Rediscovering Nine Dragons: An Epcot Dining Review

We last ate at Nine Dragons, the table service restaurant in China, on our 2002 visit and we immediately put it on the "to be avoided at all costs" list. It had nothing to do with the food, which was very good, but everything to do with the prices in there. I seem to recall that, at one time, in the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, it scored an F when it came to value for money and the scale ran from something like A, which was excellent value, right down to F. No other restaurant was graded so poorly and our experience backed up that rating. It's hard to remember now, but I think our lunch there came to something like $75 for the two of us and we didn't order the most expensive items from the menu! We were stunned when we got the bill and, ever since we've avoided it.

That all changed on my last trip, when our plans for our final day altered and we were discussing where to go for lunch at Epcot. We tried Le Cellier, more in hope than expectation, and unsurprisingly, it was full, so after a discussion, we thought maybe we'd give Nine Dragons a go and were rewarded with a noon booking for lunch the next day.

When we arrived, it wasn't yet open and, on a baking hot day, we were reduced to waiting outside, which is very unusual for any Disney restaurant. Usually there's somewhere shady to wait, but not here and that's something that really does need addressing, as it was pretty unbearable outside that day, even though it was still only early May.