Spice Road Table, a Mediterranean-Style Experience Lagoon Side in Epcot
Strolling along the World Showcase Promenade at Epcot you will find a new and inviting restaurant in Morocco. Will it be the inviting patio café side that draws you in, or the whitewashed and icy blue façade? Perhaps it is the appealing menu! Today we shall get the opportunity to taste items from the menu.
The patio area seats 120 diners and the cozy indoor room seats 60. The focus of the indoor area is the water of World Showcase Lagoon, and undoubtedly illuminations at night. I happen to love the outdoor eating area, and the weather here is beautiful for it. The temperature is mild, and we are well=shaded here so even in the warmer months I expect this to be a nice place to dine. The breeze coming off the water is so pleasant; I wish you could be here too.
The beautiful thing about the Spice Road Table is it is Tapas, or little plates of food, so we can share many different items. (One thing I notice right away is missing items from the menu that was pre-published by the Disney Parks Blog are the Harissa Chicken Drumettes and Lamb Kebabs.) My companions and I have decided on Spicy Shrimp, Lamb Sliders, Fried Calamari, and Harissa Chicken Roll and since many of these are on the two Sampler Platters we opt for that. Our waiter, Aziz, instructs us that the cold selections are traditionally eaten first and then move to the warmer foods at the end. He says that this restaurant is built with the traditional Moroccan culture of sharing many foods. He set a very relaxed tone for the meal. The food items come out of the kitchen very quickly so if you want to savor each dish and the view or atmosphere place your order for another item when you have finished the first. Now this is how it was on the first day which enjoyed a pretty light crowd as it is still the soft opening for the restaurant. The restaurant and Disney have not figured out which discounts will be offered here yet, including the Annual Pass, Tables in Wonderland, or Cast discounts. The Disney Dining Plan is not accepted here yet either. The policies for these options will be decided prior to the restaurant’s official opening day, which has not been announced yet.
Spicy Shrimp, $10.00: an order consists of 10 nice shrimp and is sautéed with dried Chilies, garlic, olive oil, and cilantro. This is an excellent dish. The spice of the Chilies did not overpower the shrimp. The garlic, oil, and cilantro enhanced the flavor even more. It was not a heavy dish at all. There was a wedge of multi-grain bread served with it that was perfect to soak up the flavorful oil at the end.  I will definitely be ordering this again.
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We then ordered the Tingis Sampler, $16.00: includes Lamb Slider (1), Harissa Chicken Roll (1), and Merguez Sausage (1). (If you order the Lamb Sliders$9.00, separately you will receive two. If you order the Harissa Chicken Roll $8.00, separately you will receive two. If you order the Merguez Sausage, $9.00, you receive two.)
Lamb Sliders -small Brioche with meatball sized burger; The Brioche is fresh and pairs well with the flavorful lamb burgers. The Tzatzikiki sauce made with cucumber, dill and mint is just enough to tie all the flavors together. It was delicious, not dry, and I would order it again.
Harissa Chicken Roll-this is a delicate, crispy, spring roll made with chicken, rice, corn, and cilantro and served with a dollop of Harissa ketchup. The roll is incredibly flavorful and the Harissa ketchup has a bit of bite to it that really enhances the dish. Our waiter offered to get us some additional sauce if we would like and we were quick to say yes.
Moroccan Merguez Sausage– served with minced red onion, cilantro, and diced fresh tomato, this dish is much lighter than you expect with the addition of the fresh ingredients. The sausage has a nice flavor, nothing hot to the taste, and is slightly dry as opposed to being a heavy, greasy, taste from other sausages. It tasted really great with the Harissa ketchup sauce too.
Next we ordered the Mogador Sampler, $16.00, which includes Mussels Tagine, Salted Cod Croquettes, and Fried Calamari. Â (If the Salted Cod Croquettes are ordered separately, $10.00, you receive 3.)
Fried Calamari, the order consisted of 11 pieces; this is an item we like to order only in the best places. It was very good. The outside very light batter and had a nice crunch to it. The squid pieces were also very delicate and tasty. This was served with a lemon wedge. I will order this every time I come here if it is always prepared this well.
Salted Cod Croquettes, served with a lemon wedge, two pieces, was a delicious ball shape of predominately cod, with very little breading to hold it together. It has a fresh flavor and is not very salty as I expected it would be. This is also delicious with the Harissa Ketchup.
Mussels Tagine– served with tomato sauce, cilantro, garlic, and lemon confit.Unfortunately this was not a favorite with my group. Despite being a fan of mussels, it did not taste right. It did not have a fresh flavor, or one that was embraced by any in the party. When our waiter returned to check on us, we expressed our displeasure with this portion and he was quick to offer bringing out something else that we really enjoyed, or one of the other items on the menu. We selected Rice-Stuffed Grape Leaves.
Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves, $8.00, serving 4 portions, served with fried capers, light and dark raisins, pimento and fresh grated Nutmeg. This is served cold, which was a surprise as we had only had them warm before. It was refreshing with the warming temperatures so I am sure it will be a big favorite in the hotter months here. They had a great texture and flavor. This was the most filling selection we have tried. I would order these again for sure.
There are two more food items on the menu:
Mediterranean Omelet, $7.00, served with potato, red peppers, and caramelized onions.
Hummus and Imported Olives, $10.00, this is two varieties of hummus and they are served with a mixture of imported green and ripe olives, with Za’atar Flat Bread on the side.
We enjoyed some Moroccan Casa beer, $6.99, and the Andalusian Night signature cocktail that is made with Apricot Brandy, Myers Dark Rum and Orange Juice, and Pina Colada mix for $9.99.
For dessert we chose the Chocolate Pyramid, $7.00. This is a pyramid, like the ones in Egypt, Aziz tells us. The pyramid is actually shaped chocolate mousse, with a hidden pocket of vanilla cream inside, and a dip of Almond Ice Cream next to it and chocolate sauce drizzled over top. This was delicious and although we were pretty full from eating so much, we were happy we ordered this dessert. It had a delicate texture, nice chocolate flavor, and was a great blend of flavors with the vanilla sauce and ice cream. It was not heavy or overly-sweet, so the perfect dessert for us. I would order this again, or maybe beg a spoonful of it and try one of the other two dessert options. The other choices were: Saffron and Lemon Custard, which is the Moroccan version of a crème Brulee. Almond and Rosewater cake served with Blood Orange sauce was the third option.
We enjoyed our meal here immensely.  The service, the food, and the atmosphere- it all created a wonderful dining experience at Epcot along the World Showcase Lagoon. The location is perfect as you sit on the patio and watch the people on the promenade, the boats on the lagoon, or from the dining room the elegant light fixtures, carved wooden chairs, hammered brass tabletops, and of course, an incredible view of the lagoon and Illuminations at night through the large windows. There is Moroccan music playing lightly in the background.
F.A.S.T. Review
F: Food- it is delicious! There is a nice variety of dishes to share and you can eat as little or as much as you feel like eating at the time. If there is something on the sampler platter you don’t want to try, you can substitute another item from the menu. If you are unhappy with a dish, which only happened with one item for us, the kitchen is happy to give you something else.
A: Atmosphere-I loved it! This feels like you are on the Mediterranean Sea and the views can’t be beat. All of the furniture, art, lighting, etc. were sent from Morocco to Disney which leads to the feeling of really experiencing Morocco. The light fixtures give a romantic feel to the place both day and night. It is very relaxed and that is hard to accomplish in the midst of World Showcase.
S: Service-our server, Aziz, was top-notch. He brought our food quickly, checked on us often, answered questions, and gave us advice. He added to our dining experience by his knowledge of the menu and his experience as a waiter. He made sure we always had something to drink. The service from the check-in podium at the front through the whole meal was excellent and very friendly.
T: Tip- If your party is interested in watching Illuminations from an air-conditioned location on hot days, the inside dining area at Spice Road Table should be at the top of your list. This is a table service restaurant, but it is first come, first served, at least in these opening days. We will have to see if that changes as we approach the official grand opening day.
By Cassie