Garden Grill Restaurant inside the Land Pavilion at Epcot isn’t your average restaurant.
Yes, you get to meet Mickey wearing farmer overalls, but that’s not what we’re referring to. We’re talking about how the restaurant rotates!
You read that right. Garden Grill physically rotates at a very slow speed offering different perspectives throughout the duration of your meal, including unique views of Living with the Land. It’s a pretty cool character meal.
For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you’ll enjoy a family-style meal as you say hello to Chip, Dale, Pluto, and Mickey.
It’s important to note that lunch served here is exactly the same as dinner. Breakfast, obviously, is different due to the menu and pricing. If you’re debating whether or not to book lunch or dinner at Garden Grill, know that the characters, food, and pricing are exactly the same.
We’ve never had a bad meal here, but what about this time? Keep reading for our Garden Grill review from our August 14, 2023 dinner.
Important: When we made our August 14, 2023 dinner reservation, we booked it as an Eat to the Beat dining package. The following review is strictly for our Garden Grill dining experience. Other than having to pay more ($66 per adult) and receiving reserved seating for the Eat to the Beat performance that evening, our meal went as normal. We weren’t given anything special or different because of the dining package.
The basics
Garden Grill
Location type: Family-style character dining
Characters available: Pluto, Mickey Mouse, Chip, and Dale (dressed as farmers)
Type of food: American
Meals Served: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Seating Available: Indoor
- On the Disney Dining Plan? Yes, 1 Table Service credit(s)
- Pros: Meals are served family-style, which may be easier for families when compared to a buffet. The restaurant rotates, offering cool views of Living with the Land. You can meet Chip, Dale, Pluto, and Mickey, who wears farmer overalls. Good use of a Table Service credit when using the Disney Dining Plan.
- Cons: While the rotation of the restaurant is super slow, it may bother some guests.
- Tips: It is often possible to get a reservation here when many others aren’t available. Garden Grill is often included as an option for dining packages like those for the Candlelight Processional.
How we got a Garden Grill reservation
Garden Grill is one of two character meals at Epcot. But, if you want to meet classic Disney characters, especially Mickey in overalls, then you’ll want to make sure you snag a reservation. We always recommend booking dining reservations as soon as you can, no matter if a restaurant is popular or not.
Reservations for all the restaurants at Disney World currently open up exactly 60 days in advance — and you should book dining as soon as you can.
Grabbing dining reservations at Disney World is extremely competitive. We snagged our Garden Grill reservation 35 days prior to our trip.
You never know when there will be availability, but the most surefire way to get any reservation is booking 60 days before your trip begins.
Other ways to score a Garden Grill dining reservation
Set dining alerts
If you don’t get a reservation at Garden Grill or want to try to book one last minute, try setting up a dining alert.
Reservation finding services are built to constantly check for openings at restaurants that you choose. Depending on the service, you can receive an email and/or text alert or a push notification when something becomes available.
Keep checking
You can also keeping checking yourself to see if anything opens up. We’ve had a lot of luck with this method. Trust us when we say reservations become available all the time — even the day of!
Join the waitlist
Many Disney World restaurants also have a waitlist option that you can either join in the My Disney Experience app or in person.
If you don’t have luck snagging a reservation, this might be your next best bet. But, keep in mind, it’s not always a guarantee.
Checking in
Like with many Table Service restaurants across Disney World, you are able to check in for dining reservations 20 minutes prior using the My Disney Experience app.
If you check in via the app, you can only do so up to 20 minutes prior to your reservation time. For our 4:40 p.m. dinner reservation on August 14, 2023, we checked in about 6 minutes before our reservation time. We received a notification in the app that our table was exactly at 4:40 p.m.
What’s included at Garden Grill
Let’s take a look at what’s included during lunch and dinner at Garden Grill…
Garden Grill family-style lunch and dinner includes:
- Chip ‘n’ Dale Harvest Feast platter (plant-based option available)
- Beverages (select non-alcoholic specialty drinks are an additional price; all alcoholic drinks cost extra)
You also get to meet 4 classic characters. They all sign autographs and you’re given an autograph card. However, you may have to ask for the card, like we did at the end of our meal. We were not immediately given one.
This is the back of the card! Isn’t it cute?
During the meal, you meet:
- Mickey (in farmer overalls)
- Chip
- Dale
- Pluto
Garden Grill is unique because the restaurant rotates as you eat (don’t worry, it’s very slow). You will get different views of the Land Pavilion and Living with the Land attraction.
This is where we started at the beginning of our dinner:
You get some very cool views of the ride, like the extremely quaint farmhouse that most everyone wishes they could call their own.
You’ll rotate to the front where you check in for your meal.
We ended our dinner overlooking the rainforest section of Living with the Land.
Character Interactions
Garden Grill’s character dining allows you to meet four classic characters that are always super fun. Plus, you even get to pose next to Mickey in the most adorable set of overalls.
Mickey
Chip
Dale
Pluto
Overall, our character interactions were great at Garden Grill. They were all super interactive and fun.
We first met Chip, who was hilarious, as he took time to wave to all his adoring fans on Living with the Land.
Then, Dale came by and decided it was time for a full-blown photo shoot. He kept striking different poses. It was hilarious and adorable.
Admittedly, we lost sight of Pluto until the end of our meal when we had to alert our server he never came by.
But, Mickey’s pup made up for it, as you can see here.
As for Mickey, he came around twice, which is rare because he’s always so popular and takes his time. He was very sweet and totally rocked his overalls.
Garden Grill food and drinks
A family-style meal is served at Garden Grill. Many of the vegetables you eat during the meal are even grown in the Living with the Land greenhouses!
Here’s what was included with our August 14, 2023 dinner at Garden Grill (keep in mind that menus and prices change, so the following may not always be the same).
Starters
To start, you’ll be given a basket of rolls with butter. These are your typical dinner rolls.
Then, you’re given the Harvest-inspired Garden Salad, which is as good as it looks. It was so fresh and absolutely delicious. You get a huge portion, which we didn’t finish.
For the Table
Alongside your skillet, the table is also served macaroni and cheese. It depends whether you like creamy mac and cheese or not. If so, you will love this dish!
Chip ‘n’ Dale Harvest Feast
The traditional Chip ‘n’ Dale Harvest Feast skillet includes:
- Grilled Beef with Chimichurri
- Barbecue-roasted Chicken with Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Seasonal Vegetables
- Southern-style Spoon Bread
The skillet was good and had a nice variety. The lighter items, like the vegetables, helped balance out the heavier choices (the meat and mashed potatoes).
Chip ‘n’ Dale Plant-Based Harvest Feast
At the beginning of the meal, be sure to specify you want the Plant-Based Harvest Feast skillet or they will bring out the traditional one.
The plant-based version features:
- Veggie Loaf with Chunky Tomato Sauce
- Rice Pilaf
- Garden-Fresh Vegetables
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Southern-style Spoon Bread
Most everything is a standout in this skillet (give us all the mashed potatoes and spoon bread — yum!), but the Veggie Loaf with Chunky Tomato Sauce is just ok. It’s not horrible or inedible, but it’s also not an outstanding plant-based dish.
That said, it is a unique vegan option compared to other restaurants, so we appreciate that. But, it’s definitely not for everyone.
Dessert (shared by the table)
For dessert, we had the Berry Short Cake with Whipped Cream. This is vegetarian, but not plant-based.
This dessert was fresh, light, and had lovely flavors. You can even tell the whipped cream is homemade.
Even I enjoyed it, and I’m picky when it comes to short cake (thanks to my grandma and mom’s recipe). The berry short cake pairs well with the entire meal and theme of the restaurant.
Drinks
Here’s what you can order for drinks at Garden Grill…
Included
Water, soft drinks, juice, coffee, tea, and milk are all included with the cost of your meal.
Non-alcoholic beverages for an additional price
There are a variety of specialty non-alcoholic beverages available, like lemonades.
Alcoholic beverages for an additional price
You can also order beer, cider, wine, or a specialty beverage.
The beer, hard cider, and hard seltzer menu:
The wine and sangria menu:
- Felicia: Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
- Allyson: Frozen Mango Citrus Freeze (Florida Cane ‘Orlando Orange’ Vodka, Peach Schnapps, and Mango Purée)
The wine was good, but also something you can order outside of the parks.
The frozen beverage was on the sweeter side, but still super tasty. We aren’t sure it’s exactly worth the $15.50, though.
Keep in mind that the Frozen Mango Citrus Freeze is a specialty drink and might not always be on the menu.
Important: If you or someone in your party has dietary restrictions, many Disney World restaurants have accommodations and they also sometimes list the allergy-friendly items on the menu (online and in the My Disney Experience app). If you have questions, be sure to chat with a Cast Member and they’ll be able to assist you.
Our most recent review of Garden Grill
We’ve been fans of Garden Grill for a very long time. And our thoughts remain the same regarding lunch and dinner.
We love that this is a unique dining experience. Not only do you get to eat food that may contain the freshest of ingredients from the Living with the Land greenhouses, but the restaurant physically rotates offering views of the pavilion and the Living with the Land attraction that you can’t see anywhere else.
Everything served matches the theme of the restaurant. While a small selection of the food wasn’t exactly outstanding or the best thing we’ve ever eaten, overall, we didn’t have any major complaints.
You are certainly served a lot of food, thanks to it being a family-style meal, so you definitely get your money’s worth food-wise.
Granted, our meal seemed to be served very fast. At one point, we had the salad, rolls, macaroni and cheese, and our two platters on our table all at once. It was a little overwhelming and we didn’t have much space. But, we made do. In the end, it wasn’t that big of a deal.
The characters are classic, cute, and very interactive. Plus, this is the only place you can meet Mickey in a farming outfit!
We also appreciated that the restaurant wasn’t packed during our visit. It wasn’t loud or overstimulating. This is one character dining experience that normally doesn’t fill up fast, meaning reservations are easier to score — even the day of.
We will definitely come back to Garden Grill for the characters, experience, and meal.
Is Garden Grill worth it?
Yes, we think Garden Grill is worth it, especially for those who want a decent meal, a more unique character dining experience, and the chance to meet classic Disney characters.
If you can’t snag a reservation for other character meals that feature Mickey and friends, like Chef Mickey’s, Topolino’s Terrace, or Tusker House, Garden Grill is another good offering. Plus, you might even save some money in the process.
Granted, it’s not on the same level as, say, Topolino’s Terrace, which is probably why it’s easier to book. But, it’s still a nice character dining option.
The fact that it’s not as popular, as expensive, or as difficult to book, Garden Grill has a lot of pros. We will have another meal here again in the future and we recommend everyone try it at least once.
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Have you ever had lunch or dinner at Garden Grill? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments.