Our 10 Favorite Food & Beverage Items at the EPCOT® International Food & Wine Festival
Authors: Denise Preskitt and Jeff Lange, Mousesteps
The EPCOT® International Food & Wine Festival is now in full swing, offering tempting tastes and beverages
through November 23rd, 2024. We stayed one night at the Caribe Royale Orlando – only 10 minutes from EPCOT® – and
enjoyed this annual gastronomic event over two days.
Here are our 10 Favorite Food & Beverage Items at the EPCOT® International Food & Wine Festival (so far).
Roasted Warm Water Lobster Tail with Garlic Butter – Coastal Eats was an early stop for us. One of Jeff’s favorite
foods is lobster, and we take advantage of it at any EPCOT® Festival that serves it. There is a nice amount of
succulent lobster meat in the tail, which comes with drawn garlic butter on the side.
Steakhouse Blended Burger – This beef and wild mushroom slider at Flavors from Fire is juicy and flavorful, and
comes with truffle brie cheese fondue, arugula, and truffle potato chips on a sesame seed bun. All flavors worked
well together for a delicious slider. We paired it with a Four Virtues Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel, which is a rich, fruity
red that I recommend adding to your order.
Pickle Milk Shake – This is the second year for this surprisingly tasty drink, which can be found at the Brew-Wing
Lab at The Odyssey. I don’t like pickles, but I do like a bit of dill, and the shake is very dill-icious! Add wings to your
order and enjoy the snack in The Odyssey or drink your Pickle Milk Shake on the way to your next Global
Marketplace.
Chicken Tikka Masala and Potato and Pea Samosa– Two of our favorite festival dishes have been at the India booth over the last few years, and we order them almost every time we are at EPCOT®. The Chicken Tikka Masala has spice but isn’t overly spicy. The dish comes with rice and naan bread and makes for a small meal when we visit.
A vegetable samosa is like comfort food for me, I still remember the first time my
extended family from India brought a paper bag full of them home from a nearby restaurant. Two moderately
sized samosas come with an order at the festival. Jeff and I will usually order the Chicken Tikka Masala and split the
samosas. We ask for the coriander-lime cream on the side, but it is usually squeezed over the samosas. I can’t
recommend the India Marketplace enough during your visit. At times we’ll also order a Mango Lassi (which can be
ordered with or without chai cream liqueur).
Chocolate Amarula Mousse – This decadent dessert from Refreshment Outpost is very similar to the iconic Zebra
Domes from Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. The biggest difference is the size. The Chocolate Amarula Mousse is
huge in comparison! The light, airy mousse gives way to a wonderful chocolate cake inside, and a crispy cookie at
the bottom finishes off the treat. This is a dessert you might want to split.
Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese with Alpine Ham – Raclette cheese is very popular in Europe, usually in France and
typically during the winter months. This is quite a treat to have it at EPCOT® during the festival. While you wait in
line at The Alps, watch the melted cheese being scraped by the Cast Members for each order. Our portion had a lot
of cheese, which covered tender purple potatoes and cornichons that round out this traditional dish. A small
baguette slice is on the side. Jeff also tried the Stiegl Brewery Key Lime Radler from Austria. Stiegl is a brewery that
has been family-owned since 1492!
Order either of the raclette cheese options and you can have your book stamped for Emile’s Fromage Montage.
Purchase any five of the special items noted in the Festival Passport and receive a festival treat!
Carolina-style All Beef Hot Dog – Flavors of America at the American Adventure pavilion is offering a hot dog
menu this year, featuring four different styles (New York, Carolina, Chicago and Southwest style). We tried the
Carolina-style, which includes chili, coleslaw, and yellow mustard in a brioche bun. Our first choice at the festival
would not be normally to go for a hot dog, but there are some fun options here.
Beef Bourguignon and a Frozen French Cosmo – We ordered the Boeuf Bourguignon with potatoes at the France
Marketplace and added a Cocktail au Gin et Aux Fraises. The braised short ribs in cabernet comes with roasted
potatoes, which were lighter and airier than I expected (a perfect addition to the dish). The France Marketplace is
also well known for its Instagram-worthy cocktails! The Frozen French Cosmo comes with vodka, Grey Goose Le
Citron Vodka, and cranberry juice – the latter gives it a deep red color. On a hot day, the frozen drink will be
delicious and welcome.
One note – the France Marketplace often has one of the longest lines at the festival. I recommend visiting early if
possible.
Filet Mignon – The Filet Mignon in Canada is an annual must-do for us. The tender steak comes with mushrooms,
mashed potatoes, and Boursin® Garlic and Fine Herbs Butter.
These aren’t the only wonderful items to try at the EPCOT® International Food & Wine Festival, you will find many
more tempting dishes and drinks.
There is more to enjoy at the EPCOT® International Food & Wine Festival. Here are some of our top tips!
- Pick up a Festival Passport when you arrive at the park. This small guide offers all the menus and more! Even if
you’ve mapped out all of your planned tastes ahead of time, it’s helpful to follow along in the booklet.
- Enjoy Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak scavenger hunt (and Pluto’s Pumpkin Pursuit from September 27 through
November 1, 2024). These are inexpensive activities that include a small prize.
- Ride Living with the Land, which celebrates the EPCOT® International Food & Wine Festival (as well as other
festivals during the year).
- Take in the Eat to the Beat Concert Series at the America Gardens Theater. Well-known and loved artists plus
local acts are featured, depending on the day.
- The Florida Blue Lounge in Morocco is a great way to escape the heat with a variety of beverages and activities.
Being a Florida Blue member is not required, but you’ll need to secure a guest pass from the My Disney Experience
app.
- Taking a break in the middle of the day can recharge your energy for the evening. If you are staying at a resort
like Caribe Royale Orlando, take a dip in the waterfall pool or relax in the comfort of your suite. With a break in the
afternoon, you will be ready for the evening to enjoy the Luminous: The Symphony of Us fireworks spectacular.
About the authors:
Denise Preskitt made her first visit to Walt Disney World and Orlando in 1977, and eventually moved to the area
about 25 years ago. She started Mousesteps in 2007 to showcase Walt Disney World and has expanded the site to
include her love of theme parks, dining, cruising, travel (especially to Paris each year) and more.
Jeff Lange has visited Walt Disney World since 1971, the opening year of the resort. He has closely documented
the Disney parks in photos and video since the 1990s. He has grown our Mousesteps YouTube channel to over 1
million subscribers!
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