By Nick the Disney Devo
My wife, my friends and me had dinner at Spice Road Table in the Morocco Pavilion in Epcot shortly after they opened this past January.
Left to Right: Ron, Kathy, Marilyn, Barbie and me
Tip: Try to get a window seat. Located on the shore of the World Showcase Lagoon, it offers a lovely view.
There is also a large seating area outside, but we chose not to sit here, as it was a rather chilly evening.
Though we had no Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR) we had no trouble getting seated. Indeed, the restaurant was surprisingly empty. As the evening went on, it did get more crowded. This is almost certainly due to the fact that, like La Hacienda de San Angel in the Mexico Pavilion, Spice Road offers a view of Illuminations: Reflections of Earth.
The decor is lovely, with, obviously not surprisingly, plenty of Moroccan touches.
It was warm and inviting.
Sadly, we didn’t feel the same about the service. It wasn’t poor service, it just didn’t seem attentive, and it seemed a bit on the cold side. Some people prefer this, as they don’t like a server to constantly be hovering, so this may not be an issue for some, but I feel there is a happy medium.
This could very easily be due to the fact that the staff was still working out the kinks.
On to the food!
The menu states that Spice Road Table serves Mediterranean Small Plates.
The menu has 2 Tapas sample platters, which were $16 each, and Barbie and I both each got one.
The Mogador Sampler includes Salted Cod Croquettes with a dab of Sundried tomato aioli and black olive tapenade, Mussels Tagine with cilantro, garlic, lemon confit and tomato sauce, and Fried Calamari with spicy Harissa and Remoulade sauces.
The Tingis Sampler has Merguez Sausage, which is a North African lamb sausage served with tomato, red onion and cilantro salad, a Lamb Slider served on Brioche with cucumber dill and mint tzatzikiki sauce, and Harissa Chicken Rolls.
Everything was fine, with my favorite being the Harissa Chicken rolls, but nothing really knocked our socks off.
Each of the items offered in the sampler can be ordered as a small plate. In addition to those offerings are Spicy Shrimp with fried chilies and fried garlic, a Mediterranean Omelet with potato, red peppers and caramelized onions, Rice Stuffed Grape Leaves with Fried capers, raisins and fresh nutmeg, and Hummus and Imported Olives with Cornichons and Za’ata Flat bread, which I tasted, and thought was maybe the best thing I’d eaten that evening.
For dessert I had the Chocolate Pyramid with almond ice cream which was okay, but, again, not “Wow.”
Everyone thought that their meal was good, but I can’t recall anyone being overly impressed.
In my humble opinion, the food at the Tangierine Cafe which is only a few steps away from Spice Road is better, and you get more food for less.
I would likely only return if I was with friends that really wanted to try it.
Portions of this article were originally posted on the Disney Musings Blog which Nick co-writes with his wife and friends.
