No, visiting Epcot isn’t the same as a trip to China, Italy, or France, but on some level the experience of eating and drinking “around the world” is sure to give you a sense of adventure, bring back memories of visiting distant lands, or inspire your next trip abroad.
So, I’ve long found it interesting that many of the most popular foods at Epcot Festival have skewed more towards the domestic side of the culinary fence from year to year.
Epcot Festival Chef Tony Marotta heard my observations and had some solid theories.
“(American Adventure) is one of the busiest areas in the park, especially late in the day,” he said. “This is a place with a lot of entertainment, so audiences keep coming back there.”
truth. But while Walt Disney World certainly attracts a lot of spectators from all over the world, most of the visitors are American. And my theory is that most Americans want to eat American food.
Who doesn’t love a lobster roll?
There’s almost always something on the Food & Wine menu, and this year the Gulf Coast Seafood Roll ($8.75) with heated lobster, rock shrimp, lobster bisque, and sherry crème fraîche on a toasted brioche bun topped the list of favorites for guests I was lucky enough to spy before a recent rainy excursion to the festival.
This year, there will be over 30 global marketplaces and over 90 new food and beverage items. I’ve tried a few and even I have to admit. That roll is definitely going well.
Under a rapidly darkening sky, three other guests asked me about it while I carried a Von Trapp Helles in hand and a ramekin of melted butter to the table, balancing it next to a paper boat sandwich. One man quickly got in line.
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It’s rich and creamy. Brioche too. I ate half of it, stared at the butter, thought about how many steps I was going to walk today, and let the last bite sink. No regrets.
I told Marotta that the seafood at these outdoor markets had always been strange to me.
“It’s something we had to dial in,” he told me. “It took a lot of training.”
At this point, the seasoning is complete. I’ve never had bad scallops at Epcot Festival. Each one has toffee on the outside and marshmallow on the inside. But my biggest wonder this year has been the trout. Specifically, cast-roasted river trout ($7.25).
It’s an ode to fall, with a perfect crackling skin and crumbly pulp, vanilla-tinged pumpkin puree and Brussels sprout salad, topped with the beautiful textures of candied pecans, roasted pumpkin seeds, and dried cranberries. It hits every note.
“It’s especially difficult to get the perfect fish every time,” Marotta says. “It’s even more difficult when it’s a small piece.”
First, it’s a great serving. I shared mine. But if it had been earlier in my festival exploration and I wasn’t so full, I might not have wanted to do that.
This is my top pick for new flavors that I enjoyed, but it was also Marotta’s and was almost the only flavor in his top five that wasn’t even on the guest list.
Karen McClintock, Disney’s global food and beverage communications manager, said there are a variety of metrics involved when deciphering the mix of guest favorites, sales, feedback and what people are talking about.
Whatever the formula, two of the guests’ choices are from Gyozas of the Galaxy, a new booth that just opened in late September, so the math is fast. Our Asian-inspired flavors are unlike any other.
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“The buffalo chicken says it all,” jokes Marotta, but two other items made the top 10: French Onion Soup Dumplings (pork and beef soup dumplings with caramelized onions, sherry beef broth, Gruyere sous bis, and cheese cracker topping) come in second, and Street Corn Dumplings (chicken dumplings with tomatillo salsa). verde, street corn salad, cotija cheese, lime crema, cilantro) ranked fifth.
The former was fun and unexpected, with soup spilling out inside. The latter was chewy and hearty, with a nice play between skin and sauce and crunch from the salad. All three are $6.
Coastal Eats recommends Seaside Pot Pie over Seafood Roll. Similar in its ingredients and taste (shrimp, scallop, crawfish tail, lobster bisque, $7.50), this one is topped with beautifully executed puff pastry that’s equally crispy and soft.
“This is one of those dishes that takes full advantage of technology,” Marotta says fondly of the Vector oven that was involved in the process.
“We have these products in several of our international marketplaces and can produce them in a very short time with very good results.”
In fact, these ovens are the secret to the festival’s popular pão de queijo, available at the Brazil booth.
“We can cook to order all day long,” he says.
Among the rest of the list (if you don’t have the tendency to overdo it like I do), I’d go with the Korean BBQ Wings ($7.75). The crispy skin and soothing heat of gochujang pair beautifully with the onboard BRLO Wild Berry’s Hard Cider, also available at Odyssey’s Brewing Lab. (My Epcot companions preferred Collective Arts Brewing’s sweet Local Press Apple and Cherry Hard Cider.)
I passed on all of the guest selections except for the Apple Cinnamon and Caramel Mino Churro Sundae ($5.25, Milled and Mule), but I’ll put a pin up if I can come back this year. It looked and smelled great, and despite the rain, our guests, who graciously allowed us to take photos, were very happy with their purchase.
Two people come prepared with ponchos, an important element for enjoying food and wine when Florida’s summer weather is still unsettled.
“Food and wine, rain or shine!” I said as I raised my chardonnay.
He held up his churros.
And we clinked into the age-old theme park moment where a plastic cup turns into a compostable bowl.
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram @amydroo or the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, and for more foodie fun, join our Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.
Guest Recommendations: 2025 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
Gulf Seafood Rolls (Flavours of America) French Onion Soup Dumplings (Dumplings of the Galaxy) Seaside Pot Pie (Coastal Eats) Apple Cinnamon and Caramel Mini Churros Sundae (Mild and Mude) Street Corn Dumplings (Dumplings of the Galaxy) Rodizio Beef Skewers (Flavours of Fire) Korean BBQ Wings (Odyssey’s Brewing Lab) Trio de Pinkistos (Spain) Strawberry Champagne Trifle (plant-based, sparkling sip) Schacciata Sandwich (Forest & Field)
