It’s not “fall” in Orlando if it’s not Food & Wine season! This yearly festival has returned once again to EPCOT and will run from August 29th to November 23rd, 2024. We have several months to enjoy all the vegan options offered this year.
Now with going the first day, we have learned that things can either be really good or really bad. My reviews below are based on our experience during this first day. Hopefully some of the ones we disliked will improve, so please read these reviews knowing that they have a lot to work through still. I do also want to note that this year felt very Impossible Foods heavy. If you want to have a little checklist to take with you, you can find that at the bottom of this post.
I want to note that there is an option that looks vegetarian that is not. I wanted to warn my vegetarians about this so you don’t get it on accident. Over at Bramblewood Bites they have a Cast Iron Brussels Sprouts dish. It is not marked plant-based so I figured the candied pecans had honey or something, but both Gina from Gluten Free Disney World and Suzannah from Vegan Disney Food texted me to let me know they were told it is tossed in a bacon based vinaigrette. So please do not keep this on your list if you are vegetarian.
Anyway, let’s dig into these options, starting with the new ones.
NEW! Macatizers – Impossible Chili Macaroni and Cheese
In CommuniCore Hall, which is a new addition this year, you can find Macatizers. Here they have Impossible Chili Macaroni and Cheese. This comes with a vegan sour cream, vegan cheese, and little corn chips on top.
The noodles are cavatappi, which are perfect for this. The chili is a mix of Impossible meat and beans. There was plenty of the chili and sour cream, the cheese shreds really didn’t add anything for me. I do wish it was a bit cheesier, but I am a mac and cheese snob since it is my comfort food. But I will absolutely give this one another try on my next visit.
NEW! Flavors From Fire – Impossible Montreal Style Burger Slider
Out near Test Track you can find Flavors From Fire, which is a popular one for non-vegans so expect to wait a bit for your food here. They used to have a Wasabi Slider, but this year we were given an update with the Impossible Montreal Style Burger Slider with cheddar cheese and tomato jam on a sesame seed bun.
If I am being totally honest, I liked the old one better. That one felt more creative and was unique. This just feels like, well, a burger. The slider was good, but it’s just not something I see myself getting again. It came with two tiny triangles of unmelted vegan cheese, which I ended up removing one slice since it was hanging on for dear life. It has lots of tomato jam, which was flavorful and sweet. The burger itself was cooked really well and had a char on the bottom, but was on the salt heavy side. The bun at the time was very dry, so I ended up removing half of it to eat the slider. I am unsure if I will give this one another try, it just wasn’t too exciting for me.
NEW! Refreshment Outpost – Impossible Spicy Sausage
Refreshment Outpost is located between China and Germany and always has some sort of snack offered whether it’s during a festival or not. Right now for Food and Wine they have a new Impossible Spicy Sausage. This sausage comes with piri piri peppers and onions, and a peri peri plant-based aioli.
I don’t know what they’re doing to those poor Impossible Sausages but the cook on this was very strange. The texture was all mushy, I could barely differentiate between the bun and the sausage other than that the sausage was almost mealy. It was very dry and the only redeeming thing was the flavor of the toppings. I was incredibly let down with this one as the spicy peppers sounded like they would be good, but out of the four of us who tried this, we all disliked it. I also ran into several friends later in the day who said the same thing about the texture. I am REALLY hoping this is just a first day issue.
Shimmering Sips – Guava Cake
A returning favorite dessert has made it’s grand entrance! The Guava Cake from Shimmering Sips is very similar to the Tres Leches that we get during Flower and Garden Festival. This cake is moist, flavorful, and just one you must try! You can find Shimmering Sips near the shops at the entrance of World Showcase between Canada and Mexico, but closest to Canada.
The cake and whipped cream offer a strong guava flavor and the coconut adds a great texture to each bite. This is one of my favorite offerings during all of the festivals, so I am so glad it is back and as good as I remember!
Tangierine Cafe – Fried Falafel Pita & Stone-baked Moroccan Bread
Since Disney decided to just never reopen the Moroccan quick service location, they have kept Tangierine Cafe as a festival stop. This year we have the same Stone-baked Moroccan Bread with assorted dips and Fried Falafel Pita.
The Stone-baked Moroccan Bread was made fresh when I was waiting and it was very good. The bread is like a pita mixed with a tortilla in terms of light and airiness. I really enjoy the bite of the bread as well when fresh. For dips it comes with a hummus, chermoula, and one I can’t seem to figure out. The two non-hummus dips offer a slight heat and are really flavorful. This is my pick if I am eating here.
The Fried Falafel Pita is never my favorite here, but really truly so this visit. Our falafel didn’t seem to be cooked all the way on the inside. The outside was nice and crispy but the inside of these are usually very fluffy and light, but today they were like a chickpea paste. The tahini on it was good though.
Greece – Impossible Moussaka
This booth is found between France and Morocco and has brought back the Impossible Moussaka. I definitely liked this one more this year. The texture of the potatoes were really nice and there was tons of the Impossible meat inside.
The flavors were pretty heavy with something sweet, likely nutmeg or cinnamon. But overall I enjoyed this option more this year than last. I am unsure if it’s one I will get again while at EPCOT though.
India – Potato and Pea Samosas
Another one of my favorites has returned! The India booth can be found between China and the Refreshment Outpost. These Potato and Pea Samosas come topped with a coriander-lime cream that is very creamy and flavorful.
The large samosas offer a low heat and are a great texture. Ours came out very hot and offered a nice crunch on the edges. These are one of my must gets while I am here during the festival.
The Noodle Exchange – Ramen with Tofu
While this option isn’t new, it’s new to me as I never went to get this one last year as eating hot ramen in the summer didn’t sound ideal. This ramen comes with shiitake mushrooms, pickled carrots and daikon radish, shaved spicy peppers, and baby bok choy in a citrus-sesame broth.
The flavor on this was mostly just soy sauce, but it did have flavor which I was not expecting. I did really enjoy the noodles and the tofu, but the more I ate all I could taste was soy sauce. I don’t know if I would be able to eat the whole bowl though due to the saltiness.
Brew-Wing Lab – Impossible Buffalo Chicken Tenders & Frozen Pomegranate & Raspberry Tea
These options are both returning and they removed our beloved Buffalo Brussels Sprouts. I am sad to see that wonderful veggie dish go, but I am glad we still have these here. The Impossible Buffalo Chicken Tenders on our visit pretty much had no sauce at all. I could see on them where there had been a drizzle of some sort, but based on the promotional photo which showed it absolutely swimming in buffalo sauce, these were not.
They were cooked well, they were crispy, and there was a good amount of the vegan ranch and vegan blue cheese. But I might as well have been eating plain vegan tenders. When I order these again if they give them to me like that I will ask for more sauce because that was just sad.
The Frozen Tea is also vegan again which makes me happy. It is topped with orange ice cream molecules, which are vegan! This is a perfect cold refreshment on a hot Food & Wine day. The flavor is sweet but on a lighter note of it. Plus you get to keep the cup as a souvenir. You may want to have a spoon for this though, as ours stayed frozen until we went outside like 15 minutes later.
The Fry Basket – Adobo Yuca Fries
Our last item is one of my favorites to get. The Adobo Yuca Fries come covered in a creamy garlic cilantro aioli. The yuca fries are perfectly crispy and are a great little snack. These can be heavy on the salt side, but ours weren’t too bad. This is one I always like to get and munch on.
This years options were pretty good, but I left feeling like I ate entirely too much Impossible. However, if you are there and your goal isn’t eating everything in one day I think you will be fine. I hope you enjoy the festival, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@VeganDisneyWorld) with what you get!
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Enjoy this free checklist of all the vegan food options!
