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Tangierine Cafe - Morocco Pavilion, Epcot


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From the Disney Food blog. Probably my very favorite QS location in any of the parks with the Shwarma platters being my fave. Plus this is a gorgeous pavilion, with lots of great nooks and crannies to explore. Follow the link at the end for more photos...

Guest Review: Tangierine Café in Epcot

May 24th, 2012 by AJ.

Welcome back guest author Melissa Sue Sorrells Galley with a review of the Tangierine Café in Epcot’s Morocco!

Today we’re heading to one of my all-time absolute favorite places in Walt Disney World, Epcot’s Morocco at night, to do one of my all-time absolute favorite things ever: eat.

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Morocco at night

Atmosphere

As you enter the Morocco pavilion, you’re immediately transported by the sights, smells, and sounds of a Moroccan marketplace, which sets the scene for the delicious meal you’re about to enjoy.

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Nejjarine Fountain

Located on the France-side of the Morocco pavilion, the Tangierine Café is a jewel in the crown of the Kingdom of Morocco.

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Tangierine Café menu board - click image for larger version

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Tangierine Café

After you place your order at the front counter, you’ll walk down the length of the counter while the Cast Members prepare your meal. One of my favorite things about Tangierine is how authentic everything is. The meat is prepared on a shawarma spit and shaved off as needed.

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Meat is cooked on a spit and sliced to order.

On this particular evening, the service wasn’t great. I don’t know if it was new Cast Members or just a bad night, but orders were coming up with missing pieces. My own meal came up without my water twice before I gave up. I’ve never experienced bad service here before, and hopefully it was just a fluke!

Once your order is up, the seating in Tangierine is part of the experience. The tables are beautifully crafted, and the chairs are made of wrought iron. If it’s crowded inside, there is some seating outside, both in the front of the pavilion as well as on the west side of the pavilion, nearer to France.

If you time your meal right, it also comes with a show! I was lucky — I caught two performances by Mo’Rockin, the Moroccan live band in the pavilion, on this particular March evening.

Eats

My husband and I have ordered the wraps before because they’re the perfect IllumiNations food, but tonight I ordered the Mediterranean Slider Combo.

The three mini-“burgers” are actually three pita pockets, one with lamb, one with chicken, and one with falafel. All of them included lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumber spears, and tahini sauce.

The pitas came with three sides: lentils, hummus and tabouleh.

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Mediterranean Sliders Combo

I went for the lamb slider first. It was simple and gamey — no frills, just good food. I’d absolutely order the lamb here again.

By the time I got to the chicken slider, the tahini had started to get a little wet, but even though my pita was drippy, the flavors were still really clean and classic. Two thumbs up for these two.

My last slider, the falafel, wasn’t quite as good. I prefer flat, patty-shaped falafel, but these were deep-fried balls. They were very crunchy and reminded me of bar food, and the flavor was kind of flat. I make better falafel at home, for sure. If I was going to order this again, I’d ask for two lamb sliders and a chicken.

The lentil salad is served cold and slightly al dente, with a nice bite to it. It’s a clean, fresh Mediterranean take on the vinegary mac salad you eat at a summer picnic. The hummus was also absolutely delicious — exceedingly creamy and sweet with roasted garlic. I was less fond of the tabouleh.

There was almost no bulgur in the salad, and it was extremely heavy on the parsley. It wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t rush back for it. Again, it’s something I make better at home.

On to dessert!

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Pastry and Coffee menu

The pastry counter at Tanigerine Café is something you have to see to believe. The glass case is brimming with cookies, pastries, tarts and sweets.

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Pastry Case at Tangierine Cafe

I knew what I wanted: baklava! Of course, there were three or four different flavors, including the traditional walnut, but I went with the pistachio.

I also decided to get one of their specialty coffee drinks, and I asked the Cast Member which she would recommend. She whipped me up a Kasbah Coffee — coffee with hazelnut liqueur — and told me that if I didn’t like it, she’d make me a second cup at no charge.

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The most beautiful cup of coffee ever.

Luckily, I didn’t need a second visit to the counter because her advice was spot-on. The coffee at Tangierine is real coffee. It’s very strong and slightly bitter, and the alcohol added a sweet little punch. I’ll admit, I couldn’t finish it on my own!

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Tangierine Coffee and Pistachio Baklava

The baklava was sticky sweet, just the way I like it. The pastry was crispy and flaky, and it was filled with pistachio pieces as well as a smooth pistachio paste.

It was literally the best piece of baklava I’ve ever had; and if I could order it again, I would not share it with anyone!

Overall

This is the best Disney counter service location you haven’t visited yet. The food is both authentic and inventive, and it’s really, truly delicious.

And you can’t beat the portion sizes for these prices. All of this fresh, delicious, fast food is a great deal by Disney standards. I wish I had more hands so I could give it more than two thumbs up!

Have you stopped by the Tangierine Café? What do you recommend we try on our next visit?

Melissa Sue Sorrells Galley works in higher education communications in upstate New York, where she lives with her husband, Robert, and her cavapoo, George. She’s is the co-editor of Mouse on the Mind.

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2012/05/24/guest-review-tangierine-cafe-in-epcot/

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Sorry, I wish I could say good things, but this is one of the most disappointing places we've ever eaten in Epcot.

Also got the Mediterranean Slider Combo. The pita was very dried out and cracking apart. The chicken and lamb were barely warm. The reviewer is correct in that the lamb is gamey - to the extreme. I didn't realize the falafel was supposed to be deep fried balls since ours looked like mush. The hummus was lumpy and the reviewer is again correct as the tabouleh was almost entirely parsley. We ended up throwing most of the food away...and I don't like to do that since us poor campers don't get free food plans. :grumpy2:

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Pistachios in baklava??? The Greeks in my community wouldn't like that one bit.

This can't be as good as my baklava. Don't make it often because it takes a half day. The best time to eat it is when it's right out of the oven and the orange juice/honey mixture has just been poured over it. Pure heaven!

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This can't be as good as my baklava. Don't make it often because it takes a half day. The best time to eat it is when it's right out of the oven and the orange juice/honey mixture has just been poured over it. Pure heaven!

You will let us all know the next time you're making it, right? :D

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