Epcot International Festival of the Arts 2023
It’s time for my favorite festival of the year, the Epcot International Festival of the Arts 2023. Aside from the food, there is so much to see each year.
For those who want to create art, there is a painting area that is lots of fun for the whole family. Whose big eyes are those? Why Figment, of course!
You can step into a portrait for a personalized photo.
Do not forget to look for festival signs in the train area in Germany.
One of my favorite things to see is the chalk art. Sadly, rain washed most of it away by the first day.
But, we all know why we are here – the food!
Once again, I met up with one of my favorite chefs, the ever-amazing Chef Donald, to go over the menu items for numerous different food allergies. We discussed gluten, dairy, corn, soy, sugar, eggs, nuts, shellfish, coconut, canola oil, paleo, keto, low fodmap, onions, and garlic when going over the ingredient lists. While the focus is on gluten-friendly items, I do my best to accommodate other special diets and food allergies.
Please note that there are other ingredients in each dish besides those mentioned below, so always ask for your specific allergens.
Because suppliers can change rapidly, double-check at the booth.
It only takes a minute for them to call a chef. Remember, there is an inherent risk of cross-contamination at the food booths.
The CMs at the booth now ask if it is an allergy or a preference. They have been doing a great job of contacting the chefs whenever someone comes up with dietary needs. The advanced training has shown a wonderful commitment by Disney to help guests enjoy a safe experience.
Epcot Festival Pastry Chef – take note – you do not have to ruin a gluten-friendly dish by adding gluten! Mexico for the win with that amazing Flan De Coco!
Modifying of dishes is possible in many cases, as I have shown below.
AGAIN – ALWAYS REMEMBER TO HAVE THEM DOUBLE-CHECK AT THE BOOTH IF THE ITEM IN QUESTION IS STILL SAFE!
A HUGE Shout out to Gina from @glutenfreedisneyworld for getting drink information this year. Make sure to check her out on Instagram and at www.glutenfreewdw.com.
EPCOT INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS 2023 FOOD BOOTHS
As of my discussion with Chef Donald, the following items can be gluten-friendly or dairy-friendly with modifications! The list below is in alphabetical order.
THE ARTIST’S TABLE
Three-Meat Meatloaf with “Peas and Carrots”: Green pea pudding, carrot ketchup, shaved carrot salad, and snap peas (New) Cannot be modified GF
- Meatloaf – onion, corn, garlic
- Green pea pudding – corn, egg, sugar
- Shaved carrot salad – soy lecithin, Worcestershire sauce (fish)
- Potato puree – egg
- Carrots and peas – canola
Duck and Dumplings: Smoked duck breast, ricotta dumplings, petite vegetables, and duck jus (New)
- Smoked duck breast – sugar, canola
- Ricotta dumplings – flour, dairy – can omit for gluten-friendly
- Petite vegetables – dairy
- Duck jus – onion, garlic, corn – can omit
- Celery root puree – dairy
Hummingbird Cake: Banana cake with pineapple, coconut, pecans, and cream cheese frosting with banana sorbet (New)
- Contains gluten, nuts, corn, soy, dairy, sugar
Sipping Chocolate Flight: – There is dairy and soy lecithin. Together with the Symphony in Chocolate Flight, you have a gluten-friendly, decadent, and sweet treat here.
According to @glutenfreedisneyworld, the Lange Estate Winery Pinot Noir is GF/DF
THE CRAFTSMAN’S COURTYARD
The portion size of the Mussels still makes it one of the best bargains of the Epcot International Festival of the Arts 2023.
Beef Wellington: Mushroom duxelles, prosciutto, and puff pastry with red wine demi-glace and baby vegetables – cannot be made gluten-friendly
- Puffed pastry – dairy
- Puree – garlic, dairy
- Red wine demi-glace – corn, soy, sugar (can omit)
- Beef – soybean oil
- Baby vegetables – dairy (butter)
Cast Iron-roasted P.E.I. Mussels: – My festival favorite – Omit Bread for Gluten-friendly
- Contains tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, parsley, basil, and thyme
Cold Fashion Coffee Cocktail: corn syrup, Jim Bean Bourbon GF/DF
DECONSTRUCTED DISH
Deconstructed BLT: Onion bread pudding, watercress espuma, tomato jam
- Onion bread pudding – gluten and dairy – omit for gluten-friendly
- Watercress Espuma – dairy – omit for dairy-free
- Tomato Jam – canola oil and tomatoes
Deconstructed French Onion Soup: Beef broth ravioli, gruyère cream, onion bread pudding, and onion textures Cannot be modified for gluten or dairy allergies
Deconstructed Key Lime Pie: – I absolutely loved this dessert!
- Omit the Graham Cracker Cake for GF; this dish cannot be made dairy-free; it also contains sugar and eggs – if there are crumbs and streusel, omit them, as well
Deconstructed Apple Pie à la Mode: Apple-cinnamon gelato, cinnamon apple cider, apple pie filling, and streusel (Non-alcoholic)
- Gelato – dairy
- Apple pie filling – corn syrup
- Streusel – gluten (flour), sugar, dairy
DECO DELIGHTS
Just skip this booth! Everything has gluten, soy, dairy, sugar, eggs, corn
Dulce Chocolate Mousse with chocolate crémeux and dark chocolate truffle
Decadent Valrhona Chocolate with dark chocolate mousse, chocolate brownie, and cassis mousse
Orange Mousse with Lemon Cake and Raspberry Meringues (Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine Item)
Espresso Martini featuring Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka (New) is GF and DF per info from @glutenfreedisneyworld
FIGMENT’S INSPIRATION STATION
Fruit Pizza: Watermelon, compressed cantaloupe, berries, and berry balsamic (New) (Plant-based Item) (Gluten/ Wheat Friendly)
- There is added sugar in the topping and cantaloupe, and soy lecithin in the white chocolate
Pop’t Art: Sugar Cookie with blueberry filling (Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine Item)
- Contains gluten, corn, canola oil, sugar, eggs, soy, dairy, artificial colors
Rainbow Cake with freeze-dried SKITTLES bite-sized candies
- Contains gluten, corn, soy, dairy, eggs, canola
Figment Premium Popcorn Bucket with rainbow popcorn (Limit 2 per person)
- Popcorn is gluten and dairy-friendly – it does contain corn, sugar, undefined lecithin, and artificial color
Grape Smoothie with freeze-dried SKITTLES bite-sized candies (Non-alcoholic) (New) GF
- Contains dairy, corn, sugar, artificial colors
Urban Artifact The Gadget Raspberry & Blackberry Midwest Fruit Tart (New) No info on this
GOURMET LANDSCAPES
Blood Orange-braised Beet Tartare –with mustard vinaigrette, pickled clamshell mushrooms, and golden beets (Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine Item) (Plant-based Item) (Gluten/ Wheat Friendly)
- Omit Crostini for GF; Any component of this dish can be omitted; there are also pumpkin seeds in this dish; the beets contain garlic, shallots, blood orange, herbs de Provence; the mushrooms contain sugar and truffle oil; the golden beets contain shallots and garlic; there is a French Mustard Vinaigrette containing stone ground mustard, olive/canola blend, sherry vinegar, and tarragon, the vegan blue cheese contains coconut.
Roasted Bone Marrow – with onion marmalade, pickled mushrooms, and petite lettuce
- Omit Crostini for GF/DF; it also contains salt, pepper, olive oil, shallots, mushrooms, canola; the onion jam contains red wine vinegar and sugar.
Wild Mushroom Risotto – with aged Parmesan, truffle shavings, and zinfandel reduction This item is gluten-friendly and vegetarian this year – there is no need to leave off the sauce.
- There is no way to make this DF; the truffle risotto contains lots of butter, mushrooms, parmesan, and mascarpone; the truffle oil has sunflower oil. You can omit the truffle shavings, but there is still some truffle oil. Also contains corn, soybean oil, canola, and onion.
According to @glutenfreedisneyworld, the Schlumberger Cuvée Klimt Brut and The Meeker Vineyard WInemaker’s Handprint Merlot are GF/DF.
Frozen Rusty Nail Cocktail
- Contains scotch, tea, cinnamon, ginger; the chocolate contains dairy, corn, and soy, but can be omitted GF/DF
MODERNE
Compressed Watermelon Tataki: with pickled watermelon rind, yuzu pearls, watermelon foam, and wasabi (New) (Plant-based Item) Gluten-friendly item
- Contains soy lecithin, sesame seeds (can omit)
Angry Crab: Whole crispy soft-shell crab with green papaya salad, mango-sriracha fluid gel, and coconut-lime foam with pomegranate and mango crush pearls (New)
- I have been assured that this dish is gluten-friendly by three chefs on multiple occasions. I know some people have been told otherwise. There is no fryer cross-contamination. When inquiring at the booth, have them call the chef. If the answer is no, ask them to explain why. The coating of the crab is corn and buttermilk, not wheat. It is definitely not dairy-friendly. The green papaya salad contains fish sauce, onion, canola oil, garlic, and honey. The mango siracha contains sugar and garlic; the coconut-lime foam contains soy lecithin; the mango pearls are boba.
Pan-seared Scallops: with vanilla-butternut squash purée, brown butter cauliflower purée, and lime foam (Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine Item)
- Omit the tuile to make this dish gluten-friendly. There is dairy in the dish; soy lecithin and coconut in the lime foam
The Tropics: Lilikoi mousse, guava cake, coconut crémeux, compressed pineapple, and mango gel (New)
- Sadly, the mousse has cake on the bottom – no way to make this GF; the mousse contains sugar, dairy, eggs; the guava cake contains gluten, dairy, egg, soy lecithin, the coconut crémeux contains corn, the tuile contains sugar and soy lecithin
Watermelon Mary featuring Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka (New) According to @glutenfreedisneyworld, GF/Vegan
J. Lohr Reisling is GF/DF according to @glutenfreedisneyworld
PASTORAL PALATE
Wild Boar Cassoulet: Same as last year. The taste of the boar is strong. Duck confit, ham hock, wild boar sausage
- Omit breadcrumbs for GF; contains corn, dairy, tomato, sherry vinegar, canola, herbs de Provence, chives; the sausage by itself is GF and DF.
Red Wine-braised Beef Short Rib: with parsnip purée, broccolini, baby tomatoes, and aged balsamic Same as last year
- Contains gluten in the demi and dairy in the parsnip puree
Black Forest Cake: Chocolate Mousse with morello cherries and Chantilly cream (New)
- Contains gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, corn, artificial colors
According to @glutenfreedisneyworld, the Frozen Rosé and Marietta Old Vine Rosé are GF/DF, and the 3 Daughters Brewing Rosé Hard Cider is GF/Vegan
POP EATS
No food items at this booth are gluten-friendly.
Tomato Soup with grilled cheese: soup contains gluten, canola, onion, sugar; sandwich contains gluten and dairy
Tomato Soup with pimento cheese, bacon, and fried green tomato grilled cheese: (New)
- Contains gluten, dairy, soybean oil, egg yolk, sugar, garlic, onion
Almond Frangipane Cake layered with raspberry jam and Belgian chocolate (Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine Item)
- Contains gluten, nuts, eggs, corn, dairy, soy lecithin, sugar, soybean oil, artificial colors
Bleu Spectrum Blanc de Bleu Cuveé Mousseux with boba pearls No info
REFRESHMENT OUTPOST
Plant-based Bratwurst (DF): same plant-based item as last year. spicy turmeric aïoli, coffee barbecue jackfruit, and slaw (Plant-based item)
- Omit roll for GF (contains gluten, soybean oil, soy lecithin, corn); uses Beyond Meat, containing coconut oil, sunflower oil, apple fiber, citrus extract, rice protein, pea protein, fava bean protein, and other ingredients. Aioli contains canola, soy protein; siracha contains garlic and sugar.
Soft-serve Waffle Cone: Dole Whip, salted-caramel soft-serve, or swirl
- Cone contains gluten, soybean oil, soy lecithin, sugar;
- Salted-caramel Dole Whip contains sugar, coconut, soy lecithin, artificial colors, sodium caseinate (dairy)
REFRESHMENT PORT
While no foods here are GF, the chef did point out that the Blood Orange Cosmo (vodka) contains no added sugar for those who are interested. Cranberry, lime
Gnocchi Poutine: with red wine-braised beef, cheese curds, basil, burrata
- Gnocchi contains gluten, dairy, canola oil; beef contains gluten, corn, dairy, soy, onion, garlic; cheese curds contain dairy
Soft Serve strawberry and lemon Dole Whip
- Strawberry Dole whip contains coconut oil, sugar, natural flavors
- Lemon Dole whip contains corn syrup solids, coconut oil, sugar, natural flavors
Blood Orange Cosmo potato vodka, blood orange, cranberry, lime Others have reported this as GF
According to @glutenfreedisneyworld, all drinks at this booth are GF/Vegan.
TANGIERINE CAFÉ
Both Kabobs are the same gluten-friendly ones from the Festival of the Holidays. Please see that review for more information. The plant-based bread contains gluten and sugar and can be omitted. Nuts have been removed from the kabobs. The mayo on top contains soy, egg, and corn, and may be omitted. The chickpeas contain onion, garlic.
Lamb Kabobs: canola
Chicken Kabobs: onion, garlic, canola
Carrots Three Way: The carrots are a bit spicy, and the portion is even bigger this year than last year – great to share. Chermoula-spiced grilled carrots, pickled carrots (sugar), and carrot ginger purée (Plant-based item) (Gluten/Wheat Friendly)
- Contains soy, onion, garlic, sugar, and ginger; miso dressing contains shallots, garlic, soy, canola, sugar; there is tomato in the berbere.
House-made Crispy Almond Phyllo Pockets: with white chocolate pomegranate and milk chocolate orange
- Contains nuts, gluten, canola, corn, sugar; there is also dairy, soy lecithin, corn syrup, sugar, and artificial colors
Chai Tea Mint Mimosa: featuring Twinings Chai Tea with Key lime sparkling wine and mint Contains corn syrup
According to @glutenfreedisneyworld, all drinks listed are GF/DF
VIBRANTE & VIVIDO
Chorizo and Potato Empanada: with turmeric aïoli and annatto aïoli (Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine Item) (You can get a ham and cheese empanada for breakfast)
- Contains gluten, dairy, soybean oil, corn, egg, onion, garlic; the turmeric aioli contains soy protein, canola, garlic; the annatto aioli contains soybean oil, sugar, egg yolk, garlic, onion
Spicy Ajiaco Soup: The soup lives up to its “spicy” name, so make sure you grab a drink to go with it. With guajillo and árbol chili-spiced chicken, potato, avocado, corn, and crème fraîche (Gluten/ Wheat Friendly)
- Omit crème fraiche for dairy-free; the chicken stock contains corn protein, sugar, onion, garlic, dried chilis; there are potatoes, corn, and avocado (can omit).
Passion Fruit Mousse (GF): with dragon fruit jam This dessert is seriously good but cannot be modified. It is not vegetarian-friendly as it contains gelatin.
- Contains dairy, egg, soy lecithin, sugar, artificial color, and corn.
Coconut and Passion Fruit Smoothie
This non-alcoholic drink comes in a souvenir cup and contains coconut milk (no more dairy!), corn syrup, and sugar. GF/Vegan
Frozen Pina Colada and Frozen Fruit Daiquiri are GF/DF according to @glutenfreedisneyworld
The following booths are not run by Disney. We omit China because nothing to eat there is ever gluten-friendly and getting answers is not easy.
EL ARTISTA HAMBRIENTO
I finally had the chance to meet up with the ever wonderful Chef Ernesto in Mexico. As always, we had a delightful discussion about the items presented at this booth. THEY ARE ALL GLUTEN-FRIENDLY AS IS!!!! Please, Chef Ernesto, bring all these items back next year!!!
Of all the booths at the festival – this is my FAVORITE!!! I cannot tell you which dish was best because they were all sooooooo good!
Canola oil is used for deep frying. They use separate fryers for their tortilla chips, crispy onions, and other gluten-friendly items.
An interesting item of note is that a huarache is an oblong-shaped dough that gets its name from the sandals of the same name due to its shape. There you go; we have all learned something new today – LOL.
Huarache de Champiñones – Guajillo chile and corn masa huarache with pinto beans, oyster mushrooms, Nopales, queso fresco, and pea tendrils (New)
This dish is vegetarian and GF as is.
- Two types of dough are used for the huarache, one of corn and one of corn masa with guajillo pepper, onion, and garlic. That is how it has its two-toned look.
- The pinto beans contain onion, garlic, and Arbol peppers
- The mushrooms contain oyster mushrooms and cactus leaves
- Pea tendrils are used for garnish and can be omitted
- The queso fresco can be omitted to make this dish dairy-friendly and vegan
Carne Asada – Chipotle-marinated beef sirloin, sweet potato purée, and crispy-fried onions
OK, this meat was so delicious! It can also be dairy-friendly by omitting the sweet potato purée.
- Beef is marinated in onion, garlic, ancho, and chipotle pepper and seared in canola oil
- Sweet potato mash contains dairy and can be omitted
- Crispy onions are coated in corn meal and fried in an allergy-safe, gluten-friendly fryer (they can be omitted)
Flan de Coco (GF) – Coconut flan, guava sauce, whipped cream (GF)
My new favorite festival dessert!
- The flan contains dairy, egg, coconut, sugar, and a guava paste sauce
These two drinks were not gluten-friendly due to uncertainty with the supply chain:
Bombon Margarita “Marshmallow”: Ilegal Mezcal Reposado, marshmallow cordial, lime juice, agave nectar and a hint of coffee and elderflower served with a toasted marshmallow (New)
Las Californias: Tromba Blanco Tequila, strawberry-lime purée, and Las Californias Citrus Mexican Gin (New)
L’ART DE LA CUISINE FRANCAISE
I have not yet seen the ingredient lists. However, I was told that the Mille-Feuille de Betteraves aux Herbes et Noix de Cajoux is gluten-friendly.
Crème de Brie en Petit Pain: Warm creamy brie in a house-made bread bowl
Croissant à la Truffle Noir d’Hiver: Black winter truffle croissant
Mille-Feuille de Betteraves aux Herbes et Noix de Cajoux: Plant-based napoleon with beets, cashew-herb filling, pepper-pine nut sauce, and balsamic vinegar caviar (New) (Plant-based Item) Gluten-friendly according to booth
Moelleux aux Noisettes et Chocolats Valrhona: Molten chocolate and hazelnut cake with pure origin Valrhona chocolates and passion fruit-mango sauce
Frozen French Martini: Grey Goose Vodka, vodka, Chambord liqueur, pineapple, orange, and grape juices with lemon-lime foam
Cîroc Sunset Citrus Vodka Spritz (New)
GOSHIKI
Sushi Donut: Donut-shaped sushi featuring salmon, tuna, shrimp, cucumber, and sesame seed over a decorated plate of wasabi aïoli, sriracha aïoli, and eel sauce
Omit Eel Sauce for gluten-friendly per the chef.
Ichigo Daifuku: Mixed berry mochi, sweet azuki bean paste, and mascarpone (New) Gluten-friendly per the chef
Masu Sake in a traditional personalized wooden cup – GF/DF
Purple Yuzu Sake Lemonade: Sake cocktail infused with butterfly pea flower and yuzu lemonade (New) GF/DF
L’ARTE DI MANGIARE
Nothing is gluten-friendly and they did not have ingredient sheets on opening day.
There you have it, our report on the Epcot International Festival of the Arts 2023. Enjoy!