Chorizo and Potato Empanada – $6.75

At Vibrante & Vívido: Encanto Cocina

This is the best savory dish of the event. It is a massive portion, stuffed full of well-cooked potatoes and chorizo. The sauces add a spicy kick that is not too intense for any palate. An EPCOT snack that can be truly filling. Highly recommended.

Rating out of 7: 7

Dark Chocolate Torte – $6.49

At The Artist’s Table

This is a spectacular dish. The crunch is perfect and far surpasses many other similar cakes we have had in the past. It is warm, moist, and one of the best things we had all day.

Rating out of 7: 7

Gâteau de Crabe, Bisque de Homard, Crème Citron et Aneth – $11.95

At L’Art de la Cuisine Française

This is fantastic. The lemon-dill sour cream is perfect on the back end. The crab cake and lobster bisque are also delicious, offering a hearty dish for the festival.

Rating out of 7: 7

Peppercorn-crusted Striploin – $9.29

At The Artist’s Table

The steak is perfectly prepared with the perfect amount of salt. The potatoes are also fresh with a lot of flavor. We would get this again.

Rating out of 7: 7

Taiyaki – $7.75

At Goshiki

This is not traditional taiyaki. We did not expect much from this, but it is actually great. The flaky chocolate pastry is nice, and the sweetness of the cream was good. The whipped cream also worked well with the rest of the dish. This might be the best festival offering in Japan.

Rating out of 7: 7

Wild Berry Funnel Cake – $12.50

At Funnel Cake

This is excellent. The sweet berry mix is so pleasant, and the funnel cake is cooked perfectly. We do wish there was a little more ice cream, but that does not take away from this dish deserving a 7/7.

Rating out of 7: 7

Wild Mushroom Risotto – $9.79

At Gourmet Landscapes

One of the few vegan-friendly items at this year’s festival, this risotto is phenomenal. There are big chunks of mushrooms, and the flavor is rich and decadent.

Rating out of 7: 7

Chicken and Waffles – $7
Crispy Chicken and a Sweet Honey-Jalapeño-Bacon Cornbread Waffle with Whipped Honey Butter and Spicy Honey

At The Honey Bee-stro

This was spicy and sweet, and the cornbread paired nicely with the flavorful fried chicken.

Rank out of 7: 7

Chocoflan- $6.50
Layered Traditional Mexican Flan and Chocolate Cake with Toasted Walnuts

At Jardin de Fiestas

This dish was amazing. The sweet caramel flavor from the flan paired well on top of the moist, decadent, and rich chocolate cake. The crunch of the walnuts was also nice.

Rank out of 7: 7

Cubanito – $6.75
with Mojo-Marinated Pork Belly, Ham, Swiss Cheese, Pickles, and Stone Ground Mustard Sauce

At Florida Fresh

The two new dishes here are both huge successes. This is the best Cuban sandwich we’ve had. Everything was balanced and fresh.

Rank out of 7: 7

Farmhouse Meatball – $6
featuring Impossible Beef with Lentil Bread, Spinach, Marinated Vegetables, and Creamy Herb Aïoli

At Trowel & Trellis

There’s a lot of good seasoning in here, and it has a texture close to a meatball. The spice comes through as a slow burn on the back end. The lentil wrap is so good. We’ll have this again.

Rank out of 7: 7

Fried Cinnamon Roll Bites – $5.25
with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Bacon

At BRUNCHCOT

Absolutely phenomenal. It’s not advertised, but these are also cream-filled. The crispy, flaky, cinnamon-covered exterior matched with a rich cream and the hint of bacon makes for a glorious combination. These would be an item we would get every time we visit EPCOT if our diet allowed it. It’s also a pretty solid serving size for the price.

Rank out of 7: 7

Gâteau au Chocolat chaud a la Noisette – $7.25
Warm Chocolate-Hazelnut Cake

At Fleur de Lys

While this dessert tastes exactly like a rich chocolate lava cake, it just so happens to be a very good chocolate lava cake. We think it would go perfectly with a scoop of ice cream on top.

Rank out of 7: 7

Honey-Glazed Cauliflower – $5
with Honey-Roasted Carrot Puree, Wild Rice Pilaf, Spring Vegetables, Honey-Blistered Grapes, and Sunflower Brittle

At The Honey Bee-stro

If you’re looking for something light and fresh, we highly recommend this. The cauliflower is excellently prepared, and the carrot puree is strong on the back end. The whole dish is flavorful, and we will be back for more.

Rank out of 7: 7

Jamaican Beef Patty – $6.75
Featuring Impossible Beef with Spicy Papaya Syrup

At Refreshment Outpost

They knocked it out of the park with this. It’s amazing. The Impossible meat has a great texture, excellent spice, and it’s plentiful. The pastry is crisp, and the sauce completes the dish with just a touch of sweetness.

Rank out of 7: 7

Jamaican Jerk Chicken – $6.25
with Pigeon Pea Rice, Roasted Sweet Plantains, and Cinnamon Butter

At La Isla Fresca

The plantains are good and cooked correctly, about as perfectly cooked as a plantain can be. The jerk chicken is cooked perfectly as well, but for the price, we’d like a larger portion, or at least two drumsticks. The chicken is tender and juicy, with a nice smoky and spicy flavor. The rice is also, as one of our festival team put it, “bangin’.”

We think our one drumstick had less meat on it than others, but for $6.25, it’s a pretty good deal and very delicious.

Rank out of 7: 7

Lemon-Lavender Baumkuchen – $6.29
with Lavender Anglaise

At Connections Eatery

This dish was fantastic and the best Baumkuchen we’ve had at EPCOT. The cake was delicate and moist, while the icing was sugary and had a slight crunch to it. The hint of lavender was pleasant, and the lemon tied it together nicely at the end. We would definitely come back to have this again.

Rank out of 7: 7

Liquid Nitro Honey-Mascarpone Cheesecake – $5.50
with Fresh Honey, Granulated Honey, and Honey Mead Blueberry Compote

At Swirled Showcase

This, however, is excellent. The granulated honey and mascarpone make it a little gritty, but it’s so rich and pairs well with the compote.

Rank out of 7: 7

Peaches ‘n’ Cream – $12
Funnel Cake with Powdered Sugar, Vanilla Ice Cream, Peaches, Whipped Cream, Cobbler Crumble, and Cinnamon-Bourbon Caramel Sauce

At Funnel Cake

We loved this dish. It tasted like a peach cobbler with the sweet and juicy peaches and ice cream topping.

Rank out of 7: 7

Provence Poutine – $9
Herbes de Provence Seasoned French Fries, Goat Brie, Lavender Honey, Hazelnut Croquant, and Fresh Lavender

At Refreshment Port

The fries in this poutine dish are cooked to perfection. The mixture of honey and cheese makes for the perfect combination of salty and sweet. We think this is easily one of the best EPCOT festival poutine dishes we’ve ever had.

Rank out of 7: 7

Basque Cheesecake – $5.25
with orange sauce

At Spain

It was really good. It was a very light cheesecake, and the orange sauce did not overpower the cake itself. While it is a large slice, one person could likely eat this due to the lightness of the cheesecake. We would 100% get this again.

Rank out of 7: 7

Beer-braised Beef – $6.75
served with smoked Gouda mashed potatoes

At Belgium

Previously, the beer-braised beef was found on a waffle. A few years ago, they decided it looked more attractive on mashed potatoes, and we agree. It’s also a lot easier to eat! The beef is ultra tender and falls apart with a fork, and there’s plenty of gravy and mashed potatoes to help soak each other up. It’s an absolutely fantastic dish, albeit not looking the most photogenic.

Rank out of 7: 7

Cast Iron-seared River Trout – $7.25
with vanilla-butternut squash purée, brussels sprouts salad, candied pecans, spiced pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, and maple dressing

At Bramblewood Bites

This was presented beautifully, and the skin was very crispy. We questioned whether this was actually from a booth. The fish is perfectly cooked and tastes like it could be served at a table service. The butternut squash purée and Brussels sprouts salad also gave it a dimensional flavor that surprised us. We will get this again.

Rank out of 7: 7

Chicken Tikka Masala – $6.50
with fennel-spiced yogurt and naan bread

Absolutely delicious. This is a great portion size and the perfect chicken tikka masala. The flavor is exactly what you would expect. The bread is toasted well, and you get the perfect crunch. The spices are not overwhelming, but we really loved this.

Rank out of 7: 7

Crème Brûlée Vanille, Confiture Myrtilles et Citron Vert – $6.95
Vanilla crème brûlée with blueberry-lime compote

At France

This dessert surprised us. We did not expect it to be as good as it is. The compote was fresh and delicious.

Rank out of 7: 7

Filet Mignon – $10.00
with mushrooms and mashed potatoes featuring Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese

At Canada

The mashed potatoes are very good, and we wish there were more of them. They’re beyond delicious! They have a cheesy flavor to them. We mixed in the butter with the potatoes, and they were even better.

The filet is cooked to about medium. It remains one of the best festival items, as it’s well-cooked with really good flavor and quality. Compared to a lot of the other dishes, this filet remains the king of the festival.

Rank out of 7: 7

French Onion Burger – $14.49
Gourmet beef blend, caramelized onions, and Gruyère cheese on a toasted brioche bun 

At Connections Eatery

This is a full entrée, not just a sample, and it was outstanding. It was possibly the thickest counter-service burger we have ever seen at EPCOT, and the bun was buttery and soft. The French Onion flavor was perfection, and the included fries were delicious, as well.

Rank out of 7: 7

Grilled Cider-brined Pork Tenderloin – $7.00
with chili-apple butter, celeriac-apple slaw, and apple cider gastrique 

At Bramblewood Bites

This is phenomenal. The pork is incredibly tender and well-seasoned. The slaw gives a nice crunch with a subtle heat countered by the apple cider gastrique. It’s also a good portion for the price.

Rank out of 7: 7

Gulf Coast-style Seafood Roll – $8.75
with warm-water lobster, rock shrimp, lobster bisque, and sherry-crème fraîche on a toasted brioche bun

At Flavors of America

While this comes with butter to dip in, the roll does not need it. This was very good. The lobster was great and not fishy tasting at all.

Rank out of 7: 7

Huckleberry Funnel Cake – $12
Funnel cake with huckleberry ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, blackberry brandy glaze, and powdered sugar

At Funnel Cake

This is crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The Huckleberry ice cream has a lovely flavor. Overall, a great funnel cake. No notes.

Rank out of 7: 7

Lemon-Poppy Seed Cake – $4.50
with lemon icing  

At Earth Eats

This is nice, and there’s the perfect amount of icing. The cake is light and fluffy. We’ll get this again.

Rank out of 7: 7

Rodizio-style Grilled Beef Skewer – $7.00
with marble potatoes, charred shallots, roasted baby peppers, and chimichurri

At Flavors From Fire

We were given a nice, large serving size of this dish and were impressed by the tenderness of the meat. The flavor from the beef and vegetables is great, and overall, this dish is an excellent value for the cost.

Rank out of 7: 7

Ginger-Molasses Cookie – $3.50
 with cream cheese icing

This is an extremely soft cookie. The cream cheese is very good, and it reminds us of the carrot cake cookie at Hollywood Studios. All of the spices melded together to create a fresh, delicious cookie. 

Rating out of 7: 7

Macaron de Noël aux Épices – $9.25
 Large gingerbread macaron with spiced filling

We love this presentation. We also love the macaron. The cookie is delicate and has just the right amount of gingerbread flavor. The spiced filling was also great.

Rating out of 7: 7

Reuben Croquettes – $6
with pastrami, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese with Thousand Island dipping sauce  

We loved this. It shares some similarities with a pastrami sandwich, if you’re a fan of those. We’d definitely get this again on a repeat visit.

Rating out of 7: 7

Seared Salmon – $7.50
with butternut squash purée, maple-bourbon glaze, and fennel-arugula salad

While the salmon was cooked a bit on the well-done side, making it a tad dry, it was still delicious. The butternut squash puree added a layer of creaminess to the dish and paired well with the fish. Honestly, this is a knockout dish that we would recommend.

Rating out of 7: 7

Sushi Tree Roll – $7.50
Christmas tree-shaped sushi roll with crab meat and cream cheese, garnished with spicy mayo and colorful rice pearls

This was delicious! The tree shape gives it a very Christmassy feel. The cream cheese balances out the sushi, while the boba tastes like soy sauce. They explode in your mouth. It’s a basic sushi roll, but it’s elevated with the spicy mayo, and the presentation is adorable. This one’s a winner.

Rating out of 7: 7