My party of 3 spent $171 on lunch at Disney World's hibachi restaurant Teppan Edo, and we wouldn't dine there again

Teppan Edo is located in the Japan Pavilion in the World Showcase portion of Epcot. I've always heard others rave about it, so I thought I'd try it out during our latest trip to Disney World.

We mostly avoided it because we have a lot of Japanese restaurants where we live. But on this particular Disney trip, my family was trying things we hadn't done before, so I grabbed a reservation for a late lunch.

When we arrived, we climbed the stairs to the entrance, which has a gorgeous view over the entire Japan Pavilion.

But I think that's kind of where the ambiance ends for this restaurant.

The host greeted us and introduced us to our tablemates. We were only a party of three and the hibachi tables seat eight.

Then we were all escorted to our table. The room had white walls and no decor, which I found strange for a Disney restaurant.

I didn't expect Mickey and Minnie to be plastered on the walls, but some ornamentation would've been lovely and made it more inviting. It was truly just a black, white, and red room with four hibachi tables.

Our server was attentive, offering to take our orders for cocktails and appetizers.

After we ordered, he brought us oshibori, or hot towels, to clean our hands — a tradition in Japanese dining.

After the drinks came he promptly took our entrée order.

The girls ordered yuzu lemonades, a specialty drink with strawberry popping boba. They loved them so much that they ordered two.

My tablemates said the Tokyo Sunset is the best cocktail in Disney World, so I tried that. But if you don't like fruity cocktails it's not for you — it's a mix of coconut rum, crème de banana, peach schnapps, and pineapple juice.

Luckily, I loved it and agree it's one of the better cocktails I've had at Disney World.

We began our meal with a California roll — my girls aren't very adventurous when it comes to sushi, so we stuck to the basics.

It was tasty and a nice start to our meal, but I don't think it was worth $14 for eight pieces.

Our complimentary salads came out soon after our appetizer. Miso soup wasn't included with our entrées, so we ordered a cup of that to start as well.

In my experience, both soup and salad are typically included at hibachi restaurants, so I didn't love the extra charge for the soup.

Our hibachi chef came out as we dined on appetizers.

He was entertaining and did a great job — he even made a cute Mickey Mouse head with butter and a spoon.

But overall, the experience felt very rushed. We were seated at our table at 3:30 p.m. and paid our bill at 4:29 p.m.

I've never had a hibachi meal that was that quick before.

Along with the garden salad, each entrée came with white rice, hibachi vegetables, and noodles.

I ordered the Asakusa offering, a mix of steak and shrimp, and my girls had the ebi (shrimp) and the tori (chicken).

The portions looked small compared to the other hibachi places I've dined at. I also thought it was strange that there was no option for fried rice, not even à la carte.

The food wasn't necessarily memorable. I felt like it lacked flavor as the veggies and noodles seemed to only be cooked with soy sauce and some seasoning.

I really needed the ginger and yum-yum dipping sauces.

My steak and shrimp were good, and they were both cooked well. But my daughter said her chicken was a little dry. Normally, she destroys her meal, but she didn't eat much of this.

Both girls also said the yum-yum sauce was way too salty for them.

Our total came out to $171 before the tip.

Between the rushed meal, smaller portions, and underwhelming flavors, we probably won't be back here again.

It's disappointing because hibachi is one of our favorite dining experiences. Sadly, Teppan Edo just doesn't make the cut for my family.

This story was originally published in March 2023 and more recently updated on March 7, 2024.