Regardless of it being Free Eating season, there truly aren’t that many robust Advance Eating Reservations proper now at Walt Disney World. Until your occasion is bigger than 4 folks, you need to have a comparatively straightforward time scoring ADRs at most eating places, even traditionally laborious ones like ‘Ohana, California Grill, or just about any character eating meal–even 1900 Park Fare, Topolino’s Terrace, Cinderella’s Royal Desk, and Artist Level.
In reality, there’s same-day availability proper now for many of the aforementioned eating places together with dozens upon dozens of others–and never only for a single time slot at an inconvenient time. Push that out one week, and a household of 4 may have their choose of just about any time and restaurant. For those who search by analysis and do the vary of dates, there’s an abundance of choices.
This truly isn’t a brand new improvement. As mentioned in our Information to Advance Eating Reservations at Walt Disney World, this development began final summer season and surprisingly continued all through the vacation season. We anticipated the dynamic to vary with the return of the Disney Eating Plan. It didn’t. After that, we as soon as once more anticipated issues to vary with the beginning of Free Eating season, because it all the time had up to now. To this point, that additionally has not occurred. Nevertheless, there’s one restaurant that has remained steadfastly elusive in relation to ADRs at Walt Disney World.
That’s House 220 at EPCOT.
As mentioned in our record of the Hardest Advance Eating Reservations at Walt Disney World, there are literally two totally different ADRs right here: House 220 Restaurant and House 220 Lounge. Each are difficult, however House 220 Restaurant does have availability within the subsequent week for a celebration of 4 (a single time slot) and scattered choices past that.
Against this, House 220 Lounge is sort of unattainable. It has nothing in any respect for any occasion of any dimension within the subsequent 60 days.
House 220 Lounge has develop into a “white whale” Advance Eating Reservation for me.
We did the House 220 Lounge just a few instances when it first opened, however have have tried to revisit it a number of instances since, totally on the lounge facet. I’ve been in a position to be a part of the Stroll-Up Waitlist a few instances on solo journeys, so slight success there, however so far as ADRs go, we’ve been shut out for over 2 years.
That’s, till 2024, after we lastly had success scoring Advance Eating Reservations for House 220 Lounge.
House 220 Lounge is such a troublesome ADR for 2 causes–above and past common House 220 Restaurant: tremendous low provide and an a la carte menu that may be cheaper.
There’s a 3rd cause House 220 Lounge is extra fascinating, which is the elevated view that provides a greater view. As we’ve talked about in our different opinions, the perfect seats are not the entrance row–you’re truly too near the glass to have a correctly expansive view into area and again at earth. You’ll be able to solely see a sliver of what’s taking place.
Against this, each desk at House 220 Lounge is farther again and on the elevated second stage. It’s the right distance to have the entire extremely broad angle view. This will not make sense for those who haven’t dined at House 220, however consider it like an IMAX theater, and sitting within the entrance row versus center row.
I’d hazard a guess that House 220 Lounge has lower than one-third of the capability of the primary restaurant, and all the tables are for events of two to 4. (Up to now, solo vacationers have been ‘blocked’ from reserving ADRs; that’s now not the case at different Walt Disney World eating places, however I’m undecided about House 220 Lounge.)
House 220 Lounge additionally has its personal menu of “Flight Bites” or appetizers that may solely be ordered by visitors with reservations for the lounge. Not like the restaurant itself, you aren’t required to order from the dear prix fixe menu–however you possibly can if you need. That means that House 220 Lounge visitors have entry to the total restaurant menu, however not vice-versa–restaurant visitors can’t order from the lounge menu besides along with their prix fixe orders. (I don’t know why anybody would need to try this–the prix fixe menu presents loads of meals.)
At present, each single one of many “Flight Bites” on the House 220 Lounge menu is underneath $20, versus the prix fixe menu for lunch costing $55 and dinner priced at $79. These will inevitably improve given the favored of House 220–I’m truthfully stunned the lounge menu is so low cost. With far fewer tables and the possibility to dine in area on a dime, it ought to be apparent why House 220 Lounge’s recognition is larger than sky-high.
Earlier than we cowl extra fundamentals, there are just a few caveats to supply about House 220 Lounge which will or might not apply to your meal–as we’ve discovered issues to be hit and miss.
The primary is that on a few events, I’ve been informed the walk-up availability was bar seating solely. This isn’t splendid, because the bar faces away from the glass looking into area and over earth. There’s a mirror so you possibly can nonetheless look out into area, it’s only a mirrored view. Personally, I’m not eager on this angle, so make sure you affirm what’s out there.
Second, generally there’s Stroll-Up Waitlist availability within the My Disney Expertise app and generally you have to actually stroll as much as the kiosk (tucked away by Mission House). In my expertise, it’s largely the latter. The very best instances for this are proper when the restaurant first opens or in direction of the top of the night. I’d personally goal for earlier.
In terms of Advance Eating Reservations, we’ve struck out repeatedly at and past the 60 day mark. Totally anecdotal, nevertheless it appears such as you want the total 60+10 window so as to rating this elusive ADR this far out.
Our success with House 220 Lounge ADRs has come fully final minute. We booked as soon as the evening earlier than at 11 pm and one other time roughly 3 hours earlier than our seating. In “stalking” ADRs on the My Disney Expertise app, this looks as if the most effective technique.
I’ve seen choices pop-up between 7 am and 9 am, after which at random all through the day. These seem like cancellations, that means that solely a single slot is showing–you’re taking no matter you will get. For those who see one thing, e book instantly–don’t hesitate to ask your folks or household. I’ve had House 220 Lounge ADRs booked out from underneath me as a result of I paused for a second to ask Sarah what she thought.
Once more, all of that is fully anecdotal and reflective of our private experiences–your mileage might fluctuate.
For those who’re in search of information on the theme and environment of House 220 Lounge, take a look at our Photographs & Video: Inside House 220 Restaurant at Epcot. That tour presents an exhaustive go searching. Summarizing the storytelling, the premise of House 220 is that you simply’re eating inside an area station with a celestial panorama of the celebrities and Earth 220 miles (therefore the identify) under.
Likewise, for those who’re extra excited by the primary restaurant, see our House 220 Restaurant Lunch Assessment and House 220 Dinner Assessment for extra complete ideas on every. Since House 220 is among the many hottest Advance Eating Reservations at Walt Disney World, you could not have a lot of a selection between lunch and dinner. (This evaluate may also provide our up to date ideas on menu high quality that apply to the prix fixe menus.)
Persevering with with the fundamentals, Disney Trip Membership Members obtain a 15% low cost and Annual Passholders get 10% off at House 220 Lounge. Identical to the primary restaurant, House 220 Lounge doesn’t settle for the Disney Eating Plan. That makes its stratospheric recognition all of the extra stunning. (Frankly, I don’t foresee House 220 altering course and accepting the DDP till this dies down. So positively not in 2025…perhaps 2026?)
With all of that out of the best way, let’s flip to the meals within the House 220 Lounge!
Let’s begin with certainly one of my private favorites at House 220, the Starry Calamari: Fried Calamari, Italian Cherry Peppers, Spicy Marinara, Roasted Pepper Citrus Aioli.
Anytime we evaluate calamari, I all the time preface it with there’s no such factor as unhealthy calamari–solely various levels of fine. I’m a sucker for the stuff, and you need to know that I’m grading on one thing of a curve.
We’ve had the Starry Calamari just a few instances now, because it’s served on the lunch, dinner, and lounge menus. It has been constant from meal to meal.
To that time, the Starry Calamari at House 220 Lounge (or Restaurant) is improbable. The breading is mild however provides a pleasant texture and batter-y goodness to the flavour. The meat is tender and flavorful–a winner throughout.
My solely criticism after having the calamari twice now could be that it has been a bit of heavy-handed with the salt. This may very well be a “me downside,” as I seldom use salt, nevertheless it’s one thing that caught out to me. Not sufficient to dissuade me from ordering this improbable calamari once more, however sufficient to advantage mentioning.
The Roasted Pepper Citrus Aioli is addictively good; the marinara is sort of primary (and in no way spicy).
We’ve additionally ordered the Quick Rib Sliders with White Cheddar Cheese, Pink Pepper Citrus Aioli, Lettuce, Tomato, Butter Pickles. These are one of many few “Flight Bites” unique to the House 220 Lounge menu. There’s additionally deviled eggs, rooster wings, and pork stomach.
The Quick Rib Sliders are fairly good, with beneficiant helpings of quick piled that tastes improbable, particularly with the cheese and extra of that addictively-good citrus aioli. The standard of the meat right here is sufficiently good, and these two quick rib sliders work out to about the identical dimension as one normal burger.
These sliders remind me a little bit of the sliders at Crew’s Cup Lounge, besides inferior in each approach. That’s to not say these are unhealthy–they’re truly fairly good–however you possibly can simply see the standard distinction within the buns, meat, and toppings.
In order a lot as I loved these, I used to be additionally left pondering, “dang, I want we went to Crew’s Cup and had these as an alternative.” After all, that’s outdoors the park and doesn’t provide a view into outer area, so not precisely apples to apples. With that stated, this is among the gadgets we might suggest ordering on the House 220 Lounge.
Talking of meat, there’s additionally the Gemini Burger: Signature Beef Mix, White Cheddar Cheese, Bacon, Shredded Lettuce, Tomatoes, Roasted Pepper Citrus Aioli, French Fries.
The following couple of dishes aren’t listed particularly on the House 220 Lounge menu, however as famous above, you’re in a position to order from both the lounge or the common menu within the lounge (once more, this doesn’t work in reverse).
This might additionally change at any time, so don’t financial institution on having this feature for those who’re planning far prematurely. (I’m all the time hesitant to incorporate ‘secret menus’ or choices like this because the restaurant isn’t formally committing to it and will deny the choice at any level.)
The Gemini Burger is tasty. As you possibly can see, it’s a fairly unassuming burger, with common toppings plus that addictive aioli, and accompanied by French Fries. However the burger is thick, juicy, and extremely tender. The beneficiant serving to of white cheddar cheese and citrus (however not overly so) aioli brings all of it collectively.
With that stated, this jogged my memory of an inferior model of the burgers at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant. All of these are very related at a foundational stage, however then construct on that with distinctive and fascinating toppings. After all, that’s at a completely totally different park–and the Gemini Burger might be the most effective burger in EPCOT, so there’s that.
Persevering with with the meats is the Steak & Frites: New York Strip Steak, Roasted Garlic Butter, Haricot Vert, French Fries.
That is the dish that actually received me pondering of counterparts to the dishes served at House 220. It was like a stroll down reminiscence lane, reminding me of a bygone period when nearly each Walt Disney World restaurant menu had a New York Strip Steak. As these had been all the time the most effective use of Disney Eating Plan credit–and I used to be massive on hacking that–I ordered so much of those steaks. And this was strikingly just like these.
Admittedly, I’m massive on Walt Disney World nostalgia so I quite loved this blast from the previous! The steak was largely tender and engaging, and a large portion. I’m additionally a giant sucker for roasted garlic butter, and had sufficient right here for the steak and to make roasted garlic butter fries (the fries are in any other case quite pedestrian–this helped so much).
However this can be a evaluate and I have to be goal. And objectively talking, this New York Strip Steak had all the identical faults as its old fashioned counterparts. The reduce was not notably prime quality, with lots of fats and gristle. There’s additionally a cause why it’s completely slathered in butter, and that’s to masks the standard and add taste. It additionally had a beneficiant serving to of salt. Identical to the Le Cellier of a decade in the past, earlier than it went Signature.
Ordering from the a la carte House 220 Lounge menu, I used to be pretty glad with the Steak & Frites. Most likely not one thing I’d get once more and even suggest, nevertheless it was nice. Nevertheless, if I ordered this as a part of the pricier prix fixe menu, I probably would’ve been a bit upset.
On the different finish of the spectrum (meat vs. vegetation) is among the greatest “Flight Bites” at House 220 Lounge: the Blue Moon Cauliflower, consisting of Tempura Fried Cauliflower, Housemade Sizzling Sauce, and Blue Cheese Mud.
The 2 of us have very totally different opinions of cauliflower. Considered one of us hates it, discovering it to be cursed delicacies. The opposite loves it, incorporating it into nearly each dish, even ones the place it clearly doesn’t belong. I in all probability ought to cease there earlier than I get myself into hassle. The purpose is that I’m not a fan of cauliflower and I definitely wouldn’t threat my status on faint reward of the villainous vegetable.
With that in thoughts, the Blue Moon Cauliflower is the most effective appetizer at House 220 Restaurant. The tempura batter provides it a pleasant texture and taste, successfully masking the cauliflower itself, which nonetheless offers a substantive high quality to the appetizer. The recent sauce and blue cheese are likewise nice, making this extra like buffalo tempura than cauliflower. I usually discover cauliflower hidden in my meals, however I wouldn’t thoughts if that had been the Blue Moon Cauliflower. It’s approach higher than it has any proper to be. I’m not even fully satisfied that is even cauliflower, to be trustworthy.
Our remaining “Flight Chunk” is the Massive Bang Burrata.
We’ve now had three iterations of the Massive Bang Burrata, and even because the accompaniments change (and get smaller), the creamy mozzarella stays the star of the present. It’s distinctive, with the garnishments all the time additional enhancing it.
With that stated, this additionally jogs my memory of one other superior tackle this dish–the Burrata Salad at Bar Riva in Disney’s Riviera Resort. By comparability to that distinctive dish, this take is barely okay.
What most struck me about our latest meals at House 220 Lounge is these unfavorable comparisons to different eating places at Walt Disney World. Usually, these are to different bars/lounges or mid-tier eating places. House 220 isn’t unhealthy; it’s simply primary and boring. Not that something we ordered ought to’ve been ingenious or thrilling, nevertheless it was all simply so bizarre. There have been no little touches or thoughtfulness within the preparation of the dishes. It was like a sequence–nice however forgettable.
That is notable because it stands in sharp distinction to our authentic experiences at House 220 Restaurant, after we felt that it was nearer to the caliber of Signature Eating places than different highly-themed eating experiences. At the moment, we stated it was effectively under resort Signature Restaurant high quality, however arguably on par with Cinderella’s Royal Desk, Le Cellier, and Hollywood Brown Derby.
That’s now not the case. This appeared evident over the past couple of years with House 220 menu adjustments, as even the components and descriptions urged substitutions had been made on the premise of reducing prices. It’s now very clear that corners have been reduce, with cheaper and decrease high quality dishes being the top consequence.
This isn’t to say that House 220 is unhealthy or that you simply shouldn’t dine right here. We’re nonetheless followers of the restaurant and lounge, nevertheless it’s for the whole package deal of the expertise. House 220 beforehand occupied the uncommon intersection of nice eating and themed eating places–it was one thing particular. Now, we in all probability wouldn’t return only for the meals–however the identical may very well be stated of many eating places at Walt Disney World. It’s the theme or environment that’s make or break.
Given all of that, House 220 Lounge is the excellent technique to expertise the setting, which stays on the high of our Prime 10 Themed Eating places at Walt Disney World. For the reason that meals is nothing to telephone dwelling about, it thus is smart to spend as little as doable by doing the “Flight Bites” quite than one of many dear prix fixe menus.
As for the meals, House 220 now strikes us as being nearer to on par with Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater or Coral Reef. That sort of is smart, and is what we anticipated within the first place. It’s nonetheless a little bit of a disgrace, as Patina Group is able to a lot extra–as they’ve demonstrated with their new eating places at Downtown Disney or, heck, even the unique menu at House 220!
Truthfully, we’d quite pay larger costs for commensurate high quality. There’s no actual incentive for something to vary so long as ADRs are unattainable to attain, so except there’s one other new menu, we’ll in all probability be glad revisiting Coral Reef (related concept, however underneath the ocean), Le Cellier, or one of many close by lounges we praised. Till that or Megatron takes an curiosity in outer area, we’re in no rush to return. That’s us, although, as Annual Passholders who’ve now dined right here 5 instances. Walt Disney World first-timers ought to nonetheless do House 220, and they need to in all probability dine within the lounge to get the most effective expertise whereas paying the bottom value or no less than having probably the most flexibility.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you ever dined at House 220 Lounge (or the restaurant) at EPCOT? How was your expertise? What’d you consider the delicacies high quality? For those who’ve eaten right here lately (throughout the final yr or so) what did you consider the standard versus the price? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!