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Food
Jennifer Greene
Updated
2024-03-07T14:25:06Z
- Reservations for Teppan Edo are hard to come by, but I was able to grab one for a late lunch.
- I thought the Japanese-inspired spot lacked ambiance, and we were surprised by the extra costs.
- My party of three felt rushed, and we weren't blown away by the food, so we likely won't be back.
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Teppan Edo is located in the Japan Pavilion at Epcot.
Teppan Edo is located in the Japan Pavilion in the World Showcase portion of Epcot. I've always heard others rave about it, so I thought I'd try it out during our latest trip to Disney World.
We mostly avoided it because we have a lot of Japanese restaurants where we live. But on this particular Disney trip, my family was trying things we hadn't done before, so I grabbed a reservation for a late lunch.
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The restaurant's entrance offered a great view of the Japan Pavilion.
When we arrived, we climbed the stairs to the entrance, which has a gorgeous view over the entire Japan Pavilion.
But I think that's kind of where the ambiance ends for this restaurant.
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I thought the lack of decor was strange for Disney World.
The host greeted us and introduced us to our tablemates. We were only a party of three and the hibachi tables seat eight.
Then we were all escorted to our table. The room had white walls and no decor, which I found strange for a Disney restaurant.
I didn't expect Mickey and Minnie to be plastered on the walls, but some ornamentation would've been lovely and made it more inviting. It was truly just a black, white, and red room with four hibachi tables.
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We received warm towelettes to clean our hands.
Our server was attentive, offering to take our orders for co*cktails and appetizers.
After we ordered, he brought us oshibori, or hot towels, to clean our hands — a tradition in Japanese dining.
After the drinks came he promptly took our entrée order.
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The specialty drinks were delicious.
The girls ordered yuzu lemonades, a specialty drink with strawberry popping boba. They loved them so much that they ordered two.
My tablemates said the Tokyo Sunset is the best co*cktail in Disney World, so I tried that. But if you don't like fruity co*cktails it's not for you — it's a mix of coconut rum, crème de banana, peach schnapps, and pineapple juice.
Luckily, I loved it and agree it's one of the better co*cktails I've had at Disney World.
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The California roll was appetizing but overpriced.
We began our meal with a California roll — my girls aren't very adventurous when it comes to sushi, so we stuck to the basics.
It was tasty and a nice start to our meal, but I don't think it was worth $14 for eight pieces.
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The miso soup also cost extra.
Our complimentary salads came out soon after our appetizer. Miso soup wasn't included with our entrées, so we ordered a cup of that to start as well.
In my experience, both soup and salad are typicallyincluded at hibachi restaurants,so I didn't love the extra charge for the soup.
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The hibachi chef was skilled, but the experience felt a little rushed.
Our hibachi chef came out as we dined on appetizers.
He was entertaining and did a great job — he even made a cute Mickey Mouse head with butter and a spoon.
But overall, the experience felt very rushed. We were seated at our table at 3:30 p.m. and paid our bill at 4:29 p.m.
I've never had a hibachi meal that was that quick before.
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Our portions seemed small, and there wasn't an option to add fried rice to our entrées.
Along with the garden salad, each entrée came with white rice, hibachi vegetables, and noodles.
I ordered the Asakusa offering, a mix of steak and shrimp, and my girls had the ebi (shrimp) and the tori (chicken).
The portions looked small compared to the other hibachi places I've dined at. I also thought it was strange that there was no option for fried rice, not even à la carte.
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I thought the food could've used some more flavor.
The food wasn't necessarily memorable. I felt like it lacked flavor as the veggies and noodles seemed to only be cooked with soy sauce and some seasoning.
I really needed the ginger and yum-yum dipping sauces.
My steak and shrimp were good, and they were both cooked well. But my daughter said her chicken was a little dry. Normally, she destroys her meal, but she didn't eat much of this.
Both girls also said the yum-yum sauce was way too salty for them.
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Although hibachi is one of our favorite dining experiences, we won't be returning to Teppan Edo.
Our total came out to $171 before the tip.
Between the rushed meal, smaller portions, and underwhelming flavors, we probably won't be back here again.
It's disappointing because hibachi is one of our favorite dining experiences. Sadly, Teppan Edo just doesn't make the cut for my family.
This story was originally published in March 2023 and more recently updated on March 7, 2024.
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