5 things to eat (and a couple of things to drink) at the Epcot Flower & Garden Fest

Suzy Fleming Leonard, Florida Today
·4 min read

The gorgeous flower beds and intricate topiaries may star at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, but in recent years, delicious dishes dreamed up by Disney chefs have almost stolen the show.

The annual festival, which heralds the beginning of spring in Central Florida, began March 1 and runs through July 5.

My colleague Rob Landers and I were among the lucky reporters invited to explore the festival's opening day, so we gladly traded our desks for sunshine, flowers and tasty food.

Our journey took us around the world (OK, Epcot's World Showcase) twice, but it was worth it. Here are five of our favorite bites from this year's Flower & Garden Fest.

Impossible Lumpia

You'll never miss the meat in the Impossible Lumpia at the Trowel & Trellis kitchen near Port of Entry at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.
You'll never miss the meat in the Impossible Lumpia at the Trowel & Trellis kitchen near Port of Entry at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.

Since the Flower and Garden Festival is all about plants, we decided to start with Trowel & Trellis kitchen near Port of Entry to the World Showcase. The kitchen is hosted by Impossible, so in addition to the Lumpia ($5.50), its plant-based menu includes Boneless Impossible Korean Short Rib ($6.75) and Chocolate Cake ($5). We couldn't resist the lumpia, with its crisp wrapper and Thai sweet chili sauce. It has so much zingy flavor, you'll never miss the meat.

Shrimp Scampi Poutine

Shrimp Scampi Poutine, anyone? It's a delicious concoction available at the Refreshment Port at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.
Shrimp Scampi Poutine, anyone? It's a delicious concoction available at the Refreshment Port at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.

We heard a couple of park guests expressing skepticism about the Shrimp Scampi Poutine ($10.50) at the Refreshment Port. Rob quickly set them straight. This stuff is Delicious with a capital D. It's rich and creamy, with chunky cheese curds, lemon garlic cheese fondue, spinach and artichokes. And remember: It's poutine, so all that covers a pile of perfect fries. We washed it down with a Frozen Mojito with Boyd & Blair rum ($12.50).

Spicy Mala Chicken Skewer

The Spicy Mala Chicken Skewer is available at the Lotus House in China at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.
The Spicy Mala Chicken Skewer is available at the Lotus House in China at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.

Creamy peanut sauce with a little kick made this chicken dish ($6.75) at Lotus House in China one of our favorite bites of the day. While it looks like one strip of meat, it's actually several bite-sized chunks that slide easily off the skewer, making sharing a snap.

Muffuletta Panini

A Muffuletta Panini and a Bayou Cocktail from the Magnolia Terrace kitchen were favorite finds at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.
A Muffuletta Panini and a Bayou Cocktail from the Magnolia Terrace kitchen were favorite finds at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.

As a Louisiana girl, I pitched a fit until Rob led me to the Magnolia Terrace kitchen at the American Adventure. I was tempted by the Spicy Chicken Gumbo and the Crawfish Pie, but after much debate, we settled on the Muffuletta Panini with ham, salami, mortadella, provolone, Swiss and olive salad. Pressing muffuletta fixings between a warm, crunchy panini bun is pure Disney magic. It was my favorite bite of the day, especially when it was followed by a few sips of the Bayou Cocktail ($12), Bayou Spiced Rum, coconut rum, fruit punch and orange juice.

Orange Bird Waffle

The Orange Bird Liege Waffle, available at the Starbucks in Connections Cafe, makes the perfect sweet ending to a culinary trip around the world at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.
The Orange Bird Liege Waffle, available at the Starbucks in Connections Cafe, makes the perfect sweet ending to a culinary trip around the world at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival.

This year's festival has tons of sweet offerings, but we were looking for something quintessentially Flower & Garden. We found it in the Orange Bird Liege Waffle ($4.19) at the Connections Cafe in World Celebration. Not being a true waffle connoisseur, I had to look up "Liege waffle." Liege waffles, it turns out, hail from eastern Belgium. They're made with a thicker, brioche batter and have caramelized sugar coating. (Guess what color the sugar on the Orange Bird Waffle is.)

Word of warning: We waited in the massive line at the Main Connections cafe only to discover the Orange Bird waffles are available only on the Starbucks side of the cafe. The line on that side was considerably shorter, and we had our waffle in no time. While we were surprised to be handed a pre-packaged waffle instead of a hot, fresh one, we loved the not too sweet, but just sweet enough treat. With its adorable Orange Bird portrait on a white chocolate disc, it was the perfect ending to a day of exploring.

If you go

What: Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

When: Through July 5

Where: Epcot theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista

Admission: Single-day park tickets start at $109; some festival experiences may require an additional fee.

Info: disneyworld.disney.go.com

Also: In addition to colorful gardens, artful topiaries and outdoor kitchens, the festival also includes the Garden Rocks Concert Series. Visit the website for a complete schedule.

Suzy Fleming Leonard is a features journalist with more than three decades of experience. Reach her at sleonard@floridatoday.com. Find her on Facebook: @SuzyFlemingLeonard or on Instagram: @SuzyLeonard. 

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 5 things to eat at Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival 2023