2023 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival Booth Menus
Walt Disney World has released the full booth menus for the 2023 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival. This preview offers a list of all new & returning Global Marketplaces, rundown of the savory snacks and decadent desserts, as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Plus, our commentary about the new and returning dishes that have us most excited, and the balance of adventurous v. crowd-pleasing cuisine.
As a reminder, this year’s EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World runs from July 27 through November 18, 2023. That’s actually a couple of weeks shorter than normal, which is the first time in a while that the duration of the event has decreased rather than increased. (See our Guide to the 2023 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival for everything you need to know, including savvy strategy for beating the crowds, saving money, and best enjoying the event.)
The Global Marketplaces will span six continents and be located throughout the World Showcase pavilions and spill into the former Future World, with the booths open most of each operating day. A handful of the Global Marketplaces will not debut at the start of the event, which is exactly what has happened for the last two years. Expect the event to again start slow during the summer and kick into high a bit later. However, there could be a new twist on that this year…
The last couple of years, Walt Disney World opened booths in phases due to staffing shortages and the expectation that crowds would increase for the start of the World’s Most Magical Celebration in October. Both years, most or all of the Global Marketplaces in the ‘second wave’ actually soft opened before their scheduled date. (I’m a bit foggy on the specifics, but I could swear it was a couple of weeks early for all/most of them both years.)
This year, the second phase booths are set to start debuting on August 15, 2023. That’s the date when the Noodle Exchange and Hawaii open. That’s only a couple of weeks after the 2023 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival starts, so that date is probably accurate (or close to it). Although it doesn’t seem like staffing shortages are still a major issue, I don’t know how else to explain why the remaining Global Marketplaces are opening right as school goes back into session and off-season starts.
However, those are not the only two Global Marketplaces that are debuting after the 2023 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival officially starts. There are also the four brand new booths–Char & Chop, Wine & Wedge, Bubbles & Brine, and Swirled Showcase–that currently do not have opening dates beyond “later” in Fall 2023.
One explanation is that Walt Disney World is going to locate those booths in CommuniCore Hall or Plaza. Unless the construction crews have made absolutely tremendous progress in the couple of weeks since I last saw it, there’s absolutely no way that’ll be ready by August 15. Work is moving faster, but not that fast. They’ll be lucky to have that open by October or November, in my non-expert opinion.
More likely is that these booths are going to be in what was formerly the Culinary Corridor, where construction is also currently occurring. There are walls up over between the old Starbucks Traveler’s Cafe and Refreshment Port just closed for refurbishment yesterday and won’t until July 27, 2023–the same day EPCOT Food & Wine Festival starts. My bet is that something significant is happening over there, and it won’t be fully finished until mid-August.
On that note, my very wishful and unrealistic hope is that Walt Disney World has a surprise or two up its sleeve, and more is going to be announced for a refreshed Culinary Corridor. Up until 2019, this was the best area of the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, with all of the tremendous ‘studio’ booths. Many of those dishes were ambitious and envelope pushing, and have since been replaced by mac & cheese and french fries. Several of the new booths have names that are vaguely reminiscent of the old studios, so I’m holding out hope!
Speaking of which, Mac & Eats, Appleseed Orchard, and Swanky Saucy Swine are the three booths that are not returning for the 2023 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. I’ll miss the Swanky Saucy Swine, and I’m a bit surprised that’s being retired. There were some good and presumably popular menu items there.
While I’m also a sucker for comfort cuisine, I will not miss Mac & Eats. (I am surprised it’s being retired, though.) One of my big complaints about the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival is that it has become the least ambitious EPCOT event from a culinary perspective, which is ironic and disappointing given its name. This is in part due to its popularity, which has necessitated easier and more approachable cuisine. Nevertheless, it should be aiming a bit higher.
Although unrelated to the full list of Global Marketplace booths, Walt Disney World has also announced the entertainment and other offerings that’ll return for the 2023 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. Namely, they released the full performer lineup for the Eat to the Beat Concert Series and dining package restaurants and pricing last week.
Cheese lovers will want to check out Emile’s Fromage Montage, where you can sample a variety of delicious cheeses served in inventive ways. Purchase any five cheese dishes listed in the Festival Passport and collect a stamp for each cheese dish purchased. Once you’ve collected all five stamps, bring the stamped Festival Passport to Shimmering Sips for a specialty souvenir.
Now for the main event–the Global Marketplace menus for the 2023 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival booths!
Shimmering Sips hosted by CORKCICLE (Near Port of Entry)
Food Items:
- Guava Cake with Whipped Cream and Coconut (plant-based item)
- Prize: Strawberry Cheesecake Soft Serve topped with a Mini Cheesecake and Graham Cracker Crumbs in a Specialty Vessel
- Berry Mimosa with Berry Fizz Sparkling Wine and White Cranberry Juice (NEW)
- Tropical Mimosa with Sparkling Wine and Minute Maid® Passion Fruit, Orange and Guava Juices
- Blood Orange Mimosa with Sparkling Wine and Blood Orange Juice
- Beer Mimosa: Boulevard Brewing Co. Berry Noir Sour Ale and Sparkling Wine
- Mimosa Flight
- CORKCICLE Stemless Flute
Hawaii (Opening August 15, 2023)
Food Items:
- Kālua Pork Slider with Sweet-and-Sour DOLE Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise
- SPAM Sushi with Sushi Rice, Teriyaki-Glazed SPAM, Spicy Mayonnaise, Eel Sauce and Nori
- Passion Fruit Cheesecake with Toasted Macadamia Nuts (Emile’s Fromage Montage item)
Beverages
- Kona Brewing Co. Hanalei Island IPA, Kailua-Kona, HI
- Florida Orange Groves Sparkling Pineapple Wine, St. Petersburg, FL
- AULANI Sunrise: Vodka, DOLE Pineapple Juice and Grenadine
Australia (Near Port of Entry)
Food Items:
- Grilled Sweet-and-Spicy Bush Berry Shrimp with Pepper, Onion, Snap Peas and Coconut-Chili Sauce
- Roasted Lamb Chop with Mint Pesto and Potato Crunchies
- Lamington: Yellow Cake with Raspberry Filling with Chocolate and Coconut
Beverages
- Yalumba ‘The Y Series’ Viognier, South Australia
- Château Tanunda Grand Barossa Shiraz, Barossa Valley, Australia
Refreshment Port (Near Canada)
Food Items:
- Festival Item: Cinnamon-Sugar Beaver Tail (NEW)
- Regular Menu Item: Traditional Poutine French Fries with Beef Gravy and Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Crumbles (Disney Dining Plan item)
- Regular Menu Item: Chicken Breast Nuggets served with French Fries
- Festival Item: Braised Beef Poutine: French Fries with Braised Beef, Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese Sauce, Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Crumbles and Gherkin Relish
Beverages
- Regular Menu Item: Bud Light Lager Draft
- Regular Menu Item: Boulevard Brewing Co. Quirk Pineapple Orange Whip Hard Seltzer, Kansas City, MO (NEW)
- Regular Menu Item: (Fountain) Soft Drinks – Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Root Beer, Fanta Orange and Tea
- Regular Menu Item: Dasani Bottled Water
- Festival Item: Florida Orange Groves Winery Sparkling Peach, St. Petersburg, FL
Canada
Food Items:
- Canadian Cheddar and Bacon Soup served with a Pretzel Roll (Emile’s Fromage Montage item)
- Canadian Filet Mignon with Truffle Boursin Mashed Potatoes, Mushrooms and Boursin Truffle Butter
Beverages
- Collective Arts Brewing Audio/Visual Lager, Hamilton, Ontario
- Château des Charmes Cabernet Sauvignon, Ontario
Ireland (Near the United Kingdom)
Food Items:
- Fisherman’s Seafood Pie
- Roasted Irish Sausage with Colcannon Potatoes and Onion Gravy
- Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake with Irish Cream Liqueur Custard
- Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale
- Bunratty Mead Honey Wine
- Guinness Baileys Coffee Shake
France
Food Items:
- Beignet aux Trois Fromages: Warm Beignet filled with Three Cheese Blend
- Croissant aux Escargots: Escargot Croissant with Garlic and Parsley
- Boeuf Bourguignon, Pomme Dauphine: Braised Short Ribs in Cabernet with Puffed Potatoes
- Crème Brûlée Vanille à la Confiture de Fraises: Vanilla Crème Brûlée with House-Made Strawberry Jam
Beverages
- Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon Blend, Bordeaux, Château de Le Clos de Confreries (NEW)
- Chardonnay, Maison Nicolas (NEW)
- Parisian Cosmo Slush: Vodka, Grey Goose Le Ctiron Vodka, Grand Marnier and Cranberry Juice (NEW)
- Strawberry Rose Mimosa: Pol Remy Sparkling Wine, Orange Juice and Monin Strawberry Rose
- Evian Water
Brazil (Between France and Morocco)
Food Items:
- Feijoada: Black Beans with Pork Belly, Brazil Nut Pesto and BEN’S ORIGINAL™ Long Grain White Rice
- Pão de Queijo: Brazilian Cheese Bread (Emile’s Fromage Montage item)
Beverages
- Xingu Brazilian Black Lager
- Frozen Caipirinha with Cachaça
Belgium (Between France and Morocco)
Food Items:
- Beer-Braised Beef served with Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes
- Belgian Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache
- Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream
Beverages
- Brasserie D’Achouffe Houblon Chouffe IPA, Achouffe, Belgium (NEW)
- Chimay Grande Réserve, Chimay, Belgium (NEW)
- Chilled Mocha Coffee (nonalcoholic)
- Delirium Red Fruit Belgian Ale, Melle, Belgium
- Chilled Coffee featuring ChocoLat Deluxe Salted Caramel Chocolate Liqueur
- Beer Flight
Tangierine Café: Flavors of the Medina (Morocco)
Food Items:
- Grilled Kebabs with Carrot-Chickpea Salad and Garlic Aïoli
- Chermoula Chicken
- Moroccan-spiced Lamb
- Fried Falafel Pita with Tahini Sauce (plant-based item)
- Stone-baked Moroccan Bread with Hummus, Chermoula and Zhoug Dips (plant-based item)
- Pistachio Cake with Cinnamon Pastry Cream and Candied Walnuts
Beverages
- 3 Daughters Brewing Fig Hard Cider, St. Petersburg, FL
- Keel Farms Raspberry Citrus Hard Cider, Plant City, FL (NEW)
- Blake’s Hard Cider Co. Peach Party Peach & Blackberry Hard Cider, Armada, MI (NEW)
- Fig Cocktail with Fig Vodka, Sparkling Wine and Cranberry Juice
- Hard Cider Flight
- CORKCICLE Stemless Flute
Greece (Near Morocco)
Food Items:
- Plant-Based Impossible Moussaka (NEW) (plant-based item)
- Spanakopita
- Griddled Cheese with Pistachios and Honey (Emile’s Fromage Montage item)
- Lamb Gyro with Shaved Lettuce, Tomatoes, Red Onion and Tzatziki on Warm Flatbread
Beverages
- Mylonas Winery Assyrtiko White Wine
- Skouras ‘Zoe’ Rosé
- Kir-Yianni Naoussa Xinomavro Dry Red
- Wine Flight
Japan
Food Items:
- Fire Taiko Roll: Sushi Roll with Spicy Tuna, Cucumber and Pickled Daikon Radish served with Spicy Sauce (NEW)
- Beef Wa-Gyu Don: Traditional Japanese Rice Bowl with American Wagyu Beef over Steamed White Rice (NEW)
- Teriyaki Chicken Bun: Steamed Bun filled with Chicken, Vegetables and Teriyaki Sauce
Beverages
- Sake Passion Cocktail (NEW)
- Moon on the Water Sake (NEW)
- Brew Hub Momo Amber Ale, Lakeland, FL (NEW)
Flavors of America (Formerly Hops & Barley)
Food Items:
- Italian Hot Beef Sandwich with Shaved Beef, Spicy Giardiniera and Au Jus on a French Roll (NEW)
- Cioppino: Seafood Stew with Saffron-infused Tomato-Fennel Broth and Sourdough Crostini (NEW)
- Chilaquiles: Corn Tortilla Chips tossed in Salsa Verde with Ranchero Chicken, Queso Fresco, Cilantro-Lime Crema and a Soft-Poached Egg (NEW)
- Freshly Baked Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
Beverages
- Rogue Dreamland American Lager, Ashland, OR
- Goose Island Beer Co. Neon Beer Hug, Chicago, IL
- Left Hand Brewing Sawtooth Amber Ale, Longmont, CO
Italy
Food Items:
- Focaccia Ripiena: Freshly Baked Focaccia, Beef Meatballs, Tomato Sauce and Burrata Cheese (NEW)
- Cavatelli with Sweet Sausage Ragout and Crispy Applewood-Smoked Bacon (NEW)
- Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake with Vanilla Cream and Strawberry Compote (NEW)
Beverages
- Prosecco
- Moscato
- Chianti
- Italian Sangria Red or White
- Italian Margarita with Tequila and Limoncello
- Peroni Pilsner
Funnel Cake
Food Items:
- Candied Bacon Funnel Cake: Funnel Cake topped with Vanilla Ice Cream, Candied Bacon and Maple Syrup Drizzle (NEW)
Spain (Between Italy and Germany)
Food Items:
- Charcuterie with a selection of imported Spanish Meats, Cheeses, Olives and an Herbed Serrano Vinaigrette (gluten/wheat friendly) (Emile’s Fromage Montage item)
- Paella with Saffron Rice, Chorizo and Shrimp
- Seafood Salad with Shrimp, Bay Scallops, Mussels, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, White Balsamic Vinegar and Smoked Paprika
Beverages
- Viña Borgia Macabeo White Sangria (NEW)
- Viña Borgia Rosé Sangria (NEW)
- Viña Borgia Garnacha Red Sangria (NEW)
- Sangria Flight (NEW)
Germany
Food Items:
- Schinkennudeln: Pasta Gratin with Ham, Onions and Cheese (Emile’s Fromage Montage item)
- Bratwurst on a Pretzel Roll with Mustard
- Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce
Beverages
- Dr. Lo Alcohol-Removed Riesling, Mosel (NEW)
- Gaffel Kölsch, Cologne
- Weihenstephaner Festbier, Freising
- Schöfferhofer Prickly Pear Hefeweizen, Mainz
- Selbach-Oster Riesling, Mosel
- Beer Flight
The Alps (Near Germany)
Food Items:
- Dark Chocolate Fondue with Berries, Pound Cake and Meringues (NEW) (plant-based item)
- Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese with Alpine Ham, Baby Potatoes, Cornichons and Baguette (Emile’s Fromage Montage item)
- Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese with Baby Potatoes, Cornichons and Baguette (Emile’s Fromage Montage item)
- Stiegl Brewery Key Lime Radler, Salzburg, Austria
- Huber Vision Grüner Veltliner, Austria
- Frozen Rosé
Kenya (Near Refreshment Outpost)
Food Items:
- Kenyan Coffee Barbecued Beef Tenderloin with Sweet Potato-Corn Mealie Pap and Kachumbari Slaw
- Peri-Peri Skewered Shrimp with Citrus-Flavored Couscous
Beverages
- 81Bay Brewing Co. Congo Pilsner, Tampa, FL
Refreshment Outpost
Food Items:
- Regular Menu Item: All-Beef Hot Dog with Chips
- Regular Menu Item: DOLE Whip: Watermelon, Pineapple, or Swirl
- Regular Menu Item: Frozen Slushy Coca-Cola or Minute Maid Premium Lemonade (Disney Dining Plan item)
- Festival Item: Spicy Githeri with White Beans, Pigeon Peas, Curried BEN’S ORIGINAL™ Long Grain & Wild Rice and Kachumbari Slaw (plant-based item)
Beverages
- Seasonal Beer: Gulf Stream Brewing Co. Cloud Watermelon Hibiscus Lager, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (NEW)
- Normal Menu Item: Ciderboys Mango Tango Hard Cider, Stevens Point, WI (NEW)
- Seasonal Beer: North Coast Brewing Co. PranQster Golden Ale, Fort Bragg, CA (NEW)
- Regular Menu Item: (Soft Drinks – Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Root Beer, Fanta Orange and Blue PowerAde
- Regular Menu Item: Dasani Bottled Water
- Regular Menu Item: Bud Light Lager Draft
- Normal Menu Item: Mango STARR Mango Purée and STARR African Rum
- Normal Menu Item: Outpost Lemonade Frozen, Minute Maid Lemonade and Absolut Vodka
India (Near China)
Food Items:
- Curry-Spiced Crispy Cheese with Mango-Curry Ketchup (Emile’s Fromage Montage item)
- Potato and Pea Samosa with Coriander-Lime Cream (plant-based item)
- Chicken Tikka Masala with Fennel-Spiced Yogurt and Naan Bread
Beverages
- Mango Lassi (nonalcoholic)
- Taj Mahal Premium Lager, India
- SULA Brut Tropicale Sparkling Wine, Nashik
- SULA Chenin Blanc, Nashik
- Mango Lassi with Sōmrus Chai Cream Liqueur
China
Food Items:
- Crispy Duck Bao Bun with Hoisin Sauce (NEW)
- Pan-Fried Chicken Dumplings with House-made Sweet-and-Spicy Sauce
- Dandan Noodles: Spicy Pork with Sichuan Sauce, Peanut Butter and Sesame
Beverages
- Passion Fruit Bubble Tea (nonalcoholic)
- Fiery Dream: Citrus Vodka, Triple Sec, Guava Nectar and Spicy Hot Honey Syrup
- ByeJoe Punch: Chinese BaiJiu Spirit, Piña Colada Mix, Lychee Syrup and Sparkling Water
- Fireworks: Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila, Citrus Vodka, Orange Juice and Mango Syrup
- Brew Hub Lychee Foo Draft Beer, Lakeland, FL
Mexico
Food Items:
- Tostada de Carnitas: Braised Pork on a Fried Corn Tortilla with Black Beans, Avocado Mousse, Queso Fresco and Chives (NEW)
- Taco de Costilla: Slow-braised Beef Short Rib on a Corn Tortilla with Salsa de Chile Morita, Avocado Mousse and Spring Onions (NEW)
- Pastel Impossible: Layers of Traditional Mexican Flan and Tres Leches with Guava and Cajeta (NEW)
Beverages
- Trouble in Paradise Margarita: Ilegal Mezcal, Watermelon Liqueur, Rosé Wine, Lime Juice and Agave with a Chili-Lime Powder Rim (NEW)
- Fly Away Margarita: Nocheluna Sotol, Pineapple-Ginger Juice, Chile Ancho Verde Liqueur and Tequila with a Sweet Dried Chili Salt Rim (NEW)
- Mexican Craft Beer
The Noodle Exchange (Opening August 15, 2023)
Food Items:
- Ramen with Shaved Beef, Shiitake Mushrooms, Pickled Carrots and Dakion Radish, Shaved Peppers and a Soy Egg in Citrus-Sesame Broth
- Impossible Pork Udon with Shiitake Mushrooms, Pickled Carrots and Daikon Radish, Baby Bok Choy and a Soy Egg in Savory Chicken Broth
- Thai Shrimp with Rice Noodles, Shiitake Mushrooms and Basil in Coconut-Curry Broth
- Ramen with Tofu, Shiitake Mushrooms, Pickled Carrots and Daikon Radish, Shaved Peppers and Baby Bok Choy in Citrus-Sesame Broth (plant-based item)
Beverages
- Parish Brewing Strawberry Mochi Berliner Weisse, Broussard, LA (NEW)
- Pacific Rim Old Vines Riesling, Washington
Brew-Wing
Food Items:
- Orange-Cardamom Wings (NEW)
- Traditional Buffalo Wings with Celery and Ranch
- Impossible™ Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Plant-Based Blue Cheese, Plant-Based Ranch and Celery (NEW) (plant-based item)
- Scorching Hot Scotch Bonnet Pepper-Curry Wings with Creamy Cucumber Raita (NEW)
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Sticky Wings
- Garlic-Parmesan Wings
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts with Buffalo Sauce, Plant-Based Blue Cheese and Plant-based Ranch (plant-based item)
Beverages
- Sun King Brewing Caipirinha Lager, Sarasota, FL (NEW)
- Brew Hub French Connection IPA, Lakeland, FL (NEW)
- 3 Daughters Brewing Old Fashion Porter, St. Petersburg, FL (NEW)
- Blake’s Hard Cider Co. Tropicolada Hard Cider, Armada, MI (NEW)
- Bold Rock Peach Berry Hard Cider, Nellysford, VA (NEW)
- 3 Daughters Brewing Raspberry Lemonade Hard Cider, St. Petersburg, FL (NEW)
- Frozen Pomegranate Tea (nonalcoholic)
- Pickle Milkshake (nonalcoholic)
- Beer Flight
- Cider Flight
The Fry Basket (Near Test Track)
Food Items:
- Pickle Fries with Dill Ranch (NEW)
- Adobo Yuca Fries with Garlic-Cilantro Aïoli (plant-based item)
- Fry Flight
- Sea Salt and Malt Vinegar Fries (plant-based item)
- Barbecued Bacon Fries with Smoked Aïoli
- Sweet Potato Casserole Fries with Candied Pecans, Toasted Marshmallow Cream and Caramel Whisky
Beverages
- Stone Brewing Buenaveza Salt & Lime Lager, San Diego, CA (NEW)
- Salty Dog Cocktail: Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka with Grapefruit Juice, Ginger, Simple Syrup and Lime with a Salted Rim
Flavors from Fire (Near Test Track)
Food Items:
- Chimichurri Marinated Skirt Steak Taco with Crushed Avocado, Grilled Corn Salsa, Pickled Red Onions, Queso Fresco and Cilantro-Lime Cream (NEW)
- Spiced Chocolate Tart with BBQ Potato Chip Crust, Salted Whisky-Caramel and Smoked Sea Salt (NEW)
- The Impossible™ Burger Slider with Wasabi Cream and Spicy Slaw on a Sesame Seed Bun (plant-based item)
- Smoked Corned Beef with House-made Potato Chips, Cheese Curds, Pickled Onions and Beer-Cheese Fondue (Emile’s Fromage Montage item)
Beverages
- Saugatuck Brewing Company Bonfire Beer, Douglas, MI
- Four Virtues Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel, California
- Swine Brine featuring Jim Beam Bourbon
Coastal Eats
Food Items:
- Lump Crab Cake with Aïoli and Vinegar Slaw
- Oysters Rockefeller
Beverages
- Wildly Brut Cuvée, South Australia (NEW)
- Cape Codder: Boyd & Blair Vodka with Cranberry, Pomegranate and Lime
- CORKCICLE Stemless Flute
In terms of commentary, you might recall that last year we were underwhelmed by the unambitious and unadventurous menus. In a nutshell, my disappointment was that virtually every new booth in the last few years has been comfort food—a trend that continued with the only new booth last year being the Fry Basket. This is supposed to be Walt Disney World’s flagship foodie event, and most new options in the last few years have been simple crowd-pleasers.
I’m much more optimistic about the 2023 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, especially after seeing the menus. There are a few returning items that were missing last year, and a HUGE addition that has been absent for over a decade. I’m late to the punch in posting these menus, and I’m honestly surprised and slightly disappointed that there’s been zero buzz about this. (I guess it just goes to show how much ‘churn’ there has been in the Walt Disney World fan community in the last several years.) In any case, I’ll be rectifying that with a standalone post soon–so stay tuned.
Otherwise, the quality of the 2023 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival really hinges on the four new booths that don’t yet have menus, as well as the Muppet Lab coming to Brew-Wing. I have high hopes for the new Global Marketplaces, and am cautiously optimistic about the ‘experience’ with Dr. Honeydew and Beaker at Brew-Wing (trying not to get my hopes up too much only to have them dashed).
All in all, the culinary lineup at the 2023 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival might just strike the right balance between crowd-pleasing and envelope-pushing. While I’d personally prefer a lot more of the latter, I’m also cognizant of the fact that this event is “more mainstream” than the other festivals. Even though it’s the one ostensibly dedicated to food, Walt Disney World still needs to be responsive to what actual guests actually want—this probably strikes the right balance. Either way, we can’t wait—there’s a lot that looks good, between now dishes and familiar favorites!
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of the Global Marketplace menus for the 2023 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival? Any dishes missing that disappoint you? Do you agree or disagree with my take on the balance of adventurous and crowd-pleasing cuisine? Excited about any of the new options? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? Any 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!
We’re normally Flower and Garden people just due to the school schedule, so I guess I haven’t paid much attention to this festival. But we have a summer trip that overlaps this year, and I’m blown away at the lineup! Got to plan more Epcot time!
Thanks again Tom for all your articles and congrats on Megatron! Do you have recommendations on must visit booths after reviewing the menus? I’ve never been to food and wine before and will be visiting in September. It’s a lot to take in and I obviously can’t visit all of the booths!
This is our 4th year and looking forward to the people watching and amazing food sampling. A great weekend getaway from Dallas! We did the French five course meal a few years an and home they bring it back!
I’m glad to see the bratwurst since we’re from the Midwest. It would be really great if Disney could get the Johnsonville semi truck grill down there. It would probably be the biggest attraction during the festival! Who doesn’t like a good brat and beer! With some different items, we just might have to sneak down during the early Fall. I don’t have an issue with the mixed up date. You probably have, baby-on-the-brain syndrome! Good luck with everything!
Looking forward to reading all of your content about this. We used to go regularly but haven’t been for a few years. My son is now 25 and wants to try his first alcoholic drink at the Food and Wine Festival.
Side note…I just received an advert from Legoland “Spend your day riding, not waiting”
Stiff competition there. Word is definitely out and unabashed, Disney is a wounded animal in the wild (in Central Florida cause of their neglect of the parks). Personally I haven’t been to Legoland, though as a child I went to Cypress Gardens many times (Legoland bulldozed and redeveloped). Starting to feel like 2008 all over again.
Legoland and Universal increasing their discounting and advertising says to me that it’s a more widespread issue with Central Florida theme parks experiencing a drop-off in pent-up demand.
Competitors taking indirect shots at Disney in advertising is hardly anything new, either. One of the cruise lines (Royal Caribbean, maybe?) had a fantastic ad in late 2021 and 2022 that drew parallels and contrasts to make their cruise experience sound much more relaxed than the parks.
It only matters if it’s effective at pulling people away from WDW in large numbers.
Meh, bad press is bad press and Disney has managed it poorly. When you’re the top dog in a field, all your competitors are looking to take you down and Disney thought they were too big to fail to care enough about the guests. I do hope it starts improving at a more accelerated pace (ax Iger). The genie+ per park pricing is going in the opposite direction so clearly they still aren’t listening to actual guests.
The RCL/cruise analogy is incorrect. I work in a supporting industry to the cruise lines and 21/22 was them trying to get guests to use up their cruise credits that accumulated, much like unused gift cards, so they could finally tap into the idle revenue and demonstrate it was safe to cruise. We took an RCL cruise out of Miami Oct ’21 through future cruise credit and the ship was only at 25% capacity but fully staffed. They were desperate to move beyond cruise credit and get new revenue streams. Different scenario. Though still not sure how NCL made it through without filing bankruptcy, they had the worst balance sheet of all of them and even told us they weren’t financially stable enough to make it through covid. They did get bought out.
Oh gees, hubby’s favorite WDW time of year. This is when he gets all giddy about going everyday. He’ll probably get the 5 stamps for mac-n-cheese the 1st visit. Thanks for the info. Hubby loves to do those kinda things so our little one gets a special souvenir.
But wait…according to Disney’s Iger (hopefully soon to be departed), Chapek and McCarthy (departed) us local APs don’t spend money at the parks?
Hi Tom- Do you expect that the details of this list are finalized? I’m surprised and sad to see only one item listed as “gluten friendly” this year. There were several options last year, including many that are seemingly the same on this year’s list but are no longer indicated as “gluten friendly”.
Thank you for the info. I am so relieved and happy that Brew Wing will be back at the Odyssey. A cool oasis of delicious wings and great flights. We love Food & Wine and Brew Wing is a must have!
LOL, Beaver Tail content incoming!!!!!
Sorry for the start date mix-up. EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival runs from July 27 until November 18, 2023. The article has been updated accordingly.
Thanks for the false hope with the bad July start date. Proof read!
Dude…don’t be a jerk
Does Food & Wine start 7/14 or 7/29?
It will start July 27,2023