Buone vacanze! For those of you who don’t speak Italian, that means “Happy Holidays!”
We’re at the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays, and it’s time to head to the Italy pavilion! We’ll be checking out every single booth at the festival, all of the entertainment (including the Candlelight Processional), and more. But now, it’s time to try the Tuscany Holiday Kitchen! This booth has been hit or miss in the past, but can the Italian booth pull through this year? We’re about to find out!
Menu
Over at the Tuscany Holiday Kitchen, you’ll find an all-new menu this year. Along with these new items, you can find a variety of wine and other drinks to sip on while you dine.
Now that we’ve taken a look at the menu, let’s dive into the food itself!
Eats
First up, we grabbed the new Montanara. This one is made of fried house-made pizza dough with Pomodoro sauce, parmesan, and fresh basil for $9.
Warm, cheesy dough balls. Need we say more? These had a nice flavor and a soft and doughy texture. The marinara was bright and vibrant and made the ideal topping for a warm ball of fried pizza dough, while the parmesan was great, if not a tad sharp.
But really, we have to get real for a second. Are you willing to pay $9 for four pieces of fried dough? For what you’re getting here, we felt that these were a little too expensive. These were nice and had a great flavor, but it’s hard to justify the price.
So, here's what's new at Tuscany Holiday Kitchen! 🎄
⭐️ Montanara: Fried house-made pizza dough with pomodoro sauce, parmesan, and fresh basil
⭐️ Farfalle Salmone Affumicato
⭐️ Torta Caprese: Flourless chocolate torta with chocolate sauce and vanilla cream
⭐️ Dolce Pizza pic.twitter.com/hawGjlXvP9— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 24, 2023
We liked the flavors of this dish, but this pasta isn’t winning any major awards in our book. The pasta was cooked al dente, which we liked, but unfortunately, if you don’t eat this quickly, the sauce starts to thicken quite a bit. We tasted a mild salmon flavor, but this was an average pasta dish for that $10 price tag.
Then, it was time for some sweets! We grabbed the Torta Caprese for $8.50. This treat is a flourless chocolate torta with chocolate sauce and vanilla cream.
Tuscany might redeem itself here! This is a chocolate lover’s dream. It is so dense and decadent, rich and creamy. Seriously, it was SO CHOCOLATEY. The vanilla cream is soft and light, complementing the dense cake nicely. The chocolate sauce was juuuuust sweet enough without tasting like a kid’s treat. The whole thing was decadent without being overly sweet, which is a hard balance to strike.
And finally, we tried a dessert made with fried house-made pizza dough with sugar and cinnamon called the Dolce Pizza! This one will cost you $7.50.
Ooh — this one reminded us of Zeppole. The dough, similar to the Montanara, seemed like good-quality dough, and they were fried to a nice golden brown color with the perfect crisp-yet soft texture. If you love cinnamon sugar and sweet fried dough, TRY THIS. But again, they’re pretty expensive for what they are, so we can’t really say that these are a good value.
We’re thirsty from all this talk about food. Here are the drinks you can get!
Drinks
To drink, you can find a variety of alcoholic beverages — none are new in 2023. Grab the basics like Prosecco for $11.50, and Moscato for $12. You’ll also find a Chianti for $11, and Italian Sangria Red or White for $12.
There’s also an Italian Margarita with tequila and limoncello for $12, which has been a BEST of the Fest pick for us in the past. The drink is usually incredibly refreshing, which we love; however, it is VERY tart. If that’s not your jam, you may want to skip it.
Finally, you can buy a Peroni Pilsner here for $6.50.
OVERALL
Was this the best booth we’ve ever visited? No. Was it the worst booth we’ve ever visited? No. The sweet treats were the real winners here; we ADORED that Torta Caprese. But overall, the menu items here felt a little overpriced for the portion sizes. You can get a better bang for your buck elsewhere at the festival, so if you’re working with a limited budget, you might be better off somewhere else. The food booths at the Italy Pavilion are notoriously hit-or-miss, and this year is no exception.
Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY. SINGLE. BOOTH. at the Festival of the Holidays!
Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays? We’ve got you covered! We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest — check out some more resources below.
- Learn about the Candlelight Processional and Dining Packages
- Check out ALL of the 2023 Festival of the Holidays booth Menus
- Follow along with us at this year’s Festival of the Holidays event
- See our review for the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays Joffrey’s Cold Brew
Don’t forget! You can pick up our 2023 DFB Guide to the Holidays at Disney World! Find out more about the book below.
DON'T MISS A MOMENT
OF HOLIDAY MAGIC
Holidays at Disney World: DFB's Merriest Guide is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help you get the most out of your holiday vacation at Walt Disney World.
It includes all the must-have information for navigating the holiday season at Disney World, including:
- The COMPLETE schedule of events for the Holiday Season
- How to avoid the crowds on Disney World's busiest days (and when Disney World closes their parks due to capacity!)
- ALL of the events, activities, and holiday additions in Walt Disney World. ALL. OF. THEM.
- And, of course, we'll tell you where to eat!
Save 20% on the Holidays at Disney World: DFB's Merriest Guide with code PEPPERMINT.
MORE Disney World Holiday INFO!
Learn About Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Get the Latest Information About the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays
Get All the Details About Disney Jollywood Nights
Everything You Need to Know About Disney World Holiday Dining and Events
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the latest holiday news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
What do you think of the Tuscany booth? Tell us in the comments!
TRENDING NOW