Epcot Flower & Garden Festival 2018 - the FOOD

This year, the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival lasts through the end of May. We happened to be at Disney the day it started back in February! If you've never been to the Flower & Garden Festival, we highly recommend. We enjoy it as much as (if not more than) the Food & Wine Festival. The weather is GREAT, the flowers are beautiful, and the crowds definitely seem a little lower.

If you are lucky enough to be going later this month, we thought we'd share what we ate at the various booths around the world. There was so much we didn't get a chance to try, but definitely some must haves, They have a little "passport" booklet you can pick up that tells you all the food and drinks options being sold at each booth. We had gotten ours earlier in the trip and did some homework to know which spots we wanted to try. We typically do this as our dinner one night. Sorry in advance for the darker pictures.  Let's go!

Rating: MUST STOP, IF YOU HAVE TIME, MOVE ON :-)

Fleur de Lys booth in France:

IF YOU HAVE TIME - "Tarte a la Tomate Provencale".  It was a tomato tart with sauteed onions, thyme, and rosemary on a pastry crust.  We all enjoyed this one. It was light and crisp. Almost like a mini pizza. 

Bauernmarkt: Farmer's Market in Germany:

MUST STOP: Toasted Pretzel Bread with Black Forest Ham and Gruyere Cheese.  This was a consensus favorite.  I mean, bread and cheese -- what's not to love.  Everything we got we split three ways, but I think we would have each devoured one of our own.  

MOVE ON - Potato Pancake with caramelized ham, onions and herb sour cream.  This dish sounded better than it tasted.  The flavors just didn't all seem to gel. It's not very photogenic, but it's nothing to write home about either. We'd cross this one of the list.

Jardin de Fiestas (near Mexico):

MUST STOP: chilaquiles served with chorizo, Mexican cream and cotija cheese.  Isn't this one so pretty? All amazing flavors in a perfect little bite. Creamy, yummy, we loved this one!

The Smokehouse - Barbecue and Brews 

MUST STOP: Beef Brisket Burnt Ends & Smoked Pork Belly Slider with Sausage, Chorizo, Cheddar Fondue and a pickle.  This was probably the longest line of the night, but probably the most "recognizable" dish. The pork was so tender, and you could smell it smoking, "countries" away. It was a very filling dish. We picked up some popcorn to eat with it, and this was a perfect little meal. They also were serving a beer flight of various American beers that helped wash this one down. You can't go wrong with this stop!

Hanami, Japan

IF YOU HAVE TIME: Frushi - pineapple, strawberry, and melon rolled with coconut rice with toasted coconut and whipped cream with raspberry sauce on the side. Whew, that's a mouth full. This was probably the most fun and unique item that I believe was new to the menu this year. It was refreshing and fun to eat. Flavors was good -- but next time, we would opt for some other sweet treats along the way.

Taste of Marrakesh

MUST STOP: Fried Cauliflower with capers, garlic parsley and chili ranch sauce.  This dish was one of, if not the top highlight of our food journey. It was perfectly cooked, amazing flavors, and the perfect little bite. We could have eaten MANY more of these. Make this a definite must stop. I hope this was stays on the menu throughout the festivals!

Lotus House

IF YOU HAVE TIME - Fried Chicken Dumpling with peanut sauce.  There was nothing wrong with this one.  It had good flavors with a fun little sauce on top. And there were three, so if you are sharing, you do get a good little taste. Even if you don't particular like dumplings or have been hesitant to try, this would be a great one to start with. 

Whew! That was a fun journey around the world.  I wish we could go back and try something different from every booth.  There were SO many booths we didn't even have a chance to stop by. Let us know if there's something we need to add to our list for next year!

We definitely agree this is one of our favorites, so if you have never been, we recommend adding it to your "one-day" vacation list. It's full of all the Disney fun & magic with great food, drinks and a perfect atmosphere.

See you real soon :-)