EPCOT Review: CommuniCore Comeback?!
Technically speaking, the title is inaccurate. Comeback suggests that something was once good, and CommuniCore Hall never was. It also still isn’t. Wrong on both counts, but “CommuniCore Hall Is Still Bad, Especially for Something That Cost So Much and Took So Long to Build, But It’s No Longer a Complete Embarrassment” is a bit unwieldy as far as blog post titles go.
I’m not being snarky. Every time I walk through this area of EPCOT–especially at night when it’s been months since I’ve experienced all of the lighting in working order–I question whether Disney still has the capacity to deliver greatness. Sure, there have been fantastic new additions that debuted in the last several years. Cosmic Rewind, Fantasy Springs, World of Frozen, and others are examples. But all of those projects started before 2020.
The output from the phased reopening era is a different story, and CommuniCore Hall is Exhibit A in that regard. But that’s probably a topic for a different post. Suffice to say, this new review for the 2025 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival is not going to walk back our original review of World Celebration and CommuniCore Hall, which was far from glowing. It’s basically just saying that the venue now has redeeming qualities other than just air-conditioning.
This trend of incremental improvements actually began with last year’s EPCOT Festival of the Holidays and peaked with the EPCOT Festival of the Arts. The latest use of CommuniCore Hall is a slight downgrade from that high water mark, but that’s unsurprising given that Festival of the Arts is far and away the best EPCOT event–it receives considerably more effort and attention to detail than the rest.
For its part, the 2025 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival is still head and shoulders above last year’s Food & Wine Festival, which was the low point for CommuniCore Hall. Fitting, because Food & Wine is also far and away the worst event of the year. (I would’ve said the same back in 2019, but it might’ve been controversial then. At this point, it’s conventional wisdom that Food & Wine is EPCOT’s worst event of the year.)
Anyway, let’s take a look around CommuniCore Hall to see what it’s like for Flower & Garden:
Walt Disney World described how it would be ‘Turning Over a New Leaf at CommuniCore Hall’ during the event:
“There’s a new activation getting ready to bloom at CommuniCore Hall! Get a bee’s eye view at CommuniCore Hall, with a new gallery that is larger than life! Grab a bite at EPCOT Farmers Feast and learn more about how Disney’s Horticulture team brings topiaries, flower towers and more to the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival.”
In actuality, the edutainment component of CommuniCore Hall is on the light side, especially as contrasted with the exhibit showcasing Disney on Broadway in the couple of previous months. There is a display in the center and items of interest along the walls, but it’s not much. And certainly nothing we didn’t see done better a few years ago at World ShowPlace or, before that, in prior festival centers. But that’s the story of CommuniCore Hall: inferior iterations of what was previously shoehorned into repurposed spaces.
CommuniCore Hall continues to be a massive disappointment, but this is nevertheless a ‘mild win’ for a couple of reasons. The first is that no merchandise is being sold in here, and the second is that it’s making an actual effort at flexing this space into something thematically appropriate for the current festival. It’s a really low bar, but the scattering of displays, along with the lushness and lighting does make this the second-best ever usage of CommuniCore Hall. Again, incremental improvements are the name of the game here.
Personally, I would’ve been fine with no seating whatsoever (it takes up too much floor space that could’ve been used for displays) to allow for more exhibits about the Disney Horticulture team. The vibe in here is good, and it’ll be especially nice once the weather really heats up–but this space is simply too small to also function as a lounge. The interior being undersized despite a large footprint is just one of the innumerable problems with CommuniCore Hall.
While the execution of the exhibit is mid-tier at best (and even that’s pretty charitable), there is one way that this is the #1 iteration of CommuniCore Hall: food.
CommuniCore Hall is home to two food booths, both of which are excellent options. We’re going to cover EPCOT Farmers Feast in this review, specifically the Early Bloom Menu. This is my #1 Outdoor Kitchen at the 2025 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival. Here’s a full rundown of the various menus served here:
Early Bloom Menu (Available March 5 through April 5)
- Grilled Asparagus with pancetta bacon, spring peas, frisée lettuce, truffle-sherry vinaigrette, and soft-poached egg (New)
- Scallop with spring pea risotto featuring Arborio Rice, lemon-beurre blanc, and Gremolata
- Blueberry Crumble Cake with blueberry-lemon zest soft-serve and blueberry compote (New)
Springtime Menu (Available April 6 through May 3)
- Grilled Peaches and Burrata with prosciutto, petite lettuce, micro mint, and sweet tea-lemon gastrique (New)
- Seared Pork Tenderloin with corn risotto featuring Arborio Rice and roasted red pepper sauce
- Warm Corn Cookie with sweet corn soft-serve, brûléed corn, lime zest, and white chocolate (New)
Summer Solstice Menu (Available May 4 through June 2)
- Heirloom Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella with shallot vinaigrette, sourdough croutons, pesto, micro basil, and balsamic pearls (New)
- Grilled Beef Strip Loin with tomato risotto featuring Arborio Rice, tomato-beurre blanc, and basil pesto
- Peach Cobbler with cinnamon gelato and streusel topping (New)
From a practical perspective, each of these menus have an appetizer, entree, and dessert style setup that allows CommuniCore Hall–as a whole–to become a de facto secondary counter service restaurant servicing the front of the park. Connections Cafe & Eatery is really busy–even during festival season–and this becomes overflow for that. This is somewhat sad from my perspective, as I love Sunshine Seasons and would love to see that make more of a comeback.
Here are our food reviews from the Early Bloom Menu at EPCOT Farmers Feast:
Grilled Asparagus ($5.50) – Although the grilled asparagus is the selling point, or at least what’s listed as the focal point of this dish, it’s really more a salad with asparagus than anything else. Also featured are pancetta bacon, spring peas, frisée lettuce, truffle-sherry vinaigrette, and soft-poached egg.
In my view, it’s the perfectly soft-poached egg paired with the pancetta bacon and truffle-sherry vinaigrette that makes this dish sing. You’ve got creamy, savory, and rich flavors that are absorbed well by the greens in the dish. It really works well, offering a refreshing taste of spring that isn’t too heavy, while also having its own indulgent flair.
The grilled asparagus is good, but it’s definitely not the highlight–it’s the harmony of everything that makes this dish a standout. Highly recommended–this is perfect for Flower & Garden!
Scallop ($8) – When I saw this listed on the menu as simply “Scallop” (singular), I was a tad worried. EPCOT festivals generally do scallops (and salmon!) really well, but $8 for one scallop and accompaniments seemed a bit steep.
Thankfully, it’s two scallops atop a bed of spring pea risotto featuring Arborio Rice, lemon-beurre blanc, and Gremolata. This is another dish that’s perfect for Flower & Garden. The scallops are perfectly-prepared, tender and buttery with just the right amount of exterior crispness.
But it’s the accompaniments that are the star of the show, with the risotto having a creamy, rich and substantial quality. The preparation here is the highlight, though, as the thick and creamy risotto pairs exceptionally well with the zesty and tangy sauces. It’s a surprisingly complex dish, and one that works really well. Again, highly recommended.
Blueberry Crumble Cake ($4.75) – This is definitely the most straightforward dish at EPCOT Farmers Feast, as it’s pretty much a straightforward blueberry crumble cake served with blueberry-lemon zest soft-serve and blueberry compote.
Nevertheless, it’s reasonably high-quality and well-executed, which is something that can’t be said of most EPCOT festival desserts. The crumble cake itself is multifaceted, with the right amount of density, texture, and flavors. The soft serve is…well, soft serve. There’s a bit of lemon zest, but it’s not all that pronounced.
I liked this more than expected, and that was probably largely because it was a fitting finale to a lighter lunch of the other two items. I also just enjoyed sitting off to the side, under the shade and watching the monorail glide by. On a holistic basis (if you’re treating CommuniCore Hall as a lunch or light meal), I recommend the Blueberry Crumble Cake. It’s not the best dessert at the 2025 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival, but it’s among the top tier.
Ultimately, Farmers Feast is once again one of the best overall Outdoor Kitchens at the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. It’s #1 for me (for now), but there’s pretty fierce competition for the top spot this year–so let’s just call it top 4. I go back and forth on which booths are the best, but they’re almost all up in the front of the park.
World Showcase has several Outdoor Kitchens with solid items here and there, but only a couple are as strong from top-to-bottom as the booths in the former Future World (minus Citrus Blossom). Almost all of these offer excellent and ambitious cuisine at relatively fair (by Walt Disney World standards) prices. You could easily do multiple meals from these Outdoor Kitchens alone and leave very satisfied!
Check out our Outdoor Kitchen Booth Menus & Food Photos at 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!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Do you think CommuniCore Hall has been looking better during the last few EPCOT events, or is it irredeemably bad no matter what window-dressing is added? What do you think of the EPCOT Farmers Feast booth? Have you tried any of the dishes, drinks or desserts here? Any thoughts on these items? 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!
When I was watching some of the Epcot documentaries, I kept thinking that much of what was built in Epcot originally was very ambitious and could have easily gone wrong. But I think the difference to Communicore is that what was built originally was done with so much purpose and creativity that it would have at least been respected if unsuccessful. It’s possible that the new ideas for Communicore died on someone’s desk but I suspect that there was never any real purpose or concept. I can’t tell what the intent is. I like the exhibits but there are dying shopping malls with comparable efforts. If that is the intent, it should be bursting at the seams with ever-changing ones. And maybe a tad more creative than piggy-backing on the festivals.
I just keep getting this visual of periodic angry staff meetings at Disney on why there is nothing cool at Communicore and why guests don’t like it. In other words, finding a purpose after the fact.
Pete this comment is for you about Universal. I visited Universal in 2017 and then again in 2022 because my kid was really into Harry Potter. I totally agree with what you’re friend said. I would agree it felt like a Six Flags to me outside of the Harry Potter areas. It just didn’t feel magical like Disney World. I just don’t have an emotional attachment to any IP Universal has so maybe that is the real problem. I was begging for Disney by the end of my time there.
Sorry, serial commenter today but was just thinking — what if they used CommuniCore space for an exhibit tracing the history of Epcot from Walt’s early designs through modern day? A tribute to Walt, the WDI of the late 70s/early 80s, and the bygone attractions that have so much love in the fan community, etc. They could have artifacts from old attractions (see what Robin Lopez has in his attic?), old scale models from back in the day, plans/schematics, “behind the scenes” footage and pictures, etc.? Then a “what’s next?” area highlighting the upcoming projects/attractions?
I know there are plenty of exhibits like this (at D23 and other conventions, traveling exhibitions, etc.) and “behind the music” style documentary episodes on Disney+ but this is the perfect place to celebrate Epcot past/present/future. And this approach makes most sense for this park more than any other, due to the unique nature of Epcot as an evolving portrait of the world we live in now and in the future. (I wouldn’t want to see “how did we make Peter Pan’s flight” in MK because I want to live in the magical illusion of flying.). Castle parks, studios parks, and zoo/amusement hybrids exist everywhere, but there’s nothing like Epcot anywhere, particularly as the “World’s Fair” concept is no longer a big thing.
And with this “museum” approach you could still use the space for events, a break from the heat, maybe food/refreshments, and cool vintage merch for sale (beyond Figment, to other beloved “lost Epcot” characters/attractions from yesteryear).
I’m not confident Disney wants to do this — celebrating things like OG Journey into Imagination, World of Motion, Horizons, etc. that fans still mourn, calling attention to their absence — but man, I think it would be really popular.
This is why we loved the little Walt Disney museum in Studios. It ended with that lovely movie at the end. They had his desk and models of different things. Is it still there?
Very good idea Pete. I’m nostalgic for what I wasn’t even alive for from Disney, and for what I remember as a kid in the 90s. We never miss Walt Disney Presents at Hollywood Studios. I just think it’s so important to always recognize and appreciate Walt’s and Disney World’s beginnings. I think lots of people would really appreciate some bygone era things to check out!
Why does the Odyssey Events Pavilion still have its dated exterior? It needed to be updated about 20 years ago. While CommuniCore might look fresh, this building looks like ’82 in a bad way.
While I don’t disagree with you about the exterior of the Odyssey, I do think it’s good enough and that EPCOT has about two-dozen more pressing priorities. I’d also imagine that updating the Odyssey would be costly given its location.
You’ve got to be kidding – remove seating? As an older person I welcome the chance to sit in AC. As for the food you’ve shown…it is not nearly sufficient for a family to eat in there. The only thing that looks edible is the blueberry crumble.
If someone showed me those pictures with no description or context, I’d say: This looks like the food court in an struggling indoor shopping mall trying to reinvigorate and reposition itself as a trendy “food hall”, but the grand opening event happened before all the food hall stalls were operational.
My next comment would be “why so little seating?”
Yeah, that’s about spot on.
As for seating, there’s no amount in here that’s enough. When more was added, it made it loud and feel like a generic mess hall. So my preferred solution is remove all or most seating, and have this be exhibit space. For as large as it might look on the outside, CommuniCore Hall is underbuilt on the inside.
Just another way it underwhelms.
I say just scrap the whole thing and start from scratch. I don’t plan on stopping by at any point with my family, honestly. I’m usually pretty go go go when we’re at the parks, but when we need a break…this place is by no means appealing and a waste of time. I’d rather be outside, or at one of the restaurants.
“Incremental improvements” are what I call it. Each Festival or event budget makes and leaves small tweaks. It’s cheating, fun to watch, and best of all, we’ll take it!
You nailed it! Inferior Iteration. What a waste of space. They had an awesome opportunity to bring Disney horticulture to the masses (and ideas for guests to take home), and they did instead really tacky art and another means to make money for them. THIS is why I balk at spending my days (and money) at Disney). Bring back some creativity .
Thanks, Tom, for the post.
As a DVC member, AP holder, D23, and Disney+ subscriber (is there anything else?!), I am hugely disappointed with the final outcome of EPCOT. What a waste. Yes, Guardians is amazing, but other than that… for the amount of time and marketing, etc. we get trees and benches and a food court? I can’t figure this out. Down the road, Universal is kicking Disney’s tail feathers. Universal is delivering massive wow factor in everything they are doing.
“Down the road, Universal is kicking Disney’s tail feathers. Universal is delivering massive wow factor in everything they are doing.”
Really? Aside from Epic Universe, which none of us have yet to experience (but does look fantastic), I would call Universal’s output scattershot at best.
I feel like we went through this same thing ~15 years ago with Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Everyone assumed that would become the ‘new normal’ for the level of Universal Creative’s output, but it very much was not.
I really hope that Epic Universe is fantastic and represents a paradigm shift for Universal, but at this point, that’s all it is: hope.
I’ve never been to Universal Orlando but a good friend who’s recently gotten really into planning twice-yearly WDW vacations for her family had been excited to check out the Universal parks and finally got the chance a couple of months ago. She went in an optimistic attitude (hoping for a good experience, not trying to prove Disney superiority) and was extremely let down. Her report was that the parks didn’t feel really immersive or magical, more like a Six Flags atmosphere where you’re going for the big thrills vs. the feeling of just “being there”. Granted, she’s not a huge Potter fan and her kids are on the younger side, but the parks had a kind of sterile “busy luxury outdoor shopping mall” vibe to her (my own paraphrase).
I’m just reporting what I heard (no need to argue with me, it’s hearsay), but I do trust her judgement! I have been really wanting to check out the Universal parks as well (again, for personal enjoyment, not comparison or disparagement) and now I’m not so excited about that prospect. Though I am more of a thrill ride guy so I think I’ll get a lot more out of the experience than she did.
That’s a fair point, Tom. I’m probably just overly disappointed with the EPCOT outcome and that’s tainting my perspective.
Well in fairness to you, I don’t know if it’s possible to be “overly disappointed” with the EPCOT outcome. In my view, no amount of disappointment is excessive here. 😉
Joking aside, I think what you’re feeling is a very real thing among Disney fans right now when reacting to Epic Universe. And hopefully it will be vindicated by this new park! But I’d strongly caution against assuming it’ll apply to all recent or future Universal Creative output, because I can assure you, that’s a recipe for more disappointment.