Review - Florida - Orlando - Epcot International Food and Wine Festival

Walt Disney World's Epcot hosts several festivals each year - Festival of the Arts, Flower and Garden, Food and Wine, and the Holiday/Cookie Stroll. The biggest, and personally my favorite, is the Food and Wine festival. They offer a lot more items to try and, in my opinion, they are less foo-foo than the Flower and Garden nibbles making them more appealing to kids. Younger kids will also appreciate that one of the two playgrounds that were open for the Flower and Garden festival remain open. There's also the Remy Scavenger Hunt.

First things first, if you enjoy meeting characters, you will want to hurry to the International Gateway in the corner of Epcot just past England/UK across from the World Traveller shop to see Daisy in her chef outfit. She only meets for a short period and if you're lucky, you can turn back around toward England/UK and meet Alice or Mary Poppins.


The Remy Scavenger Hunt is only sold at a handful of locations (there will be a sign outside the shop indicating if they sell them inside). They cost $9.95 (or discounted for DVC or AP members). You can choose to redeem your prize at purchase or when you've completed the map. I always choose to redeem mine right away after we lost our nearly completed map on a previous trip. This year the prize is a nice plastic cup. For those new to the game - you receive a map upon purchase with a set of stickers. Every time you spot a Remy figurine at a location (such as Italy), you place the matching sticker on your map. Sometimes the figurines are sitting on top of buildings so you have to keep an eye out. When you've redeemed your prize, they stamp "Complete" on your map. It's fun for all ages. I've seen adults play as well. I'm glad they let you redeem the prize now without finishing because sometimes you just run out of time trying to find all the countries' Remy figurines.

Not as decorative as the Flower and Garden Festival, there were two photo spots along the main walkway. Here's a snapshot of one of them. There's also a bunch of Food and Wine specific merchandise. I personally like the figment items.

 

One of my favorite things to do during these festivals is to participate in Emile's Frommage (Cheese) Montage found in the back of your festival passport (which you can pick up at any food booth). To receive the special Emile treat, you purchase 5 items from a list of 10 options to choose from. Every time you purchase one, the cashier will stamp your book. When you collect all 5 stamps (they could be different items or same item) you take your book to Shimmering Sips to redeem for the special treat.

A lot of people have asked me about the different food options at the booths and concerns about picky eaters. Let me tell you - yes, picky eaters will find things to enjoy. You can always ask the cashier whether the chef can customize (ie, leave off things or set things to the side). If someone in your group has an allergy, ask them if they can accommodate. Many times they can or they can provide alternatives. Since my trip was only a few days, I wasn't able to sample very single menu item but here are the items I was able to try and I will make a note if it was kid-friendly or not. Also, there were a handful of booths that were not yet open (Hawai'i, The Noodle Exchange, Coastal Eats, Mac n Eats)

Australia
Grilled Sweet-and-Spicy Bush Berry Shrimp (the kids saved the veggies for the adults)


Appleseed Orchard
Apple Crumble Tart - messy little dish
Located in Canada. Great place to hideout from the afternoon rain. They did offer a non-alcoholic cider flight if you asked.


Canada
"Le Cellier" Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon - the mushrooms were saved for the adults. Be careful to cut meat into small pieces to prevent choking.

Ireland
Roasted Irish Sausage (for picky eaters, ask them to hold the green onions) and Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake (very rich)


France
Always a line at this location. Creme Brulee Vanilla a la Confiture de Framboises (order 2 since this will get devoured).

Brazil
Pao de Queijo (Cheese Bread) (since the cheese was gooey inside the bread rather than baked into the bread, it was hit/miss with some kids)


Tangerine Cafe
Inside the restaurant, you will find delicious chicken and lamb kebabs that everyone will enjoy. Ask for the Aioli on the side.

Greece
This was one of the few places that my kids didn't like or were unwilling to try due to the appearance. The Griddled Cheese was interesting but definitely not for the faint of heart. The Lamb Gyro was tasty.


Japan
Younger kids probably won't try these items. My older kids were more adventurous. Teriyaki chicken Bun and Spicy Salmon Donburi.


Hops and Barley
The American booth wasn't a hit with my younger kids either. Chesapeake Crab Slider, Hot Beef Sandwich (you can hold the cream and veggies if you want), Freshly Baked Carrot Cake.


Italy
We were really missing the fried donuts from the last festival, but the Panna Cotta was tasty.

Germany
Schinkennudeln (try saying that fast three times) and Apple Strudel were both tasty.


The Alps
Not for those who don't like or can't eat cheese. This was the Warm Raclette (pronounced rack-let) Swiss Cheese. Even if you don't want to order one, it was fascinating to watch how they melt the swiss cheese off a roll.


Kenya
My youngest son absolutely loved the Piri Piri Skewered Shrimp and ate it twice (the veggies and couscous were reserved for the adults).


India
Crispy Paneer looks and smells "weird" but was a big hit with the kids especially dipping in the ketchup. Chicken Tikka Masala was a little too spicy for the more sensitive eaters.


China
Pan fried chicken dumplings (the portion is rather tiny) and Mongolian Beef Bao Bun

Mexico
After France, this is one of the busiest booths at the festival. We tried the Taco al Pastor.

The Swanky Sauce Swine
Soy-glazed sticky ribs (you can request they hold the onions and peanuts) were a hit.


Brew-Wing at the Odyssey
This one is located in the large building off to the side of the world showcase (over the pond, near the First Aid and restrooms). They have tons of flavor options so definitely something for everyone and plenty to share.


The Fry Basket
Like many others waiting in line, we wish the Donut Box would come back. The Fry Flight was ok - a little too much flavor for most snackers.


Flavors from Fire
Bahn mi Bao (this year seems to feature a lot of these steam dough buns) and Rocky Road Chocolate Cake (a big hit with the littles).


Belgium
This place is hiding in the back behind Brazil. One of our favorite places and definitely the kids' favorite. Beer-braised Beef (which despite the kids' protests doesn't taste like beer or make you drunk), Belgian Waffle with Chocolate Ganache and Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote.


Overall, if you plan to attend the Food and Wine Festival, keep in mind that it's super-hot during the day with little seating or shady options. Bring lots of water to drink. If you plan to drink alcohol, be sure to eat some as the heat will make you sick. Enjoy!