Alex Coleman
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2017
Introduction
Chefs de France is a large restaurant in the France pavilion in World Showcase at Epcot. This restaurant is one of several outstanding Table Service options at Epcot. I think that Chefs de France is a really good theme park French restaurant. I will have to admit, I am not a connoisseur (see what I did there?!) of French cuisine. I am intrigued, but due to lack of affordable options anywhere we have lived, we have not eaten very much French food. Unless you count french fries, of which I am most certainly a connoisseur.
I have always been interested in Chefs de France, perhaps this is due to my relative lack of experience with this kind of cuisine. It was on my Walt Disney World bucket-list ever since we started planning trips back in January of 2016. The problem is that there are SO MANY amazing options in World Showcase. Chefs tended to fall slightly behind several other options. We finally had the opportunity to visit during our November 2017 trip. Long wait, I know!
Atmosphere
For those guests who love Epcot, I am sorry. Many people agree that the park has been in a state of stagnation for several years (but appears to be having a lot of dollars pour into it in the near future!). I am one of those people. Even when I was younger, I loved walking around World Showcase and feeling like each footstep brought me into a different world. I have fond, yet faint, memories of sitting outside the pavilions and soaking up the atmosphere. This was particularly impressive, being that I never sat still as a kid (ok, Sarah, fine! I still don’t do that well).
One of the areas that will be getting love is the France pavilion. Even though I am excited that Epcot is going to get another attraction, I am curious to see the impact on this pavilion.
It is already an incredibly busy area. It is also a relatively small area, given the amount of shops, attractions, and restaurants. This busy-ness carries over into Chefs de France. The restaurant seems to always be busy. With this level of crowdedness comes a lot of noise. If you are looking for a quiet, classic French meal, head over to Monsieur Paul.
The various dining rooms are abuzz with servers running back and forth, parties moving in and out, and yummy food coming out of the kitchen. The entire restaurant is made to feel like a French bistro and it definitely does that well. There are black and white photos of famous French chefs adorning the walls and large bottles of French wine at the bar. The 3 dining areas include many small tables that add even more life to this lively eatery.
Our only complaint (and that may be strong) about our dining situation during our trip was that we were seated at an incredibly small table in the middle of several other small tables. This meant that our meal space was really limited. Sarah and I ended up needing to get creative with our space to fit all our food, drinks, and silverware on our table. This was not all bad, though! We had a lovely conversation with the couple next to us because they were within touching distance.
Food
The Walt Disney World website categorizes Chefs de France as French Cuisine, shocker! Maybe the most surprising aspect is that they do not bother to throw the American Cuisine tag on it. It seems like they do with every other restaurant.
The basic menu starts with a selection of various appetizers such as Cheese Boards, Charcuterie, Lobster Bisque, French Onion Soup, and, if you are brave enough, Escargot. There a several entrees that range from fish to baked macaroni. There are also several other meat options like steak, chicken, and pork. The meal finishes with several traditional French desserts swimming in decadent chocolate or delicious heavy cream. After all, this is French! Hot tip: SAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT! There is also an extensive drinks menu.
Our server came to the table and presented us with an amazing baguette that was warm. It turns out, they make the bread fresh in the France pavilion every day. I am an avid carbivore. I could have eaten the entire loaf by myself several times over. Sarah and I needed to tear ourselves away from it. We were in this for the long-haul!
We decided to order from the prix-fixe menu at Chefs de France. The problem was that the prix-fixe menu presented us with less options. We were not overly upset by this, but if you are looking to explore the entire menu, the prix-fixe may not be the best choice. Hot tip: if you are there as a couple, have one person order off the prix-fixe to get the appetizer and then the other person order a la carte (I am really getting into this whole French thing!). That is what Sarah and I decided to do.
For our appetizer, we decided to order the Bisque de Homard (Lobster Bisque). Sarah and I love bisque, but we especially love lobster bisque. We both really liked the interesting presentation. It came to the table in a small pot which made it feel even more warm and cozy than it inherently would. This was was also delicious. It was incredibly rich and creamy. The entire meal was decadent, but this dish was especially decadent.
We couldn’t believe how full we were after the bisque, but we soldiered on. Sarah ordered the Boeuf Bourguignon, linguine (Braised Beef) and I ordered the Filet de boeuf grille (Grilled Tenderloin of Beef). Sarah’s beef was pretty good, but very salty. This is a common trait I have found with most braised beef is that it is salty. I imagine if you really like braised beef, you would enjoy it from Chefs de France.
My beef was really good. It was cooked perfectly (I really love grill-marks on my steak so this won immediate points), but the green beans were a slightly different story. They were undercooked. The potato gratin was another hugely rich addition to this dish. It felt like I really had to work through my meal. Every step had a wonderfully, sumptuously heavy aspect. I felt like I was going to cry heavy cream, but they would be happy tears!
Then came the moment that Sarah and I were waiting for: dessert. When we originally made our advanced dining reservations, the dessert menu was the reason why we were so excited. Sarah ordered the Cygne au chocolat, which is a beautiful swan cream puff, filled with chocolate, on top of a chocolate sauce. Oh, and it came with chocolate ice cream. This dish has a particular significance for Sarah and I. During our honeymoon, we ordered a similar dessert every night at our resort in Mexico. Sarah loved it there, and she loved it even more at Chefs.
I ordered the Gateau au Chocolat. This was a chocolate cake with chocolate mousse, chocolate sauce, and mint chocolate ice cream. Holy chocolate, Batman! I really love the combination of chocolate and mint. Mint chocolate ice cream is my also favorite kind of ice cream. The presentation was fantastic, but I liked the swan more! Like a tired hiker reaching the top of Mont Blanc, I had run out of endurance. The decadent mountain had taken its toll, but I had defeated it!
As you can plainly see from this review, you should come into Chefs de France prepared. It is a really good meal, but it is a lot of heavy food. Maybe, don’t plan on riding Test Track after eating here.
Cost
According to the Disney World website, Chefs de France is classified with “$$” which means adults should expect to pay roughly $15-$34.99, per adult. If you are paying out-of-pocket, you can plan on paying roughly $14 per appetizer, $28 per entree, and $10 per dessert. That makes it a fairly expensive dining experience. Hot tip: these meals (like many others at WDW) can easily be split. Sarah and I could have taken home an entire entree. If you want to save money, it can be done here. Especially due to the heavy food, you may not need more than one entree. You will probably want more than one dessert!
For the Disney Dining Plan users, this restaurant requires one Table Service credit per person. The only problem for Chefs de France is that it is located in World Showcase. World Showcase houses some of the best, and most interesting, food at WDW. Sarah and I could visit Disney World every day for the rest of eternity and struggle to figure out what our favorite eatery is. I would rate this as one of the better values in World Showcase. For the Tables in Wonderland users, this restaurant has a 20% discount, but only for lunch.
Who Should Eat Here?
There are several groups that would be interested in dining at Chefs de France. The first group is guests who may be looking for a different, but safe option. When you look at the various options around World Showcase, there are a few that may intimidate guests. The flagbearer for this group would be Akershus. That dinner menu may intimidate the less-adventurous palate. Chefs de France has several options that are truly adventurous (like Escargot), but most of the options are familiar to tourists.
I also think that Chefs de France is a great restaurant for people who want a good dessert. Sarah and I both really loved the dessert menu and had a very difficult time deciding which desserts we wanted. If we were really honest with ourselves, we could have skipped the appetizers and the entrees and just had one of each dessert. If you want a rich, cream filled dessert, this is your place!
This is more abstract, but I think that Chefs de France gives guests a chance to teleport themselves to a different “world”. I think that Chefs de France is interesting because it feels very immersive. You feel like you are in a bistro in France. The dining room is busy, many of the staff members are French students taking part in Disney International Program. It really is an experience that is unique to World Showcase. I think this can be very appealing for guests.
Have you eaten at Chefs de France? What what your experience? Share your thoughts in the comments section! For other reviews including resorts and other restaurants, check out our Reviews page!
