Eats at the EPCOT Experience soft opened to guests today inside The Odyssey, and we were among the first to check it out and try the fresh new offerings. The menu features a variety of favorites from the Electric Umbrella, which is set to close soon for an extensive remodeling. We’ve checked out the outdoor signage for the new counter service restaurant, so now let’s head in and eat!

The blue menu boards up top now feature the newly expanded menu.

It’s worth noting that this is one of the most difficult menus to read in the entire park due to how tiny the font and displays are. (You’d think they’d address this with the new menu signs, but I digress.)

Thankfully, handheld menus are also available for guests to peruse.

Among the options are cheese and pepperoni flatbreads, a turkey sandwich option, a chopped salad with chicken, and of course, the ubiquitous chicken breast nuggets. Kids options are available for the flatbreads and nuggets. Chips and fries are available as sides, plus a number of desserts like a cookie crunch brownie, Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bars, and more. Craft beers and soft drinks are also available.

Off to the side, there’s a small, albeit improvised-looking condiment stand.

Napkins and straws are available, as well as ketchup, mayo, mustard, and relish. (All Heinz, of course.)

We ordered both the Chopped Salad with Chicken and the Turkey and Mozzarella Sandwich, both of which come in handy plastic to-go containers.

Chopped Salad with Chicken – $11.75

Mixed Greens, Apples, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Cranberries, and Agave Lime Vinaigrette – (Also available without chicken for $9.50)

The salad is comprised as a plentiful bed of chopped Romaine lettuce, and each topping is scooped on in its own corner of the bowl, making it easy in case you want to pick something off or avoid it. The chicken also comes pre-sliced, making it easy to eat with plastic cutlery. Even the dressing comes thoughtfully packaged on its own, so you can lightly dress or douse your salad as needed.

For only a $2.25 difference between regular salad and with chicken, you get a ton of chicken.

While the salad looks impressive, we’d probably rate it as just decent, mainly because it tastes like boxed salad, with iffy greens at best. These aren’t exactly freshest leaves of lettuce, but when you drown it in the amazing dressing, it really saves it.

The dressing is sweet, and with the apple chunks and cranberries, it’s a great combo. The dressing is what makes this whole thing work for us. If you’re a fan of the Quinoa Salad from the Electric Umbrella, this has the same dressing, so you may like this new salad option.

Sliced Turkey and Mozzarella Sandwich – $11.00

with Sun-dried Tomato Aioli served with Chips

This turkey sandwich looks like something out of the pre-packaged refrigerator case at any grocery store, but it’s shockingly good. (It also comes with a bag of chips.)

The bun is really soft and fresh, and the giant mozzarella slices are nice. The greens on the bottom are just a bit soggy, but still add a slight crunch to the sandwich.

The tomato aioli looked like a lot at first, but it totally makes the sandwich. The turkey slices are pretty basic, but the sauce and roll are delicious. If you take off the greens and eat just the turkey and cheese alone with the bun, we wouldn’t judge.

For our thoughts on the Cookie Crunch Brownie, another holdover from the Electric Umbrella menu, you can check out our review here.

In a park packed with unique dining options, it’s odd that someone would pick a turkey sandwich or prepackaged salad, but even at EPCOT, it’s okay to be picky, and sometimes you just want a bite to eat when hunger strikes. This new counter service might become a moot point once Regal Eagle Smokehouse opens soon, but the convenience of a to-go meal sometimes can’t be beat.