The 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival has brought us several delicious dishes — but also several terrible ones (we’re looking at you, Italy). Here are the 7 worst and 7 best from this year’s Food & Wine festival.
The Worst 7
#7 – Mango Sunrise Margarita (Mexico)
This tastes like Chloraseptic. It’s another disappointing drink from the Mexico booth.
Rank out of 7: 2
#6 – Shanghai Scallion Noodles with Shrimp (China)
The shrimp is chewy and tastes like it wasn’t microwaved long enough. The noodles are fine but not great.
Rank out of 7: 2
#5 – Blackberry Caipiroska (Connections Eatery)
This has a medicinal syrup taste that just gets worse as you continue drinking it. We hated it but bystanders thought it was okay.
Rank out of 7: 1
#4 – Kielbasa and Potato Pierogies (Festival Favorites)
These are gross and overcooked. There are only a few slices of flavorless kielbasa. Only the caramelized onions are edible.
Rank out of 7: 1
#3 – Polpettine Toscane (Italy)
This tastes like school lunchroom food. The sauce is overpowering. The meatballs are dry and overseasoned. The rosemary focaccia is serviceable.
Rank out of 7: 1
#2 – Hawaiian Rice Bowl (Hawaii)
The only thing we could taste in this dish was salt. The spam chunks were huge and gross.
Rank out of 7: 1
#1 – Italian Style “Nachos” (Italy)
Of course, Italy has the worst Food & Wine item this year and of course, it’s the “nachos.” Like the meatballs, this tasted like school taco meat. There aren’t enough nachos to account for the cost ($9.25) or balance the amount of meat. It looks gross and tastes gross.
Rank out of 7: 1
The Best 7
#7 – Irish Milk Shake (Festival Favorites)
This is a smooth, rich, and creamy shake. You get a hint of Bailey’s and an underlying Guinness flavor. The chocolate flakes bring it all together. Plus, you get a souvenir cup.
Rank out of 7: 7
#6 – Steakhouse Blended Burger (Flavors From Fire)
This is a phenomenal burger. It’s cooked perfectly with a mushroom-forward flavor that melds with the cheese for a luscious burger. The potato chip topping was fine but unnecessary. We appreciate the sesame seed bun.
Rank out of 7: 7
#5 – Korean BBQ Chicken Sandwich (Connections Eatery)
This is juicy with fantastic flavors. The sweet and savory played together well. The bun was fresh. This should be a permanent menu item and not just available during Food & Wine.
Rank out of 7: 7
#4 – Beer-Braised Beef served with Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes (Belgium)
The Belgium booth has offered several solid options for years. This has ultra-tender beef. The gravy and mashed potatoes soak into each other well. We highly recommend it.
Rank out of 7: 7
#3 – Filet Mignon with Mushrooms, Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Mashed Potatoes (Canada)
This filet mignon has been a star of the Canada booth and Food & Wine in general for years. The mashed potatoes are excellent, with a cheesy flavor. We wish there were more of them! The filet is perfectly cooked to medium with great flavor and quality. This dish honestly feels too good to be festival food.
Rating out of 7: 7
#2 – Chocolate Amarula Mousse with White Chocolate (Refreshment Outpost)
This is essentially a large Zebra Dome from Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge but better. It’s a good size for a good price ($6.25) and has a delicious chocolate cookie as a base. It’s soft, moist, and sweet. Definitely check it out.
Rank out of 7: 7
#1 – Liquid Nitrogen Frozen Sweet Potato Mousse with Candied Pecans and Maple Caramel Sauce (Swirled Showcase)
It’s hard to explain but this is our favorite new item of the festival. It’s weird but excellent. It’s almost like a chunky pumpkin pie.
Rating out of 7: 7
You can also read our reviews of all the festival’s food and beverage items or just the new menu items.
If video is more your style, watch our review of every new item at the 2024 EPCOT International Food & Wine estival:
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