The 2025 EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival kicked off its season on Thursday, August 28th, and we were there to try some of the new items and highlights from our must-have list. With any EPCOT festival, there were some winners and losers, and ultimately, we’re looking forward to trying more on upcoming visits.
You can visit the Food and Wine Festival now through November 2nd with over 125 special menu items and more than 20 special concerts. Be sure to also watch our first day of the festival coverage to get an idea of what you can look forward to!
BEST Food
Located in the American Pavilion in the center of World Showcase, the Flavors of America was an overall win for us this year. Including two of our favorite dishes we tried all day!
New England Slider – slow-braised beef pot roast with spicy giardiniera, horseradish cream and crispy fried onions on a potato roll – $6
The beef pot roast was tender, the spice from the giardiniera complemented the creamy and spicy horseradish, the fried onions added more flavor and some crunch, AND then you dip it in the au jus, and this, my friends, is a Food and Wine Festival WINNER. No notes, this will be a must-order for us on every visit. Plus, for $6 – this makes it one of the better food values of the festival!
An honorable mention also from Flavors of America is the seafood roll.
Gulf Coast-style Seafood Roll – with warm-water lobster, rock shrimp, lobster bisque, and sherry-crème fraiche on a toasted brioche bun – $8.75
While it was a little more expensive, we were surprised by how much shrimp and lobster were on the roll. This, combined with the warm bisque and the crème fraîche, made it an ultimate comfort food. While we’ll never say no to butter dipping sauce, this seafood roll was delicious enough on its own. If you like seafood, you must give this one a try!
BEST Drink
The Refreshment Port is open year-round, known for its poutine, and offers a special Food and Wine menu! You can find this stop to the right of Canada in World Showcase.
Boyd & Blair Pumpkin Spice Mule – $12.50
This is a returning festival favorite of mine, winning in both the taste and value categories. Not only do you get a full-size cocktail in a fun “copper” mule mug, but the cocktail is well-balanced and tastes like a little kiss of fall. The pumpkin spice is subtle and pairs nicely with the spice from the ginger beer. It’s both refreshing and has enough kick to start your World Showcase food journey off right!
Another honorable mention, also from the Refreshment Outpost, is the Watermelon Kolsch.
Brewery Ommegang Oak-Aged Watermelon Kolsch (Cooperstown, NY) – $12
Just like the Pumpkin Spice Mule, the Watermelon Kolsch is a full pint at just $12. While that may not seem like a good deal anywhere else in the world, it’s a good deal at the Food and Wine Festival. This is a great option for beer drinkers looking to cool off with something unique and not heavy to drink. The watermelon packs a punch on the back-end while also still getting some of the hop flavor of the beer.
WORST Food
We tried almost all of Japan’s menu items and were really looking forward to its new additions. Unfortunately, we were disappointed by all of them.
Osakana Karaage – crispy-fried pollock with spicy mayonnaise and a sweet and creamy yuzu sauce – $8.50
The fried pollock was so tough and chewy, we thought we were eating chicken instead of fish. The fried breading was gummy, and there was not enough flavor from the spicy mayo and yuzu. Plus, for $8.50, we were pretty disappointed by both the portion and the presentation. There’s really nothing positive we can say about this dish.
WORST Drink
Sake-Politan Cocktail – sake with Simply cranberry juice and a hint of yuzu – $8.75
Japan also let us down with its drinks. In particular, the Sake-Politan was a comically small pour that tasted like watered-down Hawaiian Punch. The wine flavor was sorely lacking in the sake, and this tasted like a bad batch you may have been served in college.
We’ve just scratched the surface of everything offered at the 2025 Food and Wine Festival and will be back soon to review more items. Let us know in the comments what your must-have items are or what we should avoid on our next visit to the festival!
