Festival of the Arts is my favorite festival at Epcot. Everything is so colorful and cheerful, and the talented artists and their work make it even better. However, let’s talk about food and snacks. Is it really an Epcot festival if you’re not eating? There are some of the best food and snacks to try at the 2023 Festival of the Arts. But also remember, ymmv, and sometimes the booth foods can change.
What to Eat at Epcot’s 2023 Festival of the Arts
These best eats at Festival of the Arts are ones I would pay for over and over again. That’s what makes something good to me. When you say best of anything when it comes to food, everyone’s taste buds are different. If certain flavors don’t sound good to you, then you probably won’t like it.
Some foods are new this year, and some are favorites from years past.
Here are some of the best snacks and drinks to try at the 2023 Festival of the Arts in Epcot.
Rainbow Cake with Freeze-dried Skittles
This Rainbow Cake captures the essence of Figment and the Festival of the Arts, plus it’s actually good! The cake itself is colorful, happy, and not dry. The real surprise was how much I enjoyed the freeze-dried Skittles. They’re the real MVP. For $4.75, it’s not a bad price for a dessert.
You can find the Figment Rainbow Cake at Figment’s Inspiration Station at The Odyssey. There are other pretty and colorful treats there, too. I don’t recommend the Grape Smoothie unless you looooove grape flavor. This is also the same building where you can buy the Figment Popcorn Bucket.
Figment Cake Festival of the Arts
Wild Mushroom Risotto at Gourmet Landscapes
The Wild Mushroom Risotto with aged Parmesan, truffle shavings, and zinfandel reduction is a little pricey at $9.75, but it is very filling. The combination of flavors is very rich and hearty, and my friend had come back for her third serving since the festival started. I’m not a huge mushroom fan, but it was easy to avoid the actual mushroom pieces if those aren’t your jam.
Gourmet Landscapes is by the Canada Pavilion.
Mushroom Risotto Festival of the Arts
The Tropics at Moderne at Festival of the Arts
For $5, The Tropics is a great value and delicious! In fact, everything my friends and I tried at Moderne over by Test Track was pretty good. Another fan favorite was the Watermelon Tataki which is a plant-based item. The vegetarians in the group were raving about it.
The Tropics comes with a lolokoi mousse, guava cake, coconut cremeaux, compressed pineapple and mango gel. Everything tasted light, fresh, and fruity, which is great when the temps are warm outside. The lolokoi mousse tasted like passionfruit and was a bit tart, but was my favorite.
Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese at Pop Eats
The Tomato Soup with grilled cheese at Pop Eats is always one of the most popular food items at Festival of the Arts. The tomato soup served in a little Pop Eats can adds to the novelty. However, when they run out of the can, then it loses its luster a tad.
If you like a little spice, then try the pimento cheese, bacon, and grilled cheese with your tomato soup. At $5.75 and $6.50, it’s not a bad value.
Pop Eats is located on the pathway to World Showcase by Canada across from the restrooms.
Coconut and Passion Fruit Smoothie at Vibrante & Vívido
The non-alcoholic coconut and passion fruit smoothie is a must-get snack/beverage every time I go to Festival of the Arts. It’s a little sweet, but the blend of the coconut and passionfruit flavors make it feel very tropical. And it helped with the burn I was feeling from eating the Chorizo and Potato Empanada from the same booth.
Double bonus is you get a cute plastic souvenir cup that you can rinse out and take home if you’d like.
Vibrante & Vívido is located around the Morocco Pavilion in World Showcase.
Char Siu Pork Bun
The Pork Bun at the Painted Panda booth in the China Pavilion was a fantastic combination of flavors. Some of the pork was a little fatty, but most of it was good. If you like a salty, sweet combination, then you’ll like this. The sauce has a sweeter taste like a Duck Sauce. I wish the portion was a little bigger, but I would definitely purchase this again.
Carne Asada
El Artista Hambriente booth by the Mexico Pavilion has a new food item! Carne Asada. Ok, so remember how I said ymmv. So sometimes I can love a menu item at Festival of the Arts, and then come back a different day, and it’s completely different. That’s what happened with the Carne Asada.
The menu describes the Carne Asada as Chipotle-marinated beef sirloin, sweet potato purée, and crispy-fried onions.
This was the first day I ordered it. Plenty of meat for $10, and the sweet potatoes and crispy onions were nice accompaniments.
Two days later, I ordered the same thing at the same booth. The size portions were a lot smaller, the meat was cooked more to medium rare.
Can you ask for refunds at Festival of the Arts food booths? You sure can. Did I? No. I maybe should have, but I was just so surprised at the difference.
So just a heads up when you see pictures of favorite Festival of the Arts foods online that it may turn out the same when you go to try it.
Honorable Mentions Food Items at Festival of the Arts
These two items are also very good and usually a solid choice. However, the presentations can vary depending on the day.
Deconstructed Key Lime Pie at the Deconstructed Dish –Flexible Key Lime Curd, “Key Lime” Mousse, Graham Cracker Cake and Meringues
Sushi Donut at Goshiki in Japan – Donut-Shaped Sushi featuring Salmon, Tuna, Shrimp, Cucumber and Sesame Seed over a decorated plate of Wasabi Aïoli, Sriracha Aïoli and Eel Sauce
Happy eating!
If you need a fun activity while you’re snacking around the world, try the 2023 Figment Brush with the Masters Scavenger Hunt. Wondering if Disney After Hours events are worth it? Check out our guide. And don’t forget to check out these Orlando Disney outlets if you have extra time.