Review: We Ate a LOT at Rose and Crown in Disney World. If You Need Us We’ll Be Napping for a Week.
We hope you’re hungry for some cozy, hearty, delicious eats. We’re bringing you a review from Disney World’s own homage to the United Kingdom in restaurant form.
Rose and Crown Spread
That’s right! We’re stopping by the U.K. Pavilion in EPCOT to give the recently-reopened Rose and Crown Dining Room a REVIEW! This cozy spot has been closed for the last few months for a refurbishment so we’ve had to get our fix of hearty British eats and drinks from the attached pub and Yorkshire County Fish Shop. But now, we’re back in the main restaurant!
Rose and Crown is a delightful restaurant located in the U.K. Pavilion. This spot does double duty. the first of the building is a (heavily trafficked) pub while the back half is a full sit-down restaurant offering. Get ready for a menu of British favorites plus an AWESOME selection of beers and pub blends!
Rose and Crown Dining Room
We typically love this restaurant for its reasonable prices, cozy atmosphere, and great service. So, let’s see how it’s holding up.
Atmosphere
Rose and Crown Pub and Dining Room is located on the main path of World Showcase in the U.K. Pavilion. Check-in takes place at the green booth outside to the left of the building. To head to the pub, you head in the front doors (look for a line…chances are there will be one!).
Check-in
We weren’t kidding when we said this spot is COZY. The inside is decorated like a traditional British eatery with warm lighting and wooden furnishings.
Atmosphere
Right now, tables are distanced to keep guests six feet apart from one another. We especially love the hardwood floors and detailing in the ceiling here!
Atmosphere
Much of the seating is standard tables and chairs, but some tables have booth seating too.
Atmosphere
Check out some of the knick-knacks and wall hangings if you have a moment! The decorations are super sweet and sometimes very cool — you might even spot some references to your favorite Disney movies.
Atmosphere
The dining room at Rose and Crown leads out to a covered patio with plenty of additional seating.
Atmosphere
This patio is loaded with plenty of natural light. Fireworks aren’t happening in EPCOT at this time, but when they do, this little patio is one of the hottest tickets around. If you’re lucky enough to score a table out here during the shows, you get a fantastic view while you dine.
Atmosphere
But enough about the atmosphere, let’s talk about the EATS!
Eats
Take a gander at the Rose & Crown menu! You’ll spot a number of British comfort food items plus a HUUUUUGE drink menu. It is connected to a pub, after all!
Menu
The menu is unchanged from our last visit this past December. There are a few small appetizer options and a small but mighty selection of British favorites.
Appetizer and Entree Menu
The sides and dessert choices are limited as well. Kids’ meals here are, similar to many locations at Disney World, a “choose your own adventure” type situation.
Dessert Menu
Kids pick their main item…
Kids’ Menu
…and two sides. Yup, trifle totes counts as a side, if they wanna knock out getting a dessert with their meal. 
Kids’ Menu
And of course, we gotta show you those DRANKS. The name of the game here is BEER (well, and cider). They also have an impressive lineup of Scotch.
Beers and Scotches
They serve up true pints here along with a huge menu of pub blends (AKA multiple beers, often layered, in a glass).
Pub Blend Menu
Not up for beer? You can choose from a small selection of Cocktails.
Cocktails
As much as we enjoy a good pint at the pub, we were eying some eats this go-round. No time for beer — we want food!
We started with the United Kingdom Cheese Platter for $14. This Traditional Selection of British Cheeses and Accompaniments featured an Irish Porter Cheese with Apple Chutney, a Cotswold Cheese with Chives and Onion Jam, and McCall’s Irish Cheddar with Curry Cauliflower.
United Kingdom Cheese Platter
Let’s take a look at each of those cheeses and how they taste! Cheese #1 is that Irish Porter Cheese with Apple Chutney. This cheese LOOKS super cool thanks to the porter used in making it, but flavorwise it was just OK. Not the best cheese we’ve had but not something we’d turn down. The apple chutney complemented the flavors of the beer cheese and made the bite creamy, sweet, and tart.
United Kingdom Cheese Platter
Cheese #2 is that Cotswold Cheese with Chives and Onion Jam. The cheese was creamy and medium to sharp. The jam was our favorite thing on the whole plate and this pairing was awesome. We could’ve eaten WAY more of this cheese if we had the chance.
United Kingdom Cheese Platter
The last pairing was that McCall’s Irish Cheddar with Curry Cauliflower. The curry was pickled but not super flavorful; it mostly tasted like plain cauliflower. This cheese is the strongest and sharpest cheese — so much so that it even overpowered the flavor of the curried cauliflower! That said, if you like your cheddar extra sharp, you’ll likely enjoy this one!
United Kingdom Cheese Platter
As a bonus, it comes served with Multigrain Crackers to serve yourself up some crunchy, cheesy bites. Overall, we would order this cheese plate again. The price was about what we’d expect for an offering like this in Disney World. You get three sizable hunks of cheese with unique pairings!
United Kingdom Cheese Platter
After we’d tasted our delicious cheese and fully mulled over the menu, we went ahead and placed an order for…well, a LOT more food. And we were NOT disappointed when it arrived. Look at that table full of comforting, cozy goodness!
Spread
That adorable little pan is chock full of Shepherd’s Pie for $22. Shepherd’s Pie is a quintessential part of British eats. We’ve had this pie in the past so we’re excited to see if the flavors still held up.
Shepherd’s Pie
This offering is a combo of Ground Beef, Seasonal Vegetables, English Peas, and Mashed Potatoes topped with melted McCall’s Irish Cheddar Cheese (If you’re playing along at home, that’s the same sharp cheddar we had on our cheese plate!). Um…YUM.
Shepherd’s Pie
It, not surprisingly, tasted about as good as it sounds — you can’t go wrong with a good Shepherd’s Pie (OK, well, at least WE can’t. Meat, veggies, mashers, and cheese? Yup.)! The cheese melted on top gave a nice sharpness against those buttery fluffy potatoes, the beef and veggies were flavorful and well seasoned, and the portion size was respectable. Warning that this is a HEAVY dish and you might want a nap after, but we liked this one the best of all the entree portions we tried.
Shepherd’s Pie
Next up, of COURSE we got Fish and Chips. This option is available for $25 and you know we had high expectations. We’ve really enjoyed the fish and chips here in the past and regularly enjoy the fish and chips sold outside at Yorkshire County Fish Shop.
Fish & Chips
This fish, which is usually Cod, is beer-battered and served with Tartar Sauce, Ketchup, and Malt Vinegar. Did you know most Brits eat fish and chips with a fork, not their hands in a restaurant? Hands are often reserved for to-go style fish and chips you’d be served on the street. Of course, this is a subject of debate amongst many — with some totally disagreeing! But if you’re a finger-eater, now you know! Fork or fingers, either way, we were ready to dig in.
Fish & Chips
Unsurprisingly, we didn’t have any complaints about this dish! Fish and Chips is a CLASSIC meal and the fish was crispy, salty, and juicy. Plus, it was beautifully flaky. Even those who hate fish would probably like this (we’ve converted a few non-fish eaters over the years with this!). The fish itself is so so mildly flavored that the beer batter really shines. we all know the fish is really just a vehicle for that impossibly crunchy delicious batter. 
Plus the chips (fries, for those unfamiliar!) are perfectly crispy outside yet soft inside. They hold up to a good dousing with malt vinegar!
Fish & Chips
One note is that if you don’t want to shell out $24 bucks for this or don’t have a reservation here, Yorkshire County Fish Shop serves basically the same fish and chips for $11.49. For those with a smaller appetite or who are looking to save a few dollars, you might want to snag the quick-service Fish and Chips. It’s significantly cheaper (about half the price) and you only get two pieces of fish instead of three. Plus, you might not want to waste your table-service reservation on something you could get at a quick-service spot! That said, it’s really good either place you get it.
Fish & Chips
Our final entree option is the Chicken Masala Curry for $22. This dish has a beautiful, rich color.
Chicken Masala Curry
Here, we’re looking at Chicken Masala Curry with Seasoned Vegetables, Basmati Rice, and Raita Bread.
Chicken Masala Curry
This was actually our least favorite of the entrees but it still wasn’t bad at all; we just didn’t like it as much as we expected. The dish is FULL of veggies with cauliflower, carrots, peas, and pearl onions. For us, the veggies were the best part.
Chicken Masala Curry
The raita bread was underwhelming as it had no added flavor to the dish. It was more a vessel to get that curry sauce into our mouths (no complaints here. It did its job well!). The curry was spicier than we expected, so if you like a kick this could be a good option. The biggest flavor was tomato.
Chicken Masala Curry
We think most people would enjoy the Chicken Masala Curry, even if it wasn’t OUR favorite of our meal (in our defense — fried fish and Shepherd’s Pie, so…). Plus, that portion size was MORE than fair!
Chicken Masala Curry
For a side, we opted for the $5 Mushy Peas which are, you guessed it, Mushed Peas with Salt. This is a quintessential pub food side, often served alongside heavier and fried foods (gotta sneak in a veg whenever you can!).
Mushy Peas
This dish isn’t super creative but it was yummy! Being just, well, mushy peas, the salt in these was welcome and just the right amount. Anyone who likes peas will LOVE this dish. We also noticed that it was a very popular option with many other tables ordering it. There’s enough here to share as well.
Mushy Peas
And no meal is complete without a tasty dessert. So, we ordered up the Sticky Toffee Pudding for $9. We’ve liked this dish every time we’ve ordered it in the past. We don’t know about you, but we’re pretty excited to dig into these flavors.
Sticky Toffee Pudding
This treat is a Steamed Pudding (meaning a cake) served with Warm Vanilla Custard and Hot Butter-Rum Sauce. Holy moly, does that sound good or what!?
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Alright, no lie. This was the winner of the WHOLE MEAL. Sorry, not sorry. It’s delicious! Seriously, you’re going to ask us to pass on WARM CAKE with TWO SAUCES. No way! The cream is sweet, but the cake (which our waitress said was a date cake!) balances out the sweetness. The cake was nutty, caramelly, and moist and you’ve got that sauce that was super creamy and rich.
Sticky Toffee Pudding
It really tastes like toffee. This would be SO fabulous with a cup of coffee or tea at night. Both kiddos AND adults would love this (don’t worry, you won’t get a buzz off the butter rum sauce. It’s just a nip for flavor!). You could certainly share between two people, but the portion wasn’t too large for one person either. We wish we could snag this dessert without getting a reservation and sitting down for a whole table-service meal!
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Whew! Now that we’re stuffed, let’s bring up some final thoughts.
Nosh or Not
You SHOULD eat at Rose and Crown Pub and Dining Room if…
- You’re looking to have a hearty, cozy, and FILLING meal in an equally cozy setting.
- You’re looking for an EPCOT meal that is both worldly and familiar. This spot could please both adventurous AND picky eaters.
- You want an escape from the theme park! Tucking into Rose and Crown will leave you in a themed environment that doesn’t feel super overdone. It’s still warm and welcoming though and a great spot to enjoy a meal.
You should SKIP Rose and Crown Pub and Dining Room if…
- You’re looking for some lighter fare. Most of these eats are BIG TIME heavy and you’ll probably leave feeling full!
- Slowing down isn’t really your thing. This comfy location invites you to stay for a while, let the beer flow, and relax. If you’re hoping for a fast-paced day (meal included), you might want to pass.
- You’re looking for eats that are more adventurous or international. British food is yummy, but there are much more adventurous options around World Showcase like the restaurants in Morocco or Japan.
Overall
Eating at Rose and Crown never seems to leave us disappointed. The food is hearty and delicious, the service is delightful, and we’ll never say no to a comprehensive beer menu. Plus, the atmosphere can really help you to take a breather and relax in the middle or at the end of your EPCOT day, which is a big plus.
Like many of the locations around World Showcase, you’ll find wonderful theming that feels very authentic. It really does feel like you’re dining in a pub in the middle of the United Kingdom — which is quite the feat when you’re sitting in the middle of hot and sunny Orlando, Florida! That level of theming and escape is one of the reasons we love Disney and Rose and Crown is an excellent example.
Keep in mind, there are definitely more exciting places to eat in Disney World. These dishes are classics and that means they aren’t always the most adventurous options. Spice-lovers and those looking for big flavors might want be left wanting here, but these eats are still high-quality and delicious. Even adventurous eaters might want to slow down for some meat and potatoes sometimes.
As always, Rose and Crown has cemented its place as one of the best bars in EPCOT and a meal in the dining room only gives this location some more points in our book. We’ll definitely find ourselves back to dine on some comfy eats and relax in the atmosphere.
Click here to see us review MORE eats at Rose and Crown Pub and Dining Room!
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What do you think of Rose and Crown Pub and Dining Room? Tell us in the comments!
The post Review: We Ate a LOT at Rose and Crown in Disney World. If You Need Us We'll Be Napping for a Week. first appeared on the disney food blog.
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