REVIEW: Le Cellier in Epcot’s Canada Pavilion

One of my favorite spots for dinner in all of Walt Disney World is Le Cellier and recently we went back to see what’s new and if the quality of food and service is still up to standard.  We went there with much grumbling from my family though as they didn’t want to go at all.  You see before our trip we all made picks about which restaurants we wanted to go to and Le Cellier was towards the top of my list, which meant they all had to go. 

With all the complaining you’d think I’d asked them to go to the Diamond Horseshoe or something.  After all this is Le Cellier where we’ve always had a great meal and home to some of the best steaks in Walt Disney World and the best soup you can find anywhere.  I booked a reservation and they reluctantly followed me, nevertheless it was I who’d have the last laugh! 🙂

Le Cellier is a Table Service Restaurant in the Canada Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase which is essentially a steakhouse, but also offers some other “north-of-the-border” specialties.  It’s a Signature Dining location which means you will need to spend 2 Dining Credits if you are using the Disney Dining Plan.  It’s a shame because it used to only be a 1 Dining Credit option and was arguably the best value you could find anywhere on property…oh how times have changed. 

The prices have gone up continually over the years and it has pushed some guests to skip it and look for more economical options.  While I do still long for the day of a $35 Filet, it won’t make me stop going because it’s still is one of the best dining experiences you can have anywhere in WDW.

It does participate in Tables in Wonderland which gives you a %20 discount on your food and drinks, which was very helpful to us as we had a decent sized group.  Le Cellier accepts ADR’s 180 Days in advance and since it’s one of the most busy restaurants in all of Walt Disney World and it will book up almost right away, I highly recommend you don’t waste even a second making your ADR unless you like eating dinner at 4:30pm.

Since my last visit Le Cellier has undergone a few changes and so I’ve been dying to get back and do a Le Cellier Full Review.  Let’s stop wasting time and get to it….

Atmosphere:

To get to Le Cellier you have to go to Epcot’s World Showcase, and then make your way over to Canada.  Coming from Future World make an immediate right upon entering World Showcase and it will be the very first pavilion you come across.  On the right you will see the big entrance sign:

I love the gardens of Canada and it’s absolutely one of my favorite places to go and relax and escape from the big crowds in Epcot, especially during Food and Wine season.  The grounds are excellently manicured and there’s even a waterfall behind the castle.  Make your way down the path:

The idea is that you’re in an old Cellar under a castle in what I imagine to be somewhere in the Quebec area.  I absolutely love the old, rustic vibe it gives off.  When you enter you’ll find the front desk and the Wait Staff eagerly waiting for you:

Here they are! 😉

The staff was super friendly and while we were waiting a couple minutes for our table they were nice enough to bring us some Charcuterie samples of Cheddar Cheese and Ham!  We’re off to the right start! 😉

This is where they keep all the good stuff:

Head to the left and down the hall towards the Main Dining Room:

Main Dining Room:

Some people don’t like it because Le Cellier is dark and a bit gloomy inside, and for that exact reason I happen to love it.  The stone arches, dark woods all transport you to another place in what feels like a long time ago.  Love the stone walls and hazy glass windows:

The candles you see on the walls however are not real so don’t worry about any potential fire hazards!

The Chandeliers are also no joke and are almost something from the Medieval times:

They do an excellent job making it feel like such an intimate space when in reality it’s actually a very large dining room:

The atmosphere feel intimate and cozy:

I make my way towards our table, again dark wood and the candle on our table a nice touch:

We’re ready to go:

Food:

First of all, Le Cellier is known for is amazing steaks.  So if you are looking for a good piece of meat you came to the right place!  It also has an incredible Soup on the menu that can’t be missed.  You will find some nice Seafood options even though that’s not their specialty and a couple Vegetarian options as well.  It’s a hearty menu, one made to keep you warm out in the Canadian Rockies.

I have to preface this review by telling you I wasn’t at full strength when we stopped at Le Cellier.  Me and Stefania had just been violently ill two days earlier and so we were just starting to readjust to food.  That being said, diving right into rich, creamy, cheesy soups and entrees wouldn’t have been the smartest thing to do.  But I know my responsibility to my readers so we took the plunge anyways! 😉

First up is my favorite Bread Basket in all of Walt Disney World:

The Le Cellier Bread Basket comes with Multi-grain and Sourdough Rolls, but who are we kidding, I’m here for that Pretzel Bread!  These are so addicting it’s not even funny.  They are a perfect consistency of soft and chewiness ( I hate when bread is too dry).  They also have a generous coating of salt on them which is another pretzel peeve of mine (don’t know if that’s a thing) when pretzels don’t have enough salt!  These are perfect and I literally could eat ten of them.  I usually tell people not to fill up on bread in restaurants, but if you do so here I would understand!

I love to coat the pretzel bread or the other breads in Le Cellier’s Butter, which is sprinkled in Sea Salt and Maple Sugar:

While this is a treat in of itself, the real best use for the Pretzel Bread is dunking them in a bowl of this bad boy, the world famous Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup:

If you come to Le Cellier for only one thing, no if you come to Epcot for only one thing, no Disney World, hell Florida even…make it this soup!  I kid you not it will change your life!  It being Stefania’s first time to Le Cellier, even though I had built up this soup as much as humanly possible to her beforehand, she still was completely floored.  This was her favorite food item all trip!

How could it not be?  Rich, creamy Canadian Cheddar Cheese, mixed with a tangy flavor of Moosehead Beer and topped off with Nueske’s Applewood-Smoked Bacon.  This soup packs a kick!  I wouldn’t be against making a reservation here just to come for the Soup and Pretzel Bread.

• Tip: If you aren’t going to be eating at Le Cellier during your trip to WDW, you can still get a taste of the Cheddar Cheese Soup and Pretzel Bread during the Food and Wine Festival at the Canada Booth.  Being so stinking delicious, I included it on my list of the Top Must Try Food Items at Food and Wine last year, and also it make Canada one of the Top 10 Food and Wine booths at the entire festival.

By this point people had already started coming around and loved the fact that we chose to come to Le Cellier… 😉

Besides the soup Le Cellier has a lot of other amazing appetizers as well, among them being perhaps Canada’s most famous national food item: Poutine.  Le Cellier offers 3 types: French Onion Poutine, Korean Barbecue Poutine, and our favorite choice the Le Cellier Signature Poutine:

If you don’t know what Poutine is you are going to ask yourself how you’ve lived so long without experiencing these babies!  Basically take Fresh-cut French Fries, cover them in Gravy and throw Cheese Curds on top and you have one of the best snacks known to mankind!

The Signature Poutine comes with the Fresh-cut Fries, Canadian Cheddar Cheese Curds, Truffles, and a Red Wine Reduction.  Simply fantastic.  The whole thing is a savory, meaty, cheesy flavor that can’t be beat.  We gobbled these up in no time flat.  Highly recommended.  Order up one for the table, or better yet, eat it all yourself! 😉

Now any of my family who was skeptical about coming in the first place was licking there lips waiting for the entrees!

Now to the Main Courses.

Now let’s get one thing straight, Le Cellier does offer up some Chicken, Fish and even a Tofu dish (yeah you thought what I did), but don’t be fooled, you come here for one thing: Steak.  So naturally we focused on its many carnivorous Entrees.

First up was the Angus New York Strip:

The New York Strip like all the steaks at Le Cellier is a generous portion.  No one is going home hungry here.  The Strip is made from Angus Beef and served with Crispy Paprika Onions, Potato-Turnip Gratin and has a Three Peppercorn Butter melted over the top of the steak.

This was fantastic.  I usually don’t go for New York Strip because I like my steaks a bit fattier and more tender, but this was exceptionally good.  Meat was flavorful and the butter on top really added an amazing flavor.  Liked the crispy onions, like shoestring style and added a nice crunch when eaten together with the steak.   Also usually not a turnip guy but the gratin was very addicting and a great side.  Great steak.

Next up was the Black Angus Rib-eye:

This was even better than the Strip.  It had Crispy Fingerling Potatoes, a Bacon Vinaigrette, Frisee, Heirloom Carrots and a Cabernet Butter Sauce.  You can see from the photo the nice marbling and sections of fat which made this steak extra juicy and tender.  So much flavor packed in.  The potatoes were good but I thought the Gratin with the New York Strip were much better.  I would definitely order this one again too.

Last up is a Walt Disney World Favorite Entree of mine and that is the Le Cellier Filet Mignon:

It’s been a while since I had it so I’d been craving this bad boy for a long, long time!  It’s a AAA Canadian Tenderloin served on top of a Mushroom Risotto with an Asparagus-Tomato Relish and topped all off with a Truffle-Butter Sauce.  This thing is out-of-this-world good!  That sauce is absolutely divine, so rich and buttery.  Ditto for the risotto.

The meat itself is so tender and delicate, and super juicy.  Cooked to perfection:

You could practically cut it with a fork it was so tender.  The truffle butter sauce and risotto are both out of this world and mix so well with the steak.  I love this thing so much and might have to put it at #1 for My All-Time Favorite Disney Steaks.

I ate every last single speck of my Filet:

A definite must try if you come to Le Cellier, you will thank me later.

Tip: Like the Cheddar Cheese Soup, you can try the Le Cellier Filet at the Food and Wine Festival at the Canada booth and it also made my list of the Top Food Items to Try at Food And Wine.

Lastly, what seems to be in vogue right now in WDW is the Enhancements section of the menu, letting you add some side dishes you can share the the table (or not).  We wanted to try the Scallops seeing as we can never get enough of them:

These were 3 Jumbo sized Scallops served in a side dish and served in a buttery juice.  They were a good size and seared to perfection.  Smooth, buttery texture.  Probably just as good as the ones at Narcoossee’s.  A great accompaniment if your looking for some seafood but don’t want a whole entree.

Seeing as we were coming off being deathly sick only two days earlier, and having eaten much more and richer food than we definitely should have, we decided to call it quits without dessert.  Sorry guys I just couldn’t make it!  Next time I’ll try it out I promise.

Service:

I want to give a special shout-out to the staff at Le Cellier.  They did everything we could have asked for to make our experience an amazing one.  Our waitress was phenomenal, explained everything on the menu to us and made great recommendations.  Also she was very friendly, joking and having a great time with us, just like it should be when paying for a meal like this.  The service is another reason why I wouldn’t hesitate for one second to go back to Le Cellier as it really made our dinner wonderful.

Summary:

In the end everyone absolutely the meal and were so happy we ate there!  Our experience at Le Cellier this time exceeded even past trips that we had there.  It was that great!  Again amazing service and amazing food.  They did everything to make us feel special.  It’s what a Signature Dining experience should be like in my book.

All of the food we ordered, bordered on the best for each category of our entire trip.  The Pretzel Bread is out of control good.  Dunk that in the heavenly Cheddar Cheese Soup and you will lose your mind!  Poutine was fantastic and all of the Steaks were excellent. 

Some complain about the high prices and Le Cellier is by no means an inexpensive meal.  I am sorry about the price increases over time, but overall I have to say they are right in line with any Signature restaurant in WDW, both in price and in quality of the meal.  I can’t say ever felt I wasn’t getting my money’s worth, and I’ve had many meals just as expensive in WDW that I enjoyed much less.

Overall I think you’re getting a great cozy atmosphere, combined with incredible food and service.  I would recommend Le Cellier to anyone going to WDW and put it as a must-try if you haven’t been before.

Le Cellier is a Lunch/Dinner restaurant and is open from 12:30pm-3:55pm and from 4:00 to Park Closing Daily.  The Disney Dining Plan is also accepted, it is a 2 Credit Dining restaurant.  Reservations can be made via the Disney World website or by calling (407) WDW-DINE.

I love to write Restaurant Reviews of Walt Disney World and I hope you found this one to be informative and helpful.  If you liked this review then please visit my Disney Dining Reviews Page where I have many other Restaurant Reviews.  I’m happy sharing with you what I love doing best…eating! I try to bring you the most thorough and unbiased reviews about the food and restaurants at Walt Disney World, so that as you are planning your vacation, you know the “can’t be missed” places, and where you shouldn’t waste your time.  Hope you enjoyed this one and will enjoy many others in the future!! ?

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Your Thoughts:

I want to know what you think about my Le Cellier Full Review and your experiences there.  What’s your favorite food item at Le Cellier?  Do you think they have the best steaks on property?  Does the quality justify the price?  Let us know in the comments section below! 🙂