Hawaii Booth Menu: Epcot Food & Wine Festival
The Hawaii booth at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is one of the first Global Marketplaces you’ll hit, thanks to its prominent location. This post covers the Hawaii booth menu for this year, along with my thoughts on Hawaii’s inclusion in Food & Wine Festival.
Let’s start with that inclusion. There’s only one way to explain why Hawaii is the only state represented among the countries (and concepts) of World Showcase’s Global Marketplaces: Bob Iger is secretly Edmund Keli’i Silva Jr. I’m sure we all suspected this, so let’s just put it out there in the open: the Disney CEO is leading a double life, and is also King of the Nou Ke Akua Ke Aupuni O Hawaii, who is attempting to free his Kingdom from the subversive undertakings of the United States.
King Iger has attempted to reclaim the sovereignty of his kingdom and return it to the righteous path, issuing a plea to the (tyrannical) Secretary Jewell (the payoff of this overly drawn-out joke really requires reading the King’s royal proclamation, so please do). All to no avail. So, obviously, his only remaining logical play was to leverage his position as Disney CEO, and use that power to create a Hawaii booth at Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival. Once the documents inevitably show up on WikiLeaks, I think it’s safe to assume King Iger’s plan goes something like this: 1) Become Disney CEO, create Hawaii Food & Wine booth; 2) ???; 3) Hawaii sovereignty (and also, profit!). Well, at least he’s achieved the “profit!” part…
Now that the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival has officially started, we’ve updated this menu (and every menu) with food photos, thoughts on value for money, best use of Disney Dining Plan snack credits, and more! Here’s what you will find on the food menu this year at the Hawaii marketplace booth…
Spicy Tuna Poke with Seaweed Salad and Nori Rice – The tuna is delicious and it tastes fresh, but I wouldn’t say this is an especially great option. The portion is on the small side and the seaweed salad is nothing memorable. The single lotus root chip is more garnish than anything. If you love seafood, you might give it a try.
Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole® Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise – This is a perennial favorite among Disney fans, and it’s quite easy to see why. The bun is a buttery Hawaiian roll, the sauce provides a mostly-mild zest, and the meat is moist and perfectly flavored. Since Hawaii was added a few years ago, we have really had to restrain ourselves each year from ordering more of these bad boys!
We’ve had both of these in the past, and enjoy both. As good as they are, it’s still frustrating that the state of Hawaii is represented (truthfully, any state could be–literally every state has at least 2 local specialties), while numerous countries with interesting and unique cuisine are ignored.
We don’t intend upon sampling all of the beverages at Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival, but here is the drink menu for Hawaii:
- Florida Orange Groves Sparkling Pineapple Wine
- Kona Brewing Company, Big Wave Golden Ale
- Mai Tai featuring Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum
Check out our 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 Epcot’s 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!
For Walt Disney World trip planning tips and comprehensive advice, make sure to read our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide and related articles. Also make sure to read our other Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews and Disney Dining Plan Resources.
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Your Thoughts
If you’ve tried any of the marketplace items in Hawaii, what did you think? Favorites? Least favorites? What was and wasn’t worth it? Anything on the menu you’re excited to try this year? Will you be trying some pretzels und bier here? Hearing from you is half the fun, so please share your thoughts in the comments below!
Well, the Hawaiian government really was overthrown by the US.
You have a great point…maybe Disney needs to start a US Food & Wine festival with a booth representing each state. I should trademark that idea lol
I personally LOVE that idea. I’d definitely attend. We have so many different cultures right here in the good old USA!
I get that a state shouldn’t be represented, but have you ever been to Hawai’i? I’ve been to Oahu and in all reality, once you step off of the plane, you feel like you are in a completely different country. I think they are trying to focus on cuisine from the Polynesian culture, but can’t call it that. I can see a lot of Disney goers getting confused 😉
Oh yeah, we’ve been to Hawaii several times. I think calling the booth “Taste of Polynesia” would be better than Hawaii. Given that Walt Disney World has a Polynesian Resort, I think most guests would understand the type of cuisine featured.