The 2020 Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival is upon us! We’ve got an extra-long festival season in store this year to take in the sights, sounds, and TASTES of this new hybrid EPCOT festival!

No surprise here, but we’re most concerned with the TASTES! This year, the festival features 20 Festival Marketplaces, each with a menu full of specialty eats and drinks. We’ve eaten our way around the World (Showcase) and back again — and we have some thoughts.

We know how hard it can be to decide what to eat when you’re headed to an EPCOT fest! With that in mind, we’ve eaten our way through ALL of the options at the 20 marketplaces AND additional locations to bring you the absolute best of the best. Not to come across as pushy, but we think there are just some snacks you just NEED to try at Taste of EPCOT Food & Wine! 

Hold on to your hats, folks! Without further ado, here’s the Best of the Fest for the 2020 Taste of EPCOT Food & Wine Festival! 

Click here to see PICS of EVERY SINGLE menu item at Food & Wine!

Schinkennudeln at Germany

Aside from bratwurst and beer, Germany was serving up another festival staple — the Schinkennudeln! It’s not much of a looker and has a bit of a funny name to say, but trust us on this one! We’ve been Schinkennudeln-ing for many ‘a year!

For $4.25, you’ll receive this massive brick of pasta gratin with ham, onions, and cheese. It’s basically the cornerstone of our Food and Wine Festival diet at EPCOT. Since it’s so densely rich and cheesy, we suggest enlisting the help of a friend or family member so you can divide and conquer the Schinkennudeln together!

Get our full review of Germany booth’s food and beverages here!

Mimosas at Shimmering Sips Mimosa Bar 

We were super excited to see Shimmering Sips Mimosa Bar made the cut the year — not only are their drinks super pretty, but they’re pretty delicious too! And did you know their Tropical Mimosa is made with Passion Fruit, Orange, and Guava juices? It’s a literal POG Mimosa!

But you really can’t go wrong with any of their Mimosas! We highly recommend sampling their Key Lime Mimosa with Key Lime Sparkling Wine and Cranberry Juice as well as their Blood Orange Mimosa with Sparkling Wine and Blood Orange Juice! All their Mimosas cost $6 each, no matter which flavor you get!

Check out our complete review of everything on the menu at Shimmering Sips HERE!

Freshly Baked Carrot Cake at Hops and Barley

We always hope Food and Wine Festival will bring back this classic Freshly Baked Carrot Cake which comes smothered in Cream Cheese Icing — and yup! It’s affirmative! The Freshly Baked Carrot Cake has returned once again!

Since its served warm the icing just sorta waterfalls off the sides! For $4.25, this dessert is easily sharable. The freshly grated carrot and perfectly balanced spices really make this cake a delightful bite! Just make sure you grab plenty of napkins for clean up with afterwards.

Click here for our full review of the Hops and Barley food booth!

Canard Confit à l’Orange at France

Fans of EPCOT’s Flower and Garden food booth Fleur de Lys should start quacking their way over to France! The Canard Confit à l’Orange has returned for Food and Wine time!

The Braised Duck Confit à l’Orange is super tender and juicy, served over a warm bed of mashed sweet potatoes. We’re drooling just thinking about it! Pick up this delight for $6.25.

Tarte aux Oignons Caramelises et Chévre at France

This goat cheese tart has stacks upon STACKS of super flaky crust! Plus the caramelized onions bring such a nice flavor and texture to this gorgeous square of deliciousness. Do NOT pass this one up!

See what other goodies France is serving up here!

Kalua Pork Slider at Hawai’i

ALOHA! We’re doing the hula dance now that we’ve had our first of MANY Kalua Pork Sliders of the Festival!

For $5.25, you’ll get one of these pulled-porky bad boys served with a sweet-and-sour DOLE pineapple chutney and spicy mayonnaise. This has basically become a festival essential since it was first introduced and for good reason. It’s that sweet and spicy combo that always keeps us coming back for more.

Aulani Sunrise at Hawai’i

And to wash down our Kalua Pork Sliders there’s a brand new beverage option at the Hawai’i booth. It’s called the Aulani Sunrise in homage to Disney’s Hawaiian resort! Boy, we could use a little island getaway right about now!

The Aulani Sunrise is made with vodka, DOLE Pineapple Juice, and grenadine and costs $14. This drink was definitely sweet, but not too overpowering, plus it’s served in a really cool-looking tiki cup that you get to keep! We’re never one to turn down a souvenir cup, especially when it’s this fun!

Read our full review of the Hawai’i food booth here!

Liquid Nitro Chocolate Cake Pops at Desserts and Champagne

Don’t let its rather grown-up sounding name fool you — Desserts and Champagne has one of the most kid-friendly festival offerings we’ve found! But adults will really get a kick out of these Liquid Nitro Chocolate Cake Pops as well!

You can get them with crumbles of Twix Chocolate Bars, M&Ms, or just plain for $4 each! Nothing says festival like food on a STICK! Plus, mom and dad can sip some bubbly in between stealing bites of their kids’ treats! Food and Wine is fun for the whole family! 🙂

Check out our full review of the Desserts and Champagne food booth here!

Pork Tostada at Mexico

Mexico is usually one of our favorite booths at Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival and their Pork Tostada for $6.75 was our favorite dish this year! That means you probably don’t want to skip this one! It’s just so tasty!

The fried corn tortilla had a nice crispiness to it while the roasted pork was melt-in-your-mouth tender! It’s served street-style with chipotle black beans, fresh salsa verde, onions, and cilantro. If you inherited the soapy-cilantro flavor tastebuds you might want to ask for yours sans cilantro, but otherwise, this was a slam dunk!

Clásica Margarita at Mexico

And for us, it’s a crime to eat tacos without a margarita! Luckily, Mexico has a couple of different options to choose from depending on how smoky you like to go. We preferred their Clásica Margarita for $10.75 made with tequila, Chile Poblano Liqueur, lime juice, and agave nectar with a salt rim.

It’s crisp, clean, and pretty straight-forward with a slight spice to it from the chile-poblano liqueur. If you’re not a fan of salted rims, you can ask for it without. And if you’re more into Mezcal margs, give their Mango Smoky Margarita. For our palettes, the classic margarita went down better!

We went a little loco at Mexico’s food booth this year! Check out our full review here!

Frothy Ramen at Japan

Frothy Ramen has reappeared this year at Japan’s booth. This offering costs $6.25 and features Chilled Noodles served in a Dashi Broth topped with an Egg White Froth.

Frothy Ramen was brand new last year and folks either really liked it, or not so much! It’s definitely skews more adventurous but this thing is seriously SO GOOD. There’s a reason it made our Best of the Fest last year AND this year as well!

Furano Martini at Japan

One of our favorite Hanami Flower and Garden cocktails has also returned. We first laid lips on the Furano Martini last March and it was LOVE at first sip!

It’s made with vodka, lavender syrup, and yuzu juice, and for $7.50 we were wowed by how complex this drink tasted. It’s not TOO overwhelmingly floral, but that flowery taste is very much there. We happen to think it was really complex and fun!

Click here to read our review of Japan’s eats and drinks!

Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese at Mac and Cheese, Hosted by Boursin

Heaven must have FINALLY heard our call! We’ve been hoping for more ways to cram mac and cheese into our mouths and this year there’s a brand new food booth dedicated to doing exactly THAT! A whole booth of mac and cheese!! This Gourmet Macaroni & Cheese served with Boursin garlic and fine herbs cheese sauce and topped with herbed panko for $4.50 was one of the BEST by far!

Maybe it’s because it came with a giant GLOB of Boursin cheese as a SIDE? Could it have been that? Yeah, probably! 😉

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese at Mac and Cheese, Hosted by Boursin

And if you’re wanting to spice your mac and cheese routine up, go for the Buffalo Chicken Macaroni & Cheese for $5.50.

This one’s a little more complex and it’s made with Boursin garlic and fine herbs cheese sauce topped with carrots, celery, and blue cheese crumbles. While we could’ve used a lot more buffalo sauce, it was still super yummy!

Read our full review of the Mac and Cheese booth’s cheesy offerings here!

Parish Brewing Co. Ghost in the Machine Double IPA at Appleseed Orchard

And we gotta mention one of our favorite festival BREWS! Appleseed Orchard is back for its second year and has brought back their Ghost in the Machine Double IPA! 6oz. glasses are $4.50 while 12oz. glasses cost $8.50.

Unfortunately, none of the booths are doing beer flights this year, so we wanted you to know which beers we liked BEST! If you’re into IPAs, definitely give this one a try!

Check out our full review of Appleseed Orchard here!

Collective Arts Brewing Blackberry Fruit Beer at Canada

Another beer we’re BIG fans of this year is the Collective Arts Brewing Blackberry Fruit Beer! If you’re into hard ciders or fruiter beers, give it a shot!

It has a sweet, tart finish and comes in two sizes — a 6 oz. cup will cost ya $4.50 while a 12 oz. cup goes for $8.50.

Canadian Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Soup Served with a Pretzel Roll at Canada

And since we’re in this neck of the woods, we have to get our beloved Canadian Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Soup at the Canada booth for $5.25. At least, that’s how strongly we feel about the Cheddar Cheese Soup at Le Cellier in the Canada Pavilion.

This soup has been at the festival seemingly FOREVER (ok, not THAT long, but it’s VERY popular!). We love this cheddar soup so much, we’d marry it if we could! The pretzel roll can be the ring bearer.

Click here to see everything the Canada Booth is cooking up!

Crispy Citrus Chicken with Orange Aïoli and Baby Greens at Citrus Blossom

An entire food booth from Flower and Garden has sprouted back up at the Taste of EPCOT Food and Wine and it’s brought a bunch of its Orange buddies back with it! You won’t want to miss some of its best of the fest eats from the Spring, like the Crispy Citrus Chicken with Orange Aïoli and Baby Greens for $5.75

It’s a gluten-free offering, which sometimes translates to “sog fest” when it comes to breading, but the crunch factor is THERE! Plus the fresh baby greens and zingy aïoli make for the perfect bite when you mix them all together!

Orange Cream Shake in a Souvenir Orange Bird Sipper Cup at Citrus Blossom

And look who’s also RSVPed to A Taste of EPCOT’s par-tay! It’s the one and only Orange Bird Sipper! He’s back again and he’s still filled with the yummy non-alcoholic Orange Cream Shake! Take this little cutie home with you for $15.00!

We’ve also seen the Spike the Bee Sipper buzzing around the Food and Wine Festival too (find him over at the Refreshment Outpost!), although Honey-Peach Freeze drink he came with back in March has flown away in exchange for a frozen Coke or Minute Maid slushy.

Read our full review of Citrus Blossom here!

Piri Piri Skewered Shrimp at Africa

One look at this dish had our mouths watering. After all, Africa is a booth KNOWN for bringing the flavor. The Piri Piri Skewered Shrimp was NO EXCEPTION. This dish was a perfect blend of spices with a surprising and delicious flavor profile to boot.

You can try the Shrimp Skewers for $6.75 and trust us, you’re gonna want to give it a shot. Plus, with a portion size this HUGE, it just might be the ONLY thing you’d need to eat at the festival — or you can share it!

Click here for our FULL REVIEW of the Africa Booth!

Beef Kefta Pocket from Morocco

Speaking of flavor, this pick is a BIG WINNER for us. The Beef Kefta Pocket from Morocco for $9 was honestly the BOMB. When you snag this festival favorite, get ready for another SUPER filling portion and a flavor explosion.

We couldn’t stop eating this. It had a lot more flavor than we’ve come to expect from most festival items with a little bit of heat and a whole lot of spice. We will note that ours was just the tiniest bit dry, so your mileage may vary. Still, those flavors made it WORTH IT.

Click here for our FULL REVIEW of the Morocco booth!

Additional Locations

Street Corn Funnel Cake at Funnel Cakes

Listen, we NEVER would have thought to throw corn, cheese, cilantro, and crema on a funnel cake — but we are SO GLAD someone did! The Street Corn Funnel Cake from the Funnel Cake stand was almost immediately crowned one of our Best of the Fest contenders seconds after taking a bite, and we stand by that decision.

The flavors of this dish melded in a way that was totally unexpected and the texture of the funnel cake was just the right mix of soft and crisp. Seriously, the first word that comes to mind when we think about this dish is GREAT. You can give it a try for $9!

For our FULL REVIEW of the Street Corn Funnel Cake!

Tropical Breeze from Joffrey’s in The American Adventure Pavilion

This drink costs $11.99 and it’s the perfect palette cleanser after a long day of eating! We first tried it at Flower and Garden (along with the other three specialty cocktails that are scattered throughout the parks at the various Joffrey’s locations)!

The Tropical Breeze was still our top pick, though! This slushy is made with lemon, coconut syrup, and pineapple rum! If you need some refreshment, seek this one out!

Click here to see our review of ALL the Joffrey’s specialty drinks!

Traditional Poutine at Refreshment Port

Last year, Refreshment Port was offering a Poutine topped with Beef Brisket or Duck Confit. Well, those may be gone, but the Traditional Poutine is still available for $7.50! Just LOOK at this gorgeous gravy dream BOAT!

Click here to read our full review of the Refreshment Port!

The french fries are crisp and salty while the beef gravy is super-rich and flavorful. Plus it’s topped with delicious cheese curds have just the right squeak to ’em– you cheese curd lovers will know what we’re talking about! The other poutines last year were really good, but if we could only have one back this year, we’re glad it’s the classic version!

BEST Booth of the FEST

We’re going to take things one step further and give you our picks for the BEST of the booths at the fest. If you only have time to swing by a couple of spots, we think they should be THESE!

France 

Not much has changed on the menu in France since this food booth decided to bring back most of its 2020 Flower and Garden Festival offerings for the Taste of EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival. Not that we mind it one bit!

France was a close best of the fest runner-up for best food booth back in March behind Japan, and since Japan has switched up its festival offerings a bit, we’re tipping the scales in favor of France. We already have two picks on the Best of the Fest list from this booth, and that was being picky and leaving off other favorites like the La Vie En Rose Slushy! It really has some incredible items that we didn’t realize how much we’d missed them until we got to have them again!

Click here to read our full review of France’s booth!

Runners-Up for Best Booth of the Fest

Hawai’i 

We definitely know why Hawai’i was one of the first food booths Disney told us would be returning this year — it’s a fan favorite and even better this year thanks to the Aulani Sunrise!

But you really can’t go wrong with ANYTHING on the menu here — especially if you make the Kalua Pork Slider a sidekick to whatever else you’re ordering. Oh yea, did we mention they have a delicious Teriyaki-Glazed SPAM Hash, pineapple beer, AND pineapple wine TOO?

Click here to see everything at the Hawai’i Booth

Mexico

And once again, Mexico can do no wrong when it comes to EPCOT festival eats.

You can choose from two stellar margs and two delicious taco and tostada options along with a delightful sangria and Mexican beer. From its beautiful drinks to its packed-with-flavor eats, we often start and end our trek around the World Showcase at Mexico.

Click here to see why we love the Mexico Booth!

Mac and Cheese, Hosted by Boursin

It would be a little off-brand for us not to give Mac and Cheese some props since this booth was practically MADE for us cheese and carb lovers! There are still a few kinks to work out, but we’ll never turn our noses up at a menu that consists of nothing but mac and CHEESE!

They also have a few beverages that didn’t let us down either. So between mac and cheese and wine, we’ve got all our basic food groups covered with this new food booth!

Click here to see all the cheesy goodness happening at the Mac and Cheese Booth!

Best of the Fest for Kids

Tempura Donburi at Japan

The new Tempura Donburi for $8 is brand new this year and features two pieces of crispy Tempura Shrimp and Kakiage (Vegetable Tempura) served with a Tentsuyu Dipping Sauce over Sushi Rice! This one had great texture and flavor — if your kiddos love popcorn shrimp, this would be a really cool way to introduce them to Japan’s cuisine! (Note: The Tempura Donburi at Japan has recently been removed from the menu. We’ll be sure to keep you updated if we see it pop up again!)

And since the portion size HUGE, us adults can help them polish it off! Who knows — maybe they’ll start requesting Donbori bowls for dinner when we get home instead of chicken nuggies ALL the time!

Instagram Winner

Bleu Spectrum at Wine and Dine Featuring Festival Favorites

Last but not least, you’ll need to know which item to post on social! The Blue Spectrum first debuted at Light Lab and now it’s BACK!

Flavor-wise, you’ll find this drink just tastes like champagne with some boba pearls mixed in, but once it’s poured you can watch the beads float around in the Blanc de Bleu Cuvée Mousseux! It’s a beautiful show for $9!

Find this blue stunner over at the Wine and Dine Festival Favorites Booth in World Showplace!

Click here for our review of the Festival Favorites Booth!

Phew! It just might be time for a food-fueled nap! We love us an EPCOT festival and, despite the modifications, the Taste of EPCOT Food & Wine Festival did not let us down! The best part? This festival is sticking around for a few more months so we’ll have plenty of chances to grab seconds (and thirds!) of all our favorites. Grab your free DFB printable of all the booths and get munching!

Click here for ALL of the UPDATED details on Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Fest!

What would you most like to try at the 2020 Taste of EPCOT Food & Wine Festival? Let us know in the comments!