Cheap dining ideas at Epcot?

[Captainkate]

We are going to Epcot the end of September and are hoping to stick to a budget. I wonder if anyone has been there recently and can pass along cheaper dining options or ideas to save money dining. Thanks!

 

[Ellie Webbs]

I really rate the small sushi packs from Kabuki cafe, I think they are only about $5 each and if you are having a bigger dinner it keeps me going well enough! Also doesnt give you that nasty full feeling in the warm weather.

 

[Pixie Dusted Dee]

Since you'll be there during Food & Wine Festival I highly recommend trying samples from different countries.
Its very easy to piece together a meal and trying a variety of food.
If that does not interest you then I'd suggest looking at the various quick service restaurants.
I often opt for the dining plan (not currently an option) but when I don't I do like buying a gift card right before the trip just to budget out for food.
Usually I'll look at the menus to figure out where and what I'd like to eat and then if paying out of pocket and not on the dining plan I can easily get a rough estimate of what I'm going to spend.

 

[Minniefan18]

Another option is getting a kid's meal at any quick service location. It also come with a drink. I've done that a few times.

 

[tguz]

Take your own food into the park.

 

[Skywalker3]

I second getting kids' meals from QS. There are decent options in Sunshine Seasons. Look over their menus. Our son loves the kids teriyaki chicken at Katsura Grill, the QS in Japan. That is our go-to for him, while we're snacking around the world at the food booths.

 

[bcuinohio]

Split some pizza at Via Napoli.

 

[_19disnA]

If you don't plan to be at the park all day long, it is cheaper to eat off-site from Disney. If you have a car, you can drive to any of the various local restaurants in the area. Probably need to look online to see which are currently open due to covid. In the past, we would only eat lunch at Epcot and find other more economical options elsewhere. Dining plan isn't currently available from what I have read here, but when we used it last year it really wasn't a way to save money but rather more of cap on the max the food would cost.

 

[plygph]

The suggestion to split a pizza at Via Napoli is a good one as we find that to be the "bargain" meal at Epcot. Or as also suggested the F&W "snack" around the world is also a good choice but those little bites costs will add up but your gonna do it anyway.

 

[sweetpeama]

We took one day and just tried various samples from different snack and quick service places by sharing them. OK we had to use up some dining plan credits but you could still do this with paying using your magic band.
We had
Fried Plantains
Fish and Chips
Crepes
Chicken and Lamb Shawarma platter

 

[Lumpy1106]

Will Food and Wine still be happening? The park doesn't open until 11a so grab a late breakfast outside the park, then snack on F&W. We had a sit-down meal at Via di Napoli but honestly that was pricey too. The Regal Eagle has gotten really good reviews - that's not too pricey.

 

[fsuColorado]

Split some pizza at Via Napoli.

Second this

 

[Barbydoll8]

Sorry but nothing is "cheap"at Epcot. Economically, I'd say get the kids meals from quick service. It comes with usually the main meal, fruit or a cookie/dessert of some kind and then a drink (milk/water usually) but it's normally more than enough for most adults.
Now if you are big eaters, pizza at Via Napoli will break down to more economic per person but it isn't exactly cheap.
If you really want to eat on the cheap, bring your own which you can. I've seen many people bring sandwiches into the park in a small soft sided cooler. Water is free at the quick service (not kiosks) locations.

 

[Captainkate]

Thank you for all of the great suggestions! <3

 

[nursejackie]

We buy kids meals as it's usually enough for us and comes with drink/side. If we are not up for the dessert that comes with it, we take that home for later, and buy a snack that's unique to Disney. That way we've satisfied our hunger but also treated ourselves. The kids meals at Sunshine Seasons and Lotus Blossom Cafe are good options. I then head to either France or Germany for a sweet snack, which works out around $12-14 per person in total.

 

[xcrashx15]

If you like chinese, my friends usually split one beef noodle entree between two people at the Lotus Blossom Cafe. You could probably do the same with any of the entrees and add an egg roll if a 1/2 entree isn't enough food, or maybe stop by the pizza window in Italy. Those are my top 2 spots for quick and cheap lunch options, or any QS or the festival booths could accomplish the same thing as suggested above.