Eat and Drink Around the World in EPCOT’s World Showcase

Today, I am going to share with you how we chose to Eat and Drink Around the World in EPCOT’s World Showcase! We absolutely love World Showcase.  Where else in the world can you experience the culture, food, and people of 11 different countries…all in one place?!  There are so many neat hidden treasures and secret spots to be discovered, and so much knowledge to be attained.  This is an area of the park to be slowly taken in and savored.  One of our favorite ways to do this is with a drink and snack in hand 😊. 

Eating and/or Drinking Around the World is a popular challenge that EPCOT World Travelers may choose to undertake to get the full experience of each culture of World Showcase.  On our last trip, we decided to give it a go, and had a blast doing so!

A Couple Things to Note:

I want to quickly mention a couple of our personal strategies to Eat and Drink around the World. Some you may want to incorporate yourself, and some you may want to throw out the window and just go WILD! This is completely up to you and what you think will work best for your travelling party!

1. We were not lucky enough to have our trip planned around one of EPCOT’s famous festivals (I’m talking Food & Wine, Festival of the Arts, or Flower & Garden).  Had that been the case, there would be SO MANY more food and drink options available at the seasonal festival booths.  But alas, we were limited.  I would highly recommend planning your trip around one of these festivals if you are able!  Each one offers unique food and drink options that are only available during that festival season.      
2. We were really trying to keep this as inexpensive as possible.  With this in mind, we decided to go for snacks and treats rather than full Table Service or Quick Service meals.
3. We also were aiming for as AUTHENTIC as possible.  I wanted to try beers and wines from that particular host country, rather than Disney cocktails inspired by the country.  I wanted to know what the people back home are ACTUALLY enjoying!
4. Seeing as how there were four of us in our party (my husband, our two daughters, and myself), we decided sharing snacks and drinks was the way to go (and also kept cost down).  I don’t know about you, but if I personally tried to imbibe in a drink at 11 different World Showcase Pavilions…that night would get UGLY!  And I’ll be perfectly honest, we ran out of time on our first EPCOT day, so we had to return the next evening to finish up the last four pavilions. Is there ever enough time at Disney?!

So here we go!  I will now take you on a tour of how we decided to Eat & Drink Around the World!!

Left or Right??

There are two types of people in World Showcase: those who go left and those who go right.  For those who are wondering what the heck I’m talking about, let me elucidate.  When you first reach World Showcase, you will be faced with a dilemma: Do I want to head left and start my journey in Mexico?  Or go right and start in Canada?  Now I must admit, I believe heading right to Canada has its strategic advantages, but I cannot resist heading to Mexico to start our world tour.  Tacos, margaritas, and Gran Fiesta Boat Tour…HERE WE COME!

Mexico

Upon arriving in Mexico, we headed straight into the pyramid, down the stairs, and to the right to La Cava del Tequila.  If you are looking for some high-end cocktails with good quality tequila, this is the place!  I opted for the La Cava Avocado Margarita ($15.50).  I will admit, this is one of the splurges I had previously planned for that broke our *inexpensive* rule.  But boy was I glad I did!  Blended with fresh avocado and rimmed with a hibiscus salt rim, this was truly a unique cocktail.  It was light and refreshing, and I would certainly order it again!

Check out our Copycat Recipe for the Avocado Margarita HERE!

For our food, we headed outside to La Cantina de San Angel.  I trusted my husband to order what he thought would be best (keeping in mind our *rules* haha), and he ALSO made the fatal error of breaking a rule on our first pavilion!  Rather than ordering just one dish to sample, he ordered THREE! 

We sampled the Empanadas con Queso ($13.50), Tacos de Barbacoa (14.99), and the Nachos (13.99).  And while I’ll admit they were all quite tasty…I found myself thinking, “How are we going to eat at 10 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES after this?!”  So if you are planning to do it all in one day, DO NOT make this mistake!  All in all, I have to give my husband credit, he picked a good assortment of Mexican flavors and we were all quite happy with our meal.   

NORWAY

After our delicious entrees in Mexico, it was time for something sweet in Norway.  We headed to Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe to try their famous School Bread. I have heard so many mixed reviews on this item; I was sure I wouldn’t enjoy it, but the kids would.  The negative reports I had heard consisted of the bread being very dense and heavily spiced, but man was this delicious!  The bread was soft, the spices were perfectly balanced, and there was a perfect amount of custard filling.  The School Bread was a hit with the whole family. And the $4.49 price tag on this item made it VERY appealing to keep our costs low. 

For our beverage, we kept it simple and went with the Norway Einstok White Ale ($10). I wasn’t quick enough to grab a photo of this beer, my apologies!  The Viking Coffee also sounded intriguing, but we wanted to go with drinks that were authentic to the host country (rather than Disney inspirations).

Some other snacks I would recommend to travelers looking for something different include the Troll Horn and Lefse.

CHINA

China was our next stop on our journey to Eat and Drink Around the World. Upon entering China, we popped over to Lotus Blossom Café.  We kept it simple, and ordered the Pork and Vegetable Eggrolls ($3.99) with the Plum Wine ($7.00).  I know what you’re thinking…”Eggrolls?  How unremarkable…”  And while, yes, that was my thought going in (but also trying to keep it small and inexpensive); I will tell you that those eggrolls were surprisingly tasty and hit the spot!  They were hot, fresh, not oily, and the perfect snack to enjoy while sipping some wine and looking out over the gardens.  The wine, on the other hand, was not for me.  It was very sweet, and I tend to steer toward dryer wines.  If you are a fan of sweet wines like Moscato, I would recommend trying this wine!

GERMANY

There were SO MANY items I wanted to try in Germany, but at this time of day the pavilion was PACKED.  So we headed into Karamell-Kuche to try some of their famous Werthers Caramel.  It was a tough choice between the Caramel Bacon Bar, Caramel Popcorn, and Caramel Pecan Bar.  Ultimately, we went with the Caramel Butter Bar ($4.49).  It was, of course, amazing.  A hit with the whole family.  I don’t think you can go wrong with this location!

While we waited in line for the Caramel Butter Bar, my husband headed over to Sommerfest for our traditional German Beverage, the Warsteiner Dunkel ($9.50).  It was a full-flavored, malty, dark amber beer that paired quite nicely with the butter bar.

Some other snacks I had my eye on that we didn’t get a chance to enjoy include the German Pretzel, Nudel Gratin, and Bratwurst located at Sommerfest.

ITALY

I knew in Italy there was only one thing I needed to try as part of our Eat and Drink Around the World journey…tiramisu!  Having Italian heritage, I cannot believe I have never tasted this staple in Italian dessert before!  We headed over to Gelati for tiramisu ($6.00) and the Italian Sangria ($8.00) as an accompaniment.  I’ll be honest, I wasn’t crazy about the tiramisu.  It had a lot of cocoa powder on top that detracted from the rest of the dessert.  It is possible the dessert was just not up to par that day, as I have had tiramisu since and enjoyed it!  The Italian Sangria (a blend of Italian red wine and fresh fruit) was refreshing and we enjoyed it.

We steered away from the gelato as I have heard it is not true Italian gelato, but rather traditional American ice cream.  However, if we had more time, funds, and stomach capacity, I would have LOVED to check out Via Napoli for some authentic Italian pizza.  Seeing as how there aren’t many counter service options in this pavilion, I highly recommend making the time for this Table Service restaurant while eating around the world!

AMERICAN ADVENTURE

I am a huge fan of international cuisine, so American Adventure was the Pavilion I was least looking forward to.  I never would have thought this would have been the eating highlight for me on our first day of Eating Around the World, but man was I impressed with Regal Eagle!  This Quick Service location had recently opened before our trip, so I was expecting the usual snags and kinks that a new business may still be working out.  There were absolutely NO issues, the décor of the restaurant was impressive, and the food was AMAZING quality.  I couldn’t believe we were at a Quick Service location. 

We ordered the American Platter ($18.99) to get a little taste of everything they have to offer, and we were all very impressed!  Even the pickles were made in house!  My husband ordered the Tennessee Lemonade ($14.00) as our accompanying beverage which was pretty standard for a whiskey lemonade (and VERY expensive!).  I would probably try the Frozen Mint Julep or the Moonshine Sour instead on our next visit.

JAPAN

By the time we hit Japan, it was almost time for fireworks and park close. To wrap up our first day of our Eat and Drink Around the World journey, we headed over to the Mitsukoshi Department Store to their kiosk in the way back.  Here, they have an assortment of sodas, wine, and sake.  We ordered the Sparking Citrus Sake ($8.00) which was wonderful!  I have also heard rave reviews of the Violet Sake in Japan, but (alas) we couldn’t track it down on our trip.  I know it is a staple festival offering during Flower and Garden, so I would encourage you to seek it out if you can!   

Over at Katsura Grill, we ordered a Green Tea Cheesecake ($5.00) to end the night before fireworks.  I was slightly disappointed with this dessert.  While the cheesecake itself was fine, I was hoping for more of that green tea flavor to come through.  There are so many other wonderful offerings at Katsura Grill (such as their Tonkotsu Ramen and Chicken Teriyaki) I would encourage you to try those out if you can!

CANADA

Now, I’m steering you guys a little out of order here, so I apologize!  Day 2 of EPCOT, we had to head RIGHT to hit up Canada and Eat and Drink Around the World at the last pavilions before catching the Skyliner back to Hollywood Studios for Fantasmic!  I immediately knew what I wanted in Canada…POUTINE!  And while technically not IN the Canada Pavilion (as it is located at the Refreshment Port), poutine is undeniable Canadian. 

We went with the Brisket Poutine (with sliced brisket, beer cheese sauce, and gravy) priced at $8.69.  While I’m glad to have tried something different, I was missing a more traditional poutine (fries, cheese curds, and gravy).  We also grabbed a Moosehead Draft beer ($12.50) to go with the poutine from the Popcorn in Canada cart.  This was probably my favorite beer of the trip!  Light, crisp, and fresh; it paired well with the rich cheesiness of the poutine.

Some other snacks to consider in Canada if you are not feeling poutine include Ketchup Chips (a Canadian staple and surprisingly delicious!) and Maple Popcorn from the Popcorn in Canada cart.  Of course, nothing tops the Beer Cheese soup from Le Cellier.  If you can snag that coveted Signature Dining reservation, go for it!  Otherwise, try to hit up the festival booths when they serve it during Food and Wine Festival!

UNITED KINGDOM

From Canada, we headed over to the UK to grab some Fish and Chips ($11.49) from Yorkshire County Fish Shop.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from this Quick Service stop, but the fish was really tasty!  Hot, crispy, and not greasy, the whole family enjoyed this stop on our world tour. 

My husband grabbed a Magners Pear Cider ($9.25) from the UK Beer Cart as our beverage.  While I’m not normally a big cider fan (I find them too sweet), Magners Pear has less sugar and creates a more subtle sweetness. I highly recommend!

FRANCE

When you’re in France, you MUST head to Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie!  There are soooo many good options to choose from here.  We went with the Roule Lard & Fromage (bacon and cheese roll) and a classic Napoleon ($4.75).  I had heard rave reviews on the Roule Lard & Fromage ($4.25), but we thought this was just ok.  I was hoping the bread would be softer and the cheese would be melted.  Perhaps that is a special request that can be made when ordering. The Napoleon, on the other hand, was quite good! 

Some other snacks I would recommend trying from Le Halles include the Quiche, Macarons, Baguette, and the Éclair.

As much as I would have loved to splurge on champagne to pair with our French finds, we played it smart and ordered the Kronenbourg 1664 beer ($7.50), a golden pale lager.  I can’t say that I have ever tried a French beer before, but it was pretty good!

MOROCCO

To wrap up our Eat and Drink Around the World journey, we waddled over to our very last country, Morocco!  This is hands down my favorite World Showcase Pavilion.  Unfortunately, it was crunch time to jet over to Hollywood Studios for Fantasmic, so we popped in to Tangierine Café for some Pistachio Baklava ($3.25) and Moroccan wine ($8.95).  Both were very good, and a great way to end the night. 

If you have the time and stomach capacity, I would highly recommend one of the Shawarma Platters from Tangierine Café!  

Eat and Drink Around the World: Final Thoughts

Well, that’s how we did it!  We managed to get something to eat and something to drink in each of the 11 Pavilions, I’d say we earned our badge!  We did a pretty good job of sticking to our rules for the most part (keeping in mind expenses, authenticity, and stomach capacity).  If you think this is something you want to try on your next trip to World Showcase, I say go for it! 

You can just eat or just drink around the world. I will say, it helps to have a plan beforehand.  Be sure to check out menus before your visit to you make sure to grab those MUST TRY items (like the Avocado Margarita for me).  If there is a Festival going on, be sure to check out those menus as well!  Some of the best Eating & Drinking Around the World finds will be located at those festival booths.  And most importantly, HAVE FUN!

Have you attempted the challenge of Eating or Drinking Around the World at EPCOT’s World Showcase? What are some of your MUST HAVE snacks and treats?

Interested in other Walt Disney World Reviews? Check out my review of Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian Garden Tea Room HERE!

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