Everything Two Moms Ate & Drank At Epcot, Sans Kids, During The 2024 International Food & Wine Festival

Traditional Macaroni and Cheese with Herbed Panko & Impossible™ Chili Cheese Macaroni and Cheese with Sour Cream and Cheddar: I’ll be honest, I wasn’t entirely floored by this mac and cheese (I tried both the Impossible chili and herbed panko versions). They were totally fine, but the line was ridiculously long and it took a while for them to be brought out to me. To be fair, they are well-priced for the amount you get, but unless you’re starving or need to sober up before a ride, you can skip these. — Kate Auletta, Editor-in-Chief

*Part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, running now until Nov. 23

Top Shelf Clásica Margarita: I went to Mexico in search of a good margarita, and while all the more unusual flavors tempted me, I knew the classic lime drink was what my heart truly desired. This drink was the perfect strength, super refreshing for a hot afternoon, and a great first drink to get the day going. — Katie McPherson, Associate Editor, Lifestyle & Entertainment

Cucumber Margarita: This was light, refreshing, and flavorful without being overly sweet. A perfect drink to sip while strolling and probably my favorite drink of the World Showcase. — Jamie Kenney

Tostada de Pollo: All the food at this stand looked delicious, but I’m glad I went with the tostadas. I took a bite and got my hands all covered in black bean-y goodness before I could take a picture, but no regrets. The crisp lettuce and cool crema on top were the perfect complement to well-seasoned beans and chicken beneath, and who doesn’t love the crunch of a good tostada? — Katie McPherson

Guacamole: Truly, guac is the food of the gods… when done well. It’s really easy to get bad guacamole, especially when you’re talking about making it to scale. But the guac and chips at Epcot was really very good. We were all delighted by the inclusion of pumpkin seeds on top! — Jamie Kenney

Potato & Pea Samosa: I’m fully convinced there’s no such thing as a bad samosa, and this one was no exception. The pastry was flaky, the spices inside were also perfectly balanced and the textures were great. But it was the coriander-lime cream drizzle on the top of this dish that made it something special. — Jamie Kenney

*Part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, running now until Nov. 23

Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese: Raclette is among the stinkier cheeses out there, and it’s not for everyone. But you know who it is for? This girl. This dish features a sizable glob of melted raclette cheese served with boiled baby potatoes, a baguette, and cornichons. It took all my strength not to order a second. — Jamie Kenney

Stiegl Brewery Key Lime Hard Radler: I’ve tried a lot of craft beers, and I haughtily thought, No way could a key lime beer from Austria outdo all the ones I’ve had right here in Florida. But you know what? It’s right there at the top of the pack. It was also a perfectly sized little beer to get a good idea of the taste without causing a ton of bloating while walking around. — Katie McPherson

Frosé: My first thought about the frozen rose at The Alps was, Oh my god, that’s so nice and cold! And sure, that is true, but it’s so much more than that. It wasn’t too sweet — which can be a kiss of death for frozen rose — and stayed cold even when I drank it all down to the stem. Anything that keeps me cool in hot temps and is a delight for the tastebuds is a winner in my book. — Kate Auletta

*All part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, running now until Nov. 23

Werther’s® Original® Caramel Butter Bar: Thank the caramel gods one of our group wandered into this store when the rest of us passed it by. This caramel butter bar — pictured here as one last remaining niblet we were saving for a lost group member — clearly disappeared fast once we’d all tried it. It’s so gooey you wonder how it stays in one piece and is just a truly delicious dessert that caramel lovers will lose their minds over. — Katie McPherson

Werther’s Originals Caramel Popcorn: I like caramel, but caramel corn has just never really done it for me. Well, this stuff absolutely does. It’s made fresh, so it’s warm and incredibly fragrant when you open the bag. It’s salty, sweet, and the caramel flavor is so much richer than any store-bought caramel corn I’ve ever had. — Katie McPherson

Polpettine Toscane*: Being Italian-American, I’m picky about my meatballs, but these were moist and flavorful and served with a slightly spicy pomodoro sauce that would have gotten my nonna’s nod of approval. — Jamie Kenney

Italian Style “Nachos”*: This is basically heaven. There’s a beef ragout which you spoon into your mouth using pasta chips. Delightful. — Jamie Kenney

Vanilla Cheesecake*: Topped with a strawberry sauce and whipped cream, this cheesecake was fairly standard, but let’s be honest: “Standard cheesecake” is a treat. I appreciate that it was pretty light, which balanced the somewhat heavier plates in Italy. — Jamie Kenney

Prosecco: When it’s 90+ degrees out, some of the drinks around the world start sounding a little too heavy. But prosecco? It’s never too hot for prosecco. This one was light and bright, super refreshing, and went down all too easily. It wasn’t particularly special or interesting, but it was exactly what I wanted it to be. — Katie McPherson

*Part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, running now until Nov. 23

Eel Temaki Sushi: I’ve eaten who knows how much eel sushi in my life, but I will remember this hand roll apart from the best. The seaweed wrap was so tender, and the rice and eel were both cooked to perfection. — Katie McPherson

*Part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, running now until Nov. 23

Griddled Cheese with Pistachios and Honey: This was one of my favorite bites of the day. The cheese (I’m not even sure what kind it is) is heated on the griddle so the outside gets crispy, and the inside heats to be all gooey and delicious. Then, it’s topped with rough-chopped pistachios and honey. It’s like the best parts of a grilled cheese — the little burnt crunchies left in the pan — but sweet and nutty to boot. You have to try it. — Katie McPherson

Zoe Rosé: This was everything you could want from a rosé on a hot day. Bonus points for pairing perfectly with the griddled cheese. — Katie McPherson

*Part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, running now until Nov. 23

Grilled Kebabs: “Spiced meat” is just one of those things that’s always a good idea, right? I got chicken and lamb kebabs for the table, which were served with a carrot-chickpea salad and garlic aïoli. The cool of the salad and the spicy heat from the kebab were delightful. — Jamie Kenney

Fried Falafel Pita: It’s hard to get bad falafel, and this, predictably, hit the spot. Served with a tomato-cucumber relish and tahini sauce, it was a great pick for the vegetarians eating with us. — Jamie Kenney

Stone-Baked Moroccan Bread: This light, fluffy, but substantial bread is called khobz, and it is traditional in Morocco. It comes with a trio of unspecified dips (one was hummus, but I couldn’t place the other two), and if I weren’t sharing, it could have been a meal in and of itself. — Jamie Kenney

Pistachio Cake: “Jamie, did you order literally everything possible at this stop?” I did, and don’t you dare judge me. Especially because this cake was one of my very favorite desserts of the trip. It was moist and light but so packed with flavor. It’s served with a cinnamon pastry cream, candied walnuts, and a very pretty tempered chocolate with a distinctly Moroccan pattern on top and was one of my very favorite desserts of the trip. — Jamie Kenney

Hard Cider Flight: A trio of Floridian hard ciders that included blackberry pear, tamarind mint, and fig flavors. The tamarind mint was hands down my favorite, but I easily could have had a pint of any of them. They were sweet and refreshing. — Jamie Kenney

*All part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, running now until Nov. 23

Florida Orange Groves Winery Sparkling Pineapple Wine: Prosecco in the morning was exactly what the doctor ordered, so when I spotted this sparkling beverage on the menu, I hoofed it over to Hawai’i for an afternoon refresher. I am typically more of a dry, herb-y drink person, and this was incredibly sweet. It’s the perfect dessert drink to grab on your way back out of the park, but go in knowing that the sweetness is strong with this one. — Katie McPherson

Maui Brewing Co. Orange Mango Guava Hazy IPA: IPAs are among the more divisive beverages out there. The people who love them love them. The people who hate them have all kinds of hipster jokes at the ready if you tell them you love them. As for me, I’m picky about which IPAs I like, and I really liked this one. The citrus of the fruit balanced the bitterness of the hops without making the beer feel like it was flavored with syrups. To quote pretentious beer dudes: It was incredibly “quaffable.” — Jamie Kenney

Slow-roasted Pork Slider: I’ll admit to having only a taste of this when a colleague ordered it, and I live in regret that I didn’t get one of my own. We’re starting with pulled pork — already a winner — which is topped with sweet and sour pineapple chutney and spicy mayo. All the flavors here blended beautifully. — Jamie Kenney

Hawaiian Rice Bowl: A week after our trip to Epcot, it is the humble Hawaiian Rice Bowl from the Food & Wine Fest Hawaii pavilion that I cannot stop thinking about. Lesser minds might have considered the Slow-roasted Pork Slider to be the sexier order, and I’ll grant that rice, eggs, and spam might not seem all that compelling, but in the middle of a long day of magic, squirt on some eel sauce and spicy mayo and you will be transported to flavor town and not want to come home. — Meaghan O’Connell, Features Editor

Passion Fruit Cheesecake with Toasted Macadamia Nuts: I am a big cheesecake fan (what, my two favorite things combined?) and tried three different ones while at Disney. This one was my favorite. Super bright and tropical without the heavy feel that cheesecake can sometimes have. And the toasted nuts added great texture. — Sarah Aswell, Deputy Editor, News & Social

*All part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, running now until Nov. 23

Mimosa Flight: This assortment of three drinks included a Tropical Mimosa made with POG juice, a Berry Mimosa made with La Gioiosa Berry Fizz and white cranberry juice, and a Blood Orange Mimosa (our team’s clear winner of the three). — Jamie Kenney

*Part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, running now until Nov. 23

Pumpkin Mascarpone Ravioli: A few of us gals were looking forward to these all day, and they didn’t disappoint one bit. The sage brown butter was delicious and flavorful, while still letting the pumpkin filling shine through, and the hazelnut praline added the perfect crunch to complement the tender pasta. 10/10 would wait in line for this again. — Katie McPherson

Burrata with Seasonal Fall Fruit, Spiced Pecans, Apple Purée, and Fig Vinaigrette: Burrata is possibly the best cheese dish to eat when you’re hot, given that it’s served a little chilled with cool fruits and toppings. This one was pretty darn good. The apple puree added the right amount of sweetness, and the pecans gave it a satisfying crunch. If you’re only eating one dish from each location in the festival, I would opt for the ravioli over this dish. — Katie McPherson

*All part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, running now until Nov. 23

Grilled Chicken Wings: Crispy but tender wings are tossed in a pleasantly sticky Jamaican-spiced rum glaze and topped with green onions. — Jamie Kenney

Coconut Fried Shrimp: These big boys are served with a delightful mango chutney. Truly, you can’t go wrong with this classic, but the texture on both the batter and the shrimp was especially good and elevated the dish from what you might be used to at casual dining. — Jamie Kenney

Grilled Mahi-Mahi (pictured): “My waiter (who, incidentally, could tell me everything about the nearly 2,000 fish in the restaurant’s enormous aquarium on display while we dined) recommended this dish when I couldn’t decide what to pick, and I’m so glad he did. The fish was perfectly cooked and served over coconut-lime rice, mango salsa, avocado mousse, and toasted coconut. I had to restrain myself from licking the avocado mousse off the plate.” — Jamie Kenney

Surf & Turf: Listen, you could put chimichurri on just about anything and I’d eat it, but this dish would’ve been equally as delicious without it. My filet was super tender, the shrimp were larger than expected, and the garlic mashed potatoes were extremely satisfying after a long day of walking “around the world.” — Katie McPherson