Review: Rose & Crown Dining Room Is Fare Fit for a King

The Rose & Crown Dining Room is found in the UK Pavilion of EPCOT’s World Showcase, and boasts the British pub fare that you might expect from its location. Appetizers are $13-15, entrees range from $25-28, and desserts are $7.50 & $9.50. Expect to spend $45-55 per person, not including drinks & gratuities. Or, if you’re paying with the Disney Dining Plan, you’ll find that Rose & Crown Dining Room is a 1-credit meal.

The Dining Room adjoins the Rose & Crown Pub (and you’ll find the Pub’s drink lineup available in the Dining Room as well), with a slightly fussy – yet somehow homey – interior defined by dark woods and a decorative china collection that looks as though it came from your grandmother’s cabinet. If the weather is at all nice, the exterior seating is a delightful two-level space with views across the World Showcase Lagoon.

The Rose & Crown offers a Fireworks Dining Package with guaranteed seating on the patio to watch Luminous as you eat. The Dining package is $92 per person or $41 per child for a prix-fixe menu that includes 1 each of appetizer, entree, and dessert plus unlimited select beverages. The beverages include both alcoholic and non-alcoholic options, but do not cover the full bar menu; compared to ordering a la carte you’re probably paying about $30 per adult for the fireworks viewing.

The Rose & Crown Dining Room is only open for dinner. If you’re visiting with a larger party or during a busy time, then booking at the start of your 60-day reservation window will be the best way to secure a spot. But that’s only if you’ve got your heart set on it; tables are often available on just a day or two notice for parties of up to 6. During slower times of the year, you may be able to book the Fireworks Dining Package same-day. As you may expect from the location, theme park admission to EPCOT is required to dine at the Rose & Crown Dining Room.

Appetizers

Coronation Salad – $13.00
Crisp Salad with Madras Dressing on top of a Crunchy Grain Cracker

The Coronation Salad was lovely, with a mix of soft lettuces and a bright dressing with a hint of curry reminding you of the connection between India and the British Empire at its height. Golden raisins, tomatoes, and carrots were a rainbow of color that made this dish pretty to look at as well as tasty to eat. The cracker was similar in texture to a papadam, but but without any particular spice or seasoning.

Scotch Egg – $15.00
Golden-fried Hard-boiled Cage-free Egg wrapped in Sausage with Mustard Sauce

Our egg was perfectly hard-boiled without even a hint of green around the yolk. The sausage was mild and not heavily seasoned, complementing the egg. The mustard sauce was very mild and eggy (lots of mayonnaise), with a slightly herbaceous flavor and a creamy tang that echoed the egg yolk for a nice complete bite.

Entrees

Fish and Chips – $28.00
“Rose & Crown’s Signature Dish” Beer-battered and served with Tartar Sauce

The words “Signature Dish” cannot be over-emphasized here. These are the Fish & Chips you’re always hoping to get when a menu in the U.S. advertises “British-style” Fish & Chips – and rarely do. (In my experience the hit rate is much better in Canada, but in the U.S. it’s pretty stinky.) It’s not just about the faintly yeasty flavor of the coating, or the deep-fried golden brown crunch. It’s about thickness and staying power, with a robust, crunchy oomph you can add some malt vinegar to without instantly making a soggy mess. It’s delicious.

Shepherd’s Pie – $27.00 
Ground Beef, Seasonal Vegetables, English Peas, and Mashed Potatoes with Irish Cheddar

There are two difficult things about a Shepherd’s Pie, and this one nailed them both. The first is the balance; the ratio of mashed potato to filling, and ratio of filling to gravy. The second is the flavor of the gravy, which needs to be deep enough to balance the mashed potato, without being overly strong and salty on its own. This gravy had a lovely beefy flavor that exactly hit the spot, and the mashed potatoes were light and fluffy. The whole thing was plated in a dish that was shallow enough to let the layers be exactly the right thickness — we probably should have taken a picture with a few bites removed so you could see this for yourself, but we were too busy eating. Sorry not sorry.

Desserts

Sticky Toffee Pudding – $9.50
Steamed Pudding ‘Cake’ served with Warm Vanilla Custard and Hot Butter-Rum Sauce

This was just yum. Dates are what give Sticky Toffee Pudding its sweetness (OK, there’s some sugar in there too), as well as its distinct flavor – just recognizable as being something “more” than a standard brown sugar cake. The rum sauce was floated over a layer of custard and the whole thing was superb.

Plant-based Seasonal Gelato – $7.75
with Mixed Berries

Our gelato (vanilla) was light and refreshing with a nice selection of ripe berries underneath. It wasn’t anything amazingly special, but it was a nice finish to a heavy meal where you might not want a rich dessert. On a hot day, this would have been just the ticket.

Wrapping Up

If you’re looking for lighter dishes then this is not your table, and in the heat of the summer, a later dining time may be more compatible with the menu. But if you’re looking for the kind of hearty, stick-to-your-ribs common fare that’s the ideal of British pub food in America, you won’t be left wanting for flavor. If you don’t want to sit for a full meal, the Fish & Chips is a highlight of the menu and can be found in a smaller portion next door at the Yorkshire County Fish Shop. But we think that if you have the time, it’s worth stopping in at the Rose & Crown where you can start with a spot of salad and finish it off with the sticky toffee pudding.

Have you eaten at the Rose & Crown Dining Room? What did you think? Let us know in the comments!