It’s our favorite and most delicious time of the year at Walt Disney World…the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival! This year the festival started August 30th and runs through November 12th
The festival features over 30 international food and drink booths, free eat to the beat festival concerts, food and wine seminars, celebrity chefs, hands on seminars and a scavenger hunt for the kids! All this is included in your Epcot ticket price. Food and drink items range from 5 to 10 dollars depending on the booth. And if you are on the Disney dining plan some items are eligible to be use as a snack credit!
This year our goal was to try something from every food and wine booth!
First stop…we had to pick up our Food and Wine Passport!
The food and wine passport is a great little companion when visiting the festival at Epcot, as it features all the food and drinks at each festival booth, and has stickers that you apply to each page as you make your way around Epcot!
Cheers tip: Remember even though Epcot opens most days at 9am, the World section does not open until 11am and that is where you’ll find most of the food and drink booths.
Our plan was to eat lunch at the festival each day starting in Canada and work our way around the World!
Cheers tip: the easiest way to pay for your food and drinks at the Festival is to use a Disney gift card. We bought some before we headed down at Sam’s club for a discounted price, and then all we had to do is swipe it at each booth, it is a lot easier than fishing around for cash or using our bank card!
Well…It’s a big job to try everything at the festival and we have to admit that we made it to all except about 4 booths this year…Here are some of our favorites….
Our perennial favorite….Canada!
Canada offers a delicious Canadian cheddar cheese and bacon soup along with a wild mushroom beef filet mignon…how can you go wrong with that!
Another favorite…Germany
We loved the pasta gratin with ham, onions and cheese and of course we couldn’t pass on the roast bratwurst in a pretzel roll!
Best appetizer…the Creamy Spinach and Artichoke dip at the Almond Orchard.
If you like almonds, this dip is for you. It’s made with pulled chicken, toasted blue diamond almonds and parmesan cheese served with nut thin crackers.
Most creative food display…the Artist Palate of Wine and Cheese at the Wine and Dine Studio
This is served on an Artist Palate….hence the name. We liked that you got a little sample of wine and cheese with this one. Wine included a Chardonnay, a Pinot Noir Rose and a Petite Sirah.
Most surprisingly good dish…Japan’s Teriyaki Chicken Bun.
The Teriyaki Chicken Bun is steamed and filled with chicken, vegetables and a sweet Teriyaki sauce. At first we were not too sure of this…but one bite and it just melted in your mouth..so good!
Best Dessert….The Maple Bourbon Boursin Cheesecake at The Cheese Studio
Delicious…and the caramel and pecan crunch just added to the flavor!
Most indulgent…the Maple Bacon Funnel Cake at The American Adventure Kiosk.
We did a whole blog on this one! Find it here…https://www.cheersfortheears.com/2018/09/20/maple-bacon-funnel-cake/ The Funnel cake is served with a slab of maple ice cream and topped with candied bacon…yum!!!
Most Unique…Teriyaki glazed Spam Hash at Hawaii
That’s right…Spam! This Spam hash was mixed with potatoes, peppers, onions and spicy mayonnaise. We were a little bit reluctant to try this, but we were pleasantly surprised…it was really good, especially when you paired it with a glass of sparkling pineapple wine!
A little bit of a disappointment….Ireland
Although we loved the roasted Irish sausage with potatoes along with the warm chocolate pudding and the honey wine…the warm Irish cheddar cheese and stout dip with Irish brown bread was a little bit of a letdown. Just too runny for us.
Most flavorful…the Smoked Corned Beef from Flavors from Fire
This delicious dish set off our taste buds, the smoked corned beef was served with warm crispy potatoes, pickled onions and a blond ale cheese fondue!
Best Burger….The Steakhouse Blended Burger from Earth Eats
This blended beef and wild mushroom slider was topped with brie cheese fondue, arugula, truffle and blue cheese potato chip on a brioche bun.
Most Fun Drink….the InfraRed and UltraVoilet drinks at the Light Lab
No alcohol in these and it was a little sweet, but watching them put it together was really cool! And everything glowed!
We totally recommend planning a trip to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival! There’s something for everyone, and it’s a great way to get a little taste of some food and drinks you might not otherwise try!
Find all the details here…https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/epcot-international-food-and-wine-festival/
Cheers for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival!
