REVIEW: We’ve Got GOOD News and BAD News About EPCOT’s Rotating Festival Menu

Disney4me · February 28, 2024

WELCOME to a place we very much look forward to visiting each year at EPCOT’s Flower and Garden Festival!

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Farmers Feast (2023)

We’re talking about EPCOT Farmers Feast— one of the Outdoor Kitchens (also known as Food Booths) at the park’s springtime celebration! Make sure you stop here while you enjoy the Festival’s famous Disney topiaries, garden displays, and entertainment. Join us as we review Farmers Feast to see if it lives up to its reputation as a deserving fan-favorite booth once again this year!

Eats

The first menu is called the Early Bloom Menu, and it will be available from February 28th through March 30th and we’re digging in!

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Look at all this FOOD!

Aaah, the Veal Tenderloin! These are served with spring pea risotto featuring BEN’S ORIGINAL INTERNATIONAL GRAINS Arborio Rice and red wine syrup. This is a new addition at this year’s Festival.

Veal Tenderloin

You can grab this dish for $8.50. In terms of texture, be prepared: in our dish, the meat was thick and chewy. Honestly, it left a lot to be desired. We had high hopes for the spring pea risotto — in fact, we typically enjoy most risotto dishes — but this one was NOT it. The flavor was overly herby, to the point that we found it hard to eat. If you don’t mind a bold, herby pea flavor, you might not mind this one, but if you ask us, there are better dishes at this year’s festival.

Veal Tenderloin

It almost wouldn’t be the Flower & Garden Festival without the Strawberry Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake! This has consistently been a “best of the fest” contender — and for good reason!

Strawberry Rhubarb Upside-down Cake

The Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake is served with crème fraîche whipped cream for $4.75 and has been one of our favorites for several festivals, now. In the past, we thought the strawberry and rhubarb topping tasted very fresh and not too sweet, but just sweet enough to balance out the little bit of tartness you get with each bite of fruit. We’ve loved how the sweetness of the cake and cream balance the refreshing tartness of the rhubarb, and all of the textures blend and compliment each other with a pleasant combination of soft, moist, and a slight crunch. This year, Disney did it again! We keep coming back to this dessert, and it keeps making us smile. Give it a try!

Strawberry Rhubarb Upside-down Cake

All festival long, you can enjoy Grilled Street Corn on the Cob for $5.75. Don’t be fooled — unlike some of the street corn we’ve had at previous festivals, this one is NOT spicy!

Grilled Street Corn on the Cob

In fact, the Grilled Street Corn on the Cob was generously coated with a savory garlic spread and plant-based cheese. We were pleasantly surprised by this one. It’s got plenty of that cheese and garlic spread to give you a flavorful bite. This was a serious win!

Yum!

This dish is also eligible for a stamp if you’re attempting to complete the Garden Graze food crawl.

And to go along with your dishes…

Drinks

Raise a glass of Hibiscus Lemonade Cocktail for $12. This cocktail features Islamorada Brewery & Stillery Hibiscus Gin. We had this drink at the festival back in 2021 and again in 2023, and we thought it was the epitome of the Flower & Garden Festival. It was light and refreshing with a strong floral flavor. This year, it tasted just as we remembered! It tasted like sweet, tart lemonade mixed with violet sake. It was delightful!

Hibiscus Lemonade Cocktail

And new this year is the Frozen Lemon Tea Cocktail for $12.

Frozen Lemon Tea Cocktail

This cocktail is made with Bärenjäger Honey & Bourbon. It reminded us of a bourbon slushy in the BEST way! We tasted the subtle hints of the lemon tea, too, making this a nice, well-rounded drink. If you like bourbon, give this one a try!

OVERALL

This booth has some serious WINS and one item worth skipping. If you visit this booth, we recommend the Street Corn, Upside Down Cake, and both cocktails. In terms of the Veal Tenderloin, we think this one missed the mark. But hey, that’s the beauty of this booth — the menu will continue to evolve throughout the festival! Yep, the best news is that even if none of these bites appeal to you, you can come back in a few weeks and try the next items on this rotating dining menu!

Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY BOOTH at the 2024 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival!

Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival? We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest. Click our links below for the information you need to know:

And don’t forget to pick up our EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival e-book! See more details about the book below.

MAKE THE MOST
OF YOUR FESTIVAL DAYS

DFB's Guide to the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival details everything you need to know to maximize your time, budget and stomach space! Know what's worth it and what to skip with our full-photo menus of each booth, complete with DFB's Best of the Fest.

It includes all the must-have information for navigating this one of the most BEAUTIFUL festivals at Disney World, including:

Booth & food photos, maps, and crawls with DFB's exclusive recommendations!
The COMPLETE schedule of events (so you don't have to go hunting for all the dates!)
All the details on special events, topiaries, festival exclusive merchandise, and more!