Epcot Food and Wine Festival 2019

My grandmother just finished her final round of chemo, and to celebrate, my mom and I took her to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival! This was our first time visiting during the festival, and we were blown away by all the delicious food. This year, the festival runs from August 29th – November 23rd. That’s longer than ever before! There’s still plenty of time to visit, so read on to find out everything you need to know before you eat your way around the world. Reviews for the food I tried are at the end.

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What is the food and wine festival?

Epcot is a theme park owned by Disney that has educational attractions and rides about the sea, land, and space. It is most renowned though for its celebration of various cultures around the world. Year round, Epcot has 11 world showcases that represent the food, culture, and traditions of 11 countries around the world. During the food and wine festival, Epcot kicks the celebration into high gear. This year, there are over 30 global marketplace booths representing food from 20 regions around the globe!

How much does it cost?

Access to the festival booths is included in the price of a normal park admission ticket. You do have to pay for your food and drinks though. The average price of food ranged from $4.50-$6.50 a serving, and alcoholic drinks cost anywhere between $4.00 and $12.00 depending on the complexity of the beverage.

There are also some special packages you can pay to add on to your experience such as culinary demonstrations from famed chefs and educational seminars covering various food and beverage topics. You can read more about package upgrade options HERE.

Don’t miss the concert series going on every night of the festival! It’s included in your park admission!

With so many food and drink options, how do you choose?

Start thinking about which foods you want to try before your visit. WD World Info has posted the festival’s full menu on their website along with nutritional and allergen info. You won’t feel as overwhelmed if you know what food items to be on the lookout for going into it.

Then once you arrive at the festival, there will be stands set up right at the entrance with food passports on them. Get one of these passports! They are super cute and have the full menus listed as well as the booth locations. There are even stamps in the passport so you can mark off which booths you try as you go! If you miss the stand at the entrance, don’t worry. They are available throughout the park and at all the food booths.

During our visit, lines moved surprisingly quickly, and the food tasted fresh at every booth. The only negative thing about our Epcot experience was that unlike Disney, you will be hard pressed to find indoor seating anywhere. There were lots of outdoor seating options, but shade was scarce so they were all in the sweltering sun. I’m hoping with the huge renovations that are set to take place at Epcot over the next 2 years more indoor seating will be created.

Are you a foodie? Check out my post on The Top 10 Places to Eat in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Food Reviews

Epcot is in the shape of a circle, so no matter what end you start at, you won’t run into the problem of missing out on any of the booths. We began our food tasting extravaganza in Future World West. Coastal Eats, Earth Eats, and Active Eats are 3 booths that are grouped together with tables set up under shady canopies.

I tried the lump crab cake from Coastal Eats and the loaded macaroni and cheese from Active Eats. The crab cake was really tasty with big chunks of crab meat inside, and the Napa cabbage slaw was refreshing. I thought there was way too much avocado-lemongrass cream on the crab cake. I’m a little picky when it comes to condiments though, and overall it was a great kick off for our day!

To me, the loaded mac and cheese just had too much going on. It was made with Pepper bacon, cheddar cheese and leeks. I felt like they tried to over-complicate a dish that is delicious when done simply. My mom really enjoyed it though.

After our savory treats, we needed something sweet! So we went to The Chocolate Studio (also in Future World West) where I had one of my top festival favorites: a Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea and Chocolate Shake. The flavors all went together perfectly. It had just started to get unbearably hot, and this shake instantly cooled me off. I wanted to get another but was afraid it would fill me up, and I still had a lot more things to try. I’m going to try to recreate it at my house though! 100% recommend. My grandmother got the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tart. She said the raspberry sauce paired excellently with the rich chocolate. Don’t skip out on The Chocolate Factory when you visit the festival!

Right next to The Chocolate Studio was The Wine & Dine Studio. I had read online that the food there was great, so we stopped to try the Seared Scallops and Butternut Squash Ravioli. The scallops were beautifully cooked and yummy. I had never had root puree before, but I liked how the texture of it contrasted with that of the scallops.

The Butternut Squash Ravioli was sweet. The chef got a little heavy with the oil which drowned out some of the flavors I think I was supposed to be experiencing. I like the the idea of topping it with pumpkin seeds. Had there not been so much oil, I think this would have added a saltiness that would have paired nicely with the sweetness of the ravioli.

I had planned to pace myself, but when presented with so much delicious looking food, it is hard to control yourself. Feeling a little full from our time in Future World West and needing to cool off, we spent the next couple of hours riding rides and exploring the United Kingdom and Morocco sections of the park. At the Ireland booth, I saw the Warm Chocolate Pudding with Irish Cream Liqueur and Custard and wanted to try it, but was already starting to feel full. Instead we stopped at the Belgium showcase, where my grandmother was quite pleased with her Golden Malted Belgian Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache and Whipped Cream.

Probably my biggest regret from that day is that I did not stop by the Hops & Barley booth to try the New England Lobster Roll. I heard people raving about it, but I felt like I had eaten enough American food for the day and needed to try some other things.

By chance, we had the best food last. At the Mexico world showcase, we had the Taco de Puerco which was filled with shredded pork belly and salsa verde. This was my mom’s favorite dish of the day.

My absolute favorite meal though was from the Islands of the Caribbean. I ordered the Ropa Vieja Empanada and the Quesito for dessert. They were both amazing! The empanada was filling and the stewed beef and side was simply scrumptious. It looked like an ordinary enough empanada on the outside, but the stewed beef inside was marinated and seasoned to perfection. It was the best empanada I’ve ever had. The Quesito was a puff pastry filled with sweetened cream cheese and drizzled with guava sauce. My grandmother loved it so much, she had me order her another one. These two dishes were flawless.

With our bellies full, we went to one of the shops to browse through the merchandise specially made for this year’s festival. There were some really cute items in shades of pink and rose gold including measuring spoons, pie plates, aprons, coffee mugs, and of course mouse ears.

Epcot Packing Essentials

Don’t bog yourself down with a purse. Just take a backpack.

Florida is HOT, and Epcot does not have a lot of places to get cooled off. These neck fans came in handy for our trip. I like them, because you just put them on like a necklace and they are designed to blow the air upward toward your face without you having to aim it. You might also consider taking cooling towels like these Frog Togs.

Don’t forget your sunscreen! I like Neutrogena sunscreen, because it is fast drying and not greasy.

Consider taking a reusable water bottle so you don’t have to pay exorbitant park prices. This reusable water bottle comes in a variety of colors, is spill proof, and will keep your water cold for up to 24 hours.

Scattered showers are common in Florida. Skip the jackets and buy ponchos instead. They are light weight and don’t take up much space.

Keep your phone charged throughout the day with an external power bank. This power bank by Anker has the capacity to charge your iphone 7 times.

Was it worth it?

Absolutely. I was worried I might regret going to Epcot instead of one of the other parks. We had a splendid time though and plan to go back again next year! I’m even more excited for the 2020 Food and Wine Festival, because Epcot has some really exciting improvements planned for the park that will make for even more of a magical experience!

If you went to Epcot Food and Wine Festival 2019, tell me your favorite food and drinks in the comments below!