The 23rd annual Epcot
International Food & Wine Festival has begun. Lauren Delgado has tips to help you make the most of it.
The Epcot International Food and Wine Festival is celebrating its 23rd year of showcasing dishes and drink from around the world through Nov. 12.
The festival is included with park admission (which starts at $102 for a one-day ticket) — but food, drink and certain special events have separate fees. I’ve come up with 23 tips to help you avoid festival lag and make the most of your time at Epcot. 1. Plan ahead if you’re imbibing Enlist a designated driver, plan for an Uber/Lyft/taxi, or stay at the parks and use a bus. 2. Peruse the menu
Visit TasteEpcot.com to look over the marketplace menus. This will give you an idea of which marketplaces to make a bee-line for — and which to pass by on your journey. 3. Grab a passport
These booklets can be found at the front of the park and at select marketplaces and shops.You’ll find suggestions on events and seminars, as well as a list of food and drinks at each booth. Bonus: Create a scavenger hunt by marking your visit to each booth with a passport sticker for the corresponding destination. The passport also indicates if food is gluten-free, kid-approved or vegetarian. 4. Never underestimate Florida weather This piece of advice can be used for daily life, too. Does it look sunny? Pack a poncho. Cloudy? Put on sunscreen anyway. 5. Hydrate
Bring a water bottle to refill at water fountains or quick-service restaurants — or be prepared to purchase $3 bottled water. Regardless, hydrate — especially if you’re drinking adult beverages. 6. Bring a group
Share a few dishes to save money — and stomach space. Many offerings are proportioned for sharing, such as the hummus fries. One of my favorites, this vegetarian dish is made up of crispy fried blocks of hummus topped with cucumber, tomato, onions and tzatziki sauce. Find the fries in the Morocco pavilion.
7. Bypass the front marketplaces
Head to the back of World Showcase to avoid a crowd visiting some of the more immediate booths. My recommendation for an early visit? Start your day with Hops & Barley for carrot cake and a cup of A Wake Coffee Blonde Ale by 3 Daughters Brewing (a St. Petersburg brewery). If you’re feeling up to it, a recent addition — the New Brunswick Slider — is pretty tasty too. 8. Time it right
Epcot gets packed during Food and Wine weekends — if you can swing a weekday or even a weeknight — do it. If you’re going on a weekend, try to arrive as the festival opens (11 a.m. daily) or in the late afternoon. 9. Don’t forget Future World
The festival now spreads out from World Showcase to Future World. Here are a few to look for: Taste Track: Croissant Doughnuts get some tasty toppings at this marketplace near Test Track.
Flavors From Fire: Situated near the Epcot Character Spot, Flavors serves smoked corned beef, chocolate mousse and other smoky and/or spicy foods.
Active Eats: Fuel your Epcot fun with energy bar bites, a mix of chocolate, nuts, dried fruit and dates.
Coastal Eats: As the name suggests, you’ll find seafood dishes — think a crab cake, shrimp scampi dip and seared scallops — at this Future World West marketplace. 10. Load up a gift card
... Or bring cash. It’s the easiest way to stick to a budget for all those small plates and drinks you’ll be trying. 11. Enjoy old favorites
A few dishes have stuck around the festival for years now. Consider trying:
Canada has just two dishes on the menu — both of which are some of the most popular in the festival: the thick cheddar cheese and bacon soup and the “Le Cellier” Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon.
The Australia marketplace will again grill up a shrimp dish as well as a lamb chop (both gluten-friendly), while serving lamington, a yellow cake dipped in chocolate and shredded coconut for dessert. 12. Don’t miss new dishes
Take a chance on some new items — you may find a favorite.
The Cheese Studio is going decadent with a maple bourbon Boursin cheesecake topped with maple bourbon cream, caramel and pecan crunch.
Over in Ireland, a creamy sweet Guinness Baileys Shake is being served in a fun plastic souvenir glass.
At the picturesque Islands of the Caribbean marketplace, a ropa vieja empanada sounds delicious — tender beef tucked into a (hopefully) crisp pastry. 13. Be adventurous Eat outside of your comfort zone with some quirky dishes.
Seafood stew may not sound like the most appealing dish, particularly in hot Florida, but the Moqueca in Brazil is tasty with scallops, shrimp and fish with coconut-lime sauce and rice.
The Impossible Burger may change your mind about meatless patties. Find it at Earth Eats.
The Teriyaki-glazed SPAM hash at Hawai’i is always a surprising bite for me. Potatoes, peppers, onions, and a douse of spicy mayonnaise. 14. Go vegetarian
Some pretty tasty items happen to be meat-free.
Africa’s somewhat spicy Ethiopian red lentil stew is paired with a vegan yogurt and quinoa. It’s a filling dish with plenty of tang.
The Greece pavilion serves three vegetarian dishes — including the famous (for me) loaded Greek Nachos made up of pita chips, meatless sausage crumbles, vegan tzatziki and veggies.
A new dish, the butternut squash ravioli, will be served with a brown butter vinaigrette, Parmesan cheese and pumpkin seeds at The Wine & Dine Studio. 15. Taste gluten-friendly options About 10 choices are available including: Spice-crusted salmon with a lentil salad, avocado and sherry vinegar can be ordered from the Active Eats marketplace.
India’s madras red curry comes with roasted cauliflower, baby carrots, chickpeas and basmati rice. Bonus: It’s vegetarian as well.
Treat yourself to a chocolate-almond truffle cooled by liquid nitrogen and covered in a warm whiskey caramel from The Chocolate Studio. 16. Check out kid-friendly options
For a healthier kid-friendly food, the banana almond soft-serve sundae tastes like an indulgence with fresh berries and chocolate almond streusel over top. Order one at The Almond Orchard.
One of China’s new eats, the chicken dumplings, may be a good stepping stone to more global eats for kids.
Just about anything at the Germany pavilion sounds kid-friendly to me: schinkennudeln (a mac and cheese-like dish); roast bratwurst in a pretzel roll; and apple strudel. 17. Enjoy kid-friendly fun
A few new kid-friendly foodie activities may be good options for children (and their guardians) who need a break from the festival marketplaces.
Candy Sushi: With some guidance from Disney chefs, kids will be able to roll their own Candy Sushi. This free activity will be open at 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. daily at Sunshine Seasons, the food court at the Land pavilion. There is limited seating — sign up for a slot at TasteEpcot.com.
New festival play area: Inspired by the upcoming Disney movie “Ralph Breaks the Internet” (the sequel to Wreck-It Ralph), this play area will be constructed near the Test Track ride in Future World East.
Junior Chef Kitchen: Another freebie event, Junior Chef Kitchen will let kids become chefs and create their own pancake 11a .m. Sunday at the Festival Center. Seating is limited, so families can sign up Sattioned urdays and Sundays at the Festival Center. 18. Don’t forget the beer (and the other drinks)
Wine is, of course, the center of this festival, but festival-goers can sip on craft beer and tasty cocktails too.
The RGB flight in the Light Lab features three Florida beers colored to correspond to the color model. It’s a fun flight.
Shimmering Sips Mimosa Bar in the Festival Center celebrates the brunch beverage with five different options. 19. Go beyond the countries
Eating around the world is fun, but there are a few spots serving some creative treats for festival-time:
The Refreshment Port in Showcase Plaza will serve two poutines — beef and sweet potato — along with a pineapple soft-serve that can be spiked with rum.
Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company locations throughout the park will each feature a special cocktail, such as a frozen cappuccino with bourbon cream at Future World East. 20. Take a peek at Festival Center
Not only are there events and merchandise available, three marketplaces are stationed in the center: The mimosa bar men- above, a Florida-centric craft beer spot and the new Festival Center Wine Shop. The shop will serve three flights from the 12 wines being served, along with three dishes: a charcuterie plate, cheese plate and a Bloody Mary seafood cocktail. 21. Learn something, too
Don’t limit yourself to just eating around the world. Get some cheese pairing tips, watch a cooking demonstration, get a few cocktail making tips and more with the slew of demonstrations and seminars being held at the Festival Center. 22. Eat to the Beat
The America Gardens Theatre will be bopping with bands and musicians at 5:30 p.m.; 6:45 p.m.; and 8 p.m. daily. The schedule includes the Plain White T’s (Sept. 17-19); 98 Degrees (Oct. 15-16) and Boyz II Men (Nov. 5-7). Dining packages are available — visit TasteEpcot.com, the Festival Center, or call 407-939-3378 for more information. 23. Visit TasteEpcot.com
Make your seminar reservations, check out the Eat to the Beat schedule or peruse those marketplace menus.