When meeting friends in Epcot, I usually choose one of two places to begin our adventure — La Cava del Tequila or the Rose & Crown Pub.
On this particular day, the timing made sense to meet at Rose & Crown, so we got the opportunity to check out a few menu changes on the pub menu.
Pub Menu -- click for larger version
Now, Epcot’s Rose & Crown Restaurant and Pub both have different menus, so don’t be shocked if your favorites don’t translate from one to the other!
We started out with a couple of drinks. My friend knew immediately that she wanted a Snake Bite and Black (equal parts lager and cider with blackcurrant cordial added as a sweetener). I, however, couldn’t make up my mind.
Snake Bite and Black
So I headed over to the bar to see my good friend Carl — who brightens my day EVERY time I see him — and charged him with choosing my drink for me. “Why don’tcha have a Pimm’s Cup?” he asked; and so it was. (Pimm’s No. 1 Cup is a gin-based drink, which here is mixed with Sprite.)
Pimms Cup
Now, on to that new menu I was telling you about. Things have changed slightly on the bar menu (don’t worry! The English Bulldog is still there!), and the cheese platter has been updated. We decided to order it, along with a side of house-made crisps.
The updated cheese plate includes three cheeses — a Cotswolds Cheddar, an aged Irish Cheddar, and Stilton blue. The three were served with onion jam, honey, a cold fruit chutney (which was actually quite sour), and a mix of Craisins and walnuts, along with small toast slices.
We dove into the cheeses and were very impressed from the beginning! The Cotswolds Cheddar was incredible! The flavor was heady and onion-y — but the texture was smooth, as though the hard cheese had been infused with sour cream or cream cheese.
The Aged Irish Cheddar was perfectly crumbly and strong-tasting — interestingly, this paired will with the Pimm’s Cup I was drinking!
And the Stilton blue is always a winner. They’d covered it with honey, which I loved; and I also added some dried cranberries and walnuts to the mix to give it even more layers. Yum!
Three Cheese Plate -- Cotswolds Cheddar - Aged Irish cheddar - Stilton
While eating the cheese plate, we were also snacking on the delicious house-made Rose & Crown crisps. These aren’t too thick or to hard — not at all like kettle chips. They have a good, strong potato flavor, and make for a great bar snack.
house made crisps
But the main reason why I’m writing this post is to tell you about a major discovery we made on our visit to the Rose & Crown Pub that day! We created a brand new snack that was AWESOME (and I promise that’s not the Pimm’s Cup talking).
When we ran out of little toasties to put our cheese on, we started piling it onto the crisps (natural progression, no?). And when we tried that Cotswolds Cheddar on a crisp we were blown away. We knew we’d had the taste and flavor before, but none of us could remember where.
Then, all of a sudden, it hit us! Sour Cream and Cheddar Ruffles potato chips! That’s exactly what this tasted like, except…better! The combo of textures — that creamy richness of the cheese and the crunchy saltiness of the crisp — made for a seriously delicious bar snack.
cheddar on crisp
So, while it’s significantly easier on your pocketbook to just head out to the grocery store and pick up a bag of Ruffles, should you find yourself at Rose and Crown with a hankering for something smooth, salty, and crunchy at the same time, consider making an order for these two snacks! It’s worth it! 😉
Where’s your favorite meeting place in Epcot? Let us know in the comments below!
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As if I needed and excuse to go back to Rose and Crown! Sounds really yummy. And I live for house-made chips. Always so much better than the ones in the bag. 🙂
I’ve always loved the Rose and Crown and have been eating and drinking there for 25 years. There is something homey and welcoming about it. AJ’s positive report is nothing but good news and inviting.
Those chips (crisps) actually look pretty good, and I’m not a chip fan… but I’m sure it’s GREAT with the cheese! Anything is better with cheese isn’t it? I really like Rose and Crown and unfortunately it’s been too long since I’ve eaten there, due to eating in other restaurants nearby. It’s both great and kinda a drag at how many awesome restaurants there are in World Showcase isn’t it? 😉
I still have not made it to this pub, but I promised myself I would this year. Drink recommendations please!
I’ve always skipped the R&C pub since I can’t drink (allergic) but between the English Bulldog and now the mix of cheese and crisps, I think I’ll have to make this a stop. 🙂
Their cheese plates are really well thought out. Loving both the cheese platter with “chutney” and the cheddar on crisp (preferably slightly warm).
My favorite place in all the World:) I’m thinking your snack creation is about how we came up with things like Peanut Butter and Jelly…improvisation.
Dana — Agreed! I’ll have to meet you there sometime!
Alan — I knew you’d be on my side with this one! There’s really nothing like that place. It IS comforting, isn’t it?
Marcellina — I know! My husband and I are glad that some of our favorite restaurants are coming back into the rotation! 😉
Mark D. — Do what I did! Ask the bartenders for their favorites! Also, the Imperial Sampler is quite good — five beers/brews to try!
Cherry — Yes, yes!! It’s very much worth a visit! Try a non-alcoholic drink!
Savorique — I agree whole-heartedly about the cheese platters. I feel that the platters in the past have been slightly more inventive (with sausages!), but this was was quite good compared to other platters in WDW.
Deej — Ha ha! Exactly. If live gives you to few toasties, use chips!
5 beers, now you are talking my language!
Interesting to see they serve snakebite quite happily. A lot of pubs here in Scotland would refuse to serve that type of drink as it’s viewed as ‘loony juice’ and would usually end badly for all concerned, lol.
Ah, Snakebite….banned from many UK nightclubs 😉
Gordon and Daydreaming Disney — Great to hear the feedback from the sources!! 😀 I trust you guys!
Do you know if the pub menu fish & chips is the same size you get in the dining room?