Time has flown by and we are now at the last weekend of Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival. Can you believe it?
This was our first year experiencing the Food & Wine Festival and it is now our favorite event that we have been to at Disney World. My husband and I both enjoy and appreciate good food, so we were definitely happy with all the choices that are available at the festival. If you have never been, I highly recommend checking it out next year.
It’s hard to find a place to start, because the Food & Wine Festival has so many different things offered to guests. We did not attend any of the seminars or demos; we stuck with the food booths. And while it would have been nice to try some of the seminars we were not disappointed with our decision to concentrate on the booths. So much good food!
There is so much food that it can be difficult to keep track of what you have tried throughout your vacation. That’s why I love that Disney makes a passbook, which is a list of all the booths and what they offer. You can check off each item that you have tried and get a stamp at each of the booths. The passbooks are free and we picked up ours at the International Gateway entrance. They also have maps available.
We tried so many things and thought most of the food was delicious (we were all disappointed with the fondue at the Cheese Studio). I don’t know if I could pick a favorite, but the spanakopita at the Greece booth was really good. That was actually a favorite among everyone.
Here are some of the things we tried:
- Dominican Republic
- Pescado con Coco – Seared Grouper, Pigeon Peas, and Rice with Coconut Sauce
- Greece
- Chicken Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce
- Spanakopita
- Hawaii
- Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise
- Maui Splash Sweet Pineapple Wine
- Patagonia
- Beef Empanada
- New Zealand
- Steamed Green Lip Mussels with Garlic Butter and Toasted Breadcrumbs
- Lamb Meatball with Spicy Tomato Chutney
- Australia
- Lamington – Yellow Cake Dipped in Chocolate and Shredded Coconut
- Africa
- Berbere-style Beef Tenderloin Tips with Onions, Jalapenos, Tomato, and Pap
- Germany
- Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce
- Poland
- Sauerkraut Pierogi with Pork Goulash
- Morocco
- Kefta Pocket – Seasoned Ground Beef in a Pita Pocket
- Brazil
- Escondidinho de Carne – Layered Meat Pie with Mashed Yucca
- France
- Boeuf Bourguignon – Braised Short Ribs in Cabernet Sauvignon with Mashed Potatoes
- Ireland
- Lobster and Seafood Fisherman’s Pie
- Canada
- Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup
- Inniskillin Vidal Icewine
We split pretty much everything. That way we were able to try more things. If you plan to go to Food & Wine and are traveling with another person, I highly recommend splitting the dishes. They are not large portions to begin with, but it’s easy to get full fast after just a few booths.
Plus, if you get to try more of the food you can fill out more of your passbook. We traveled with friends, so we would compare our passbook with theirs after each of us would go out for a date night at Food & Wine. It was fun and helpful to get suggestions and check off what we had already tried. The passbook is really helpful in the fact that the countries are laid out in the book the same way they are in the park.
Make sure to get the stamps in the passbook from all the booths you visit. There is usually a person with a stamp standing by the line, but if you forget to get your stamp from them the people at register usually have stamps too.
The lines can get long at the booths, but they usually move pretty fast. Also, we were in Epcot during Extra Magic Hours (EMH) and once Illuminations was over the booths closed up for the day. Apparently, they are not open during EMH, only during regular park hours or at least that’s how it was the night we were there. It would probably be hard to tell who is staying on property and who isn’t, but we were a little bummed. So, just a heads up that they don’t go by EMH.
We had a lot of fun looking at all the Food & Wine merchandise too. Our friends were kind enough to give me a Food & Wine 20th anniversary shot glass I had been eyeing, as a thank you for planning the trip. We also picked up the 20th anniversary cookbook and I’m very excited to start trying recipes! Our friend bought one of the commemorative shirts and she loves it.
They had lots of fun things, including the maps for “Remy’s Hide & Squeak.” That’s a game where you look for Remy at different locations throughout the World Showcase and place the right stickers in the right locations on the map. Once it’s filled you can bring it back for your prize (I believe it’s a pin).
This was a first for everyone in our group. We are definitely thinking of coming back for another Food & Wine. It was so much fun and the food was so good. It was nice to just stroll around the World Showcase, trying new things.
I said it earlier, but I’m going to say it again; if you have never been to Food & Wine, I highly recommend it!
For pictures, see the gallery below.
Are you planning to check out Food & Wine next year?
Thanks for reading!
*Liz*
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