Cider House Menu & Food Review: Epcot Flower & Garden Festival
Cider House is an Outdoor Kitchen at the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival in World Showcase between Canada and the United Kingdom. In this Walt Disney World dining review, we’ll look at the menu prices, share food photos, and what’s worth your money and skippable.
There’s not really much to say about Cider House. Last year, it was located inside World ShowPlace, and there were a ton of cool “Tips of the Trade” displays that featured info on topiaries, hanging baskets, and floral displays. Since the Outdoor Kitchen only has 2 items, we focused most of our attention on that.
We also recommended checking out the Glorious Gardens of Walt Disney World, an excellent and underrated book from the 1980s. That now makes zero sense without the context of the displays, but it’s such a good book that I’m leaving in the reference. You all should track down a copy if you don’t own one already. Although it might make you a bit sad seeing how many gardens are gone from Walt Disney World.
Moving along to the substance of this post, here’s a rundown of the Cider House food menu:
- BLT Scone with Nueske’s applewood-smoked bacon, sundried tomato, and basil (New)
- Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tart with whipped cream
Here are our photos and reviews of each item at Cider House…
BLT Scone ($5.00) – This is a new for ’22 item, and no matter how you come down on it, the BLT Scone is a huge improvement from the salmon biscuit abomination served here last year.
Our opinions on it were mixed. The BLT Scone is served with Nueske’s applewood-smoked bacon, sundried tomato, and basil. Sarah felt that, by itself, the scone tasted like cheap tomato soup–and wasn’t particularly great. I don’t necessarily disagree with that perspective in isolation, but I do think that when paired with the accompaniments in a single bite, it did taste like a BLT scone.
That alone gives it some novelty value, and I appreciate Walt Disney World trying new things. It doesn’t earn a strong recommendation from me, but it’s arguably worth giving a try if you want something unique. I don’t regret buying it.
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tart with Whipped Cream ($4.50) – We’ve had subtle variations of this same dessert probably a dozen times at various EPCOT festivals. It presumably keeps returning because it’s a straightforward crowd-pleaser. Who doesn’t enjoy a dark chocolate and raspberry tart?
It’s also totally unambitious and nothing special. All of the ingredients taste cheap and artificial, save for that lone raspberry. This dessert is a safe pick that’s unlikely to disappoint too much, but it’s also unlikely to impress. We don’t recommend it.
Here’s the alcohol menu at Cider House:
- Pink Lemonade Hard Cider
- Watermelon Hard Cider
- Triple Jam Hard Cider
- Pure Brewed Organic Lager
- Snakebite: Triple jam hard cider and pure brewed organic lager
- Cider Flight
Ultimately, Cider House is not really a standout food booth at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. The BLT Scone is at least interesting, and worth giving a try due to its novelty. The alcohol situation is better, assuming that you like hard cider. All in all, not too surprising given that this Outdoor Kitchen is named after a drink.
Check out our Outdoor Kitchen Booth Menus & Food Photos at the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival post if you want to see and read more about every menu this year. You’ll also want to read our full Guide to the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival before you go to get an idea of what to do, strategy for the festival, photos of the topiaries and floral displays, 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
What do you think of the Cider House Outdoor Kitchen? Have you tried any of the food items at this Outdoor Kitchen? What did you like or dislike? Portion-size or quality-wise, did you have better or worse luck than us with what you ordered? 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!
Is “Tips of the Trade” still in World Showplace this year? Is there anything in World Showplace worth checking out?
Nice to see a cider from Blakes featured here. Michigan cider mills represent!
Here, here!!!
The problem with the World Showcase is that the building is so darned dark inside. The low lighting works for musical events or sit down dinners, but not for walking around.
And that raspberry tart has the same problem that I see with so many “desserts” at Disney World. Someone thought that placing a thin piece of white chocolate on top makes it look classy. No, it doesn’t.
I was there this past Sunday and I Absolutely agree with you!
Is there a map for All this stuff lol?? I thought all outdoor kitchens were outdoor. We go end of April so I’m trying to get a game plan!!
They usually have a passport with all the offerings of the festival where they have the Epcot maps at entry points or maybe even a some counters and stores. It’s usually a small booklet and the stops are listed in order maybe starting at where the World Showcase meets Future World (old term) and goes left towards Mexico. Sometimes they will have an app for your phone.
I can’t answer your question, but offer a heads-up that there may be a 20-30 minute wait at the Caribbean exchange for the Epcot skyliner between 10:30-12:30. This has been our experience coming from HS and from Pop Century (where we also had a wait when arriving around 10:30) during those hours on weekdays during “lower” crowds dates. I’m not sure if the line is that long when boarding at the Riviera. OTOH, once at Epcot, entry is very quick at least around 11 and later.
Hi, Tom! I know EPCOT opens at 11:00 AM, but how early are they letting guests into the park? If I’m riding the Skyliner and coming in from the International Gateway, can I get in early?