Vegan Quinoa Burger at Space 220 Restaurant in EPCOT

We visited Space 220 soon after it opened last year and shared our full vegan Space 220 review here on VeganDisneyFood – now Space 220 recently announced some new menu items, including a Quinoa Burger, which we have confirmed is completely vegan as is. Of course we wanted to hop on the Stellarvator and give it a try to share our review with you. What follows is the tale of a Quinoa Burger and how to get it, and if it’s worth the hassle. 

Space 220 – 101:

For those unaware, Space 220 is run by the Patina Group, it is not a Disney-owned restaurant. They also run the restaurants and food stands in Italy in EPCOT, Morimoto Asia, Enzo’s Hideaway, Maria & Enzo’s, Pizza Ponte and The Edison in Disney Springs. Because of this, things are run a little differently. 

First, you cannot do mobile check-in on the My Disney Experience app. So be aware you must check-in in person. You can do so 10-15 minutes before your reservation time, but once you check in, you are usually sent right inside to the interior waiting area, you don’t have to wait around for another text. You’ll then be called to take the Stellarvator and head to space. 

Another thing to note is that the reservations for the lounge are completely separate than the regular dining room. There is also a bar area, which is completely walk-up only and unable to be reserved, though you can request to sit there if you have a lounge reservation, based on availability. There are currently 8 smaller tables in the lounge area, with the edge of the lounge holding tables which are seated as main dining room tables. Now let’s talk about the lounge a bit more. 

As you may recall from our initial Space 220 review, the main dining room is completely prix fixe, at $55 per person at lunch for an appetizer and entree, and $79 per person at dinner for an appetizer, entree, and dessert. The main dining prix fixe is per person, and no sharing of entrees is allowed. However, at the lounge, you have two options, ordering something a la carte, or getting the prix fixe menu, but you are able to share in the lounge, not everyone has to order the full meal. 

The lounge menu features some a la carte items, and none of them are vegan. However, we were told that you can request the Galaxy Greens salad, which we got during our lounge visit. You can also order the absolutely-worth-a-visit vegan-as-is Carrot Cake. Ok, time to discuss this new vegan Quinoa Burger. Sort of.

What Vegans Can Order at Space 220:

We initially tried to get into the lounge, because we were told we could order the burger there. When we arrived we were told it was absolutely only available at lunch and the grill was completely turned over and there was no way to make it for dinner anyway. We were able to make a reservation for lunch the next day and stuck around for some of that carrot cake.

The manager pointed out another new dessert option, a Coconut Panna Cotta with coconut cream, citrus, lychee, raspberries, coconut meringue, and toasted coconut. It was listed on the menu board outside at being vegan. However, when we returned and scanned the lounge menu, the dessert was listed as gluten-free and dairy-free. We asked our server and she asked a chef who said it did contain gelatin.

Apparently at one point, it was made with agar-agar but they switched it at the last minute. So we did not get to try this new dessert. That said, today the manager told us that it CAN be requested through the dietary and allergy email: [email protected], if you give them 48 hours notice. So if those flavors sound like your thing, keep that in mind and drop them an email before your visit. And the menu board was fixed that night so it no longer shows the dessert being vegan as is. 

Our server was wonderful and I was able to enjoy an oat milk cappuccino with my dessert too. After an extensive conversation with one of the managers, we were able to enjoy the Galaxy Greens salad. I wanted to make sure anyone could order it, and our server assured us that they could. 

We then luxuriated over our vegan carrot cake and were reminded that is was our favorite dessert on property. So, so good. You can read my full reviews of the salad and carrot cake on our original Space 220 vegan review. 

The Vegan Quinoa Burger at Space 220:

The next day we arrived for another trip 220 miles into space and our date with a quinoa burger. First, we wanted to ask about the other salad option, the Space Greens salad, made with: Bibb Lettuce, Compressed Watermelon, Spiced Pecans and Apple Cider Dressing. The dressing contains honey, but you can request oil and vinegar if you’d like to try this salad instead of the Galaxy Grains. I did not try it because I just love the Galaxy Grains so much, it’s the perfect combination of flavors and textures. 

The Quinoa Burger had been pretty hyped to us over the last two days, so we were very excited to try it. I also was not a big fan of the other entree option, the Terra Bolognese, wishing it had a bit more flavor, it was kind of a let down as the only vegan entree option. This is why we were glad to learn we could order the Galaxy Grains and dessert at the lounge. So the burger, while not super exciting in terms of type of entree, was new, and made of vegetables and grains, not plant-based meat. 

The Space 220 vegan Quinoa Burger is served on a bun with baby arugula, tomato, yellow beet citrus mayonnaise, with a side of fried potato wedges and a pickle. 

It is a pretty big burger and hard to take a bite. The potato wedges are also huge, it is pretty much a big ol’ potato cut into wedges. The bun itself tasted fresh and was crusty and delicious – it is not gluten-free.

Unfortunately, for me, the quinoa burger fell flat in terms of flavor. I truly had very high hopes for it as I love quinoa, I love vegetable-based veggie burgers, I love bread. My first bite consisted of a giant carrot disc. So it REALLY is a veggie burger. There are huge chunks of veggies in there. Big chunks of carrots, and other big green stems which we couldn’t really identify. One piece looked exactly like a piece of okra. So we had to ask exactly what was in it. It turns out it was quinoa, black beans, shallots, garlic, carrots, green beans, broccolini and potato. What’s funny is those are all the side item vegetables you can get too so they are definitely just using what’s on hand already. By the way, we asked and you CAN get veggies on the side prepared without butter if you ask. We were initially told on our first visit that wasn’t possible. Back to the burger…

Again, I love veggies, it all tasted very fresh, but there needed to be some sort of seasoning or a different sauce that might give it a kick of flavor. There are SO many unique flavors out there from across the galaxy, surely they can find one to add to this burger. I also think it could benefit from the veggies being a little pureed or something to make it a little more burger-patty-like and less vegetables-mixed with black bean paste. 

I do appreciate Space 220’s attempt at a unique vegan quinoa burger option for us, but I can’t recommend a reservation just for this burger at this time. You can order the Space 220 Terra Bolognese at lunch, but not the Quinoa Burger at dinner. It is pretty sad, because the Galaxy Grains truly is one of my favorite salads on property and the Carrot Cake is unbelievably good. If you’re able to get into the lounge, I’d recommend getting those two items and enjoying the view. 

I do want to extend a special thank you to the managers we spoke with both days we visited. They were very helpful and answered all of our questions, understanding, and wanted to make sure we were accommodated. I hope the chefs can continue to work on things and try to come up with some enhancements to the vegan entree options to make a main dining room visit worth it. 

Thank you for reading this roller coaster of a visit to space (twice!) while we figured this new vegan Quinoa Burger at Space 220 out. Of course everyone’s tastes are different and this burger may be right up your alley. Here’s our video review, so you can see more of the items and the Space 220 restaurant itself:

Make sure you’re subscribed and have notifications turned on for future videos! Until then be sure to check out our original Space 220 Vegan Review.