We must have walked passed Nine Dragon a hundred times, and in the past, made ADRs here, only to change them for another restaurant. Not only were we seated quickly and received spectacular service, the food was a pleasant surprise! I have read several negative reviews, and shyed away, but had to try this restaurant for myself. We absolutely loved it. I have read some reviewers say the portions were small. Not in our experience. Yes, we did get the sesame chicken :) although very good, I think a bit of chili flakes would have cut down the sweetness a little bit. (And.... yes, if you ask your server for chili flakes, he/she will bring you some!) A bit crowed, I will admit, but ask for a table near one of the windows overlooking World Showcase, it doesnt seem so bad. Definately give Nine Dragons a try!!!
Having eaten here twice already and having a reservation booked for later in the year I would recommend this restaurant to any Epcot visitor. The food is tasty with a wide selection of choices showing the best of Chinese flavours. The portions are not too large and ideal for sharing. As a family we have always ordered a selection and shared banquet style. The service is quick and the staff are friendly and helpful. The restaurant is decorated in typical traditional Chinese style and overlooks the China pavilion and lake. This is defiantly a must do for any Epcot visit.
Last week we spent our vacation in WDW. Prior to going, I made a list of our eating places (for table service, according to our Disney Dining Plan), and included several of which we had never tried before. Nine Dragons made it onto that list and I'm surprised to say (based on how varied the reviews have been for it) that it has made its way onto our list of regular places we will be dining at in the future. I had the Kung Pao Chicken, my wife had a vegetarian offering, and our other two party members had something similar. Not only was our waiter pleasant and helpful, but everything was so fast. From the time we submitted our dinner order until we received it, it must have been barely 10 minutes....and the food was delicious. I swear we (a party of 4) must have made it through everything and paid our check and were back out the door in barely over an hour, if that. I don't know how much more I can rave about the place. Be sure and the caramel-ginger ice cream....very, very good.
Our family chose this restaurant in February 2012 as we had overseas guests and Chinese seemed like something that would be different but not too exotic for the 4 kids in the party. It was wonderful! Service was fast, lightening fast...The menu was very different (more gourmet) from our local chinese restaurants who have the standard fare, (no sweet and sour chicken, beef and broccoli here) but had really good twists on what we are used to, the stir fry tofu and vegetables was fantastic! THe only negative that I wish was different was that kids drinks cost $3 rather than being included in the price of a meal which when you pay out of pocket with 4 kids, changes things.
We had a reservation and showed up a bit early for it, and we were seated early as well, which was nice. However, from there, we felt very rushed. We had plenty of time to see the menu before the waiter came, and he asked if we were ready to order right away. We ordered, and no more than 5 minutes later, out came our food. The food was average, and our bill was brought out while we were eating. I think we were in and out in 20 minutes; so we had a counter service meal for a table service price. I would give it another chance, but wasn't too impressed with our last visit.
I was satisfied with my meal, but I was not blown away by anything. Neither was my wife.
We stopped for lunch whilst at Epcot. There was no wait, which should have tipped us off. The food was typical "American Chinese" fare, and offered nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, the menu was quite sparse. And EXPENSIVE. I understand that all sit-down restaurants at Disney are pricy, but this one takes the cake - example: Fried Rice for 15.98? We paid $70 for cold Chinese food. I'm sorry - maybe we got the odd bad meal, but I can't understand the gushing and glowing reviews of this place. A kid threw up in the lobby near the lady's rest room (just after we ordered) and it wasn't cleaned up when we left. We should have waited and eaten in Italy. I give this one start because we didn't have to wait without a reservation.
The kids and adults ALL LOVE this place. We are from NY, where great Asian food is an expectation, and we all feel like this was just out of the park delicious. Service leaves a little to be desired and the assumption of a tip is arrogant, however, the food is amazing (that is except dessert, skip it).
Here is what you need to know if you are on the meal plan do not use it here. The portions are huge and for most meals they can be split between two people. Save the table service for a more expensive place and pay for this one becasue you can split a meal and be full. We made the mistake and used the meal plan for a family of 5 and a ton of food went to waste. I think if you enjoy your local chinese restaurant you will like Nine Dragons. Wait staff is split some good some not so good. Quick service helps and that also helps make sure you can usually get a seat even without a reservation.
Atmosphere : 4/5 The decor is very nice along with a great attention to details. I've actually been to China, and this restaurant does have an authentic feeling to it. This only reason I'm not giving it a 5, is because it was very overcrowded, and also very loud in the restaurant, and it kind of ruined the overall atmosphere. The ambiance however was quite cheerful, everyone in the staff seemed to be having a good time. Food Quality : 4/5 I had the Steak and Shrimp, my girlfriend had the General Tao Chicken. We both had the "Table d'Hôte" which included (along with the main course), a soup, and one appetizer. I have to say, I wasn't expecting much from this restaurant, but I was quite surprised. The appetizers we're incredible and also plentiful. I had sweet and sour soup, along with pork dim-sums. The food quality is beyond good, and it all smelled pretty delicious. Just being in there looking at other people's plate made me hungry. I can't say it was authentic Chinese taste from actual China, but I would say it's very high quality Americanized Chinese food (which I actually enjoy more than real Chinese food). Service : 5/5 Wow, that's pretty much what I can say about the service. Our server was just great. He gave us a short course on how to use Chinese chopsticks. He answered every single questions we had about the menu, and he really helped us in our choice.Even thought our server had a strong Chinese accent, he really made an effort for us to understand everything he said, and he was very patient with us.All the staff we came in contact with was very friendly and cheerful. We didn't even wait a single second to be seated, even thought the place was crowded. The speed at which the drinks came was pretty amazing, even thought the restaurant was jam-packed. Our meals also came pretty rapidly considering how many orders must have been coming in. I really can't say anything negative about the overall service, it was a really great experience on that part. Portions : 5/5 Another wow here, the portions we're very big. At first we thought the "Table d'Hôte" wasn't included in the Dining Plan, but after talking with our server, we found out we could order the whole deal. The soup and the appetizers we're bigger than what you would expect. The main course was also plentyfull, especially the General Tao Chicken, which had at least 25 pieces of chicken. My girlfriend didn't order any dessert because she was already full. Considering the quality and price factors, I can safely say that the portions we're really amazing at this restaurant. We litteraly rolled out of the restaurant because we we're so full. Price : 4/5 Overall, we would have paid about 70$ for our whole meal for two (soup, appetizer, main course, dessert, drinks). I would say this is a very decent price, considering the portions we're amazing, and the food quality was great. I would definitely pay that out of pocket, have I not had been on the Disney dining plan. Overall rating : 4,4/5 Would I eat there again on my next trip ? Yes, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone, wether you are already in Epcot that day, or not.
Last year I gave Nine Dragons an enthusiastic 10 rating, it’s always been an emotional favorite of mine as I’ve taken my son there for many years, we loved the food, the service and the location. Sadly when we booked out our annual trip to the Mouse House this year “Dragons” was closed for renovation however by the time we made the trip (first week of October) it was again ready to serve! I rearranged our dining reservations just to keep our tradition alive. Entering Nine Dragons we were a bit perplexed, nothing esthetically seems to have changed much, reports of cooking stations where chefs could interact with the customers did not exist. We were on the Plus Dining plan which incidentally has also changed in the past year, gratuity is no longer included nor are appetizers the later not being a crushing blow but the gratuity issue immediately rubbed me the wrong way and here’s why. It is no secret that for all the greatness of Disney they’re unrepentant weakness comes in that they charge an exorbitant price for food. Without the Dining Plan we would have paid (on average for two adults) $75.00 a night for dinner (and we’re not big eaters), which would have been $450.00 over 6 nights plus $150.00 for counter service, ouch! So the Dining Plan is a great money saver however, when the check comes they clearly mark the recommended tips at the bottom of the bill, showing an 18% and 20% tip! Now where I’m from average service starts at 15% and in some situations that’s even a stretch and truth be known out of 6 table service meals we only received exceptional service at Ohana’s and Chef de France for which the waiters received in excess of 20% tips, 3 dining experiences were merely average and the service as Nine Dragons took the cake for poor bed side manor! Although he crowd was extremely light the waitress in question barely made it past our table to take our order and when she presented the check, pointed out clearly in no uncertain terms where I could write in “the tip”, advised us that “the tip” was NOT included, that “the TIP” could be charged to our room or that I could pay “THE TIP” in cash! I can’t even remember her asking how our meal was, which for the record was what could be expected from any take-out place down the street. Now to steal a phrase from the Richard Nixon “let me make one thing perfectly clear” I am not cheap and will reward exceptional service with an exceptional gratuity, however if the service is sub-par or the server is just going through the motions I’m not embarrassed in the slightest to reward them with what they deserve, call me a cold, heartless curmudgeon but in a few EXTREME cases I’ve left nothing at all. Just dropping a plate in front of me will certainly not make money fly out of my wallet nor will a waiter or waitress making the amount of the tip a higher priority than the quality of service they provide cause dollar bills to spill onto the table. Sadly I’m not sure we’ll be back to Nine Dragons and can only hope that Disney will remind their staff at every level that good service starts with (can you imagine) service, I don’t need to be treated like a king but I do like to feel that my patronage is appreciated and that I’m more than a seat filler with a hole in my head that you pour food into.
My wife and I ate here once. My wife being Chinese and her reading english skills are nominal. They offered no menu in chinese. The waiter had to show her pictures of each dish for her to choose. The food was no better than you can get at any chinese restaurant, but carried the price tag of Disney. I realize that they can't serve authentic chinese food, because people could not eat it, let alone would be able to understand the menu, even in english.
Always satisfying, nice menu, excellent service and at around $50 from 3 people reasonably priced. In nearly 60 trips to Disney, Nine Dragons is a favorite of me and my sons and it’s always on our list at least twice in a week long trip. If you can manage a table by the windows facing the lake the view is fantastic… and at dusk it’s absolutely magical!
We went here for dinner last week & I can't say enough about it. LARGE portions, and very, very good food!! The service we had left much to be desired, but the food was excellent!
I have always heard from people that EPCOT’s Nine Dragons restaurant was terrible and like an idiot I took their word for it. Let me tell you that NY has the best Chinese food in the world (Yes, better then China) but this is some of the best I have had outside. If you do plan going make dinner reservations because it is much better then lunch. For dinner there is Duck and full portions of the entrees where during lunch they were sampler platters. The honey golden sesame chicken was great and the stir fried shrimp had so many shrimp we split it (well lets just say I took some of my wife’s, no one touches my sesame chicken ?). Don’t get me wrong lunch is good also but go for dinner to get the full courses you want. From not even being tried this restaurant went right to my “must eat” list. Confucius say, “Man with big appetite finds solution to problem at Nine Dragons.”
This is our fallback restraunt when everything else is booked. Excellent food with large portions.
Excellent meal. Honey Sesame Chicken and Canton Pepper Beef are my favorites. And eating with chopsticks is a fun new experience - you know you've been a lot when you can master eating rice with them!
I don't know about you but i can't get chinese food as good as Nine Dragons back home. Definately try the Pepper Steak and the Honey Sesame Chicken, they will melt in your mouth.
We arrived again 30 minutes early for our dinner. The only other time we had a PS before this trip was for Le Cellier in Canada and we waited at least 20 minutes that time for a seat so we thought we’d run into that on this trip, hence getting to dinner early. But we didn’t! September crowds rock! We were seated in the far back section of the restaurant against the windows looking out over Norway. The restaurant wasn’t too crowded, it was 6:00pm. Our waiter greeted us right away and brought out water and soda. With the Disney Dining Plan, we were allowed 2 sodas, 2 appetizers, 2 meals, 2 desserts. MOO MOO MOO. For appetizer, JD ordered beef skewers and I ordered Pot Stickers. They came out not 5 minutes later. There were 3 very small beef skewers. The beef was tender and very good, JD loved it. The pot stickers were the best I’ve ever tasted. These are my favorite Chinese food option so I have much experience in trying them from different restaurants. If you like these, try them here! For main course, we ordered a side of fried rice which they didn’t charge extra for and JD ordered General Tso’s Chicken and I ordered the Honey Sesame Chicken. Both were excellent and melted in your mouth! The portions were large and very filling. I did not really care for the fried rice, I’ve had better at home. JD didn’t seem to either. JD finished his meal completely, it was so good. I personally loved the Honey Sesame Chicken more but JD preferred his meal. But with either, you can’t go wrong. For dessert I ordered the red bean ice cream and JD ordered ginger ice cream. The bowls were small with 1 scoop, perfect in my opinion since we were already stuffed. Red bean ice cream is very strange but sweet. I wasn’t expecting that. I really liked it, the beans just reminded me of nuts, though they didn’t taste like beans or nuts, but just added a crunch. I did NOT like the ginger but JD did. In general, I just don’t like ginger, if you do, this ice cream is very strong so you may like it. Good ambience, great food, private table. We wouldn’t pay $7.99 for the beef skewers, they were too small a portion. But everything else was worth the price. Overall Rating: A+
I must be missing something. This place constantly gets a bad rap, but I don't think it's bad at all. Is it a perfect dining option? No. Is it overpriced? Probably, but what sit down isn't overpriced at WDW? Yes, you can also find a similar menu off property for less money. I do feel however that this restaurant is a viable option. The food really is quite good. The portion sizes have a tendency to be very large, and very filling (a rarity for chinese food). The service is always prompt and friendly. My advise, to get the most for your dollar, get the sampler for two. There is enough food in this offering to feed at the very least 3 people. To me, that's value, and I like to get the most out of my $
Skip this restaurant. Really. You won't be missing a thing that you can't get from your local Chinese restaurant back home. In fact, depending on where you live, your local Chinese restaurant might be much better than this overpriced mediocrity. Especially considering that there are much better restaurants at Epcot. The Singapore noodles I had were actually worse than the ones I can get at home and I live in a very small town. The dim sum was overpriced and flavorless. The service was okay and the decor and atmosphere was pretty uninspired.
Poor Quality food... evertime here... Better Chinese food (and more Authentic) guarenteed virtually anywere else.... The Walkup "qickie" food area serves the same stuff.... Definately make this near the end of your "Gotta try this country" list.
This was a good place to eat if you want to eat at each country. It is alot like the food you would get at you local chinese restaurant. The service was not bad but not good either. This is an overall good place to eat but not the best.
This is just run of the mill food. You can get similar in almost any city in the good old USofA. Nothing special but if you have a hankering for an egg roll, stop in and get a bite.
Too many bucks for such average food. PF Chang's serves much better food at 2/3 the price, for example.
THE BEST CHINESE FOOD EVER
This is nothing more than a fancy Chop Suey restaurant. Real Chinese food is more than beef with broccoli, fortune cookies, egg rolls, and dim sum (brunch item) as an appetizer. I would hope for something a little more exotic for my tastebuds. Nothing too extreme but something at least diffent from a chop suey menu. I'd highly suggest visiting another pavilion.