What determines best and worst new food options?

Based on our group’s experience (and chatting with colleagues), rating the quality of the festival food presented some unique challenges, primarily that different people had very different reactions to the same items. As a result, we tried to gather more opinions than usual about each new item to provide the best resource as you plan your day at Epcot.

The festival’s opening day also involved a few technical issues, which may have caused some items to be prepared with less quality than planned. For instance, the Florida Fresh Outdoor Kitchen did not open at all on the first day, yet all the items intended to be sold there were sold inside the Odyssey. Since the Odyssey was already hosting The Citrus Blossom, this caused last-minute changes for cast members which could have caused items at both locations to be lower in quality than the chefs planned.

One example is the Lobster Tail from Florida Fresh. We tried this item on opening day, and it tasted good, but nothing spectacular, but this could change when it’s served in its planned location. The other new food item expected to be sold at Florida Fresh, the Cubanito with mojo-marinated pork belly, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and stone-ground mustard sauce, was not sold at all on opening day, so we did not include it in our rankings. Since the Florida Fresh Outdoor Kitchen did open on the second day of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, we anticipate this might improve the quality of the items sold there.

We think that covers all the disclaimers for our reasons for placing certain items in the best category and others in the worst category.

Now, let’s move on to the lists.

Best new food items at Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival 2024

During our dining journey on opening day of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival 2024, we tried several above-average festival food items, but two stood out above the rest.

Biscuit and Gravy with Impossible Chicken Fried Steak and Impossible Sausage Gravy ($6.75)

Most of us found the new Impossible biscuit and gravy to be surprisingly good, and though this item is not listed as vegan, the main components were Impossible alt-meat.

Though one of our colleagues received an over-prepared biscuit, the biscuit tasted fine for most of our group. The gravy and Impossible meat make this an excellent option, and even those who claim not to be fans of alt-meat stated the that gravy and “chicken fried steak” pair very nicely.

Guests can find this festival item at the Brunchcot Outdoor Kitchen near Test Track.

lan de Guayaba: Vanilla flan with guava coulis, whipped cream, and fresh fruit ($6.50)

Though several other new food items were close to making the best list, the flan at the Jardin de Fiestas Outdoor Kitchen surprised us with its quality, and fans of guava will love this dessert.

The flan is simple, but well-prepared and designed. It also provides a lovely, refreshing taste, which is ideal for a busy theme park day.

Worst new food items at Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival 2024

Our experience on opening day involved mostly above-average festival food; however, some new food items did not measure up to the rest of the festival food. We narrowed that list down to three items that should be lower on your list of items to try during this Epcot festival.

Impossible Jamaican Beef Patty with Spicy Papaya Syrup ($6.50)

The plant-based Impossible Jamaican Beef Patty at the La Isla Fresca Outdoor Kitchen makes our list of items we struggle to recommend. The Impossible patty came well-prepared with decent flavor and a bit of spice, yet, this festival food item had weaknesses.

A Jamaican patty is a pastry with a variety of fillings, but in this case, our group felt the pastry brought this festival item down in quality. It was also tough to cut, so guests eating it by hand will need extra napkins. The spicy papaya syrup adds some flavor but also adds to the potential mess factor.

Sope de Chilorio ($8.50)

Speaking of tough shells hindering quality ingredients, the Sope de Chilorio (guajillo pepper-braised pork on a fried corn shell with black beans, shredded cabbage, crema Mexicana, queso fresco, and chives) at the Jardin de Fiestas Outdoor Kitchen provided excellent flavor, but the fried corn shell greatly hindered this new festival food item.

We loved the pork and other components with this sope; however, the corn shell did not add any favorable flavor and could not be cut with plastic silverware. We hope the preparation method will improve as the festival continues.

Quattro Formaggi ($6.75)

We tried all four of the new food items at the Primavera Kitchen in the Italy area, and while we saw some improvement at this location compared to previous festivals, the Quattro Formaggi did not impress our group.

According to the festival menu, this dish consists of pennette pasta and four-cheese sauce. The pasta came reasonably well prepared for quick service cuisine; however, the reason this item makes our worst list is mainly due to the four-cheese sauce, which tasted like a basic Alfredo sauce. We did not detect any other cheese flavors in this pasta dish.

On the positive side, we appreciated the lower price point for this style and portion size of this item compared to previous festivals.