This lists all of the best dishes, desserts, and drinks at the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World. Here we cover the absolute must-eat snacks at the Global Marketplaces throughout World Showcase and Celebration, with everything you need to try at the fall foodie event.
This ‘best of the fest’ list makes planning and grazing around the World Showcase easier, as there are dozens upon dozens of dishes at the Global Marketplaces of varying quality: good, bad, and ugly. This much is clear if you’ve read our Booth Menus, Food Photos & Reviews for the 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival.
For those who don’t want to comb through those individual reviews, this lengthy list of must-try dishes, desserts, and drinks is a one-stop resource for those of you visiting in the near future who want a concise rundown of what to eat and avoid at this year’s EPCOT Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World. As always, there are surprising (sometimes) new additions as well as returning fan-favorites on this list…
Let’s start with a few prefatory notes before digging in. First, you’ll notice that this dish is mostly more ambitious options. This isn’t because we’re food snobs or don’t enjoy a guilty pleasure–we do. It’s because anyone who’s crazing french fries, mac & cheese or hot dogs probably knows exactly what they want and can tell by the menus and sneaking a peek at plates in their vicinity whether it’ll appeal to them. This list is thus better focused on the unique and more borderline dishes that could be excellent or atrocious depending upon execution.
On that note, it’s also important to point out that tastes may vary. Again, we’re not food snobs–that much should be clear by a few of these entries, but we do think that a dedicated food festival should have ambitious and adventurous options. Crowd-pleasing comfort cuisine has a place, but that’s available almost everywhere at Walt Disney World. We’ve been annual attendees of the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival for 15+ years in order to taste global cuisine and dishes that are different.
Additionally, as we’ve seen since we’ve been covering Food & Wine Festival over the last decade-plus, quality control is not always the best…or even so-so. Dishes differ from day to day and even hour to hour. Items are produced quickly and in large quantities, and are not made to order. As such, results can be inconsistent, and one person’s “perfectly cooked” steak could be over-cooked for a guest who orders the same thing minutes later.
Likewise, portion sizes can vary pretty significantly. There have been times when we’ve sat at our table stood at our trash can, and noticed that other guests near us who ordered the same thing have significantly smaller or larger portions. Both of these variables can impact your perception of a particular dish.
Freshly-prepared Le Cellier filet mignon that’s twice the size of an overly fatty portion that’s been sitting under a heat lamp for 30 minutes is going to review better. This is not an arbitrary example–we’ve found that meats are most commonly inconsistent, with the iconic Canadian steak being the biggest offender. That’s especially true on slower days. You might be happy to find no lines at the food booths, but lines are actually a good thing from the perspective of freshness.
Anyway, take a look at the best-of the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival list…
Smoked Corned Beef (Flavors from Fire) – The bad news is that the Flavors from Fire booth is a shadow of its former self and has been in the post-reopening era. The good news is bad by Flavors from Fire standards (the #1 overall booth for several consecutive years) is still pretty good.
If you want to opt for only one item, that absolutely needs to be the Smoked Corned Beef with House-made Potato Chips, Cheese Curds, Pickled Onions and Beer-Cheese Fondue (top). This has been one of the top 5 dishes for as long as it’s been on the menu, and that’s true again this year. It’s smoked corned beef on a bed of house-made potato chips, with a fondue drizzle to top it off. The fondue is complex, and the corned beef is lean and tender, with an excellent smokiness. It’s a perfect marriage of flavors; an ambitious comfort food that’s perfect for fall.
The other items are also worthy of consideration. The Impossible Montreal Style Burger Slider is a plant-based standout, but I’ll admit to being disappointed that Flavors from Fire isn’t a carnivore’s paradise. The real burger is even better, but still pricey and small for what it is. Honestly, I would’ve loved to see full-sized versions of both burgers at Connections and something else on the menu here. Flavors from Fire has started to stagnate and it’s time for a full menu redo, minus the reliably good Smoked Corn Beef, of course.
Liquid Nitrogen Frozen Sweet Potato Mousse (Swirled Showcase) – For years, our favorite dessert at EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival was the Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey-Caramel. In the post reopening-era of the event, it has sort of returned, but with different presentations and subpar quality.
This is that dessert for real, but with different flavors. And while I miss the decadence of the old one, I also love the new Liquid Nitrogen Frozen Sweet Potato Mousse with candied pecans and maple-caramel sauce. This is basically fall in dessert form. The perfect taste of Thanksgiving as a chilled indulgence.
I actually appreciate that his is sweet potato as opposed to pumpkin, as has a more earthy flavor and doesn’t seem quite as sweet. The maple-caramel sauce does the trick for sweetening it, with the candied pecans providing texture. It’s an incredible dessert; one that’s ambitious and appropriate for a fall foodie festival. It also makes me miss the chocolate version a little less–although that should come back for EPCOT’s Festival of the Holidays. This is our #1 dessert of the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival.
Red Wine-braised Beef Short Rib (Earth Eats) – This beef short rib is served atop a bed of goat cheese polenta and puttanesca sauce, and is garnished with shaved pecorino, and petit herbs. It falls apart when cut with the fork, and is incredibly tender, flavorful, and juicy. Equally as significant, it has a little bit of fat for flavor, but not so much as to render any of the meat inedible.
While the puttanesca sauce is there for flavor, I felt no need to touch this until I was done with the meat. Thankfully, both stood on their own–the puttanesca sauce had chunks of tomatoes and vegetables, plus the perfect acidity and garlic level. Then there was the goat cheese polenta, which was absolutely heavenly–rich and creamy and with just the right amount of earthiness. (Fitting given the booth name!)
The size of this booth’s portion coupled with the quality is what makes this the best value dish at the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. This is highly recommended whether you’re paying out of pocket or on the Disney Dining Plan. I’ll be getting this again and again; it’s a great substitute for a counter service meal. This is EPCOT festival food at its best–nuanced flavor and attention to detail, while still being approachable for everyone. The Red Wine-braised Beef Short Rib belongs at the very top of your list of dishes to order.
Roasted Lamb Chop (Australia) — This Global Marketplace has been offering up lamb dishes since as long as I can remember, and the Roasted Lamb Chop with mint pesto and potato crunchies is a personal favorite. I really like the refreshing mint pesto contrasted with the rich lamb; the potato chips aren’t necessary, but a little texture never hurts.
Ours had a generous amount of meat and wasn’t too fatty (YMMV on both counts), and the accompaniments are sophisticated and thoughtful items that pair well with the lamb.
Australia almost gets the coveted “order the entire menu” endorsement. Maybe it should have. The Grilled Bushberry Spiced Shrimp Skewer with sweet-and-sour vegetables and coconut chili sauce is the best version of the shrimp we’ve ever had, and the Lamington is the same as it always is (which is to say that a lot of the Food & Wine faithful love it, but we’re more mixed).
Chocolate Amarula Mousse (Refreshment Outpost) – This is essentially an oversized Zebra Dome, which–for those unfamiliar with the iconic Animal Kingdom Lodge dessert–is very high praise. There’s a reason Zebra Domes are among the most iconic Walt Disney World desserts despite being available at one of the most inconvenient resorts. This brings them into a mainstream in-park location that probably sees more foot traffic in a day than AKL does in a year.
Suffice to say, the Chocolate Amarula Mousse is perfect. The mousse is buoyant and creamy, the inner filling is rich, and the cookie base provides a bit of crunch and texture. There’s so much more than meets the eye here, as it’s a flavorful, unique and nuanced dessert. My only ever-so-slight “disappointment” is that selling this at EPCOT makes a trip to Animal Kingdom Lodge less special. I’m not trying to “gatekeep” or whatever…I just really think more Walt Disney World fans should visit AKL, and removing an incentive to do that is slightly unfortunate. But who knows, more people becoming addicted to this giant Zebra Dome might be a boon for business once this festival ends!
Lobster Tail (Coastal Eats) – It will never cease to amaze me that Walt Disney World will phone in the absolute most basic of dishes–french fries, doughnuts or chicken wings–but absolutely crush it with complex seafood. And this happens with regularity, year in and year out.
This lobster tail is perfect in every conceivable way. There’s a generous amount of meat, which is flavorful and tender. The butter and lemon bring out the natural flavor of the seafood even more, enhancing what’s already there rather than masking subpar seafood or making rubbery meat manageable.
Honestly, our biggest disappointment with Coastal Eats is that the menu isn’t larger, with separate scallops and salmon options. Those are two other dishes that the EPCOT culinary team has historically done incredibly well. Let them showcase their talents!
Kalua Pork Slider (Hawaii) – It’s frankly a travesty that Hawaii isn’t listed as an “everything” booth. For reasons that I’ll never understand, they eliminated the fan-favorite SPAM Hash. Thankfully, the Passion Fruit Cheesecake still delivers (and earns our recommendation), as does the Kalua Pork Slider.
It’s the latter item that ends up scoring the spot here. If you’ve been to EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival in the past decade–or even read coverage of the event–you’ve tried or heard of this. It’s a fan favorite, and for good reason. Despite the relatively small roll, this sandwich comes with a heaping helping of moist pork, topped with pineapple chutney and a liberal coating of spicy mayonnaise. The mild zest of the sauce mixes perfectly with the pineapple, and the meat is always perfectly flavored. This is a can’t miss!
Griddled Cheese (Greece) – The iconic Griddled Greek Cheese is back once again for 2024! This uses kasseri cheese, which is a traditional semi-hard Greek cheese made from sheep and goat milk. Griddling the cheese softens it up, giving it an exterior skin.
The hardened honey adds a sweetness and the ground pistachios offer further crunch. The ingredients coalesce remarkably well, and the end result is a creamy, nutty, sweet, and earthy cheese dish that is a truly sublime. This is easily one of our all-time favorite dishes of the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival.
Feijoada (Brazil) – This dish features crispy pork belly, black beans, Brazil nut pesto, and long grain white rice. This is a good one-two punch for us; the base offers well-rounded flavor with plenty of seasoning and nuance.
And of course, what’s not to love about pork belly?! This meat is melt-in-your-mouth delicious, with the right amount of fattiness and perfect preparation. Together, it’s a well-balanced dish that’s at once ambitious and comforting. If Walt Disney World is going to make Food & Wine menus more crowd-pleasing, this is exactly how to do it!
Freshly-baked Chocolate Pudding Cake (Flavors of America) – For those lamenting the loss of the Ireland booth, America’s got you covered. In typical USA fashion, we’re taking dishes from other countries and making them our own. That’s more or less what’s happened with this chocolate pudding cake, which simply swaps out the Irish Cream Liqueur Custard for Bourbon Caramel Sauce.
Being distinctly patriot, you’ll never get me to admit Ireland’s sauce is superior. This is still fantastic. The cake is incredibly moist and gooey, with just the right density. It’s a rich and decadent indulgence–precisely what you’d expect from a booth slinging 4 different hot dogs (‘MURICA!). Grab whichever of those catches your eye, and pair it with this highly recommended dessert!
Tiramisù Funnel Cake (Funnel Cake) – This is a funnel cake…served at Funnel Cake, which is the name of the one-person kiosk between American Adventure and Japan. This little spot always has a festival funnel cake, and they’re usually winners.
The 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival is no different, and this is glorious. The downside of the solo shop is that the lines can be long and move at an anemic pace. The upside is that the funnel cake is always freshly-made. This Tiramisù Funnel Cake is topped with vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate rum sauce and cream cheese whipped cream and dusted with cocoa and espresso powder. It does a shockingly good job at approximating Tiramisù and isn’t the least bit fake or artificial.
Eel Temaki Sushi (Japan) – This is hand-rolled sushi with grilled eel, egg crumbles, cucumber, and pickled daikon radish served with eel sauce. This is one of two similar options, following the crowd-pleasing American Wagyu beef hand roll. I love eel, and would implore you to give it a chance if you’ve never had it. Eel is not that exotic or adventurous.
The eel has a delicate flavor that’s light, sweet and savory; the texture is firm and chewy–very distinctive. Where it really shines is when accompanied by eel sauce, which gives the fish a deeper umami flavor, which plays well with its sweet and savoriness. The egg and cucumber likewise add to the flavor–I could’ve used more of the latter (and perhaps some more eel sauce given the amount of rice).
We make it a point to visit unagi restaurants whenever we’re in Japan. Nagoya has some fantastic ones, many of which offer exponentially more eel for only slightly more money than this hand roll, but that’s the nature of the beast. Nevertheless, I’d highly recommend this Eel Tamaki Sushi despite the high price because it’s something unique and interesting done surprisingly well. On the DDP, it’s an absolute no-brainer.
Pickle Milkshake (Brew-Wing) – Last year’s viral drink at the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival is back for round two. This spawned a ton of strong reactions last year, but it’s now old news–the influencers have moved on. My opinion then and now is much more vanilla. Literally. It’s a vanilla milkshake with dill seasoning plus green food coloring. The end result is something that has an interesting interplay of sweet and creamy, and semi-sour, savory, tart and tangy. More than anything else, the Pickle Milkshake is tasty, cooling and refreshing.
I actually like this! The ice cream in the shake tastes shockingly high quality, the portion is sizable, and the price is relatively reasonable. It also comes in a plastic mason jar, which I suppose you could take home as a keepsake? Don’t get me wrong–this is like #22 on my list of highlights at the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, but still, it does make the list. The Pickle Milkshake is not the most inventive, ambitious, or even weird dish, but it is an economical ice cream delivery vehicle. It’s worth giving a shot.
Everything (Harvest Hollow) – It’s a time honored tradition for this blog to recommend a few booths in their entirety, saving your sanity and time in not having to wait in a bunch of long lines for individual items. For the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, we’re taking this several steps further and endorsing an entire area: Harvest Hollow.
This is the new-look stretch along the Rose Walk between Journey into Imagination and World Showcase. It’s home to three food studios and a grand total of 9 dishes. While we don’t think they’re all quite of equal quality, they are all very good to great. And chances are, there are flavor and ingredient combos in that mix that ‘won’t speak to you’ or you’ll otherwise want to skip. With that said, if we could only do three booths at the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, this trio would be eat. Here are individual reviews of the food studios in Harvest Hollow:
Seriously, start here and work your way backwards. These are our #1, #2, and #3 booths of the entire 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. Throw in Earth Eats, Coastal Eats, and Flavors from Fire and you could easily ‘finish’ Food & Wine before even entering World Showcase!
Honorable Mentions – It’s impossible to list every dish from the 2024 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival that’s very good or better. Accordingly, here’s a list of honorable mentions–in addition to some of the secondary selections listed above:
- Hawaiian Rice Bowl (Hawaii)
- Braised Beef Poutine (Refreshment Port)
- Cheddar Cheese Soup with Pretzel Roll (Canada)
- Filet Mignon (Canada)
- France Booth (all dishes are good to very good, but not great)
- Beer-braised Beef (Belgium)
- Tangierine Cafe (nothing new here, but all dishes are very good)
- India Booth (both items are very good)
- Caramel Apple Milk Shake (Sunshine Seasons)
Even skipping entire booths like Mexico, Italy, China, Germany, Spain, and other popular options–you still have over three dozen recommendations if you order everything on this list. That’s a lot of dishes to try! If you don’t get full or go broke trying, chances are, you’ll want to repeat some of them before needing to bother with the rest of the fest.
Check out our Global Marketplace Booth Menus & Photos for the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Booth Menus post if you want to see and read more about every menu this year! You’ll also want to read our full 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival Guide before you go to get an idea of what to do, strategy for the festival (yes, you will need a strategy), and much more!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Do you have any favorite snacks from the 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival? If you’ve tried any of the dishes on this list, what’d you think of them? Did we snub any of your top dishes, desserts, or drinks at this year’s event? Agree or disagree with our choices? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
