EPCOT Food & Wine 2026: What We Ate (and Rated) in Part 1

News: EPCOT's International Food & Wine Festival is back for its 30th anniversary, running August 27 through November 21, 2026. Not every marketplace opened on day one. More booths opened in September and October, so I'm covering it as a series. This is part one.

Our game plan

Food & Wine booths don't open until later in the morning, so we started by meeting Mickey and friends, a no-wait way to kick off the day. Then we did a few rides: Soarin' Around the World, Living with the Land and, of course, Figment.

Walking out of Imagination, we got a surprise pop-up character meet: Stitch, Daisy, Pinocchio and even one of the Country Bears, dancing and playing with the kids. No warning, no line.

Crowd tip: We skipped opening weekend and went on a Monday instead. Wait times were basically nothing, so we jumped on Test Track too.

Every dish we tried, rated

The Brewing Lab at the Odyssey

• Dill pickle wings: 8/10. Really good, but the star was the ranch. Fresh dill, and I could dip anything in it.
• Pickle milkshake: 2/10 (maybe generous). I love pickles and I love milkshakes. Not together.

Canada: Le Cellier booth

• Montreal poutine: 9/10. Fries, cheese curds, smoked meat and mustard gravy with pickles. It's now a permanent booth, and it's huge, easily split between three or four people.

Japan

• Spicy tuna hand roll ($9): 7/10. The flavor delivers, but in Florida humidity the seaweed gets chewy fast, so eat it right away. The festival wagyu and nigiri combo is on my list for part two.

Mexico: one of my favorite stops

• Tostada (pork asada) with chipotle black beans, salsa verde and queso fresco: 9/10. People say it isn't piled as high as the pictures. I don't care. The flavor and texture were so good.
• Cream-filled berry popsicle with sweetened condensed milk and Tajín: 10/10. A flavor explosion, and the only 10 of the day. Get this one.

Flavors from Fire

• Beef skewers: 9/10. Everything at this booth is cooked over fire. The skewers were so good that my daughter made me go back for another one after I ate hers.

The Fry Basket (near Test Track)

• Fry flight ($7.99): salt and vinegar, truffle parm, and sweet potato with cinnamon sugar and marshmallow cream. Really good... until a surprise downpour. Rest in peace to our fries.

Part 1 top picks

1. Mexico's cream-filled popsicle (10)
2. Montreal poutine (9)
3. Mexico tostada (9)
4. Flavors from Fire beef skewers (9)

Is Food & Wine 2026 worth it?

The bar is set really high this year. Other than the pickle milkshake, we didn't try anything we didn't love. Go on a weekday if you can, share the bigger dishes so you can hit more booths, and have a rain plan.

Part two is coming as the later booths open. Is there a dish you want me to try? Tell me in the comments on the video.

Menus and prices can change during the festival. Check the current festival guide before you go.