Last updated: 12:35 PM ET, Mon July 31, 2023
It’s officially food and wine time once again at Walt Disney World. The 2023 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival kicked off its annual celebration of global food and drink on July 27.
The festivities continue all the way through Nov. 18, so there’s plenty of time to size up the menus and plan a late-summer or fall getaway to sip and savor your way around global marketplaces serving cuisine from six continents.
This year’s festival features plenty of popular returning dishes and experiences, but it also has guests at the fest (and on the internet) buzzing about the new — and in some cases controversial — offerings.
From tried-and-true fan favorites to a divisive, lip-puckering pick, plus can’t-miss entertainment and merchandise highlights, here’s what got our attention during the opening days of the festival.
Muppet Labs Debut a Polarizing Pickle Milkshake at Brew-Wing Lab at the Odyssey
This year’s festivals have seen EPCOT’s Odyssey pavilion become a revolving home for playful-themed foods and drinks inspired by beloved characters from Figment to Orange Bird. During the Food & Wine Festival, it’s Muppet mayhem at Brew-Wing Lab at the Odyssey, where Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker have created some wild concoctions, including one that has taken the festival and the internet by storm — the Pickle Milkshake.
Everyone who has tried the bright-green shake topped with whipped cream, fresh dill and chocolate “pickling spice” has their own opinion — I’ll give you mine. It’s not an immediate cringe-worthy taste. Instead, it’s initially slightly sweet like a classic vanilla milkshake but with a pronounced dill flavor — then you’re hit with a tangy, pickly finish that is absolutely not for everyone, including yours truly. Reviews are split — guests either love it or don’t, but this shake is absolutely what it says it is, and gets people talking. A sizable portion for $5.75, it’s definitely worth trying and sharing with a couple friends to see what all the fuss — and debate — is about.
Alongside returning popular wings like Traditional Buffalo and Peanut Butter and Jelly Sticky Wings, vegans get a delicious new option — Impossible Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Plant-Based Blue Cheese, Ranch and Celery ($7.50). The Muppets also put their spin on a new wing dish — the Unnecessarily Spicy, Yet Extremely Tasty Scotch Bonnet Pepper-Curry Wings with Cool Cucumber Yogurt ($7.50). Another dish that delivers on its promise, these pack a major punch of heat that’s helpfully tempered by the yogurt — and perhaps one of the beer or hard cider flights on offer.
Take time to look and listen around the Muppet Labs-themed dining area where Bunsen and Beaker appear from their taste-testing headquarters in a series of video segments shown on screens. The walls and even the tabletops are adorned with “hand-written” experiment notes and drawings, and eagle-eyed Muppets fans will likely spot a few Easter eggs among the props displayed around the room.
More Must-Try Global Marketplaces
Beyond Brew-Wing, there are more than 25 other Global Marketplaces to satisfy every craving. Pickles are really having a moment, and another popular new dish out the gate is the Pickle Fries from The Fry Basket. Reviews have been rave, and though we liked the Pickle Fries, we enjoy the Fry Flight and Abodo Yuca Fries even more.
New this year, Flavors of America highlights American dishes from across the country, from an Italian Hot Beef Sandwich with Au Jus for dipping to Chilaquiles, Cioppino and Carrot Cake for dessert.
For surf-and-turf, head to the Australia booth for Grilled Sweet-and-Spicy Bush Berry Shrimp off the barbie and Roasted Lamb Chop, complemented by a glass of Shiraz from Australia.
For a taste of Europe, try the uber-popular Shinkennudeln from Germany, Paella from Spain, Beignet aux Trois Fromages from France, and, for vegans, another new dish made with plant-based Impossible meat — the Plant-based Impossible Moussaka from Greece.
One marketplace already getting consistent high praise is Flavors from Fire. This marketplace serves as a new home to a returning plant-based favorite, Impossible Burger Slider. The other savory offerings — Smoked Corned Beef and Chimichurri Marinated Skirt Steak Taco — have both been earning two thumbs up and the runaway dessert hit so far is hands-down the Spiced Chocolate Tart with a BBQ potato chip crust, salted whisky-caramel, and smoked sea salt.
Emile’s Fromage Montage
Something of a culinary scavenger hunt, Emile’s Fromage Montage celebrates some of the festival’s cheesiest dishes. Purchase five items from the Fromage Montage lineup, get a stamp for each in your festival passport, and redeem for a completer prize. It just so happens some of the fest’s best dishes are part of the Fromage Montage, including Curry-Spiced Crispy Cheese from India, Griddled Cheese from Greece, Canadian Cheddar and Bacon Soup, and Pao de Queijo from Brazil.
Buzzworthy Merchandise
Three merchandise collections were debuted for the festival —the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival Collection, the Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Picnic Collection, and the Disney “Encanto” Collection — and all three have been met with immediate enthusiasm from fans. Early favorites include an apron modeled after Mirabel’s dress in “Encanto” and a kitschy cheeseburger coaster set.
Eat to the Beat Concert Series
Catch live concerts by star-studded bands and up-and-coming local acts in the Eat to the Beat Concert Series, every night at the America Gardens Theatre at 5:30 pm, 6:45 pm and 8 pm through Nov. 13, 2023. Newcomers to the festival like We the Kings, Ayron Jones, and Phillip Phillips round out a stacked lineup that also includes plenty of returning favorite acts including Hanson, Boyz II Men, Air Supply, and Joey Fatone and Friends.
Worth the Wait — Global Marketplaces Still to Open
Several of the festival’s global marketplaces don’t open until later in the festival, so mark your calendar if any of these are must-eats for you. Beginning Aug. 15, The Noodle Exchange will begin ladling up its signature steaming bowls of ramen and Hawai’i will bring Polynesian favorites like SPAM sushi, Kalua Pork Sliders and Passion Fruit Cheesecake to Florida. And on Sept. 22, four brand-new marketplaces will open: Char & Chop, Wine & Wedge, Bubbles & Brine and Swirled Showcase.