Dining at EPCOT’s Nine Dragons Restaurant

Walt Disney World Resort is an excellent option for theme Park junkies looking for delicious food. Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios all have delicious food. But the theme Park culinary winner is hands-down EPCOT. You’ll find tasty snacks and spots in Future World, character dining opportunities, and plenty of quick service and table service restaurants around the Park.

One of the highlights of a day at EPCOT is strolling World Showcase to explore each country represented. We’ve talked about character dining at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Norway. We’ve discussed dining inside a Disney ride at San Angel Inn Restaurant in the Mexico pavilion. We discussed where to get delicious brews in the United Kingdom and the most delicious steak in the Park in the Canada pavilion.

Disney insiders know that for they should drop by Teppan Edo Steakhouse for dinner and a show in the Japan pavilion. And, of course, you can enjoy tasting small bites of countries in World Showcase and other Guest countries from around the world during the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival, the International Festival of the Arts, the International Festival of the Holidays, and the International Food and Wine Festival.

Quick service dining is a delicious option for people wanting a quality meal without needing to plan ahead. In fact, most of the quick service dining opportunities in Walt Disney World Parks allow you to use mobile dining on the My Disney Experience app to order your food before you even arrive at the location.

That said, sometimes you want a more structured table service dining experience. Craving Chinese food? Well, you are in luck! Today we are discussing the table service dining option in the China pavilion in World Showcase. This article is a guide to dining at EPCOT Nine Dragons Restaurant.

You will find Nine Dragons Restaurant in the China pavilion near the character meet spot, and reflections of China film. The interior of this spot is incredibly ornate with wood carvings, beautiful traditional Chinese lanterns and intricate glasswork. You’ll instantly be transported upon walking through the door. Nine Dragons Restaurant serves lunch and dinner each day. Lunch is served daily from 12:00 p.m. to 2:55 p.m., and dinner is served daily from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Because this is a table service restaurant, you must secure an advanced dining reservation as soon as possible.

This Walt Disney World Resort restaurant tends to fill up quickly, so if enjoying Chinese food on your vacation is a must-do, book your reservation at this table service restaurant as soon as your booking window opens.

Pricing on this menu runs from about $15 to around $35 per person and offers pan-Chinese cuisine. You’ll enjoy a mix of Cantonese, Mongolian, Kiangche, Hunan, and Szechuan-style culinary specialties at this restaurant. Let’s review the menu to discuss some of the most delicious options you could try during your visit.

There are so many delicious options on this menu. I do recommend that you spring for an appetizer and entrée. You’ll see menu items like a vegetable spring rolls, hot and sour soup, flavorful chicken potstickers, crispy duck bao buns, and chicken dumplings. You could also add a side of vegetable fried rice to kick off your meal; these appetizers run from around $6 to $15 depending on your choice.

You can’t make a wrong selection from this menu because all the options are delicious. I like to opt for the crispy duck bao buns because they are such a unique dish. The chicken potstickers are another classic the house hot and sour soup is a delightful choice.

Ready for the main course? Choose from delicious entrées like Canton Pepper Beef, Spicy Honey Crispy Chicken, Honey Sesame Chicken, or Crispy Duck Fried Rice. The Konghou Duo with chicken, shrimp, and crunchy peanuts is another delicious option. The s=Salt and Pepper Shrimp served with delicious spinach noodles is a Guest favorite, as are the Kowloon Spareribs.

If you want to add a bit of spice to your meal, why not try the spicy Mala Happy Family dish? This $28 entrée is served with beef, chicken, shrimp, and vegetables and is served in a shareable portion. We recommend vegetable and tofu stirfry if you’re looking for a plant-based option.

When it’s time for dessert, you can choose from a caramel ginger ice cream or a strawberry red bean ice cream. Honestly, even though these options are delicious, I choose to bypass dessert at Nine Dragons Restaurant to get a bigger bang for my buck and enjoy appetizers elsewhere in World Showcase.

What will you order to wash down your meal with? There are unique cocktails and beer available on the menu. The Jade Beauty is a delicious cocktail made with smooth honeydew melon liqueur, vodka, tart pineapple juice, and a lemon-lime soda. Talk about a refreshing cocktail; this is an excellent choice after a hot day in World Showcase!

Another delicious option is the South Sea Dream. This cocktail has citrus vodka, triple sec, and fresh guava juice. Other cocktail highlights include the Ginger Zinger and the Lychee Blossom. Overall, the cocktails at Nine Dragons Restaurant are a 10 out of 10 for me because of the light, floral, and fruity flavors that dominate these cocktails without being overly sweet.

If you are looking to try something new in the beer department, we recommend the Jasmine Draft Beer for $8.50. The Dragon Blossom Draft Beer is another great option. If you’re ready to browse the nonalcoholic offerings, options include the an assortment of slushys, teas and soft drinks. In addition to fruit teas you can enjoy iced green tea and hot jasmine tea.

The wine menu has some delicious options for wine drinkers looking to order a glass with their meal. The Cuvée Mumm Napa would be my choice for a glass of sparkling wine at this restaurant. The Riesling Pacific Rim and the Sauvignon Blanc Brancott from New Zealand would be my white wine choices from this menu. If opting for a red, I would order the Pinot Noir from Castle Rock, California.

Disney die-hard Guests that enjoy restaurant hopping sometimes provide mixed reviews of Nine Dragons Restaurant. I think it is a delicious and fun option for Guests looking to enjoy the familiarity of a Chinese restaurant while on vacation. Not every Guest is going to be an adventurous eater looking to dig into bratwurst, curry, crêpes, or couscous in the Morocco pavilion. I believe Nine Dragons Restaurant provides an excellent opportunity for Guests that don’t want to get out of their comfort zone to enjoy a delicious meal in World Showcase in a beautiful table service dining environment.

Sure, you are unlikely to see any groundbreaking menu items or taste any culinary styles that are entirely new to you when dining at this restaurant. But something is to be said for the familiarity of delicious spicy honey crispy chicken or warm pork dumplings during a Park day. If you were on the fence about booking a reservation at Nine Dragons Restaurant for your Disney vacation, I would take the plunge and try it out.

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