The Biergarten Restaurant in the Germany pavilion at EPCOT is a fun and unique dining location. When I was growing up, this restaurant was our constant. On each trip, we’d be sure to book a lunch reservation at the Biergarten. Unfortunately, I haven’t eaten here in about two years. I have been missing the restaurant dearly. I am excited to say that today, Ryno, Craig, and I are venturing to the Germany pavilion to eat at my beloved Biergarten.
Here, guests will be transported to a traditional Bavarian village that happens to have a buffet line filled with delicious food. It has that outdoor but indoor type of thing going for it, which Ryno absolutely loves. Before we jump into the review, I want to say that Disney notes that reservations are highly recommended. So, if you want to enjoy this experience, be sure to book a reservation in advance.
Biergarten Restaurant – Atmosphere and Aesthetic
This restaurant is themed to a Bavarian village, and everyone is sitting outside on a beautiful night with a full moon, waiting for a band to come out and play great music, all while being indoors. I am a sucker for places that are indoors but make you feel like you are outside. Across the restaurant, there are flags representing different sections of the country.
After we finished our food, Ryno said, “This restaurant really is the embodiment of EPCOT,” and I fully agree with him. When you are dining here, you are fully immersed in Germany and getting a very unique experience. Also, each cast member we encountered here was smiling and genuinely happy. There is a little show that happens on the stage each hour, and the best part is watching the servers dance and clap. I am a firm believer that when the cast members are having a good time, then everyone else will have a good time.
I could honestly talk about how much I love the look and atmosphere of this restaurant for hours, that’s how much I love it, but I won’t subject you guys to that today.
Biergarten Restaurant – Food & Buffet Line
Not only were the atmosphere and the aesthetic amazing, but so was the food. At first glance, the buffet can seem pretty bare due to the depth of the buffet line, but don’t worry. There is plenty of food to be had. I do want to mention that when we sat at our table, I was handed an allergy guide and was able to order a plant-based sausage and dairy-free butter.
The first portion was the salad area, which had a mix of leafy greens and cold salads like macaroni salad, potato salad, and bean salad. All three of those were amazing. Craig had one complaint about the potato salad, and that was that the potatoes should’ve been cut thinner since that is the more authentic version of the dish. Even though they weren’t thinly sliced, I still thought it was great.
The macaroni salad was a hit, too. Ryno and I really enjoyed it, especially since it had a hint of that mustard dressing they have for the leafy greens. We all agree that everyone should try that mustard dressing; it’s truly amazing. Our server, Luke, told us that we had to try it, and we were very happy that he told us that.
The next portion of the buffet had beer cheese soup, warm potatoes, pretzel rolls, a sausage platter and sauerkraut. After that came the carving station and the other meats that were served, like the roasted chicken and schnitzel. We all spoke highly of the pretzel roll. I mean, how can you hate on a pretzel roll? Ryno really enjoyed the soup and said it paired well with the roll.
From the warm portion, I enjoyed the roasted chicken. It felt more like a blackened chicken with a lot of seasoning, but I like my chicken overly seasoned rather than bland. The guys enjoyed everything they got from over there. Ryno mentioned he enjoyed the ham they were serving at the carving station, and he also liked the salmon dish. Craig thought the salmon had too much dill on it, but Ryno and I thought it was good, so it just depends on how much you enjoy the dill flavor.
There is also a kids’ section of the buffet, and Ryno was the only one to grab something from there. He went straight for the macaroni and cheese, and I don’t blame him. It looks delicious. It had layers and layers of cheese, and it also looked like it got baked, so it had some crunchy cheese parts. He was ready to take all the mac and cheese that was available. That’s how good it was.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t partake in the dessert portion of the buffet, but Ryno and Craig checked it out. They both came to the conclusion that the Blueberry Cake was the best dessert on the line. I was able to order dairy-free and gluten-free cookies that were pre-packaged, and I dipped them in the berry compote that can be found on the buffet line. That berry compote was delicious.
Overall Thoughts
Overall, we had a wonderful experience at Biergarten. I know I’m a little biased because it’s one of my family traditions to eat here each trip, but truly, it was wonderful. Yes, the atmosphere and the food were awesome, but what was even better were the cast members. Each cast member we encountered was great. Our server, Luke, really had that Disney difference.
He did a wonderful job at explaining to us which foods were more authentic, which beers would be had in this setting in Germany, and which wine would pair nicely with the food. He also brought us to-go cups of water at the end of our meal and brought Ryno a to-go cup for his beer, mind you didn’t even ask for these to-go cups. He anticipated our needs and was just amazing.
There weren’t any food items that we hated or thought were terrible. Everything was amazing flavor-wise and quality-wise. Craig had a few items he did love, but what he did like outweighed what he didn’t. We all left the restaurant with smiles on our faces, talking about how much fun we had just had, singing along with the band, dancing in our seats, and enjoying the food and drinks we got. I guess what I am trying to say is that we highly recommend that you check out this restaurant on your next visit if you haven’t.
To see our full experience and journey, watch the YouTube video below!
Hi, I'm Erica, and I write about all things Disney. Before working for The DIS, I was a theme park performer at SeaWorld, but I also performed at Disney. I have such an immense love for theme parks to the point I studied them in college.
