This last month was a MAJOR foodie month in Disney World! July was the official kickoff of the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival, but this month also included the Flavors of Florida event in Disney Springs, plus a ton of restaurants reopening like Citricos, Trail’s End, and ‘Ohana.
It’s Food and Wine Festival season once again!
As always, there were food items we absolutely loved, and there were other dishes that totally fell flat. Here’s our monthly roundup of the best and worst things we ate at Disney World for July!
The BEST:
Crispy Chicken on a Sriracha-glazed Donut from Donut Box
This year’s EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival kicked off in July with a bang! Among all of our picks for the Best of the Fest, the Crispy Chicken on a Sriracha-glazed Donut from Donut Box definitely got our attention more than other food items!
A chicken sandwich on a sriracha donut because why not?
Like, seriously, what mad scientist thought a chicken sandwich on a sriracha donut was a good idea? But you know what — it kind of worked in a beautiful, confusing, glorious way. You can try this one out for yourself at Donut Box for $8.50.
The next standout dish for the month of July (and across the entire Food and Wine Festival) was another eyebrow-raising item: the Crispy Pig Ear Salad from a new booth, The Swanky Saucy Swine. This salad is a plate of Crispy Pig Ears with Fire-Roasted Tomatillo Sauce, Pickled Red Onions, Queso Fresco, Roasted Corn Salsa, and Avocado Cream.
Crispy Pig Ear Salad
Trust us, we’re as shocked as you are for raving about how much we love crispy pig ears, but hey, anything is possible at the Food and Wine Festival. We love the entire menu at The Swanky Saucy Swine, but the balance of incredible flavors and textures in this salad was the star. The best part? It’s only $5.25!
Splitsville has officially made it onto our “Best” month for two months in a row! After their stellar showing in June with their Pride Flight, the bar was set high for them to deliver during Flavors of Florida — and boy did they deliver with the Golden Spider Roll!
Golden Spider Roll
This dish includes Tempura-fried Soft-shell Crab, Cucumber, and Avocado wrapped in Soy Paper and Sushi Rice topped with Diced Mango, Honey Wasabi, Eel Sauce, and Micro Greens. Don’t worry, it doesn’t actually come with spiders — it gets its name from the crispy crab legs that stick out from the top, resembling a spider!
Golden Spider Roll
This dish was a knockout combination of lovely presentation, tasty flavor, and a nice balance of texture. If the thought of wasabi scares you off, no fear — it wasn’t all that spicy! Flavors of Florida runs through August 12th, so you have a few more days to try this dish out for yourself (along with all of the other tasty dishes around Disney Springs!). It costs $20.
“The Lion King” from Tiffins
Continuing our list of favorite eats from the month of July, the winner for most stunning dessert hands down goes to The Lion King from Tiffins in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Just based on looks alone, this dish was a memorable standout from this past month. Based on the menu it seems rather unassuming — it’s a plate of Caramel Mousse, Chocolate Brownie, and Strawberry-Mango Sauce. But once the plate actually arrived, we were truly blown away.
Look at this beauty!
On top of how stunning this dessert is, it’s also delicious! The caramel mousse was super smooth and tasty, and all of the accompanying fruit flavors balanced it really well. Tiffins is a pricier Table Service restaurant in Disney World, but honestly, we would return just for this dessert alone if we could! It’s available for $15.
Our very own Maple Popcorn Ice Cream Hack!
Our final pick for the BEST thing we ate this month is a good old food hack! One of our reporters got super creative on their trip to EPCOT and decided to combine some salty and sweet flavors for some serious fall vibes. First stop? The popcorn booth in the Canada Pavilion for some Maple Popcorn for $6.25.
This is a must have when you go to EPCOT
Second stop? Refreshment Port right next door to the Canada Pavilion for their Apple-Cinnamon Soft-Serve Waffle Cone for $5.25.
Soooo delicious!
Then, you simply “sprinkle” the Maple Popcorn on top of the Apple-Cinnamon Soft-Serve and BAM! You’re instantly transported to a crisp autumn day.
Fall Flavors Waffle Cone
Okay, maybe the middle of summer in Central Florida is the total antithesis of all things fall, but if you’re looking for the ultimate sweet and salty combo that’s both smooth and crunchy, follow this food hack next time you’re in EPCOT. In total, it cost us $11.50.
The WORST:
While we WISH we could sing the praises of every single thing we try at Disney World, inevitably there will be a few food and drink items that stand out for all of the WRONG reasons. It breaks our little foodie hearts, but we’re starting off our “worst” list for July with the Black Widow Shake from D-Luxe Burger. This limited-time offering had an odd pairing of cherry flavor mixed with the Cayenne Pepper.
Black Widow Shake
Yeah, it didn’t sound good on paper, and it didn’t taste all that good in person. Now, we actually really enjoyed the matching Black Widow Burger that was offered during this limited-time promo, so this trip to D-Luxe Burger wasn’t an entire letdown! The Black Widow Shake was available for $9.99.
Chicken Ravioli from Italy
Every year we think to ourselves, “Maybe THIS will be the year that the Italy Booth finally impresses us.” Sadly, 2021 would not be that year. To be fair, there were some items we didn’t loathe entirely (we were actually impressed with the Mezzelune Croccanti), but that Chicken Ravioli was once again our annual reminder that the Italy Booth is a big letdown at the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival.
Chicken Ravioli
Their Chicken Ravioli has a knack for coming across as rubbery and flavorless, and for $13, you’re better off traveling elsewhere in EPCOT for a pasta dish. Maybe next year!
While we were big fans of many of the food and beverage items offered for Flavors of Florida in Disney Springs, there was one cocktail that stood out to us as entirely skippable. Even if you prefer your drinks on the sweet side, the Green Gator from House of Blues may STILL be entirely too intense for you to enjoy.
The Green Gator
This drink is a mixture of Siesta Key Toasted Coconut Rum mixed with Melon Liqueur, Simple Syrup, and Pineapple Juice. In theory, this could have been a delicious drink, but it really just came across as liquid sugar. If you want to risk getting a few new cavities, you can try the Green Gator out for $12.
Coq au Vin from France
We have one more letdown from the Food and Wine Festival to share with you today, and it’s a huge bummer. We have consistently loved the France Booth‘s offerings across each and every EPCOT festival over the years, which made it even more disappointing that they seemed to miss the mark across their entire menu this year.
Coq au Vin, Pommes Dauphine: Chicken braised in Burgundy Wine with Bacon and Puffed Potatoes
Their Coq au Vin, which is a dish made with Chicken braised in Burgundy Wine with Bacon and Puffed Potatoes, was a delight at previous festivals, but we were UNpleasantly surprised to find that our chicken AND puffed potatoes were dry. We’re crossing our fingers that we just had a bad batch. If you head to the France Booth to try this dish, it’ll cost you $6.25.
Be sure to check back each month to see what our top and bottom picks are for things we ate around Disney World! Whether it’s a food festival, a restaurant reopening, or a new menu item to try, we’re eating things practically every day across the parks and resorts. If you’re heading to Disney World soon, we want to make sure you know exactly what you’re in for when it comes to food!
