Katsura Grill

EPCOT | Lunch, Dinner, Light Snack
Posted on Tuesday, September 2, 2014
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this review score
86
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86

Katsura Grill

EPCOT | Lunch, Dinner, Light Snack
Posted on Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Counter Service (quick service)
Asian - Chinese, Japanese, Thai
$7-19 per entree**
food
service
enviro
value
THIS REVIEW SCORE :
86
I stopped by Epcot's Katsura Grill (the counter service location set back and tucked-in high atop the Japan pavilion at Epcot) the other day and selected the Shogun Combo, which includes equal portions of their teriyaki chicken, teriyaki beef, and rice. There is a small sampling of veggies on the plate as well, which is nice because they add a bit of color, but there were too few of them to make them a "side dish" on their own.

The chicken and beef here are "chopped" and not full sized medallions, but that actually serves the nature of the of the restaurant and this combo well. I have not always been a fan of Katsura's teriyaki chicken… not sure why really, it's just a bit different than what I'm used to. However, what I'm sure is the same teriyaki, seems to work much better on the beef. The beef was a bit saltier than the chicken, so if you're watching your sodium intake, it's worth a mention.

I was actually glad to have both the chicken and beef on the plate. It's not really a portion size issue, just a variety thing. It's much easier to talk about which one you like better, when there's more than one to choose from! The rice here, was great as well. It usually is at Katsura... so that's good, but I would gladly do without a couple tablespoons of rice, for a few more vegetables. Again, it's just about variety. All in all, a good value for the amount and quality of food that's on the plate.

The service at Katsura (just like the other restaurants in Epcot's Japan pavilion), is quite standardized and unbelievably consistent, which on the surface, seems like a good thing for the casual patron. The cast members here, will take good care of you, and if there's ever a problem with the seating, cleanliness, or food… they will make it right, no questions asked… and they often do so, before there is a problem. So kudos to everyone at Katsura Grill for that!

The counter service restaurant itself is quite cute as well, with both indoor and outdoor seating. The raised location gives the window laden indoor dining area nice views and the outdoor garden area seems quite tranquil (as tranquil as a high-volume counter service location in a theme park can be). The indoor area can get quite tight at times. The room just seems to be a few feet too small for the tables and chairs at times, but I usually avoid the "trolling for a place to sit" by just going on off-peak dining times.

Have you ever visited any of these dining locations in our Epcot directory?