Le Cellier Steakhouse Review
Le Cellier is a popular steakhouse in the Canada pavilion of World Showcase at Epcot, with a fan following. This dining review looks at whether it’s one of Walt Disney World’s best restaurants or if it fails to live up to the hype. We’ll also share food photos from our various meals here and perspective on value for money. (Updated June 28, 2022.)
We can understand the appeal of Le Cellier: the delicious meats of Canada beckon carnivores like us from opposite ends of the park. We typically pay out of pocket when dining here, as this restaurant is not a good value on the Disney Dining Plan because it requires two credits. Le Cellier is located in Epcot’s World Showcase in the Canada pavilion. Le Cellier participates in the Disney Dining Plan, which is currently unavailable. (See When Will the Disney Dining Plan Return? for more details and analysis.)
For a long time, Le Cellier was one of our go-to restaurants–we ate there at least once per trip. However, that more or less ended when it became a Signature Restaurant for both lunch and dinner several years ago. We aren’t the only ones who think Le Cellier is overrated, which is quite the shift from about a decade ago when Le Cellier was the darling of the Disney fan community and one of the hottest restaurants at Walt Disney World. After years of being down on Le Cellier, we revisited it in Summer 2022…
We were pleasantly surprised by our experience, which confirmed that Le Cellier is still a good restaurant. It’s not one of the best in Walt Disney World, and whether it’s Signature caliber is probably is a matter of perspective. As far as cuisine goes, my biggest issue with Le Cellier is that I think the food, especially the steaks, is often over-salted and over-buttered.
This isn’t always an issue, but it sometimes happens. That is enough to knock it down a rung for me. Beyond that, the food is generally good, it’s just not as good as other Signature Restaurants–nor is the overall experience. I have only a few interior photos of Le Cellier because it’s almost always crowded, cramped, and loud in here. This wouldn’t be a huge surprise if it were a character dining experience, but this is a Signature Restaurant. To each their own, but it’s not quite the vibe we want when dropping $150+ for two people.
As far as theme goes, Le Cellier feels like a steakhouse you’d find in Canada. While the lighting and decor of the restaurant are fabulous, the spacing of the tables leaves a bit to be desired–but it’s not as bad in Le Cellier as in other restaurants.
It’s also nice that Le Cellier’s theming isn’t simply a caricature of Canada. It doesn’t feel like a rustic lodge, there aren’t antlers in all of the decorating, and the carpet isn’t red and black flannel.
Being overrated is relative, and my stance is that in comparison to its actual quality, the popular opinion of it (at least as expressed in the Disney online community), and more importantly, the restaurant’s pricing, is a little too high. People gush over Le Cellier (albeit not as many as used to) and it’s the restaurant I most frequently see ranked among Walt Disney World’s, but for me it just doesn’t live up to the hype, all things considered.
It is a good restaurant, no doubt, and the service is great, but there are some better restaurants at Walt Disney World, especially at Le Cellier’s price points. I think a big part of Le Cellier’s reputation is premised upon the value it used to offer on the Disney Dining Plan. (Even though the Disney Dining Plan is currently unavailable, it’s discussed here because its presence looms large over Le Cellier and how the restaurant has “evolved” over the last decade-plus.)
Le Cellier used to be a great value on the Disney Dining Plan, and an incredibly difficult Advance Dining Reservation to land. Much of its reputation was predicated upon these facts, and it retains some popularity as a result of that.
However, changes to the Disney Dining Plan and price increases at Le Cellier have decreased its relative value, and without that value, there’s really no reason to rank it so highly. There are at least 10 restaurants at Walt Disney World that are better than Le Cellier–probably more like 15-20, actually.
In terms of restaurants in World Showcase, Takumi-Tei and Monsieur Paul are both better on the high end. As compared to Signature steak spots that are convenient to Epcot, both Topolino’s Terrace and Yachtsman Steakhouse both surpass Le Cellier.
This is not to say that Le Cellier is bad. It’s still a very good restaurant, and has great options for appetizers (the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup is universally loved), entrees, and desserts. Beyond that, Le Cellier is a beer-lover’s paradise with several great options from Unibroue.
Our Le Cellier servers have always been exceptional and very knowledgeable regarding the different entrees. It’s nice to have servers who are actually willing to make a recommendation instead of indecisively saying “they’re all good.”
One one occasion, our server offered descriptions of the beers that actually persuaded us to each try one, when initially we were unsure of whether any of them sounded good. He really was a great salesman for the restaurant. I had the Trois Pistoles and Sarah had the Blanche de Chambly; mine was a darker, heavy beer yet one with fruity and spicy tastes, Sarah’s was a lighter, hopsy and somewhat lemon or orange beer.
Unibroue has become one of our favorite breweries since first trying it at Le Cellier many moons ago. (It’s also now served outside of the restaurant at the beer stand and is our top pick for Drinking Around the World at Epcot.)
Beyond the beer, Le Cellier’s bread service is reliably good. There’s a reason the pretzel bread here is a favorite among fans. It’s absolutely fantastic–top 5 bread service at Walt Disney World.
Le Cellier now serves up a couple of different poutines. My favorite is the Le Cellier Beef Bourguignon Poutine, which features Fresh-cut French Fries, Gruyère, Beef Bourguignon Gravy, Garlic Aïoli, and Truffle. The Le Cellier Signature Poutine features Canadian Cheddar Cheese Curds, Truffle, and Red Wine Reduction.
Both of these are good options for a shareable starter, especially if you’re worried about leaving hungry. They’re delicious and decadent, but I wouldn’t call them must-order dishes. Definitely higher quality than the poutine served at nearby Refreshment Port…but that indulgent snack is shockingly good.
One menu staple at Le Cellier is the Bison Strip Loin. Accompaniments change seasonally, but mine was served with Celery Root Purée, Butter-braised Carrots and Turnips, Roasted Apples, Cider Reduction, and Seasonal Greens.
In the past, there was a version with truffle béarnaise sauce. To each their own, but I preferred that. Bison is a lean and earthy meat, and typically doesn’t have the same robust and fatty flavor of beef. It’s still fantastic
Although it’s a Canadian steakhouse, many of the meats served at Le Cellier are USDA Prime. This is one definite made since going Signature, as the cuts at Le Cellier are now higher quality with better marbling, tenderness, and more flavor.
One such example of this is the Ribeye at Le Cellier. It’s not quite as good as the one served at Yachtsman Steakhouse, but it delivers. This ribeye perfectly melds meatiness with fattiness, great texture, and a bit of char.
While we have sample a variety of entrees at Le Cellier, the one I keep coming back to is the New York Strip Steak. I am always tempted by the filet, especially with those mushrooms, but the larger, slightly more marbled cut is more up my alley.
I really like the taste of a good NY Strip, especially the USDA Prime cut. Le Cellier never disappoints here. I enjoy a good filet mignon, too, but I’ll take the size combined with the taste of a strip over a filet most any day.
There’s also the fact that the Le Cellier Signature Filet Mignon is a mainstay of the menu at the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. Now, this isn’t the same size–and not the same quality cut of beef–but it’s good enough for me to get my fix.
I’ve become so accustomed to eating the Le Cellier Filet Mignon at Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival that it’s been years since I’ve had it at the actual restaurant. I should probably remedy that, but in the meantime, I can’t give a credible review of that particular cut. (I will say that there’s probably a reason it’s the steakhouse’s signature cut and the other AAA Canadian Tenderloins I’ve had have been fantastic.)
As far as desserts at Le Cellier go, my favorite is the Maple Créme Brulée.
This ranks right up there with the best desserts at Walt Disney World, in my opinion.
We’ve tried a variety of other desserts at Le Cellier, but once I discovered that Maple Créme Brulée, it’s the dessert I have always gotten since.
Based on our experience, you really can’t go wrong with any of the Le Cellier desserts. The dessert menu changes at Le Cellier, with one of the only constants being that Maple Créme Brulée (for good reason!).
Overall, I think Le Cellier is a very good restaurant, but I think much of its reputation is built upon internet hype and scarcity of reservations. When Le Cellier became a full-time Signature Restaurant, that was probably the last straw for us of it losing its luster. If we’re on the Disney Dining Plan, it’s not better than other Signature Restaurants to justify using the credits, and if we’re paying out of pocket, the prices have been inflated such that’s also not worth it from that perspective. It’s definitely a solid restaurant, but I don’t think it compares with any of the Signature restaurants we’ve visited.
Anyone willing to spend the money or Dining Plan credits will find a good restaurant in Le Cellier. The meats aren’t the only great things at Le Cellier, as the desserts and beer selection at Le Cellier are also fabulous. I know all of this seems like praise given my “overrated” stance, but this restaurant is frequently cited as the best restaurant in Walt Disney World, and that is not the case, in my opinion. It’s a good option, but not even the best restaurant in World Showcase, let alone all of Walt Disney World.
Want more dining tips? Check out our 101 Delicious Walt Disney World Dining Tips. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
If you’ve been to Le Cellier recently, do you think it lived up to the hype? Do you think it’s one of the best Walt Disney World restaurants, or have you had better steak at Walt Disney World? What about the atmosphere at Le Cellier? Are you planning on going? Hearing from readers is half the fun, so please share your experience at Le Cellier in the comments below!
Since I’ve added comments on Disney Tourist Blog to just about every other restaurant I dined at on my trip this month, I thought I would jump into the fray and post my thoughts on Le Cellier for the first time as well. To start, Le Cellier is high quality. Please discount any comments equating the level of steak served here to Outback. Outback (or Lonestar) this is absolutely, unequivocally, not. I would put Le Cellier at the level of The Capital Grille or Shula’s – places I have always enjoyed eating high quality steak at. Those two restaurants have the advantage of real-world pricing however, so you’ll notice your steak at Le Cellier (along with most other entrees around ‘The World) is priced about $10 too high (if you’re paying out of pocket at least, which I did). With that, our steaks were absolutely perfect this visit (and they really have to be for $60+ each). So I came in on the fence (based on my last visit), but left happy and ready to return. My only tip: don’t eat at Le Cellier for lunch, especially on a hot day. This is a dinner place. Book a late ADR, and then leisurely stroll the World Showcase after your meal and everyone has left the park.
Overpriced for what you get. I have to agree with a previous comment about getting a better steak at Outback. The rib eye I had as much fat as meat; half of my dinner was not edible. My wife’s filet mignon and our sides were average. The appetizer was very good, but that does not offset the cost of a disappointing dinner. Perhaps it was better in the past, but not tonight.
WORSE steakhouse ever! so overpriced for the horrible steak that you get! DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY! I had to jump through hoops to get a reservation at the Le Cellier Steakhouse in EPCOT on my wife’s 50th birthday on DEC 10th. They only had an 8:30pm reservation so I took it. They didn’t take us until 9pm. My $55 steak was HORRIBLE! Outback has better steak than this place. My wife had $35 pasta dish that was a “child portion size of veggies”. There were screaming toddlers at the table next to us. (Who brings babies to a high end steak house at 9 at night!?)people with screaming children (baby’s and toddlers) should be placed in a different section so couples who plan a a very expensive dinner don’t have to listen to screaming children all night like your at Friendly’s!) the waitress saw how annoyed we were trying to eat in piece, never said anything t the parents to try and quite the kids down and she NEVER cam back to ask us how our dinner was!!?? They waitress saw it was my wife’s birthday, (by the button she was wearing) so instead of bringing her a slice of cake like every other restaurant in the world does including diners! They gave her a small piece of chocolate, REALLY.. a piece of chocolate for what you pay for a dinner here, are you kidding me! Walt is rolling over in his grave right now. Thanks Disney for completely ruining my wife’s 50th birthday dinner and it only cost me $150!!
We went to Le Cellier on our honeymoon and the steak was so good it made my husband cry! Definitely not a good use of our dining credits, but we were on Free Deluxe Dining so we almost had more credits than we knew what to do with (that was certainly the case with our snacks!). However, I don’t think we will return because it is nuts expensive and after reading your review I’m more inclined to try somewhere else. It is also worth mentioning that you get 10% off with Disney Visa at Le Cellier lunch, which may be a good value since it’s the same menu as for dinner!
We are getting ready to book our reservations for our next Disney Trip and while Le Cellier used to be one of our favorites and a must do, sadly that is no longer the case. The atmosphere and decor are great and the food is excellent but we felt on our last trip that the price of the meal along with the crowding of the restruant and speed with which they push you through a meal did not justify the price. Since we will be down during food and wine we’ll stop and get some cheddar soup but next trip we are going to give the Yachtsman Steakhouse a try as the prices are the same and they have a better steak selection that plus being able to enjoy a few drinks before dinner at the Crew’s Cup something not possible while waiting on your Le Cellier table.
I am against the odds here, but I will forever stand by the Aged 21 Day Dry Rub Ribeye they had on their menu in 2011ish was the best steak Ive had in my life. Surpasses Yachtsman in my opinion. That being said, I do feel the quality has trended downward recently and while we still go its not a rush to get back.
We also found that Big River Grille Works on the Boardwalk has one of the best “value” steaks on property. I say value because of the cost not the cut. Give it a shot, absolutely surprising.
I have to agree with the comments regarding people leaving good reviews… Have you never had a decent steak before or am I just very unlucky when I eat here? (I don’t go anymore – I’ve learned my lesson). I have never eaten anything that was so oversalted. Completely inedible filet – I didn’t think that was possible. And before you assume that I am picky about salt -I’m not at all and I have never had this issue anywhere else. This is definitely the most overrated restaurant at Disney. I didn’t go expecting a Wagyu filet, but an edible steak would be nice at a steak restaurant.
We have been there a few times and once in the last two years. We were very pleased with the menu and quality of our meals. I would agree it can be pricey, but would not rate anything below an 8.5-9. As a value for not beingon the dining plan maybe an 8.
We went to Le Cellier in the good old days before it went to Signature.
I had the best burger there, EVER!
Such a shame that it’s now a 2 credit restaurant for Lunch as well, I think they seriously messed up with that decision.
But the worst decision was taking the burger off the menu (I guess because burgers don’t sit well on 2 credit dining).
The problem with Le Cellier is that it’s really a 1.5 credit restaurant. Better than most standard 1 credit places, but nowhere near the standard of somewhere like Narcoosees or Cali Grill. I also found it very dark! Not the best of surroundings…
i used to go here all the time. That was until 1) the got rid of the prime rib and 2) it became a 2 credit meal. It’s just not worth it anymore
I am so confused. My husband and I are going to Disney for our 20th anniversary – first trip to Disney by ourselves since 2000. We have booked three dinners to try…Boma, Ohana and ??? We ate at Le Cellier a long time ago – not even sure when. So I can’t decide between Le Cellier, Yachtsman, Flying Fish… I want something good, for a couples night, but not uptight.. we want to walk around Epcot after – maybe ride a few things. What would you pick? We are going in January 2015 and all the restaurants are available.
You and I have gone back and fourth about this place for YEARS not it seems. On our last trip everything you said came true. We had three meals there. Don’t get me wrong, each meal was really good but it was not that “punch your mom in the face good” like it always was. That was our first experience with the 2 credit Le Cellier. It was average enough to just not even book it for our upcoming trip. However I did snag an ADR for it last week to try the new version of the filet. Maybe bacon sealed the deal but either way I am going to try it out!
Glad you finally saw the light with Le Cellier… 😉
Well it took about 15 trips before I had an average meal. Literally every single meal before last years trip was simply amazing.
I ate here in 2006 and again in 2010. We walked up without a reservation both times and were seated within 15 minutes. I thought it was okay, but not much variety. Certainly nothing about it was Signature. I was surprised when I saw it become a signature restaurant on the dining plan. The only reason we ate there in 2006 was because my dad was with us and he’s a celiac. We figured he could probably have a big slab of meat there and be fine. The second time we ate there was because we had not planned ahead and made reservations anywhere and I remembered that we were just able to walk up the last time, and the same was true the 2nd time. I guess something must have changed since my times there. According to the reviews I’ve read it doesn’t seem like any positive changes though.
Short and sweet…..we have been going to WDW every year for 30 years….this restaurant has changed…and not for the better.
You see the comments slowly coming to an accurate consensus .
It is a good restaurant ..but not a great one anymore….the menu has been cut back …..the prices raised….and it’s just not worth the price anymore
We just don’t go back here anymore
What a disappointment! My husband and I made reservations for what we hoped would be a romantic dinner for 2 on our family vacation while our 15 year old daughter watched our 2 younger kids. We arrived to see people waiting both outside and inside. They told us they were running about 15 minutes behind. Well…ok….we sat down to wait. THIRTY MINUTES LATER they called us to our tiny table in a noisy & crowded dining room. We were told Victoria would be with us shortly. We waited, and waited, and waited. We looked around us and all the patrons in our section were obviously waiting and annoyed. I mentioned to my husband that even if the server came right away we would not be done with our dinner until well after 8:00, which was the closing time for Epcot. What would our kids do when we were still eating and they were stuck in a park that was closed? We decided to leave. Never even saw the server. I would in NO WAY call this a signature restaurant. And instead of a romantic steak dinner I ate a few cold fries off my kid’s plate at the Electric Umbrella. Not very romantic AT. ALL.
This place has been a family favorite of mine for years.
I went there for lunch today. The revised menu is terrible!
They took off my favorite items and raised the prices of
Everything. I won’t be coming back!
Ate at le cellier last week. We had poutine fries for an appetizer and they were super yummy. My wife had the mushroom filet and it was VERY good, especially the risotto that came with it. My new york strip was over salted and very blah, but the potatoes were good. We enjoyed the ambiance even though the table was about the size of my night stand. I recommend it as a nice place to eat- just make sure you order the right thing and ask them to go easy on the salt.
Hmmm…sounds like a lot of caveats for a place that is so expensive! Did you have a chance to try Yachtsman Steakhouse?
Since Le Cellier is now out for a one credit meal- which of the (many) restaurants that are one credit would you suggest for a decent steak?
Check out our DDP Table Service “Values” list: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/dining-plan-table-service-top-value/
Kona Cafe would probably be my personal choice.
Completely agree! Love Le Celier, but Yachtsman Steakhouse is absolutely spectacular, and much less crowded which is quite nice. Captain’s Grille and Yachtsman Steakhouse are gotos for a wonderful calm meal.
After dining at Le Cellier numerous times in the past (always for lunch to take advantage of the lower prices, and then more recently to take advantage of the 1 credit lunch), on our most recent trip it was the first time we had been there as a full signature restaurant. I know it shouldn’t make much difference about the incremental cost of sharing the same lunch and dinner menu, but it really did ruin it for us. I couldn’t tell the difference for why Le Cellier was now considered Signature, other than the fact that all the prices were higher! I mean, the decor was the same, the somewhat-charmingly crowded tables were the same, the biggest change I could see (other than prices) was that the menu lit up when we opened it.
I completely agree, this pricing change is enough to make us strongly consider other restaurants. It used to be the case that we would inevitably squeeze in one meal at Le Cellier per trip, but I don’t see us going there on a regular basis anymore. And even on “special occasions”, I think we would go to a true Signature restaurant like Jiko.
One possibility for people who are still looking for somewhat of a bargain, we asked on our way out and confirmed that sharing a plate isn’t a problem, and doesn’t have additional costs. So, I could envision *perhaps* our new tradition being to get cheddar cheese soup, share a filet, and get dessert. But a filet-per-person and once-per-every-trip is definitely a thing of the past for us.
You can share anywhere, so I don’t see that as an advantage unique to Le Cellier. In fact, I would give the advantage on that to Yachtsman Steakhouse, as they have some HUGE cuts of meat and sides that are meant to be enjoyed family-style.
Hollywood Brown Derby is another good place to share.