France is known for its wonderful cuisine.  Walt Disney World has brought that cuisine over to EPCOT and we get to enjoy it everyday in the France Pavilion.  There are LOTS of choices in the France pavilion.  A person could spend an entire day just eating in France.  There is just so much to choose from: Chefs de France, Monsieur Paul (for those with the big bucks), Boulangerie Patisserie les Halles, Crepes de France, Vin de France (serving both wine and slushes), and finally L’Artisan des Glaces.

L’Artisan des Glaces is tucked away in the back of the pavilion on the way to Boulangerie Patisserie.  I have rarely seen it with a long line (though, to be fair, I’ve never gone in the mid-afternoon in the summer).  It’s one of the hidden gems of EPCOT and, in my opinion, serves the best ice cream sandwich in all of Walt Disney World.

L’Artisan des Glaces does one food and does it to perfection.  That food is ice cream and sorbet.  They keep the menu small with only 16 flavors with the most popular flavors (vanilla, chocolate, etc) on the menu year-round while some flavors rotate on and off the menu on a seasonal basis.  Last fall, they had a pumpkin spice flavor which I just missed out on but didn’t miss out on the cinnamon apple flavor which was still on the menu.

L’Artisan des Glaces does not open until noon.  I found this out the hard way in August when we stopped by France for lunch and my wife enjoyed her lunch from the Boulangerie while I suffered waiting for L’Artisan to open so I could get my lunch.

L’Artisan keeps the menu very simple which makes for both ease of ordering and it also helps keep the line the moving when it does get busy.  This again goes back to the theme of keeping things simple and doing the simple thing very well.

Not many items are available for a Disney Dining Plan snack credit at L’Artisan only a single scoop of ice cream/sorbet, a chocolate or vanilla macaron, and a bottle of water (which is like throwing away a snack credit).  Everything else has to be paid for “out-of-pocket.”  I will say that a single scoop of ice cream whether in a cone or in a dish is more than enough ice cream.  During the day, the Florida sun will quickly turn your double scoop of ice cream into a melting puddle and you will watch six dollars melt away.

The macarons are pre-made.  The server just has to grab one out of the case and you are on your way.  The ice cream sandwich that is to die for is the Croque Glace.  This ice cream is a scoop of ice cream (your choice) topped with chocolate or raspberry sauce and then placed into a pressed brioche bun.  The end result looks something like this:

The sealed edges of the bun help keep the ice cream in the sandwich and melting out the sides.  The one thing you have to be careful is taking too big of a bite causing the ice cream to break the bun seal and start to fall out of the bun.  You get a great combination of flavors.  There is some saltiness to the bun.  There is lots of sweetness from the ice cream.  The combination of all the flavors is just fantastic.

I have yet to attempt the Ice Cream Martini.  Maybe for an upcoming trip.  It will probably have to be a share-able treat with my wife.  I’ve also never seen it ordered from the menu.  People must buy it though or else it would not still be on the menu.  Maybe it’s more an evening treat.

So, there you have a quick review of L’Artisan des Glaces.  In my opinion, the best ice cream shoppe in Walt Disney World.  If you haven’t been there, give it a try.  You won’t be disappointed.

Thanks for reading!