Citrus Blossom Menu & Review: Epcot Flower & Garden Festival
Citrus Blossom is the Outdoor Kitchen front and center in World Showcase during the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival. It might as well be called “Orange Bird Eats” but that’d draw too long of lines to this booth. In this Walt Disney World dining review, we’ll look at the menu prices, share food photos, and offer thoughts on what is worth your money.
The Citrus Blossom Outdoor Kitchen is one of the most popular booths at the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival. The first reason for this is its location–it’s one of the first Outdoor Kitchens you see when entering World Showcase from the front of the park. That alone always makes these booths popular, regardless of their menu offerings.
Then there’s the Orange Bird sipper, now in its ‘variant’ second edition, that plays heavily into the popularity of the Citrus Blossom booth. One of Walt Disney World’s iconic characters, Orange Bird has a cult following among longtime park fans, locals, and even new guests. Accordingly, lines to purchase the sipper can be long earlier in the day, on weekends, and can crest again as the after work crowd arrive. (Thankfully, this demand has subsided a bit for the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival. It’s nothing like the Figment Popcorn Bucket!)
Let’s start with a look at the menu for the Citrus Blossom Global Marketplace:
- Crispy Mojo Marinated Pork Belly, with avocado cream, corn salsa, salsa verde, and plantain chips (Gluten/ Wheat Friendly) (New)
- Tuna Tataki Bowl with spicy yuzu glaze, mango, avocado, and pappadam crisp
- Grapefruit Tart: Grapefruit curd, lychee jam, ginger mousse, and yuzu cream (New)
Now our photos and reviews of each item…
Crispy Mojo Marinated Pork Belly ($6.25) – Here’s some delicious pork belly, with a lightly crunchy exterior giving way to melt-in-your-mouth pork belly. In isolation, the meat itself is fantastic–rich and delicious, with a great texture to offset.
However, it’s also served with avocado cream, corn salsa, salsa verde, and plantain chips. Presumably, Walt Disney World felt all of this was necessary for pork belly to be appropriate for a “Citrus” booth. The accompaniments on their own are really good and the meat on its own is really good, but the two don’t meld together very well. Order it anyway, and just eat the dish accordingly.
Tuna Tataki Bowl ($6.25) – It’s an almost identical story here. The tuna is tasty and there are four cuts of quality fish here. Underneath that is a bed of mango and avocado, and there are hearty portions of both (it’s a deep bowl).
However, none of the flavors play together all that well. If you want a refreshing and light-yet-filling dish, this is a great option, just don’t expect something that coalesces into a singular bowl. Here, the sum of the parts is more than the whole.
Grapefruit Tart ($5.25) – We had such high hopes for this dessert filled with grapefruit curd, lychee jam, ginger mousse, and yuzu cream. With grapefruit and ginger flavors, it could’ve been a tart and tangy dessert with a bit of bite, totally distinct from the overwhelming sweetness typically available at these events.
Instead, it’s another sweet and gooey dish, with almost indistinct flavors. Artificial jam and cheap mousse overwhelm, and the premade, low-quality crust doesn’t do much to offer an offsetting texture. It’s not totally terrible, but it’s not great, either. (The dessert at nearby Honey Bee-stro is considerably better.)
Above is a look at the “second edition” Orange Bird Sipper Cup. We didn’t buy this because we already own the first edition (see below). Below is the drink menu at Citrus Blossom:
- Orange-Lemon Smoothie in a Souvenir Orange Bird Sipper Cup (non-alcoholic)
- Key Lime Hibiscus Ale
- Orange Peel Ale
- Citrus Honey Cream Ale
- Orange Sunshine Wine Slushy
- Beer Flight
Orange Cream Shake in Orange Bird Sipper ($15) – I’m not sure how much of a review this one needs. The sipper is adorable, and if you’re an Orange Bird fan it’s a must-have. It could be filled with orange-flavored Beverly or cough syrup and you’d still get it. If you’re not an Orange Bird fan, it’s not going to be something you purchase no matter how delicious.
Personally, I love the Orange Cream Shake. It tastes like a Dreamsicle milk shake–like a mix of orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream. I’ve heard others say it’s too artificial or sugary. I guess you’ll find out for yourself…or not!
Overall, the Citrus Blossom booth at the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival is a bit disappointing. There is absolutely so much potential for an “Orange Bird Eats” booth, with a ton of inventive, photogenic, and delicious options. Even if Walt Disney World didn’t want to take things that far, citrus offerings (Florida’s strong suit!) could be better than this. A couple of decent dishes, but lots of unrealized potential here.
Check out our Epcot Flower & Garden Festival Outdoor Kitchen Food Booth Menus & Photos 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 Flower & Garden Festival Guide 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 Citrus Blossom food booth? Have you tried any of the food items at this booth? 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!
Hello! We were just at Citrus Blossom (Flower and Garden 2021) and we have some thoughts, take them for what they are worth and – as is often mentioned – food quality can vary widely based on who is working, how busy they are, and how long the item sits under the heat lamp!
Lobster Salad – AMAZING! So good! The booth was making them as fast as they could and they were going out just as fast so very fresh.
Pork Belly – AMAZING! Meaty, chewy, tasty with a citrus zing.
Short Cake – citrus zing and not crazy sweet.
Orange bird sipper – cute sipper, beverage WWWAAAYYYY too sweet.
I wish you showed more of the drinks for all the countries especially the orange sunshine wine slushy
The chicken was a miss for me….
I’ve had the lobster dish at flower garden, 2 days in a row and it was amazing! I was actually pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t over cooked bc I feel like 75% of seafood restaurants Do over cook it! Just figured I’d mention it since for me it was a stand out at flower and garden 2019.
Is the chicken cutlet dark meat or white?
Dark
Can you get a different drink in the orange bird sipper and pay the price difference?
you really want to meet your readers? Always figured you jogged so that you could outrun your fans, one of whom might offer to treat you to a Beverly!
Yes, so long as people know what to expect and don’t act like we’re “celebrities.” (Big air quotes there, as I don’t think anyone who writes a blog is famous in any sense of the term.)
I’m introverted, so meeting me in person tends to be a colossal disappointment if people are expecting someone cool. However, anyone who has read more than a few blog posts here should not be expecting someone cool. Sarah is cool though, so at least there’s that!
Backstage passes, super-stretch. Accept nothing less – Steven does it all the time.
It’s weird that the shake isn’t offered without the souvenir cup, like Tokyo does for all its “special cup” beverages. It’s the sort of thing I’d have an interest in trying, but not @$15…
And did I see you guys walking from BW to DHS at around 8pm yesterday? I was in a rush so didn’t ask, which is probably a blessing in disguise, considering how poor my facial recognition is…
Yes, that would’ve been us. Also in a rush to make our FastPass+ time for Runaway Railway, but it still would’ve been nice to meet you!