Disney World certainly likes to keep us on our toes, and they recently surprised us with a couple of MAJOR soft openings in EPCOT. Connections Café opened unexpectedly, which is the new Starbucks location in EPCOT. When we first went go check it out, the Connections Eatery (which shares a space with the Café) wasn’t quite ready for guests yet. But now that has CHANGED!

Connections Eatery also had a soft opening with its full menu available for guests to try! Of course we had to head inside to check out the space and try some of the eats. Should you add this new spot to your EPCOT food tour? And can the eats even compete with the rest of the amazing food in this park? We’re about to find out!

First of all, you need to know where to find Connections Eatery. It’s located in World Celebration (which is the new name for Future World, in case you haven’t visited in a while), near the Creations Shop. If you’re walking into EPCOT past Spaceship Earth, look to your left to find this restaurant.

There are a few different entrances to the restaurant. You can head in through the Connections Eatery entrance or the Connections Café entrance since it’s really just one big space. Note that Disney has announced this restaurant will officially open on April 27th, but it’ll have a few soft openings before that time. So if you’re planning to visit EPCOT soon, stop by to see if it’s open during your visit! If you’d rather be totally sure that this spot will be available, plan to come after the 27th.

Connections Eatery is a quick service restaurant, so you’ll order at the counter (or opt to Mobile Order instead, which is available here!) and then get your food immediately. You can then find a seat in the large dining room. Let’s head in to check out this new space.

Atmosphere

Walking in, the first thing you’ll notice is how BIG this restaurant is. The ceilings are high, there are a lot of light colors, and it’s just a generally bright and open space.

Disney has said that Connections Eatery is designed to “nod to Walt Disney’s original plans for EPCOT.” The modern decor and floor-to-ceiling windows are meant to hearken back to Disney’s dream to build a futuristic “community of tomorrow.”

But it’s not just the general vibes that nod to old EPCOT. You’ll also see some very cool design elements that specifically refer to EPCOT’s history. For example, look down at the floor near the Café counter to find a floor inlay “inspired by Walt’s 1966 ‘Florida Project’ site plans.” There are more floor designs like this one in other areas of the restaurant as well!

A huge mural along one wall represents the “connection” that inspired the name of this restaurant. The mural is called “Global Gathering,” and it depicts people from around the world coming together to eat. That concept extends to the menu as well, with familiar foods taking on unique twists that are inspired by international flavors.

This mural is one of the largest murals EVER created by Walt Disney Imagineering! Notice how the scenes shift from sunrise to sunset as you walk down the mural.

You might also spot some hidden Mickeys throughout the mural! Hint — take a closer look at the serving plate and the grapes.

It might take you a few minutes to find the hidden Mickey in the grapes.

And that’s not the only spot for hidden Mickeys. Take a look in this basket!

We also found several Mickey cacti. If you find any other hidden Mickeys in the mural, let us know!

Once you finally tear your eyes away from the art, you can check out the seating options here. There are mostly tables and chairs, but you’ll also find a few booths available. Note that many of the booths have outlets nearby, which makes them a great choice if you’re looking to charge up your phone before hitting the park.

Grab a seat closer to the mural if you want to look for more details there, or take your food over to a table by the windows if you’d prefer to do some people-watching during your meal!

But the mural and people-watching aren’t the only options for “entertainment” here — there are 3 show kitchens as well, where guests can watch chefs at work!

It’s important to note that this spot does have restrooms as well — just follow the mural wall down the ramp and around the corner to find them.

The restrooms have an interesting grey tile design…

…and the inside of the restroom has white and sage tones.

The sinks are trough style with individual faucets…

…and there’s a circular mirror near the exit/entrance of the restroom.

There are also changing tables for newborns and toddlers!

To order your food, you’ll head up to the counter and order from a Cast Member at one of the stands there. You’ll then proceed to the counter to pick up your food. There are menu boards above the counter with all of the options.

But remember that you can choose to Mobile Order here instead of ordering at the counter. Look for the Mobile Order pick-up signs over the counter to find the correct pick-up location.

There’s some funky lighting over the counter, which we think really adds to the modern theme.

Nearby, there’s a stand with several options for condiments, napkins, and real silverware! No plastic utensils for us — we’re feeling quite fancy now.

While we’re here, we should probably grab some eats, right?

Eats

Like we mentioned before, this restaurant features “globally inspired flavors” with some classic dishes that take on unique twists. Note that everything on the menu is $14.99 or under, which is not a bad deal for lunch in Disney World.

Menu

The entrées available here include several options for burgers or chicken sandwiches, like a Southwestern Burger, Banh Mi Burger, or Hand-breaded Chicken Sandwich.

If you’re not feeling burgers, check out the pizza options.

There are some fairly traditional choices like pepperoni and cheese, but there’s also a meatball pizza and a curry spice pizza (which is on the plant-based menu).

You can also get a couple of different salads here.

For sides, there’s coleslaw, fries, a side salad, or a mandarin orange.

Kids have several different options, including familiar eats like cheeseburgers or some more adventurous choices like a Grilled Chicken Bao.

The only thing for dessert is a Liege Waffle, but you can also check out the options for shakes as well!

There’s an Apple Pie Gelato Shake and a Mango-Coconut Milk Shake.

For your drink, choose from some standard choices like soda, water, milk and chocolate milk, or coffee.

The 21-and-over crowd can also check out various beers and wines.

As well as a specialty cocktail!

There are so many new things to try, so we’re going to grab a little bit of everything!

Food

Let’s dive in!

Check out this spread! 🤤

We are here at the soft opening of Connections Eatery and YOU KNOW we had to try the NEW eats! pic.twitter.com/7dIVqXhtWA

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 21, 2022

For drinks, we first tried out the Watermelon-Mint Agua Fresca for $4.99. This is a non-alcoholic drink.

This drink was absolutely delicious and super refreshing! We tasted more watermelon than mint, but it wasn’t an artificial watermelon flavor — it tasted more just like a liquid watermelon, which was nice.

It also wasn’t super sweet or sugary, which we really appreciated! This refreshing drink would be amazing on a hot day. It’s also a great and fun option for kids or other people that don’t drink alcohol.

Next, we got the specialty cocktail on the menu — the Cucumber and Thai Basil Cooler, which has Hendrick’s Gin, Cucumber, Cane Sugar, Lemon, Thai Basil, and Ginger Bitters for $14.

This was also incredibly delicious and refreshing! We were worried it was going to be too sweet with the cane sugar, but all of the other flavors int he drink balanced out the sweetness well. The main flavor in this drink is gin, so you HAVE to be a gin fan to enjoy this! After that, it’s mostly the cucumber you taste, but you still pick up on the lemon, basil, and ginger flavors.

This one didn’t taste artificial at all and was one of the best pre-made cocktails we’ve had in Disney World in a long time! We’d recommend this one for a gin-lover on a hot day.

To start out for food, we tried the French Bistro Burger for $12.99, which has a Gourmet Beef Blend, Caramelized Onions, Bacon, Brie, Mushrooms, and Dijon Mayonnaise, on a Toasted Brioche Bun. (Is anyone else drooling just reading that list of ingredients? 🤤) It came with a side of fries as well.

In this burger, the toppings really MAKE the dish. There’s a lot of that dijon mayonnaise sauce (enough that it spilled out when we bit into the burger), which made up for the fact that the patty itself was pretty dry. The bacon on top is big, thick slices, which we loved! Those add a nice smoky flavor to the burger.

The mushrooms and onion actually make the burger a little bit sweet, since they’re caramelized. And that brie cheese is perfectly melty with some of the rind still attached so you get those tasty crusty pieces as well.

The Connections Eatery menu features 5 different burgers inspired by different countries and regions! 🍔

We went with the French Bistro Burger which has a gourmet beef blend, caramelized onions 🧅 , 🥓bacon, Brie, mushrooms 🍄 , and dijon mayo on a toasted brioche bun 😍 pic.twitter.com/LUBXKhRnKq

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 21, 2022

Our burger was very salty, even when we tried a bite without bacon. We think there’s quite a bit of spice (but not heat) in the burger patty itself. In general, this is a great choice if you want an interesting take on a familiar meal. We’ve got to say that it’s one of the best burgers we’ve had in a Disney World park (even though you can find better in Disney Springs or at Steakhouse 71 — but those aren’t in the parks!).

We also tried out the Southwestern Burger, which has a Gourmet Beef Blend, Roasted Corn-Chipotle Salsa, Oaxaca Cheese Crema, Chamoy, Guacamole Spread, and a Toasted Bun for $12.99. We also got fries as our side.

This burger was…fine! The beef patty wasn’t too dry, which was good, but it also wasn’t the most delicious burger we’ve had at Disney World.

The strongest flavor was definitely that Chamoy, which is a saucy condiment that’s usually made with dried chilies, lime juice, seasonings, and some type of fruit, like mango or plum. The one on this burger really just tasted like a chipotle spread.

We wish we could’ve tasted more of the cheese, corn, and guacamole, since we were looking forward to those flavors, but they weren’t very prominent.

This is definitely a better burger than ones we’ve had at other quick service spots like Cosmic Ray’s or Backlot Express. But, you can for sure find better burgers at places on property like D-Luxe Burger in Disney Springs. It was okay, but we probably wouldn’t order it again.

Next, we tried the Hand-breaded Chicken Sandwich, which has House-made Pickles, Signature Sauce, and a Toasted Brioche Bun for $11.99. It also came with a side of Coleslaw. This sandwich was an absolute WINNER for us! We had high hopes for this sandwich and it totally lived up to them.

The chicken was nice and moist, and lightly breaded. It also wasn’t overly fried like some quick service (or fast food) chicken sandwiches can be. It was tasty and tender!

The special sauce was delicious and tasted a lot like Thousand Island Dressing. We also loved the House-made Pickles which tasted like bread and butter pickles to us. They added a nice crunch and we would actually ask for more of them if we got this sandwich again because they were so yummy! The bun was also great.

The Coleslaw was nicely flavored and even though it was saucy, there was still a good crunch to the veggies. We’d recommend putting the slaw on the sandwich for some added crunch and flavor!

We would absolutely order this sandwich again!

We opted for a lighter entrée next with the General Tso Chicken Salad for $11.49. This is Petite Kale Blend, Broccoli Slaw, Red Bell Pepper, Mandarin Oranges, Edamame, Crispy Wontons, and Warm Fried Chicken, all drizzled with General Tso’s Dressing.

We think this dish is a great addition to EPCOT since it’s a healthier option that still packs a lot of flavor! The chicken on top is fried and tossed in General Tso sauce, which is a little bit spicy but not overpowering at all. All of the flavors work very well together, and the crispiness of the chicken complements the veggies nicely.

If you’re not a fan of sesame flavor, you’ll probably want to avoid this dish as it’s the main flavor here. And if you really don’t like any spice at all, it might not be for you! But in general, if you enjoy General Tso chicken and are looking for a filling, healthy option, we think this would make a great lunch.

Listen to that CRUNCH! 👏

There are two salads on the menu as well, and we went for the General Tso Chicken Salad 🥗 with petite kale blend, broccoli slaw, red bell pepper, mandarin oranges, edamame, crispy wontons, warm fried chicken & General Tso’s dressing 🤤 pic.twitter.com/6vLXVbWUjB

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 21, 2022

The most interesting pizza to us was that plant-based Curry Spice Pizza, which you can get for $10.99. This pizza is topped with Tikka Masala, Carrots, Potatoes, Peas, Tomato, Plant-based Mozzarella Cheese, and Lime “Yogurt.” It’s served with a Mediterranean Side Salad.

If the curry flavors have you worried about spice, don’t worry — this dish wasn’t spicy at all. The curry was definitely flavorful, and you could taste all the different spices in the masala, but the plant-based “yogurt” on top mellowed out any heat.

The crust of this pizza was nice and soft without being too soggy to hold up all of those toppings. It’s not a thin crust, but it also isn’t as puffy as the cheap quick-service pizza you’ll find at spots like PizzeRizzo. And the unique flavors make this a much better choice than those pizzas as well! We loved the combination of all the veggies together, and the potatoes made it a very filling slice as well.

If you’re looking for a plant-based meal or just want to try a fun twist on a classic favorite, we think this is a great choice. The side salad was tasty as well, and it was topped with a vinaigrette and some olives.

For all of our plant-based friends 🌱 Connections Eatery serves this Curry Spice Pizza featuring tikka masala, carrot, potato, peas, tomato, plant-based mozzarella, lime “yogurt” served with Mediterranean side salad ✨ pic.twitter.com/XwR2IYLShH

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 21, 2022

We also tried the Meatball Pizza, which had Beef and Pork Meatballs, San Marzano Tomato and Basil Sauce, and a Cheese Blend. It’s also served with a Mediterranean Side Salad for $10.99.

This pizza was very good! Like the other one we tried, the dough is fluffy, but not as fluffy as those puffy pizzas at Disney World that we’re not huge fans of. This pizza was also better than the flatbread-style pizzas like they have over at Pinocchio Village Haus. There was a nice chewiness from the dough like good pizza should have.

The pizzas are also made in house, which we could definitely taste! The tomato sauce was tasty with some sweetness and it wasn’t watery at all like the sauce on some pizzas at Disney World. There was also TONS of delicious cheese, and you KNOW we’re all about cheese over here.

We were worried that the meatballs would be dry, but they were actually super moist and delicious! We were pleasantly surprised by this pizza — it was one of the best quick service pizzas we’ve had in Disney World, besides pizza you can get at the window in Italy (when it’s open).

For dessert, we started off with the Liege Waffle for $5.29, which is made with Brioche Dough with Pearl Sugar, Strawberries, Whipped Cream, and Chocolate Sauce.

This waffle was similar to the one we had at Connections Café earlier, with the dough tasting more like a Danish pastry and the whole thing being encrusted in sugar. It has a great crunch when you bite into it, although somehow the waffle itself is not overly sweet.

With all the toppings, though, it’s definitely sweet when you eat it all together! And we also think it’s big enough to share between a couple of people.

The strawberries were one of our favorite parts of this dessert because they tasted very fresh. They brought a great tartness to the dish, which contrasted with the intense sweetness from the chocolate sauce!

Because you can never pass on dessert we also HAD to get the liege waffle! 🧇

It’s a brioche dough with pearl sugar inside – YUM! 🤤 and then topped with strawberries, whipped cream, and 🍫sauce! pic.twitter.com/E2HIYj16cR

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 21, 2022

The chocolate sauce was very rich. It tasted like milk chocolate to us (there was no bitterness). The whipped cream was light and sweet, and it was melting into the warm waffle. One of our reporters said they’d love a version of this with JUST the strawberries because the flavor was so good, while another said this waffle was actually as good as the Nutella Fruit Waffle over at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments and it was the best thing they ate at Connections!

We also tried out BOTH shakes, cause we’re not quitters.

The Apple Pie Gelato Shake is $7.29. Spoiler alert: this was AMAZING.

The shake has a lot of texture to it, and we’re pretty sure that came from some pieces of graham cracker inside. The cinnamon-sugar flavor is strong, and there’s even more drizzled on top of the whipped cream.

The apple flavor doesn’t quite taste like fresh apples (we think it might be artificial flavoring), but it wasn’t off-putting either. It’s not a bad artificial flavor, but it might have been nice to have some fresh apple bits inside. Overall, we think this tastes just like if you were to put a slice of apple pie in a blender and mix it all up. We loved it!

Connections Eatery features two 🥤NEW🥤shakes!

One of them is this Apple Pie Gelato Shake 🍎🍏🥧 pic.twitter.com/PVUliVyjKa

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 21, 2022

The Mango-Coconut Milk Shake is also available for $7.29. This one is topped with Pomegranate-Molasses Drizzle.

This milkshake was surprisingly tart! We were expecting the pomegranate-molasses syrup to be sweet, but it was actually quite sour.

The frozen mango helped to balance out the tart flavor a little, although even the mango wasn’t as sweet as we were expecting.

The other NEW shake featured on the menu is this Mango-Coconut Milk Shake 🥭🥥

It’s topped with a pomegranate-molasses drizzle because ✨fancy✨ pic.twitter.com/Db5M3PR4D4

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) April 21, 2022

In general, people who LOVE mango and tart fruity flavors are going to enjoy this the most. It wasn’t our favorite treat here, but it was definitely fresh and creative! It’d be a great cool-down snack on a hot day.

Nosh or Not

Gather at Connections Eatery in EPCOT if:

• You’re looking for a wide variety of options to please lots of different people. This spot has a little something for everyone! From hearty burgers to lighter salads and a great plant-based dish, we think that almost everyone can find something to enjoy on this menu.
• You’re traveling with a big group and want to sit down together inside with air conditioning. This space is HUGE, and there’s definitely plenty of room to accommodate a larger group. Just push a few tables together and call it good!
• You want to try some more adventurous eats without going too far out of your comfort zone. Yes, the eats here are inspired by global flavors, but they’re still not super unique or “out there.” You can get familiar dishes with just a small twist to make your lunch or dinner a little more exciting!

Skip this new spot if:

• You would rather find more unique options around World Showcase. EPCOT has SO. MUCH. GOOD. FOOD. Can you really justify using up valuable stomach space before you even make it to World Showcase? With great quick-service spots like Yorkshire County Fish Shop and La Cantina de San Angel along the way, you might want to consider some more authentic eats in that section of the park.
• There’s an EPCOT festival going on. One of our favorite things to do in EPCOT during a festival is to visit all the different festival booths and snack all day long. If you love doing that too, it may not be wise to fill up on burgers and salad, no matter how good those dishes are!
• You’re looking for a fancier sit-down meal. The dining area here is nice, but it’s not anniversary-date-night-nice. If you want a more luxurious or romantic setting, try out Le Cellier or Chefs de France in World Showcase. Keep in mind that those spots are more expensive as well, so you’ll get what you pay for in terms of atmosphere.

Overall

To be totally honest, we’re still not convinced that EPCOT was the best park for this spot. We know the theming and flavors all match really well with the general vibe of EPCOT, but there are already SO many great restaurants in this park. And there’s even Sunshine Seasons nearby in the Land pavilion, which has the same “quick service restaurant with a huge dining room” thing going for it.

Other parks (ahem, Magic Kingdom) could really use some solid new spots like this, especially with a lot of indoor seating for guests to take an air-conditioned break. HOWEVER, once we get past that detail, we’ve got to admit that the food here is very good! Almost everything we had tasted great, and there’s a solid variety of options that we think could please just about everyone. And we like the different global flavors that are featured on the menu.

The restaurant itself is also impressive, with lots of cool EPCOT details. The bright atmosphere and colorful accents make it a really enjoyable place to be, and we could look at that huge mural for a LONG time. Overall, we had a great time and we can’t wait to try more of the eats in this spot!

Keep following DFB for more reviews of the newest food in Disney World!

Take a FULL TOUR of the Connections Café (the Starbucks part of this location) here!

Are you planning to eat at Connections Eatery on your next trip to EPCOT? Let us know in the comments!