We'll continue to update this post with new photos and drink reviews. Be sure to check out our new video all about our favorites from this year's festival.
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NEW! Opening Bites
Cheddar and Chive Scone 👍
With smoked salmon salad topped with crème fraîche and caviar (New)
This is a delightful way to start the festival – especially for those who love smoky and fishy flavors. Erick loved the bold flavor of the caviar and how well it paired with the smoky salmon. I loved the scone, which was rich and cheesy and had the perfect texture - moist and biscuit-like on the inside with a crunchier exterior . The crème fraîche mellows all the strong fishy flavors and adds a little extra creamy indulgence.
Soft Shell Crab Slider 👍
With green papaya slaw and mango ketchup on toasted brioche (New)
Growing up in Charleston, SC, soft shell crab season was a very big deal and when friends and family came to visit, they were surprised to learn that you can eat the whole thing – shell and all. These crabs have not yet hardened their shells and you can only get them for a very short time. This dish is prepared the traditional way, with the whole thing deep fried. I loved how the brioche bun looked like a shell with the legs of the fried crab dangling on the sides – it's surprisingly quite cute. The crab has a mild flavor and the breading adds a classic deep fried crunch. While the slaw didn't add a whole lot of flavor, it added a nice texture and the sweetness of the mango ketchup rounded everything out nicely.
🎨 Enchanted Rose 👍
Milk chocolate rose with raspberry and rose center (New)
Our first step on the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine is making us very excited for the journey ahead. Items with the paint palette icon are part of a food scavenger hunt - when you order them, you'll get a stamp on your passport. Collect five stamps and you'll get a special complimentary treat at Deco Delights. This rose is not only beautiful, it is delicious and filled with fun, unexpected flavors. The chocolate mousse has a rich milk chocolate flavor that pairs perfectly with the raspberry and rose at the center. I normally find rosewater flavored dishes to be too floral for my liking, but the raspberry is the perfect choice to balance it. Even the cookie base is delightful - it's like a chocolate shortbread. If you are doing the Wonderful Walk, this is a must.
Parish Brewing Co. SIPS Candy Paint Berliner Weisse
(New)
von Trapp Brewing Bohemian Pilsner
(New)
Crooked Can Brewing Company Fantasia Fusion IPA
(New)
Beer Flight
Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve Champagne
Piper-Heidsieck Rosé Sauvage Champagne
Katherine Goldschmidt Cabernet Sauvignon
Martin Ray Chardonnay
Connections Eatery
Figment’s Liege Waffle 👍
With ube filling (New)
The ubiquitous Connections liege waffle that now appears at every festival has gotten a big upgrade. While we miss the convenience of the old, pre-wrapped version that were easy to throw in your bag for later, these are clearly much fresher (you can even see them being freshly made in the bakery window). They also have a filling, which adds a touch more sweetness, but not a lot of flavor. Our only gripe is with the white chocolate disk: whatever they use to print the Figment design has an odd texture – almost like a thin piece of paper was glued on top – and the quality of the white chocolate isn't all that great.
Imagination Lemonade 👍
Minute Maid Premium Lemonade topped with butterfly pea tea and lavender (Non-alcoholic)
The first sips of this with the lavender tea at the top are quite refreshing and cut the sweetness of the lemonade. While we wish there was more of the lavender layer, it's still a refreshing beverage and one of the better lemonade concoctions Disney has come up with recently.
Imagination Lemonade
With vodka
NEW! Fictional Victuals
Squid Ink Pasta 😐
With lump crab, truffle cream, and shaved truffle (New)
This is a very filling dish and we like the fresh truffle flavor, but the lumps of crab were overly fishy and much of the pasta was somewhat lacking in flavor. The top layer with the shaved truffle and Parmesan is rich and flavorful, so we’d recommend giving it a stir if you spring for this one.
Charred Octopus 👍
With crushed fingerling potatoes, kalamata olives, capers, and romesco sauce (New)
The presentation of this dish is top-notch – we love the artful nod to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the charred octopus makes the perfect centerpiece. Although it’s beautiful, it was a tad on the fishy side, but even Rob (who is notoriously averse to all things fishy) enjoyed the potatoes in romesco sauce. They had a mild spiciness and lots of briny flavor from the olives and the capers.
Black Cocoa Brownie 👍
With ube ice cream, coral tuile, and sponge cake (New)
The brownie is very dense and chocolatey. It almost tastes like a dark chocolate brownie with some finely ground Oreo cookies without the cream filling blended in. It’s not super sweet, which is key since the ube ice cream and the blue frosting are very sweet. Out favorite bit was the coral toile, which was surprisingly salty and the perfect complement to the other flavors in the dish.
Butterscotch Milk Shake with Chocolate Garnish.
(New)
3 Daughters Brewing Barrel Aged Cognac Porter
(New)
Boyd & Blair Outis Fathom
Lime Juice, Simple Syrup, Juniper, and Boyd & Blair Vodka (New)
The Deconstructed Dish
Deconstructed BLT 👍
Pork belly, soft-poached egg, onion bread pudding, watercress espuma, and tomato jam
This returning favorite is perfect for the bacon fan who is looking for a gourmet upgrade to their favorite smoked meat. The pork belly stands in for the bacon here and brings the flavor you know and love with a fancy twist. Each cut of pork belly is a bit different and some are fattier than others, but they all go beautifully with the poached egg, rich and buttery onion bread pudding, sweet tomato jam and fresh watercress espuma (like a flavored fluffy foam).
🎨 Deconstructed Key Lime Pie 👍
Flexible Key lime curd, “Key lime” mousse, graham cracker cake, and meringues
We love this fun, playful dish every year and it js as good as ever - maybe even better. The secret is to combine all the elements in one bite - and don’t skip the meringues. You’ve got a rich graham cracker cake that is a bit dense and not all that amazing on its own, but the addition of the tart lime curd, the creamy key lime mousse and the crunchy meringue transforms it into a delightful concoction that tastes like a really good key lime pie. We love the different textures and the photogenic presentation and consider this a must-try if you’re enjoying the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine.
Deconstructed Strawberry Mint Julep
Frozen mint and simple syrup blend with strawberry purée (Non-alcoholic)
Wicked Weed Brewing Blank Canvas Belgian Blonde Witbier
Deconstructed Strawberry Mint Julep
With Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Figment’s Inspiration Station
🎨 Raspberry Pastry Tart 👍
Sugar cookie with raspberry and lemon cream cheese filling (New)
The sugar cookie pastry is a big upgrade over last year’s pop-tart-esque shell and we like the richness of the lemon cream cheese and raspberry filling much more than the straight-up sweet jam this used to have. That said, it’s still not as good as Woody’s Lunch Box Tarts over at Hollywood Studios. If you’re doing the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine, this can be a nice option to pair with your coffee.
Rainbow Cake 😐
topped with SKITTLES POP’d Freeze Dried Candy
We are sad to say that this adorable returning item is a bit of a downgrade. It’s much smaller and there are only a few of the freeze-dried Skittles, which are the best part. The cake itself used to be three times bigger and had more frosting between the layers. Although it’s colorful and cute, it tastes like a decent supermarket birthday cake. Not terrible, but pretty basic.
Figment Imagination Lemonade
With choice of flavor (Non-alcoholic beverage)
3 Daughters Brewing Black Cherry Hard Cider
3 Daughters Brewing Blood Orange Hard Cider
3 Daughters Brewing Pineapple Hard Cider
Hard Cider Flight
81Bay Brewing Co. Green with Envy Blonde Ale
81Bay Brewing Co. Blue Butterfly Lager, Tampa
81Bay Brewing Co. Make All Things Purple Ale
(New)
Beer Flight
The Craftsman’s Courtyard
Beef Wellington-inspired Croissant Supreme 👍
With creamed spinach croissant pinwheel, mushroom-gorgonzola ragout, mustard-grilled flank steak, red wine sauce, and pickled mustard seeds (New)
This Wellington is a massive upgrade from last year. The croissant wrapping is buttery and flaky with rich creamed spinach along the inside edge, but it gets even more indulgent with the mushroom and Gorgonzola cheese sauce and the slices of tender, juicy flank steak. The red wine sauce adds a layer of salty umami goodness and the mustard seeds help to cut the richness of everything under it.
Cast Iron-roasted P.E.I. Mussels 👍
With sautéed tomatoes, garlic, and fresh herbs
This was one of the more shocking reviews from last year's festival because it was the rare seafood dish that was so good that even Rob liked it. We tried it again, and we are pleased to report that it is just as good. These mussels are very fresh and they serve them to you directly from the grill. There is so much rich garlic and tomato flavor here that even if you don't typically care for mussels, you might be surprised (like Rob was) by how much you enjoy them. They are served with a crunchy piece of charred bread that you'll definitely want to use to sop up all that delicious broth.
Roasted Bone Marrow 👍
With onion marmalade, pickled mushrooms, and petite lettuce
From the tang of the pickled mushrooms to the charred flavor of the grilled bread to the sweet onion marmalade to the decadent richness of the marrow itself, this is a heavenly dish. Like the mussels, we picked it as one of our favorites last year (it was actually in Canada last year) and we had to try it again to make sure it was just as good this year. It definitely is. If you've never tried bone marrow, this is your chance and you'll be very glad that you did.
BrewDog Black Heart Nitro Oatmeal Stout
Coffee Old Fashioned Cocktail
Joffrey’s Coffee Cold Brew, simple syrup, orange bitters, and Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon
El Artista Hambriento
Carne Asada 👍
Ancho-marinated beef sirloin with pasilla chile sauce, grilled queso fresco, nopales salad, and chicharron dust
We loved this dish last year and we still like it, but it definitely wasn't quite as good as we remembered. The steak was tender, but it didn't have as much flavor as it had in the past. The grilled queso fresco was smaller, but still tasty and the nopales salad wasn't quite as bright and fresh tasting this year. As we often say in our review videos, consistency is always an issue at Walt Disney World, so we may have just gotten a subpar batch. While we still recommend this dish, we can't give it the same ringing endorsement that we did last year.
Croqueta 👍
Chipotle chicken and chorizo croquette in chipotle salsa with chipotle aioli, avocado mousse, and truffle oil
We were split on this one. Erick really enjoyed the flavor of the chicken itself, but he was not a fan of the chipotle salsa. Rob loved everything about this dish, but he's also a chipotle junky. The salsa has a bold flavor that tastes like a cross between chipotle sauce and A-1 Steak Sauce (but in a good way – at least in Rob's opinion 😂). The shredded chicken at the core of the croqueta is tender, juicy and well-seasoned and the aioli, mousse and truffle oil make lovely garnishes, but their flavor is overpowered by the bold salsa that is the base of this dish.
Natilla de Maiz 👍
Creamy corn custard with caramelized sugar
We both enjoyed this cross between flan and corn pudding, but Erick especially liked it. The texture is like a flan, but the flavor is distinctly corn - almost like a sweet masa flavor. The caramelized sugar bits on the top are wonderful and really complete the dish. We loved the rich caramel flavor they added, as well as the crunch.
Mexican Craft Beer
Floridita
Centinela Blanco Tequila, citrus juice, orange liqueur, and grapefruit soda with a hint of Aperol (New)
Strawberry Fields Margarita: Tromba Blanco Tequila, Dos Hombres Mez
The Painted Panda
General Tso’s Chicken Shumai 👍
Dumplings filled with chicken, potato, onion, and water chestnut topped with General Tso’s sauce
Dumplings aren't always the strong suit at the festival booths in China, but this one is an exception. The dumpling itself is of slightly above average quality with a ground seasoned meat inside that you can't quite immediately identify (it's chicken), but it has a pleasant flavor. The best part is the sauce: a perfect blend of salty. sweet umami goodness and the cucumber at the bottom balances it out with a pop of freshness.
Har Gow 👎
Shrimp dumplings with pumpkin purée and drizzle of chili oil (New)
Remember what we said above about dumplings not always being the best at the China Pavilion? This is a pretty good example of that. The shrimp inside is pretty bargain basement – chewy, fishy and clearly frozen. The pumpkin puree doesn't bring much flavor to the party, but the drizzle of chili oil definitely adds some heat. That was probably the only part of this dish we actually liked.
Egg Tart 👍
Hong Kong-style egg custard tart (New)
This dessert was a wonderful surprise. It's not much to look at and we expected it to be a dried out, forgettable little pie. It almost looks like something that could have come from a vending machine. Do not judge this little book by it's cover – it is delicious. The warm crust is flaky, buttery and satisfying. The egg custard in the center is reminiscent of buttermilk pie, but eggier. We loved this tiny pie and it is the perfect comfort food dessert to pick up if you just want a small bite on a chilly winter night.
Strawberry Bubble Milk Tea
Non-alcoholic beverage / New
Dragon Fruit Lager
Silk River Hard Lemonade
With vodka, lavender-coconut syrup, and lemonade
Butterfly Blue
Butterfly pea flower-infused cocktail with vodka, light rum, lychee syrup, and magic boba pearls
Refreshment Outpost
Artist Palette Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie 👎
We're so sad to give this cookie a thumbs down because we love the idea of it and it used to be so delightful. Sadly, the quality has dropped so much that we can't recommend it for anything other than a fun art project. It comes with a paintbrush and icing "paint" that you can use to create your own chocolate chip masterpiece. How fun is that? Sadly, this cookie is dense, tough and bland. It tastes like something they might give for free to little kids at the supermarket bakery, which is a shame because Disney definitely knows how to make a great chocolate chip cookie. We'll hold out hope that next year's version is a delicious cookie like the one we remember from years ago when we tried this treat for the first time.
Parish Brewing Co. Blueberry Mochi Berliner Weisse
Brewlando Liquid Art Pilsner
(New)
Ology Brewing Co. Rainbow Colored Glasses Rainbow Sherbet Berliner
(New)
Pastoral Palate
Pork and White Bean Cassoulet 👍
With Regensburger Sausage and crispy pork rinds (New)
We really loved the cassoulet that used to appear on the menu at previous festival booths in Germany, but it disappeared last year. Thankfully, a new version has arrived with some delightful smoked sausage on top. Legend has it that the first cassoulet was created by French villagers who needed to feed the army that was protecting their village from the invading British army. They all pooled together what they had and put it all in a big pot and the result was a delicious dish with beans and pretty much every meat you can imagine. This is a decent iteration of the dish – it's meaty, smoky and filling. The herb sauce smeared along the edge of the dish brightens things up and we'd recommend stirring it in.
Red Wine-braised Beef Short Rib 👍
With parsnip purée, broccolini, baby tomatoes, and balsamic glaze
This dish comes back every year and never disappoints. To call the beef fork-tender is an understatement – this is the most tender cut of meat you'll ever encounter and it has a bold, meaty flavor that is enhanced by the peppery balsamic glaze. The parsnip purée is rich and creamy – almost like mashed potatoes – and the broccoli and tomato balance out the richness of everything else on the plate.
Black Forest Cake 👍
Chocolate mousse with morello cherries and chantilly cream
This is more mousse than cake, but we're not complaining because it is rich and delicious. They use a good quality chocolate, both in the mousse and in the outer decorations and the morello cherries are tart, sweet and serve as the perfect foil to the richness of the rest of the dessert.
3 Daughters Brewing Rosé Hard Cider
81Bay Brewing Co. Rosé Blonde Ale
Frozen Rosé
A Play on Rosé Flight
Marietta Old Vine Rosé
L’Arte di Mangiare
Tricolore 👍
Cheese-filled ravioloni, pomodoro, cream, and pesto sauces (New)
This is the best pasta dish we have had from the Italy booth in quite some time. The pasta tastes fresh and is filled with a rich and creamy cheese filling. On top, you'll find a delightfully zippy pomodoro, a much-improved cream sauce and a so-so pesto. If you have a hankering for pasta, this is actually better than a lot of the entree pastas you'll find at Tutto Italia around the corner.
Mozzarella Fritta 👍
Flash-fried breaded fresh mozzarella with artist palette condiments
We love this fun and colorful play on fried mozzerella. The sauces are delightful and its fun to dip the crispy fried cheese in the rainbow of flavors that surround it. The cheese is good, too – it's an above-average piece of fried mozzerella. We just wish there was more of it to sample all the different sauces.
Hazelnut S’more Cannoli 👎
Cannoli shell dipped in chocolate and graham cracker, chocolate-hazelnut cannoli cream, and toasted marshmallows (New)
This dessert fails on two fronts: it's not a great cannoli and it tastes nothing like s'mores. For starters, the marshmallows were barely toasted and seemed more like a decoration than a key player. The tiny bit of graham cracker dust is completely lost against the more prominent flavors of the cannoli shell and the chocolate hazelnut filling, both of which are unremarkable. We'd suggest skipping this and getting a traditional cannoli somewhere else in the pavilion – or just wait and make s'mores over the campfire at your resort if you're staying at a Disney hotel. Either one would be a lot tastier than this.
Peroni Pilsner
Prosecco
Moscato
Chianti
Italian Red Sangria
Italian-inspired Margarita
With tequila, Triple Sec, and Fabrizia Limoncello
Mela Spritz
Apple Schnapps, prosecco, and sparkling water (New)
The Artist’s Table
Deviled Egg Trio: Pimento Cheese, Green Goddess, and BLT (New) 👎
These may be the worst deviled eggs we've ever had. For some strange reason, they chose to leave the hard boiled yolks inside and then just top them with a small amount of the deviled egg filling. The pimento cheese was simply pimento cheese on top of a hard boiled egg. Really. The green goddess had a nice pop of fresh herb flavor and would have been great had it not been diluted by the plain yolk. The BLT was overwhelmed by the flavor of the bacon (which is not a bad thing) and it reminded us more of breakfast than a fancy hors d'oeuvre.
Chicken “Pot Pie” 👍
With smoked cheddar mornay sauce, roasted vegetables, pickled mushrooms, wasabi peas, and sherry-chicken jus served open-faced on flaky pie crust (New)
While it tastes nothing like a pot pie and looks nothing like a pot pie, it is tasty. Think of it more as a flatbread with a pastry crust. The smoked cheese mornay sauce combined beautifully with the spiced chicken and was well balanced by the vegetables. The wasabi peas were probably the most surprising addition, but we loved the crunch and the pops of spicy flavor.
Hummingbird Cake 😐
Banana and pecan cake dipped in cream cheese icing with caramel sauce and warm pineapple compote
While it's not bad, this cake is just so-so and there are so many better dessert offerings at the festival that there's no good reason to settle for so-so. The cake is a tad dry and we wish there was more of the cream cheese frosting. The warm pineapple compote and caramel sauce are a nice addition, but not enough to make this a standout.
Wicked Weed Brewing Pineapple Daydream IPA
(New)
Swamp Head Brewery Neon Palette Lager
(New)
Lost Coast Brewery Peanut Butter Chocolate Milk Stout
(New)
J Vineyards & Winery Pinot Gris
(New)
Beer Flight
Funnel Cake
Cotton Candy Funnel Cake 👍
Topped with powdered sugar, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, pink and purple sugar dusting, and cotton candy crunch (New)
We both agreed that this was adorable and that there was no way we were going to like it because it would be way too sweet. While it did end up being plenty sweet, it was also one of our favorite desserts from the festival. Don't let the "cotton candy" in the name fool you – that's just referring to the presentation (and the tiny garnish). This is a classic funnel cake that is not overly sweet, topped with standard-issue vanilla ice cream and traditional whipped cream. In other words, it's a classic funnel cake that is freshly prepared and quite delicious.
Goshiki
Taiyaki 👎
Crisp, flaky fish-shaped pastry filled with sweet red bean served with whipped topping and blueberry popping boba (New)
On a recent trip to Japan, we were lucky enough to try this popular street food in Tokyo. While it's never fair to compare a festival booth item to the real thing, this wasn't even close. The pastry is a bit dry and bland. It has a mild sweetness, but most of the flavor comes from the generous amount of sweet red bean inside. The version we tried in Japan didn't taste like beans - it was like they had been transformed into a decadent dessert. This tasted like beans. Sweet beans, but still very much beans. Our favorite part was the whipped cream and blueberry boba, which mostly served to mask the flavor rather of the taiyaki rather than enhance it.
Wagyu Bun 👍
Steamed bun filled with American wagyu beef served with Japanese karashi mustard sauce and violet shiso sauce (New)
We always enjoy the steamed buns in the Japan Pavilion and this year's American Wagyu Beef version is no exception. The beef is rich, tender and flavorful. It's been ground and prepared in a slightly sweet onion sauce. The bun is pretty standard-issue, but was fresh and moist. Our favorite part was the sauce. Like with the sushi, these are artfully squirted and we wished they had squirted a bit more, but they really enhance the flavor of the sandwich. The violet shiso sauce tasted like a sweet mayonnaise and the karashi mustard was like a rich dijon.
Sushi Donut 😐
Donut-shaped sushi featuring salmon, tuna, shrimp, cucumber, and sesame seed over a decorated plate of wasabi aïoli, sriracha aïoli, and eel sauce
This was one of Erick's favorite dishes in years past. He actually said this was the one thing he was most looking forward to. Unfortunately, this year's rendition was just okay. The recipe seemed unchanged, but the freshness was the issue. While the fish wasn't old, it didn't taste super fresh either. Even the rice didn't taste like it was freshly prepared. Erick said it reminded him of sushi from the cooler at the supermarket. He also wished there had been more of the accompanying sauces. They were "artfully" applied to the plate, but he would have preferred a larger amount. If you order this, you might want to consider requesting extra sauce.
Okinawa Lemonade
Lemonade mix with Shikuwasa Citrus (Non-alcoholic beverage) (New)
Yuzu IPA
(New)
Masu Sake
In a traditional personalized wooden cup
Junmai Daiginjyo Sake Flight
Plum, yuzu, hyuganatsu, and sakuranbo Cherry
Tangierine Café: Flavors of the Medina
Chermoula Chicken Grilled Kebab 👍
With carrot-chickpea salad and garlic aïoli
At this point, the kebabs and bread are just regular menu items at Tangierine Café - they appear at every single festival and the recipe remains unchanged. Not that we're complaining, because they're all good and the kebabs are among the healthier options on festival menus. The chicken is smoky from the grill and well-seasoned. Both kebabs are served over a light, refreshing salad made from carrots, chickpeas and raisins and the whole thing is topped with a creamy garlic sauce.
Moroccan-spiced Lamb Kebab 👍
With carrot-chickpea salad and garlic aïoli
This version features the same salad and sauce as the chicken, but the lamb is more like a lamb sausage. It is packed with spices and seasonings and reminds us a bit of the lamb you'd find in a gyro, though spicier. It's always tender, juicy and fresh from the grill.
Stone-baked Moroccan Bread 👍
With assorted dips (Plant-based)
The reason this bread is so good is because it is super-fresh from the oven. You can see them baking it as you order. It's always accompanied by three sauces: a traditional hummus, an olive dip and a lemon-herb dip that is bright and always has a nice zing to it. We love to put all three together for a flavor bomb with each bite.
🎨 Avocado-Coconut Custard Tart 👎
With pomegranate cream and henna-inspired gelée Veil (New) (Plant-based)
As a work of art, this dessert is stunning. Unfortunately, as a dessert, it's not so great. We loved the layer of gel "tilework" on top and it added a nice texture (though not much in the way of flavor). The pastry crust is pretty standard-issue and may have been pre-made, but the big problem is the avocado coconut filling. It doesn't have a strong coconut flavor and the avocado gives it a mildly bitter aftertaste. The pomegranate cream was also very mildly flavored and, like the filling, just ended up having a generic creamy-sweet flavor, albeit without the bitter finish. It will no doubt look lovely on your Instagram wall, though. We'd just suggest you leave it there and save the calories for one of the better desserts on offer.
Chai Tea-Mint Fizz
Twinings Chai Tea with Sprite and Mint (Non-alcoholic beverage)
Parish Brewing Co. Mango Mochi 👍
(New)
We loved this surprisingly sweet and refreshing beer. It is very mango-forward and almost tastes like a dessert drink. Obviously those who don't like sweet beers will want to steer clear, but if you are in the fruity brew camp, this beer's for you.
Rekorderlig Strawberry-Lime Hard Cider
Keel Farms Blueberry Lavender Hard Cider, Plant City
Chai Tea-Mint Mimosa
Twinings Chai Tea with Key Lime Sparkling Wine and mint flight
Vibrante & Vívido: Encanto Cocina
🎨 Chorizo and Potato Empanada with turmeric aïoli and annatto aïoli 👍
We are a bit split on this one, but I'm still giving it the thumbs up because it is one of my favorite items on the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine. Erick feels that the turmeric and annatto aïolis overpower the other flavors and not in a good way. For me, I love those sauces and I love how well they compliment the spicy chorizo and potato filling. That said, if you're not a big fan of spicy foods, this might be one wonderful walk item that you'd rather skip.
Spicy Ajiaco Soup 😐
With guajillo and árbol chili-spiced chicken, potato, avocado, corn, and crème fraîche
I really loved this soup in previous years, but this year left me a bit cold. Primarily because the soup wasn't hot. It was lukewarm at best and then the addition of the cold crème fraîche made things worse. This is a soup that needs to be hot, especially on a chilly January day. The chili flavors in the broth add a good bit of heat that is mellowed out by the addition of the cream and the chicken is well seasoned and tender. We also enjoyed that the corn cob was fresh and sweet. If you catch it when the soup is actually hot, it would probably be as good as years past.
Passion Fruit-filled Mango Cheesecake 👍
With coconut-pineapple cake, dragon fruit gelée, and dragon fruit-strawberry sauce
This was our absolute favorite dessert last year and it is definitely high up on our list again this year. The coconut pineapple cake on the bottom was a tad bit drier than we remembered it, but all the bright, sweet flavors from the passion fruit filling, the dragon fruit topping and the fluffy mango cheesecake mousse more than make up for it. If you are a fan of tropical fruits, put this dessert at the top of your list.
Layered Tropical Berry Smoothie
Wild berry, piña colada, and strawberry (Non-alcoholic beverage) (New)
Collective Arts Guava Dream Blonde Ale
(New)
Layered Tropical Berry Smoothie with Sailor Jerry Rum
(New)
L’Art de la Cuisine Française
Pithiviers de Canard et Volaille, Sauce Canard 👍
Puff pastry with duck, chicken, onions, mushrooms, cranberries, and duck sauce (New)
The pastry is a solid upgrade from most of the puff pastries you typically find at these festivals – this one is clearly house made and is buttery, flaky and substantial. The duck and chicken mixture is well seasoned and tender, if a tad dry. We wish there was more of a sauce on the inside, but we did enjoy the slightly sweet duck gravy that is served on the side. The onions and mushrooms are a classic pairing with the poultry, but the sweet cranberries were a nice surprise.
Crème de Brie en Petit Pain 👍
Warm creamy brie in a house-made bread bowl
Our favorite thing about this one was the bread this year. Normally, it's all about the cheese, but the bread was so fresh and delicious that it stole the show. The crème de brie sauce was very mild and needed a tad more salt, but it was still delicious and there was tons of it. This is a comforting and indulgent treat.
Escargot en Chocolat 👍
Chocolate mousse flourless cake, citrus coulis, almond-chocolate coating, and dark chocolate decoration (New)
First off, this is a beautiful dessert and it is larger than it looks in the pictures. The chocolate is very high quality, both in the mousse cake and the outer shell. At the core is an orange coulis that brings a tart contrast to the richness of the chocolate. It's like a giant, gourmet Ferrero Rocher crossed with one of those chocolate oranges you might find in your stocking at Christmastime. We loved it, but this one depends a lot on how much you like the combo of chocolate and orange.
Frozen French Martini
Grey Goose Vodka, vodka, Chambord liqueur, pineapple, orange, and grape juices with lemon-lime foam
Elderflower Liqueur Spritz
St-Germain Liqueur, sparkling wine, and mint
Charles Lafitte, Brut Rosé Prestige, Méthode Traditionnelle Champenoise French
Rosé Sparkling Wine
Patient Cottat Le Grand Caillou Pinot Noir
Gourmet Landscapes
🎨 Citrus-braised Beet Tartare 👍
With golden beet “egg yolk,” mustard vinaigrette, pickled mustard seeds, pickled mushrooms, spiced pistachios, and “feta” snow (Plant-based) (New)
Beet lovers will fall in love with this vegan treat, but if you're not a fan of earthy flavors, you should probably skip this particular path along the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine. The pickled mushrooms add a sour brightness and the crusty bread is a tasty base, but the overwhelming flavor here comes from the beets.
Wild Mushroom Risotto 👍
With aged parmesan, truffle shavings, and zinfandel reduction (Plant-based)
This is the best plant-based offering at the festival. It's so creamy and delicious that we went back to the booth to confirm that it really was plant-based. The star of the show are the shaved truffles on top. There is such a huge difference between real truffle flavor and the various truffle-infused butters and oils. We also tip our hats to the plant-based parmesan and whatever was used to add the creamy richness to the risotto itself. This is an indulgent vegan treat that non-vegetarians will love, too.
Whole Hog Brewery Raspberry Chéret Double Radler
Schlumberger Cuvée Klimt Brut
Meeker Winemaker’s Handprint Merlot
Frozen Scotch Cocktail 👍
Scotch and herbal tea garnished with a chocolate nail
Refreshment Port
Caprese Poutine 👍
With Tuscan-spiced French fries, confit tomatoes, slivered garlic, mozzarella pearls, basil pesto, shaved pecorino, and balsamic glaze (New)
The caprese poutine is delicious, but we have to add an asterisk: it's still not as good as the Traditional Poutine that is available here all year round. That said, we loved the bright flavor of the pesto and the bold punch of the slivered garlic. The mozzerella pearls stand in for the cheese curds here and they're a bit of an upgrade. At the end of the day though, it's hard to beat fries covered in gravy and cheese.
Artist Palette Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie 👎
See the full review for this item in the Refreshment Outpost section above.
81Bay Brewing Co. Italian Pilsner
(New)
Boyd & Blair Blood Orange Cosmo
Swirled Showcase
Imagination Cone 👎
Bubble gum soft-serve in a lavender cone, “sparks” of imagination, and white chocolate wings (New)
We'll give this cone credit for being very cute and "imaginative." Unfortunately, the bubble gum soft serve is absolutely dreadful. It is similar to the flavor of bubble gum ice cream that you tolerated as a kid because you really wanted those colorful gumballs that were mixed in, but in this case there are no gumballs. It's just a cloying, artificial flavor that may still appeal to select nine year olds, but likely no one else. The white chocolate wings and purple cone are adorable, but they can't help this dessert to fly.
Candy Trio Flight 😐
DOLE Whip Strawberry with STARBURST MINIS fruit chews, DOLE Whip Lemon with SKITTLES POP’d Freeze Dried Candy, and DOLE Whip Lime with chili-lime seasoning and LIFE SAVERS gummies (New)
This is a really fun concept that is held back by the subpar flavors of the DOLE Whips on offer. We love coconut DOLE Whip and the original pineapple has reached legendary status at Disney Parks, but the jury is still decidedly out on the other flavors. The lemon is tart and refreshing without the artificial flavor that plagues it's lime cousin. It's almost like the lime flavor you find in hard candies, though not quite as sweet. The strawberry is in the middle – it tastes artficial, but it's not as off-putting as the lime in our opinion. What we loved was the addition of candies to pair with each soft serve - especially the freeze dried Skittles, which brought a lovely crunch and a bright "rainbow of flavors" that paired especially well with the lemon.
Liquid Nitrogen Minnie Cake Pop 👎
with berry sponge cake, white chocolate ganache, and colorful chocolate splats (New)
We've been really loving the liquid nitrogen pops at Swirled Showcase since they were introduced last year. Watching the Cast Members prepare them is quite a show as they layer on ingredients and then dunk the whole thing in a smoking pot that is vaguely reminiscent of Han Solo getting frozen in carbonite. Up until now, the end result has been a delicious treat. This version, unfortunately, is super sweet and otherwise fairly bland. The berry cake at the center has almost no flavor and the layers of white chocolate on the outside just add cloying sweetness. The end result is a slightly improved version of a Little Debbie snack cake. Sorry Minnie, but we have to recommend skipping this one even though the bow is very cute.
Bubble Gum Soft-serve in a cone 👎
(New) (See Imagination Cone review)
DOLE Whip in a cone:
Lemon 👍 (See Candy Trio Flight review)
Lime 👎 (See Candy Trio Flight review)
Strawberry 😐 (See Candy Trio Flight review)
Deco Delights
🎨 Almond Frangipane Cake 😐
Layered with raspberry jam and Belgian chocolate
This is one of the most photo-worthy stops on the Wonderful Walk - and it’s a convenient one because it’s also where you show your stamped passport and get a special surprise (spoiler alert: it’s a fancy rice crispy treat). This cake has been at the festival for several years and it’s a little better than last year, but not a lot. The white layers are moist and rich with a lovely almond flavor. The other layers are dense and dry and have much less almond flavor. The raspberry jam doesn’t add much here, it’s a very small amount and the so-called Belgian chocolate is like a cheap chocolate glaze on the outside. If this is the last stamp you need, we’d say go ahead because the layers that are good are quite tasty and it does make for a lovely photo finish.
3 Daughters Brewing Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Beer
(New)
Keel Farms Strawberry Shortcake Hard Cider
(New)
Left Hand Brewing Company Milk Stout with Coconut
(New)
Boyd & Blair Espresso Martini
Beer Flight
Pop Eats
Tomato Soup 👍
With pimento cheese, bacon, and fried green tomato grilled cheese
Channel your inner Andy Warhol and indulge in a comfort food classic - a can of tomato soup with a delicious grilled cheese. This one is a big upgrade from Campbell’s – it’s got a fresher flavor and a zippy tang – but it’s still served in an iconic can. The star of the show; however, is the amazing grilled cheese that is stuffed with bacon, pimento cheese and a fried green tomato. We always like this sandwich, but this year it tasted better than ever. We will definitely be coming back for seconds (and probably thirds).
Tomato Soup 👍
With grilled cheese
This is the same delightful soup as the version above, only served with a more kid-friendly standard grilled cheese. That said, unless you are vegetarian or a little kid, we'd strongly suggest option number one instead. This is a solid grilled cheese, but the bacon and the rich pimento cheese are just way better.
Brooklyn Brewery Pulp Art Hazy IPA
Bleu Spectrum: Blanc de Bleu Cuvée Mousseux
With boba pearls Martini
Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company
Color Craze Latte + Donut 👍
Espresso, Swiss chocolate syrup, dark chocolate sauce, and milk complemented with a frosted donut and whipped cream and topped with M&M’S Milk Chocolate Minis (Non-alcoholic beverage)
We tried this both hot and iced (though we haven't yet tried it with booze) and the cold version is definitely superior. It's basically a mocha with a donut on top, but it's a very good mocha and a delightfully fresh donut. Did we mention the whole thing has M&M's? While the iced version had a stronger coffee flavor, likely due to having less milk, both were very good and it's a pretty good value if you want to try a donut with your morning mocha.
Color Craze Latte + Donut
With Kahlúa Coffee Liqueur (New)
Be sure to bookmark this page on your phone for easy access during your Epcot visit. For more details about our top picks for things to see, do and eat at this year's festival, check out our new video: