Now that we know Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival will be returning (in a modified and slightly smaller [but LONGER!] form), we’re looking forward to seeing which food booths will be returning!
Disney has told us a Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival will feature 20 signature global marketplaces and will “continue into the fall” making it Epcot’s longest festival of ALL TIME! But with only 20 slots to fill, some of our favorite food booths won’t be coming back this year!
This fest will be DIFFERENT — not only will it be longer than a normal Food and Wine Festival, but it will combine elements of both the Flower and Garden Festival AND the Food and Wine Festival. Disney World already announced the names of three outdoor kitchens we can expect to see when 2020’s a Taste of Food and Wine Festival kicks off on July 15th, but we’re putting together our list of food booths we’re hoping to see (AND EAT food from!) this year!
Here are our TOP 20 Epcot Food and Wine Festival food booths we’d like to see return!
1. Active Eats
Don’t let the name Active Eats fool you — this spot offers up some top-notch goodies for indulgent appetites. Its Loaded Macaroni & Cheese with Nueske’s® Pepper Bacon, Cheddar, and Leeks is SUPER delicious! It was SO good, we had to stop by and get it a few times last year!
The Spice-crusted Verlasso® Salmon at this food booth was good last year, too! We think any food booth with Mac and Cheese on its menu should be given a free pass into a Taste of Food and Wine — wouldn’t that be nice? Fingers crossed!
Click here to see our BEST of the FEST list of foods and drinks from last year’s Food and Wine Festival at Epcot
2. Africa
This Food and Wine booth really brings it in the flavor department. The Kenyan Coffee Barbecue Beef Tenderloin served with Sweet Potato and Corn Mealie Pap and Kachumbari Slaw debuted last year and, while its meat is tender and juicy, that rich coffee rub really elevates the dish!
We also really love the Piri Piri Skewered Shrimp with its Citrus-scented Couscous. We have high hopes of enjoying these two festival offerings again this year!
3. The Alps
The Alps was a new booth addition last year and it’s where we spotted this Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese with Baby Potatoes, Cornichons, and a Baguette! That uber-trendy freshly-melted, bubbly cheese that’s scraped right on top your food is JUST AS GOOD as it sounds. Be still, my cheesy HEART!
Plus all those little covered and smothered goodies are like little flavor bombs! We’ll be keeping an eye out for The Alps’ cheesy RETURN with our cheese-eating tastebuds pumped and primed!
4. Belgium
Belgium is known for its savory AND sweet offerings! While its Beer-braised Beef served with Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes is a real show stopper, we love loading up on their Belgian Waffles!
You can get them topped with a Berry Compote or a super nummy Warm Chocolate Ganache sauce! Either way, you’ll be enjoying a dollop of whipped cream and SO much yumminess! Just be sure to dig in FAST before those waffles get soggy!
5. Brazil
Brazil really brings its A-game to the Food and Wine Festival each year! EVERYTHING here seems to be a fan favorite! We were equally impressed by their Crispy Pork Belly and Moqueca (Brazilian Seafood Stew), which featured Scallops, Shrimp, and White Fish with Coconut-lime Sauce and Steamed Rice!
Its Pão de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread) is also great for pairing with that Frozen Caipirinha! Did you even really Food and Wine if you didn’t eat this cheese bread? No. No you did not.
6. Brewer’s Collection
We gotta talk about one of our favorite festival watering holes, Brewer’s Collection!
While it may be called Food and WINE, beer has a STRONG presence at the fest each year. It wouldn’t feel like Food and Wine without some hops and suds in the form of the tasty beer flights this spot offers up each year.
7. Canada
Canada’s food booth is home to not one, but TWO of our favorite foods! You can find the Canadian Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Soup served with a Pretzel Roll at this delightful spot!
And you can also savor the flavor of Le Cellier Steakhouse’s Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle-Butter Sauce! Both of these offerings are super RICH and oh so GOOD! Both of these items are practically required if Epcot has a Food and Wine Festival (they’re SO popular!) so we’re hoping to see this booth make an appearance!
8. China
China is one of those rare food booths where we almost prefer its drinks over the FOOD! It’s not that their Wuxi Spareribs or Mala Chicken and Shrimp Bao Bun weren’t great last year — it’s just their cocktails are THAT good!
The Kung Fu Punch made with Vodka, Triple Sec, Mango Syrup, and Orange Juice is normally our go-to, but we wouldn’t discourage you from trying any of their BOOZY offerings (TBH their non-alcoholic drinks are just as good!). Just be ready to do some serious snackage before, during, and after since they tend to have a heavy pour!
9. Coastal Eats
We’re still having reoccurring dreams of the Baked Shrimp and Scallop Scampi Dip with Sourdough Baguette at Coastal Eats. We’ve been dreaming of it ALL YEAR!
Yup — it would be pretty hard for us to imagine a Food and Wine Festival without this cheesy dip. We lie awake at night thinking about this cheesy, shrimpy goodness so this food booth will be one of the first ones we’ll be seeking out come July 15th!
10. Flavors From Fire
Another food booth we can’t wait to see again is Flavors From Fire! Its Smoked Corned Beef with Crispy Potatoes, Cheese Curds, Pickled Onions, and Beer-Cheese Fondue is always a touchdown with US! Those “Crispy Potatoes” are really thick cut fresh-made potato chips drenched in beer-cheese and meat so, obviously, it was awesome.
We also had to get seconds (and thirds, and fourths…) of their Charred Chimichurri Skirt Steak on a Smoked Corn Cake with Pickled Vegetable Slaw and Cilantro Aïoli! This food booth is a fan-favorite and the line is usually quite long, so we’re hoping it makes the cut!
Click here to see which Food and Wine Festival items were totally worth the MESS last year!
11. France
France’s cuisine is a bit more oo-la-la than you’ll find anywhere else! The Fondue Savoyarde (Fondue of Imported Cheeses and Chardonnay served with Croutons) left a strong and sophisticated impression on us last year!
Also, the La Passion Martini Slushy made with Vodka, Grey Goose Le Citron, Cranberry, and Passion Fruit Juice is a beautiful BOOZY tribute the City of Light! We have been big fans of all the seasonal slushies we’ve seen at Epcot’s fests and this was no exception! Plus, you can wave “Bonjour!” to the new Remy Flower and Garden topiary, which Disney shared will still be on display in celebration of the coming-soon attraction, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure!
Click here to see everything you need to know about Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
12. Hawai’i
Disney has already told us Hawai’i is one of the confirmed booths that will be returning to Food and Wine this year, and we just so happen to know WHY!
From its Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet-and-Sour DOLE® Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise to Grilled Tuna Tataki with Seaweed Salad, Pickled Cucumbers, and Wasabi Cream we found all of Hawai’i’s food to be tropically delightful. We also really enjoyed the Teriyaki-glazed SPAM® Hash with Potatoes, Peppers, Onions, and Spicy Mayonnaise (seriously, SPAM can be delicious, guys!). Their Passion Fruit Cheesecake with Toasted Macadamia Nuts for dessert was the perfect sweet finish to our food booth luau!
13. Hops and Barley
When we found out Hops and Barley would be returning, our hearts skipped a beat! New England Lobster Rolls and New Brunswick Sliders are kinda our love language!
But Hops and Barley also has an amazing freshly-baked Carrot Cake that’s practically swimming in warm cream cheese frosting! And, of course, they have a huge selection of BEERS! We have such a hard time deciding which ones to try that we usually end up going with a Beer Flight so we can try a bunch at once.
14. India
We know we’ve been skewing a little more meat and cheese OBSESSED with several of our food booth picks on this list, but we dig some vegetarian stuff too! The Madras Red Curry with Roasted Cauliflower, Baby Carrots, Chickpeas, and Basmati Rice at India’s booth last year was wonderful and fresh! Plus you got a huge portion of it, too!
And for non-alcoholic offerings, the Mango Lassi is super light and tasty. This food booth is a great little spot to enjoy the spice of life, so we’ll be happy to see it return even though its menu isn’t very meaty OR cheesy!
15. Ireland
Heading back to our comfort zone (meaning liquid cheese!), this food booth has Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip with Irish Brown Bread!
But one of the most incredible festival items you can get is Ireland’s Guinness Baileys Shake! It’s like a glass of Guinness had a delicious milkshake baby with notes of cream, cocoa, and Irish whiskey! We’re not sure if it’s really a drink per se, since we happen to think of it as more of a BOOZY dessert, but you DO get to keep the glass it’s served in!
16. Italy
If you attended last year’s Food and Wine Festival you probably still fantasize over Italy’s Costine di Maiale (Balsamic-glazed and Oven-roasted Pork Ribs!)
These fellas were ENORMOUS and easily sharable (although we might have made our companions get their own — they were too delicious to share!) Of course, we had to pair them with the Italian Margarita made with Limoncello and Tequila, which made for one Bella Notte! Italy always boasts a variety of approachable Italian classics we’re happy to look forward to this year!
17. Japan
Last year, Japan debuted a new Frothy Ramen! It was made with Chilled Noodles, Dashi Broth, and came with a Light Foam Topping. This was NOT everybody’s favorite item, but it was certainly a hit with a few people on our team! We’d love to see it return and have another chance to get some fans!
Others who weren’t a fan of the FROTH were more into the steamed Teriyaki Chicken Bun filled with Chicken, Vegetables, and a Sweet Teriyaki Sauce! You can usually expect a killer sushi option from this food booth too! Plus, the chance to get YOUR name written in Japanese on a wooden sake cup is such a fun and unique keepsake (plus you get some sake to sip as well!).
18. Mexico
Nothing says “food fiesta” quite like Mexico’s food booth! The Taco de Puerco (Shredded Pork Belly), which was served on a Corn Tortilla with Salsa Verde, was an awesome snack! We had to save room for a few of these bad boys.
And the Tostada de Carne (Braised Beef) paired with a Corn Tostada with Mole Oaxaqueño and Chicharrón Dust was equally irresistible. Not to mention, the Mexico booth is usually reliable for a few unique margarita options we look forward to each year. If you’re anything like us, you’ll be making frequent trips to this food booth — if it returns!
19. Refreshment Port
Although it’s not technically a food booth, Refreshment Port is one of our favorite spots to go looking for some festival eats! They’ve been known to stock up on poutine (french fries, cheese curds, and gravy. Basically heaven on a plate.) and last year their menu included a Duck Confit Poutine with Fig Demi Sauce and Brie Cheese Fondue, as well as a version topped with Beef Brisket!
We also snagged their Barbecue Bloody Mary with Smoked Garlic Sausage and a House-made Pickle Skewer served with a Mustard and Barbecue Rub Rim in the past. Of course, if you’re looking for a sweet tropical treat, Refreshment Port usually serves a Pineapple Dole Whip spiked with Rum (in case you needed a reminder you’re at Disney World!).
20. Funnel Cake Stand
Another spot we always have to stop at is in the American Adventure pavilion. That’s where we enjoyed this patriotically-delicious Mini Funnel Cake topped with Vanilla Ice Cream and Mixed-berry Sangria Compote!
This spot has BROUGHT IT recently. After this year’s Lemon Blueberry Funnel Cake at the Flower and Garden Festival, we have high hopes for some STELLAR funnel cakes in the future.
Click here to see the gorgeous Lemon Blueberry Funnel Cake!
And as you can see, Islands of the Caribbean didn’t make our top 20 list, although Disney has already confirmed it’s one of the 20 food booths that will be returning! That means at least ONE of our picks WON’T be coming back! Alas, we gotta hand it to Islands of the Caribbean for really stepping up their game last year! They began grilling their Jerk-spiced Chicken fresh, on stage, which made it even MORE craveable because we all smelled that wonderful smoky aroma each time we walked by!
We will NEVER turn down the chance to smell delicious grilled meats as we stroll Epcot. It was pretty incredible.
We’re hoping Disney will announce which food booths will be returning as well as release menus ANY DAY NOW since the festival is almost upon us! Stay tuned for all the delicious details which we’ll be sending your way soon!
Click here to find out what our one MUST-GET item from each booth was at last year’s Food and Wine Festival!
Will you be at Epcot next month for the new Food and Wine Festival? Tell us which food booths you’re hoping will be back in the comments below!