Italy, being one of the 11 World Showcase countries, has been a staple at the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, but just because something is a staple doesn’t mean it’s good. We’ve had issues with Italy’s booth in the past and didn’t have much hope for the items they’ve added to their menu this year. With that said, let’s dig in.
Menu for the Italy Marketplace Booth at the Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival
Food:
- 🆕 Margherita: Rustic Italian Flatbread with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese – $7.95
- 🆕 La Classica: Cheese Tortellini with Ricotta, Provolone, Fontina, Parmesan, Vodka Sauce, and Crispy Bacon – $8.50
- Traditional Sicilian Cannoli: Crisp Pastry filled with Sweet Ricotta, Chocolate, and Candied Orange – $4.95
Beverages:
- Peroni Nastro Azzurro Pilsner (5.1% ABV) – $5.95 (6 oz) & $10.00 (12 oz)
- 🆕 Pinot Grigio, Terre Di Bacco – $10.00
- Chianti, Gabbiano ($7/bottle) – $10.00
- 🆕 Prosecco, Terre Di Bacco – $10.00
- 🆕 Moscato Fior d’Arancio, Batasiolo – $11.00
- 🆕 Rosa Regale, Banfi ($21/bottle) – $11.00
- 🆕 Italian White Sangria with Prosecco – $10.95
- 🆕 Italian Red Sangria with Cabernet Sauvignon – $10.95
Photos of Menu Items for the Italy Marketplace Booth at the Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival
*NEW* Margherita: Rustic Italian Flatbread with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese – $7.95
This new flatbread offering resembled a flat flour tortilla with a thin layer of cheese and sauce, in both taste and appearance.
For many, this floppy-doughed item would be more closely compared to an American-style pizza than an Italian flatbread, however since the menu does state this is the latter, we can’t say it fits the description well.
*NEW* La Classica: Cheese Tortellini with Ricotta, Provolone, Fontina, Parmesan, Vodka Sauce, and Crispy Bacon – $8.50
This tortellini dish was not good. It’s probably the worst dish we have tasted at an EPCOT festival, in fact. The “crispy” bacon was in fact chewy, and the dish was lacking in every aspect. The vodka sauce was unrecognizable, but not enjoyable. We recommend you steer clear of this one. That being said, it was a good-sized portion of food for the price, so we suppose that’s one good thing… if you can stomach it!
Traditional Sicilian Cannoli: Crisp Pastry filled with Sweet Ricotta, Chocolate, and Candied Orange – $4.95
While not a new menu item, this cannoli does differ from last year’s booth offering in that it had been glazed in chocolate syrup, adding more sweet flavor in runny, liquid form. The cannoli is the least offensive item on Italy’s menu. It’s a little small for the price, but that’s probably a good thing, considering it tasted like it was recently defrosted. Though if you really, really want a cannoli, you won’t necessarily be disappointed by this.
Peroni Nastro Azzurro Pilsner (5.1% ABV) – $5.95 (6 oz) & $10.00 (12 oz)
Peroni Brewery describes their beer as “a crisp and refreshing beer with a delicate balance of bitterness, citrus and spicy aromatic notes, combined with a fast and clean finish.”
*NEW* Pinot Grigio, Terre Di Bacco – $10.00
Terre Di Bacco describes their Pinot Grigio as having an “appealing straw-yellow color with delicate greenish reflections,” a “light and elegant structure,” and “an ensemble of aromas of great finesse” that are “delicately fruity, relatively full and refined.” It’s palate is “remarkably soft and lightly dry, yet extremely fresh.”
Chianti, Gabbiano ($7/bottle) – $10.00
Total Wine & More describes Gabbiano Chianti: “The bouquet is reminiscent of ripe plums spiced with pepper and wood nuances. The first sip reveals invigorating flavors of cherry, blackberry, and spice followed by a dry vivid finish.”
*NEW* Prosecco, Terre Di Bacco – $10.00
Terre Di Bacco describes their Prosecco as “pale yellow with small silver flecks. Its medium-fine bubbles are persistent.” It has an aroma of “golden apples, pear and honey,” and “well-balanced acidity provides a fresh and lively mouthfeel with a clean dry finish.”*NEW* Moscato Fior d’Arancio, Batasiolo – $11.00
*NEW* Rosa Regale, Banfi ($21/bottle) – $11.00
Banfi Piemonte describes the aroma of their Rosa Regale as “aromatic with hints of raspberries, strawberries and rose petals.” The taste is described as “fresh raspberries, with crisp acidity, enticing the palate with an initial softness, graduating to a clean and dry finish.” This wine previously appeared at The Chocolate Experience: From Bean to the Bar at the 2019 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.
*NEW* Italian White Sangria with Prosecco – $10.95
Usually, when a Sangria beverage of this price contains more juice than wine, we would complain.
However, since the wine in this drink tasted particularly cheap and unpleasant, in this case it was somewhat of a relief. The drink was supposed to contain Prosecco, however this was unidentifiable from the lack of fizz in the drink.
Location of the Italy Marketplace Booth at the Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival
The Italy Marketplace Booth is located across from the Italy Pavilion.
If you’re craving Italian food, maybe skip EPCOT. Is there anything on the menu this year that you liked? Let us know in the comments below.
More Information
- REVIEW: Italy at Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival
- All of our Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival coverage is available from our landing page at https://wdwnt.wine!
- Previous coverage:
- REVIEW: Italy at Epcot International Food & Wine Festival 2019
- REVIEW: Italy at Epcot International Food and Wine Festival 2018
- VIDEO: Food & Wine Review, The Price is Right Force Friday Edition and More on WDW News Tonight 2017
- TONIGHT on WDW News Tonight (9/21/16) – Food & Wine 2016 Review, Goodbye Stitch, & The Price is Right
- All-New WDW News Today: The Radio Show Tonight (10/01/15) Food and Wine Review ETC.
- Full Epcot Food & Wine Festival Review and We Play The Price is Right, Tonight (9/25/14) on WDWNT: The Radio Show
- REVIEW: Primavera Kitchen Fails to Impress at the 2020 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival
- REVIEW: Another Disappointing Italian Outing at L’Arte di Mangiare at the 2020 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts
- REVIEW: Tuscany Holiday Kitchen at the 2019 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays
How can they get away with charging that much for that little? Shameful.