about the grilled mushrooms, bacon, and brioche sounded appealing, and I was craving an order of fries.
This burger was another excellent option. The menu lists that the burger is made up of a gourmet blend. One of the things that immediately jumped out was the flavor of the meat. The Brie cheese also worked well with the flavor profile of the burger. You could easily share this with someone in your group. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish mine.
On another visit, I decided to try one of the kids’ meals at Connections. This time, I ordered the bao bun with grilled chicken. (Update: this menu item is no longer available.) Most kids’ meals come with two sides, so I ordered fries and a Mandarin orange. While I enjoyed the bao bun and mandarin, I thought the size of this meal was tiny, even for a kids’ meal. Unfortunately, my fries were cold, and there might have been a total of 10 in the cup. So this isn’t the most substantial kids’ meal for $8.00.
Overall, Connections Eatery is a win-win and offers a much-needed improvement to the counter service dining options at Epcot. The restaurant is an excellent stop for lunch or dinner, and you don’t need reservations. For more on dining, you might like to preview our entire list of Disney World Restaurant Reviews. Some of our other favorite stops at Epcot include:
You might also like to browse our entire Disney World Dining Guide.
In the Comments
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