Snacking Around the World Showcase at Epcot

Snacking Around the World at Epcot it bit like the popular booze-fueled “challenge” but without the pesky downside of possibly climbing a pyramid and being banned from Walt Disney World for life. It’s unfortunate this delicious endurance event is overshadowed by Drinking Around the World, because the snack options are better and cheaper.

While boozing around the World Showcase is all sorts of fun, many of the drink choices are lacking, and like many things at Walt Disney World, all of them are overpriced. The situation is a lot better for competitive eaters, as snacks are still somewhat expensive, but significantly cheaper than booze.

Plus, all of the snacks are unique whereas some of the alcohol choices are uninspired (Bud Light served at the American Adventure is the beer equivalent of a Little Debbie cupcake). Not to mention that you can use your Disney Dining Plan credits on snacks. Of course, most of the year is now Festival “Season” at Epcot, so these tips are basically only necessary if you’re visiting Walt Disney World during the summer…

We started out our “Drinking Around the World” post with a bunch of warnings about not over-drinking. The same is definitely not appropriate here. Not only is eating as many snacks as possible in a single day a commendable endeavor, but snacks are universally healthy and will probably definitely prolong your life.

Or, at least your quality of life. I’m no medical doctor and I know very little about science, but I’m almost positive that eating a lot of snacks is good for you when you’re on vacation. So eat as many of these Epcot snacks, both sweet and savory, as you can.

Some of the “rules” in that “Drinking Around the World” blog post still apply to this. Especially if you compete in what we’re dubbing the “Gaston Challenge” (sort of like the “Goofy Challenge” for the runDisney crowd, except this is more awesome), which involves consuming both snacks and booze. Bonus points if you pre-game by eating 4-dozen eggs before arriving to Epcot.

Namely, you should start early for this challenge, too (there’s no better breakfast than a cupcake), you should make it an all day affair, you should split snacks, you should do attractions along the way, you should “bite the bullet in France,” and you should finish the night with Illuminations. With these general tips in mind, here are our recommendations for things to grab in each country.

Mexico

We recommended starting in Mexico for “Drinking Around the World,” so we’ll remain consistent and start here for snacking, too. Despite our snarky comments about eating as many snacks as possible, it’s probably unrealistic to expect to eat a snack in every country unless you really put some effort into it. If you don’t anticipate being able to eat a snack in every country, skip Mexico.

If you elect not to skip Mexico, go with the Churritos or the nachos for something more substantial. A lot of people like churros, but there are so many options that are far better elsewhere, so if you don’t plan on doing every country, this might be one to skip.

Norway

Norway is one of the all-stars of the Epcot “snack crawl.” The snacks in Norway’s Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe are so good that you might just want to double up (perhaps to make up for skipping Mexico). School Bread is the obvious choice. It’s a cult favorite, and it’s cheap. I think School Bread absolutely lives up to the hype, and it’s one of my favorite snacks in all of Walt Disney World. I rarely go a trip without having it at least once.

It’s pretty simple: sweet and soft cardamom breading filled with vanilla creme custard and topped with shredded coconut. If you’re using the Disney Dining Plan, School Bread is not a good use of a snack credit because it’s so cheap, so save those credits until later in the “snack crawl” to maximize your snack credit value on the Disney Dining Plan!

We also really enjoy the Berry Cream Puff, which is quite large and has some delicious whipped cream (and berries) in it. Any of these are excellent choices for the “snack crawl.”

Kringla is also a great unheralded lunch spot, as a few of the sandwiches are excellent options for adventurous eaters. We’re big fans of the Ham & Apple Sandwich (Ham, Apple and Jarlsberg and Muenster Cheese with a Sweet Apple Chutney on Toasted Multigrain Bread) and the Norwegian Club (Ham, Turkey, Bacon, Jarlsberg and Muenster Cheese with fresh Tomatoes, Sliced Red Onion and Lingonberry Mayonnaise on Toasted Multigrain Bread).

China

For the longest time, we recommended skipping China (or grabbing a snack at the Lotus Blossom Cafe, like the pot stickers), as we were not too impressed with the Strawberry Red Bean Ice Cream here.

Then we tried the Bubble Milk Tea and Lucky Combo at Joy of Tea. The Bubble Milk Tea is a sweetened drink with peach flavored black tea and tapioca pearls. The sweetness can be a bit much (and the price definitely is!) but it’s an addictively good drink with a generous amount of pearls. We usually split this and really enjoy it.

The Lucky Combo is actually more like a counter service combo meal, but fortunately you can split it. It contains a Curry Chicken Pocket with your choice of two Egg Rolls, a soft drink, and Ice Cream. As for the ice cream, we recommend the Caramel Ginger, which is significantly better than other one. The curry chicken pocket is the definite highlight here, and this larger combo offers something savory and a satisfying dessert. It’s win-win!

Germany

Karamell-Küche is the new hit here, and has instantly become a popular choice for Walt Disney World guests. We are fans of Karamell-Küche, but definitely not to the extent of many others. We recommend getting something unique here, as contrary to what many people claim, the standard caramel corn is nothing special. That is, unless you really like caramel corn and having some moderately fresh caramel corn is really important to you.

The menu usually has at least one cupcake on it, and this is a good option if the cupcake is fresh. You don’t want to get stuck with something that’s overly hardened. Luckily, this place is usually busy enough that you should have no problem with that.

If caramel doesn’t appeal to you, a savory option in Germany is Nudel Gratin, which is Baked Macaroni with Cheese Custard. It’s a relatively simple and straightforward dish, but it’s creamy, rich, and fantastic. An especially great option if you have picky eaters!

Italy

There are several different options in Italy, with the most popular option being the gelato stand. It’s debatable whether the gelato is authentic, but it’s undeniably tasty. You can even get it as a homemade ice cream sandwich! As with the ice cream sandwiches at Sleepy Hollow Inn, these sandwiches can be hit or miss. Make sure you ask for cookies that are soft, as it seems like these cookies are hard or burnt around 50% of the time. That, or we have really bad luck.

Another option here, and our sleeper pick, is the Tiramisu or Cannoli served at Tutto Italia cart. We’ve found that this cart is often closed or absent, so your luck with it might be hit or miss, but if it is there and open, make sure to stop. The Tiramisu and Cannoli are each fairly reasonably priced (especially compared to the table service Tutto Italia, which charge over twice the price for the desserts), and are excellent.

American Adventure

The American Adventure has a funnel cake stand with a variety of ways to customize a funnel cake. This stand has become a cult favorite with Walt Disney World guests, and some of the seasonal options are quite popular. During Food & Wine Festival, you can expect to find something inspired by the ‘flavors of fall.’ Last year, that meant a Maple Bacon Funnel Cake (pictured above).

This funnel cake was glorious! Warm and doughy in the center, with a light crispness on the exterior. The funnel cake itself was a perfect match for the generous slab of maple ice cream on top. The bacon on top was a nice touch, and helped provide a savory counterbalance to the dessert. It’s not cheap, but the portion is huge and it’s easily shareable among a few people.

Japan

Our top recommendation in Japan is to head to Katsura Grill and order the Green Tea Ice Cream or Green Tea Cheesecake. This might sound odd, but both are pretty good. They’re also about as culturally authentic as you can get. Green Tea Ice Cream is sold at or around many temples we’ve visited in Japan, and in a multitude of other places.

For another option still, try something that isn’t a sweet–try sushi instead. It’s not the best sushi on property (that distinction goes to California Grill in our experience), but it’s the solid snack option in Japan.

Another popular snack in Japan is the Kaki-Gori, but we’ve never tried this snack. Well, we’ve never had it at Epcot, actually. We had plenty of Sno-Cones when we were kids, and while we enjoyed them growing up, they aren’t something we continue to eat. 😉

Morocco

Tangierine Cafe is your option in Morocco, and while this is a great counter service restaurant for regular food, we’ve been consistently underwhelmed by its desserts. However, plenty of others disagree with us, and we’ve been told by fans of baklava that Tangierine Cafe’s is delicious. So your mileage may vary on that.

In addition to baklava, there are a few other desserts at Tangierine Cafe, one of which is pictured above. I don’t know what this dessert is called, nor was there a name for it in the case, but this mystery dessert wasn’t good, either. With France right around the bend, it’s difficult to stop for a lackluster dessert in Morocco, especially when the options in France are amazing.

France

Although Norway is the country known for trolls, it’s almost as if there’s a troll guarding the bridge from France to the United Kingdom preventing guests from passing to complete the final leg of the “snack crawl.” In fact, it’s the many delicious options in France that lead to the demise of many snackers (and by many, we mean us…we assume it happens to others, though!).

The top option in France at Less Halles Boulangerie Patisserie is the Napoleon cake. The Napoleon very well might be the greatest counter service dessert at Walt Disney World. It’s filled with custard, but somehow (magically, I assume) the layers of pastry in between are light and airy. I’m no pastry-architect, but it doesn’t seem like the pastry layers are load bearing. Yet, they manage to hold the custard just fine. It’s all topped off with powdered sugar, which is like icing on the cake.

With around 20 other dessert choices at Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie, there’s a lot to try. Just about everything looks delicious, which doesn’t help! Sarah loves the Citron Tarte, which is a great option if you like lemon. I prefer my sweets to be sweet, so I’d probably recommend the Chocolat Tarte instead. We’re also huge suckers for their holiday yule log, so be sure to check that out if you visit in November or December!

We have yet to try everything on this menu (we will…in the name of research!), but it’s doubtful that you can really go wrong here. Our tip here is to have a couple of snacks before seeing the underrated Impressions de France, and then having a couple more after seeing Impressions de France. Maybe you should just “Snack Around France” instead of around the entire World Showcase!

United Kingdom

Unfortunately, it’s all downhill after France. United Kingdom doesn’t have anything in the way of tasty sweets. Basically, your only options are beer or fish and chips. A black and tan makes for a great “snack” for Rose & Crown, but that doesn’t really count.

You can also grab an order of fish & chips from Yorkshire County Fish Shop. This is a location that a lot of people love, but we think it’s overrated. There is absolutely nothing special about the fish & chips. Nothing. It’s ordinary, battered fish with ordinary, battered fries. Definitely not “so very British.”

More importantly, fish & chips is a meal, not a snack. Perhaps the side of chips is a snack, I guess. This is one to potentially skip.

Canada

Here is where you’ll want to bust out your time machine to conclude the “snack crawl” with the best snack of all–the Beaver Tail! I mention this snack from time to time on this blog, and there’s significant buzz about it in the fan community. I’m convinced that if the buzz remains strong, Disney will bring it back like it has brought back other lost favorites like the Citrus Swirl.

For those of you lacking a time machine, all is not lost. Just past Canada is an innocuous looking refreshment gazebo with a limited menu. There’s really nothing attention-grabbing about the place, as it’s not styled like any of the World Showcase countries, and doesn’t draw huge crowds.

If you’re in the mode for something savory, a relatively new, snack at the Refreshment Port is the Poutine. There are actually a few varieties of this, and options rotate depending upon the season. This actually belongs in Canada (hence us listing it here), but there’s no location there that can easily serve it, so you’ll walk another couple of minutes.

Just down the promenade from Refreshment Port is Taste Track. As the name might suggest, this is located near the popular Test Track attraction. Taste Track serves an amazing dessert: cronuts!

Well, technically at this spot they’re called “croissant doughnuts,” but the idea is the same. Here, you can order a regular cronut or a cronut a la mode. These treats are spectacularly decadent, and well worth grabbing. This spot may not technically be in a World Showcase country’s pavilion, but it’s worth the slight diversion for a delicious and worldly cronut!

As is evident from some countries on this list, not all countries were created equal from a snacking perspective. While there are clear standouts like France and Norway, there are a couple of duds, making it a bit more challenging to have a snack at each country. Fortunately, most countries have at least a couple unique and delicious options, so “Snacking Around the World” at Epcot can be a lot of fun!

Want more dining recommendations? Check out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. For info on whether the DDP is right for you, read our Ultimate Guide to the Disney Dining Plan. For comprehensive vacation advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

Your Thoughts…

Have you tried “Snacking Around the World”? If so, what did you try? Did you opt for something from each country, or did you skip the lackluster ones? Thinking of giving it a try? Any questions? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!