Chefs de France

Chefs de France (or the English translation, Chefs of France, you’re welcome) is not the best French restaurant in EPCOT. I know that sounds wrong, but it’s true. That doesn’t mean that you can look forward to another burger and fries (although you can get one for lunch). You’ll find a truly top notched meal from a menu created by some of the top chefs in the world. Disney calls this “a casual Brasserie/Restaurant”. Upstairs you’ll find the snootier French restaurant.

Eating at Chefs de France is a study in contrasts. The diners are typically in shorts and t-shirts while the decor is elegant complete with fine china, crisp linens, and a very upscale menu. Menu items have name like Soupe a l’oignon gratinee (notice the Dan Quayle spelling of soup) with is just onion soup with cheese on top.

Chefs de France

Photo by Matthew Cooper

Location

Chefs de France is located in EPCOT’s World Showcase. It’s in the front of the France Pavilion (with the Eiffel Tower in the back). France is between Moroco and the International Gateway.

Dad’s France Pavilion page

Hours

At Chefs de France, lunch starts at around 11:00am and continues until around 4:00pm when dinner starts and is served until the park closes.

Lunch Menu

Chefs de France is one of the few restaurants where the lunch menu is not just dinner lite. Lunch and dinner entrees are completely different. Lunch has lunch type items like a hamburger and french fries (I’m not kidding) and macaroni and cheese.

Here is the list of entrees from the lunch menu-

• Crepe Basquaise – Large crepe filled with smoked chicken strips, peppers and onions, grilled and served with a mixed salad.
• Croque monsieur et sa salade verte – The classic French toasted ham and cheese sandwich served with a green salad.
• Demi poulet fermier roti Pommes puree au basilic et tomate braisee – Half of an all natural roasted chicken, basil mashed potatos and braised tomato.
• Filet de saumon aux lentilles vertes et au lard fume – Broiled salmon with green lentils and smoked bacon.
• Gratin de macaroni – Baked macaroni with cream and gruyere cheese.
• Lasagnes de legumes du soleil a l’huile d’olive au thym – Zucchini, eggplant, onions, bell peppers and tomatoes baked into thin layers of pasta.
• Mahi-Mahi sandwich, pommes frites et sauce tartare – Mahi-Mahi in a mediterranean bread, braised peppers and onions, French fries and tartar sauce.
• Plat de cote de boeuf au cabernet avec pates – Beef short ribs braised in Cabernet with pasta, pearl onions and mushrooms.
• Quiche Lorraine – The famous ham and cheese quiche served with a mixed green salad.
• Salade de chevre chaud – Baked goat cheese with walnuts, fresh grapes, tomatoes, endives and arugula salad.
• Salade Nicoise – Salad of selected greens with tuna, tomato, anchovies, cucumber, potatoes, celery, eggs and black olives served with a light vinaigrette dressing.
• Steack hache Angus, champignons et Bearnaise, salade ou frites – 1/2 lb. Angus hamburger with confit onions, mushroom Duxelle, tomatoes and Bearnaise on a brioche, with salad or French fries.
• The French Menu – The classic onion soup topped with Gruyere cheese, the Classic French toasted ham and cheese sandwich served with a green salad, and baked vanilla creme brulee with a madeleine.

Entrees range from just over $12.00 to just under $20.00. Appetizers and desserts are also available.

The full Chefs de France lunch menu

Dinner Menu

Dinner, in the immortal words of Chef Emeril Lagasse, is “kicked up a notch.” Impress your friends, family or even the kids. Practice ordering in French before you arrive and spring it on everyone. (Hey, what’s the worst that could happen, if the snooty French waiter asks you to repeat yourself, then do it in English and when he’s out of earshot complain about snooty French waiters.)

• Canard au miel, haricots vert et pommes de terre douce – Roasted breast of duck and leg confit, French green beans and sweet potato, spiced honey sauce.
• Demi poulet fermier a la broche pommes puree au basilic et tomate braisee – Half of an all natural rotisserie chicken, basil-flavored mashed potatoes and braised tomato.
• Filet de boeuf grille, sauce au poivre noir Gratin Dauphinois et haricots verts – Grilled tenderloin of beef with black pepper sauce, original potato gratin of Savoy and green beans.
• Filet de saumon, crepe de pommes de terre coulis de poivrons rouge – Grilled salmon on a potato pancake with red pepper sauce.
• Gratin de macaroni – Baked macaroni with cream and gruyere cheese.
• Jarret d’agneau aux haricots blanc – Braised lamb shank with navy beans.
• Lasagnes de legumes du soleil a l’huile d’olive au thym – Zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, onions and tomato baked into thin layers of pasta. – $19.95
  Noix de Saint Jacques et gambas sautees Flan d’epinards, sauce a l’oseille – Sauteed scallops and black tiger shrimp served with spinach flan and sorrel sauce.
• Plat de cote de boeuf au cabernet et polenta de Savoie – Beef short ribs braised in Cabernet wine on a bed of polenta.
• The French Menu: Soupe a l’oignon gratinee, Demi poulet fermier a la broche pommes puree au basilic et tomate braisee, and Creme brulee – Featuring the classic onion soup, Half of a farm raised rotisserie chicken, basil-flavored mashed potatoes, and braised tomato, and baked vanilla cream with a madeleine. **Available until 7:00pm
• Thon poelle aux olives et pommes allumettes – Seared tuna (rare) sliced and served with olives and caper sauce, fresh greens and shoestring fries.

Funny how macaroni and cheese survives from the lunch menu. Just an observation. Dinner entrees at Chefs de France are markedly more expensive. Even the macroni and cheese is $4.00 more at dinner. Entrees for dinner start at around $19.00 and run up to over $32.00.

The full dinner menu

Kids Menu

It’s a Disney restaurant so there has to be something for the small ones. The three entrees have fancy French names but basically are chicken strips, hamburger (although they call it ground beef steaks on a brioche bun) and pan roasted flounder.

Kids entrees are between $7.00 and $8.00.

Disney Restaurant odds and ends

You can make Advanced Dining Reservation 180 days prior to your arrival. This restaurant reservations are required most of the year. These can be made online at Disney’s Dining Reservations or by calling 407-WDW-DINE.

This restaurant is part of the Disney Dining Plan. Click on the link for more information about how the plan works.

All Disney Restaurants are non-smoking.

Dad’s Bottom Line

This may be the only time you get a chance for a fancy French meal. It’s kinda pricey, but hey, it’s Disney World. Everything is kinda pricey.