Rethinking Epcot restaurants... with 2yo daughter!

[Colleen27]

I've taken my kids at all different ages to many of those restaurants. From an early age they loved Teppan Edo. The grill is far enough away that I can't imagine she would be able to reach out and touch it. There is enough activity and other guests that I doubt she would get bored and your seven year old would love it.

I second this. My youngest was 16 months the first time we went there and she loved it. The seating is far enough from the grill that a young child would have to be standing on the high chair to touch it, and the food is relatively simple and kid-friendly - grilled meat, veggies, and rice. Via Napoli is a good choice too, especially if you're already familiar with wood-fired pizza. The food is good, the tables aren't right on top of one another the way they are at San Angel, and the atmosphere is lively without being crazy-loud.

I HATE buffets with young children, so I would rule Biergarten right out. The last thing I want, especially during a WDW vacation, is a meal of fetching my own plates as well as my toddlers, not to mention herding the kid along side me at the buffet line to give her a choice in what she wants, worrying the whole time that she's going to trip another diner. And the dance floor? Oh heck no, that's something my kid would have starting fidgeting and wiggling away towards as soon as she saw it, which guarantees a rushed meal for me and chants of "I'm hungry" from her long before the next meal. I grudgingly tolerated character buffets at Disney for the sake of the characters but a non-character buffet never got a second look.

Also, without knowing how much you eat out at home... I found with my kids, especially my oldest and youngest who are, shall we say, higher-energy than the middle child, that they tended to take their cues from the restaurant's atmosphere when they were younger. So louder restaurants didn't necessarily help matters any - the kids just tended to be louder and less settled into their meal at loud or particularly busy restaurants than at more "normal" dining experiences. I'm not talking about fine-dining quite, but just more like the kind of casual family restaurants they encountered at home as opposed to the roaring of T-Rex or the live music at Raglan Road.

 

[Shellyred8]

Have you ruled out Garden Grill? Their AYCTE is served at your table, so you wouldn't have to be getting up and down to go get food. I've only eaten breakfast there, but it was awesome!!!

 

[Veronique]

Thank you everyone!

We do bring her to restaurants here and she is ok for a good 45 minutes usually! We will probably also be able to mitigate the worst with magical screen time lol (sound off of course).

The reason i,m taking the time to ask is because we would HATE to be those parents mention before so researching restaurant and their kids friendliness seems like a good step!

All your comments are very useful and i'll share them with my husband !

We are already going to Garden grill for lunch too! We love Epcot

 

[richmo]

I would think Via Napoli might be best, simply because of the pizza. Drawback at Via Napoli is that it is very loud. San Angel Inn is a great setting and I personally like the food (although I now prefer La Hacienda de San Angel on the lagoon), but seating is very tight in there. Definitely not a good place if your young one is one that can't sit thru a meal.

 

[TravelingTotMom]

My toddler loves Biergarten and requests it every trip.

It's louder, so you don't have to worry about them making noise. It's a buffet, so you don't have to wait for their food, and since she's under 3, she's free. And most importantly, there is entertainment. Both your kids can go down in front of the stage when the band is playing, and you will (should) have a clear view, while also having a few minutes to actually enjoy your food.

He did okay at San Angel Inn, but we did request a table by the water and were accommodated after a brief wait. The food was really good, but I don't think he would have done well if we weren't right by the water with boats to watch.

 

[gillep]

Although I think all WDW restaurants are kid friendly, I would caution against San Angel Inn if you think your kid may have an issue sitting somewhat quietly for the duration of the meal. I actually enjoy the food, especially the soup, but the tables are incredibly close together, and it is quite dark so a lit screen may be a bit awkward and it would be difficult to get in and out of the table if you do need to remove her for whatever reason. We have also requested a table by the water a few times, and have had a 50/50 chance of getting it, maybe lower.

Kids seem to really enjoy Biergarten, especially when the band is playing and they can dance, and Garden Grill also is a good choice for kids as the meal is served family style and it has characters. Have fun!

 

[ktlm]

Biergarten! My 11 year old DD has ranked it up there with Princess meals since she was a toddler. At age 3, she was a horribly picky eater and was barely eating anything at most WDW meals-- to our shock at Biergarten she ate more than I think we at that point had ever seen her eat in her life. I had been worried we might not find something she liked there-- no problem there. She loved the dance floor and the band. It is still on our families must do list. In addition to DD loving it, DH's first question is always "When are we going to Biergarten?"

 

[Veronique]

Ok you have me sold! I'll keep my Biergarten and Via Napoli ressies this trip and hopefully we can do the other ones when she is a little bit older!

Edit to add: This is in addition to our Akershus dinner and Garden Grill lunch!

 

[Daniela Rose]

We'll be going with our 2yo and 4yo. Our 2yo is def tough lol.

Epcot we're doing breakfast at akershus, late lunch at via Napoli and another day dinner at San Angel inn.

 

[Veronique]

We'll be going with our 2yo and 4yo. Our 2yo is def tough lol.

Epcot we're doing breakfast at akershus, late lunch at via Napoli and another day dinner at San Angel inn.

They call it "terrible two" for a reason!

 

[Jaimie1911]

I would do Via Napoli, because pizza. Biergarten is fun but my kids were super shy eating with "strangers" and it made for some awkward moments lol.

 

[Veronique]

I would do Via Napoli, because pizza. Biergarten is fun but my kids were super shy eating with "strangers" and it made for some awkward moments lol.

My kids only speak french! That's pretty much the only subject we talk about with stranger at Disney : what langage are you speaking/what is that word in french, etc. lolol

 

[samsteele]

Like some of the PPs, I would vote for Biergarten. In past years, small children have gone up to the dance floor in front of the band with either a sibling or parent & had a little dance to work off the crazy energy so this may work well.

Another possible near Epcot, is to take the boat from the International Gate (or walk) to the Beach Club & enjoy their seafood dinner buffet at Cape May Restaurant. If you love seafood (crab legs, shrimp, etc) it's an all you care to enjoy feast. I've watched many little ones get right into the crab legs & enjoy. Also a decent size buffet with many other offerings including a beef carvery, some children's choices and many salads. Maybe check out a youtube video to see if it's for you? A beautiful & easy boat ride to & from Epcot.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I would do Via Napoli, because pizza. Biergarten is fun but my kids were super shy eating with "strangers" and it made for some awkward moments lol.

Consider it advanced prep for college. First week in the cafeteria...

 

[manicstreet]

The only one I wouldn't do is teppan edo. You are counting on your daughter sitting still for 2 hours. Also more importantly you will most likely be sharing a table with others. I wouldn't want to bother them with a crabby child.

FYI: when our daughter was three, we took her to a local Japanese steakhouse thinking she would love it. One of the worst experiences ever.

Double FYI: biergarten is so good! when our son was 8 months old he threw up into my wife's hands. The people that shared our table had no idea as it was loud and somewhat dark. Awesome restaurant for children.

 

[Daniela Rose]

They call it "terrible two" for a reason!

So not the age...the kid. My first was an angel at all ages. Second kid is tougher...and I'm a second kid