Every time I step into the France Pavilion at EPCOT, it takes me back to one of my few out-of-country trips. The second you walk into Les Chefs de France, you’re transported to a classic Parisian bistro, the kind you’d stumble on at just about every corner in the city. It’s easy to forget you’re standing in the middle of a Central Florida theme park.
While there’s so much to choose from when ordering a la carte, we went with the Prix Fixe Traditional menu. Priced at $67.95 per person (or one Disney Dining Plan table-service credit), this includes one appetizer, a choice of entrée (Filet de Saumon, Gratin de Macaroni, Ratatouille Provençale, Poulet Cordon Bleu, or Boeuf Bourguignon), one dessert, and a house glass of Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, or a non-alcoholic beverage.
Any menu selection comes with complimentary baguette and salted butter at the table, and the servers happily keep the refills coming throughout the meal.
I started with a glass of Cabernet and the beet salad, made with beets, arugula, goat cheese, balsamic vinaigrette, lemon zest, and croutons. Everything balanced beautifully, and the whipped goat cheese folded into each bite was outstanding.
For my entrée, I chose the Filet de Saumon served with beurre blanc (white wine butter sauce). Goodness, this just melts in your mouth. This might be the best piece of salmon I’ve ever had, and that’s saying something since I order salmon everywhere, from Disney Cruise Line to seafood spots to my own kitchen. This one was deliciously buttery and beautifully cooked, served with green beans and mashed potatoes in place of rice.
Dessert was the crème brûlée, and both this version and the one next door at Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie rank among the most authentic I’ve had outside of Paris. Fully caramelized, crackly sugar on top gave way to an ultra creamy vanilla custard underneath, finished with berries — including a few blueberries arranged into a little Mickey shape! Talk about a sweet ending.
My partner opened with the escargot appetizer, a casserole of Burgundian escargot baked in parsley and garlic butter, topped with small pats of pastry dough. These melted into your mouth just like the salmon did, some of the best escargot we’ve had at Disney. In fact, mid-bite, I admitted that I’d skip the Food & Wine Festival escargot offerings entirely and just come back here for this appetizer instead… or three of them.
For his entrée, he ordered the Poulet Cordon Bleu: breaded chicken breast, smoked ham, potato purée, peas, and béchamel sauce. The flavors were good enough, but the dish arrived at room temperature. Our server noticed us checking and kindly took it back for a replacement, though the second one was only a touch warmer, still not the ideal serving temperature for a hot, breaded, stuffed chicken dish. Given the prix fixe pricing, we felt locked into ordering it to get the most value out of the menu. Next time, we might go with the Gratin de Macaroni instead, baked with cream and Gruyère cheese, for roughly half the price (when ordering a la carte).
For dessert, he chose the Gâteau aux 3 Chocolat, layered with white, milk, and dark chocolate mousse, with almonds and vanilla ice cream. If you love chocolate, this one delivers. I snuck a bite, but the crème brûlée still takes the win for me.
Oui, Oui!
This was one of the best meals I’ve had at Walt Disney World in years. I know I’ve been singing Sanaa’s praises lately too, and that bread service still holds up, but the full experience at Chefs de France, from start to finish, felt genuinely Parisian. We were seated in the side greenhouse room, where the light shifted into golden hour by the end of our meal.
As I sit here reminiscing on our (mostly) parfait Chefs de France experience, listening to the pavilion’s music loop in the background, I’m sure glad I already booked one of the Parisian brunch reservations coming this year for EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival. Stay tuned in the months ahead for that one! In the meantime, consider adding Les Chefs de France to your next Walt Disney World trip plan!
