Just in case you missed it, the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival is happening RIGHT NOW in EPCOT and will run through November 23rd, 2024!

EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

We love the Food and Wine Festival. We were there on the first day. We’ve tried all kinds of new foods and checked out every food booth. We’ve also had a look at all the new merchandise for the festival and even enjoyed the entertainment of the Eat to the Beat concert series. So, you can definitely tell we love the festival. Now, even though we love the Food and Wine Festival, there are some eats and drinks that have got us downright perplexed. I mean who even orders them anyway?! Let’s talk about it!

Let’s just dive right into the four most perplexing festival foods!

Unnecessarily Spicy Yet Extremely Tasty Carolina Reaper Pepper Curry Wings

Alright, let’s start with something that’s a whole lot more of a dare than a meal: the Unnecessarily Spicy Yet Extremely Tasty Carolina Reaper Pepper Curry Wings from the Brew-Wing Lab. Doesn’t that name alone just scream danger?! Well, spicy food lovers, gather ’round, because these wings are no joke.

Unnecessarily Spicy Yet Extremely Tasty Carolina Reaper Pepper Curry Wings

The wings come with a cooling cucumber raita to try and help save your taste buds from the fire (spoiler alert: it doesn’t). They’re priced at $7.75 and are definitely a “try it once” type of deal. Now, we appreciate a good spice challenge, but Disney’s insistence on making wings so spicy that you’ll still feel them two booths down is quite a bold choice. Last year’s version with Scotch Bonnet peppers was plenty fiery, but this year’s Carolina Reaper takes things to a new, sweat-inducing level. It’s not that the flavor is bad, but the intense heat overshadows everything else. Unless you’re a spice warrior, you’ll want to proceed with caution!

Swine Brine

Now, the Swine Brine, from the Flavors From Fire booth, has been confusing (and mildly terrifying) guests for years. It’s a “Frankenstein” concoction of a drink that combines Jim Beam Bourbon, apple cinnamon cider, lemon juice, bone broth, and Dijon mustard! Yes, you read all of that right. Now you can understand the collective cringe.

Swine Brine with Jim Beam Bourbon

Now, here’s the kicker: Some people actually like it (shocking, I know). While most of the team braces themselves for the first sip, there’s at least one brave soul every year who claims it’s not half bad. Specifically this year, one of our reporters felt that the briny, pickle juice taste somehow worked. At the end of the day, it’s one of those drinks you try for the experience, but you may regret it, or, who knows, maybe you’ll love it.

Pickle Milkshake

Nothing says “summer refreshment” like a…Pickle Milkshake? Yeah, we’re just as confused as you are. This drink is exactly what it sounds like — pickles blended with a vanilla milkshake. For $6 at the Brew-Wing Lab, you can have a laugh at your friends’ expense or see if you’re one of the few people who can handle this odd combo.

Pickle Milk Shake

The flavor? Imagine taking a bite of a crunchy dill pickle, then immediately sipping a vanilla shake. It’s, shall we say, different. But hey, some people love it, and it keeps coming back year after year. I guess there’s a thrill to trying something so out of left field. Do we recommend it? Only if you’re feeling adventurous or you just really love pickles.

Italian-Style “Nachos”

Last but not least, we have the Italian-Style Nachos. Now, on paper they don’t sound all that bad. Homemade beef ragoût, pasta chips, tomato sauce, and dried ricotta cheese sound like it could be interesting, right? Unfortunately, the execution is just a bit odd.

Italian-style “Nachos”

The beef tastes fine but lacks that wow factor, and while the pasta chips are crunchy (we’ll give them that), the rest of the dish feels like a mismatch of textures. The tomato sauce and dried ricotta are forgettable. Overall it isn’t inedible, but for $9.25, it leaves you wondering why you didn’t just grab a classic plate of nachos instead. These might be a hard pass unless you’re really craving pasta in chip form.

The EPCOT Food & Wine Festival

Those are just a couple of the ones we found most perplexing, and now we’d love to find out yours! Until then, keep it right here at DFB for more.

EVERYTHING You Need to Eat and Drink at the 2024 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival

IT'S WINE & DINE TIME!

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Food & Wine Festival can be a bummer. You stand in line waiting for what looks like the perfect treat, and it's a bust. But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE EPCOT Food & Wine Festival experience.

If you're planning a day or a week at the festival, we've got every performance, activity, and tasty nosh detailed out so you can make the most of your time and money. Listen, it's a tough job eating and documenting the nearly 200 bites and sips, but we do it all for YOU!

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Learn More About the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival!

Food and Wine Festival 101
Eat to the Beat Concert Updates
EPCOT Food and Wine Festival - Fans Facebook Page
Wine and Dine Half Marathon Details
Get More Updates, Tips, and Tricks to Help You Conquer the Food & Wine Festival

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Have you been to the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival this year? What was your favorite/least favorite eat? Let us know in the comments!