Hits And Misses From The Epcot Food And Wine Festival

You’ve been eagerly awaiting the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival all year. Finally, the time has come, and you’ve made your way to Epcot to eat and drink your way around the World Showcase.

With so many options from appetizers to desserts and drinks in between, you know you can’t possibly try everything, even though you really want to.

The good news is, we’ve done some of the tasting so you’ll know what to focus on. We’re breaking down our hits, misses, and surprise standouts from this year’s festival so you can make the most of your trip.

From decadent desserts to cheesy goodness, read on for our picks for the best of the fest.

What You Need to Know about the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is one of the most popular events at Walt Disney World, with delicious food, drinks and entertainment. To make the most of your experience, here are some tips:

The festival typically runs from July through mid-November
Booth menus can change and new booths open over time. Check the official festival guide to see what's on offer during your trip
With over 20 international marketplaces and 200+ items to try, you'll want to go in with a plan and your festival passport
Split dishes between friends and family so you can sample more options Shareable plates like cheese plates, and desserts are perfect for this
Kids will love Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak scavenger hunt and the Pluto's Pumpkin Pursuit for the Halloween season
Be sure to head to the World Showcase around 11 am when the booths first open to beat the crowds
We suggest taking your time and trying the booths over the length of your stay and not trying to complete your must-do’s in a day

Did Our Favorite Bites Stand the Test of Time?

We headed straight to some of our usual must-try stops to see if they still deserved a spot on our “best of” list.

Flavors of Fire

Flavors of Fire didn’t disappoint with its Chimichurri Marinated Skirt Steak Taco; a taco topped with avocado corn salsa, pickled red onions, queso fresco, and cilantro-lime cream.

The flavors here are really good and the ingredients were fresh. Consider this a hit.

EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, Flavors of Fire, Chimichurri Marinated Skirt Steak Taco

The Fry Basket

However, The Fry Basket’s Fry Flight, usually a favorite, fell flat this time around. The fries were cold and had been sitting under a heating lamp when we purchased them.

There's nothing worse than cold fries, Unfortunately, this was a surprising miss.

EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, The Fry Basket, Fry Flight

Canada

On the flip side, Canada’s Cheddar and Bacon soup still warmed us from the inside out. Thick, creamy, and filled with cheese, this dish happily remained a solid and consistent dish.

This cheesy goodness counts towards your cheese crawl completer prize.

EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, Canada, Canadian Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Soup

Germany

Germany delivered again with the Schinkennudeln. If you like mac and cheese then you are going to love this dish with the addition of ham and onions. This one also counts towards the Emil's Fromage Montage.

What New Foods Did We Try?

We tried several new dishes for the first time this year at the festival. Here are some of the highlights:

Spain

The Charcuterie in a Cup was surprisingly good. We enjoyed the flavors of the meats, the pitted olives and of course the cheese. This is another dish that counts towards the cheese challenge.

The other dish we tried here was the Paella with Saffron Rice, Chorizo and Shrimp. This was surprisingly good. The shrimp was outstanding and if you like spice then you'll enjoy the chorizo in this dish.

EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, Spain, Paella with Saffron Rice, Chorizo and Shrimp

Brazil

The Pao de Queijo or Brazilian cheese bread is a dish that we'd heard a lot about. Happily, it did not disappoint, it was warm, cheesy perfection. Soft bread rolls stuffed with melted cheese.

Simple but delicious. Here's another one for your cheese crawl.

EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, Brazil, Pao de Queijo

India

The Chicken Tikka Masala provided a nice balance of flavors. Tender chicken pieces in a fennel spiced yogurt sauce served over rice had all of the kick of spice that you would expect

We also tried the Curry-Spiced Crispy Cheese with Mango-Curry ketchup. While this one earns a stamp for the cheese crawl, we wouldn't have this again. The cheese was thicker than we like and not creamy.

EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, lndia, Curry-Spiced Crispy Cheese with Mango-Curry Ketchup

Brew-Wing Lab at the Odyssey

Here we tried two versions of the chicken wings. First up was the Traditional Buffalo Wings with Celery and Ranch. They were just that, traditional wings but very tasty. There is a kick that sneaks up on you with these wings. They were very good.

Next up, we tried the Garlic-Parmesan wings. The sauce here was delicious! It was thick creamy and really could have gone just as well on a pasta dish. With these wings, we did feel that the meat was a little tough. We're not sure if they were overcooked or had been sitting under a heating lamp which dried them out a little.

EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, Brew-Wing Lab at the Odyssey, Chicken Wings

And yes, we did it. How could we not? We tried The Pickle Milkshake! This was a shock to the taste buds in the best possible way. This gave us a more subtle dill flavor than the in-your-face pickle flavor. It blended nicely with sweet vanilla and was truly a pleasant surprise.

EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, Brew-Wing Lab at the Odyssey, The Pickle Milkshake

Coastal Eats

We were very concerned that Mac 'n Eats was not coming back this year. Where were we going to find our seafood? Enter Coastal Eats.

Here we tried the Lump Crab Cake with Cajun-Spiced Vinegar Slaw. We split our opinion here, I thought it was just okay to good but my other half really enjoyed the flavors. We can say that there was more crab than filling, which is always a good thing.

With so many options, we couldn’t try everything. But discovering new favorites and unanticipated surprises is part of the adventure. The mix of familiar and exotic flavors from around the world made for an exciting culinary journey without ever leaving Epcot.

EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, Costal Eats, Lump Crab Cake with Cajun-Spiced Vinegar Slaw

Emile's Fromage Montage and the Completer Surprise

Emile’s Fromage Montage is a cheese crawl you won’t want to miss. As a cheese lover, sampling five delectable cheese dishes to earn your completer prize is a must.

We started at India where we picked up the Curry-Spiced Crispy Cheese with Mango-Curry ketchup. Next, we headed to Germany where we picked up the Schinkennudeln and then it was off to Canada for the Canadian cheddar cheese and bacon soup.

In Brazil, we grabbed the Pao de Queijo, the warm cheese bread and in Spain, we had the Charcuterie in a Cup.

The Cheese Crawl Prize

With our five stamps collected, we claimed our completer prize from the Corkcicle Shimmering Sips booth; a Strawberry Cheesecake Soft Serve topped with cheesecake and graham crackers served in an event special cup.

The deconstructed cheesecake was a sweet ending to a savory cheese crawl.

EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, Shimmering Sips, Strawberry Cheesecake Soft Serve topped with Cheesecake and Graham Crackers

Emile’s Fromage Montage is a must for any cheese lover visiting the Epcot Food and Wine Festival. Come with an appetite, a sense of adventure and be ready to discover some delicious cheeses from around the world.

The Disappointing Miss of the Festival

One of the biggest letdowns of this year's festival was undoubtedly the Fry Flight from the Fry Basket booth.

We had looked forward to once again indulging in the trio of french fries - Sea Salt and Malt Vinegar, Barbecued Bacon Fries with Smoked Aioli, and Sweet Potato Casserole Fries classic - but were sorely disappointed to find the fries were not hot.

Cold, cardboard like fries do not make for an enjoyable treat, especially at a premium price.

The Surprising Hit of the Festival

Of all the dishes we tasted at the Food and Wine Festival, one completely caught us off guard. The Pickle Milkshake from the Brew-Wing Lab was really not as bad as you might think.

This unconventional treat blended sweet vanilla ice cream with the flavor of dill that you get from pickles. Tart, creamy and strangely delicious, this shake had people talking. For the bold and adventurous eaters out there, the unusual combination of pickles and ice cream was a real treat.

While the festival had some misses, the creative and unexpected options like the pickle milkshake made it memorable. Kudos to the Disney chefs for pushing the envelope and giving guests an opportunity to discover unconventional but delicious new flavor pairings.

And the Winners are: Our Top 5 Best of the Fest

Counting them down in the number five spot is Spain and the Paella. This saffron-infused rice dish with chorizo and shrimp is packed with flavor.

The number four spot was the Canadian Bacon Soup. Hearty, creamy, and perfect on any day, this soup hits the spot.

In the third spot is Germany and the Schinkennudeln. These noodles mixed with cheese, ham, and onions are pure comfort food.

Coming in second is the Emil's Fromage Montage Completer Surprise and the deconstructed cheesecake. A sweet ending with creamy cheesecake, graham cracker crumbs, and strawberry soft serve.

And drum roll please, the Best of the Fest is the Hawaii booth and the Kalua Pork Slider with the Aulani Sunrise!

EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, Hawaii, Kalua Pork Slider with the Aulani Sunrise

Savory shredded pork meets a sweet and tangy pineapple chutney and spicy mayo, all on a soft roll. Paired with the tropical Aulani Sunrise cocktail and the vibrant atmosphere of the festival, this was a taste of paradise we look forward to every year.

Though it was hard to choose, these dishes rose to the top of the class, tempting our taste buds with amazing flavors and leaving us eager to return next fall for another round of Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival.

Final Thoughts: This is One Festival That Always Delivers

After all these years, the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival remains one of our favorite events. Like old friends, some booths are comforting standbys, dishing out familiar favorites we look forward to each year. At the same time, there are always new tastes and flavors to discover.

The variety of options means there is something for everyone. Want to sample cuisine from afar? Try the Chicken Tikka Masala from India or the Charcuterie in a Cup from Spain.

In the mood for comfort food? Head to the Brew-wing at the Odyssey for the wings or Germany for the cheese goodness of the Schinkennudeln.

While a few dishes may miss the mark, the hits far outnumber the misses. Our best advice is to go in with an adventurous appetite!

At the end of the day, you have to stroll around World Showcase, sip drinks from around the globe, and taste dishes inspired by cultures near and far.

Share bites with friends, ask for tastes and recommendations, and don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. You never know when you might stumble upon a new favorite.

At its heart, the festival is really about bringing people together to celebrate cultures, cuisines, and the simple pleasures of good food and drink. Though some of the booths and menus change each year, that spirit of joy and community endures.

Start planning your trip for next year and mapping out your must-try eats. The Food and Wine Festival only comes around once a year, so make the most of every bite!

Until next time, Enjoy the Journey!

Hits, Misses and Surprise Standouts: What We Loved (And Didn't) From Epcot's Food and Wine Festival

What You Need to Know about the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival