MASSIVE REVIEW: We Tried EVERY Booth at the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival

Welcome to the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival!

Things are different this year — the festival is shorter, fan-favorite menu items and booths have moved around — but at its core, it’s the same event you know and love. As usual, we reviewed EVERY single booth to let you know if it’s worth your money or not. We’ve got a LOT of booths to get through, so let’s dive in!

The 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival runs from August 29th to November 23rd and there are 32 food booths as well as some additional locations. Here is our review of each booth!

The Alps — 4/5

We grabbed the Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese with Alpine Ham, Baby Potatoes, Cornichons, and a Baguette for $5.75. This iconic dish is part of Emile’s Fromage Montage cheese crawl this year! It’s a favorite of ours for a reason. It’s best when eaten right away while the cheese is still melty. The potatoes are soft without being mushy and the baguette is warm and fluffy as well.

Next up, we tried the Dark Chocolate Fondue with Berries, Pound Cake, and Meringues for $6. Dipping the berries, pound cake, and meringues in the chocolate is a fun experience and each bite offers something different!

For a drink, we got the Frozen Rosé for $9. Talk about a refreshing drink! The froze is sweet and floral without being overly so and it goes down real smooth. Our reporter who tried this one said it was the best drink she had all day!

This booth was a winner yet again!

Australia– 4.5/5

Australia’s back, back again…and we’re happy to be here! We tried some returning favorites including the Grilled Bushberry Shrimp with Pepper, Onion, Snap Peas, and Coconut-Chili Sauce for $7.

This skewer has some killer flavors with that rub on the shrimp, and the delicious peas on the side. The shrimp were a little bit fishy, but if you can get past that, this was quite good!

For our second savory item, we got the classic Roasted Lamb Chop with Mint Pesto and Vinegar Potato chips for $8.75. This is the kind of dish that’ll make a lamb hater actually like lamb! The mint is strong, but it works well with the tender meat and the salty chips to create a spectacular combination. This is one of our favorites!

If you’re in the mood for dessert, you can snag the Lamington for $4.75. This cake is dense, but also very moist and light. It’s not the top dessert at the festival, but it’s quite underrated and we would recommend getting it if you have the room!

Finally, we have the beverages! Here, we ordered the wine flight for $7.50. The first wine was the Yalumba ‘The Y Series’ Viognier, South Australia, which was quite dry. However, it had a nice floral taste that might appeal to sweeter wine fans. The Bulletin Place Sauvignon Blanc is also a white wine, but it’s on the acidic and tart side of the spectrum. And lastly, there’s the Fowles Wine Farm to Table Shiraz, which is dark, peppery, and VERY, very dry. 

Australia was a winner yet again, and we encourage you not to miss it!

Belgium — 3/5

If you’re headed to the Belgium booth there is one item that is a must-try — the Beer-braised Beef served with Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes for $6.25! This small meal was delicious. The cheesy potatoes were a stand out to us with a light smokey flavor. We would add these as a side to any meal. The beef was tender with a strong flavor that was fantastic. This is a hearty dish that could totally be a small meal and is easily shareable.

Of course, at the Belgium booth, you can grab Belgian waffles! There are two options here, the Belgian Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache and the Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream. The berry waffle was our favorite of the two this year.

The chocolate ganache on the first waffle was a little too thin and made our waffle soggy. Whereas the berry waffle was light and fluffy with fresh berries on top.

 For drinks, you can try the Belgian Chilled Coffee (non-alcoholic) for $5 or grab the alcoholic version with ChocoLat Deluxe Salted Caramel Chocolate Liqueur for $12. We tried the non-alcoholic version which simply tasted like regular coffee with cream and sugar. It wasn’t anything special.

Next up, is the beer flight! It comes with the Brouwerij St Bernardus Dragòn Wit, Brouwerij Verhaeghe Vichte Duchesse Red Sweet & Tart Cherry Ale, and the returning Brouwerij Van Steenberge Gulden Draak Tripel Ale. The flight is $10.25, or you can get a 6 oz. pour of any of them for $5.75 or a 12 oz. pour for $9.75. This is a really great flight because you get a light, heavy, and sweet fruity beer! Our favorite of the three was the cherry ale which was on the sweeter side with a hint of tartness. However, it wasn’t bitter, as you might expect. The Dragon wheat beer is the lightest with a typical light flavor while the triple ale is a full-bodied beer with strong flavor.

Bramblewood Bites — 5/5

If you want to know what fall tastes like, visit Bramblewood Bites because everything here gives us comforting fall vibes. The Grilled Cider-brined Pork Tenderloin with fennel apple slaw and apple cider gastrique for $6.75 could be the stand-out here, though. The pork tenderloin is tender and juicy and perfectly grilled. The apple cider brine gives it a nice sweet flavor, too, so you’ve got a whole sweet and savory thing going on. 

We can also highly recommend the Grilled Bison with butternut squash purée, roasted mushrooms, and huckleberry gastrique for $8.75. The meat here is so perfectly cooked, and when it’s paired with the butternut squash and huckleberry flavors, it’s elevated. This tastes so much like fall that it comes served with a leaf on it. 

The third dish here is the Cast Iron-roasted Brussels Sprouts and Root Vegetables with dried cranberries, candied pecans, and maple bourbon glaze for $5. What can we say? This dish is as perfect as the rest. There’s a sweetness in the glaze, as well as a hint of something that tastes a little vinegary (trust us, it works). The brussels sprouts are roasted with a nice char.

For our drink, we got the Spiced Apple Old Fashioned-inspired cocktail with Boyd & Blair Rum for $12. You don’t usually find rum in an old-fashioned, but it works here, especially with the apple flavors. You don’t really taste the rum, but it adds some sweetness to make for a nice, smooth drink. 

Overall, this food booth could be our favorite this year. We love the fall flavors and found everything consistently good.

We’re off to try the NEW Bramblewood Bites booth! Lineup 👇

🍖 Grilled Cider-brined Pork Tenderloin
🍗 Grilled Bison with butternut squash purée
🥗 Cast Iron-roasted Brussel Sprouts and Root Vegetables
🥃 Spiced Apple Old Fashioned pic.twitter.com/FFtu00sAE4

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) August 29, 2024

Brazil — 5/5

Brazil has pretty much become the booth we’ll be visiting a LOT during the festival. The menu here is small but mighty.

First up is the Feijoada, which is pork belly over black beans with Brazil nut pesto, and BEN’S ORIGINAL Long Grain White Rice for $6.50. The first time we tried this a few years ago, we loved it, but last year, it didn’t meet our expectations.

We’re happy to report that this dish has improved to its original form and is fantastic. It has a ton of flavor with even a slight amount of heat from the pork belly. The sauce is incredible, and the beans have just the right amount of seasoning.

The Pão de Queijo for $5 is almost always a favorite, and it does not disappoint. It’s cheesy bread, so what’s not to love? This year’s version is as good as we remember, with a nice chewy texture and a ton of cheesiness.

For drinks, you can grab a Frozen Caipirinha with Cachaça for $12, which we found super refreshing in the past. You can also order Xingu Black Beer for $5.75 for 6 ounces or $9.75 for 12 ounces.

Brew-Wing — 2.5/5

So what can we say about Brew-Wing? Well, you don’t really come here for the food and drinks. You come here for the weird and experimental concepts of the food and drinks. The idea here is that Muppet Labs has come up with some concoctions and you’re the guinea pig who gets to try them. 

We started getting experimental when we tried the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sticky Wings for $7.75. Yes, it’s unique. Yes, it’s very peanut buttery. However, we didn’t really get any jelly flavor. It’s…different, and that might be enough to convince you to try them. 

We will admit that we loved the Garlic-Parmesan Wings for $7.75, though. They’re savory, with just the right amount of garlic and parmesan flavors. This is probably the only thing at this food booth we would eat again (you’ve been warned).

The Unnecessarily Spicy Yet Extremely Tasty Carolina Reaper Pepper Curry Wings served with Creamy Cucumber Raita $7.75 and lived up to its “Unnecessarily Spicy” name because once you bite into these wings, your mouth will be on fire and you won’t be able to taste anything else. That means the rest of the flavor of the wings gets lost under all that heat.

Speaking of safe choices, the Fried Pickle Spears with Dill Ranch for $5.75 is pretty much your standard fried pickles. These were almost disappointing, considering the experimental nature of this booth, but Brew-Wing is obsessed with pickle flavors (we’ll get to that in a bit).

For drinks, you’ve got the returning Frozen Pomegranate & Raspberry Tea, which is Twinings Pomegranate & Raspberry Herbal Tea infused with orange ice cream molecules for $5. When we had this before, it tasted like a fruit candy with a hint of tea flavor. We think this one might appeal to kids. 

Okay, it’s time to discuss this booth’s obsession with pickles because the Pickle Milkshake has returned for $6. This is the drink you get when you want to prank your family and friends. Imagine mixing pickle juice with vanilla ice cream and that’s what this is. 

We also grabbed a beer and cider flight for $10.25 each. The first 3 Daughters Brewing Palm Paradise Hefeweizen, The Bruery Desert Flora with hibiscus and prickly pear, and Cigar City Peach White Oak Jai Alai. The Hefeweizen and hibiscus and prickly pear weren’t really anything to write home about, but we loved the peach beer, which had a refreshing peach flavor.

The cider flight included  3 Daughters Brewing Pickle Hard Seltzer, Keel Farms Elderberry Serrano Hard Cider, and Coppertail Brewing Smoked Lager. The smoked lager was a little TOO smokey for us. The Elderberry hard cider, though was so fruity and tasty – we would probably order it again. The pickle cider, though? Well, imagine pickle juice but with a sweet cider, so what you end up getting is disgusting salty water meets slight cider sweetness drink. It’s a no from us.

Overall, this booth is meant to be fun and experimental, rather than something that brings culinary excellence to the festival.

Over at Brew-Wing, we’ve got some returning favorites!

🥜Peanut Butter and Jelly Sticky Wings
🍗Garlic-Parmesan Wings
🔥Unnecessarily Spicy Yet Extremely Tasty Carolina Reaper Pepper Curry Wings
🥒Fried Pickle Spears
🥒Pickle Milk Shake
🍺Beer Flight pic.twitter.com/Sx6vdzFZm8

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) August 29, 2024

If you’re looking for a more foodie experience, though, you might want to skip. If you’re looking to prank some friends, though? This booth is like giving your friends Beverly over and over.

Canada — 3/5

The Canada booth is usually a favorite of ours because you can get filet mignon without needing a reservation to Le Cellier. So, of course, we ordered the Filet Mignon with mushrooms and Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs mashed potatoes with Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs butter. This year’s steak is a bit different in that it doesn’t have a sauce on it, and the butter is served on the side. Our steak was also served well-done, and it was dry and not as good as we’ve had in the past. For $9.75, we’d probably skip, although the mashed potatoes are delicious, but not enough to justify something that costs nearly $10.

Fortunately, the Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Soup with a pretzel roll for $6 is still a winner this year, and a reason to visit this booth. Again, this is a great way to get that famous Le Cellier cheese soup without having to make a reservation. It’s creamy and cheesy and perfect with a nice bacon flavor.

For drinks, you can get the returning Collective Arts Brewing Audio/Visual Lager for $5.75 for 6 ounces or $9.75 for 12 ounces, or the Château des Charmes Cabernet Sauvignon for $7.50.

China — 2/5

The China booth has been a favorite of ours in the past, but did it live up to its reputation? Well, we started out with the Pan-fried Chicken Dumplings for $5.50, which are served with house-made sweet-and-spicy sauce. These were just fine, not really anything to write home about – especially if you’ve had dumplings from your local Chinese place before. 

Next up on the list was our beloved Crispy Duck Bao Bun with hoisin sauce for $8.25. And unfortunately, this really let us down this year! The meat was chewy and fatty, and not a pleasing texture at all. The bun itself was good and soft, and the sauce was nice and tangy, but the textures were the big problem. If you really love duck, you might want to try it – it’s possible we got a bad batch.

New to the booth this year is the Shanghai Scallion Noodles with shrimp for $8.50. This dish was pretty delicious for people who like shrimp and mushrooms, but the noodles themselves were just “meh.” This was probably our favorite of the three food items, but still not a huge standout. 

And the new Shanghai Scallion Noodles with shrimp! 🍤

📍China pic.twitter.com/xJliF8i9tA

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) August 29, 2024

Last but not least, we had the Mango Peach Bubble Tea for $7.75. Ours was given to us sans boba so that was a little disappointing, but the real problem was that it tasted incredibly artificial. Very fake fruit-like. This could be a problem with getting the mix right on the first day of the fest, but we probably won’t be rushing back to get this drink anytime soon.

In the end, China was a bit of a letdown this year – here’s to hoping it’s back at the top next year!

Coastal Eats — 2.5/5

Coastal Eats was an interesting booth. We wouldn’t classify it as great, nor would we classify it as bad, it was simply… there? That said, there’s definitely one dish seafood lovers may want to check out. 

The Roasted Warm Water Lobster Tail with garlic butter was delicious. For just $13, we got a large piece of lobster meat, smothered with a delicious butter sauce. This was lobster’s first appearance at the festival since 2021, and it’s a worthwhile return. 

The booth’s second dish, the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail with cocktail sauce doesn’t reach those heights. It’s not bad, in fact, it was probably the best shrimp we tried at the festival, but it was still just a basic shrimp cocktail with a basic cocktail sauce. Again, not bad, but also doesn’t feel worth $13 when the lobster dish is available for the same amount. 

The booth’s primary cocktail offering, the Boyd & Blair Pomegranate Codder, costs $12.

This refreshing drink tastes similar to a vodka cranberry but with pomegranate. This is a relatively basic drink, but still a nice respite from the Florida sun. 

Earth Eats — 4/5

The only reason why this booth did not get a 5/5 is because it only has three menu items, which in our eyes deserves to lose a point. But let us tell you all three menu items are AMAZING. 

The Red Wine-Braised Beef Short Rib is $8.50 and it was delicious. It was so tender that we did not even have to use a knife to eat it. It paired so so well with the polenta that it left us wanting more! 

The Lemon Poppy Seed Cake just might be one of the cutest dishes we got all day. It has the perfect cake-to-icing ratio. We loved it and it was only $4.50.

We also got the Blood Orange Agua Fresca for $4.75. This drink was so refreshing! Normally citrusy drinks can have a sour kick to them, but not this one.

Festival Favorites — 4.75/5

A bit self-explanatory, the Festival Favorites booth offers a “Greatest Hits” menu that features tons of favorites from years past. We tried the Kielbasa and Potato Pierogies, BBQ Pork Rinds, Key Lime Tart, Frozen S’mores, Irish Milk Shake, and Beer Flight. 

Again, all of these items are returning dishes or beverages from past festivals and are well-regarded, so our expectations were through the roof.

Starting us off was our absolute favorite – the BBQ Pork Rinds. This dish is served with pimento cheese and is an Emile’s Fromage Montage item. It costs $5 and is well worth it. The pork rinds had a great coating of barbecue flavor with a low heat that is slightly more than regular barbecue. As for the cheese, it was super creamy, greasy, and rich, enhancing all the flavors to make this a truly explosive dish.

The Kielbasa and Potato Pierogies were also a winner. Served with caramelized onions and sour cream for $6, this dish featured super flavorful meat that had a little bit of grease which we found to be a positive. The real star here is the cheese topping, which mimics cheese curd poutine. We love that this was included in the Festival Favorites booth.

Next up is the Key Lime Tart which, shocker, is also outstanding. Nailing those key lime flavors, this $4.75 dessert holds up regardless of the state of its texture. Ours melted quickly in the Florida heat but it still tasted really good despite being goey and runny on the inside.

A kids contender, without a doubt, will be the Frozen S’mores. This non-alcoholic chocolate milkshake is served with marshmallow syrup and topped with mini marshmallows and a graham cracker for $4.75. Featuring all sorts of goodies, this milkshake will appeal especially to most kids and is great in all types of weather. Even when it melts, it just becomes a chocolate milkshake, which is still an absolute win.

The Irish Milk Shake costs $12.50 and is made with Guinness Stout, Baileys Original Irish Cream Liqueur, and Vanilla Ice Cream. Ultra creamy, decadent, and delicious, this shake still rocks. It’s topped with chocolate shavings and still served in an Ireland cup, making it a fantastic drink AND souvenir.

Lastly, we tried the Beer Flight for $10.25 and it was just okay. We tried the Schöfferhofer Grapefruit Hefeweizen, Parish Brewing Co. SIPS Cab Franc Strawberry, and 3 Daughters Brewing Beach Blonde Ale. The blonde ale was at the bottom of the list for us, as we found it to be pretty average in taste. The strawberry beer was a definite standout, featuring very bold strawberry flavors. The grapefruit hefeweizen was also tasty and something that isn’t unique to the festival. 

Overall, this booth lived up to its name and features so many satisfying options. We recommend dropping by and grabbing as many dishes and drinks as your heart desires – we’ll definitely be dropping by for seconds!

Flavors of America — 2.5/5

The Flavors of America booth went straight for the country’s hot dog-loving heart, and we were… not impressed. 

Hope you like hot dogs because that’s the theme of this year’s Flavors of America booth!

Hot dogs from these regions:
🌭New York-style
🌭Chicago-style
🌭Carolina-style
🌭Southwest-style

Plus the new Freshly-baked Chocolate Pudding Cake with bourbon caramel! pic.twitter.com/ss5uSb4ARK

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) August 29, 2024

Don’t get us wrong, nothing was bad. Each of the four offerings was quality hot dogs made with quality meat. However, none of them were all that original either. 

The  New York-style All Beef Hot Dog topped with sauerkraut, onion-tomato sauce, and spicy mustard in a brioche bun($6.75) was probably the simplest of the three… and also our favorite. What can we say? Sometimes classics are classic for a reason. 

 The Chicago-style All Beef Hot Dog is done in the city’s classic style, featuring tomato, dill pickle, pickled sport pepper, diced onions, yellow mustard, and Chicago green relish in a poppy seed bun ($6.75). While we know there are some die-hard fans of Chicago dogs, we found the pickle just way too dominant here, neutralizing the rest of the flavor profile. 

The Carolina-style All Beef Hot Dog, topped with chili, coleslaw, and yellow mustard in a brioche bun ($6.75), is essentially a chili cheese dog without the cheese. Again, not to sound repetitive, but it’s fine, but nothing special. 

The Southwest-style All Beef Hot Dog is wrapped in bacon, with warm pinto beans, tomatoes, jalapeños, avocado crema, and queso fresco, all served in a French roll ($7.25). This was probably our least favorite of the four dogs. While an interesting experiment, the flavor combination of the southwest toppings worked on its own but didn’t mesh well with the hot dog. 

There was one thing from Flavors of America that we LOVED though: The Freshly-baked Chocolate Pudding Cake with bourbon caramel ($5). This brand-new dessert offering was our favorite from the booth! The cake was super gooey, and the chocolate was light and airy.

Flavors From Fire — 5/5

Flavors from Fire has an IMPRESSIVE lineup, including the beloved Smoked Corned Beef with house-made potato chips and the newly-returning Steakhouse Blended Burger. There’s also a new IMPOSSIBLE Montreal-style Burger Slider this year, and we set the bar pretty high for all these menu items. 

Luckily, we were a BIG fan of EVERYTHING we tried this year! The Steakhouse Blended Burger is a beef and wild mushroom slider, topped with truffle brie cheese fondue, arugula, and truffle potato chips and is served on a sesame seed bun. You can get it for $6.25. We loved the presentation here, and that fresh-grilled flavor was just what we wanted. The patty was perfectly charred. 

There’s also a new plant-based IMPOSSIBLE Montreal Style Burger Slider, topped with cheddar cheese, and tomato jam and served on a sesame seed bun for $6. This was a GREAT little burger, and we may have done a happy dance after taking our first bite. It was pretty pickle-y, so be prepared for a zing!

Finally, we went with the Smoked Corned Beef with house-made potato chips, cheese curds, pickled onions, and beer-cheese fondue for $6.50. It had a rich, chewy flavor that we quite enjoyed. The onions gave it a bit of bite, and the kettle chips were crunchy and filling. 10/10, no notes!

We can’t end our review without mentioning the Swine Brine! This cocktail features Jim Beam Bourbon, apple cinnamon cider, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. It costs $11.50. Despite how…odd it might sound, we really liked this! It had a briny, pickle juice taste, but in a good way.

Ultimately, this booth is a fan favorite for a reason! We HIGHLY recommend stopping by during your visit.

Forest and Field — 4/5

First, we grabbed the Autumn Chili, made with bison, lamb, pork belly, root vegetables, jalapeño cornbread, smoked cheddar, and Crème Fraîche which cost $7.75. This was a pretty large serving which is always appreciated at the festival! It was definitely hearty and meaty – but pretty gamey thanks to the bison and lamb, something to keep in mind if you’re not a fan of those flavors. The root vegetables were cut pretty small which made them hardly noticeable.

Overall though, this was fall in a dish. We do wish there had been more jalapeños in the cornbread, too!

The Pumpkin Mascarpone Ravioli is absolutely a stand-out dish for us. It’s made with sage-brown butter, pecorino cheese, and hazelnut praline and costs $5.25. The pumpkin ravioli was great and had a creamy, cheesy pumpkin flavor that was a bit sweet without being overpowering. The nuttiness from the hazelnut praline and brown butter sage sauce helped to cut the sweetness of the ravioli. These flavors work SO well together.

Finally, the Burrata features seasonal fall fruit, spiced pecans, apple purée, and fig vinaigrette. You can grab it for $5.50. This was SO refreshing and light while still being a burst of fall flavors. The tart yet sweet fruit combined with the creamy burrata and warm spices really made for a wonderful experience.

To wash it all down, we grabbed the Brewery Ommegang All Hallows Treat Chocolate Peanut Butter Imperial Stout. It’s available for $5.75 for 6 ounces or $9.75 for 12 ounces. While we didn’t get too much of a peanut butter flavor on the front end, it was definitely present as an aftertaste. For a stout, this was much lighter than what you’d expect from something like a Guinness, but it was still on the heavy side. We’d get it again, but probably not during the summer or the middle of the day!

France — 5/5

Next up, the France booth! Here you’ll find the new Moelleux aux Oignons Caramélisés et au Fromage de Chèvre which has egg moelleux, goat cheese, and caramelized onions for $7.95. This dish was fantastic! The eggs were very fluffy and sprinkled with the perfect amount of cheese per bite. The onions were a great addition, providing great flavor. I

You can also get the Brioche aux Escargots for $7.95. Similar options have come to this booth in the recent past, but this specific take on it is new. It is escargot brioche with garlic and parsley cream, and it was spectacular. This was probably our favorite food item at this booth. We loved how soft the pastry was and the garlic was delicious. 

Then, we tried the Boeuf Bourguignon Pommes de Terre Roties which is made with raised short ribs in cabernet with roasted potatoes for $7.95. This is also a returning item that did not disappoint us. It was great! There was lots of flavor in the meat which almost melts right in your mouth. If you’re looking for a robust and hearty option, this is it.

For dessert we tried the Crème Brûlée mangue et passion à la Confiture for $5.95. It is a mango passion crème brûlée with fruit compote. The mango on this crème brûlée is new to the festival this year, and it was really great! The mango is the front-lining flavor in the custard. However, we found the custard to be a bit runny – but still yummy!

The drinks this year include the new Cocktail au Gin et Aux Fraises with Rose d’Argent Strawberry Gin, cranberry juice, and DOLE Pineapple Juice for $13.95. This was also fantastic! It was sweet yet refreshing, and would recommend it.

You can also grab the Frozen French Cosmo for $14.95 with vodka, Grey Goose Le Citron Vodka, Grand Marnier, and cranberry juice. This was our favorite drink at this booth. It’s SO good frozen but tastes nearly just as good melted (which happens quickly). It is on the sweeter side, but still refreshing!

The Guillaume Touton, Brut de Pêche Sparkling wine with natural peach is also new at this booth this year for $6.95! We noticed that it was a bit drier than we thought it would be. It was still very good, though, with a bright peach flavor.

Overall, do NOT miss this booth! It was incredible.

Up next, we have the France booth!

Moelleux aux Oignons Caramélisés (NEW)
Brioche aux Escargots
Boeuf Bourguignon
Crème Brûlée

And new drinks:

Cocktail au Gin et Aux Fraises
Guillaume Touton
Frozen French Cosmo pic.twitter.com/4CuqoB7VBB

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) August 29, 2024

The Fry Basket — 4.5/5

It’s hard to go wrong when your entire booth lineup consists of different types of potatoes and french fries! This year, the Fry Flight features Truffle-Parmesan Fries, Barbeque Bacon Fries, and Sweet Potato Casserole Fries, and is $8.

The Truffle-Parmesan Fries were salty, savory, and as rich as a french fry can be thanks to the truffle oil. The parmesan dusted on the fries was nutty and added a nice cheesy flavor without taking away from the truffle. The fries themselves were nice and crispy!

The Barbeque Bacon Fries come with a smoked aioli and were probably our favorite of the flight! The smokiness of the aioli pairs nicely with the salty bacon and we could have just kept eating and eating these.

The Sweet Potato Casserole Fries are topped with candied pecans, toasted marshmallow cream, and bourbon maple syrup. These were our least favorite of the bunch – the sweet potato fries were soggy and weighed down under all the toppings, but the flavors did pair well together. Imagine the classic Thanksgiving dish but in fry form!

The Adobo Yuca Fries with garlic-cilantro aïoli are not part of the flight and you can grab them for $5.75. The yuca is cut into large wedges and the garlic cilantro aioli is tangy and fresh. The outside of the fried yuca is crispy while the inside stays nice and fluffy.

We grabbed the the new Boyd & Blair Grapefruit Mule which costs $12.00. This drink didn’t particularly wow us but was refreshing thanks to the fresh grapefruit juice. We could taste the vodka but it wasn’t too overpowering.

We LOVED the the Collective Arts Brewing Mango-Rita Sour with Chili which is $5.75 for 6 ounces or $9.75 for 12 ounces. This was certainly a sour beer but the fruitiness of the mango helps to balance it out. There’s a kick from the chili on the back end that makes this one really unique.

Germany — 3/5

Everything at the Germany booth is returning this year except for two new beers! You can grab the Schinkennudeln – a Pasta gratin with ham, onions, and cheese – as part of Emile’s Fromage Montage for $5.25. This dish is one of our favorites because it is very flavorful! It’s hearty and is kind of like a baked mac & cheese with ham and onions. We definitely recommend giving it a try!

You can also grab a Bratwurst on a pretzel roll with mustard for $6.25. However, this isn’t a favorite of ours. The brat was very dry and the bread tasted kind of stale. The mustard helped add a bit of tang but didn’t provide enough moisture to take away how dry the rest of it was.

For dessert, you can try the Apple Strudel with vanilla sauce for $4.75. This is tasty! However, the apples were kind of crunchy while the crust was very soft (backward of what one might expect for a strudel). The flavor was yummy, but we would have liked a bit more of the vanilla sauce with it.

This booth has two new beers that you can get as part of the beer flight with three beers for $10.25 or get them individually for $5.75 for 6 ounces or $9.75 for 12 ounces. The beer options include the new Schöfferhofer Lemon Zest Hefeweizen and von Trapp Brewing Dunkel Lager and the returning Weihenstephaner Festbier. We were only able to try the Dunkel and the Weihenstephaner Festbier because they were out of the Schöfferhofer Lemon Zest Hefeweizen. The two beers we tried were pretty basic beers. Both were easy to drink and refreshing, but they weren’t anything special.

You can also get the Selbach-Oster Riesling QbA for $9 here.

Overall, the booth is good, but not the star of the festival. While we wouldn’t skip the Schinkennudeln, the rest are okay options.

The Germany booth is ready to go!

🍝Schinkennudeln: Pasta gratin with ham, onions, and cheese 🐭
🌯Bratwurst
🍎Apple Strudel
🍺Beer Flight pic.twitter.com/tjDbukHFEl

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) August 29, 2024

Greece — 4/5

Let’s check out the Greece booth! This year we had to try the returning Spanakopita, and it did not disappoint. It was amazing! We thought the pastry was wonderfully flaky and buttery while the inside was a perfectly creamy texture. There was just the right amount of spinach which added a nice touch. You can grab this for $5.

We also tried the returning IMPOSSIBLE Moussaka. This is an okay plant-based option. The IMPOSSIBLE meat doesn’t taste fake, which was nice, but we probably wouldn’t get this again. Unless you don’t eat meat, we don’t necessarily recommend trying this. However, you can pick it up for $5.50.

The Griddled Cheese with pistachios and honey is returning and it is an Emile’s Fromage Montage item! This item can be controversial, but we REALLY liked it this year. We suggest eating it while it’s still warm so you can get the soft cheese before it hardens. The sweetness of the honey combined with the pistachios on the cheese is a great touch. You can get it for $5.

Then we tried the returning Lamb Gyro with shaved lettuce, tomato-cucumber relish, and tzatziki on warm flatbread for $6.75. This isn’t anything to write home about, but it was good! The bread was fluffy and soft, and we enjoyed the acidity of the relish and tzatziki sauce.

Next, we tried a wine flight for $7.50. It comes with the Mylonas Winery Assyrtiko White Wine, the Skouras ‘Zoe’ Rosé, and the Kir-Yianni Naoussa Xinomavro Dry Red. You can also get each of these on their own. In general, this is a very dry wine flight. If you’re looking for a sweet wine, these probably aren’t the right wines to try. The rosé has a hint of sweetness, but it’s still fairly bitter.

On the other hand, the Greek Melon Limenade with Kleos Mastiha Spirit, Aelred Melon Apéritif de Provence, Pearl Vodka, and lime sour mix is FANTASTIC. This drink was sweet and refreshing. The lime added a nice acidity to cut through the sweetness making the drink really good. You can grab a glass of this for $11.50.

Hawai’i — 5/5

The Hawaii food booth never disappoints, and this year is no different. We started with the returning Kalua Pork Slider here for $6. This features a sweet-and-sour DOLE pineapple chutney and spicy mayonnaise. In previous years, the bun got a little soggy from all the toppings, but this year, it held up well. The taste is just as good, too. If you love sweet and savory with just a bit of spice from the spicy mayonnaise, you’ll love this. 

We loved the Hawaiian Rice Bowl even more! For $6.25, you get a rice bowl with eggs, SPAM, spicy mayonnaise, eel sauce, and furikake. Every element of this dish worked so well together to the point that we were surprised. The spam is cooked well, and everything about this is just a huge win. 

We finished out our meal here with the Passion Fruit Cheesecake for $5. It’s served with toasted Macadamia nuts, which add a nice crunch. We’ve loved this one in the past, and this year was no exception. It’s perfectly creamy, light, and fluffy. 

The Aulani Sunrise cocktail is returning this year. For $14, it’s made with DOLE Pineapple Juice, and Grenadine for $14. It’s a sweet drink with a lot of pineapple flavor. If you like simple flavors and pineapple, this could be your go-to summer cocktail.

You can pick up a new drink here this year, the Maui Brewing Co Orange Mango Guava Hazy IPA for $5.75 for 9 oz and $9.75 for 12 oz. The Florida Orange Groves Sparkling Pineapple Wine is also returning this year, which is a wine we’ve loved before because it has a great pineapple flavor and is also light and refreshing.

India — 5/5

We keep coming back to the India booth year after year, and for good reason. The items here are returning, but we have no problem ordering the Potato and Pea Samosa with Coriander-Lime Cream for $5.50 over and over. Note that this is a plant-based item and one of the better plant-based items you’ll find at the festival. We have to admit that it disappointed us last year because it was soggy, but this year, the crust was nice and flaky. The coriander-lime cream adds a nice tart flavor to spiciness. There aren’t a lot of peas in this (which may be a good thing for some people), but there is a lot of potato flavor.

The Chicken Tikka Masala with Fennel-Spiced Yogurt and Naan Bread for $6.25 also doesn’t disappoint. You get a large portion that could very well be enough for a light meal. You get a lot of flavorful chicken and naan, which could be enough to fill up on. The Naan isn’t anything out of the ordinary, but you just need it to go with the rest of the dish. 

For our drink, we got the Mango Lassi for $5. It’s almost like a milkshake, but lighter. It’s got a great mango taste and is light and refreshing, making it perfect for a hot Florida day. There are also chunks of mango on the bottom. 

Overall, this food booth has been a favorite of ours in the past and is still up there in our top favorites list. You get a lot of flavor, as well as good value for the price.

Nothing new at the India booth this year, but these Potato and Pea Samosas are BACK this year!

We also have the Chicken Tikka Masala and Mango Lassi back too! This was one of our TOP BOOTHS last year! pic.twitter.com/ThkI7TzsfA

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) August 29, 2024

Italy — 3/5

We headed over to the Italy booth to check out their NEW items! You can grab the new Italian-style “Nachos” which have homemade beef ragoût, pasta chips, tomato sauce, and dried ricotta cheese, the new Polpettine Toscane which is a plate with beef meatballs, rosemary focaccia, and pomodoro sauce, and the new Vanilla Cheesecake: Vanilla cheesecake, whipped cream, and fresh strawberry sauce.

The Italian-style nachos cost $9.25 and are interesting to say the least. The beef ragoût simply just tastes like beef; it’s nothing special. The chips were good! They were crispy and crunchy. However, the tomato sauce and dried ricotta were ok, but not great. Overall, these “nachos” are something we would suggest skipping.

The Polpettine Toscane is $8.50. The rosemary focaccia was light and fluffy, but it’s not our favorite. It was just fine. The sauce really just reminded us of a regular marinara without a lot of flavor. The best part of this dish was the meatballs, surprisingly! They were moist and flavorful, but they don’t really make up for the lack of flavor in the rest of the items.

On the other hand, we need to scream from a rooftop how AMAZING the Vanilla Cheesecake was! It melted in our mouths and tasted like real, delicious vanilla, not something fake. The strawberry sauce was a great touch. For $7.75, we’ll be grabbing more of this cheesecake for sure.

The drinks here didn’t blow us away. The Bellini Spritz is new this year and costs $14. It reminded us of bitter medicine. It was strong and tart.

The Italian-inspired Blood Orange Margarita costs $12 and is made with tequila, triple sec, and blood orange liqueur and is a returning item. It was fine, even if it was strange to drink a margarita in Italy. But we’ll probably stick to getting our margaritas in Mexico.

Overall, we’ll definitely stop by this booth again for the cheesecake, but we’ll skip the other items!

Hi from Italy! 👋 Here’s what we’re working with!

🧀 Italian-style “Nachos” 👀
🧆Polpettine Toscane
🍰Vanilla Cheesecake pic.twitter.com/Wm59sYvZNU

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) August 29, 2024

Japan — 4.5/5

Small, yet mighty, the Japan booth features the new Wagyu Temaki Sushi, Eel Temaki Sushi, and Kyoho Grape Sour, as well as the returning Teriyaki Chicken Bun, Kyoho Drink, Sake, and Sapporo Premium Beer.

The Wagyu Temaki Sushi is a hand-held sushi with sweet and savory American Wagyu beef topped with Takana Japanese pickles and spicy mayo sauce. You can grab this for $9.50 and we recommend doing so. The beef was incredibly tender and juicy while the spicy mayo had a little bit of a kick (at least by Disney standards) and was slightly spicier than what we usually get at Disney World. The Japanese pickles on top are also fairly pungent and have a bit of a ginger taste. We wish there was more beef compared to the rice but it’s not a major complaint.  Overall though, this is a really flavorful dish that was held together well by the seaweed and something we recommend trying.

The Eel Temaki Sushi costs $9.50 and is made with grilled eel, egg crumbles, cucumber, and pickled daikon radish served with eel sauce. The grilled eel tasted really nice but it was too sparse. There simply wasn’t enough to carry the dish despite tasting good. The egg crumbles had no flavor and we could barely tell they were there, but the cucumber was perfectly crispy, as was the pickled daikon radish. The eel sauce was too light, though, and bordered on being non-existent. The potential of this dish was there in flavor, but execution could’ve been better.

The last new item we tried was the Kyoho Grape Sour for $8.75. This alcoholic beverage also comes in a cheaper alcohol-free version, but the one we tried is a Kyoho Black Grape cocktail made with Japanese vermouth and Shōchū. This was fantastic. We couldn’t taste the alcohol, which can be a good thing. Sweet, light, and tasty, this drink could be a fan favorite.

Kicking off the returnees is the Teriyaki Chicken Bun for $7.95. This bun is filled with minced chicken, vegetables, and teriyaki sauce and is nice and meaty with a sweet teriyaki taste that ties everything together.

As for the returning drinks, the Sake costs $12, the Sapporo Premium Beer costs $5.50 for 6oz and $10 for 12oz, and the aforementioned Kyoho Drink costs $7. The Sake and Sapporo should appease fans of the beverages and the Kyoho Drink is Calpico with fragrant mellow, Kyoho Black Grape, making it a light option for those looking for something similar to the Kyoho Grape Sour without the booze. 

If you were waiting for SUSHI, come with us to the Japan booth! This is a new lineup here:

🍱Eel Temaki Sushi
🍱Wagyu Temaki Sushi
🍸Kyoho Grape Sour pic.twitter.com/vUqUhz3WTv

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) August 29, 2024

All in all, there wasn’t anything here that we truly disliked, but most items are a touch or two away from being elite. Still, this is a fun option for more adventurous eaters or fans of Japanese cuisine.

Macatizers — 4/5

What’s a mac and cheese booth without Traditional Macaroni and Cheese with herbed panko?! This is available for $5.50. We’ve had this at other booths in the past and found it was lacking in flavor and this year was pretty much the same. We even thought the cheese was a little on the funky side. It would be great for picky eaters but we’d opt for some of the more festive options at this booth.

Next up we grabbed the Cheesesteak Macaroni and Cheese with shaved beef, peppers and onions, and breadcrumbs. You can snag this for $6.50! We were pretty surprised by how much we liked this! The beef, onions, and peppers were all tender without being mushy and they had a great flavor.

Truffle Mac and Cheese is also on the menu – grab it for $6.50. This was pretty similar to the traditional mac we had earlier, but these are truffle breadcrumbs with shaved truffles on top as well. We found the truffle wasn’t too overpowering and was a nice punch up from the richness of the cheese.

The plant-based IMPOSSIBLE Chili Macaroni and Cheese with sour cream and cheddar is available for $6.50. We had a version of this dish at a previous festival and this year we loved it just as much. It’s hearty and filling and we love the crunch the Fritos add!

There are six wines on the menu at this booth including the the St. Supéry Domaine de l’Ile Rosé ($8), Knights Bridge Sauvignon Blanc ($8), and Caymus 50th Anniversary Cabernet Sauvignon ($20).

We tried a wine flight featuring Terrazas de los Andes Reserva Chardonnay ($6.50), Klinker Brick Bricks & Roses Rosé ($6.50), and Beringer Bros Bourbon Aged Cabernet Sauvignon ($6) for $8. For $8, this is a pretty stellar deal. We found all the wines to be on the drier side, but each was something we would order individually again.

Unfortunately, the kegs weren’t working when we stopped by so we couldn’t try the beers here. But normally, you can grab the Crooked Can Brewing Company Vinifera Velvet Lager ($5.75/6oz, $9.75 12oz), Southern Tier Brewing Co Raspberry Shine Summer Wheat Ale ($5.75/6oz, $9.75 12oz), and Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company Kentucky Pumpkin Bourbon Barrel Ale ($5.75/6oz, $9.75 12oz). Or grab them in a flight!

Do you LOVE mac and cheese? If so, buckle up for Macatizers!

Traditional Macaroni and Cheese 🐭
Cheesesteak Macaroni and Cheese 🐭
IMPOSSIBLE Chili Macaroni and Cheese 🐭
Truffle Macaroni and Cheese 🐭

We also got the wine flight! pic.twitter.com/RXrXHJuOw5

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) August 29, 2024

Mexico — 5/5

What can we say? Everything at this booth, including the two margaritas, is all so good. We would have lunch at this booth every single day if we could. Normally the Mexico booth has good food, but this year it was shockingly good. 

The Tostada de Camarones were amazing. It came with three perfectly fried shrimp that were generously sized. When we were eating this we thought we had finished all the shrimp but were pleasantly surprised when we found a third! Every bite we took had even more flavor and they all melted together perfectly. This dish costs $7.75.

The Flauta du Barbacoa is $8 and is just as good as the Tostada de Camarones. The marinated meat was so juicy. We loved the salsa verde as it added a little bit of spice to the dish. This was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

For dessert, we had the Pan de Elote for $6. This is a traditional Mexican cornbread topped with chocolate sauce and we have to say, we were a little nervous about this, but we were so wrong! The raspberry and chocolate sauce added a nice flavor to the cornbread, which was super moist. It was so good that we devoured it all right away without leaving a crumb. 

Of course, we tried the margaritas as well. The Mango Sunrise Margarita is $13.25 and the Poblano Margarita is $13. Both of these margaritas were blended so well that when you tasted the tequila it was not a bad taste, but instead complimented the other ingredients in both of these drinks. We like the Poblano Margarita a bit better because it left a little bit of spice on our lips and we like a peppery kick.

The Mango Sunrise Margarita did not have a super overpowering mango flavor but instead left us with a nice tropical taste.

Milled and Mulled — 4.5/5

Milled & Mulled is one of the new booths debuting at Food & Wine this year, and it made a GREAT first impression on us. The booth features three main dishes:

Our first booth is UP! The all-new Milled And Mulled has this yummy lineup:

🥕Freshly-baked Carrot Cake
🍰Boursin Fig & Balsamic Cheesecake (🐭)
🍐Pear and Almond Frangipane Pâte Brisée

Coppertail Brewing Fallen Fruit Blueberry Pie Hard Cider
Chocolate Shop Chocolate Red Wine pic.twitter.com/t5Qd335Qy0

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) August 29, 2024

Boursin Fig & Balsamic Cheesecake with fig jam and pomegranate, which provided a delicious flavor profile (seriously, you’d think fig, balsamic, and cheesecake wouldn’t mix well, but they absolutely do!) It does melt quickly in the son though, so make sure you eat it relatively fast. This new offering costs $5.25.

The Pear and Almond Frangipane Pâte Brisée had an explosively fruity flavor, all encased in a deliciously crunchy outer crust. Like its fellow new offering, the pâte costs $5.25.

Finally, the Freshly-baked Carrot Cake with walnuts and cream cheese icing is returning to the festival at a cost of $4.75. We found the highlight to be its cream cheese topping, which was just sweet enough to not be overwhelming. This does bring up our one minor quibble with the booth, however, as the carrot cake was just a bit dry. 

Milled & Mulled also offers several drink options. The Coppertail Brewing Fallen Fruit Blueberry Pie Hard Cider offered a berry flavor that we found to be fantastic, to the point of tasting like a Thanksgiving meal in our mouth. It’s available in a 6 oz size for $5.75  or 12 oz for $9.75.

Then there’s the Chocolate Red Wine ($6.50), which may be our FAVORITE item at the booth. The flavor was like a chocolate-covered strawberry popping in our mouth!  

The Noodle Exchange — 2/5

Last year the Noodle Exchange was one of our favorite booths at the Food & Wine Festival. This year? Well, not so much. Truthfully, the booth was overall a bit of a bummer. 

The returning Ramen with shaved beef, shiitake mushrooms, pickled carrots, and daikon radish, shaved spicy peppers, and a soy egg in citrus-sesame broth ($6.00) was one of our favorite dishes. Unfortunately this year, the beef was chewy and unseasoned, and the broth was watery. A letdown indeed. 

Next, we had the Thai Shrimp with Rice Noodles, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Basil in Coconut-Curry Broth. This dish is priced at $6.75. Last year, we didn’t care for this dish since the shrimp were not peeled or de-veined. Unfortunately, things didn’t improve this year. The noodles were undercooked, while once again the shrimp were served with their tails on. 

The Ramen with tofu, shiitake mushrooms, pickled carrots, and daikon radish, shaved spicy peppers, and Baby Bok Choy in Citrus-Sesame Broth (another returning dish that goes for $5.75) actually surprised us. We weren’t wild about it in 2023, but this year the tofu was our choice for the best of the booth (mostly by default). The soy sauce gave the tofu much more flavor than the bland shrimp or beef dishes, and it’s a really solid vegetarian option. 

Moving on to the drink offerings, we really enjoyed the Parish Brewing Strawberry Mochi. It was refreshing, and not all tart. A 6oz pour is $5.75 and a 12oz pour is $9.75.

The booth also offers Pacific Rim Solstice Vineyard Old Vine Riesling wine for $8 instead.

Refreshment Outpost — 3.5/5

Don’t be fooled by this year-round EPCOT snack spot – it’s serving up some stellar festival items this year!

At Refreshment Outpost, we’ve got A LOT! Ready?
    🫔 IMPOSSIBLE Spicy Sausage
    🥘 Curried Chicken and South African Boerewors Sausage Stew
    🍫 Chocolate Amarula Mousse Dome
    🍺 Keel Farms Blackberry Apricot Jam Hard Cider pic.twitter.com/nlkqGKPWMa

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) August 29, 2024

We started with the new IMPOSSIBLE Spicy Sausage with piri piri peppers and onions, and piri piri aïoli for $6.50.

If you like chorizo, we think you’ll like this! The IMPOSSIBLE sausage was smokey with a nice snap and the piri piri aioli gave this sandwich a smoked pepper flavor that paired really well with the peppers!

The Curried Chicken and South African Boerewors Sausage Stew with chickpeas and potatoes served in a bread bowl, is another new dish and you can get it for $5.75. This one shocked us and we really enjoyed it. The curried chicken and chickpeas provided a warm, spiced flavor while the sausage provided another nice texture.

But, the piece de resistance is, of course, the Chocolate Amarula Mousse Dome with white chocolate. You can grab this for $6.25. It’s essentially a GIANT Zebra Dome and we have zero complaints about it. The mousse was creamy and light while the chocolate on the inside was rich, decadent, and sweet. The cookie at the bottom is buttery and adds a nice texture. It’s also rather large and shareable – but we’d definitely eat the whole thing ourselves too.

As far as drinks at this booth go, we tried the new Keel Farms Blackberry Apricot Jam Hard Cider for $12. It was light and refreshing with a nice fruitiness from the blackberry. It was a bit syrupy and we didn’t get much of the apricot flavor aside from it being sweet. If you like fruity ciders, though, it’s worth a try!

Refreshment Port — 3/5

Refreshment Port is offering some new Festival offerings this year while bringing back a beloved poutine. For our review, we tried the returning Braised Beed Poutine, as well as the NEW Boulevard Beverage Company Quirk Ginger Grape Fizz Hard Seltzer and NEW Boyd & Blair Pumpkin Spice Mule.  

First up, the Braised Beef Poutine was as delicious as we remembered. This dish is made with French fries with braised beef, Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese sauce, cheese curds, and gherkin relish and costs $10.

The portion size is fair the wonderful savory flavors of this snack stand out among all the sweet and sugary treats we have at the Festival. This dish was very hearty and creamy while the mushroom flavor was earthy and delicious. We definitely recommend eating later in the day though, as this can fill you up quickly and mixed with intense heat could create iffy results. We love the texture and flavors at play here, and this was easily our favorite thing at the booth.

We’d like to tell you that the new drinks we tried were winners, but unfortunately, that was not the case. The first new drink we tried was the Boulevard Beverage Company Quirk Ginger Grape Fizz Hard Seltzer for $12.00 and it was rough. It was way too tart and the grape flavor was so overpowering that it put us off. You’ve got to really love tart grape to be into this drink,

Next up was the Boyd & Blair Pumpkin Spice Mule for $12.00 and this drink also missed the mark. The pumpkin spice tasted like canned pumpkin seasoning and was way too loud. We love pumpkin spice season, but when it comes to drinks subtlety can rule the day, and neither of the drinks were subtle.

The final drink on the menu is the returning Florida Orange Groves Winery Sparkling Peach for $11.00. In the past, we’ve found this drink to be incredibly refreshing, delicate, and light, which counters the poutine quite nicely. This drink is especially amazing during a hot EPCOT day. Refreshment Port also offers the CORKCICLE Stemless Flute.

Overall, this booth is the definition of average. Certain offerings stand out like the poutine while the new drinks weigh down its final score. If you’re a poutine fanatic, you’ll want to make Refreshment Port a must-visit. Otherwise, you may find better offerings elsewhere.

Shimmering Sips — 2/5

So this is where you go for mimosas, which already makes it a must-visit booth. However, you can also get the Guava Cake. It’s a plant-based Guava Cake with whipped cream and coconut for $5. We’ll warn you now: it has a strange texture, and that could make or break this dessert for you. Our team was split on whether we liked it or not.

Okay, so we’re really hear for the mimosas, so we ordered the Mimosa Flight, which has a Tropical Mimosa made with Sparkling wine, Minute Maid Passion Fruit, Orange, and Guava Juices; a Berry Mimosa made with La Gioiosa Berry Fizz and white cranberry juice; and another returning mimosa, the Blood Orange Mimosa made with Sparkling wine and blood orange juice. You can get the full flight for $14 or each individual mimosa for $7.

The Tropical Mimosa is by far our favorite. It’s basically a sparkly POG juice, and we have no complaints about that. If you like POG juice, you’ll love this drink.

Shimmering Sips did just that!

🍰Guava Cake with whipped cream and coconut
🥂Mimosa Flight
🥂Fruited Sour Beer and Sparkling Wine Cocktail pic.twitter.com/08SUKSvBvS

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) August 30, 2024

On the other hand, the Berry Mimosa, which is returning, has always been just okay to us, although we think if you like grape and cranberry juice combos, you might love this. Finally, the Blood Orange Mimosa has returned. This is another one that’s just okay, but we’re often okay with a “just okay” mimosa.

A new cocktail is available this year: Fruited Sour Beer and Sparkling Wine Cocktail made with Brewery Ommegang Dream Patch Fruited Sour with Cherry, Blueberry and Raspberry, and sparkling wine for $9. This is another thing our team was split on. One reporter didn’t love it, while a few others did. We do think it would appeal to rosé drinkers.

Overall, we’re split on this booth in so many ways, but if you’re looking for a sparkling beverage that’s also refreshing in EPCOT, we recommend a visit, if just for the Tropical Mimosa.

Spain — 4/5

While we liked both, we only found one dish to be the real star.

First we had the Spanish Charcuterie, this could be compared to a grown-up lunch-able and it will run you $6.50. This was yummy but it did not stand out as much as the next dish.

The Paella Negra is $8 and it was outstanding! The seafood was so fresh and tasty! This was a fun twist on paella since it used squid ink rice and was topped with a garlic aioli. The flavors came together so well. We wish we could get this dish over and over and over again. We will be returning to Spain just for this dish!

The Red Sangria made its return this year for $7.50. This is a great refreshing drink for a hot day. A word of warning, if you like your sangria to be more watered down, this may be a skip for you since you can really taste the alcohol.

Overall, we will be returning to this booth to get the Paella Negra. We really can’t get over how delicious this dish was.

Swirled Showcase — 1/5

First up, we grabbed the main NEW menu item — the Liquid Nitrogen Frozen Sweet Potato Mousse with candied pecans and maple-caramel sauce! We found this dish surprisingly bland. Even with the pecans and caramel sauce, it just tasted like plain sweet potatoes. And, to be blunt, it looks like cat food. 

Swirled Showcase is offering up three flavors of soft serve this year: Vanilla, Apple Cinnamon, and Salted Caramel. Each costs $6.50 in either a cup or a waffle cone.

The Apple Cinnamon soft serve was similar to vanilla bean ice cream with a slight hint of caramel.

Meanwhile, the Salted Caramel soft serve featured an overpowering aftertaste. 

The booth also offers several drink options. The non-alcoholic Frozen Apple Pie costs $6.75. This concoction, made up of Apple Cinnamon Gelato, Cinnamon Apple Cider, topped with Streusel was better in presentation than it was in taste. It looked adorable, but the actual flavor left a lot to be desired. 

The first of Swirled Showcase’s alcoholic drinks is the 3 Daughters Toasted Coconut Porter Float with vanilla soft-serve, which goes for $13.25. We were NOT a fan, as the 3 Daughters Toasted Coconut Porter and salted caramel soft-serve did not mix well. 

Finally, we ordered the Berry-vanilla Float made with La Gioiosa Berry Fizz and vanilla soft-serve. We found this float to be a bit weird, as it had an almost medicinal taste to the drink itself.

Tangierine Cafe: Flavors of Medina

All the food items at this booth are returning this year, and we’re ok with that! We started off with the Grilled Kebabs with carrot-chickpea salad and garlic aïoli. You can either get Chermoula Chicken or Moroccan-spiced lamb for $6.25 each. We preferred the chicken, but both were good! The lamb just didn’t have a very strong lamb flavor and instead tasted more like a regular sausage. You get a good portion of meat with both options and the vegetables were very tasty!

Next, we grabbed the Fried Falafel Pita with Tahini Sauce for $5.50. The pita was stuffed full of the falafel and tomato-cucumber relish. It’s a great vegetarian dish that we would recommend for anyone!

Next up was the Stone-baked Moroccan Bread with three dips. The hummus is a plain hummus, the chermoula dip reminded us of a chipotle salsa, and the zhoug dip is a spicy cilantro sauce. Each of these dips was really good with the fluffy bread! We also liked that the bread held it’s shape which made it easy to dip or fill with sauce. The bread and dip can be purchased for $5.

For dessert, we grabbed the Pistachio Cake which has a cinnamon pastry cream that had a flavor that reminded us of spiced fig. The cake and filling paired really well together! It also comes with candied walnuts that added a sweetness to the pistachio cake. And of course, who doesn’t love a chocolate piece on top? The cake is $4.75.

To drink at Tangierine Café is a hard cider flight with two new ciders this year! You get the 3 Daughters Brewing Fig Hard Cider (returning), the Coppertail Brewing Fallen Fruit Tamarind Mint Hard Cider (new), and the Keel Farms Blackberry Pear Hard Cider (new). The fig cider was good with the fig flavor being more of an after-taste. It was a little sour. The tamarind mint cider was our favorite! It had more of a sour tamarind than a minty flavor which was very good. Last, and the darkest of the ciders, was the blackberry pear cider which was our least favorite. It was too sweet for our liking especially when compared to the other two which were on the sour side.

Overall, this booth did not let us down with the returning items. We enjoyed each one as much as we have in the past! Don’t miss this hidden booth at the Morocco pavilion.

Additional Festival Locations

Block & Hans — 5/5

We can’t get over how pretty the Frozen Pineapple Chipotle Lemonade is! Fair warning, though, it melted pretty quickly in the Florida sun – but if you’re visiting the festival later in the year, it hopefully won’t be an issue.

The combination of lemonade and pineapple was pretty unique, and we found it to be delicious. It was quite refreshing on a hot day and despite the lemon and pineapple combo, it wasn’t too tart. The chili-lime rim helped to cut down on some of the sweetness and the heat definitely built over time. We’d get this again, for sure, especially at $5.29!

Funnel Cake Stand — 4/5

Tucked away in the back of the World Showcase, you’ll find the Funnel Cake Stand. This year, this little spot is serving just one EPCOT Food and Wine Festival menu item: the Tiramisù Funnel Cake with vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate rum sauce and cream cheese whipped cream and dusted with cocoa and espresso powder. It’s available for $12, which is a little on the pricey side, but the portion size makes up for that price tag. 

We got a sizable portion of ice cream on top of our funnel cake, but it melted quickly. The good news here is that when the ice cream melted, it made our funnel cake a little better! The creamy ice cream made our funnel cake soft and moist, which was a nice break from that dry, crunchy funnel cake. 

The tiramisù flavor reminded us of coffee cake, so we were quite pleased with the rich, sweet flavors here. The cocoa and espresso powder were pretty strong, so make sure to scoop up some ice cream with that powder topping. Overall, we seriously loved this treat and had no complaints! Stop by the funnel cake stand in the World Showcase – you won’t be disappointed!

Joffrey’s Coffee and Tea Carts

We started our EPCOT Food & Wine Festival coffee journey with the Joffrey’s Near Mission: SPACE in World Discovery, which has the Coconut Mocha Latte for $6.49.

You’ve got to boogie through this one! That whipped cream, coconut flakes, and dark chocolate topping doesn’t last long! pic.twitter.com/sgcg4GiwQa

— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) August 29, 2024

It’s made with espresso, milk, coconut syrup, and dark chocolate sauce, garnished with whipped cream, toasted coconut flakes, and dark chocolate drizzle. This is a VERY sweet drink, so you’ve been warned. Although you get SOME coconut flavor, it’s not overwhelming. In fact, most of the taste comes from the mocha, so if you love chocolate-flavored coffees, this could be a hit with you. But, again, it’s VERY sweet, and if you like your coffee dark and bitter, you’ll want to skip.

Over at the Joffrey’s near Disney Traders, we grabbed the PB&J Latte for $6.49. Talk about an interesting-sounding drink! Unfortunately, we had a little bee problem when we tried this drink but we didn’t end up loving it anyway. It was pretty light on the syrup and we were hoping there would be more so we could really taste the peanut butter and raspberry syrup.

Sunshine Seasons — 1/5

The offering here is the Caramel Apple Milk Shake for $10.99 and is made with artisanal gelato, pâte brisée, whipped cream, candy apple cake, and caramel drizzle. While the caramel apple cake pop on top looks adorable and the pastry ring on the top is creative and innovative, the taste of the whole dessert left much to be desired.

Our reporter specifically described it as “sad” and recommended skipping the treat to get an apple chai from Starbucks instead.

Connections Cafe & Eatery –4.5/5

There are two offerings you can grab here this year – the Korean BBQ Chicken Sandwich with pickled cucumbers on a brioche bun for $12.49 and the Blackberry Caipiroska, which is made with Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Minute Maid Lemonade, strawberries, blackberry syrup, and frosted mint syrup for $15. 

We thought the Korean BBQ Chicken Sandwich was delicious! The thick glaze totally covered the chicken, which we loved. It sits on a tangy bed of pickles, and the texture of both of them together was fantastic. It is important to note that the sauce does have a low heat to it — nothing too bad, but someone who is spice-averse may not be a fan.

The Blackberry Caipiroska was also a huge hit with us! You can’t really taste any of the alcohol, so be warned. It was very subtle and floral. We’d love to see it return for another festival like the Flower and Garden festival in addition to Food and Wine!

UK Beer Cart — 2.5/5

Over at the UK Beer Cart, you can grab the Strawberry Basil Cocktail for $17. It’s made with Beefeater Pink Strawberry Gin, St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Seagram’s Ginger Ale, plus strawberry and basil syrups. In the photo, this drink is shown frozen, like a slushy, which we were really excited about. However, when we received it, it was just liquid that wasn’t even really cold.

When we asked a Cast Member what was going on, we were told that it was too hot for the machine to freeze the drink. This was interesting since we could walk to a different booth with a frozen drink without issue with the consistency. We wondered if they had just put in a new batch of the drink, so it hadn’t had any time to get cold or freeze. 

The flavor of the drink was very refreshing—it was very strawberry-forward and, therefore, nice and sweet! We couldn’t taste much of the ginger syrup or ginger ale, and we do warn you that the alcohol can’t really be tasted either. We don’t recommend the drink right now, but if they’re able to work out the frozen aspect, then we might recommend giving it a try.

Whew! We made it! Stay tuned to the AllEars for more of the latest from Disney World. And keep checking back to the AllEars YouTube channel for a video on the festival!

I Cut the Cost of My EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Spending in HALF by Doing This One Thing

Which booth would you run to first at this year’s festival? Let us know your pick in the comments!

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