Inexpensive Lunch & DInner Ideas for EPCOT World Showcase

Some people argue that you should eat your largest Disney meal at lunch. You get large portions of similar items for much less than the dinner prices. However, table service restaurants still average about $17-20 an entree if you are paying out of pocket. While most kids meals include a drink, adult meals require that you order a beverage at an additional cost.  Not to mention the time spent at a sit down meal.

I try to pay $40 or less for my family of 4 to eat lunch. We only have one child under the age of 9 and most table service restaurants won't sell my teen aged daughter a kids meal.  Eating lunch  in an air conditioned restaurant is a nice escape from the heat, but it can easily cost us $80-100.

If you aren't on a Dining Plan the classic Disney World advice is always to eat at a counter service or quick service location to save both time and money.  EPCOT is no different. However some counter service locations are more expensive than others.

For instance I love Mexican food, but I think the prices at La Cantina de San Angel are high at $11 or $12 for tacos and $8 for a kids meal. It would cost us about $55 to eat lunch there.

Fish & chips are $8.99 at the Yorkshire in England. There is no kids meal. With drinks, lunch would cost us about $50.

If you want typical American fare try the Liberty Inn in the America Pavilion. They sell burgers, salads and hot dogs for $8-10 a meal. Kids can get macaroni and cheese or a cheeseburger for about $5.49.

You can get a peanut butter and jelly sandwich kid's meal for $5.49 at Kringla Bakeri og Cafe in the Norway Pavilion. Adults can get a roast beef or club sandwich for about $8.

If your family is more adventurous, but still on a budget try our favorite choices. Boulangerie Patisserie in the France Pavilion sells a ham and cheese croissant for $4.75, ham and cheese quiche for $5.20 or pissaladiere (flatbread with tomatoes, olives and gruyere cheese) for $4.50.

We also like Chinese food.  Lotus Blossom Cafe (China) has two egg rolls for $4 or pot stickers for $5. Compare to Nine Dragons where egg rolls are $8 and pot stickers are $7. Saving $2-4 per person adds up to $8-16 per meal, per day. Over five days you could save $120 -240 just on appetizers! 

If your kids aren't adventurous eaters why not walk through the International Gate between France and the United Kingdom? You can walk back into the Park when you're done.

A family sized pizza at Via Nappoli costs $28-$41. Instead walk out the International Gateway to the BoardWalk Pizza window, where a slice of cheese pizza is $3.99 and a slice of pepperoni or veggie pizza is $4.49. It's about 15 minutes from the Gateway.

Or pick up something a little closer by stopping at the Beach Club Marketplace. It's a "grab and go" location so take your food out to the beach to eat. Kid's lunch & dinner choices are a turkey sandwich ($5.49) or a margherita pizza ($5.99) with drinks and a side. Adults can get a sandwich or a flatbread with sides for under $10.

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If you are in Future World during lunch or dinner your best bet will be Sunshine Seasons.  It is in the lower level and often very crowded and loud. You can typically find a table if you send one person to wait while another stands in line to order. Another problem is that separate stations  serve different menu items. So if you want food from more than one station, you’ll need to wait in multiple lines.  The food is fresh and fairly well priced with kids meals starting at $5.49 and adult entree around $8. Kids craving standard food can get macaroni and cheese here, pizza or an Uncrustable meal. The sandwiches cost $8-10 and are almost as large as those at Starring Rolls in Hollywood Studios.