REVIEW: Beer, Potato Pancakes, and CHEESE? You Truly Can Have it All at EPCOT’s Flower and Garden Festival

Mickey pretzels, DOLE Whips, and Mickey Ice Cream Bars…that’s what Disney food is made of right? Well, yes, sort-of. But it’s also SO much more, especially when there’s a festival going on!

2022 Booth

Welcome to the 2022 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival! The Festival is officially underway and we’ve been in the park all day, checking out all the colorful topiaries, merchandise, and (of course) food booths! Now it’s time for a visit to a classic booth in the Germany pavilion. Returning booth Bauernmarkt: Farmer’s Market is an oldie but a goodie, and we’re ready to re-visit our favorite dishes that will take us far beyond the realm of chicken nuggets and fries!

Menu

Bauernmarkt is offering most of the same food items as it did in 2021 (and before), with delicious classics like Potato Pancakes, Toasted Pretzel Bread, and more!

Menu

But there does appear to be a new beer available this year, so let’s dive in and see what this booth is all about.

Food

First we have the Potato Pancakes with House-Made Applesauce for $4.75. This is a plant-based dish, and it’s once again part of the Garden Graze! If you eat 5 dishes that are part of the Garden Grace during EPCOT’s Flower and Garden Festival, you can actually get a special prize so that’s fun!

But back to the pancakes. In the past, we’ve enjoyed the sweet and salty nature of this dish, though the consistency of the applesauce (and pancake itself!) can throw some people off.

Potato Pancakes with house-made applesauce

This year, our reporter who tried this dish said that the pancakes were good, and the applesauce was good, but the combination of the two wasn’t great (at least to them). In their opinion, they thought something like a sour cream or crème fraîche might suit the pancakes better, rather than the applesauce.

Potato Pancakes with house-made applesauce

They noted, however, that the pancakes were nice and warm, and were slightly greasy but not overly greasy, which was good. They also had a nice little crunch on the outside from being on the griddle — a major plush. The applesauce was also good and had a nice, light cinnamon flavor with chunks of apples it in that made it taste fresh.

So while we liked these alone, the combination just didn’t suit us this year. But if you like that mix of salty and sweet and you like these flavors, you might enjoy this dish.

Next, there’s a Potato Pancake served with Caramelized Ham, Onions, and Herb Sour Cream. Note that this version is NOT plant based. This dish is priced at $5. This is a returning item and is one we’ve enjoyed in the past! To us, this one has had a better texture than the applesauce one, as it doesn’t get soggy or have that unique applesauce texture problem.

Potato Pancake with Caramelized Ham, Onions, and Herb Sour Cream | Photo from 2017

Next we have the HOLY GRAIL of cheesy goodness — the Toasted Pretzel Bread topped with Black Forest Ham and Melted Gruyère Cheese. This beauty is priced at $5.75 and it will fulfill all of your cheesiest and carb-filled dreams! Can you really ever go wrong with cheese and bread?

Toasted Pretzel Bread topped with Black Forest Ham and Melted Gruyère Cheese | Photo from 2021

And finally, in terms of food, the Warm Cheese Strudel with Mixed Berries is back, and you can enjoy this flaky pastry for $4.75. More cheese? And it’s got a sweet side this time? Sign us up!

Warm Cheese Strudel with Mixed Berries | Photo from 2017

Now we need some drinks to wash down all this food!

Drinks

As per usual, there are a number of drink options available at this booth.

First there’s the Apfelschaumwein: Sparkling Wine and Apple Liqueur, which is available for $10. This drink is kind-of like a boozy apple juice. You REALLY need to like apples to enjoy this one, so keep that in mind! The rosemary does seem like a bit of overkill, but if you’re a fan of that then maybe you’ll enjoy it.

Overall, it’s a fairly tasty sip and we’ve felt like it has had a more prominent alcohol flavor than some other Festival drinks. Just watch that rosemary around your nose!

Apfelschaumwein: Sparkling Wine and Apple Liqueur | 2021

Next, we have the Beer Flight, which includes samples of the 3 different beers. This is priced at $10. You can also get these beers individually, and we’ll note those prices below.

Beer Flight

This year, the flight includes the M.I.A. Brewing Hugo (individually $5 for a 6-oz, and $9 for 12-oz); the Bitburger Premium Pils (individually $5 for 6-oz, and $9 for 12-oz); and the Stiegl Brewery Radler-Raspberry (individually $5 for 6-oz, $9 for 12-oz). The Hugo and Pils are returning from last year, but the Radler-Raspberry is new (last year it was a Radler Zitrone).

Beer Flight 2022

The Raspberry Radler was actually really delicious and refreshing! It is wonderfully fruity, but (thankfully) not overly sweet. We do wish it would have had a bit of ice in it only because it got a little warm after some time of being in the Florida sun, but overall we were really pleased with this one!

The Bitburger (in the middle) was pretty good. It had a kinda tangy flavor which we enjoyed!

Beer Flight 2022

And finally, the Hugo tasted like a fairly general lite beer. It wasn’t anything special or fancy, but is a good option to please most people.

Overall

Bauernmarkt: Farmer’s Market is typically a solid Festival booth, and this year it’s no different. The applesauce combined with the potato pancake wasn’t exactly an ideal combo for us, but it might be one you’ll enjoy. The more meaty version, though, is quite tasty, and how can we say “no” to 2 dishes with CHEESE?! The sparkling wine could be fun for those who love apple, and the beers are solid. The beer flight is also a great way to sample a few drinks at a relatively inexpensive price.

Our Spread

What do you think? Is this a booth you’d want to check out? Tell us in the comments! In the meantime, stay tuned to DFB for more Flower and Garden Festival booth reviews!

Click HERE to See All the Updated Details for EPCOT’s 2022 International Flower and Garden Festival!

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