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!
Thanks for the article! Loved the ideas and appreciate your thoughts. I’m taking a teenager there soon and we plan on doing a modified Snacking Around the World. Modified mostly by our bank account.
Really frustrated with Disney’s snacking program right now. There’s almost no way to snack around the world anymore, unless you’re getting a drink, popcorn, or a tiny sweet cookie.
The only snack I found that wasn’t a sweet is an eggroll from China.
Couldn’t even get a single corn dog as a snack. (Even though I can buy one from sonic for less than $1)
Finding Disney is becoming more and more money hungry.
I’d be really interested in a savory snack around the world adventure. I can’t handle much sugar, so I might do some research on the restaurant menus for side dishes instead. Man, I wish I could eat just one of these things … but wow, the sugar coma would be epic!
I’ll be attempting my own ‘snack around the world’ in early October and have pretty much decided what I want at each stop. One thing I am doing which I guess is different is that I consider a frozen slushy drink to be a snack. That gives me the American Dream at the American pavilion (where else?) and the North Bay Smoothie from the snack cart in Canada and helps result in no skips.
Since I’m not having any other full meals, I’ll be counting the Fish ‘n’ Chips too. I’m betting the version I had in a Chicago restaurant back in ’93 was far worse, so I’ll survive.
I’m going to try the Curry Chicken Pocket from the Joy of Tea and the edamame from the Japan pavilion will allow me to rationalize all of the grease and sugary treats I’ll be ingesting.
Thanks for your take on this topic!
so, in other words…there’s no “snacking around the world” in Epcot. You should have saved me the time in reading that article and just written that.
Le Sigh. What a waste.
Kathy Bates. Le Misery.
Useful piece , I am thankful for the facts ! Does anyone know if my company could get access to a fillable a form document to use ?
I ate a delicious Macaron in France that was filled with lemon creme and fresh raspberries. I have literally dreamed of it ever since!
Great list but United Kingdom has a great cake filled with jelly!
The more I read this article the more picky I realized the author is. I’m an adventurous eater and like all kinds of foods. Maybe this list is for picky eaters.
I don’t think it’s picky! I consistently find that I agree w Tom and Sarah and enjoy the fact that Tom leans towards the more unhealthy and Sarah balances it out w the healthy side.
Or maybe I’m picky and like their higher standards. 😉
And Tom reports on quality! If something isn’t made well, he doesn’t hide that fact. Something I truly appreciate when reading up on places!
For uk, if looking for traditional, wouldnt it be a classic Victoria Sponge Cake, a slice of this is a snack, it is filled with jam and whipped cream.
Ha, love it. I have a friend that insists if it’s mini it doesn’t count. In my book snacks are mini & therefore only count in flavour & enjoyment, not in a calorific way…
Thanks so much for the detailed blog! Going to take the family back to Disney World in March, and we haven’t been since 2010. I’m a believer that “Anticipation is the greatest form of pleasure,” and your blog has us feeling like we’re already there! 🙂 Keep it up. It’s a great planning tool.
Can you tell what the delicious looking treat is at the top of the article and where you get it? The one with the coconut on it. Thanks!
Found the answer! Thanks!
This post was incredibly negative towards Disney. I don’t feel as though you did the world showcase justice, they have so much more to offer and you barely scratched the surface.
You understand that this was a post *only* about snacking, right? Of course the World Showcase has more to offer than snacks.
This was such a fun article! Another great snack at Germany is the gingerbread cookies at the food carts. They’re individually wrapped and make great souvenirs as well.
Great tip, thanks!
THE CRONUT should be on here! It is so amazingly light yet sweet. It’s new so you may have not had one yet but they’re in canada
It’s actually not in Canada, but at the Refreshment Port kiosk just past Canada. But I agree, it’s excellent and I need to add it to this list! 🙂
Sorry to disappoint you about the Napoleon Tom, but I also read on the Disney Food Blog that the Napoleon has definitely changed with the remodel and now tastes like something you’d get in your grocery store bakery. YUCK!! I am so disappointed as I had that the first time I went to Disney back in ’92 and then had it again in ’12…..for the last time I guess…..*sigh.
Thanks for this great article Tom! I read that the World Showcase (with rare exceptions) opens at 11am. Do these snacking places open earlier for breakfast? (e.g. grabbing a croissant from Les Halles Boulangerie & Pâtisserie with a Snack Credit for breakfast would be awesome)