We’ve got great news for Orlando locals, or those who will be in Orlando the first week of March!

Just a few days ago, a popular burger chain opened its second restaurant in Florida, and it happens to be just minutes from Disney World! If you’re looking to get a free burger, here’s how to make it happen!

Fatburger is a Los Angeles-based chain restaurant that just opened its first Orlando location on February 22nd. However, according to Orlando Weekly, their grand opening event won’t take place until March 2nd, and the first 100 customers will receive a free Original Fatburger!

If you aren’t there when the doors open, the restaurant will also be giving out free fries with every purchase throughout the day! So even if you can’t stop by until later, be sure to give them a try for those free fries.

This restaurant is located at 1713 Future Way in Celebration, Florida, which is only around 5 minutes from Disney World! We’ll be sure to keep you updated with all the latest Orlando news, so stay tuned to DFB!

Check out the new luggage system coming to Orlando International Airport!

What’s your favorite fast food burger to get? Tell us in the comments!

The post You Have ONE Day To Get A Free Meal At Orlando’s Newest Burger Joint first appeared on the disney food blog.

Who’s up for a culinary FIESTA???

We here at the DFB always are, that’s for sure! That’s why were checking out all the Outdoor Kitchen Food Booths at the 2024 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival — to bring you our reviews so you can choose your must-eats (and must-sips!) during this year’s springtime celebration. And if you’re someone who especially enjoys trying all the new items at the Festival, then the Jardin de Fiestas Outdoor Kitchen in EPCOT’s Mexico Pavilion is THE place to be!

Menu

If there’s one thing to know about the Jardin de Fiestas Outdoor Kitchen, it’s that it rarely relies on the tried-and-true. Instead, this food booth featuring Mexican fare loves to switch things up with NEW items, which is exactly what you’ll find on the menu this year. The three food items — the Sope de Chilorio, the Tamale de Rajas, and the Flan de Guayaba — are ALL NEW!

We’ve also got two new drinks to check out, even though they’re still in keeping with a classic cocktail. This year’s takes on the typical margarita include the Lychee Margarita the Floral Margarita. You may opt for a Craft Mexican Draft Beer, as well.

Off to the Mexico Pavilion for Jardin De Fiestas! These are all NEW this year!

Tamale de Rajas $8.75
Sope de Chilorio $8.50
Flan de Guayaba $6.50
Floral Margarita $14
Lychee Margarita $14.50 pic.twitter.com/l679Jl6xFI

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) February 28, 2024

Clearly, there’s plenty of new stuff to check out here, so let’s waste no time…

Eats

The Sope de Chilorio presents Guajillo pepper-braised pork on fried corn shells. The dish, which costs $8.50, is complete with black beans, shredded cabbage, crema Mexicana, queso fresco, and chives. 

This may be a new Best of the Fest item for us! It was bean-forward, so if you’re not a fan of beans keep that in mind. It was nicely spiced without being spicy and the cabbage provided a nice crunch. The sope was lightly fried and crunchy while still being soft, and the braised pork had a rich, complex flavor from the peppers but wasn’t spicy. It was pretty tender, too!

The Tamale de Rajas features poblano peppers, corn, and cheese together in masa. Poblano cream sauce, crema Mexicana, pickled carrots, and onions with chives are the finishing touches. It’s $8.75.

We enjoyed the tamale, though not as much as the sope. The poblano peppers provided a fresh taste with no spice, and the poblano crema tied the whole dish together. The pickled onions and carrots helped cut through the richness of the masa dough, but ultimately we still preferred the sope.

For dessert, you can pick up the Flan de Guayaba for $6.50. This year, Jardin de Fiestas presents a Vanilla flan finished with guava coulis, whipped cream, and fresh fruit. 

This was a fun take on your typical flan. Flan is a controversial texture for some people, so if you’re not into custard or jelly-like consistencies, this is probably a skip for you. The flan itself was sweet and had a nice vanilla flavor, but the guayaba (guava) coulis helped elevate it a bit.

Drinks

Say “CHEERS!” The new Lychee Margarita is here! This cocktail is crafted with Centinela Blanco Tequila, lychee liqueur, citrus juice, and agave nectar, and you can grab it for $14.50.

This was light and sweet, but ours melted pretty quickly on a hot day like today. Ours wasn’t too heavy on the tequila flavor, so this might be a good option if you want a lighter cocktail.

So, what exactly makes up the new Floral Margarita ($14)? The unexpected combo here is Cherry liqueur, mezcal, hibiscus tea, and lime juice.

We loved the smokiness of this drink thanks to the mezcal, and the combination of the cherry liqueur with the hibiscus tea makes this a complex, well-rounded cocktail.

Don’t forget that you can also try a Craft Mexican Draft Beer for $6/6oz or $10/12oz.

OVERALL

So, is this booth worth a stop? We think so! That sope de chilorio is definitely a Best of the Fest contender for us, and we enjoyed the tamale and flan as well. The cocktails were good, though we don’t consider either to be our favorites, so we wouldn’t go out of our way for just these.

For now, we’ve got to move on from this Fiesta to bring you more from the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival, so on we go!

Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY BOOTH at the 2024 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival!

Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival? 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 Garden Rocks Concert Series and Dining Packages
• Check out ALL of the 2024 Flower and Garden Booth Menus
• See what eats you’ll need to try to get a PRIZE at the Festival!

And don’t forget to pick up our EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival e-book! See more details about the book below.

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

The post REVIEW: We May Have Just Found Our New Favorite EPCOT Festival Food! first appeared on the disney food blog.

A little birdie told me that there’s something new at The Citrus Blossom this year…

Okay, make that a LITTLE ORANGE BIRD. You see, this beloved bird from the Sunshine Tree Terrace in Magic Kingdom has made a home for himself at the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival, too, and it’s here at The Citrus Blossom (one of the event’s Outdoor Kitchen Food Booths) where we’ll find our little pal… as well as all sorts of citrus-y snacks and sips. We’re bringing you our reviews of EVERY SINGLE BOOTH at this year’s Festival (along with checking out all the Festival’s entertainment, Disney topiaries, Garden Graze food crawl, and more), so please join us at The Citrus Blossom as we check things out!

Menu

There’s a mix of returning and NEW items at The Citrus Blossom! When it comes to food, both the Orange Sesame Tempura Shrimp and the Lemon Meringue Pie are back this year.

Sips are where it’s at for the new items! In addition to the new Key Lime Wine Slush, you’ll find three new beers on the menu: an Orange Twist Imperial Ale, a Lemon Drop Shandy, and the Tangerine Express Hazy IPA. You can also grab all three with the Beer Flight.

Calling all Orange Bird lovers! At The Citrus Blossom booth, the Orange-Lemon Smoothie in a souvenir Orange Bird sipper cup is back! We also have:

Orange Sesame Tempura Shrimp
Lemon Meringue Pie
Beer Flight
the NEW Key Lime Wine Slush pic.twitter.com/nH1fXCmzWl

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) February 28, 2024

Let’s dig in…

Eats

The Orange Sesame Tempura Shrimp is glazed with an orange-chile sauce. It costs $7.00. 

This item made our Best of the Fest last year, so we were especially excited to try it again! Well, once again, this is absolutely our favorite food item here. It’s perfectly fried without being greasy. It has such a great crunch that we just can’t get enough of. Although it’s a bit pricy at $7, you ARE getting 5 decent-sized pieces, so we think it’s totally worth it.

The orange chili sauce is what takes this dish from great to GREATEST EVERRRR. It’s not at all spicy. It’s just a sweet chili sauce with a nice orange tang that pairs PERFECTLY with the shrimp. We simply do not have words for how good this sauce is. This is a best of the fest item for us.

Prefer something sweet with your citrus? The Lemon Meringue Pie might be more up your alley.

Lemon curd, lemon mousse, and toasted meringue comes together for this dessert dish, which is $4.75. TBH, it didn’t knock our socks off last year. This year, we thought that it was absolutely beautiful, and the mousse was delicious, but the pastry at the bottom was disappointing. It’s too hard — so hard we couldn’t cut it. If you really like lemon meringue, this could be a great option for you but we just think there are better options elsewhere.

So, there you go for the eats! But, honestly, it’s one of the drinks that we’re especially excited to try this year…

Drinks

NEW to The Citrus Blossom is the Key Lime Wine Slush! This drink, coming in at $12.00, has replaced the Orange Sunshine Wine Slushy from previous years.

 “Key Lime,” you say? And “Wine” along with that? Yep, we’re in. We really loved this at first. It was like drinking key lime pie in liquid form and we were in love. However, the more we drank it, the more we found that it was overly sweet and acidic. We couldn’t finish it. If you LIKE super sweet drinks, though, this could be a great option for you.

As promised, the Orange-Lemon Smoothie has returned, as has the souvenir Orange Bird sipper cup that comes along with it! Together, they cost $15.00. This drink is ALWAYS a winner for us. It tastes like drinking an orange creamsicle and it’s just so refreshing and perfect for anyone who likes orange flavors.

This drink is non-alcoholic… but it’s not just a great sip for the kiddos!

BTW, a bit of background…  the Orange Bird Sipper created QUITE A STIR when he made his Flower & Garden Festival debut — in sipper form –at the 2019 event. He’s received a few makeovers over the years, but no matter what form the sipper takes, it is ALWAYS a hit! (Basically, the Little Orange Bird Sipper was the biggest souvenir deal of ALL EPCOT FESTIVALS EVER… before the Figment Popcorn Bucket hit the scene, that is. )

Anyhoo… let’s get back to it — it’s BEER TIME! Options this year are Southern Tier Brewing Company’s Orange Twist Imperial Ale, Left Hand Brewing’s Lemon Drop Shandy, and Stone Brewing’s Tangerine Express Hazy IPA. All three are priced at $5.75 for 6 ounces, or $9.75 for 12 ounces.

All three brews are new to the Festival, and you can try all three with the Beer Flight for $10.25, if you like.

First up, let’s try the Lemon Drop Shandy! This one is super lemony and acidic. Like, Alka-Seltzer acidic. Not our fave. Anyway…

Next, it’s time for the Orange Twist Imperial Ale. We found this to be very similar to a Blue Moon with a bit more of an orange flavor.

Last but not least, we have the Tangerine Express. This was our favorite! It’s a classic IPA with citrus notes. If you like beers and ciders, you’ll like this one.

OVERALL

Overall, we think this is an awesome booth. It has a lot of solid options, like the tempura shrimp, IPAs, and orange slush, and we have a feeling we’ll return over and over again this year for a taste of the booth. If you love all things citrus, you TOTALLY need to stop here.

Oh, my friends… we’re not done yet! There’s still SO MUCH MORE to check out at the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival, so on we go!

Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY BOOTH at the 2024 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival!

Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival? 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 Garden Rocks Concert Series and Dining Packages
• Check out ALL of the 2024 Flower and Garden Booth Menus
• See what eats you’ll need to try to get a PRIZE at the Festival!

And don’t forget to pick up our EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival e-book! See more details about the book below.

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

The post REVIEW: We’re Giving This EPCOT Festival Booth 5 Stars…AGAIN first appeared on the disney food blog.

Loungefly alert! Everyone grab (or hide) your wallets!

We get excited when any new Disney Loungefly hits the market, but we get even MORE excited when it’s extra cute or fashionable. This newest bag checks all those boxes, so grab it online before it’s too late!

We Are OBSESSED With The Mickey Mouse Woven Loungefly Mini Backpack!

The Mickey Mouse Woven Loungefly Mini Backpack is all black with dark silver zippers, buttons, and metal claspings. We love the subtle woven allover pattern — it feels like it takes it from “just” a black bag to a FANCY black bag! Plus, the Mickey ears at the top really complete the image.

Grab it online here!

What outfits could this go with by chance? Why, almost all of our lovely shirts we have over on the DFB Store! While you’re already shopping, check out some of our favorite designs below.

As always, stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney news!

Check out our Amazon Storefront for more of our favorite Disney bags!

How many Loungefly bags do you own? Tell us in the comments!

The post The Little Black Dress of Disney Loungefly Backpacks is FINALLY Online! first appeared on the disney food blog.

If you know what we mean when we say FRUSHI, then you’re already a fan of this booth at the 2024 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival!

We’re of course talking about Hanami, a classic and fan-favorite booth at the Festival. It’s time to find out if this year’s menu is worth a stop on your springtime culinary trip around EPCOT! Let’s go!

Menu

Over at Hanami, you’ll find several new items this year and the popular Frushi, in addition to four new drinks! You’ll find a savory Steam Bun and a Ramen Cup.

You can sip on four new drinks this year including, a Watermelon-Strawberry Lemonade, a Cherry Blossom Green Tea Pilsner, Sake with Strawberry and Watermelon, and Pineapple Nigori Sake.

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

Eats

First up, we grabbed the Steam Bun that’s new this year. It’s filled with filled with vegetables and plant-based soy meat and is priced at $8.50.

The Steam Bun is really interesting, but we have to note that although it is filled with veggies and plant-based soy meat, the plant-based icon doesn’t appear next to its listing in the Festival Passport, so this dish may not be 100% plant-based. However, it is SO nice. We would have not known the meat was soy at ALL. The bun itself was like biting into a cloud.

Next up is the other new item for this year, the Ramen Cup for $8.50 — Ramen salad shaken in a cup with fresh vegetables, grilled chicken, and dashi broth with chili oil and yuzu. This is not the ramen you ate in college! In fact, we are IN LOVE with this ramen.

It’s served cold, but that is EXACTLY how it should be served. The vegetables are light and bright. We thought the grilled chicken was just fun, but you don’t get a lot of it. The Dashi broth is savory and very robust. We didn’t get a lot of the chili oil and yuzu flavors, but this is EXACTLY what we needed to eat on a hot Florida day.

And, for dessert, there’s the Frushi for $7.75. This “fruit sushi” is made with Strawberry, Pineapple, and Cantaloupe wrapped in Sweet Rice and Pink Soy Wrap served with Whipped Cream, Drizzled Berry Sauce, and Toasted Coconut. This is a super popular festival item, but our reporter just didn’t think it was THAT interesting.

Granted, this is a great way to introduce someone to sushi who might feel intimidated by fish-based sushi. We also found the rice a little hard on this.

We’ll say this is still a fun festival staple, but honestly…*whispering* we would totally get that Ramen cup instead of the Frushi. It’s an unpopular opinion, but we had to share it!

Drinks

This year, Hanami is serving up FOUR new drinks!

First, there’s the Watermelon-Strawberry Lemonade for $6.75. This drink was SO refreshing, and we would order it again. It’s nice to have a really good non-alcoholic drink option for people who don’t want the booze. It’s light, sweet, and fresh.

And, this year Hanami has two sake choices on the menu — both new! The first is the Ichigo Breeze Cocktail for $7.75 which is made with Sake with Strawberry and Watermelon, and then there’s a straight-up sake choice, the Ozeki Pineapple Nigori Sake for $9.75.

We got the Ichigo Breeze Cocktail, and it’s pretty much the same as the Strawberry Watermelon Lemonade, but with Sake added. We liked that the sake didn’t really add a big difference to the taste of the drink, so it’s pretty cool you can get both a boozy and non-boozy version of this drink here.

For all the beer drinkers out there, you can check out the new Orange Blossom Brewing Co. Cherry Blossom Green Tea Pilsner. This is new for 2024 and the price is 6 oz for $5 and 12 oz. for $9.50.

OVERALL

So we’d have to say this booth is mostly a big hit for us, but we think the popular Frushi might be the LEAST interesting thing on the menu. We would certainly return here for the other two food items, as well as the drinks. We also really like that there’s a cocktail here that has its own non-alcoholic version for those people who don’t want the booze.

Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY. SINGLE. BOOTH. at the Flower & Garden Festival!

Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2024 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival? 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 Garden Rocks Concert Series and Dining Packages
• Check out ALL of the 2024 Flower and Garden Booth Menus

And don’t forget to pick up our 2024 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival e-book! See more details about the book below.

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

The post Unpopular Opinion: Frushi Is NOT Our Favorite Thing at the Hanami Festival Booth in EPCOT! first appeared on the disney food blog.

The official Universal Orlando Resort app recently underwent a major update. Several new features were added, with rumors that more changes will be added soon.

Now, Universal Orlando is testing an update that will benefit Premier Annual Passholders. The after 4 p.m. Express Pass benefits can now be accessed through the Universal Orlando Resort App, which can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.

Premier Annual Passholder Express Pass Benefit in the App

There are a lot of perks to being a Universal Orlando Annual Passholder (UOAP), including Express access after 4 p.m. Previously, UOAPs could only use this perk by having their Annual Pass physically with them.

Guests can store their park tickets or Annual Passes in the Universal Orlando app, but Premier Passholders were unable to access their Express pass benefits without their physical pass. Universal Orlando is currently testing having the Express Pass benefits linked through the app.

To get started, select the Profile tab and then tap Wallet. This is where you’ll be able to add your ticket.

If you do not have an account in the Universal Orlando Resort app, you’ll need to make one first. The next step is to simply scan the barcode on your Annual Pass. If you’re unable to scan your pass, you can also manually type in the number.

Once you’ve added your pass to the app, you’ll have a QR code to use. After 4 p.m., you can access your Express Pass benefits and use your ticket stored in the app. This is a test, so it is suggested you also keep your physical Annual Pass and a photo ID with you in case the app has issues.

During this optional test, Universal Orlando Premier Passholders can link their pass to the app, but this might also be an indication of more updates to come. Rumors suggest the possibility of being able to link your Attractions Assistance Pass through the app could be coming soon, too.

Are you excited to try out this new feature on the Universal Orlando Resort app? With Epic Universe opening next year, we’re sure there will continue to be more updates, so be sure to stay tuned to Universal Parks News Today!

For more Universal Studios news from around the world, follow Universal Parks News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For Disney Parks news, visit WDWNT.

The post Premier Annual Passholder Express Pass Benefits Added to Universal Orlando App appeared first on WDW News Today.