Area 220 Restaurant has launched at EPCOT! We’ve dined at Walt Disney World’s new themed eating expertise for a number of meals, and supply impressions right here on the outer house ambiance. This options photographs & video, Advance Eating Reservation information, seating request suggestions, 2024 Disney Eating Plan standing, and commentary. (Up to date June 8, 2023.)
Should you’re extra within the meals, see our Area 220 Restaurant Lunch Overview. That covers the two-course menu, which is accessible every day in the primary eating room from 11:30 am till 3:55 pm. The lunch menu prices $55 per grownup and $29 for teenagers. The lunch evaluation additionally compares Area 220 to different Signature Eating places at Walt Disney World, assessing whether or not it’s definitely worth the cash.
We even have a Area 220 Restaurant Dinner Overview, which covers the 3-course dinner menu that prices $79 per grownup, $29 per youngster, and is served from 4 pm till 9 pm. The dinner evaluation discusses timing the daylight v. nighttime transition of Earth, how lengthy consuming at Area 220 takes, and extra…
Along with serving lunch and dinner with prix fixe 2 and 3-course meals, there’s additionally the Area 220 Lounge. This serves an a la carte menu. The Area 220 Lounge is accessible through Advance Eating Reservations or on a walk-up foundation. Whilst you received’t usually discover the restaurant itself with choices through the Stroll-Up Waitlist characteristic within the My Disney Expertise app, you may usually discover availability for the lounge by really strolling as much as the rostrum.
Area 220 is likely one of the hottest desk service restaurant in all of Walt Disney World. Advance Eating Reservations could be extremely powerful to attain even on the 60 day mark. The identical is true of the Area 220 Lounge ADRs, because it’s a extra economical possibility for a lot of friends who don’t need to spend $55+ per grownup or $29 per child.
Accordingly, should you’d wish to dine at Area 220 Restaurant or Lounge throughout your Walt Disney World trip, we’d extremely advocate reserving it as early as doable. See our Information to Advance Eating Reservations at Walt Disney World for suggestions & tips to attain elusive ADRs, information in regards to the 60+10 rule, and extra.
As a consequence of its recognition, Area 220 is at present not on the Full Listing of Eating places on the 2024 Disney Eating Plan. Nevertheless, with the ‘new restaurant scent’ beginning to put on off and ADRs changing into (barely) simpler, there’s nonetheless the chance that Area 220 Restaurant shall be a last-minute addition to the record earlier than 2024 rolls round.
If that occurs, our expectation is that Area 220 reworks its menu slightly and finally ends up being 2 credit for dinner and 1 credit score for lunch or on the lounge on the 2024 Disney Eating Plan. This might make it considerably much like Be Our Visitor Restaurant in Magic Kingdom, which is a well-liked restaurant that additionally serves a prix fixe menu.
In case you’re unfamiliar with it, Area 220 restaurant is situated between Take a look at Monitor and Mission: Area, with its entrance being situated off to the facet of the latter. The present constructing is tucked away backstage, and never supposed to be seen by friends except for the temporary stroll from the check-in podium to the departure terminal.
After checking in close to Mission: Area, you’ll head contained in the Area 220 departures terminal, and wait briefly to board certainly one of two “Area Elevators.” These transport you what looks like 220 miles above Earth to Centauri Area Station.
Because the ascent begins, you may see Mission: Area and Take a look at Monitor within the viewport at your ft.
Thus far, it’s a Google Earth-esque recreation of Future World.
As you get a number of extra miles up, a broader view of EPCOT is seen.
I needed to chuckle on the strategically positioned cloud blocking the EPCOT Grime Pit.™️ Perhaps Leslie Knope will maintain a black tie gala at Area 220 and we are able to get the EPCOT Grime Pit was the Pawnee Commons by 2028?
Persevering with larger there’s a view of Florida as an entire.
Overhead, the Centauri Area Station got here into view on a special display. I missed it (nicely, my digicam did–my eyes noticed it).
Above is video that Sarah shot capturing the ascent expertise.
Whereas some stay up for a day when people inhabit house, I’m simply hopeful we attain some extent when the Future World reimagining is completed. At this level, colonizing Mars is prone to occur sooner.
All in all, we thought the ascent expertise was cool and pretty convincing.
It reminded us of the Hydrolators used at Seabase Alpha or the Terravators in Journey to the Middle of the Earth, besides heading the other way.
With something like this, suspension of disbelief will range from individual to individual.
I’ve no qualms with using screens when acceptable, however I can’t consider any situation the place I’ve forgotten I’m a display. Similar factor applies right here. Nonetheless, felt the Area Elevator was an efficient and well-executed use of screens.
Upon exiting the elevator, you stroll by way of an entrance hallway with some house horticulture.
That is fairly cool.
The round chamber rotates and has a mirrored phantasm that it’s fairly prolonged.
Particular Dwelling with the Land meets Horizons meets the Martian vibes right here.
From right here, you head deeper into the Centauri Area Station, in the direction of the themed eating space.
The arrival makes a robust first impression and so far, Centauri Area Station feels fairly genuine–based mostly on my intensive experiences with actual house stations, naturally.
For no matter cause, we obtained from the pragmatic house gardening to a round room with a bunch of holes for a whole lot of wine bottles.
Now that billionaires are dominating the ‘house race,’ it solely is smart that we’d transfer from boring stuff like revolutionary agriculture to ostentatious oenophilia!
Jokes apart, the eating space stopped us lifeless in our tracks.
Pictures don’t do justice to first seeing this panoramic view of Earth within the distance outdoors the home windows of Centauri Area Station. This primary glimpse obtained me as near suspension of disbelief as screen-based something ever has–it’s a panoramic reveal.
The view from the highest of the steps main right down to the tables closest to the home windows is the very best in the home.
We’d really advise in opposition to requesting a desk near the glass, which is the precise reverse of what we advocate at Coral Reef. Extra on that in a bit, although.
Since solely a handful of screens have views of Earth, the void is stuffed (actually and figuratively), with different objects.
You’ll see different spacecraft, the moon, and quite a lot of work and leisure actions going down past the home windows of Centauri Area Station.
A few of these “leisure actions” embrace nods to Disney’s large space-centric mental property.
Ah, synergy.
There are a ton of Easter eggs and I don’t need to spoil all of them for you. (Partly, I can’t as a result of many have been gone earlier than I might even snap a photograph.)
Nevertheless, since I’m not a monster, I’ll share a very powerful one that you just would possibly in any other case miss: SPACE DOGS.
On the far left and much proper screens, house canines seem at random.
There are (supposedly) three totally different house canines that residents of the neighborhood above Centauri Area Station take for an area stroll occasionally. One is such a great boy that he can go off-leash.
Sadly, I wasn’t fast sufficient on the draw to seize (photographically) any of the house canines. Each instances I noticed them I used to be (no joke) so excited that I fumbled for my digicam and tousled the photographs.
These are among the many many issues I noticed however didn’t handle to efficiently shoot. If the buying and selling playing cards that got here with our meal are any indication, there’s much more that we didn’t see in any respect.
Opinions on these house work and leisure actions might be going to be blended, with some Walt Disney World followers deriding the Star Wars ones as contrived or crassly business and others as tacky. (Should you come for the house canines, simply remember that you’ll lose all credibility!)
I strongly disagree.
The view of Earth is extremely serene and understated, which is a part of its attraction.
That has not been cartoonified, exaggerated, or no matter to make it extra thrilling. It’s breathtaking at first as a result of it appears so pure, and whereas I don’t suppose that will get outdated, it does get a bit static.
The life in house is what retains issues attention-grabbing and interesting, and permits Disney to get a bit goofy with the visuals whereas nonetheless sustaining authenticity.
Plus, people simply put a automobile in house and there’s no telling what’s subsequent–I don’t suppose a number of lightsabers and house pups stretch credulity.
With that mentioned, Area 220 just isn’t flawless.
You would possibly discover blue traces and different ‘artifacts’ in lots of the photographs with a view out into house. These are reflections of lighting contained in the restaurant.
None of it is a deal-breaker that ruins the phantasm or something of the type. On the contrary, should you have been in an area station with the lights on, you’d see these mirrored within the home windows.
I don’t purport to be an skilled on outer house, however that’s how lighting and reflections work.
Nonetheless, it appears like this might’ve been averted.
Should you’ve been on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, take into consideration the primary pre-show room. That impact is achieved through a display inside a mirror. The rationale it really works is as a result of Imagineering went to nice lengths to verify no lights within the room would destroy the impact–even the exit signal is decrease than the place it’d usually be to assist promote the phantasm.
Comparable considerate design modifications would’ve produced an analogous end result with Area 220.
The entire blue rim lighting might’ve been recessed so it didn’t get picked up by the home windows. Different lights might’ve been dealt with the identical means, or used extra sparingly. Maybe this comes throughout as nitpicky, however I beloved the view at Area 220 and suppose consideration to those lighting particulars might’ve made the view out into house much more majestic and awe-inspiring.
Outer house apart, the ambiance in Area 220 is pitch excellent.
The cool colours are enjoyable, the music is each mellow and uplifting, the lighting is appropriately moody (I’d be superb with it being a bit darker, however others would possibly disagree), and seating space has a way of sophistication to it. We have been shocked at how grownup Area 220 feels (this isn’t to say youngsters aren’t welcome or it’s inappropriate for them–fairly the opposite).
Backtracking to the purpose about the place to take a seat, the cubicles subsequent to the home windows are ostensibly essentially the most interesting, and there’s positively one thing to be mentioned for being so near outer house.
Nevertheless, your view shall be of your one window–you’ll be too near see anything, and miss 90% of the house actions consequently. We have been within the second row again and I nonetheless discovered that to be too shut.
In spending numerous time wandering the restaurant, I believe the second tier is the best way to go.
The entrance row right here is right: you get an elevated view, can see all the home windows out of your desk, and received’t have anybody standing (straight) in entrance of your desk for photographs or house selfies. This must also be a neater request to have fulfilled since most individuals will in all probability need to be as shut as doable.
Right here’s one other video from Sarah providing a tour of Area 220’s seating space.
The restaurant is kind of giant, with a big space devoted solely to the lounge that serves drinks and a la carte delicacies (that ought to assist tackle numerous the complaints about Area 220 being prix fixe).
Previous posts have referred to Area 220 as Coral Reef: Outer Area Version, and that was positively an apt solution to describe it. The beginning-to-finish “storytelling” is certainly higher at Area 220, as is the general ambiance. Coral Reef largely wins on animals, though the house pups make a compelling case for Area 220. With that mentioned, there’s one space the place Coral Reef completely will get trounced: the meals. However we’re already at 2,000+ phrases–so we’ll cowl that in full element in tomorrow’s lunch evaluation!
In the end, we love the themed expertise at Area 220. The execution isn’t flawless, however it’s higher and extra convincing than anticipated. Area 220 checks all the proper containers for us when it comes to ambiance, with the visuals completely toeing the road between lifelike and enjoyable. Others would possibly disagree, discovering it to be too boring or too cartoonish–it’s unimaginable to please everybody, however the steadiness is ideal for our tastes. So far as long-delayed, highly-hyped screen-based issues in EPCOT go, that is far and away our favourite of this yr’s new additions. We had excessive hopes for Area 220, and it surpassed these expectations.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study motels on our Walt Disney World Resorts Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys submit takes a singular have a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Experience Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the very best place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every part you have to know!
Your Ideas
Are you excited for the Area 220 restaurant at EPCOT? Does the idea of Coral Reef…however in outer house…attraction to you? Assume the visuals come throughout as tacky, boring, or completely balanced? Ideas on the lighting reflections in house? Anticipate Area 220 to take part within the Disney Eating Plan for lunch or dinner? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we may help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!