Opening Bites

Location: CommuniCore Plaza

• Soft Shell Crab Slider: Green papaya slaw and mango ketchup on a sweet roll – $7.49
• Enchanted Rose: Dark chocolate mousse rose – $6.49
• Crooked Can Brewing Company Fantasia Fusion IPA – $6 for 6 oz., $9.75 for 12 oz.
• von Trapp Brewing Bohemian Pilsner – $6 for 6 oz., $9.75 for 12 oz.
• 🆕Southern Tier Brewing Co. Caramel Cookie Bar Imperial Stout – $6 for 6 oz., $9.75 for 12 oz.
• Beer Flight – $12.75
• Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve Champagne – $12

Soft Shell Crab Slider – $7.49

Although we reviewed this item at last year’s festival, this year it now served on a sweet roll instead of a brioche roll. The crab is decent with a little bit of spice. This is way better than last year with a tangy flavor from the slaw. The brioche roll is also an improvement.

Rating out of 7: 6

Enchanted Rose – $6.49

This year, the dessert has dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. However, we could not tell a difference. It has bitterness, but we definitely think it is milk chocolate. this dish is still not good. The presentation is great, though.

Rating out of 7: 2

Connections Eatery

• 🆕BBQ Chicken Pizza: Two slices of freshly baked pizza topped with smoked chicken, sweet barbecue sauce, cheese blend, peppers, and red onions – $12.29
• 🆕Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich: Spicy hand-breaded chicken, roasted garlic aïoli, and southern slaw on a toasted brioche bun – $13.19
• 🆕Classic Mojito with mint foam – $16.50

BBQ Chicken Pizza – $12.29

Our first thought was “that’s okay.” The slices are very thin, and the peppers are a nice touch. The cheese was decent. Overall, this is just an average slice of pizza that might be a good choice for pickier eaters.

Rating out of 7: 4

Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich – $13.19

This was hard to cut into, but you may not need to share it with anyone else. There is actually some spice to this, the chicken is thick-cut, and the slaw is crunchy. Despite the nice spice and buttery bun, something felt off about the quality of the chicken patty.

Rating out of 7: 2

Classic Mojito – $16.50

This is very good. The mint foam adds some great flavor, and the drink itself is strong enough that you can taste the liquor. Even if you do not typically like mojitos, we think that you will enjoy this refreshing take on the drink. We would get this again.

Rating out of 7: 7

The Deconstructed Dish

Location: Near Test Track

• Deconstructed BLT: Pork belly, soft-poached egg, onion bread pudding, watercress espuma, and tomato jam – $7.29
• 🆕Deconstructed Key Lime Pie: Key lime curd, key lime gelée, toasted meringue, and graham cracker crumbs with waffle cone triangles – $5.29
• Deconstructed Strawberry Mint Julep: Frozen mint and simple syrup blended with strawberry purée (Non-alcoholic beverage) – $4.79
• Wicked Weed Brewing Blank Canvas Wheat Ale – $6 for 6 oz., $9.75 for 12 oz.
• Deconstructed Strawberry Mint Julep: Frozen mint and simple syrup blended with strawberry purée with Old Forester 86 Bourbon – $12.25

Deconstructed BLT – $7.29

The pork belly is very tough to cut. It also has mustard seeds on it. It’s very dry, crunchy, and unmarinated, making it the weakest part of the dish. The onion bread pudding is delicious and you get a good amount of that onion flavor throughout the whole thing. It’s nice and soft on the inside, but has a slight crispiness on the outside. The egg was cooked well and perfectly runny. The rest of the dish was delicious, but the pork belly was overcooked, which proved distracting from the rest of the dish

Rating out of 7: 5

Deconstructed Key Lime Pie – $5.29

This is very good. We prefer the old version, and there needs to be more waffle cone chips. However, the key lime tart flavor is still very good. It is a solid offering.

Rating out of 7: 5

Deconstructed Strawberry Mint Julep – $4.79

Upon the first sip, without squeezing in the strawberry syrup from the pipette, the initial flavor that stands out is pure, overwhelming mint. After adding the strawberry, the beverage changes to something overwhelmingly sweet. This one is a pass for us.

Rating out of 7: 2

Wicked Weed Brewing Blank Canvas Wheat Ale – $6 for 6 oz., $9.75 for 12 oz.

From correspondence with Wicked Weed Brewing, this beer is “hazy white, with a white head… Blank Canvas is a Belgian inspired Wit beer brewed with coriander, chamomile, orange peel, and grapefruit. Malted wheat gives this beer its distinct mouthfeel and smoothness.”

Deconstructed Strawberry Mint Julep with Bourbon – $12.25

The added bourbon makes this mint julep better and more authentic than its non-alcoholic version, though we still find it to be a bit too syrupy-sweet.

Rating out of 7: 4

Figment’s Inspiration Station at The Odyssey

Location: The Odyssey

• 🆕Popcorn, Popcorn Chicken and Waffles with rainbow popcorn, popcorn chicken, mini mozzarella, and maple syrup – $6.79
• 🆕Figment Fantasy Cake: Sponge cake filled with strawberry whipped cream topped with a white chocolate ganache, orange icing, and white chocolate Figment wings – $5.79
• 🆕Color Scheme Cake: Fruit-flavored rainbow-hued cake topped with SKITTLES POP’d Sour and Original Freeze Dried Candy – $5.29
• 🆕Figment Artist Bucket with Rainbow Popcorn (Available while supplies last via mobile order only, limit two per person, per transaction) – $29
• Figment Imagination Lemonade: Simply Lemonade with choice of flavor (Non-alcoholic beverage) – $5.29
• 3 Daughters Brewing Black Cherry Hard Cider – $6 for 6 oz., $9.75 for 12 oz.
• 🆕3 Daughters Brewing Orange Cream Hard Cider – $6 for 6 oz., $9.75 for 12 oz.
• 🆕3 Daughters Brewing Strawberry Banana Hard Cider – $6 for 6 oz., $9.75 for 12 oz.
• Hard Cider Flight – $12.75
• 🆕Brouwerij Huyghe Floris Cactus Belgian Wheat Ale  – $6 for 6 oz., $9.75 for 12 oz.
• 🆕Playalinda Brewing Co. Port of Blue Stout – $6 for 6 oz., $9.75 for 12 oz.
• 🆕The Bruery Enticing Boysenberry Sour Blonde Ale – $6 for 6 oz., $9.75 for 12 oz.
• Beer Flight – $12.75

Popcorn, Popcorn Chicken and Waffles – $6.79

The presentation is great on this, but it is hard to eat. We suggest grabbing a plate or opening it on some napkins to get everything in one bite. We only received one piece of mini mozzarella, but we actually enjoyed this. There aren’t a ton of stand-out flavors, but ultimately this is a crowd-pleasing unique offering that kids will love.

Rating out of 7: 5

Figment Fantasy Cake – $5.79

This was fine. We wish it were slightly softer, but the orange icing was tasty. It is great for pictures, though!

Rating out of 7: 4

Color Scheme Cake – $5.29

We enjoyed this. The cake was not super flavorful, but it was soft and moist. Again, the orange icing is a great addition. If you get a little of it with each bite, it is a solid offering. The Skittles are also a nice addition.

Rating out of 7: 5

Figment Imagination Lemonade – $5

This offering is unique in that the base is regular lemonade and then you choose from one of eight flavor options to create your beverage. The flavor options are blue raspberry, strawberry, toasted marshmallow, lavender, chipotle pineapple, cupcake, South Seas blend (mango, guava, and ginger), and hickory smoke.

We chose toasted marshmallow. The flavor comes in strong but it’s so good. We wish it had an alcohol option because it would be an amazing cocktail. The tart lemonade is there but the flavoring tastes like you actually bit into a toasted marshmallow.

Rating out of 7: 7

La Cava Del Tequila

La ArtGarita – $21

Made with LALO blanco high-proof tequila, honeydew liqueur, coconut extract, and fresh lime juice. Topped with cold foam cream and watermelon-cherry salt

The La Artgarita is available at La Cava del Tequila in the Mexico Pavilion. It’s a limited-edition drink, likely available through the end of the Festival of the Arts on February 23. Be sure to use the secret code “Dom sent me” to grab it! It comes in a souvenir cup.

This is a pretty strong offering. It might be too much for some people, but it is tasty. We would not suggest it for those wanting to have a mild drinking day at EPCOT, but we did really like it.

Rating out of 7: 6

El Artista Hambriento

Location: Mexico

• 🆕Chile Relleno Taco: Flour tortilla filled with seared beef tenderloin, poblano pepper, black beans, and salsa roja  – $8.75
• 🆕Tostada de Cangrejo: Crispy corn tortilla topped with guacamole, lump crab, mango, crispy onions, and hot sauce – $9.50
• 🆕Passion Fruit Paleta: Tropical passion fruit ice pop filled with sweetened condensed milk and topped with chili-lime seasoning – $6.50
• Mexican Craft Beer – $6.25 for 6 oz., $11.25 for 12 oz.
• 🆕Matcharita: Contraluz Reposado Cristalino Tequila, matcha tea, strawberry liqueur, and sweet cream – $15.75
• 🆕Pear-fect Margarita: Calenda Mezcal Joven, prickly pear purée, passion fruit purée, and LeJay Crème de Cassis with a potpourri salt rim – $16.75

Chile Relleno Taco – $8.75

The pepper is the most flavorful part of this dish. Both the tortilla and beef are chewy (not in a good way). It was almost if we could not decipher between the two. Overall, for Mexico booth dish, this was disappointing and not worth the cost.

Rating out of 7: 2

Tostada de Cangrejo – $9.50

This was like night and day compared to the taco. All of the flavors work well together. The crab is delicious and not too fishy. The hot sauce also added a nice spice without being too hot.

Rating out of 7: 6

Passion Fruit Paleta – $6.50

This is at the wrong festival. It belongs at Flower and Garden or Food and Wine when the temperatures are warmer. It was shockingly cold, but the flavors were great. The passion fruit was not overly sweet or citrusy, offering a balanced flavor. It is also refreshing with a kick from the seasoning.

Rating out of 7: 6

Matcharita – $15.75

This is so strange. It starts out as a milky match drink and transitions to a typical festival margarita. It isn’t necessarily bad, but it isn’t great. If you think it is interesting, we think you should give it a try.

Rating out of 7: 5

Pear-fect Margarita – $16.75

Again, this is a drink that belongs at another festival. It is watery and medicinal with a potpourri taste from the pear. The mezcal offers a smoky taste that some might enjoy, but we would not get this again.

Rating out of 7: 2

Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe

Location: Norway

• 🆕Hazelnut Praline Boller: Cardamom bun with hazelnut cream – $5.49

Hazelnut Praline Boller – $5.49

This reminded us of a bagel with loads of hazelnut cream. It was an interesting dish that is a nice addition to the festival. The cardamom and hazelnut combined offer a flavor profile that we were not used to but really enjoyed.

Rating out of 7: 5

The Painted Panda

Location: China

• 🆕General Tso’s Chicken Shumai: Dumplings filled with chicken, asparagus, onion, and water chestnut topped with General Tso’s sauce – $10.75
• 🆕Char Siu Pork Bun: Sweet-and-savory Cantonese-style BBQ pork in a steamed bun – $8.75
• Egg Tart: Hong Kong-style egg custard tart – $5.50
• Strawberry Bubble Milk Tea (Non-alcoholic beverage) – $8.75
• Dragonfruit Lager – $6 for 6 oz, $11 for 12 oz
• Silk River Hard Lemonade with vodka, lavender-coconut syrup, and Minute Maid Premium Lemonade – $14.50
• Butterfly Blue: Butterfly pea flower-infused cocktail with vodka, light rum, lychee syrup, and crystal boba pearls – $14.50

General Tso’s Chicken Shumai – $10.75

The potato that was in previous versions of this dish has been replaced with asparagus. These have a nice crunch from the veggies with a little bit of sweetness and spice from the sauce. Depending on your typical taste, we think this is definitely worth the try.

Rating out of 7: 6

Char Siu Pork Bun – $8.75

The pork is dry and tough. The sauce is also weird, similar to a bad sweet-n-sour sauce. This is definitely not the best offering at the booth.

Rating out of 7: 2

Egg Tart $5.50

It’s served warm and topped with a little bit of caramelization on top that really elevates this. It’s great. We’ll be back for this.

Rating out of 7: 6

Strawberry Bubble Milk Tea – $8.75

There are chunks of strawberry up against the Nesquick-style artificial syrup. This is traditional chewy tapioca boba rather than the popping pearls common in theme park drinks. It’s not the best boba tea around, but it’s a solid option.

Rating out of 7: 4

Silk River Hard Lemonade – $14.50

This mostly tastes like a standard lemonade. It was way too sweet, though that might just be the sugar rim. We couldn’t taste any alcohol or any other flavors from the vodka coming through, only the lavender. The lavender syrup they use overpowers every other flavor in this drink. There’s not a strong lemon or coconut to this. We don’t recommend getting this.

Rating out of 7: 1

Butterfly Blue – $14.50

If you have never had a butterfly pea flower… then you’re probably like the rest of us. But don’t be daunted! This floral-tasting cocktail is refreshing and not as overly complicated as the description makes it out to be. It’s clean, crisp and hits the spot on a warm Florida day.

Rating out of 7: 6

Refreshment Outpost

Location: In between China and Germany

• Artist Palette Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie – $5.79
• Boyd & Blair Blood Orange Cosmo – $12.50
• Parish Brewing Co. Blueberry Mochi Berliner Weisse – $12.50
• Brewlando Liquid Art Pilsner – $12.50
• 🆕Wicked Weed Brewing Abstract Blonde Ale – $12.50

Artist Palette Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie – $5.79

This cookie was updated a few years ago with higher quality icing. It’s a decent cookie but the real appeal lies in the fun. It’s served with a paintbrush so you can bring your own artistic vision to life.

Rating out of 7: 5

Pastoral Palate

Location: Germany

• Red Wine-braised Beef Short Rib with parsnip purée, broccolini, baby tomatoes, and balsamic glaze – $8.79
• Black Forest Cake: Chocolate mousse with morello cherries and chantilly cream – $4.99
• 3 Daughters Brewing Rosé Hard Cider – $6 for 6 oz, $9.75 for 12 oz
• 81Bay Brewing Co. Rosé Blonde Ale – $6 for 6 oz, $9.75 for 12 oz
• Frozen Rosé – $7.25
• A Play on Rosé Flight – $13.50
• 🆕Hex Vom Dasenstein Pinot Noir – $7

Red Wine-braised Beef Short Rib – $8.79

The meat was extremely tender; we didn’t even need a knife. The parsnip puree added another great layer to this well-plated and hefty dish. Ours came with two pieces of the short rib, simple enough to split with a friend or loved one.

Rating out of 7: 6

Black Forest Cake – $4.99

It’s not obvious from the presentation, but there are cherries inside the cake as well. The chocolate isn’t too sweet, and better than the cake they serve at Biergarten. It isn’t overly sweet. Everything is in balance. The rich dark chocolate in the mousse is offset with a little milk chocolate. The cherries aren’t overpowering, and the cream is pretty flavorless.

Rating out of 7: 4

L’Arte di Mangiare

Location: Italy

• Mozzarella Fritta: Flash-fried breaded fresh mozzarella with artist palette condiments – $9.50
• 🆕Polenta Pasticciata: Polenta, bolognese, Parmesan, mozzarella, and tomato sauce – $8
• 🆕Raspberry Spuma: Vanilla sauce, mint whipped cream, and puffed rice – $5.50
• Peroni Pilsner – $6.50 for 6 oz, $12 for 12 oz.
• Prosecco – $12
• Moscato – $12
• Chianti – $11
• Italian Red Sangria – $12
• 🆕Italian-inspired Margarita with Tequila and Fabrizia Blood Orange Liqueur – $13
• 🆕Sicilian Sunrise: Canella Granriviera Mimosa and Luxardo Aperitivo – $16

Mozzarella Fritta – $9.50

This comes on a “palette” with an assortment of dipping sauces. The green sauce is pesto, while the brown is balsamic vinegar, possibly a glaze. The red sauce tasted like marinara to us. The pink sauce is an aioli. There’s nothing special about this. The breading is of poor quality. The cheese isn’t memorable, though the presentation is fun. We’d pass on this. It’s just not worthwhile.

Rating out of 7:1

Polenta Pasticciata – $8

This is incredibly hard and hard to cut. The texture is awful. The polenta has an odd film on it and felt similar to a block of cheese. The sauce is the only saving quality because it isn’t terrible.

Rating out of 7: 1

Raspberry Spuma – $5.50

This is fine. It is tart and the texture is correct. We didn’t hate this.

Rating out of 7: 4

Italian-inspired Margarita – $13

This sort of just tastes like an icee. There wasn’t much of an alcohol taste, but the flavors were decent.

Rating out of 7: 4

Sicilian Sunrise – $16

This is lightly carbonated and not bad. While not as good as the margarita, we thought this was okay.

Rating out of 7: 3

The Artist’s Table

Location: The American Adventure

• 🆕Steakhouse Lobster Caesar Salad with romaine and red oak lettuces, warmwater lobster, radish, herbed breadcrumbs, and house-made Caesar dressing – $8.99
• 🆕Peppercorn-crusted Striploin with grilled asparagus, potatoes au gratin, and au poivre butter – $9.29
• 🆕Dark Chocolate Torte: Flourless chocolate cake, whipped cream, and raspberries – $6.49
• 🆕Playalinda Brewing Co. Old Fashioned Playa Ale – $6 for 6 oz, $9.75 for 12 oz
• Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon – $13

Steakhouse Lobster Caesar Salad – $8.99

This was pretty good for a quick service lobster dish. While nothing astounding, this was a good value for the price and a nice offering for the festival.

Rating out of 7: 5

Peppercorn-crusted Striploin – $9.29

The steak is perfectly prepared with the perfect amount of salt. The potatoes are also fresh with a lot of flavor. We would get this again.

Rating out of 7: 7

Dark Chocolate Torte – $6.49

This is a spectacular dish. The crunch is perfect and far surpasses many other similar cakes we have had in the past. It is warm, moist, and one of the best things we had all day.

Rating out of 7: 7

Funnel Cake

Location: The American Adventure

• 🆕Wild Berry Funnel Cake: Funnel cake sandwich with vanilla ice cream and powdered sugar topped with brown sugar brandy-wild berry compote, whipped cream, and dark chocolate sauce – $12.50

Wild Berry Funnel Cake – $12.50

This is excellent. The sweet berry mix is so pleasant and the funnel cake is cooked perfectly. We do wish there was a little more ice cream, but that does not take away from this dish deserving a 7/7.

Rating out of 7: 7

Goshiki

Location: Japan

• 🆕Taiyaki: Crisp, flaky fish-shaped chocolate-flavored pastry filled with custard and served with whipped topping – $7.75
• Sushi Doughnut: Doughnut-shaped sushi with salmon, tuna, shrimp, cucumber, and sesame seeds over a decorated plate of wasabi aïoli, sriracha aïoli, and eel sauce – $8.75
• 🆕Tokyo Kawaii Roll: Crispy shrimp tempura wrapped in multicolor sushi rice and topped with refreshing yellow yuzu sauce and tangy plum sauce – $9.75
• 🆕Wagyu Bun: Steamed bun filled with sweet-and-savory minced American wagyu beef – $10.75
• 🆕Grapey Apple Boba: Crafted black grape beverage with green apple popping boba (Non-alcoholic beverage) – $6.75
• 🆕Crooked Can Brewing Company Wasabi IPA – $5.75 for 6 oz, $9.75 for 12 oz.
• Masu Sake served in a traditional personalized wooden cup – $14
• 🆕Sake Flight: Peach, mango, and strawberry-flavored Nigori sake – $19.75
• 🆕Yuzu-Pineapple Punch: Shochu-based cocktail with refreshing yuzu and pineapple flavors – $8.75

Taiyaki – $7.75

This is not traditional taiyaki. We did not expect much from this, but it is actually great. The flaky chocolate pastry is nice and the sweetness of the cream was good. The whipped cream also worked well with the rest of the dish. This might be the best festival offering in Japan.

Rating out of 7: 7

Sushi Doughnut – $8.75

This was quite decent for theme park sushi, to be honest, and in fact it’s better than half the sushi restaurants in Orlando. However, there’s nothing special to it besides the shape, so we’d suggest saving your money for the more unique festival offerings.

Rating out of 7: 4

Tokyo Kawaii Roll – $9.75

The presentation is cute, but the texture is very chewy. We were torn on this one. Some of us really enjoyed this and some thought it was terrible. There was not much flavor aside from the sauce. We will combine ratings of 1 and 5 to give it a 3.

Rating out of 7: 3

Waygu Bun – $10.75

The bun for this year’s festival is now purple. Just like with previous versions, the bun is never bad. The beef is well seasoned and the bun is cooked well.

Rating out of 7: 5

Grapey Apple Boba – $6.75

This tastes like a Hi-Chew, a Japanese chewing candy. It isn’t anything special, but kids may really like this.

Rating out of 7: 3

Crooked Can Brewing Company Wasabi IPA – $5.75 for 6 oz, $9.75 for 12 oz.

This is good for an IPA, although it did not have much wasabi flavor.

Rating out of 7: 5

Sake Flight – $19.75

These cannot be purchased separately. The flavors are mango, strawberry, and peach. The peach is bitter and tart with a bad aftertaste. The mango is better but not by much. The strawberry is the most drinkable but still not great. All three are oddly thick.

Rating out of 7: 2

Yuzu-Pineapple Punch – $8.75

This is a little bitter, but it isn’t bad. It is basically juice with alcohol.

Rating out of 7: 3

Tangierine Café: Flavors of the Medina

Location: Morocco

• Moroccan Wrap with tomato-cucumber relish and garlic sauce served on warm Moroccan flatbread – $6.29
  • Chermoula Chicken
  • Moroccan-spiced lamb
  • Plant-based Falafel
• Stone-baked Moroccan Bread with assorted dips – $5.29
• Rekorderlig Strawberry-Lime Hard Cider – $6/$9.75
• Keel Farms Blueberry Lavender Hard Cider – $6/$9.75
• 🆕Blake’s Hard Cider Co. Pomegranate Fizz Hard Cider  – $6/$9.75
• Hard Cider Flight – $12.75

Moroccan Wrap – $6.29

The pita bread used for these is not great and tastes store-bought. The chermoula chicken version was okay, and we enjoyed the veggies. However, it needed more spice and seasoning (Rating: 4/7) The Moroccan-spiced Lamb was a much better. It was slightly dry, but with all the vegetables, it made for a decent wrap (Rating: 5/7). The plant-based falafel was also very dry and didn’t taste great (Rating: 3/7).

Rating out of 7: 4

Stone-baked Moroccan Bread with assorted dips – $5.29

The orange sauce is the zhoug. It’s tangy and spiced at the same time, slightly reminiscent of a tomato sauce. The chermoula is green, and contains herbs and aioli. The cream-colored one is the hummus. It’s tangy, but still pretty good. If you want a really superb hummus, go to Sanaa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, but this one is still good all the same. We enjoyed this, but wish there was more bread to go with the dips.

Rating out of 7: 5

Vibrante & Vívido: Encanto Cocina

Location: Between Morocco and France

• Chorizo and Potato Empanada with turmeric aïoli and annatto aïoli – $6.79
• Spicy Ajiaco Soup with guajillo and árbol chili-spiced chicken, potato, avocado, corn, and crème fraîche – $5.99
• Passion Fruit-filled Mango Cheesecake with coconut-pineapple cake, dragon fruit gelée, and dragon fruit-strawberry sauce – $5.29
• Layered Berry-Piña Colada Smoothie: Wild berry, piña colada, and strawberry (Non-alcoholic beverage) – $4.99
• Collective Arts Brewing Guava Dream Blonde Ale – $6 for 6 oz, $9.75 for 12 oz
• Layered Berry-Piña Colada Smoothie: Wild berry, piña colada, and strawberry with spiced rum – $14.75

Chorizo and Potato Empanada – $6.75

This is the best savory dish of the event. It is a massive portion, stuffed full of well-cooked potatoes and chorizo. The sauces add a spicy kick that is not too intense for any palate. An EPCOT snack that can be truly filling. Highly recommended.

Rating out of 7: 7

Spicy Ajiaco Soup – $5.99

Another dish with a great portion size for the price point. The soup has many different flavors with the right level of a spicy, flavorful kick. The chicken is tender. The only problem we had was the potatoes were slightly undercooked.

Rating out of 7: 6

Passion Fruit-filled Mango Cheesecake – $5.29

While a lot is going on with this pastry, we love the way the textures play together. The mousse is airy and the cake is delicate, making a perfectly light dessert. The flavors are subtle but make a nice tropical mix.

Rating out of 7: 6

Layered Berry-Piña Colada Smoothie – $4.99

This gets bonus points for being served in a souvenir plastic cup. For the price, it makes it a great value and allows those who don’t drink alcohol to get a nice drink souvenir. The piña colada flavors are. a little more subtle than we’d prefer, but the various berries come through nicely. It’s a slushy so it’s cold and refreshing.

Rating out of 7: 6

Layered Berry-Piña Colada Smoothie with Rum – $14.75

This is the exact same drink but with rum. However, we could not taste the rum. Maybe they forgot to actually put the rum in it, though it does taste watered down in comparison to the non-alcoholic version. When spending an extra $10 to add a splash of rum, we’d like to be able to taste it.

Rating out of 7: 1

L’Art de la Cuisine Française

Location: France

• Crème de Brie en Petit Pain: Warm creamy brie in a house-made bread bowl – $10.25
• 🆕Gâteau de Crabe, Bisque de Homard, Crème Citron et Aneth: Crab cake, lobster bisque, and lemon-dill sour cream – $11.95
• 🆕Éclair au Chocolat et à l’Orange, Crème à l’Orange, Ganache au Chocolat, Croustillant de Noisettes et Oranges Confites: Chocolate-orange éclair, orange cream, chocolate ganache, crispy hazelnut, and candied oranges  – $8.95
• 🆕Chardonnay, Laroque, Cite de Carcassonne – $6.95
• Charles Lafitte, Brut Rosé Prestige, Méthode Traditionnel Champenoise – $9.95
• Frozen French Martini: Grey Goose Vodka, Vodka, Chambord Liqueur, DOLE Pineapple Juice, Minute Maid Orange Juice, and grape juice with lemon-lime foam – $15.50

Crème de Brie en Petit Pain – $10.25

We usually don’t order brie, but this was rather enjoyable. The cheese wasn’t too sharp or pungent, which made it more acceptable. The bread was nice and soft, a perfect pairing for the crème. It also takes a cute picture thanks to the artwork on the bread and the napkin setup.

Rating out of 7: 5

Gâteau de Crabe, Bisque de Homard, Crème Citron et Aneth – $11.95

This is fantastic. The lemon-dill sour cream is perfect on the back end. The crab cake and lobster bisque are also delicious, offering a hearty dish for the festival.

Rating out of 7: 7

Éclair au Chocolat et à l’Orange, Crème à l’Orange, Ganache au Chocolat, Croustillant de Noisettes et Oranges Confites – $8.95

This sounds and looks good. The orange is nice, and the pastry is very flaky. The flavors are all very good, but they disappear as you chew. The chocolate crunch is also nice.

Rating out of 7: 6

Charles Lafitte, Brut Rosé Prestige, Méthode Traditionnel Champenoise – $9.95

According to Drizly, this sparkling wine has a “beautiful pale pink color, with slightly salmon reflections,” “floral aromas of a spring bouquet of flowers with subtle notes of little red berries,” with a taste of “delicacy and freshness, soft and elegant notes of strawberry combined with wildflowers.”

Frozen French Martini – $15.50

We expected this to be extremely sweet based on the description, however, this was a crowd-pleaser. It’s well-balanced and sweet, but not too sweet where you lose the essence of this delicious cocktail. You can absolutely taste the grape juice in this one. The lemon-lime foam on top was somewhat flat, which was disappointing, but the Chambord is the highlight of the drink, pairing very well with the grape juice. This one gets a big thumbs-up from us.

Rating out of 7: 6

Gourmet Landscapes

Location: Canada

• Wild Mushroom Risotto with aged Parmesan, truffle shavings, and zinfandel reduction (Plant-based) – $9.79
• Roasted Bone Marrow with onion marmalade, pickled mushrooms, and petite lettuce – $10.79
• Citrus-braised Beet Tartare with golden beet “egg yolk,” mustard vinaigrette, pickled mustard seeds, pickled mushrooms, spiced pistachios, and “feta” snow (Plant-based) – $5.49
• Whole Hog Brewery Raspberry Chéret Double Radler – $6 for 6 oz., $9.75 for 12 oz.
• Schlumberger Cuvée Klimt Brut – $9
• 🆕Orin Swift Abstract California Red Blend – $8
• 🆕Frozen Scotch Cocktail: Scotch and Twinings Chai Tea garnished with a chocolate nail – $15.50

Wild Mushroom Risotto – $9.79

One of the few vegan-friendly items at this year’s festival, this risotto is phenomenal. There are big chunks of mushrooms and the flavor is rich and decadent.

Rating out of 7: 7

Roasted Bone Marrow – $10.79

Given the incredible statement made when you walk away from a booth with a Fred Flinstone-esque bone, this was a severe disappointment. Everything on top of the marrow is good, but the marrow itself was flavorless compared to others we’ve had. It’s not worth buying this to have two decent bites of mushroom and onion jam.

Rating out of 7: 2

Citrus-braised Beet Tartare – $5.49

The bread ties the whole thing together. The beet is solid and you do get a Feta-ish flavor from the fake cheese. without the bread this wouldn’t work, but all together this is really good.

Rating out of 7: 6

Frozen Scotch Cocktail – $15.50

This year, the Scotch Cocktail is now made with a chai tea, instead of an herbal tea. We think this is better and really enjoyed it.

Rating out of 7: 7

Fictional Victuals

Location: Near Disney Traders

• 🆕Chapter 1: Beach Oysters: Grilled oysters, mustard seed-peppercorn sabayon, and creamed spinach – $7.99
• 🆕Chapter 2: Plate of Impossible Bites: Roasted turkey breast, onion and bacon custard tart, cherry gel, brown butter toast milk foam, and pineapple-toffee butter – $7.49
• 🆕Chapter 3: Tea Treat: Twinings Earl Grey Tea Treat Chocolate Pot de Crème, lemon madeleine, rose and raspberry jam, and a tea biscuit crumble – $5.99
• 🆕Upside Down Shake: Yellow cake soft-serve featuring Twinings English Breakfast Tea (Non-alcoholic beverage) – $5.29
• 🆕Central 28 Beer Company Rose Garden Red Ale – $6 for 6 oz, $9.75 for 12 oz
• 🆕Upside Down Shake: Yellow cake soft-serve with Twinings English Breakfast Tea and whipped cream vodka – $12.50

Chapter 1: Beach Oysters – $7.99

These are not bad. There is a ton of spinach and not much flavor from the oyster.

Rating out of 7: 5

Chapter 2: Plate of Impossible Bites – $7.49

These are not plant-based as the name might imply. This is an interesting concept. The turkey is excellent with lots of flavor and moisture. The seasonings, gels, and foams all work well together to create a unique dish that we enjoy. It is also a very large portion.

Rating out of 7: 6

Chapter 3: Tea Treat – $5.99

This was also very good, although the Madeleine tastes store bought. The mousse tastes exactly like Earl Grey tea with a hint of chocolate. We only wish there was a little more.

Rating out of 7: 6

Upside Down Shake – $5.29

This shake is crazy. The soft-serve tastes like just like cake, and the presentation is great. We loved this.

Rating out of 7: 7

Upside Down Shake with Vodka – $12.50

This is the same shake but with vodka. We prefer the non-alcoholic, but this is still delicious. The vodka is just not necessary.

Rating out of 7: 6

Deco Delights

Location: Near Port of Entry

• 🆕Sparkling Spectacle Gâteau: Vanilla bean mousse with a golden caramel center and apricot jam on a hazelnut cookie – $5.99
• 🆕Crooked Can Brewing Company Buttercream Fresco – $12.50
• Keel Farms Strawberry Shortcake Hard Cider – $12.50
• Boyd & Blair Espresso Martini – $12.50

Sparkling Spectacle Gâteau – $5.99

This has a horrible texture and tasted a bit like paper. We had to dig for the apricot, but it was still bad even with the fruit flavor.

Rating out of 7: 1

Boyd & Blair Espresso Martini – $12.50

We think that this is fine. If you like espresso martinis, you’ll probably like this, but there are much better espresso martinis elsewhere on property. The espresso is the best flavor in the drink, the only issue is that it does taste like a lower-end espresso martini. It’s not bad, but we wouldn’t get it again if we had an option to get it anywhere else.

Rating out of 7: 2

Pop Eats

Location: Walkway between World Showcase and Imagination! Pavilion

• Grilled Cheese served with tomato soup – $5.99
• 🆕Croque Monsieur-inspired Grilled Cheese with Black Forest ham, Gruyère, and béchamel sauce served with tomato soup – $6.79
• 🆕Gulf Stream Brewing Company Pixel Perfect Pilsner – $6 for 6 oz, $9.75 for 12 oz
• Blanc de Bleu Cuvée Mousseux with fruit juice-filled pearls – $10.75

Grilled Cheese – $5.99

This was basically a homemade grilled cheese, made with white and yellow cheddar cheese on buttery white bread. It comes with tomato soup in a cute tin, themed to the Food Studio. The soup isn’t too tomato-y or watery. It’s more like a bisque, with a thick layer of cream on top to cut through the acidity of the tomatoes.

Rating out of 7: 5

Croque Monsieur – $6.79

This is another offering that is fine. The ham is a nice addition, but we prefer the plain grilled cheese. The real appeal is the Figment soup can.

Rating out of 7: 4

Blanc de Bleu Cuvée Mousseux – $10.75

The coolest thing is that it’s blue, accented with the colorful pearls. It looks fun, but it doesn’t bring anything other than an appearance. Flavor-wise, it’s nothing exciting. The boba pearls don’t add any flavor to the drink. It actually tastes kind of cheap. If you’re buying it to take a nice picture, it’ll work but don’t expect something that tastes good.

Rating out of 7: 2

Swirled Showcase

Location: Walkway between World Showcase and Imagination! Pavilion

• Pink Vanilla Soft-serve in a Cone – $6.29
• DOLE Whip in a Cone (Plant-based) – $6.29
  • Lemon
  • Lime
  • Strawberry
• Imagination Cone: Pink vanilla soft-serve in a lavender cone, “sparks” of imagination, and white chocolate Figment wings – $6.99
• Candy Trio Flight: DOLE Whip Strawberry with STARBURST MINIS fruit chews, DOLE Whip Lemon with SKITTLES POP’d Original Freeze Dried Candy, and DOLE Whip Lime with chili-lime seasoning and LIFE SAVERS gummies – $8.29
• 🆕Liquid Nitrogen Minnie Cake Pop with cotton candy sponge cake, white chocolate ganache, and colorful chocolate splats – $4.79

Pink Vanilla Soft-serve in a Cone (or Cup) – $6.29

This is the same ice cream from the Imagination Cone. It just tastes like standard vanilla incense cream.

Rating out of 7: 3

Imagination Cone – $6.99

The “sparks of imagination” are Nerds candies. The soft-serve smells more like bubble gum than it tastes. It’s also not very creamy ice cream. The white chocolate wings are poor quality. And the Nerds are just too much with everything else going on. The lavender cone is the best part, but some may not like the lavender flavor. It also takes a very pretty picture.

Rating out of 7: 4

Candy Trio Flight – $8.29

The strawberry DOLE with Starburst minis (particularly the lemon) is fantastic. The lemon DOLE with freeze-dried Skittles is very tart. Those of us that like tart loved it. The lime DOLE whip with chili-lime seasoning and Life Savers gummies is also good. The DOLE whip flavor-candy pairings are done very well. There’s something here for everyone and they’re all good choices.

Rating out of 7: 6

Liquid Nitrogen Minnie Cake Pop – $4.79

Although we have seen this cake pop at previous festivals, the berry sponge cake has now been replaced with cotton candy cake. It is really good. We think there are two separate flavors of cotton candy in the mix. The pink is standard cotton candy, and the green reminds us of green apple. There are also pop rocks inside.

Rating out of 7:5

The Craftsman’s Courtyard

Location: Walkway between World Showcase and Imagination! Pavilion

• Beef Wellington-inspired Croissant Supreme with creamed spinach croissant pinwheel, mushroom-gorgonzola ragoût, mustard-grilled flank steak, red wine sauce, and pickled mustard seeds – $8.49
• Cast Iron-roasted P.E.I. Mussels with sautéed tomatoes, garlic, and fresh herbs – $7.99
• BrewDog Black Heart Nitro Oatmeal Stout – $6 for 6 oz, $9.75 for 12 oz
• Coffee Old Fashioned Cocktail: Joffrey’s Cold Brew Coffee, simple syrup, orange bitters, and Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey – $11.75

Beef Wellington-inspired Croissant Supreme – $8.49

It seemed tender when cutting it but it was hard to chew. The flavors are good. The croissant is fantastic. The dish overall is rich from the mushrooms. It’s a shame that the flank steak as poor quality because the dish had potential.

Rating out of 7: 4

Cast Iron-roasted P.E.I. Mussels – $7.99

The P.E.I. Mussels were undercooked, with many shells still closed. The mussels that had opened up were very nice and soaked up the tomato flavor, reducing the overall “fishness” taste. The garlic toast was very crisp with a strong flavor. If your mussels are cooked correctly, this could be a great dish; however, for us, it was a bit mediocre.

Rating out of 7: 4

Coffee Old Fashioned Cocktail – $11.75

We enjoy coffee-based cocktails quite a bit, so this was also right up our alley. It’s strong but smooth, with a hint of citrus. If it hits 40 degrees again, we’re not sure we’ll be having one, but we suspect we’ll find enough warm days to have a few of these over the next month.

Rating out of 7: 6

Sunshine Seasons

• 🆕The Architecture of Drip: Blueberry-flavored gelato topped with scoops of banana and berry whipped cream, a waffle cone, and sprinkles – $10.99

The Architecture of Drip – $10.99

This is one of the best things we have ever had at a festival. The Land’s milkshakes have been hits at the last three festivals, but this might be the best. The blueberry-flavored gelato is excellent and does not taste artificial at all. The banana and berry whipped cream is also delicious and fresh.

Rating out of 7: 7

Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company

Locations: Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company throughout the park

• 🆕Pop Art Latte: Espresso with choice of milk and vanilla syrup topped with lavender whipped cream and SKITTLES POP’d Original Freeze Dried Candy (Non-alcoholic beverage) (Spirited version available with Baileys Original Irish Cream Liqueur) – $7.19

Pop Art Latte – $7.19

This can be purchased without alcohol. It tastes exactly like you’d expect. The lavender is nice and the coffee is strong.

Rating out of 7: 5