I spent $50 eating and drinking around the world at Epcot's Food & Wine Festival. Here's everything I tried.
Epcot's annual Food & Wine Festival is a budget-friendly way to try different things at the park.
I tested out how many menu items I could purchase and try with a $50 gift card.
Everything I tried, from Greek rosé to an Australian-inspired lamb chop, was affordable and tasty.
I've been visiting Epcot's International Food & Wine Festival for a decade. This year, the festival features 25 "global marketplaces" — kiosks offering food and drinks inspired by cuisines around the world — as well as nightly concerts, themed merchandise, and fun scavenger hunts.
The event is included in normal Epcot admission, and since most menu items cost between $5 and $10, it's one of my favorite inexpensive ways to get the most bang for my buck at Disney World.
I set out to see what a $50 gift card could buy me as I ate and drank my way around the festival, which runs through November 18. I was able to purchase eight total items, making the average cost per item about $6.25.
Here's everything I tried.
I started with a $6.95 beignet aux trois fromages in France.
The line for the France kiosk is often one of the longest at the festival, but this was worth it.
The warm beignet is filled with a three-cheese blend and topped with more crispy cheese. When I bit into it, the oozy, melted cheese combined with the soft, buttery bread was heaven.
I made a pit stop for an Evian in France, which cost $3.75.
This wasn't my first Food & Wine Festival rodeo, and in the hot Florida sun, I know hydration is key.
Before I tried any alcoholic drinks at the festival, I was sure to get some water.
Next I tried the beer-braised beef from the Belgium booth for $6.
The Belgium booth's beer-braised beef looked like the perfect comfort food, with its veggie-filled braising liquid and Gouda mashed potatoes.
It wasn't the prettiest-looking dish, but the meat was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and I kept going back for bites of the mashed potatoes and gravy.
I knew I wanted to taste the $5 griddled cheese from the Greece booth.
Grilled Halloumi cheese is among my favorite foods, so I had to try this version topped with pistachios and honey at the Greece kiosk.
Paired with the Greek rosé I tried, it was Food & Wine Festival bliss.
I paired my cheese with a $6 glass of Skouras Zoe rosé from the Greece booth.
The light and refreshing pour of Greek rosé was a great first drink of the festival.
Skouras' dry rosé retails for about $14 a bottle, so paying $6 a glass at a festival didn't feel like an imposition at all.
I was intrigued by the $9 beer mimosa and the Shimmering Sips booth.
To give myself some time to get hungry again, I made my next stop a drink-only one at the Shimmering Sips kiosk. I tried a beer mimosa, made with Boulevard Brewing Company's Berry Noir sour ale and sparkling wine.
I'd never had beer in a mimosa before, but I really loved this drink — even though it was the most expensive thing I bought.
The $8.75 roasted lamb chop at the Australia booth caught my eye.
Another secret to surviving a hot day at Disney World is to eat enough protein, so I made sure to stop at the Australia kiosk to try the lamb chop.
The perfectly-cooked meat was topped with mint pesto and crunchy flakes of potato. It was great for a late-afternoon energy boost.
To end the day, I picked up a warm chocolate-pudding cake from the Ireland booth for $4.75.
I finished my trip with a bit of dessert — a warm chocolate-pudding cake topped with Irish-cream custard.
At less than $5, this was the most inexpensive dish I ordered, but the warm chocolate and creamy glaze were delicious. I'd definitely order it again.
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