Bavaria Review: Epcot Holidays Festival

Bavaria in the Germany pavilion is our next stop at the 2019 Epcot International Festival of the Holidays. In this Walt Disney World dining review, we’ll share food photos of every snack and dessert item on the menu, and offer thoughts & tasting notes.

The Bavaria Holiday Kitchen was our second stop of the day after the Tuscany Holiday Kitchen. It also had one of the longest lines, which might’ve just been coincidence, but this area does tend to be popular thanks to having a large selection of beers in one area, too.

Anyway, here’s what’s on the food menu at the Bavaria Holiday Kitchen:

• • Potato Dumpling with Mushroom Sauce
  • Sauerbraten, Red Cabbage and Spätzle
  • Cheese Fondue in a Bread Bowl with Fresh Steamed Baby Vegetables and Marble Potatoes featuring Melissa’s Produce (Vegetarian) (Kid-Approved)
  • Black Forest Roulade with Cherry Whipped Cream
  • Peppermint Sugar Cookie (Vegetarian)

Now our photos and reviews of each item…

Cheese Fondue in a Bread Bowl – Served with steamed baby vegetables and marble potatoes, this is a straightforward item, but a winner nonetheless. The bread bowl is fresh and delicious, and the fondue has a complex taste; thankfully, it’s nowhere in the ballpark of plastic cheese. (This is one of Sarah’s overall favorite things at Festival of the Holidays.)

The large dish is great to share, making it great “stomach filler” before you get started on the smaller items. Despite the price, we’d also consider it a moderately good value given the size. The only downside is that there wasn’t enough cheese to finish the bread…so I guess carry the bowl around with you for dipping in cheese and sauce at other booths. (You might think I’m kidding, but these Holiday Kitchen snacks aren’t cheap–sometimes you’ve gotta MacGyver things!)

Potato Dumpling – Not having adequately researched the menus ahead of time (and not the one who ordered this food), I did not believe that this was a potato. Everyone in our group claimed it was a potato, which I wrote off as some elaborate (and unfunny) attempt at punking me. It wasn’t until hours later that I realized they weren’t joking.

This anecdote may not be amusing now (you had to be there, I suppose), but it should underscore the “what is it?” nature of this dumpling. It was bland and spongy, not really tasting like anything. The mushroom sauce, on the other hand, was delicious, but what are you going to do with a bunch of mushroom sauce by itself. (ENTER THE LEFTOVER BREAD BOWL.)

Sauerbraten – Think of this as a German pot roast atop a bed of red cabbage and spätzle.

This is one of those things I really wanted to enjoy, and kind of did–the accompaniments were fantastic. The problem, and this could very well be a hit or miss one of preparation, is that the one we received was dry and a bit chewy. It was like a cross between beef jerky and pot roast, if anything. While the flavor did not suffer because of this, it was far from a highlight. Nevertheless, I’d give this a second chance.

Black Forest Roulade – This was the first of about a dozen Yule Log or similar desserts we tried at the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays, and it was about middle of the road. I like the mix of chocolate and cherry, both of which were fairly light. Whether you should get it or not is a matter of preference regarding chocolate and cherry. Fear not, you will encounter other Yule Logs!

Peppermint Sugar Cookie – This sugar cookie is not to be missed. For it has the two key qualities of a classic sugar cookie. Number one: sugar. And, of course, number two: cookie.

(It’s not actually a must-order item. It’s very ordinary…I just don’t know what else to say about a plain sugar cookie.)

Her’s the Bavaria alcohol menu:

• Possmann Pure Hard Apple Cider, Frankfurt, Germany
• Possmann Pure Hard Black Currant Apple Cider, Frankfurt, Germany
• Schöfferhofer Pomegranate Hefeweizen, Frankfurt, Germany
• Cider Flight
• Regional Riesling
• Glühwein: House-made Hot Spiced Wine

And the Prost! menu of Florida beers located right next door:

• M.I.A. Beer Company White Christmas IPA
• Central 28 Beer Company My Favorite Things Brown Ale
• Copperpoint Brewing Company Cold Brew Coffee Lager
• 3 Daughters Brewing 70 Degree Winter Weizen
• Big Storm Brewing Co. Dunder & Blixem Winter Ale
• Shipyard Candy Cane Coffee Porter
• Holiday Beer Flight 1 — M.I.A., Central 28, Copperpoint
• Holiday Beer Flight 2 — 3 Daughters, Big Storm, Shipyard

Overall, Bavaria is a decent option among the lineup of Holiday Kitchens. The Cheese Fondue is the highlight from our perspective, and that’s in large part because it offers a lot of food that’ll help keep costs down elsewhere. Other than that, nothing else really disappoints or stands out particularly well. Perhaps the Sauerbraten would’ve been a highlight were ours better prepared.

Check out our Food Guide to the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays if you want to see and read more about every Holiday Marketplace this year, what to eat & avoid, and other tips for making the most of the culinary side of the event. As this event isn’t just about the cuisine, you’ll also want to read our full Epcot International Festival of the Holidays Tips & Tricks post for info about the non-culinary side of the festivities. That covers Candlelight Processional, the Illuminations: Peace on Earth tag, Holiday Storytellers, and 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

What do you think of the Bavaria Holiday Kitchen? Have you tried any of the food items at this booth? What did you think of them? Do you agree that the Cheese Fondue Bread Bowl is good filler? What about the various beers here? Questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!