REVIEW: Coastal Eats – 2019 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Coastal Eats is another marketplace that was new a couple of years ago and is back again this year.  I’m super happy it is because it was one of my Top 10 from last year and the most of the same menu items are back again!!  I LOVEEEEE the Shrimp Scampi Dip!!  However there is also a new item which replaces another favorite of mine…

Will they impress as much this year??  Let’s find out in this Coastal Eats Review: 2019 Epcot Food and Wine Festival….

Coastal Eats Marketplace:

This is located in one of the best areas of the Food and Wine Festival, right in the same courtyard as Earth Eats and Active Eats, which this year has been totally re-built and re-designed.  

Let’s check out what they’ve changed:

The space is a lot more open than before and I don’t know if they just didn’t want to put any tables here yet or if they aren’t planning on putting any tables in the empty spots.

Look at how many tables there were before:

Coastal Eats Menu:

A big change on the Coastal Eats menu for 2019 is the removal of the Seared Scallops and being replaced by the Pacifico True Striped Bass Tostada. Getting rid of scallops like that is going to be hard to replace and I’m not sure the bass is up to the task but we’ll find out.

At least the Lump Crab Cake and Baked Shrimp and Scallop Scampi Dip are back again, but it has a new twist…

On the drink side all is the same except the Short’s Brewing Co. Mule Beer makes its debut.

Food:

• Lump Crab Cake with Napa Cabbage Slaw and Avocado-Lemongrass Cream ($5.50)
• Baked Shrimp and Scallop Scampi Dip with Sourdough Baguette ($6.00)
• Pacifico True Striped Bass Tostada with Slaw and Fire-roasted Tomatillo Sauce ($6.00)

Beverages:

• Short’s Brewing Co. Mule Beer, Elk Rapids, Michigan ($4.50)
• A to Z Wineworks Pinot Gris, Oregon ($5.00)
• ROCO Gravel Road Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon ($6.00)

Menu Review:

Lump Crab Cake ($5.50):

If you can’t get onboard with the idea of lump crab cakes, then I don’t know what to tell you, you’re missing out!  Last year I remember it blew away my expectations, and this year it was still really, really good.  

Crab Cakes aren’t your typical theme park food either, making this one all the more impressive!  There were lots of crab chunks in there, it wasn’t all filler (the first good sign).  Secondly the cake was cooked excellent, not dry at all but juicy and bursting with real crab flavor.  A little sweet even.  If you like avocado then you will really like the cream sauce on top.  

Great value for just over $5 and one of the best seafood item at Food and Wine.

Baked Shrimp and Scallop Scampi Dip ($6.00):

Garlic, check.  Cheese, check.  Shrimp, check.  And now this year, Giant Scallops, check! The Baked Shrimp Scampi Dip is even better than I remember it from last year too!  I absolutely love garlic, and you get a bunch of it with each and every cheesy, buttery bite.  

I like how this year they give you three pieces of bread to dip too, which is one more than last year!  The best part is that this year they also took the scallops from the scallops dish and put them in the dip. They were cooked perfectly, nice and tender and juicy!

Order one or two of these and then just stay away from people for a while because your breath will be pretty lethal after!  Love this stuff!

Pacifico True Striped Bass Tostada ($6.00):

The new dish at Coastal Eats this year is the Pacifico True Striped Bass Tostada. As much as we love the other two items on the menu here, this was a miss for us.

The Fish was a little overcooked and dry, plus there was no flavor in it. There was too much slaw and it overpowered any flavor the fish actually had. To sum it up, the shell tasted better than the fish, so there you go.

You can easily skip the tostada without missing anything!

ROCO Gravel Road Pinot Noir ($6.00):

This is a good Pinot Noir. It was very smooth, and had good tannins. It’s a low alcohol pinot and has a very jammy, sweet fruity taste. Overall a pretty solid wine imo.

Booth Summary and Grade:

Coastal Eats still remains a great marketplace for Food and Wine.  The Crab Cake is outstanding and the Scallops and Scampi Dip is even more addicting than last year.  It’s #1 at Food and Wine for seafood fans for sure.

The only black mark was the Striped Bass Tostada which we didn’t like. If they come up with something good to replace this with next year, Coastal Eats might be the best marketplace at Food and Wine.

If you have to get just one thing:

Baked Shrimp and Scallop Scampi Dip

Coastal Eats Review

Overall

9/10

9/10

• Overall Grade - 9/10
  9/10

I want you to be able to have the best info on the Festival so you have a great time and don’t waste your time!  Take a look at all of my 2019 Epcot Food and Wine articles including:

• 2023 EPCOT Food and Wine Info Guide
• Complete List of Food and Wine Menus
• Top 10 Best and Worst Snacks at Food and Wine 2023
• Top Food and Wine Booths (Coming Soon)

Your Thoughts:

I want to know what you think about the Coastal Eats Review at the 2019 Epcot Food and Wine Festival…

• Which is your favorite item?
• Which do you still want to try?

Let us know in the comments section below!

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