Let’s face it — figuring out what to eat in Disney World (and what is actually WORTH your cash) can be overwhelming.

Picking the best EPCOT snacks on a regular day can be tough enough, but now, the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays has rolled into town, which means there are even MORE eats and drinks to pick from (including a whole bunch of new ones). We’ve eaten at EVERY. SINGLE. BOOTH. at the Festival of the Holidays, and we’ve shared FULL booth reviews with you. But what are the very BEST items to eat? We’ve got the only list you need right here.

Without further ado, let’s dive into our picks for the BEST eats and drinks at the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays.

New Bests

Horchata Cold Brew from Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company

It’s happening. The returning Joffrey’s Horchata Cold Brew earned itself a spot on our Best of the Fest list this year. It’s described as a holly jolly blend of Shakin Jamaican Cold Brew and Horchata, topped with whipped cream and cinnamon. A 24 oz. cup of this cold brew is $ 6.49, or you can ask for a 12 oz. spirited version for $14.99.

So, what took this drink from a letdown of the past to a 2023 winner? Where to start?! It’s sweet and smooth, with a fair amount of that dark coffee flavor. It has a nutty yet creamy vanilla flavor that is so easy to enjoy. Oh, and that whipped cream was a nice touch, too. At 24 oz., this is a BIG drink, so we were happy with the value — especially if you have an applicable discount! Honestly, this was amazing and totally redeemed itself from our last review! We love a redemption arc.

Click here to see our full review of this year’s Joffrey’s Coffee Festival offerings

Apple Caramel Crumb Cake from Holiday Hearth Desserts

Dessert alert! The new Apple Caramel Crumb Cake for $4.75  put a big old smile on our faces. One word: YES.

This may sound dramatic, but this is one of the best festival treats we’ve ever had. It’s got a soft, gooey center and a perfectly balanced sweet butter flavor. We could go on and on and on about this dessert, but we’ll save you the time. Instead, we’ll tell you to go and try it for yourself!

Click here to see our full review of this food booth!

Torta Caprese from Tuscany Holiday Kitchen

Disney describes the new Torta Caprese for $8.50 as a flourless chocolate torta with chocolate sauce and vanilla cream, but we can sum this guy up in one word: CHOCOLATE.

This is a chocolate lover’s dream. It is dense, decadent, rich, and creamy. In fact, our dessert managed to taste rich without being overly sweet, which is a difficult balance to achieve.

Click here to see our full review of the Tuscany food booth

Beer Flight from Yukon Holiday Kitchen 

When you can’t pick just one drink, why not try THREE? The Beer Flight at Yukon Holiday Kitchen, available for  $10.25, was quite enjoyable this year! It comes with 81Bay Brewing Co. Peanut Butter Banana Porter, Playalinda Brewing Co. Maple Cookie Blonde Ale, and Collective Arts Maple Porter. You can order it for $10.25.

Although these are all returning beers to the Yukon Holiday Kitchen, we didn’t get a chance to try them last year. MAN, are we glad we got to try it this year, though! This flight had a nice variety of options, and we enjoyed each drink in the trio. We recommend this little Beer Flight if you’re looking to try some unique flavors but can’t commit to just one.

Click here to see our full review of the Yukon Holiday Kitchen food booth

Crème de Saumon Fumé en Brioche à l’Aneth, Concombre from Le Marche De Noel Holiday Kitchen 

What you’re looking at is the new Crème de Saumon Fumé en Brioche à l’Aneth, Concombre — that’s a cream of smoked salmon sandwich in house-made dill brioche bread with cucumber. You can try it for $8.50. Yes, it’s green. Very green. Yes, we loved it.

Remember Pretty Patties from Spongebob? Well, this might be the closest we ever get to trying one in real life. And you know what? It was SO GOOD. The cold salmon salad with fresh vegetables was PACKED with flavor. If you like salmon and dill, you should absolutely go for this. Don’t be scared off by the appearance!

Click here to see our full thoughts on the Le Marche De Noel Holiday Kitchen booth

Returning Bests

Giant Tostada de Chorizo from Las Posadas Holiday Kitchen

This booth brought its A-game this year. WOW! Although we enjoyed everything we tried here, the Giant Tostada de Chorizo with chipotle black bean purée, ground chorizo, salsa verde, queso cotija, crema Mexicana, and pickled onions was our absolute favorite dish. You can try it for $11.50.

This tostada was thin and crispy but full of juicy, flavorful meat and sauce. The toppings were warm and savory and made the perfect addition to that crisp base. Each bite melted in our mouths. We’re getting hungry thinking about it. The textures here went together so nicely — that tostada had such a satisfying crunch with the ground chorizo. We LOVED this dish and highly recommend you give it a try this year.

Click here to see our full review of Las Posadas Holiday Kitchen

Beef and Noodle Bowl Soup from Shanghai Holiday Kitchen

If you love beef noodles, then you MUST try the Beef & Noodle Soup Bowl at Shanghai Holiday Kitchen. It’s made with slow-braised beef shank, green onion, and house-made chili oil, and it’s a beef noodle lover’s dream come true! Grab it for $9.50!

Last year, we thought that the beef absolutely melted in our mouths, the noodles were well prepared, and the chili oil added fantastic flavor without any of the heat. Plus, the vegetables were nice and crisp. This is a great way to get your beef noodle fix in the middle of EPCOT.

Click here for full details about Shanghai Holiday Kitchen

Blackened Catfish at American Holiday Table

We are not joking when we say that our team member who tried this last year said it was one of the BEST things they’ve ever had at an EPCOT Festival in their entire life! That’s a big claim, but this dish deserves it! It’s made with Blackened Catfish with Hoppin’ John and comeback sauce and is $6.75. This year, we were happy to see that this dish lived up to last year’s hype.

The catfish is so tender it falls apart, and there’s a nice heat to this snack as well. It’s got a salty cajun kick we ADORE! We love that the fish is paired with seasoned rice and beans. The flavors worked together so nicely, and the portion was big enough to fill you up as a light lunch or big enough to share. Now that’s a great value! This is one thing we would get time and time again!

Check out the American Holiday Table full booth review here!

Pernil from Nochebuena Cocina

Our next pick comes from Nochebuena Cocina, which was a new booth last year. Our favorite dish from here was the Pernil — Mojo Pork with tostones and ketchup-mayonnaise. This is gluten/wheat friendly and available for $5.50.

We REALLY enjoyed this one last year! The tostones were a little on the hard side, so we recommend a knife, but the flavors were salty and delicious! The pork was moist and well-seasoned, and we really loved the ketchup-mayonnaise on top. Overall, this was a top-notch dish we think a lot of people would really enjoy.

Check out the full details about our Nochebuena Cocina meal here!

Cheese Fondue in a Bread Bowl at Bavaria Holiday Kitchen

Liquid cheese. Bread bowl. Tiny veggies. What’s NOT to love?! The Cheese Fondue from Bavaria Holiday Kitchen is a returning favorite cheese fans CANNOT miss! The cheese is served in a bread bowl with steamed baby vegetables and marble potatoes for dipping for $8.25.

If you brought us a straw we might just be tempted to drink that cheese straight out of the bowl. But, for now, we’ll just dip our veggies away and enjoy the savory flavors.

See FULL booth details for Bavaria Holiday Kitchen by clicking here

Pork Schnitzel with Mushroom Sauce at Bavaria Holiday Kitchen

Yup, we’re staying at Bavaria Holiday Kitchen for our next pick — the Pork Schnitzel with Mushroom Sauce, Spätzle, and Braised Red Cabbage, available for $6.50. This dish has it all — a delicious mushroom sauce, a good portion size, yummy spaetzle, and a mix of great textures.

Grab this dish on your next trip — we have a feeling you’ll be glad you did!

See full details about the Bavaria Holiday Kitchen booth here

Slow-Roasted Turkey at American Holiday Table

Want all the goodness of a traditional holiday turkey meal without having to cook it yourself? Disney’s got you covered at American Holiday Table. That’s where you’ll find the oh-so-tasty Slow-roasted Turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, and cranberry sauce. It’s available for $6.25.

Last year, we thought it was hearty and satisfying and would give you that warm & fuzzy “it’s the holidays” feeling. This year, we were happily reunited with those nostalgic Thanksgiving Day flavors. Take a look at our plate — that’s a healthy taste of Thanksgiving! From the creamy mashed potatoes to the juicy turkey, we were so happy with our meal. We’re grateful for turkey, gravy, and potatoes! YUM.

See our full American Holiday Table review here

Frozen Hot Chocolate Martini at Le Marche De Noel Holiday Kitchen

Santa, we’re sorry, but it’s time to take that hot chocolate up a notch! At Le Marche De Noel Holiday Kitchen, you can grab a FROZEN hot chocolate martini, and we think it’s a creation Santa would be very jealous of! The drink has Grey Goose La Vanille Vodka, vodka, chocolate milk, and whipped cream. It is $13.95 this year.

This drink is a winner year after year. There isn’t much of a strong alcohol flavor, so sip this cautiously! If you haven’t given it a try yet, what are you waiting for?!

See our full review of Le Marche De Noel Holiday Kitchen here

Hot Cocoa with Peanut Butter Whiskey at Holiday Sweets & Treats

If you love hot cocoa, get ready for your mind to be BLOWN by Disney’s Hot Cocoa with Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey. This was at the Chestnuts and Good Cheer booth in 2022, but now it’s located at the Holiday Sweets & Treats booth.

Last year, we thought this stuff was seriously delicious. It was incredibly creamy and the peanut butter whiskey was the STAR   of the show. The whipped cream makes it even creamier.

Check out the full menu at Holiday Sweets & Treats here!

Sushi Tree from Shi Wasu Holiday Kitchen

While the Sushi Tree itself is a returning item, the ingredients that are being used this year are a bit different. This year’s version has krab meat and cream cheese topped with Aonori seaweed, Ikura salmon roe, and spicy mayonnaise. You can try it for $7.50. 

We were a little let down by the shape of the tree last year, but this year, it was back to being oh-so-holly-jolly! We really, really loved the sushi this year, as it was heavy on cream cheese, and the sauce helped bring everything together. This is a crowd favorite for a reason, people!

Click here to see our full review at the Shi Wasu Holiday Kitchen

Honorable Mentions

The honorable mentions category captures some eats and drinks that might not shine as brightly as other dishes on the Best of the Fest list, or which we’ve loved in the past but our team members this year didn’t love as much. We still think these deserve a shout-out so we’ve placed them here to give them a little love and make sure you know about them.

Pastrami on Rye at L’Chaim! Holiday Kitchen

If you love a good deli sandwich, head over to L’Chaim! Holiday Kitchen to pick up their delicious Pastrami on Rye with house-made pickles and deli mustard for $5.75.

The sandwich wasn’t the biggest thing in the world when we tried it last year, but it still managed to be tremendously hearty. It also has a combination of classic flavors that makes it a great returning item at the festival, but the bread was a little dry for our liking. But hey — you can’t go wrong with tangy mustard and hearty pastrami.

See the L’Chaim! menu by clicking here

New Year Celebration Soba at Shi Wasu Holiday Kitchen

If you love dishes that have a variety of yummy ingredients mixed into them, check out the New Year Celebration Soba at Shi Wasu Holiday Kitchen. This is a classic at the Festival, and it keeps coming back again and again for good reason. Try it for $8.50.

It’s made with Buckwheat soba noodles in a hot dashi soup with yuzu, shrimp tempura, and chopped green onion — a.k.a. a whole lotta goodness packed into one bowl! Some of the flavors are unique, so you’ll want to be prepared for that. In 2021, our team member who tried it felt like it was good, but nothing really “WOWed” them, so note that experiences can vary. But if you are a fan of seafood and/or Asian flavors, we think this is one you’ll probably enjoy.

Check out full details about the Shi Wasu booth here

Coquito Milk Shake at Connections Eatery

If you visit the Festival of the Holidays on a particularly hot Florida day, we know where you need to go — Connections Eatery. That’s where you’ll find the Coquito Milk Shake!

If you love eggnog and coconut, we think you’ll really love this! When we had it last year, it was refreshing, well-balanced, and served up some great holiday spices. The non-alcoholic version is one we think even little ones will enjoy.

Check out our FULL review of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic coquito milkshake from 2022!

Seared Salmon from Yukon Holiday Kitchen 

The NEW Seared Salmon is made with butternut squash purée, maple-bourbon glaze, and fennel-arugula salad. Confession time: we love fancy salmon with tons of stuff on it. We picked up this item for $7!

The truth is that we would recommend this JUST for that incredible butternut maple sauce. Although the salmon seemed a little briny to us, the butternut sauce helped cut that down a bit and added a delicious maple-sugar flavor to our dish. The salad it comes with feels more like a garnish to us, but it was still good!

Click here to see our full review of this food booth!

Chicken Skewer with creamy peanut sauce from Shanghai Holiday Kitchen

While we enjoyed the Chicken Skewer with creamy peanut sauce for $6.75, we have to give you a little warning.

This was surprisingly HOT! The chicken was juicy and cooked well, but there were a few fatty pieces we could’ve lived without. That said, the peanut sauce was creamy, nutty, and paired well with the heat from the chicken. We were left wanting more — in a good way.

Click here to learn more about the Shanghai Holiday Kitchen

Turkey Poutine at Refreshment Port

Regular Disney fries are delicious; many would firmly agree with that. But add a holiday feast on top of them, and you’ve got a REAL winner! Plus, in 2023, Disney changed this dish slightly, and now it features sweet potato fries! The Turkey Poutine at Refreshment Port is a returning classic featuring Sweet Potato Fries, turkey gravy, cranberry relish, and crispy onions. Try it for $9.

It mixes all the joy of loaded fries with all the deliciousness of a holiday meal. We enjoyed this snack, though we did end up thinking that this comes in a little too sweet. With the fries and the cranberry relish, it’s a lot of sugar. It all depends on your sugar tolerance, though, so we think this is still worthy of an honorable mention.

Click here to learn more about the menu at Refreshment Port.

Best Plant-Based Dish of the Fest

Peanut Stew at Refreshment Outpost

HOLY MACARONI FOLKS. Last year, our reporter tried the NEW Peanut Stew with sweet potatoes, mustard greens, and roasted peanuts from Refreshment Outpost and was legitimately BLOWN away by how good it was.

They described the dish as the peanut butter rice from Boma (which is AHmazing by the way), plussed up times 10! Really, it’s what peanut stew dreams are made of.

The dish was full of savory spices, some of which actually provided genuine heat (but not necessarily in a bad way). The peanuts are seasoned well, it has a fantastic flavor, the sweet potatoes provide a great texture, the mustard greens give it a great crunch, and the rice helps cut the heat. Basically, it is delicious. DO NOT MISS IT!

See more details about the Festival dishes at Refreshment Outpost here!

Black and White Cookie from L’Chaim! Holiday Kitchen

If you’re looking for a simple and soft cookie with a nice citrus flavor, the Black and White Cookie for $3 is the place to go. We’ve had mixed feelings about it in the past, but it significantly improved last year and pleasantly surprised us again this year!

The cookie is soft and chewy, and the frosting is really sweet with a great vanilla bean flavor. Overall, it’s simple but tasty and a nice size for the price. You can grab this one from L’Chaim Holiday Kitchen.

Click here for our full review from the L’Chaim! booth.

Best Booth of the Fest

And now it’s time to find out what has been selected as the BEST Booth of the Fest. We had a tie between two popular booths, though one may sliiiiightly edge out its competitor due to overall popularity. BOTF-winner #1 is…Las Posadas Holiday Kitchen!

This booth had it all: good drinks, great food, and reasonable prices in relation to the portion sizes. Now that’s what we like to see, Disney! Our favorite menu item here was the Giant Tostada de Chorizo, though really, there were no bad foods here.

OK, now on to winner #2! It’s the Shi Wasu Holiday Kitchen booth! 

You can’t serve us an adorable Sushi Tree and NOT expect to end up on our list of favorites! This was another A+ booth in our book; the only thing holding us back from giving this guy the crown is the rather adventurous menu.

Not everyone will enjoy sushi, but if you’re willing to try some new foods, this booth is well worth a visit. Just look at that impressive spread of eats!

Best of the Fest for Kids

Cookie Stroll

Once again, the classic Festival of the Holidays Cookie Stroll makes our Best of the Fest list as a great pick for little ones. With the cookie stroll, you purchase 5 cookies from any of the cookie stroll locations in the Festival Passport. As you buy the cookies, you’ll get a stamp for each one.

Once you’ve collected 5 stamps, you can bring your passport to the Holiday Sweets & Treats booth to get a special treat!

The cookie stroll is great for ALL ages, but it can be especially fun for kids because it mixes the sense of adventure of a scavenger hunt/quest with the sweetness of cookies.

Some of our favorite cookies this year were the Black and White Cookie from the L’CHAIM booth and the Peppermint Pinwheel Cookie from the Holiday Hearth booth.

The cookies are pretty inexpensive, too, so if you’re looking for a fun activity to keep your little ones entertained as you stroll through the World Showcase, this is a great option!

Click here to see our FULL thoughts on the cookie stroll!

And that’s it for our picks of the BEST of the FEST for the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays. Now, someone get us a bed to nap on after all that food!

For more Festival of the Holidays coverage, check out our links below:

• Get our FREE DFB printable for all of the Festival of the Holidays booths
• Get a look at the Festival of the Holidays merchandise
• See the FULL MENUS for the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays
• See our full coverage from the first day of the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays 

And stay tuned for more Disney news!

Click here to see ALL of our reviews of the 2023 Festival of the Holidays food booths

What items would you want to buy from the Festival of the Holidays? Tell us in the comments!

The post Everything You NEED To Eat and Drink at the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays first appeared on the disney food blog.