El Mercado de Coronado Food Court Review
El Mercado de Coronado Food Court, formerly known as Pepper Market, is the counter service restaurant in Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World. In this WDW dining review, we’ll share food photos, thoughts on eating here, and offer a look at the new-look restaurant. (Last updated August 5, 2019.)
One thing we love about El Mercado de Coronado Food Court is that the menu features a wide variety (and we do mean wide) of American and Mexican cuisine. It has one of the most expansive menus of ‘things we’d actually want to eat’ of any counter service restaurant at Walt Disney World. It participates in the Disney Dining Plan, but does not accept Tables in Wonderland for a 20% discount. It is one of the best uses of a counter service credit on the Disney Dining Plan.
Over the last few years, this location has experienced an identity crisis, going from standard counter service food court to buffet, back to food court. Most recently, it received a slight aesthetic refresh and changed names from Pepper Market to El Mercado de Coronado. For a location that most theme park guests will never experience, it seems that Walt Disney World has given El Mercado de Coronado a lot of attention…
This is likely because of its strong convention demographic at the new Gran Destino Tower and the rest of Coronado Springs. Disney wants to make a good impression on business travelers in the hopes of luring them back, or they’re simply trying to find a good balance of efficiency and quality in this spot that can be quite popular during events.
Whatever the reason, all guests of Coronado Springs and Gran Destino are the winners. El Mercado de Coronado has a strong, varied menu with plenty of enticing choices and at a full range of price points, which can make it appealing from a value perspective to those on the Disney Dining Plan and those paying out of pocket. Most important, the food is good and unique.
Another way that El Mercado de Coronado has changed over the years is in regards to seating/serving. At present, El Mercado de Coronado works just like many other hotel food courts (and even in-park places like Sunshine Seasons). You have separate ordering bays for different foods. Like these other food courts, you can get what you want from the various stations.
In terms of ambiance, El Mercado de Coronado is decent for a food court, but fairly average overall. The colors and design were muted when Pepper Market was transformed into El Mercado de Coronado, and the result is a duller look. The seating area has nice thematic touches, but it’s so huge and open that the feeling is simply one of “food court.”
The biggest blow to the restaurant’s atmosphere is the removal of the giant chicken goddess and pink sheep-dog-man (half man, half sheep, and half dog (file photo from our archives above). We poked fun at these in our previous review, but they were pretty cool. Unfortunately, Walt Disney World wanted to turn Coronado Springs into a more restrained hotel to appeal to convention guests, so they had to go.
In fairness, most hotel food courts take a utilitarian approach rather than going for ornate theming. El Mercado de Coronado is a fun place regardless, and we especially like the tables by the edge of the restaurant that offer window views into the courtyard.
In terms of the food, there are a variety of options at El Mercado de Coronado Food Court, ranging from grab and go sandwiches and ordinary pizza to Mexican cuisine with a bit more pizzazz.
The newest offering is a build your own rice bowl station.
You choose your meat (beef, pork, or chicken), rice base, and beans, and then get to pick from a range of toppings.
This allows for a healthy option (like Sarah’s veggie-forward bowl) or something a bit less-so, like my bowl slathered in sour cream. Either way, this is a fantastic and refreshing option. I’d put it right up there with the bowls at Satu’li Canteen.
“Where Dreams Come True” is what this menu item should be called, with your stomach, after you eat it, being, “Where the Magic Lives.” Available certain hours at the Chef’s Station, this 1/2 slab of ribs was excellent. These tender ribs were perfectly cook and incredibly messy (that, or I recklessly consumed them like a starved hyena).
They come served with cheddar-spiced cornbread, and on top of potatoes and vegetables. I made sure to immediately get the vegetables off my plate after this photo, as I didn’t want them desecrating the ribs, but the cornbread was very good and the potatoes were fine.
These ribs just might give Flame Tree a run for its money. I know ribs aren’t exactly the most interesting choice at a Mexican restaurant, but I could not resist, and I highly recommend these ribs. They are about $15, so not a great value if you’re paying out of pocket, but they are an excellent value if you’re on the Disney Dining Plan.
This is the Aztec Burger. It might take the cake (of beef) as the best counter service burger at Walt Disney World. Not only does the 1/2 pound of meat seem of a higher quality than the standard counter service beef patties, but the bun seems nicer, too. The burger is topped with fried onions, fried jalapeños, guacamole, tomato, lettuce, chipotle aïoli, and pepper jack cheese.
Plus, it’s served with delicious garlic Parmesan potato wedges. The burger isn’t too spicy, but has great flavor and texture thanks to the toppings. Disney has tried its hand at a lot of unique burgers over the last few years, almost all of which have been flops. This burger is a rarity in that it’s unique and delicious. At a regular counter service restaurant, it would be the menu standout..
This just scratches the surface of the excellent menu at El Mercado de Coronado Food Court. Additionally, you’ll find Yucatan Roasted Chicken, Pasta Bowl, Paninis, Pizza, Shrimp Po’ Boy Sandwich, a Chef’s Daily Special, and Beyond Burger for vegetarians or vegans. Of course, there’s also a case of freshly-made desserts, too!
Overall, El Mercado de Coronado is a great counter service option that we highly recommend. While the prices are a tad on the high side, the food is excellent, with more variety than just about any other Walt Disney World counter service restaurant. We were both really impressed by the exhaustive menu, and had a difficult time narrowing it down to only a few things to try.
The only problem with El Mercado de Coronado is location. While it’s easy to recommend spots like Contempo Cafe or Roaring Fork because they’re easy to access and make a nice midday break while in the parks, this restaurant doesn’t have that. And if you do opt to make the commute out here, you’re better off going all out and dining at Three Bridges Bar & Grill or Toledo Restaurant in the new Gran Destino Tower. However, if you’re staying at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort or Gran Destino Tower and need a quick meal, El Mercado de Coronado is a great option that won’t disappoint!
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Your Thoughts
Have you been to El Mercado de Coronado? What did you think of it? Do you agree or disagree with this restaurant review? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I’ll be short and too the point. Thinking about breakfast at Rix? Don’t. You’ll have a better breakfast at the food court. I knew Rhonda were going south when the server told me they were backed up as I sat down. I ordered the breakfast burrito. It was advertised as coming with salsa. The “salsa” was small tomato pieces. I was expecting something more jucier. The burrito itself was dry. The potatoes were typical fare. Trust me. The CSR food court or any food court for that matter is the better option.
It seems that the Aztec burger is no longer on the menu as of January 2020. And the only beef burgers they offer are ones with bacon, seriously they now have a Texas Bacon burger that uses candied
bacon, a bacon aioli sauce, and chipotle bacon (3 types of bacon on one sandwich). The only other beef burger on the menu is a bacon cheeseburger. Bacon is like pumpkin spice in Autumn: overused and overhyped. Too much of a good thing is.. well not a good thing. I’d like a non-bacon option for a beef burger and I’m beyond disappointed that the Aztec burger has disappeared. Things that you mentioned in your review that have also disappeared is the Yucatán roasted chicken, the shrimp po’ boy sandwich, any Chef Specials or chef selections (including those delicious looking ribs). Their menu is bare bones now and not even remotely varied. You should update this with a review of the new pared down menu.
The wife and I ate breakfast there in Nov 2016 and our experience was different. At places like this I tend to eat foods they have to cook to order, that way it is always hot and exactly what you want. It takes longer but to me it is worth the wait. I had an omelette and sides and loved it. The wife had something from under the heat lamps. Hers was cold and damp. Biscuits were hard and the gravy was cold. She took it back and gave her more hard biscuits and cold gravy.
Went last year, but food seemed to have changed, one thing do they have mor emptied for bottled drinks, other than just water or fountain soda
We are here at Coronado Spgs for Thanksgiving week 2014. Six of us and nobody has had a bad meal yet. I had the Azteca burger tonite and it was delish!!! Had breakfast here yesterday, I had the fluffy cheese scramble and it was really good also. Being from Texas, I am leery of the Maya grill as just can’t imagine the mex food will be anything near as good as what we are used to! I have to say that some of the Pepper Market staff have not had that Disney friendly attitude that one expects. The food however is awesome and the portions are plentiful, can easily be split if you’re not starving! My wife and I split an amazing turkey club sandwich and we both came away full, shouldn’t have eaten my half of the brownie, I was stuffed!
If you are staying at one of the All Star resorts, the drive is about ten minutes or less. Well worth it.
Our family has stayed at Coronado Springs 3x and I feel like the Pepper Market gets a bad rap. We have never had a bad meal at this place. I will say, the set up is a little crazy if you don’t know what you’re doing. I think it’s odd that you get a Server just to provide drinks, but the food in general has always been very good. We tried the Rix and hated it. The Pepper Market is a great value if you are on the Quick Service dining plan!
We stayed at Coronado Springs the week after this review so I really wanted to try Pepper Market. Buyer beware. As with many Disney restaurants, experiences vary. I had the BBQ ribs and they were awful. Might as well say it, they were the worst food I had all week. On the other hand, my wife had the chicken alfredo and it was very good. But we did use our snack credits to purchase breakfast muffins and other goodies at the snack counter just down the hallway from Pepper Market and they were always fresh and tasty. I would still rate the cafeteria at Port Orleans Riverside as the best counter service restaurant in all of our stays at Disney so far. Still many to visit though. 🙂
We are staying at Coronado Springs next year, having previously stayed at All Stars and Caribbean Beach. I have read countless articles about food at CS and was surprised to read that you have a server for your drinks and have to pay a tip. However, in your article you say that there is no server and you do not have to tip. I know this sounds a bit petty but we are staying for 3 weeks and this will make a big difference to our budget.
If you have visited recently could you please let me know which is correct.
Thanks
Don’t forget the awesome creme brûlée French toast! Like a lost, but extremely valuable treasure, you have to search (way in the back of the food stations) to find it. Surprised that Pepper Market is the only place that has it. it’s part of our “gotta have it at Disney” list.
The baked chicken was great, we were there in June 2013. We are returning May 24, of this year. They will see me and my family!
Me and my family just visited Coronado Springs resort March 9-14 the do indeed now take tables in wonderland discount at the pepper market we are going back again in may and I will let you know if they are still honoring the TW . Like the other people I was too so disappointed to see they had done away with the build your own burrito and fajitas too and replaced with tiny tacos and nachos . The grill station had a amazing grilled chicken sandwich probably the best I’ve had at any of the resort property’s and parks ! I have to admit I am partial to Coronado springs it’s beautiful clean never packed peaceful and fun all wrapped up in to one and at a great price per night mind you that’s only if your a florida resident/pass-holder but I would highly recommend this resort to anyone .
Thanks for the great posts on your TDL trip – they were essential in planning my one day blitz on the park. I wasn’t prepared for the weekend crowds (I have a couple pics on my blog) and I think with a little strategizing (sending a runner to a ride while another person picks up fastpasses), the day could have been a little more fruitful in terms of number of rides.
There were points (post parade, specifically), when it was impossible to move in the park and you had to go with the traffic flow – there was no room to go anywhere else.
But, the snack tips were awesome – we had a ton of fun hunting them out!
Thanks for the great posts, as always.
And I just completely put this on the wrong post…ugh
Hubby and I loved the Pepper Market on our Sept. 2013 trip. The build your burrito was my favorite (only tacos or nachos now?). Recommended it to my son. His family went Feb. 2014 and hated it! Oh well.
In 2012 I got food poisoning while staying at Coronado Springs, which necessitated a hospital visit. Emergency room Doc said food poisoning usually gestates for 1-3 days before you’re affected and I had been eating only resort/park food for the previous 5 days. At the Pepper Mill I ate fish tacos and immediately thought “These are off” and quit after 2 bites. I am positive this is where I picked it up.
I just recently went to Coronado Springs and loved it. The little snack shop next to Pepper Market serves a chorizo, egg and cheese biscuit sandwich that is out of this world. If you go early enough before they start cranking them out and leaving them under the heat lamps, they will make one fresh for you. The biscuit was warm and buttery, the eggs were fluffy and the chorizo was spicy. Yum!
My husband and I stayed last year at Coronado and Pepper Market had none of these options! We saw a nacho station weaker than Tortuga tavern, wimpy burgers, and a “pasta station” which was really a pick a noodle and sauce station. Your pictures make me want to go back and see if PM can redeem itself!
I’m a little disappointed that it has gone back to this way of dining. We stayed in 2012 and had a few breakfasts when in was Buffet style. Stating again this year but find it very unlikely That we will eat there! Not sure how my daughter will get her Mickey waffle fix this year! You mention about it being a but out if the way ( which is why we love it & the fact it less kids) but if coming from blizzard beach it could always be a good stop over?
I think a lot of people are disappointed about the buffet ‘test’ (which is what Disney called it, even though it lasted like a year) is over. It’s certainly not as good of a value now. We never tried it when it was a buffet, but I’ve heard from others who think that the food quality is better now. So maybe that’s the trade-off? I don’t really know.
As for it being a good stop if you’re coming from Blizzard Beach: absolutely. If you’re driving, it would also be a good stop on the way from Animal Kingdom, too!
I’m pleased that it’s no longer a buffet! My daughter and I don’t eat very much, and I would hate to have to pay for her separately when we could just split a bounty platter or something.
I am sure you have eaten at many a fine restaurant but you sir are the dog of Disney counter service. Serve me meat dripping and juicy. The potatoes were fine 9.5
I’m not sure if this is supposed to read as an insult or not. I’ll assume not! 🙂
Haha I thought the same thing, Tom
My husband and I recently stood at Coronado Springs for valentines weekend for the second time. Our last stay was about 3 years ago and we have amazing memories from that. This past stay was a little disappointing we found the pepper market played into that for us. We had valentines dinner at maya grill and that was amazing. (Highly recommended for the margarita fans!) But the next day lunch at the pepper market, and it just feels so out of place smashed between maya grill and Rix Lounge and Cafe. The food was okay. Your post made me wish I would have tried that burger! (I thought about it when I saw it on the menu) The opened a breakfast returant while we were there. I don’t recall the name but it’s next door to Rix Lounge. It’s table service and it has a more high end feel for a moderate. I over heard that they have plans on doing some renovations to the pepper market. What would be awesome to see and I think would fit perfect in the space would be a chipotle style quick service food court. With that style “build your own” Mexican and also more stations with different style foods. Great post BTW! I deffinatly want to go back just to try the burger!
Thanks for sharing your experience. The feedback we’ve received about Pepper Market seems to be pretty negative on Facebook, too. Maybe we are way off with the score here. I loved what I had here, though!