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Usually my family’s trips to Walt Disney World (as planned by yours truly) feature lots of multi-course, sit-down meals at all of my WDW favorites—hello California Grill and Yachtsman Steakhouse! We enjoy lots of wonderful food, but go home with wallets that are way lighter. On this trip, as I continue to have a husband who indulges my love of WDW, I made a promise that I would try to cut back on sit-down meals. I was committed to this, but I was equally committed to continuing to enjoy delicious and interesting WDW food.
First stop? Spice Road Table in the Morocco Pavillion in Epcot’s World Showcase. We have enjoyed Morocco’s quick service option—the delicious and fresh Tangierine Café—on prior trips, and passed Spice Road Table admiring its beautiful exterior. Spice Road Table is a sit-down restaurant, you say? Yep, I know—but I had a plan. We were going to order a smattering of small plates, and only one entrée to keep the cost way down (by WDW terms of course).
As we entered Spice Road Table, we noted its prime location on World Showcase Lagoon, and all commented that either the lovely outdoor seating, or any of the many window seats inside, would make an ideal perch for Epcot’s nighttime spectacular, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. It was mid-afternoon during our visit, so no IllumiNations for us, we were looking for a cool spot to escape the blazing summer heat while taking in World Showcase Lagoon.
Welcoming arch at Spice Road Table at the Morocco Pavilion at Epcot. Photo by Donna Fesel.
Outdoor seating at Spice Road Table at the Morocco Pavilion at Epcot. Photo by Donna Fesel.
Lovely lanterns at Spice Road Table at the Morocco Pavilion at Epcot. Photo by Donna Fesel.
Moroccan object d'art at Spice Road Table at the Morocco Pavilion at Epcot. Photo by Donna Fesel.
The décor is absolutely calming and beautiful. We all commented that we felt we were transported someplace exotic and lovely. Moroccan objects d’art are tucked into every nook and cranny of Spice Road Table; lots of brass of course, small trunks, and tagines a plenty (a tagine is a Moroccan cooking vessel). There are decorative arches, lush fabrics, and lots of stunning tile work.
A friendly cast member greeted us and escorted us to a table with stamped metal top that was gorgeous; our table overlooked World Showcase Lagoon. As we were walking to our seat, we noted a number of cozy booths for passing an afternoon or evening.
Wall art at Spice Road Table at the Morocco Pavilion at Epcot. Photo by Donna Fesel.
A booth with a view at Spice Road Table at the Morocco Pavilion at Epcot. Photo by Donna Fesel.
A wonderful space at Spice Road Table at the Morocco Pavilion at Epcot. Photo by Donna Fesel.
I began with a vodka martini that was perfectly made; my husband and son enjoyed soft drinks. Next, we ordered the spicy garlic shrimp. It was perfectly cooked and the chilies added a nice little zip; this is definitely not too spicy if you are wary of heat in your food.
We also ordered the fried calamari, which is served with harissa (a hot, sweet sauce) and caper aioli. Calamari is really easy to overcook (then it wastes like rubber bands); this version was both flavorful and tender and the two dipping sauces added a nice compliment. We also ordered the fresh fish croquettes with olive tapenade; these were a real standout, faintly redolent of fish, crispy as heck and no oily aftertaste. They were a salty little sensation.
For our entrée, we shared the Mediterranean Vegetable Platter, which features a bunch of our veggie faves. There’s a couscous salad (light and yummy), some baba ganoush (very similar to hummus but made with charred pureed eggplant), harissa hummus fries (we tried these the last time we were at the Food & Wine Festival and we are obsessed), dolmas (rice-stuffed grape leaves), and some delish pita bread. We all thought that every single thing we ate deserved two thumbs up; it was all so flavorful and full of character, and we felt satisfied at meal’s end. We lingered at our table and never felt rushed by the cast members who continued to be friendly and wonderful throughout the meal.
A vodka martini at Spice Road Table at the Morocco Pavilion at Epcot. Photo by Donna Fesel.
Garlic shrimp at Spice Road Table at the Moroocco Pavilion at Epcot. Photo by Donna Fesel.
Fried calamari at Spice Road Table at the Morocco Pavilion at Epcot. Photo by Donna Fesel.
Fish croquettes at Spice Road Table at the Morocco Pavilion at Epcot. Photo by Donna Fesel.
Spice Road Table is one Table Service Credit on the Disney Dining Plan, and offers a Tables in Wonderland (Disney’s discount dining program) and Annual Passholder discount. They serve both lunch and dinner ,and offer beautiful indoor and outdoor seating. We loved it, it was a bargain in the world of WDW sit down dining, and we felt fully satisfied by the flavorful food. The décor is inspired and the staff was warm and great. Definitely a must-do on our next trip.
Have you been to Spice Road Table? I can’t be the only one who thinks it is this fabulous… I’d love to hear!
Comments
I've experienced 2 meals at Spice Road, and both were excellent. I've never done their entrees, instead enjoying 2 or 3 of the small tapas platters - they've all been delicious! I ate once inside, and once outside, and both areas are really charming. Service was great, and prices were much lower than most WS restaurants.
Nice review! I have not been there yet, but have thought about it. I am a little (or a lot!
) less veggie focused, so I would probably look over the menu a bit more before deciding to do it for sure.
Glad to hear it was well prepared, I would probably try that if I go.
There might be a slight typo in the calamari paragraph, though I guess overcooked calamari could definitely be considered a waste if it tastes like rubber bands.
We have not taken advantage of Spice Road Table in all of our trips to the World, but because of Donna and Dan's enthusiastic thumbs up we will try it in during out next trip which is 30 days away now!!
I haven't eaten outside yet, because usually I'm dying for some air conditioning by meal time, but I agree - I thought the outside looked very inviting and did offer plenty of shade. My family and I will definitely be back. We're also big fans of Tangierine Cafe - huge portions of really fresh and tasty food. - Donna
Good catch Dave, it should be "tastes" like rubber bands! We are big calamari people, and I've unfortunately had a lot of very bouncy calamari. There are some good looking meat items on the menu, including some lamb sausage that sounded great, and some sliders It's worth a look. -Donna
I've loved our meals at Tangierine Cafe and Marrakesh, so for a trip about a year or so ago, the husband mentioned that he'd booked Spice Road Table. I asked where that was. Morocco, he said. We've been to all the restaurants in Morocco, I said. No, we haven't, he said. He tried to explain to me where it was and for the life of me, I just couldn't picture it. It wasn't until we were actually there that he pointed it out to me. I realized that I was usually so distracted by looking at the merchandise in front of the nearby store and at the belly dancer who I've usually seen in the area that I didn't even realize there was a third restaurant there!
I loved it. We split one of the entrees and a few of the small plates. We sat inside, and it wasn't very crowded because it was early during dinner time. We hadn't really planned to stay there for Illuminations so left before the show started to see the show from our normal place.
One of the things I learned from our visit to Spice Road Table is that I don't in fact dislike baklava. I only dislike certain kinds of baklava. I've had baklava before, and it's never been my thing, too sweet for my taste. When we'd stopped to looked at the outside menu earlier in the day, one of the hostesses came up to us and was chatting with us. She mentioned the baklava, and I said that I was sorry to disappoint her, but I didn't like baklava. She asked me a little about where I'd had it and after a bit of discussion, she told me that I've likely only had Greek baklava, which has more honey drizzled on top and the filling is also sweeter. She said Moroccan baklava doesn't have as much of the honey drizzle and doesn't have as much sweet in the filling. After we were done with the main part of dinner, we did order the sampler dessert to share, and I asked for the baklava as one of my choices. She was so right. I loved it. And when we left, I made sure to stop and tell her that I took her advice and loved it. I said something about having to come back there to eat just for the baklava, and I think she said it's actually sold at the Tangierine Cafe as well.
When I want to eat in Morocco, it's really hard to decide which one I want to pick.
It did only open around January 2014, so depending on when your last visit was before the one when you dined there a year ago, it might not have been there yet. Sneaky Disney installing new restaurants around the lagoon.
Thank you for the potential out, but unfortunately, I can't take it. I checked, and our dinner was in April 2016 and our visit prior to that was February 2015. But, it's good to know that it's a recent addition!