Editor’s Note: New entrees and side items were recently added to the menu.
Alrighty, all — it’s time to take a little field trip to Deutschland!! We’re headed to Sommerfest!
This place is as simple and what-you-see-is-what-you-get as possible, but sometimes simple and easy is exactly what you need on a long Epcot touring day. When you don’t have an advance dining reservation and you’re headed toward Epcot’s Germany Pavilion, you might consider stopping at this little counter service spot!
Sausage. Pretzel. Beer. Cake. What more do you need? Let’s check it out!
Atmosphere
Atmosphere is kind of limited, since this is basically in the giant stone waiting area of Biergarten, the pavilion’s table service restaurant. That said, the waiting area itself is very well themed and has a fun old world feel to it. That’s really something I love about the whole Germany Pavilion.
Sommerfest is located at the back of the Pavilion. Head through the “town square,” past the counter selling beer and Jägermeister on your right, to the awning that reads “Sommerfest Snacks”.
Turn the corner to the left, and you’re there! It really isn’t much more than a serving counter. You’ll head back out to the sunshine to find a seat in the square by the fountain once you get your food.
Speaking of seating — there’s not much of it. There are a few tables scattered inside the big covered area, and a couple of them outside as well. But if you’re visiting during prime meal hours or a busy Disney season, those WILL all be taken when you get your food. Many folks perch on the edge of the fountain, or even sit on the ground to eat up.
And one other thing — there’s almost always a line here. But your patience will be rewarded.
Cast Members here, who are from Germany of course, know a thing or two about how to pull from a tap!
We were starved after a morning of Epcot touring. Time to see what’s available!
Eats
The menu here at Sommerfest is small. There are really only two entrees, which are both sausages. There are some desserts as well. And this is another place to get an authentic (and delicious!) Hand-Twisted Pretzel!
The drink menu features soda, water, coffee, tea, and cocoa. There are also some of Germany’s finest alcoholic beverages in which you can indulge! Even though the selection is small, it’s nicely varied. You can choose from Schnapps and Shots, as well as Beer and Wine.
One of these days, I’m going to have that Berentzen Apple again! I hear it’s a great addition to your apple cider in the Fall.
You can also purchase your beer in a Souvenir Mug here.
Since we were limited on luggage room, we opted to have our Beer — the Oktoberfest — in the standard plastic cup. This was a great addition to the meal; not too hoppy, with a caramel-y flavor.
While the menu is small, it’s exactly what you’d want at a German counter service location. I went for the Bratwurst, served on a house-made roll with a side of sauerkraut. (Interestingly, this bratwurst does NOT look like the one I got a couple of years ago. New supplier?)
The Frankfurter is served in similar fashion. These are fantastic! I know they don’t seem fancy, but they are perfect in their simplicity! All they needed was a little mustard to be one of the best quick meals you can get at Epcot. I think the fact that they use those amazing split-top rolls is what really makes the difference here.
Super fun and simple meal. After our sausages, we decided dessert was in order as well. I had tried the Black Forest Roulade last year, and was interested to see that the cake as well took a different shape on this visit, even though the menu still had the roulade listed.
I was very excited to see that the cake in this version is much darker, with a more pronounced chocolate flavor, than the previous version. And held together with thick ribbons of whipped cream ensures that it isn’t dry. The chocolate curls are still there to boost the chocolate flavor and provide a little texture. There’s a smattering of cherry filling, which is good — but there could always be more.
The Cheesecake is unlike any other I’ve tasted. It almost looks like a two-layered napoleon, with a crust both on top and bottom.
It’s not crisp like puff pastry, though, or graham crackery like you’d expect on an American cheesecake. It’s more like a flour-based cake crust.
The cheese filling was lightly sweet and creamy, but felt a little bit gelatinous to me. Not the best “cheesecake” I’ve had, and definitely not what you’re expecting if you’re thinking of a New York Style cheesecake. This one is more of a European version, obviously.
Overall
Sommerfest is exactly what you want it to be. You have all of your German favorites here. (If they added potato pancakes, it would be awesome.) And personally, I think that it’s a pretty good bargain by Disney standards. That sausage and sauerkraut certainly makes for a filling meal. Add a beer and/or dessert, and you’re good to go.
Be sure to pencil in some time to check out this great little counter service stop on your next stop through World Showcase.
Have you been to Sommerfest recently? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
I enjoy the food but I wish that would offer a wider variety of quick and easy popular German foods like lebkuchen (German holiday cookie), curry wurst, spatzle (usually at the food & wine festival…though I have never had one like that in Germany), kartoffle knodel (potato dumplin), onion cake etc
We were visiting over July 4th and they have also added a grapefruit beer to the menu called Schofferhoffer. It was delicious. I assumed it was going to be similar to a summer shandy which I am not crazy about, but was actually quite good. Very refreshing on a summer day.
Hi A.J. – I really like your site. Our family really enjoys both Sommerfest and Biergarten. We have a much different opinion about the Bavarian cheesecake. It is one of our favorite desserts at Disney World. Granted, it is at the opposite end of the cheesecake spectrum from New York style cheesecake. We would describe the filling as having more of a mousse-like quality. That and the type of crust make a nice, subtle, light-textured dessert. It is a nice contrast to the heavier German meal that often accompanies it.
I’ve never eaten here but would love to try a pretzel…and I do have dreams about that bavarian “cheesecake” which looks like what they serve in Biergarten…definitely not traditional cheesecake but I still loved it! The filling was much more pudding like and fluffy.
I lived in Germany in my late teens and have fond memories of the delicious food. For some reason, despite several trips to WDW, I have never been in this place, something I will definitely rectify on my next visit. You absolutely MUST try the Apfel Korn (Berentzen) – it should be served icy cold and is great to settle the stomach after a big meal.
Bratwurst and Sauerkraut. Ja, bitte.
Last time I was in Epcot which was years ago. I had the oder version of Brats and from this new photo it looks different. But the taste of the Bratwurst was perfect with a little mustaur and sauerkraut. Yum. And with a beer! made in heaven.
I can not wait for my trip next year.
This spot is what turned my then boyfriend (now husband) into a Disney lover. I begged him for years to take a trip with me to WDW, and he finally gave in. Day One of our vacation we were at Epcot. He spotted this place, had a beer, and fell in love with all things WDW. The way to a man’s heart is through an adult beverage, apparently :o)
Another great thing about this spot is you can have a little snack and sit on a bench in the courtyard while the kids play the Phineas and Ferb game on the little phones.
What a coincidence, this was where we ate on our last visit to Epcot, about a week ago. We skipped breakfast and, instead, headed to Sommerfest right when it opened at 11 a.m. We even had our pick of tables at that hour. Nothing like a brat and a beer to start your day!
We have enjoyed Biergarten and keep wanting to hit the CS too, but the menu is too limited to satisfy my son. He definitely wouldn’t do saurkraut! It would be great if they offered some German-style potato salad or even chips as an alternative side. And for dessert, we would without question get the strudel. Not too sweet, just right.
I think the cheesecake may be the same as what they serve inside the Biergarten restaurant. I kind of like it. I think I use some dessert sauce from the buffet to jazz it up a little.
AJ I think its time for a best of pretzels tour at Disney World! Please! haha
I want to try their pretzels, if they are genuine soft pretzels, crisp outside and soft inside with a nice amount of salt.
John — here you go! Disney Pretzel Tour
I love this spot for a quick meal. My favorite item here is the apple strudel with the vanilla custard sauce. The strudel is packed with apples, not too sweet and the sauce is perfect. The sauce used to be warm, but now is served cold. It has a touch of nutmeg and tastes a little like eggnog.
Great spot! I travelled last Thanksgiving with my mom and eighty-year-old grandmother (girls trip!!!) We stopped to take a break at this spot. We had root beer (we are such rebels!) and a pretzel. We snacked and watched the Glockenspiel and took in the beautiful Germany Pavilion. My grandmother commented last week that this was one of her favorite memories from that trip! Fun times in EPCOT!
I ate the Black Forest Cake in Germany on Christmas Day 2014. I’me very sensitive to sweetness and this cake wasn’t very sweet. It was mostly flavorless to me. I barley tasted any chocolate and the cream filling was bland. It was ok but not my favorite. Also I ate the currywurst, which I thought was pretty good. The curry tasted like spicy ketchup and once again the potato chips were tasteless. My husband had 2 brats which were really really good. But the brat on the bun was so tiny I almost didn’t see it. It’s very thin compared to the pic you have above. It was mostly bun. The bun was bigger than the brat.
Funny. You comment that the Bavarian Cheesecake isn’t the best in the world, which is just exactly what I DID think it was. I love all kinds of cheesecake but this one is so unique, I loved it and had to get the recipe. Funny, everyone’s tastes are so different but for other readers, don’t discount the cheesecake, it’s amazing!