Buon appetito! Italy is back, and possibly better than ever, at this year’s Festival of the Arts food booth lineup. No matter the EPCOT festival, this booth seems to have a mile-long line. Despite its popularity, I’ve often been disappointed with Italy’s festival offerings. I’m often left with the feeling where I would rather put my money towards one of the many quality table service restaurants within the Italy pavilion (hello, Via Napoli). However, upon reviewing the [FARTS] Foodie Guide, I knew I needed give the cheesy and cannoli goodness from this year’s Festival of the Arts another shot. I’m here to share my thoughts in case this helps you game plan for your next EPCOT visit!
These are the current food items being offered the L’Arte di Mangiare food studio for the 2025 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, now through February 24th.
Mozzarella Fritta | $9.00
Flash-fried Breaded Fresh Mozzarella with Artist Palette Condiments
A+ for presentation. This is a returning Fest favorite from the last few years, and it shows! How can you go wrong with fried cheese? The paint pallette is filled with various dipping sauces, including balsamic, an aïoli, pesto, and pomodoro. The aïoli is my personal favorite, it was something like a yum-yum sauce. The mozzarella was perfectly fried; served hot and gooey. The only problem here is the price point, I need more cheese vs. how many condiments are provided! Maybe one more piece of fried cheese? For $9 — Please? Additionally, while the presentation is clever and adorable, it’s tough to imagine just how many little plastic trays get thrown away each day. Remember to recycle!
Tricolore | $8.75
Cheese-filled Ravioloni, Pomodoro, Cream, and Pesto Sauces
Listen, this one had potential. I don’t know what it is, but at least one of my dishes from the Italy pavilion food both is served cold. Like, not even sitting under a warmer, cold. This time, the sauces were warm; you could tell they were freshly served. However, the ravioli themselves were not even lukewarm. When you’re paying EPCOT festival prices, your food needs to be served at the right temperature. That said: the pasta tasted great, and I really enjoyed the pesto and rich cream sauces.
Mixing all three sauces together also works! If I’m being honest, this just made me want to book a Tutto Italia reservation stat… and I may not ever trust the Italy booth again.
Hazelnut S’more Cannoli | $5.50
Cannoli Shell dipped in Chocolate and Graham Cracker, Chocolate-Hazelnut Cannoli Cream, and Toasted Marshmallows
You know I had to try the cannoli. My name is Chloé Cannoli, after all. While the description had me ready for something a little different (no traditional lightly-sweetened ricotta filling), I wasn’t expecting it to look different than what was promised in the Foodie Guide. It looks a little… small. No?
Despite its size, I was pleasantly surprised on a few notes: the shell was tasty and possessed the perfect crunch. The chocolate cream was good, it could have been a bit creamier but it was still tasty enough, especially paired with the toasty marshmallows. Somehow I’m finding my *very* mature (almost 33-year old) palate appreciates the toasted mini marshmallow on basically anything. Viva Italia?
— Me when I’m served cold ravioli. Kidding aside, don’t miss the step-in photo op right next to Italy’s food booth, based on Edvard Munch’s The Scream painting.
