REVIEW: Garden Graze Is Back with Dole Whip Prize for the 2024 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

The Garden Graze is a food scavenger hunt that takes place during the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival. In your festival passport, collect stamps as you purchase specific dishes. Should you purchase at least five of the snacks, you’ll receive a complimentary, tasty prize. Let’s take a look at the items on the Garden Graze this year, so we help you figure out which ones are the best.

Bauernmarkt: Farmer’s Market

Potato Pancakes with House-Made Apple Sauce – $5.25

A close-up of the Potato Pancakes with House-made Apple Sauce from Bauernmarkt: Farmer's Market for Garden Graze.

Rank out of 7: 4

You can taste the onions, the hash brown flavor of the potato, and the apple sauce. It’s a very simple dish, but delivers what it promises. However, with so many options, we’d probably recommend other dishes, since this one isn’t terribly special.

BRUNCHCOT

Avocado Toast with Marinated Tomatoes and Plant-Based Cheese Crumbles on Toasted Ciabatta – $6

A close-up of the Avocado Toast with Marinated Tomatoes and Plant-Based Cheese Crumbles on Toasted Ciabatta from BRUNCHCOT for Garden Graze.

Rank out of 7: 5

The avocado toast is sure to be a popular option! It is LOADED with creamy avocado, covering nearly the entire portion of the toast. The toast itself is quite nice, offering a nice exterior crunch with a soft inside. The tomatoes added a bit of acidity, though we wish there were more. Considering this is a trendy dish served nearly anywhere you could go for brunch, we’re happy to see it at the festival, even if this isn’t the memorable take on the dish.

EPCOT Farmers Feast

Grilled Street Corn on the Cob with Savory Garlic Spread and Plant-Based Cheese – $5.75

A close-up of the Grilled Street Corn on the Cob from EPCOT Farmers Feast for Garden Graze.

Rank out of 7: 3

The seasoning on this corn on the cob is good, but nothing special. Corn on the cob is usually street food for fairs and flea markets, so it feels like there was a lack of effort/ingenuity in creating this for the outdoor kitchen. At the end of the day, this is just… corn. At least it takes a good photo.

Florida Fresh 

Florida Strawberry Shortcake – $5

The Florida Strawberry Shortcake from Florida Fresh for Garden Graze.

Rank out of 7: 1

Somehow, salt is the biggest flavor that comes through while eating the components, even though it isn’t listed as a main ingredient. On top of that, our shortbread was hard as a rock, and the whipped cream had very little taste. In our 16 years of reviewing items, this was one of the worst. Please skip this.

La Isla Fresca

Coconut Tres Leches: Vanilla Cake soaked with Oat, Almond, and Coconut Milks topped with Toasted Coconut – $5

A close-up of the Coconut Tres Leches from La Isla Fresca for Garden Graze.

Rank out of 7: 3

This wasn’t bad, but the proportions of the milk are off. Some parts were denser than others. We found it wasn’t completely flavorless, but there weren’t any prominent flavors. The cake was somehow dry and the overall flavor we got from the dish was vanilla, which came from the topping. There are better dessert options at the festival.

Refreshment Outpost 

*NEW* Seasonal Fruit Parfait with Sweet Chili Sauce and Mango DOLE Whip® – $7

The Seasonal Fruit Parfait from Refreshment Outpost for Garden Graze.

Rank out of 7: 2

There are pineapple and watermelon on the bottom, though the fruit is subject to change as the season progresses. There might be an audience for this, but no one in our group was a big mango fan. We didn’t enjoy this, but the quality of the ingredients was good enough that mango fans may enjoy this.

Refreshment Port

*NEW* Plant-Based Buffalo Chicken Tender Poutine on Crispy Potato Barrels with Plant-Based Ranch and Blue Cheese Crumbles – $10

The Plant-Based Buffalo Chicken Tender Poutine from Refreshment Port for Garden Graze.

Rank out of 7: 6

This was served very hot, which isn’t always a guarantee at these festivals. The tots were crunchy on the outside and perfectly soft on the inside. The buffalo sauce is exactly what you’d expect. The blue cheese easily passes for real dairy. This is one of the top vegan items this year.

Trowel & Trellis

Impossible™ Farmhouse Meatball with Lentil Bread, Spinach, Marinated Vegetables, and Creamy Herb Aioli – $6

A close-up of the Impossible Farmhouse Meatball with Lentil Bread from Trowel & Trellis for Garden Graze.

Rank out of 7: 5

Be warned that this dish is served… well, without a dish. We understand it’s supposed to be “portable,” however, it makes sharing this or cutting it in half nearly impossible. That problem aside, the meatball had a lot of flavor, and the vegetables and aioli complimented the meat well. The lentil bread reminded us of a flatbread, and we certainly aren’t complaining.

Garden Graze Prize: DOLE Whip Lime with Minute Maid Lemonade and Mango Smoothie Mix

The Garden Grand Prize, a DOLE Whip Lime with lemonade and mango smoothie mix for Garden Graze.

Rank out of 7: 7

This year’s completer treat is similar to the one offered in 2023: a DOLE Whip Lime with lemonade and mango smoothie mix, served in a collector cup. The grand prize also comes with a packet of wildflower seeds.

Though the design of the collector cup is the same, the size of the cup has changed for 2024, with this year’s being larger and shaped like a stemless wine glass.

A reporter holds the grand prize treat for Garden Graze.

We thought this was delicious. The lemon and lime flavors are very forward. The fun part of this treat is the seed packet you receive — though we got ours with a warning not to use the seeds as topping for the DOLE whip. They’re for planting only.

The 2024 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival is running from February 28 to May 27, 2024.

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