We’re stopping by Lotus Blossom Cafe today for a quick dinner and a line-free dining experience!
The counter service spot, located in Epcot’s China Pavilion, isn’t a frequent stop for me. That’s because, to be honest, there are just lots and lots of other things I’d rather eat around World Showcase. And during my few previous visits, I haven’t been exactly wowed by their offerings.
But, you never know what you’re going to get with Disney restaurants; and since this is the Disney Food Blog after all, here we go!
Atmosphere
Lotus Blossom Cafe is set back a bit within the China Pavilon. Really, among all of the beautiful Pavilions that make up the countries of World Showcase, China holds its own. The detail and decor here is stunning.
Epcot’s China Pavilion
And even the Lotus Blossom Cafe is no exception from a decor perspective.
View of the Restaurant’s Seating Area from the Outside
The layout is, however, classic Disney counter service. The entrance leads directly to several registers. Join a queue (if there is one) and check out the menus before you place your order with the cast member cashier.
Lotus Blossom Cafe Entrance and Ordering Area
Once your food arrives, there’s both indoor and outdoor seating to choose from. And here’s a spot that may need a little clarification. Lotus Blossom Cafe’s seating is located in an open-air pavilion. So while the indoor seating is sheltered, it’s still open to the outdoors.
Something else to note — every time I’ve been here, this place is absolutely spotless, and there is at least one cast member buzzing around, trying to make it even more so. While most Disney spots are pretty clean, Lotus Blossom en pointe.
Indoor Seating
Outdoor seating is just that — situated along the edge of the restaurant, barely under cover of the roof. During the day, these tables can get their fair share of serious sunlight.
Outdoor Seating
See what I mean?
View of Outdoor Seating During the Day
And…um…that’s about it! Ordering area flanked by two open-air rooms for seating, and some outdoor tables as well. Pretty simple.
Eats
So, here’s one comforting thought, if you’re already a fan of Lotus Blossom (and many of you tell me that you are) — in a World that’s ever changing, menu-wise, Lotus Blossom is pretty steady.
You can begin with a few traditional Appetizers, like Potstickers and Pork and Vegetable Egg Rolls.
Appetizers and Kids’ Picks — Click to Enlarge
The list of Entrees is a little more robust, but the options don’t seem to change up a whole lot.
Entrees Menu — Click to Enlarge
The Beverage and Dessert Menu offers some Tsing Tao, Yuengling, and Plum Wine for a little “flavor,” along with two smoothies and two ice creams.
Beverages and Desserts — Click to Enlarge
I wasn’t terribly impressed with the potstickers the last time I sampled them. Here’s a pic from that visit to give you an idea.
Pot Stickers
Pot Stickers — Up Close
We also sampled the Pork and Vegetable Egg Roll as part of the The Lucky Combo at the Joy of Tea kiosk — one of our favorite World Showcase snack stops. I’m confident that it’s the same offering you’ll get here, and it’s decent.
Pork and Vegetable Egg Roll
Pork and Vegetable Egg Roll — Cross Section
As for entrees, we decided to try two different dishes. First up was the Orange Chicken. This was a substantial plate of plain Steamed Rice and chunks of battered and glazed white meat Chicken. I’d put this into the “frozen meal” or “not the best take-out you’ve ever had” column. In other words — I wouldn’t choose this over a sandwich at Les Halles or an entrée at Sunshine Seasons.
Orange Chicken
We also sampled the Beef Noodle Bowl. With a large portion of sauteed Beef and fresh Spinach, this seems to me like a nice alternative to the normal breaded and deep fried options that pass for American Chinese food.
Beef Noodle Bowl
Upon closer inspection of the dish, I also found a good portion of Rice Noodles in the broth, hiding beneath the beef and spinach. While it’s not the easiest dish to consume with disposable cutlery (I’d definitely recommend going the chopsticks route here) this was definitely the better choice on this visit.
Beef Noodle Bowl — Up Close
I had tried the Caramel Ginger Ice Cream during a previous visit to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. (This was a while back…it’s not an offering on this year’s China Booth Menu.) While these flavors aren’t really my thing, I encourage you to try both options here and let us know what you think. After all, it’s pretty interesting to get out-of-the-ordinary options like this.
Caramel Ginger Ice Cream
Fueled up, we were ready to take in Illuminations and enjoy the rest of our evening.
Overall
You won’t get rave reviews from me about Lotus Blossom Cafe. For starters, there are just lots and lots and lots of other things I’d rather eat in all of Disney World in general, and at Epcot in particular.
But if you really love quick service Chinese or you’re craving this flavor profile, then, well, there you go. 😉
So now I’d love to hear from you! Is Lotus Blossom Cafe one of your favorite stops in the Epcot World Showcase Pavilion? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts!
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The last time I got Shrimp Fried Rice here, it was crunchy. Not as in hip and ecofriendly. Crunchy as in it hurt my teeth when I bit into it.
I do love Chinese food, so it looks pretty good to me. The architecture of the building is gorgeous though! Thanks for sharing your review.
We have lots of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and other Asian restaurants where we live (near D.C.) and eat from one of them at least once a week. Lotus Blossom is definitely more like mall food, but besides BOG, this is the one restaurant my son must eat at each trip. He loves their orange chicken! I enjoy a hearty plate of the curried veggies, and when my husband got the chicken version, there was enough chicken for two or three people stacked on top of the curry. Like that we can get hot tea here too. For fast Asian food, we rate this much higher than the disappointing Yak & Yeti counter service where the best thing is the Yak Attack. Lotus Blossom may not be exciting, but for one CS meal credit, we don’t leave hungry.
My favorite dish is the Beef Rice bowl. I’m Asian American and eat rice everyday so I’m always craving a rice dish when i’m traveling. The beef is really good and the rice is just right. Not too dry and not too porridge-like. My mom had the Shrimp fried rice and said it had no flavor, I offered half of mine to her and she loved it. It’s not a must-eat place for me, but it’s good place for those who want a meal with rice at Epcot, other than the Japan pavilion.
Jeff — Ha ha ha! Sorry about the crunchy shrimp, but thanks for the laugh!
I think that the only reasons we have eaten here is that it was raining once and we happened to be hungry so we stopped and one other time everyone was starving and didn’t want to walk to something better. But yeah, this place makes Panda Express seem like PF Chang’s.
We thought this was basically food court mall food. Not a fan here.
Just a quick word of warning to any vegetarians out there. Though it would appear that the veggie hong kong curry is vegetarian, it in fact isn’t. There is chicken broth involved. Such a shame considering the wonderful veggie option that was here prior, our beloved fried wheat puffs and veggies. Sigh. When will Disney World start catering towards a more diverse palate? :/
For whatever reason…I LOVE eating here. As a former cast member, this one my go to on off days, as I always felt more emerged in China then any other pavilion. AND…I really like the orange chicken 🙂
Andrew beat me to it! I’ve never been able to eat here because even the seemingly meatless choice has hidden chicken in it. Not sure who the combination of fake meat (wheat based) and chicken broth is supposed to appeal to (meat eaters would probably prefer actual chicken, and vegetarians don’t eat chicken broth….). Wish they’d just do a nice tofu stir-fry or use veggie broth, then I’d love to give this place a try!
Andrew – Oh! I had thought that the previous (wheat puff) entree had chicken broth too – or maybe I’m confusing it with the old “vegetable lo mein” which used to also have hidden chicken broth too. Not sure what’s up with this place and the insistence of using chicken broth in the otherwise-veggie options….
I did forget to mention the chicken broth thing. As a person who eats most meals vegetarian, I always assume dishes like the curried veggies have chicken broth as a base. Same when I eat at Mexican places; beans and rice still likely have some meat content. We could truly use a few more good vegetarian options in CS places.
I really miss the beef noodle soup… They need to put it back on the menu
We always go to Epcot first on our trips because we crave the orange chicken and beef noodle bowl when we go home. I am so sad that they took the noodle bowl off the menu and really hope they will put it back.
Do you use peanut oil?
I absolutely love the egg rolls a the Lotus Blossom. They must have some secret ingredient that I have never had at any other restaurant including the ones at the Nine Dragons which were different. I stop by there for an egg roll snack every time I am in EPCOT.
What is in the potstickers? Is it pork?