We’re grabbing some food in EPCOT — want any? Sorry, we haven’t mastered the art of smell-o-vision technology yet, but we’ll do our best to share our HONEST thoughts on all the foods and drinks we’re trying during the 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts. Deal?

That’s right — the 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts has officially STARTED, and there’s a LOT to see and do. There are tons of food studios with delicious treats, live shows and performances to watch, souvenirs to buy (of course), and even an art-inspired food stroll to complete. There’s a lot going on this year, which is why we’re here to help with everything you need to know. Now we’re heading to one popular spot  — The Painted Panda — to give you the FULL scoop! Is it worth a try? Let’s find out!

Menu

Over at The Painted Panda booth, you’ll find a variety of available items. There are some returning classics, like the General Tso’s Chicken Shumai and the Char Siu Pork Bun, along with a NEW menu item called Sesame Balls with red bean paste. There are a few new and updated drinks this year as well, like the Black and White Bubble Tea and the Silk River Hard Lemonade. Note that some drinks, like Butterfly Blue, have a new name, but the bones of the drink remain the same.

Now that we’ve taken a look at the menu, let’s dive into the food itself!

Eats

First up, we grabbed the returning General Tso’s Chicken Shumai, available for $10.75. Last year, we seriously enjoyed this dish. The chili glaze had a bit of a kick, the pickled cucumbers were crisp and crunchy, and there was a good amount of chicken inside. So, how does this year’s version stack up?

Hands down, this is the prettiest dish at this booth. And it is also the tastiest. The texture of them is just right — they are well-cooked without being too firm, but despite the sauce and toppings, they weren’t mushy or floppy, either. The sauce they are served with is sweet and adds a night nice contrast to the savory filling inside. The chicken filling inside the dumplings is slightly spicy, so keep that in mind if you try to avoid spices.

Although there is a slight spice here, we wouldn’t go as far as calling this dish “spicy.” In fact, we found that there was just enough heat to add a little flavor. These dumplings are served on a thin slice of cucumber, and that adds a nice crunch and contrast to the tender dumplings. It also adds a fresh taste that we enjoyed.

Moving on! Time to talk about the Char Siu Pork Bun, which is another returning menu item — and we had high hopes for this guy! You can get this dish for $8.50.

This was very tasty! The sauce here is a sweet and sour type sauce, which contrasted nicely against the pork. The pork has a nice chew and a very smoky, savory flavor. The bao bun tasted fresh, soft, and pillowy — just how we like our bao buns. The cabbage on top is nice, though we actually would’ve preferred a little more cabbage to add some freshness and crunch to this dish.

Now, let’s talk about the NEW Sesame Balls with red bean paste for $7.25. Although the sauce on the plate has the bright red color of a fake strawberry sauce, the taste is pretty authentic.

The texture of these is chewy, maybe even a little gummy, which could be offputting to some. As you can see, they are entirely coated in sesame, and the sesame is (unsurprisingly) a prominent flavor in this dish — probably more prominent than anything else.

If you don’t like that strong sesame flavor, you’re not gonna like these; otherwise, this is rather bland, and we can see people walking away a little disappointed or indifferent at best.

Drinks

In terms of drinks at this booth, we got the NEW Black and White Bubble Tea with black tea, milk, chocolate, and black & white boba pearls. It’s available for $8.75.

This one wins the prize for the CUTEST drink at The Painted Panda booth. It’s topped with whipped cream and two Oreos made to look like Mickey ears on the top. Make sure to take your photos quickly, as those Oreos do sink pretty quickly into the drink. If you want to dip them in your milk tea, you need to retrieve them quickly. This has just the right amount of sweetness without being overly sugary or syrupy. We let the Oreos sink down into our drink, so over time, they softened. When we stirred our drink, it created a cookies and cream-type shake. The boba doesn’t have much flavor to it, but it is fun if you enjoy bubble tea.

The Silk River Hard Lemonade with vodka, lavender-coconut syrup, and lemonade has a NEW name for 2024, though we’ve tried variations of this drink in the past. This has a sugar rim and a pretty lemon garnish that makes for a gorgeous pink drink. The coconut and the lemonade are the most prominent flavors in this drink, though there is a subtle floral note in there, too. We identified that floral note as the lavender, though keep in mind that it’s pretty faint. The sugar rim makes the drink sweeter, otherwise it is not an overly sweet cocktail. Try it for $13.75.

Finally, we bought the Butterfly Blue drink, which is a butterfly pea flower-infused cocktail with vodka, light rum, lychee syrup, and magic boba pearls. This one is also priced at $13.75.

Although the menu lists “magic boba pearls,” our drink (and others around us) did NOT have any boba. OK, be prepared because this is STRONG. The most prominent taste in this cocktail is vodka. We felt that it could use more syrup if we’re being honest — it was pretty much like drinking straight liquor. We also didn’t taste any of the light rum, though light rum generally does not have a heavy taste in cocktails. Be prepared for a strong drink if you decide to give this one a try!

OVERALL

Overall, we wouldn’t necessarily call this a must-do booth, though everything here is decent. Nothing is bad per say, but nothing blew us away, either. The standouts here were the General Tso’s Chicken Shumai and the Silk River Hard Lemonade. We had some fun here, but we wouldn’t recommend everything on the menu; especially if you have a picky eater in your group. That’s it for this booth, but there’s a LOT more where that came from!

Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY. SINGLE. BOOTH. at the Festival of the Arts!

Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts? We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest. Click our links below for the information you need to know:

• Learn about the Disney on Broadway Shows and Dining Packages
• Check out ALL of the 2024 Festival of the Arts Food Studio Menus
• Get all the details about the Festival of the Arts here!

And don’t forget to pick up our 2024 DFB Guide to the Festival of the Arts at Disney World! See more details about the book below.

What snacks from this booth would you want to try? Tell us in the comments!

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