click to enlarge Image via Disney (David Roark, photographer)
Gleaming pylons are part of the new fountain in development at the base of Spaceship Earth in EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort.
Epcot is undergoing the
most extensive renovation in its history, but the rides are far from the only focus. The park's beloved culinary options will also see a major overhaul.
Future World’s Space 220 restaurant is by the most anticipated of the new experiences. Using
patented cutting-edge projection techniques, the space station-themed restaurant will offer a simulated view of Earth from the edge of space.
Nearby, in what will become World Celebration, multiple new food and beverage options are under construction. A brand
new Club Cool, the popular Coca-Cola tasting room, is planned for the space. Across a walkway, a new counter-service restaurant is replacing the dated Electric Umbrella, but little is known regarding its theme.
World Showcase has plenty of sit-down dining options, but for the few weeks a year when there is no festival in the park, snack options can be more difficult to find.
Image via Bioreconstruct | Twitter
Epcot's soon to open Gelateria Toscana behind construction walls.
Italy already has a pizza window and a popular snack cart, but a new gelateria will add a great summertime option. The prefabricated Mediterranean-style kiosk is already assembled on-site, filling in a former landscaped area between Italy and The American Adventure. Known as
Gelateria Toscana, the snack kiosk will offer sorbetti, gelati, zeppoles, and other Italian desserts along with espresso, cocktails, wine, and beer. Gelateria Toscana is slated to open this month.
The American Pavilion had its own addition last year with the loosely Muppet-themed
Regal Eagle Smokehouse opened in the former Liberty Inn. A smoker in front of the BBQ joint adds interest to the plaza that previously felt dead most of the time. Regal Eagle’s outdoor dining area has become a popular pandemic-era dining option.
Faiyaz Kara
Wood Room in Takumi-Tei, located in Epcot's Japan pavilion
Next door in Japan,
Takumi-Tei brought fresh blood to the area in 2019. The fine dining establishment adds an authentic boutique dining experience to the pavilion. The art-filled dining rooms offer a reprieve from the crowds and heat that Epcot is infamous for.
Image via dogguygary | Twitter
The gone but not forgotten phallic wall in Epcot's Morocco pavilion
Like some other pavilions, a third party previously operated Morocco, but the pandemic forced the company to scale back. Disney
took over operations at the pavilion last year and has since been overhauling it. This has included multiple menu updates throughout the pavilion and the removal of a
phallic-shaped tower that had become a popular
photo spot.
Image via Bioreconstruct | Twitter
A view of the France pavilion expansion. The Ratatouille ride is on the bottom right, the new creperie in the center, and new restrooms on the lower left.
Finally, in France, a brand-new street in the pavilion is readying to open later this year. The long-awaited
Ratatouille trackless dark ride will as part of the resort’s 50th-anniversary celebration in October. By then, the pavilion’s new creperie should begin welcoming hungry guests. The standalone restaurant,
La Crêperie de Paris, is located in the back of the pavilion, near the new family ride, making it a bit difficult for guests uninterested in the attraction to find. It will offer both a quick-service window and table service.
La Crêperie de Paris will open by October; most of the other dining options should also be open by then. Space 220, which has been delayed, is expected to open sometime before the end of the year. Even more dining options are expected in the upcoming Play Pavilion and potentially in the beer garden like Festival Area, both of which will open in a later phase.
click to enlarge Image via Disney Parks Blog
Epcot's upcoming play themed pavilion
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