EPCOT | Lunch, Dinner, Light Snack
Posted on Friday, November 20, 2015
Counter Service (quick service)
British
American
$5-14 per entree**
You probably won't spend much time looking at the menu board at Epcot's Yorkshire Country Fish Shop. The UK Pavilion's popular counter service kiosk serves up Fish & Chips and something they call a Victoria Sponge Cake. The latter, is more akin to something you would find in a Little Debbie snack cake box than a proper Victoria Cake, but I'll let that be the subject of a different review. Which leaves us with "Seasonal Whole Fruit", (because whole fruit is exactly what I think of when you say British cuisine), and of course… beer.
Now, I'm all for beer, but there's no shortage of that around Epcot (especially at the nearby Rose & Crown Pub), so for the purpose of this review, we'll stick to what the Yorkshire Country Fish Shop is famous for… their Fish and Chips!
Are they authentic British Fish & Chips? Probably not. There are literally hundreds of Fish & Chip shops in the UK and each region has their own take on what the "real deal" is supposed to be. Spending a day in Neath Port Talbot, check out Hikary's Fish Bar. Close to North Ireland? Head on over to Superbites or The Friary. They all seem to have one thing in common though… and that's fresh fish.
Unless there's something I don't know about the World Showcase Lagoon, the fish at the Yorkshire Country Fish Shop has probably spent some time in a refrigeration unit. But that's okay… most counter service theme park fish has at one time or another. You don't really get the fresh, salty, pulled right from the North Sea quality from the fish itself. In fact, I couldn't even tell you what kind of white fish is being fried at the Yorkshire Fish Shop.
Fortunately, the batter used on Fish & Chips is rather light and tasty. In fact, it's just a bit heavier than a Tempura batter… but also has a similar half-life. You'll probably want to eat this dish within 10 minutes of getting it, to truly experience the golden crispy goodness of the freshly fried white fish.
Not to be forgotten though, are the chips. For those that aren't familiar with UK "chips", they are basically large cut fries, and these were no exception. They're a little pillowy for my taste, only being lightly fried to the point of almost being underdone. Because they sit under the fish, they also tend to pick up a bit of condensation which doesn't help matters.
All in all though, the Yorkshire Country Fish Shop still gets a solid "recommend" from me. While not being able to match what a mom and pop shop right on the ocean can serve up… it is a really good theme park style take on the popular British working man's food. As far as value goes, the dish is priced fairly when comparing it to other Disney counter service options.
Service here is usually a bit better than other walk-up type kiosks at the Disney parks as well, mostly because the menu is somewhat limited. You pay your money, and pick up your fish and chips... all day long. Seating though, is a different story. There's far more demand, than supply, and at peak times of the day (11:30am - 1:30pm and anything past 4:30pm), "table trolling" is quite a common sight.
While most head for the covered tables to the right of the Fish Shop, there are also a few tables down by the water, behind the Rose & Crown (just follow the walkway to the right and behind the main building). There are also a larger number of tables to the far left of the Yorkshire Fish Shop's window. Just walk around the front of the Rose & Crown and then go past the restaurant's check-in booth to the tree-covered, park-like setting behind the UK Beer Cart. The whole area is "free seating" for either the Beer Cart or the Yorkshire Country Fish Shop. Only the fully covered seating is off-limits, because that's the Rose & Crown's patio area.