Welcome to a food studio review for the 2019 Epcot International Festival of the Arts, taking place in the park from January 18 to February 25, 2019. This review will cover the “El Artista Hambriento” Food Studio located near the Mexico Pavilion. (Note that the menu prices do not include tax!) For our complete coverage of the 2019 Epcot International Festival of the Arts, head to our festival landing page at wdwnt.art. Now, ¡vamos a comer!

“El Artista Hambriento” Food Studio at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts

Menu for “El Artista Hambriento” at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts

Food:

•  Sopes de Chilorio: Slow-braised Pork marinated in Ancho Chili Paste served on Fried Corn Dough with Black Beans, Queso Oaxaca, Crema Mexicana and Salsa Verde – $6.95
•  Callo de Hacha en Salsa de Jengibre y Habanero: Two Seared Scallops with Ginger-habanero Sauce atop Yucca Purée – $8.25
•  Chocoflan: Creamy Mexican Custard and Chocolate Sponge Cake topped with Cajeta and Hazelnuts – $4.50

Beverages:

• Allende Mexican Craft Beer – $4.75
•  Frida Lychee Margarita: El Velo Blanco Tequila, Lychee Purée, Botran Rum, and Fresh Lime Juice – $13.75
•  Diego Dragon Fruit Margarita: Bruxo Mezcal, Dragon Fruit Purée, Ginger Cordial, and Guanábana Liqueur – $14.25

Sopes de Chilorio: Slow-braised Pork marinated in Ancho Chili Paste served on Fried Corn Dough with Black Beans, Queso Oaxaca, Crema Mexicana and Salsa Verde – $6.95

It’s a little dry and could benefit from some sort of sauce perhaps, but this certainly isn’t bad. All of the ingredients are good and the pork has enough flavor, but you can certainly do better at the Festival of the Arts this year.

Callo de Hacha en Salsa de Jengibre y Habanero: Two Seared Scallops with Ginger-habanero Sauce atop Yucca Purée – $8.25

Scallop dishes always a seem to be a festival highlight and this is no different. The spicy and flavor packed sauce adds a lot to the well-prepared scallops, balanced out nicely with a yucca puree.

Chocoflan: Creamy Mexican Custard and Chocolate Sponge Cake topped with Cajeta and Hazelnuts – $4.50

For the price, this is a good sized dessert, but it isn’t as good as the flan dishes from years past. It’s a bit bland in comparison if I had to put them up against one another. If you missed those, you may be happy with this offering  and I think it’s worth trying at this price and portion size.

Frida Lychee Margarita: El Velo Blanco Tequila, Lychee Purée, Botran Rum, and Fresh Lime Juice – $13.75

This is forgettable, and at the price, I don’t think $13.75 is a good deal for a drink you won’t remember.  The presence of a lychee physically in the cup and it’s probably the highlight of the drink. It’s honestly better than the beverage.

Diego Dragon Fruit Margarita: Bruxo Mezcal, Dragon Fruit Purée, Ginger Cordial, and Guanábana Liqueur – $14.25

Syrup heavy with a smokey flavor that is truly off-putting to most, we couldn’t even finish this. Skip this unless you REALLY love mezcal.