The 2022 EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival has officially started, so we’re checking it all out and sharing our thoughts.

We’ve already had a sneak peek of the booths that we’ll be getting this year, plus the menus at each of the booths, and everything new coming to the festival! Plus, the Eat to the Beat Concert Series is once again returning to the America Gardens Theater. Now, we’re heading to the China Booth to let you know what you absolutely MUST get, or what you could probably skip.

Menu

At the China Booth, you’ll find a variety of items. We’ve got one returning food item plus two new ones, and two new drinks! The Pan-fried Chicken Dumplings are returning, and new this year are the Dandan Noodles and the Mongolian Beef Bao Bun. Here’s a look at the menu:

So which items at this booth are worth grabbing? Let’s find out!

Eats

First up are the returning Pan-fried Chicken Dumplings with house-made sweet-and-spicy sauce. We tried these at the festival last year and thought they were really good. They were cooked perfectly and the sauce had just the right amount of flavor.

This year, you can grab them for $5. These were fine, but nothing too exciting. The chicken was tender and there was a nice sweet soy flavor that you’d expect from the sauce. At the end of the day, though, they just tasted like frozen dumplings you could cook at home.

Next up, we had the Mongolian Beef Bao Bun with onion. We tried this item during the Taste of the Food and Wine Festival in 2020 and thought it was great and the beef was very flavorful. This year was no different!

When we tried it this time, we thought the meat was incredibly tender and wasn’t hard to bite into. There was a mild soy flavor, but we wish there was a little more sauce happening here. The bao bun was perfectly squishy and had great flavor too! You can grab the Mongolian Beef Bao Bun for $7.25. We may or may not already be back in line for more…

And the last food item we grabbed was the Dandan Noodles, which have spicy pork with Sichuan sauce, peanut butter, sesame, and green onion.

This was a new dish, and we were really hopeful about it — but it was a swing and a miss for us. The meat had a grainy texture that was not pleasant, and the noodles were just a little too spicy to be eating on a hot day. We also really didn’t get any sort of Asian flavor profile from this dish — overall, we wouldn’t get this one again.

The Dandan Noodles are $8.25. 

Drinks

Two of the drinks on the menu this year are returning. We’ve had the ByeJoe Punch (Chinese baijiu spirit, piña colada mix, and lychee) before, as well as the Jasmine Draft Beer, which makes appearances at other festivals.

New to this festival is the Passion Fruit Bubble Tea, a non-alcoholic tea beverage that is $7.25. We thought this drink was alright — the tea itself was light and refreshing but not overly flavorful. As for the boba, it sort of congealed into a slimy mess and made the drink pretty unpleasant. You might need to be FAST to get the full effects of this one.

Now for some alcoholic drinks! We tried the Good Fortune Citrus which is Triple sec, grapefruit, and white boba. This was super light and flavorful! There was a bright, citrus taste that was quite refreshing. There was some pulp from the grapefruit juice, and it made for an interesting texture. If you want to try the Good Fortune Citrus, it will cost you $12.

And finally, we tried the Fireworks drink, which is Jose Cuervo Gold Tequila, Smirnoff Vodka, orange, and mango for $14. 

If you’re looking for a boozy beverage — this is it! Despite having both orange and mango flavors in our drink (which are typically pretty sweet), all we could taste were tequila and vodka. Not quite as refreshing as we had hoped!

Overall

Overall, there are some items definitely worth checking out at this booth. In past years, it’s been a solid option with food that was good but didn’t necessarily wow. If you’re looking for some solid Chinese staples like dumplings and bao buns, you can’t go wrong here — but we think you might be better off grabbing drinks from a different booth.

Follow Along as We Explore the 2022 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival!

Heading to the Food and Wine Festival this year? If you’re not sure where to begin, you’ve come to the right place! Click here if you want to take a look at all of the food booths available at the festival this year, and click here to see all of the new food items available at the festival this year!

Click here to check out our insider tips for the festival, and the 7 truths you need to know about the Food and Wine Festival. And make sure to stay tuned to DFB for more Food and Wine Festival reviews!

Click here to see our reviews for EVERY EPCOT Food and Wine Festival booth!

What items from this booth would you most want to try? Tell us in the comments!