It’s time for the last EPCOT festival of 2024!
The EPCOT Festival of the Holidays runs from November 29th to December 30th, 2024, and as usual, there is SO much food to check out. We made our way around to EVERY festival booth, and we’re sharing our thoughts so you know what’s worth it — and what’s NOT!
American Holiday Table — 5/5
This booth hit it out of the park this year, and we really felt like we were sitting around a holiday table! First up, we got the Beer Flight for $10.25. This allows you to taste all the beer offerings at this booth. The flight includes the Crooked Can Brewing Company Bah HOPbug IPA, the 3 Daughters Brewing Eggnog White Porter, and the Playalinda Brewing Co. Peppermint Chocolate Stout.
The Bah HOPbug IPA has lots of hoppy flavor to it. While there is a bit of sweetness in the drink as well, you will definitely taste the hops front and center. It is a light beer that is easy to sip on.
The Eggnog White Porter was probably our least favorite of the beers in the flight. It was really hard to taste the eggnog flavor against the heaviness of the beer. It wasn’t a bad beer, but we were disappointed that you couldn’t taste much of the eggnog.
Finally, the Peppermint Chocolate Stout is a rich and intense beer. It is exactly what a good stout should be, and the peppermint flavor does come through without being overpowering.
Now onto the food! We tried the Slow-roasted Turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, and cranberry sauce. You can grab this dish for $6.25. It is hard to beat a mini Thanksgiving feast in a bowl, and this one definitely delivered. Everything was perfectly cooked, and you can craft the perfect bite of Thanksgiving deliciousness. The turkey was tender and juicy, the green beans had the perfect bite, and the cranberry sauce was balanced really well.
Next up, we tried the Blackened Catfish with Hoppin’ John and Comeback Sauce for $6.75. We also have a lot of good things to say about this dish! The salmon is cooked to perfection. It is super tender and soft and just falls apart with a fork. There are lots of great spices and the dish tastes really bright and fresh. It isn’t as spicy as it has been in previous years but still has lots of great flavors.
Finally, we got the SNICKERS-Doodle Cookie for $3.25. This cookie was chewy with just the right amount of crunch. The combination of Snickerdoodle and Snickers is definitely a winning combination, and we really enjoyed this cookie.
It ended the booth on a high note, and we thoroughly enjoyed everything we tried at American Holiday Table.
Bavaria Holiday Kitchen — 5/5
Can a food booth be perfect? Well, Bavaria Holiday Kitchen is certainly trying to be. This food is serving up German-inspired holiday food, so we started with the Cheese Fondue in a bread bowl. Served with steamed baby vegetables and marble potatoes for $8.50. It’s cheese in a bread bowl, which already makes it perfect, but dipping those crispy veggies and potatoes into the cheese is just so satisfying. The bread is also perfectly doughy and soft and pairs with the cheesiness beautifully.
The returning Pork Schnitzel is served with mushroom sauce, spätzle, and braised red cabbage for $6.75. It tastes very fresh and the crispy pork with the sauce is very well as close to perfection as you can get. There’s a nice sweetness from the cabbage and the spätzle adds a nice additional texture.
The Hazelnut Linzer Cookie for $3.25 is a nice little soft cookie sandwich with a delicious filling. It’s sweet without being too sweet, and we love it for that.
If you want to taste the holidays in a cup, the Glühwein is for you. This traditional spiced wine is served warm and costs $9.50. Yes, it’s not every day you want a warm and spicy drink in Disney World, but this is literally what Christmas tastes like. It’s heavy on the cinnamon and just ends our experience at this booth on a cozy note.
Chestnuts and Good Cheer — 3/5
You’ll experience holiday nostalgia at the Chestnuts and Good Cheer booth! You can get chestnuts roasted on a real open fire here, and you’ll even get to see the chefs roasting them. It’s a fun holiday treat, especially if you generally enjoy chestnuts. A bag of chestnuts costs $6.25.
We liked the roasted and salty flavor from the shell of the chestnuts, but we aren’t big fans of chestnuts in general. These weren’t our favorite items at this booth, but if you like chestnuts, you’ll likely enjoy them!
We also grabbed Cinnamon-glazed Pecans and Cinnamon-glazed Cashews. There are also Cinnamon-glazed Almonds here. Each bag of glazed nuts is $6.00.
These are delicious holiday treats! While you can find the candied pecans and almonds other places around Disney World, the cashews are unique to the Festival of the Holidays. We found these to have a satisfying crunch on the outside and a soft chewy nutty inside. We love these as a snack while we wander the park!
For drinks at this booth we had the non-alcoholic eggnog for $4.00! You can also add a spirit of your choice — Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, Mozart Chocolate Liqueur, or Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey. The alcoholic version is $11.50.
The non-alcoholic eggnog is just basic eggnog. We were a little disappointed as we expected a little extra pizzazz for the festival such as added spices, but other than a cinnamon stick added for aesthetic, there’s nothing special about this. If you like regular eggnog, you’ll like it, but don’t expect anything more unless you add a spirit.
We also tried the Southern Tier Brewing Co. Chestnut Praline Imperial Ale. We recommend getting the 6 oz. pour for $5.75. There is a 12 oz. pour for $9.75, but this is a very interesting beer and you might want to try a smaller portion at first.
This beer has a praline dessert flavor at first, but then it fizzles into a very blunt beer taste. The flavor combinations are kind of weird, so while it’s fun to try new and unique beers, be aware that it might not be for everyone.
Experimental Prototype Cookies of Tomorrow — 1/5
We’ve got a NEW booth! But is it worth checking out for its gingerbread treats?
The Spaceship Earth Tile Gingerbread Tile costs a WILD $10 and it’s essentially just a gingerbread triangle covered with milk chocolate at the bottom and some white icing on top.
The icing is VERY hard, so much so that it fell off the top, and this is very chewy gingerbread. If you’re not a chewy gingerbread fan, you’ll likely dislike this, and we really don’t think it’s worth $10.
The Gingerbread Milk Shake is also available for $4.75, and while we certainly think this is the better offering here, it’s still nothing to write home about. If you enjoy gingerbread, then we think this is a fun treat for a low cost, but we don’t think it’s worth a special stop by.
Favorites of Festivals Past — 5/5
Are you ready to try some EPCOT festival favorites? Let’s go!
First up, we tried the Reuben Croquettes made with pastrami, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese with thousand island dipping sauce. You can grab them for $6. If you’re a fan of Reuben sandwiches, these will likely be a hit for you!
The texture is a little interesting at first with the meat and sauerkraut, but when dipped in the thousand island sauce, everything comes together perfectly.
Next, we grabbed the Brown Sugar & Maple Glazed Ham Sliders for $6. These sliders are stacked with Brown Sugar & Maple Glazed Ham, Cranberry, & Apple Coleslaw, all served up on a Hawaiian roll. We loved these! The ham was cut thick but wasn’t chewy or fatty at all, and the apple coleslaw added a welcome tanginess and crunch. Plus, you can’t beat a Hawaiian roll!
For dessert, we grabbed the Bauducco Panettone Holiday Trifle for $5.25. This holiday dessert is layered with eggnog custard and cranberry cherry compote. This may be a contender for best of the fest! The cranberry-cherry compote was sweet and tangy and mixed so well with the eggnog custard – which tasted mostly like vanilla to us. This was definitely a winner for us.
You can also grab the Southern Tier Brewing Co. Tiramisu Imperial Stout, the Keel Farms Pecan Pie Hard Cider, and the Point Snow Pilot Pistachio Nut Brown Ale in a flight for $10.25 or individually for $5.75/6oz. or $9.75/12oz.
The Southern Tier Brewing Co. Tiramisu Imperial Stout was strong and very coffee-forward…
…but we really enjoyed the Keel Farms Pecan Pie Hard Cider. It was sweet and nutty without being overpowering.
The Point Snow Pilot Pistachio Nut Brown Ale was a bit stronger than the cider but had a nice nutty flavor from the pistachio.
Holiday Hearth Desserts — 4/5
If you like holiday desserts, this is the booth for you! First up, we grabbed the returning Apple Caramel Crumb Cake for $5.
This was one of our favorites last year and this year was no different! It’s incredibly light and moist and reminds us of a coffee cake. The cinnamon apples are soft but still have a great snap – they’re not too mushy. The apple, cinnamon, and caramel just come together so perfectly here!
The Chocolate-covered Toffee Brittle is also returning for $4.50 this year. Last year, it was a little disappointing because it was pretty darn tough (like toffee is). When we were finally able to get a bite, we got the toffee stuck in our teeth for a while. This one isn’t our favorite.
The iconic Salted Caramel Spaceship Earth Cookie is BACK for $5.50. In addition to being downright adorable, it’s also delicious! The salted caramel inside is smooth and creamy – not overly sticky or overly salted. The cookie itself is crumbly and the combination of the sweet and salty is just divine.
The Mouse Crunch is back this year and is made with M&M’S chocolate candies for $6.50. This snack is a mix of popcorn, chocolate pretzels, and M&M’s, and we loved it in past years. It’s a great take-home snack that’s sweet, salty, and would make a great souvenir, too.
The Red Velvet Mini Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Icing for $5 is another returning favorite. It’s an adorable little dessert that’s moist, light, and delicious. If you’re a fan of red velvet cake, you’ll probably enjoy this – but it’s not the BEST red velvet cake we’ve ever had. We really enjoyed the cream cheese frosting, but you should be aware that there is a second icing on it that is NOT cream cheese.
Finally, the Mint Chocolate Mousse Wreath is available for $5.25. This was new last year and we really enjoyed it! It was chocolatey and minty and reminded us of chocolate chip ice cream – just without being frozen! But this year, the mint was SUPER overpowering. We missed out on the chocolate flavor and the graham cracker bottom didn’t help tone down the mint either. You’ll really need to like mint to enjoy this treat!
For drinks here, you can grab the Frozen Caramel Hot Chocolate with TWIX cookie bar pieces and whipped cream for $5.25. This was a hit for us last year, but it was incredibly sweet thanks to the caramel flavor – we definitely think kiddos would like this one!
There’s also the Cocoa Candy Cane for $12.50. This is Joffrey’s Hot Cocoa with Peppermint Schnapps. When we had it last year, we really enjoyed the take on the traditional cocoa with the addition of the peppermint schnapps.
There are three beers available here: the Wicked Weed Brewing Jack Frost IPA, BrewDog Winter Staycation Pecan & Toffee Stout, and the Wicked Weed Brewing Milk & Cookies Imperial Milk Stout with a flight option for $10.25. You can also get each beer individually. A 6 oz. pour is $5.75 and a 12 oz. pour is $9.75.
The Jack Frost IPA is very much a grapefruit beer. It’s very bitter as you might expect from an IPA and has a very strong grapefruit flavor.
The Pecan & Toffee stout is good, but it’s not amazing. The flavors don’t really work as well together as you might expect, and they’re very distinct flavors that you can taste individually.
Finally, the milk and cookies imperial milk stout tasted nothing like milk and cookies to us. This beer is very thick and heavy, and it has a strong coffee and toffee flavor more than milk and cookies. If you like dark beers with strong flavor, then you might enjoy this!
Holiday Sweets and Treats — 3/5
We stopped by the Holiday Sweets and Treats booth for a Chocolate Peppermint Sundae, Chocolate Peppermint Shake, and beer flight!
The Chocolate Peppermint Sundae costs $6.50 and was the better deal of the two ice cream options in our opinion. It is larger and the ice cream didn’t melt as fast as the shake did. The peppermint is just the sprinkles on top, so if you don’t like the peppermint, you can scoop it off or eat around it. Without the peppermint, it’s essentially just chocolate ice cream.
The Chocolate Peppermint Shake is available as a non-alcoholic version for $4.00 or you can get it with whipped cream vodka for $12.00. We got the non-alcoholic version this year, and honestly, we think it’s probably better with the vodka if you drink alcohol. Without the alcohol, it’s essentially just a thin chocolate shake with peppermint sprinkles. It melts quickly, so you end up just drinking chocolate milk. Kids will probably enjoy this, but the vodka adds an extra flavor profile to it for adults!
We also got the beer flight for $10.25. This flight includes the new Deschutes Brewery Jubelale and the returning Southern Tier Brewing Co. 2XMAS Ale and Wicked Weed Brewing Hop Cocoa Porter. You can also get each of these individually as 6 oz. pours for $5.75 or 12 oz. pour for $9.75.
The theme of this beer flight is hoppy and stout. If you like dark beer and hoppy beer, this flight is probably calling your name! The Jubelale is VERY hoppy, bitter, and dry.
The 2XMAS Ale is lighter, but still quite hoppy.
And the Hot Cocoa Porter is strong with a good cocoa flavor. It’s very stout, definitely a dark beer.
L’Chaim! Holiday Kitchen — 4/5
The Pastrami on Rye with house-made pickles and deli mustard for $6 has been a favorite in years past, especially being such a hearty sandwich for a great price. We enjoyed it again this year! The meat was nice and moist and the mustard paired very well with it, but we will admit that the bread was a bit on the dry side and it did bring down the dish for us.
Smoked Salmon Potato Latke is available for $6.25 and we’ve loved them for many years, and this year is no different! We LOVE salmon, so we love the salty flavor you get from it, especially paired with the crispy latke and the dill-heavy sour cream on top, which brightens it up greatly. If you’re a more adventurous eater, you’ll likely enjoy this one!
The plant-based Black and White Cookie is a part of the Holiday Cookie Stroll! For $3.25, you can snag a Cookie Stroll stamp on your festival passport AND this delicious treat. In the past, we thought this cookie looked boring, but this year we adored it. The cookie is thick and moist, almost reminding us of a cake instead of a cookie. The frosting on top is simple, making it an easy crowd-pleaser. It’s not the most exciting cookie at the festival, but if you’re more of a fan of the simple options, this will be a big hit.
To drink, we grabbed the Frozen New York Whiskey Sour featuring Manifest Whiskey and Manischewitz Blackberry Wine for $12.50. While we’ve had this in the past and enjoyed it, we’ll say that it’s definitely for fans of sweeter drinks! It leans heavily on the blackberry wine, and we didn’t taste much of the whiskey.
Las Posadas Holiday Kitchen — 1/5
In the past, Las Posadas has been a favorite, but something happened this year. We ordered the new Empanada de Pollo for $8. It’s a fried corn tortilla filled with chipotle chicken and potatoes topped with chile rojo salsa, crema Mexicana, and queso fresco. Sounds good, right?
Well, it was pretty lacking in spiciness and all-over flavor, which surprised us. The chicken inside the empanada did not taste very seasoned and the empanada was a little soggy.
We didn’t have much luck with the Tamal de Puerco con Mole either. It’s made with shredded pork in corn masa topped with mole negro, queso fresco, crema Mexicana, slivered almonds, and sesame seeds for $9. Again, we didn’t get any of that chocolatey and spicy mole flavor, but at least the pork was well-seasoned. Again, though, it wasn’t enough to make up for the lack of mole we tasted.
The Dulce de Leche Churro for $6.50 has returned this year. Last year, we thought it was okay, but it wasn’t anything super special.
For drinks, we ordered the Holiday Margarita for $14. It’s made with Dos Hombres Mezcal, tequila, cranberry lime juice, allspice, and orange blackcurrant liqueurs. That sounds like it would be tasty, but we thought we were just drinking water because this, too, was just bland. We’re not sure what’s happening here, but this booth is seriously lacking flavor.
We do have some good news, though. The Coconut Guavarita for $13.50 is flavorful. This cocktail is made with Tromba Blanco Tequila, coconut water, guava cream, a hint of lime rum, and orange liqueur with a toasted coconut rim. It’s got a fruity thing going on that we really liked, and we found it refreshing. If we visited this booth again, this would be the only thing we’d order here.
Le Marche de Noel Holiday Kitchen — 5/5
Over in the France Pavilion, we tried the Crème De Saumon Fumé en Brioche for $8.75. This is a smoked salmon spread on a sesame brioche roll with cucumber and radishes. This sandwich is SO fresh tasting! The radish and cucumber add a nice crunch and brightness to the otherwise smoky salmon flavor. It’s mild and not too fishy, and the bun itself was soft and had a nice flavor as well.
Next up, we grabbed a returning item, the Rôti de Jambon for $7.95. This is a Roasted ham with mushrooms, pearl onions, bacon, white wine mustard sauce, and dauphin roasted herb potatoes. You definitely need to like ham to enjoy this dish, and lucky for us – we do! It’s salty, savory, and hearty without being overly heavy. The mushrooms and potatoes are a nice complement to the salty ham as well.
For dessert, we tried the Bûche de Noël for $6.95. This is a traditional French holiday dessert – a chocolate fudge Christmas log with a caramel cream center. This was pretty solid! It’s a delicious chocolate and caramel combination, but it’s kind of boring – so we’d opt for a dessert at a different booth.
To drink, we grabbed the Frozen Hot Chocolate Martini for $13.95. This festive cocktail is made with Vodka, chocolate milk, and whipped cream and we love it every year!
This year was no different. It tastes just like frozen chocolate milk – you can hardly taste the vodka. This is a popular drink and you’ll have people asking where you got it!
We also tried the new Spiced Cranberry Punch for $9.95. This new cocktail is made with Pol Rémy Sparkling Wine, cranberry juice, orange juice, and spiced brown sugar. This is SO good – it reminds us of a holiday mimosa with cranberry and spiced brown sugar. It’s a bit on the sweet side, but we really enjoyed it!
Mele Kalikimaka — 4.5/5
Mele Kalikimaka has been one of our favorite booths at previous versions of the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, and the 2024 version of the tropical-themed food booth did not disappoint.
First up, we tried the $6 Kalua Pork with Okinawa Sucet Potatoes and Mango Salad. This dish provided a really interesting texture combination between the smooth and creamy starch of the sweet potato mixed with the sweet taste of the mango-topped pork. The dish was a bit heavy, but overall we really enjoyed it.
Next, we tried the Lomi Lomi Salmon, which cost $6.50. This gluten and wheat-friendly dish comes with tomatoes, onions, salmon roe, yuzu-mayonnaise, and yuca chipsWhile we really enjoyed this dish, we can see how some might have an issue with the fishy flavor of the salmon, which combined with the onions and lemon flavor gives the dish a salty taste that we enjoyed but others may not. Our one complaint? The cup did not include enough yuca chips to finish the dip.
For dessert, we grabbed the decadent $3.25 Coffee Mocha Cookie, topped with coffee-infused buttercream, cocoa nibs, and chocolate-covered espresso beans. We loved everything about this cookie. The buttercream was light and air-whipped, while the cookie itself was perfectly soft without being too moist. If you’re a coffee fan, you need to try this!
Finally, we grabbed the $14 Melon Breeze. This would be an ideal drink for those who don’t generally enjoy the taste of alcohol, as the spiced rum that makes up the core of the drink is masked by the tropical fruit flavors that sweeten it.
Overall, we were big fans Mele Kalikimaka and enjoyed everything the booth offered. However, we wish the Lomi Lomi Salmon included a few more yuca Chios, and generally would warn anyone wary of fish or salt to consider if that particular dish is right for them.
Nochebuena Cocina — 3/5
We stopped by the Nochebuena Cocina booth for a plant-based Chorizo Tamal the new Pastelón, Cinnamon-spiced Chocolate Crinkle Cookie, and the Ponche Navideño drink!
Let’s start with the Plant-Based Chorizo Tamal, which has cotija and spicy red chile sauce on top for $5.50. This tamal was good, but not great. The plant-based chorizo and spicy red sauce were very flavorful and yummy, but the tamal shell had an odd texture, almost sandy. Unfortunately, this kind of ruined this dish for us.
Next, we tried the new Pastelón, which is a sofrito-marinated beef with sweet plantains and olives. You can grab it for $5.75. This option was yummy, but we expected more from it. The plantain and olives were very good, and we really enjoyed the cheese on top. However, we had higher expectations for it that it just didn’t reach.
The Cinnamon-spiced Chocolate Crinkle Cookie is part of the Cookie Stroll and costs $3.25. We would just warn you that this is a chocolate cookie, not a cinnamon spice cookie like it says. We could barely taste any cinnamon in the cookie, but that didn’t ruin it. It’s very soft and still very delicious as a chocolate cookie! We would grab this again.
The Ponche Navideño was our favorite item at this booth! It is a Christmas punch with apple, pear, guava, orange, dried hibiscus, brown sugar, tamarind, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. For $4, it was a hit. It tastes like a fruity sangria without the alcohol, and we loved the cinnamon and brown sugar that is part of it. It’s a very good holiday drink that we would definitely get again!
Shanghai Holiday Kitchen — 4/5
Now, let’s head over to Shanghai Holiday Kitchen! We started with the new XO Fried Rice, which costs $9.75. This fried rice is made with Chinese sausage, onion, green onion, mushroom, egg, and house-made Hong Kong XO Chili Sauce. This was one of our favorite dishes at the booth. The pork sausage was marinated in a sweeter sauce that worked really well with the other vegetables and seasoning. The rice was cooked really well, and everything came together well.
Next up, we tried the Beef Noodle Soup Bowl for $9.50. It is made with slow-braised beef shank, green onion, and house-made chili oil. We were super impressed with the serving size for this dish and you get LOTS of beef. The broth was aromatic, and the meat was super tender. We thought the flavor was a bit lacking, but it was definitely one of the better EPCOT noodle soups we have tried.
We also tried the Vegetable Spring Rolls, which cost $5.50. They are served with a citrus sauce. We loved how crispy the spring rolls were, and the amount of filling was great. They were super flavorful and we could really taste the vegetables. The citrus sauce was sweet but worked well with the spring rolls.
Up next, we tried the Taro Bubble Milk Tea, which you can get for $8.75.
This drink was huge and true to a milk tea. It was creamy and filled with lots of taro flavor. The tapioca pearls are a great, chewy addition to the drink, but may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
We also tried the Butterfly Lantern, which costs $14.75. This wasn’t our favorite cocktail as it tastes a bit like medicine with the combination of pear and lychee. The main flavor you get in this drink is the pear, but it isn’t very well balanced with the rest of the flavors. You hardly taste the gin at all.
Finally, we also got the Peach of Longevity, which you can grab for $14. We enjoyed this cocktail more than the Butterfly Lantern as the flavors were more balanced. We thought it was a very refreshing cocktail that was super easy to sip on. This cocktail is on the sweet side and has lots of peach flavor.
Shi Wasu Holiday Kitchen — 5/5
Sushi, boba, and a NEW dessert? That’s right, it’s time for Shi Wasu Holiday Kitchen in the Japan Pavilion. This spot tends to be a winner year after year, and 2024 is no different!
We started things off with the Sushi Tree Roll for $7.50. This is a returning classic, shaped just like a Christmas tree! It’s made with krab meat and cream cheese and topped with ikura salmon roe and spicy mayo. It’s a fairly basic roll and it’s only a little bit spicy. We wish there was a bit more salmon roe, but this is a pretty good option if you’re a sushi lover.
After that, we tried the Toshikoshi Soba for $8.50, which is also returning. It’s made with buckwheat soba noodles in a hot dashi (fish-based) soup and topped with shrimp tempura and chopped green onion. Like years past, we really enjoyed this dish! The soup has a rich and salty flavor, and the noodles are wonderfully soft. The tempura can get a bit soggy if you let it sit in the bowl too long, so make sure to eat it quickly.
For dessert, they have the new Mochi Donut Wrap for $6.50. This is served with strawberry, whipped cream, strawberry sauce, and sweet red beans all wrapped with a ‘gyuhi’ rice cake sheet. We were incredibly intrigued by this presentation, and it turned out to be pretty delicious! The strawberry sauce was nice and sweet, and it blended well with the soft and fluffy texture of the other elements.
To drink, we ordered the Ichigo Boba for $7. It’s a cranberry and yuzu cream drink with calpico and popping strawberry boba pearls. This is SO refreshing, and just the right amount of sweet. The cranberry comes through strong, which we really enjoyed.
If you’d like something else to drink, the booth also has Japanese Punch with Shōchū, plum wine, cranberry, and lemon juice for $8.25, Chocolate Nigori for $10, or Sapporo Premium Black Beer.
Swirled Showcase — 3/5
Next up, we’re heading to Swirled Showcase, where we’ve got some new treats as well as some returning favorites! For starters, this spot has a few different varieties of soft serve – dark chocolate (new for the Festival of the Holidays), apple cinnamon, and vanilla. They’re all available in cones for $6.50 each.
For a more creative treat, you can get the Holiday Mickey-shaped Liquid Nitrogen Pop for $4.75. This is a chocolate cake dipped in ganache made with Red & Green M&M’S Milk Chocolate Minis. Most of the fun here is to watch the chefs dip the pop in the liquid nitrogen after you order!
As far as taste goes, it’s pretty simple. Just basic chocolate cake with a melty ganache. You get some crunch from those M&Ms but it’s nothing to write home about. More for the fun of the visual than the actual flavor.
And then, of course, the menu here has several beverage options. Guests of any age can snag the Barq’s Red Crème Soda or Barq’s Root Beer with vanilla Soft-serve for $6.75 each.
For alcoholic options, there are a few different choices. The Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. Bourbonola and Cherry Cola is $12. Or, for $12.50, you can get one of the following: Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. Bourbonola with dark chocolate soft-serve, the Fireball Cinnamon Whisky and Barq’s Red Crème Soda with apple cinnamon soft-serve, or the Coffee Float made with dark chocolate soft-serve with iced coffee and choice of Mozart Liqueur.
You can also get two unique soft-serve flavors here, including Dark Chocolate, which is served in a waffle cone for $6.50. This is a new flavor for the festival with a nice deep chocolate flavor, but it’s not as bitter as a dark chocolate bar, which we think would have been even better.
The Apple Cinnamon Soft Serve in a waffle cone is returning this year. It’s $6.50, and we’ll tell you that this is our favorite of the two flavors. Although we thought adding some textural elements like graham cracker crumbs would have elevated it more, we still think this is a great way to try a unique ice cream flavor at the festival.
For alcoholic options, there are a few different choices. The Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. Bourbonola and Cherry Cola is $12. Or, for $12.50, you can get the Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. Bourbonola with dark chocolate soft-serve, and Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. We got the Fireball Cinnamon Whisky and Barq’s Red Crème Soda with apple cinnamon soft-serve for $12.50. The combination of the apple cinnamon soft serve with the cinnamon whisky is a boozy ice cream combo made in heaven.
We also ordered the Coffee Float made with dark chocolate soft-serve with iced coffee and a choice of Mozart Liqueur for $12.50. If you’re looking for a boozy drink that doesn’t taste boozy, this is a real crowd-pleaser.
We had this during the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, but Disney seems to have made some improvements to it. The liqueur combines with the chocolate soft serve to create a nice drink that doubles as dessert.
Tangierine Cafe: Flavors of Medina — 3/5
There are three food items to grab here and a total of four drinks. Let’s start with the Stone-baked Moroccan bread with dips for $5. This is a plant-based item and is served with hummus, chermoula, and a Zhoug dip. The chermoula and Zhoug sauces themselves add a herby kick to the bread, but the hummus is more of a classic staple. We love that it can be plussed up to appeal to more adventurous eaters, or a pickier eater can just enjoy the bread with the hummus.
As for the Grilled Kebabs, you have both the Chermoula Chicken and Lamb Kefta served with carrot-chickpea salad and garlic aïoli for $6.25 each. The chicken was a little chewy, if we’re being honest, and there were a few areas that were a little charred, but we really enjoyed the carrot-chickpea salad it was on. It added a nice crunch and bright flavor we appreciated!
As for the Lamb Kefta, it was good, but it reminded us very much of the lamb kefta meatballs you can get over at Harambe Market in Animal Kingdom. While that’s not a bad thing, it does mean that it doesn’t feel as unique, so for both of these, we don’t necessarily recommend going out of your way to grab them since it’s likely you could grab something similar to these items at other festivals.
As for the drinks, you can grab the Ciderboys Cranberry Razz Hard Cider, Bold Rock Apple Crumble Hard Cider, and Gulf Stream Brewing Holiday Snakebite either individually for $5.75 for a 6oz or $9.75 for a 12oz, or you can try all three thanks to the Hard Cider Flight for $10.25.
The Ciderboys Cranberry Razz Hard Cider was so light and fruity, but it’s not very strong, which is why it was our favorite!
The Bold Rock Apple Crumble Hard Cider was also fantastic and tasted so much like an apple pie or apple crumble that it almost made us feel like there should be some form of crumble in there!
The Gulf Stream Brewing Holiday Snakebite certainly wasn’t bad but has more of a bitter bite to it, so if you’re a fan of those types of ciders, this will be for you.
The Holiday Fig Cocktail is also back this year for $11.50. This year, it’s made with Kleiner Feigling fig liqueur and white cranberry juice, and this is stilln’t our favorite. The cranberry has a somewhat medicinal flavor, but at the same time, the drink is almost overly sweet. It’s unique, yes, but we don’t think it’s really worth it.
Tuscany Holiday Kitchen — 0.5/5
We’re always anxious to try the Italy booths…and we con confirm, we have good reason to feel that way. The Montanara returns this year for $9 – this dish is fried house-made pizza dough with pomodoro sauce, parmesan, and fresh basil.
These were very gummy as if they weren’t cooked well, and were soggy because they soaked up all the marinara. That wouldn’t be as The marinara sauce also lacked flavor, and while there was a lot of parmesan, we really couldn’t taste a lot of it.
The Panettone is new this year and costs $7. This was also very gummy, and the orange slices in here tasted like they had been unsuccessfully revived after being dehydrated, and it was just overall unpleasant. The vanilla cream that it’s in was the best part of this dish, but it wasn’t enough to save it.
The Dolce Pizza is back too for $7.50. This is fried house-made pizza dough that is coated with sugar and cinnamon. This is just boring and the dough is chewy to the extent that it’s almost gummy which was gross. While the cinnamon and sugar combination was a good topping, it was far from being enough to save the dish.
Yukon Holiday Kitchen — 4/5
It’s time for Yukon! The Seared Salmon is plated with butternut squash purée, maple-bourbon glaze, and fennel-arugula salad for $7.25. Once again, this was SO good. The salmon is buttery and tender and just falls apart. It’s rich and not fishy at all with a light sear. The maple bourbon glaze and butternut squash were a hit again this year.
The Beef Bourguignon with crushed potatoes is back this year, too! You can grab it for $7. Talk about comfort food! The beef and vegetables are so tender and swimming in that rich, salty broth. It’s such a hearty dish and one we’d gladly get again and again!
Yukon Holiday Kitchen is where you’ll find the Peppermint Pinwheel Cookie this year – it’s $3.25. This reminded us of a take-and-bake sugar cookie you might find at the grocery store, just with a little hint of peppermint! It wasn’t overpowering and we thought the sprinkles were a nice touch.
The Frozen Joffrey’s Coffee is available for $4.75, or you can do what we did and order it with Tap 357 Canadian Maple Rye Whisky for $12.50. When we tried this last year, it was the perfect mix of coffee and sweet – plus the whisky was fantastic!
A pour of Regional Icewine is $14.50 at this booth. It was a deliciously smooth and sweet glass of dessert wine – if you can even call it a glass. It was barely a shot, and for that price, we’d like a bit more of a pour!
And, the Beer Flight has also not changed from last year: it includes 81Bay Brewing Co. Peanut Butter Banana Porter, Playalinda Brewing Co. Maple Cookie Blonde Ale, and Collective Arts Coffee Maple Porter for $10.25.
The Collective Arts Coffee Maple Porter has a very bold coffee flavor with an aftertaste reminiscent of espresso, and the Playalinda Brewing Co. Maple Cookie Blonde Ale is sweet and tastes like maple. The 81Bay Brewing Co. Peanut Butter Banana Porter was our least favorite of the three, but still had a great depth of flavors going on.
Additional Locations
Funnel Cake — 5/5
For the Festival of the Holidays, the Funnel Cake stand in the American Adventure Pavilion is serving up some gingerbread goodness! Say hello to the Gingerbread Funnel Cake with vanilla ice cream, gingerbread crumbs, whipped cream, and red and green sprinkles.
This treat is $12, which is definitely on the pricier side of festival eats, but it was SO good. Myranda stopped by to try it out, and she absolutely loved the gingerbread flavor in the funnel cake itself, plus the little gingerbread crumbs on top. The vanilla ice cream pairs nicely and helps mellow out the spice a bit.
It’ll melt quickly, so you’ll want to snack on this ASAP. If you’ve got the budget for a treat that’s more than $10, then we recommend trying it out – it was one of our favorite festival funnel cakes we’ve had!
Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company — 2/5
The festival drink at Joffrey’s this year is the Merry Mint Cookie Latte, which is a blend of espresso, toasted marshmallow syrup, peppermint syrup, dark chocolate sauce, and milk topped with peppermint whipped cream and chocolate cookie crumbs. Although there is peppermint syrup in this drink, we really didn’t taste the mint flavors at all.
The coffee flavor does come through, but it’s mild, so this could be nice for those who don’t drink coffee often. However, it’s nothing really special or festive. It’s an okay drink, but there are so many other festival drinks we’d recommend over it.
You can get it for $6.49. A boozy version with Baileys Original Irish Cream is also available for $14.49.
Refreshment Outpost — 5/5
The Peanut Stew with sweet potatoes, mustard greens, and roasted peanuts has returned this year for $5.25. This plant-based dish has been a hit with us every year, and this year is no different. It’s always a Best of the Fest contender.
The Raspberry DOLE Whip is also back for $6.50. This is such a refreshing treat, and it’s also one that we order again and again.
The Boyd & Blair Chai Tea Mule has returned to the festival after being gone for a while. Oddly enough, it’s not on the menu at Refreshment Outpost, but it’s worth asking for at the counter.
The chai flavor isn’t overwhelming, and it has a nice balance of flavors. We like that it’s served with a cinnamon sprig that adds a hint of extra flavor. You even get a cool plastic souvenir cup with it.
Refreshment Port — 4/5
What if you took all the best parts of a Thanksgiving meal and put them on top of sweet potato fries? Well, that’s exactly what Disney did with the returning Turkey Poutine!
This poutine snack is $9.50 and comes with Sweet Potato Fries, Turkey Gravy, Cranberry Relish, and Crispy Onions. The turkey on its own was a little dry, but overall, all the ingredients came together to make this really shine.
The sweet, tart cranberry sauce paired so well with the sweet potato fries, and the salty, crispy onions gave the dish a much-needed crunch. If you’re a picky eater, be prepared for a whole range of textures and flavors, though.
Refreshment Station — 2/5
You can stop by the Refreshment Station for an exclusive treat just for Annual Passholders. It is called the Frostbite Frozen Slushy and costs $6.25. The drink is made with Fanta Blue Raspberry slushy and assorted candies. It is served in an adorable souvenir cup!
While the cup is super cute, the drink itself is pretty underwhelming. It is really just a blue raspberry slush in a fun cup. The drink is topped with a festive decoration and snowflake sprinkles, but they don’t add any flavor.
The slush is also topped with some white stuff that looks like snow. It didn’t add any flavor either, but it did give the drink an almost frostbitten texture. It was the most unique part of this festival drink, but we aren’t sure we liked the texture it created.
We think this treat was a one-and-done for us, and the real enjoyment of the drink was keeping the souvenir cup featuring the monorail! Otherwise, it was a pretty straightforward drink.
Connections Cafe and Eatery — 2/5
Connections Cafe and Eatery also has a few special offerings for the Festival of the Holidays! We started with the Holiday Sugar Cookie from Connections Cafe. You can get this cookie for $4.29.
While the cookie looks fun and festive, and the sprinkles add a great holiday touch, we were pretty underwhelmed by the cookie. It was a good sugar cookie that was soft and buttery, but it wasn’t anything special. It tastes like a cookie you could get by the dozen in a grocery store, but if you are craving that kind of sugar cookie, this is the treat for you!
Next, we tried the Holiday Sweater Liege Waffle from Connections Eatery. This is a chocolate-coated gingerbread waffle with a flurry of blizzard-themed sprinkles and white chocolate garnish, and you can get it for $4.49.
We have to start by saying this treat is adorable! However, the taste did not live up to its cuteness. The waffle was on the dry side, and it didn’t have much flavor at all. We couldn’t taste the gingerbread at all, which was disappointing.
Finally, we also got the Coquito Milk Shake for $7.49. The shake is made with French vanilla gelato, cream of coconut, nutmeg, and cinnamon. We loved how creamy this shake was, and it tasted a lot like an eggnog shake. While it was probably our favorite thing we got at Connections Cafe and Eatery, we also don’t think you need to go out of your way to try this shake.
Canada Popcorn Cart — 2/5
If you need to warm up or feel a little ill, the Canadian Hot Toddy made with maple syrup, honey, black tea, lemon juice, cinnamon, and Tap 357 Canadian Maple Rye Whisky could be just the drink you need. However, for $10, we didn’t feel like you get enough.
This is a classic hot toddy, though, and sometimes that just hits exactly how you need it to. But if you’re looking for something unique, we’d suggest trying one of the other many drinks available at the festival.
Sunshine Seasons — 3/5
The Peanut Butter Cookie made with Red & Green M&M’s Milk Chocolate Minis for $4.29 is a good option if you’re participating in the Cookie Stroll this year. It’s super buttery and full of peanut butter flavor, plus the M&M’s make it a lot of fun (and we love the addition of chocolate flavors).
It may not be the best peanut butter cookie we’ve ever had, but we’d order it again. It’s also huge and shareable.
UK Beer Cart — 1/5
All we can say about the Frozen Chocolate Orange Cocktail, made with hot chocolate, orange syrup, and blood orange liqueur for $16.50, is that Disney nailed the flavors. We were told the idea was to make a drink that represented the chocolate oranges, and well, it does that.
BUT we don’t think it works for a drink. The chocolate and orange flavors taste artificial and it just really isn’t working in liquid form. Maybe skip the drink and grab a chocolate orange instead.
Whew! We made it to the end! Stay tuned for our video on the AllEars YouTube channel covering everything at the festival!
FULL List of Everything You Can Eat and Drink at the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays
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Which booth are you the most excited about at this year’s festival? Let us know in the comments.
It all looks delicious. We wanted to do dinner at the food booths during the Flower and Garden festival. And we did it in late afternoon to try and avoid the dinner rush. Sample lots of stuff rather than a sit down dinner. Alas that was impossible as the lines at every booth were so long, we wouldn’t have been able to do more than a couple. And we had to sit on some stairs and eat at the one place we stood in line for as all the tables were filled. But from the photos accompanying the food reviews it appears no one was there. No lines and the park looked almost empty. So how about some tips on the best way to do what you did and avoiding long lines?