Chefs de France is a table-service restaurant in Epcot’s World Showcase. There are several restaurants in the pavilion but Chefs de France has been a mainstay in the theme park since opening in 1982. The restaurant sits right along the World Showcase promenade and does take part in the Disney Dining Plan and offers an Annual Pass discount. In this post, we’ll review the French cuisine, atmosphere and value of Chefs de France.

Restaurants in World Showcase have a hard line to navigate. The purpose of them is to give guests a look into other culture’s food and traditions while still being accessible for the general theme park going family. There are some risks taken, like the Japan Pavilion’s exclusive & traditional Takumi-Tei but those are few and far between.

The more dangerous side of the equation is if the restaurants become too stereotypical or Americanized. While the goal may be to make guests comfortable eating food that is foreign to them, they can also lose sight of the vibe they’re trying to invoke. I won’t name names (as this is subjective) but there are a few restaurants that do feel a little too commercial in World Showcase, although not egregiously so. I’m sure both sides of the coin are considered when evaluating current, or developing new, restaurants.

The positive about World Showcase restaurants having to walk a tight rope is that when they get it right, they are delightful and transportive. They can really fit the original idea behind World Showcase, inspiring people to travel. Chefs de France fits that mold for me.

Paris has long been a dream trip and Epcot’s France Pavilion has played a role in that. I haven’t hid my love of Impressions de France, the incredible short film that plays in the theater there. There’s also the quaint ice cream shop and crowded bakery. Everything feels on point including Chefs de France, a bustling cafe with delicious food. Like I said, I haven’t been to Paris (that changes in February!) but the restaurant fits the idealized version of it in my mind.

Sitting right beside World Showcase’s busy walkway, Chefs de France has floor to ceiling windows facing the street. That makes the outside of the restaurant feel a bit whimsical, with warm lighting seeping out into the promenade. I love the slightly dated but elegant signage, as well.

Once inside, and if seated in that window room, then you’ve found a great spot to people watch. As you can see in the photo above, the restaurant is pretty crowded and noisy. Waiters have tight quarters to navigate and there won’t be much room for each group. If that seems overwhelming to you, then you likely won’t love the restaurant’s atmosphere as much as I do. I wouldn’t say I love that closeness in most restaurants but here I find it quite charming and warm.

There are a few other seating areas in the restaurant and they do offer a little more space than the room with windows. I don’t find these rooms to have quite the same appeal but they are still nice. The deep red of the carpet and wood tones go well with the yellow and whites of the rest of the restaurant.

Chefs de France also has a distinct feeling because of how well staffed it is with people from France. All of World Showcase shoots for that lofty goal, and it has gotten better in the last year since the COVID setback, but the France Pavilion seems to really benefit from the Disney Cultural Representative Program. That enhances the transportive feeling.

Moving on to the food, here’s a look at the menu! We’ve dined here while being on the Disney Dining Plan and the Prix Fixe menu is included in that. It’s easy to be enticed by that because more food is offered. We love food! But I would caution that ordering the most expensive things on the menu, that aren’t included in the Prix Fixe portion, is a better way to go both from a value and quality perspective.

Bread service has become less commonplace at Disney World and in the real world but Chefs de France still offers a delicious baguette to start the meal! I would think this is baked at Les Halles next door.

Chefs de France also offers a nice selection of wine and champagne. Melissa and I each ordered a glass and enjoyed both of them. There were more options here than most WDW restaurants.

For my entree, I went with the 12 ounce Strip Loin. This is now served as Steak Frites (as of December 2024) but the cut of the meat and the sauce appears to be the same as pictured above. The steak is one of the best I’ve had at Walt Disney World, very tender and juicy. I also enjoyed the bernaise sauce on top, giving it a little acidity while augmenting the buttery steak. This melted in my mouth. At $49.95, this is one of the best values the Disney Dining Plan can offer and isn’t terrible if paying out of pocket considering the quality.

Not to be outdone, Melissa ordered the Blanquette de la mer. The dish consists of sautéed shrimp and scallops, spinach and creamy lobster sauce. This is among the best entrees I’ve ever tried at Walt Disney World. The creamy lobster sauce was to die for, similar to a bisque. The shrimp and scallops were cooked to perfection, avoiding any rubbery texture and ending up plump. We don’t come back for meals often in the parks, opting to try new things for research. There is no doubt that we will be back for this though. At $37.95, the dish is worth every penny.

For dessert, the Crème Brûlée is hard to pass up. The vanilla custard underneath a smoky crystalized sugar crust was fantastic, especially mixed with the fresh berries. I wouldn’t go as far as to say this is the best Crème Brûlée I’ve ever had but it was a nice cap to the rich entrees. This dessert is $13.95, which is a bit much if paying out of pocket but adds to Chefs de France being one of the best Disney Dining Plan values.

For the chocolate fans, there’s the Gateau aux 3 chocolats, glace a la vanille consisting of three layered chocolate mousse cake and vanilla ice cream. This is also delicious! I liked the the mousse cake especially, having a nice texture while being quite decadent on the outside. We’ve had other desserts at Chefs de France in the past and you can’t go wrong with any of them, but I think this or the Swan Cream Puffs would be my top choice. The mousse cake is $14.95.

As I mentioned, we don’t repeat restaurants very often during Disney World trips. Every few years, we hop back into Chefs de France predominantly because I love the atmosphere. This time around, we were completely blown away by the food and found the whole experience to be one of the best we’ve ever had at Walt Disney World. Melissa and I talk about going back all of the time. It helps that this is one of the strongest values while on the Disney Dining Plan. At this point, the restaurant is easily our favorite in World Showcase and one of our favorites in the whole resort!

Overall Rating – 9.5/10

Have you been to Chefs de France? Let us know your thoughts, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below! Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our Disney World Trip Planning Guide to help you out. This site offers discount tickets for those looking! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!