Disney Dining Review – Teppan Edo

To say I have some picky eaters in my family is an understatement. They are a no dressing here, no cheese there, can you hold the onions kind of family. My oldest son and I, however, like a great variety of food. So, I decided, somewhat last minute, to add a lunch reservation at Teppan Edo to our recent vacation. I was met with some skeptical looks, but by the end of our meal they were happy we went.

Teppan Edo is a hibachi style restaurant in Epcot’s Japan Pavilion. There is not a lot that sets it apart from your local hibachi restaurant, other than the pricing and location, but it was a lot of fun to add this to our vacation experience.

As you enter the Japan Pavilion there is a wide staircase to your right leading to the top level of the Mitsukoshi Department store. Two restaurants are located up there—Teppan Edo and Tokyo Dining. If you have wheelchair or stroller there is an elevator to the top (and you can park your stroller in the waiting area). We entered the restaurant and checked in for our lunch, and after a brief wait we were escorted back to our table.

The hostess emphasized, several times, the heat of the grill and that we should not touch it. They placed our 3 year old on the corner so he had no chance of getting close. Similar to Germany’s Biergarten you will most likely be seated with another family unless you are a large party.

Our server came to the table and went over the menu with us and took our drink orders. Since we were not on the dining plan we chose to share 2 selections (the steak & chicken and the steak & shrimp). We placed our order and then another family was seated with us. It would be nice if everyone was seated at the same time because we ended up waiting a bit longer as their drink orders were placed and they decided on their entrees.

We all wanted to try out the chopsticks, so our server made them into easy chopsticks for us. This ended up being fun for all of us and added to the interactive feel of the meal.

Then our chef arrived. He was great and did all of the knife tricks you expect from this type of dining experience. The best thing was the onion that he chopped and sculpted into the faces of Mickey and Minnie Mouse as it cooked on the grill. Instead of the traditional onion volcano he made a smaller version for Mickey’s nose. This thrilled my three year old and impressed everyone else at the table too.

Each entrée is served with noodles and vegetables as well as rice. He served up our noodles, dividing the two orders we made amongst the 5 of us. This was my 3 year olds favorite part of the meal (and maybe mine too). We did order an extra bowl of rice, so the three of us eating the rice each had our own. The rice is a beef rice, but I do believe you can request white rice as a substitute.

As we enjoyed our noodles he prepared our meats. I was happy that we had a variety to sample. We all decided that the steak was our favorite, followed by the chicken and the shrimp. We would leave the shrimp off of our next order since it got a little rubbery in the cooking. We were given three sauces to dip our meats and vegetables and they were all very good.

The chef finished up and cleaned off the grill while we ate our lunch. The two entrees were plenty for us for lunch—I think my 15 year old would’ve liked a little more, but we were promising desserts around the World Showcase.

I would recommend Teppan Edo to families at Walt Disney World—the service was very good, the food was delicious and having the chef prepare your meal right in front of you provides entertainment not only for little ones who might get antsy waiting on their food, but for everyone at the table. We liked it so much that I came home and made a reservation for our next visit to the World.

FAST Review:

Food: The food was delicious, traditional Japanese hibachi style food. It is fairly similar to what you would get if you have a local Japanese steakhouse. The portions are generous. Even my skeptical family members came away with full tummies and happy faces.

Atmosphere: The décor is very simple as you would think of in a Japanese setting. The real atmosphere here comes from your chef preparing the meal at your table with all of his tricks.

Service: Service was very good. I always enjoy World Showcase restaurants with their staff from that country. Our server was attentive and helpful with the menu. The service the chef provided was also top notch.

Tips: Go hungry! Be prepared to share a table with another family. Teppan Edo does not accept the Tables in Wonderland discount card. Have your camera ready—you want to enjoy your meal, but there are also some fun photo moments you will want to capture (like Mickey & Minnie art on the grill