You know it’s fall at Walt Disney World when it’s in the 90s on a daily basis, rain every evening, and fall food fills EPCOT. The EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival is back again and runs this year from August 28th to November 22nd. This year we have several returning items and a few new ones making 10 food items in total. As usual it is very much Impossible Foods heavy, but there are also some great vegetable forward options. Let’s start with the new options this year. (You can find the graphic with all the options listed towards the bottom of this page).
Shimmering Sips – New! Strawberry Champagne Trifle
We have one dessert option this year, the Strawberry Champagne Trifle. The trifle is like a custard texture with loads of pureed strawberry on the bottom. It comes topped with a rice crispy style chunk of something which had no flavor but would in theory add texture if you put it into the cup. I really enjoyed the flavor of the trifle as it was a nice light and refreshing dessert. It did not taste like champagne to me if you are worried about that.
Forest & Field – New! Autumn Chili
We have an option in a bread bowl! This Autumn Chili features Impossible Meat, root vegetables, plant-based cheddar, and plant-based sour cream. It was a very dry chili as I am used to the tomato-based wet ones that Disney typically provides. It had a cinnamon flavor to it which really did make it taste like a fall chili. The bread bowl was large but I wish the chili was wetter to really be able to enjoy the bread with. I didn’t get enough cheese to really notice it but I did like the sour cream addition.
Bramblewood Bites – New! Cast Iron-Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Root Vegetables
This option is similar to one previously offered that wasn’t vegan. This reminded me of a Thanksgiving side dish. Ours lacked really any flavor outside of the vegetables, but it had nice textures with the root vegetables and the crunchy pumpkin seeds. It says it comes with a pumpkin seed vinaigrette but I didn’t really notice anything. It could have used something sweet drizzled on top though. If you’re looking for some veggies this is the one to try.
Tangeirine Cafe – New! Moroccan Wrap with Plant-based Falafel
Finally a new option here! The new wrap is huge, this could easily be a light lunch. The wrap is filled with a tomato-cucumber relish and a garlic sauce. When I was eating it I thought it was a tahini but apparently I was wrong. It came with several falafel balls in it and it was very tasty. I would grab this for lunch for sure. The only downside was that it was a bit tough to eat without spilling a lot of it, but thats why you have napkins.
I did also inquire about the previously vegan Moroccan Bread and was told the bread they use now contains butter. They did have some whole wheat pita available if you want to get it vegan, but honestly I would skip that and just do the wrap.
Flavors from Fire – Montreal-Style Slider
This option was not my favorite last year. I don’t know if it had to do with the poor assembly and unmelted cheese, or just me missing the previous version with the wasabi cream. That being said, I LOVED this this year. The patty itself was formed with the vegan cheese in it so the cheese was everywhere and very melty. This slider comes with tomato jam, bibb lettuce, and a plant-based garlic aioli. I will be getting this again, several times.
The Fry Basket – Adobo Yuca Fries
Returning once again is the Adobo Yuca Fries. These were crispy and well seasoned when we got them and had plenty of the garlic aioli. This option is often very good, but sometimes has a miss. I recommend trying this one though as it’s a nice crunchy and salty item.
There is also a Sea Salt-Malt Vinegar fry which is part of the Fry Flight. So if you’re with non-vegans you can enjoy those from the flight.
Greece – Moussaka
Typically not an option I loved, but man I really liked this one this year too. The moussaka here features Impossible Beef. The flavors this time were really nice and it had a great texture throughout. The beef was pretty packed into the cup so it offered a nice solid bite. There is a hint of cinnamon in it as well which is very nice.
Refreshment Outpost – Impossible Spicy Sausage
While I am not personally a fan of this item, I have heard from others they really enjoy it. Impossible Sausage products don’t do well with me so I only had a small bite of it this year. This Sausage comes topped with Peri Peri Peppers and a Peri Peri Aioli. The sausage was a bit mushy, it did have a slight heat to it as well. If you like Impossible Sausages then give this one a try.
India – Potato and Pea Samosas
Forever one of my favorite options; these samosas are perfect with no notes. The Potato and Pea Samosas come topped with a cilantro cream that pairs perfectly with the heat of the samosa. They are loaded with potato, crispy on the outside, and just full of flavor.
Brew-Wing Labs – Impossible Chicken Tenders and Frozen Pomegranate and Raspberry Tea
The Buffalo Tenders are back for another year! These Impossible Chicken Tenders are covered in a hot buffalo sauce, plant-based ranch, and plant-based blue cheese crumbles. I love getting these as I’m a big fan of buffalo sauce, but you can always ask for them without if you don’t like spicy food. The tenders were crispy and they loaded up our vegan toppings on it. I received four tenders in my tray.
Once again the Frozen Tea is vegan including the orange “ice cream” molecules. I double checked with a chef and they are non-dairy once again. This is a perfectly refreshing drink for a hot day. It is just sweet enough and the slushy texture holds up on it.
If you’re looking for gluten free options I confirmed with Gluten Free WDW that you can enjoy:
- Strawberry Champagne Trifle
- Impossible Sausage without the bun
- Montreal-Style Slider without the bun
- Falafel without the wrap
- Brussels Sprouts
- Adobo Yuca Fries
I hope you can get to EPCOT to enjoy the festival this year! Be sure to check out the concert line up as well and do the Remy Hide and Squeak scavenger hunt.
Check out the video from opening day below
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