Epcot’s Space 220 Review

This review of Space 220 at Epcot details our experience having lunch at the popular table service restaurant. When we were planning this trip, my sister asked if there were any themed dining restaurants that my pre-teen nephew might enjoy. After some consideration, it dawned on me that we had never been to Space 220. If any of you were visiting Disney when the space-themed restaurant opened in 2021, you may remember it was almost impossible to secure a reservation here. I tried….many times.

It’s no secret to longtime readers that I’m not so great at securing high-pressure reservations. So I typically have the attitude that I will get to it when I can. Well, five years later, here we are. I kind of look at Space 220 like the Coral Reef restaurant. They offer incredible theming, but both locations are pretty much hidden from the average passerby. Unless you’re riding Mission: Space (if you even dare), the restaurant is completely out of sight.

Granted, I’m not comparing the two restaurants by any means other than pointing out you wouldn’t physically walk by them and say, “Hey, next time, let’s eat there,” or “Let’s see if we can get a walk-up!” A restaurant like this really must have popularity for people to be aware of it. Thankfully, Space 220 remains a pretty sought-after dining reservation, albeit easier to secure than a few years ago.

Why is it so popular? Well, the idea of the restaurant is that you’ve taken an elevator to space. And Space 220 delivers on the impact as soon as you set foot in the dining room. It’s truly breathtaking to see Earth’s horizon as though you really were in space. The overall dining room reminded me of a cruise ship where the ocean views were meant to be the focal point of the meal. All three of us were immediately impressed.

We were sat in the center of the dining room on the upper-level tier. Our server mentioned that we had one of the best views in the house, and I agreed. Since we were in a raised seating area, we had a more expansive view than that of directly in front of a window. Now and then, various ships and astronauts would float by the window. Everything was in slow motion, as though projecting what real-life movement would look like in space. Here was the view from our table.

Now as to how we got here. Disney advertises a special ascent to space as part of the experience. The restaurant’s description reads: To begin your journey, board a special space elevator that will ascend to the stars! Along the way, viewports will give you an aerial view of EPCOT as you travel high above the planet. As you dine, peer out and enjoy amazing daytime and nighttime views of Earth from 220 miles up.

Going into this meal, I really hadn’t told my family anything about the restaurant other than it was space-themed. That said, I expected us to be wowed by the elevator experience. When we arrived, we checked in and were given a special boarding pass for the space elevator.

Well, unfortunately, the “elevator” wasn’t working. I say elevator loosely, because as it turns out, it’s not even a real elevator. Of course, when it’s working, you get a simulation effect, and most guests probably think they’ve gone up a floor or two.

However, when it’s not working, you simply walk through the room and directly to the hallway that leads to the dining room. The moral of the story is that I was glad I hadn’t hyped up this part of the experience. We were told that we could return that day to check and see if it was working. But it’s one of those things that by the time you’re done, you’ve moved on to other areas of the park, or in our case, we had park-hopped to Hollywood Studios.

Now about the food. When we visited for lunch, our option was the prix fixe adult lunch for $55.00. The meal included the choice of one lift-off (appetizer) and one star course (entree). Let me preface this part of the review by saying that the menu has recently changed and now lunch comes with an entree and a dessert instead of the appetizer option. If you decide to go with dinner, it’s a larger prix fixe meal that comes with all three courses for a higher price. So make sure to check the restaurant’s menu before your visit for any changes or updates.

I started things off by ordering the Starry Calamari, a fried calamari with Italian cherry peppers, spicy marinara, and a roasted pepper citrus aioli. I guess I didn’t really read the menu that well, but the cherry peppers are fried and mixed in with the calamari. They were truly delicious. Of course the calamari was fine, too. I had no complaints other than it was a decent-sized portion for just one person. While I do enjoy the option of having a prix fixe menu, this is the exact reason I don’t like the confinement of it. As a group of three, we would never all order our own appetizer or dessert, for that matter. It would just be too much food.

Catherine ordered the Neptuna Tartare, which is described as Bluefin Tuna, Wasabi Avocado, Pineapple, Mango, and Pani puri. This was another tasty bite that had a fun presentation.

For my entree, I went with the Interstellar Steak and Frites. This was a New York Strip Steak with thin-cut fries and a choice of chimichurri or peppercorn sauce. There was an option to upgrade to a filet mignon or add jumbo shrimp. Overall, what you see is what you get.

Catherine ordered the Spicy Pad Thai with Shrimp. This rice noodle dish comes with stir-fried vegetables, Edamame, bean sprouts, sesame seeds, Cilantro, chili-garlic crunch, sweet soy chili sauce, and a choice of crispy tofu, chicken, or shrimp. We were both impressed with this dish, and I would order it on a return visit.

As for my nephew, he went with the Cosmic Chicken, which is just standard chicken fingers with fries. For reference, the children’s prix fixe menu comes with an entree, dessert, and a beverage.

For dessert, he went with the Milky Meltaway, which turned out to be a fun treat. It’s a simple dessert of vanilla gelato with caramel and hot chocolate. The dish is topped off with a chocolate dome. You can eat it like ice cream, but it melts pretty quickly, becoming somewhat of a milkshake texture. He enjoyed it.

In fact, he really enjoyed the entire experience, and so did we. Will it make our list of top restaurants at Disney World? Probably not. I wouldn’t go into this meal expecting stellar food, no pun intended. That said, everything we ordered was good, but it wasn’t the same sort of food quality that you might get at somewhere like Tiffins or Le Cellier. You’re really paying for the experience here.

As far as the experience, it was great. The restaurant’s interior was cool and dark, making for the perfect reprieve from the Florida heat. (This is a good reason alone to consider having lunch here.) But, ultimately, when I asked my nephew about his favorite things we did on the trip, Space 220 was one of them, and we did a lot of cool things on this trip. So his confirmation of a good time was more than good enough for me.

Overall, we will definitely return, especially if someone in our party hasn’t had a chance to dine here yet. If you’re looking to learn more about dining experiences, you might enjoy our complete list of Disney Restaurant Reviews. Or for more on dining in general, see our overview of dining at Disney World. Check back with ResortsGal.com for more details.

In the Comments

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