Your Guide to the BEST Eats and Drinks at the 2024 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

Don’t make the mistake of going to EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival unprepared!

The AllEars team took on the Food and Wine Festival in EPCOT!

Before you head to the Festival, study up on the menus, check out the dining packages, and note the lineup for the Eat to the Beat concerts. Another very important part of preparing for the Festival is knowing your must-haves from the food booths and we’re here to help you make that list!

The EPCOT Food & Wine Festival runs from August 29h to November 23rd, 2024, and with dozens of menu items, it can be overwhelming to know what you should eat! We have made our way around the Festival trying tons of new and returning dishes, and now we have a list of the very BEST items for you to try!

Here’s our complete look at the best eats, best drinks, and other unique items you’ll want to check out.

Quincy’s Favorites

Pan de Elote at Mexico

The Mexico booth was a huge hit with Quincy, but the new Pan de Elote for $6 was the breakout winner there. This is a traditional Mexican cornbread topped with chocolate sauce. That may sound dubious, but Quincy loved it.

The raspberry and chocolate sauce added a nice flavor to the moist cornbread. Quincy ate it all right away and left zero crumbs.

Emma’s Favorites

Brioche aux Escargot at France

Emma was surprised — in a good way — by the Brioche aux Escargots for $7.95. Yes, this is a returning festival item, but this take on the dish is new. It’s escargot brioche with garlic and parsley cream.

To quote Emma, it was “spectacular.” Emma loved how soft the pastry was and found the garlic delicious.

Sage’s Favorites

Grilled Cider-brined Pork Tenderloin with fennel apple slaw and apple cider gastrique from Bramblewood Bites

Sage’s favorite was the Grilled Cider-brined Pork Tenderloin with fennel apple slaw and apple cider gastrique for $6.75. He loved the whole menu at this booth (which is new), but the pork tenderloin was the stand-out item.

The meat was grilled to perfection and was tender and juicy. The apple cider brine added a hint of sweet flavor for a wonderful sweet and savory combo.

Myranda’s Favorites

BBQ Pork Rinds at Festival Favorites

The BBQ Pork Rinds for $5 is truly a favorite for Myranda! This new festival dish is served with pimento cheese (and is a part of Emile’s Fromage Montage).

The pork rinds have a nice coating of barbecue flavor with just a hint of heat. The cheese was creamy and rich which just made the flavors explode in your mouth.

Angie’s Favorites

Paella Negra from Spain

The Spain booth didn’t disappoint Angie, who especially loved the Paella Negra for $8. This new dish had fresh and tasty seafood but also offered a nice twist on paella since it used squid ink rice and was topped with garlic aioli.

Angie felt the flavors came together so well and would like to order it over and over again. So don’t worry, Spain! Angie will be back!

Best of the Cheese Crawl

Did you know that you can win a PRIZE for eating CHEESE at the Food & Wine Festival?! It’s true! At the Festival, there’s an experience called Emile’s Fromage Montage. Basically, what you need to do is buy 5 of the qualifying dishes on the cheese crawl, and get a stamp for each purchase.

Once you get all of the stamps, you can head to Shimmering Sips to get a completer prize. Again, you’ll need to buy 5 of the qualifying dishes to get the prize — but which of these qualifying items are the BEST? Well, we’ll tell you!

Schinkennudeln at Germany

The Schinkennudeln is a returning favorite for a reason. It’s Pasta gratin with ham, onions, and cheese for $5.25. It’s consistently good year after year. The cheese is nothing short of glorious.

It’s also baked, so you get that crispy edge that makes a baked mac and cheese so good. The ham is also not too overpowering, although that onion taste does come through.

Best for Kids

Finally, let’s talk about a great item for kiddos. Now, adults — just because it’s great for kiddos does NOT mean it isn’t great for you too. But we think this next item is one the littles will really enjoy.

Frozen S’mores at Festival Favorites

The Frozen S’mores for $4.75 is a chocolate milkshake with marshmallow syrup topped with mini marshmallows and a graham cracker. So, it features the things that kids love.

This milkshake is also good in all types of weather. Even when it melts, it’s still as tasty as a chocolate milkshake, and that was a win for us.

There you have it! If you’re looking for a place to start when it comes to the overwhelming amount of menu items at the festival, take this list with you to the parks.

Stay tuned to AllEars for more from the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival!