12/31/19 12/31/19

Teppan Edo Dinner Review

Teppan Edo, located in the Japan Pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase, is a Teppan-yaki-style restaurant that offers a fun and unique Japanese dining experience for guests. Brandon and I had dinner with blog reader Sarah C. and her family at Teppan Edo this past summer for the first time ever and really loved the experience. Recently, we went back with Brandon's family for a fun and delicious meal.

*This dining review took place in November 2019. It includes information about gluten free, dairy free, fish/shellfish free, cabbage free, peanut free, hazelnut free, and chicken & turkey free options.

Dinner at Teppan Edo

Atmosphere

Teppan Edo is located in the Japan Pavilion in the World Showcase on the second floor above the Mitsukoshi shopping area. It shares space with Tokyo Dining, as well. So, when you enter the restaurant area, you actually walk through the Tokyo Dining area before heading into Teppan Edo.

Teppan Edo Entrance / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

Unlike Tokyo Dining, when you enjoy a meal at Teppan Edo, you'll be seated at a table with 8 other guests. This means it's communal style dining, similar to Biergarten in the Germany Pavilion. This is a great restaurant to go to if you have a large party, because you can virtually have an entire table/grill station to yourself. On this visit, there were four of us, so we were half of the table we were seated at.

Teppan Edo - Menu / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

During the meal, you choose what protein you want, and your meal is prepared in front of you by one of the very talented chefs. If you have a special dietary need, your food will typically be prepared in the kitchen to avoid cross-contamination, especially if you have celiac disease or other allergies.

Teppan Edo - Menu & Napkin / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

As we began our meal, we were all given hand wipes and menus to choose our proteins from. Before the chef came out, the manager did meet with Brandon and I to discuss options with us. Though we got to watch the cooking, which is really the biggest reason to dine at Teppan Edo, all of our meals were prepared directly in the kitchen to avoid cross-contamination. I inadvertently glutened myself on our last visit, so on this visit, we made sure everything was as safe as it could be.

Teppan Edo - Cooking / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

As I said, the real atmosphere here is the cooking. And, Chef Rumi did not disappoint. She was so fun and really did a great job not only cooking for everyone but also at getting us involved in the cooking fun.

From volcano onions to Chef Rumi singing Disney songs, the entire meal was fun from start to finish.

Everyone in our party had a great time, and Brandon's family was super impressed by the experience.

In addition the photos here, you can watch the video that Brandon took of our dining experience and see for yourself how much fun Chef Rumi and our dining experience was.

The Food

Teppan Edo, is not actually owned and operated by Disney, so the restaurant does not carry an allergy-friendly menu. But, as I mentioned earlier, at Teppan Edo, a manager will come speak to you about special dietary needs options.

Both Brandon and I have been impressed by how seriously the restaurant takes special dietary needs. They went over all of the options and made sure that our chef, the servers, and everyone in between were aware of our order to ensure our safety. Because of all of our special dietary needs, the manager made sure all of our food was prepared in the kitchen to avoid cross-contamination on the grill.

Teppan Edo / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

Up first, the entire table was brought Garden Salads to start. Brandon was served a garden salad with the traditional dressing that included soy sauce in it. I was served a similar salad, and the only difference was that I was served a gluten free yuzu dressing. It was very citrusy and had quite a vinegar punch to it, but I really enjoyed it. Brandon has said that the salad at Teppan Edo is one of his very favorites. He loves vinaigrette and light, bright flavors.

Brandon's salad was dairy free, fish/shellfish free, cabbage free, peanut free, hazelnut free, and chicken & turkey free. My salad was gluten free and dairy free (and likely free of many other allergens too).

For those who are gluten free, you'll be served Kikkoman gluten free soy sauce upon request. I really enjoyed having this for my rice and vegetables.

For my entree, the kitchen prepared Scottish Salmon which was served with spicy yuzu, Yum Yum sauce, stir-fried vegetables, and steamed white rice. My meal was entirely gluten free and dairy free. I ordered this on our previous visit, and while I was tempted to try something new, I just loved the salmon so much that I had to order it again. From the rice, to the vegetables, the salmon, and the sauces, I absolutely loved everything about this meal. Honestly, it's something I could eat every single day and not bored! It was so flavorful, delicious, and filling.

Teppan Edo - Steak — Teppan Edo / Photo Taken by Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW

Brandon opted for the NY Cut Steak, which came with a Soy-Ginger Sauce, Yum Yum sauce, udon noodles with stir-fried vegetables, and steamed white rice. His meal was dairy free, fish/shellfish free, peanut free, hazelnut free, cabbage free, and chicken & turkey free. Like my meal, his was also prepared in the kitchen to avoid cross-contamination. He also loved his meal, and he especially loves the steak and udon noodles. Both of us agreed that this is one of our favorite kinds of meals.

Overall

Both Brandon and I have quickly become huge fans of Teppan Edo. I always avoided the restaurant fearing that I wouldn't have a lot of options or that it would be a challenge to eat there safely. But, we have been been very impressed by the level of attention the restaurant takes to ensure that we have a safe meal. While we don't necessarily get to eat the food that's prepared at the table, we still both love watching the show and participating in the fun. Overall, it continues to be a new favorite and a restaurant we'll definitely be back to again soon.

Have you been to Teppan Edo? What was your experience dining there?

11/3/16 11/3/16

Katsura Grill -- Dinner -- Quick Service -- Epcot

*This dining experience took place in October 2016.Katsura Grill, a quick service restaurant at the Japan Paviion in Epcot, has long been a place that I've wanted to eat. Back when it used to be called the Yakitori House I had the most awful experience, in which I was told not even white rice was safe for me to eat due to cross contamination. Yikes! So, I'll be honest that I've pretty much avoided the place since.Recently, I learned from a reader that they are now serving gluten free teriyaki, so you know I had to check this out, especially since Brandon loves the Beef Udon Noodles here, and it would be nice to enjoy a meal together there.After I arrived at Katsura Grill, I spoke with a cast member who said that they did have gluten free teriyaki. She let me look at the ingredients binder and also take pictures. As you can see, they offer chicken, shrimp, and a combination of the two as options. Both dishes do contain soy but are gluten free and dairy free.The cast member also mentioned to me that I could have some of the sushi rolls too, though I did not check those ingredients in the binder.As you can see from the regular menu, they quickly identify the gluten free teriyaki options for adults and kiddos.My food arrived fairly quickly, and they also had marked my food with a gluten free notice. In general, I liked the chicken and shrimp teriyaki that I got well enough, though to be honest, I make a better version at home myself.The dish does come with white rice and a plain salad. I would have liked to have had a nice ginger dressing or something with the lettuce, as it was served with no dressing. The kids version comes with steamed vegetables, and I think I would have preferred that over the plain lettuce.In generally, I would definitely get it again, but if I have a choice I'll probably order options from other locations. Still, it's awesome to have something safe so I can get it every once in a while.As a quick aside, next door to the Yakitori House is the Mitsukoshi store which includes a hidden Sake Bar! If you're popping by, definitely check it out. Brandon and I went and loved it. Have you been to Katsura Grill? What did you think of the gluten free teriyaki?