It’s Oktoberfest year round, although anyone who has been to the real deal in Munich won’t have any trouble confusing the celebration here with the beer tents of Bavaria. Then again, you’re not likely to have underage drinkers throwing up on your shoes at Epcot, so it balances out. The food is served on a buffet here and includes your basic bratwursts, red cabbage, spaetzle and such. It’s kept tidy, and while nothing is extraordinary about the quality, the food is mostly palatable.

There are few restaurants in the world that can boast an underwater view of a saltwater tank with dozens of species swimming by. The Orlando area has two (the other is Sharks Underwater Grill at SeaWorld), but neither seems to be able to offer food that matches the splendor of the view. In fact, given the ridiculously high menu prices and the lackluster quality of the food, I do not recommend Coral Reef as a restaurant. Better to view the sea life from the other side of the aquarium and fine somewhere else to sup.

Epcot’s revolving character restaurant. If nothing about the previous sentence sent you screaming, read on. Garden Grill is set on a rotating platform that takes the diners through a rainforest, a dessert, and plains with a farmhouse and a really annoying barking dog. The food is served family style — no, that doesn’t mean that the waiters argue with you and tell you you’re not going to amount to anything. The food is in big bowls and platters to pass around. Besides a good starting salad, Disney Culinears missed an opportunity to teach about fresh ingredients. The turkey with pasty dressing and crunchy coated fish are forgettable, but the sliced steak is pretty good. So is the rhubarb and strawberry cobbler at the end of your dinner rotation. Oh, plan on being visited by Mickey, Pluto and both Chip and Dale while you eat.

If you know Il Mulino New York, you’re going to be surprised by Il Mulino New York Trattoria. You’ll also be disappointed. But if you’ve never been to the original — and if you ever get the chance you really should go — you’ll find the food here pleasant enough.The dentice and veal saltimbocca are good. So is the pasta fagioli.

La Hacienda is one of the newest restaurant at Epcot’s World Showcase. It sits in front of the Mexico pavilion and juts out over the lagoon, which gives it a unique vantage point for the nightly Illuminatons show. The food is not authentic, but it’s very good. Be sure to try the chiles toreados y chorizitos, a bowl of bright green peppers and little fat chorizo pork links, sort of a Mexican version of Vienna sausages, all charred and grilled; and one of the mixed grill platters, which have enough for two to share. There’s a wonderful dessert at meal’s end, a tamal de dulce. It’s an actual corn masa tamale only sweet, and filled with guava then topped with strawberry coulis. Delicious.

Canada was always one of the odd-countries-out among the World Showcase’s pavilions of nations in terms of its restaurant. The problem was that Canada doesn’t really have a national cuisine. Meat is the forte. “Well then, there you go,” someone finally concluded, “make the restaurant a steakhouse.” And with that, Le Cellier became one of the more sought-after restaurants at Epcot. Steaks are good; appetizers are minimal. Nothing here really warrants the sort of rabid fandom the restaurant enjoys. It’s food is mostly modest, which is probably why it is so loved by average diners.
Update: Le Cellier was recently designated one of Disney’s “Signature” dining restaurants, which supposedly puts it in the top tier. It doesn’t quite make it in my book.
The atmosphere is dark and secluded – hello, it’s called The Cellar – and was designed to have no views of the outside. Disney officials thought park-goers might appreciate getting away from it all.

Most of the visitors to the signature restaurant in Epcot’s France pavilion (Bistro de Paris, a smaller eatery, is upstairs) are oblivious to the fact that one of its owners is not only one of the most famous chefs in the world but is arguably its first celebrity chef.Ironically, his name is not on the restaurant, Les Chefs de France. Even more ironic is that Paul Bocuse became famous because, in 1965, he was the first chef to put his name on his restaurant outside Lyons. Before that, chefs were no more than hired kitchen help. Restaurants were owned by the maitre ‘d or the hotels where they were located. So it could be said there would be no celebrity chefs, no show kitchens, no such thing as “Top Chef” and no one would give a flip what Gordon Ramsay had to say if Paul Bocuse hadn’t done what he did 44 years ago.On a recent visit my guest and I started with two classics: cassoulette d’escargots de Bourgogne au beurre persille (translation: snails) and assiette campagnarde, an assortment of pates and charcuteries. The half-dozen snails were baked in a small casserole, each in its own impression, with garlic butter and parsely. They were firm but not tough, and the butter they left behind in the dish was perfect for sopping up with the bread.The pates and meats were mildly flavored; the portion was larger than I expected, enough to make a small entree.For my entree I chose the broiled salmon, a classic Provencal preparation with a delicious tomato bearnaise and a side of ratatouille and a single, simple boiled potato. The salmon was an impressive fillet, thick and tender and cooked perfectly — one of the nicer pieces of fish I’ve had in a while.My friend selected the canard au miel, roasted breast of duck and leg confit served with snappy green beans and a rather bland sweet potato puree. I liked the duck very much, but I liked my salmon better.A bustling brasserie atmosphere on the first floor of the pavilion. Service seems to waffle along with the mood of the guests, who sometimes seem to visit expecting to have a bad experience. Relax. Enjoy. The food here is good, and the people are just like the people you meet in France: French, and friendly. The other chefs of the restaurant’s name are Roger Verge and the late Gaston Lenotre. Now in his 80s, Bocuse still visits the restaurant regularly.

Recently remodeled, Nine Dragons is probably the easiest restaurant at Epcot to get in to without a reservation. That’s because to so many people Chinese food is not equated with fine dining — it’s something that comes in a cardboard container and you get it for takeout. This is different, more of an upscale Chinese dining experience.I popped in for a lunch and started with a bowl of chicken consomme with pork dumplings, a golden broth with a rich mouthfeel. It had two big dumplings of chewy dough filled with well-spiced ground pork.
For my entree I had the shrimp with spinach noodles, which looked very much like something you’d find served in the Italy pavilion. (But remember that Marco Polo is said to have introduced Italians to pasta after a voyage to China.) The noodles were fettuccinelike and were mixed with red and green sauteed bell peppers and dotted with flecks of hot pepper flakes and topped with cool, fesh coriander.
The shrimp had a thin film of crispiness and peppery spice.
For dessert there was a sponge cake with fruit filling that was slightly dry.

Let’s face it: more people go here for the belly dancers than for the food. The food is just OK — without the entertainment it would be a lot less appealing. The menu features Moroccan and Middle Eastern specialties, such as roast lamb meshoui, couscous with a variety of meats or vegetables, fish tagine, and shish kebab. (For most people, it will be the first time they’ve ordered a shish kebab that costs nearly 28 bucks.) The Royal Feast, a table d’hote for $42.95 per person, offers a six-course menu with a variety of flavors. If you’re really hungry, that’s the way to go.

If most people choose to eat at Restaurant Marrakesh for the belly dancers, most people who choose to have dinner here do so because of the great view of Illuminations. Tip from the Disney folks: If you want to view Illuminations from here, “take a seat on the popular patio before sunset.” Before sunset — the show is at 9 p.m. That’s a lot of pints to pound down while you’re waiting. And what will you eat? Bangers and mash? Fish and chips? Sorry, I can’t recommend the food here. And I’ve always been disappointed with the staff. I love my visits to England — the real one, across the Atlantic — and the people there are always wonderful. But the cast members at this pub are usually surly. (And why not — they’ve got people camping out on their patio tables for four hours waiting for the fireworks to begin.)