REVIEW: Islands of the Caribbean – 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

A relatively new marketplace to Epcot Food and Wine Festival, Islands of the Caribbean is back once again in 2017 to give you a taste of island-living, more specifically, eating.  Here there’s Mojo Pork, Jamaican Beef Patty and Quesito Puff Pastry.  How is it this year?  Let’s find out in my Islands of the Caribbean Review: 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival….

Islands of the Caribbean Booth:

The marketplace is located on the path from World Showcase to Future World West, and is in a beautiful garden area.  This is my favorite area of Food and Wine.  Oh man, seeing the entrance to Islands of the Caribbean get me relaxed already:

Here we come across the Islands of the Caribbean booth:

Here are some wonderful open-air cabanas to bring your food for an escape from the sun:

Or if you prefer you can come here too.  This area is loaded with tables so it’s a nice relaxing spot to enjoy your food:

 

Islands of the Caribbean Menu:

The Islands of the Caribbean menu doesn’t have anything new from last year, and instead even lost the fish.  We’re a bit disappointed considering we thought it already needed help in 2016.

 

Food:

• Jamaican Beef Patty with Mango Salsa – $5.00, DDP Snack Credit 
• Mojo Pork with Black Beans, Cilantro Rice, and Pickled Red Onions (Gluten-Free) – $4.50, DDP Snack Credit  *Ziggy Recommended
  
• Quesito: Puff Pastry with Sweetened Cream Cheese and Guava Sauce – $3.75, DDP Snack Credit  *Ziggy Recommended

Beverages:

• Carib Lager – $4.00
• Caribbean White Sangria – $5.00
• Frozen Mojito – $10.00

 

Menu Review:

First up was the Jamaican Beef Patty with Mango Salsa.  We had this last year and it pretty much is more of the same.  The whole idea isn’t bad, it just isn’t executed well here unfortunately.  You get 2 beef patties which are coated in a corn-like shell.  The meat inside was dry and the sauce they serve with them is too sweet, and hides the spice of the patties.  They are frozen and cooked, so this is pretty much what you can expect.  Need to change the recipe or get them off for next year imo.

Jamaican Patty cross-section:

After that we tried: Mojo Pork with Black Beans, Cilantro Rice, and Pickled Red Onions.  This was really good!  First it’s a Gluten-free item so everyone can enjoy.  Second the pork was really moist here, unlike the pork in the Kalua Sliders in Hawaii.  It was light and fell right apart.  The rice was good too, cooked right and the flavor from the beans was excellent with it, not dry.  Very big portion so shareable if that’s your kind of thing.  Worth trying, especially for our gluten-free friends.

There was no way we were leaving without dessert and we got the Quesito: Puff Pastry with Sweetened Cream Cheese and Guava Sauce.  I went in without expectations, and was surprised at how good it was!  Dough was super flakey and thin, but not dried-out.  Inside was a cream cheese filling, but that too was very light and sweet.  I loved the guava sauce that was on top, I thought it really added some nice fruitiness to the dish and it was great!

Here’s the Quesito cross-section:

To drink you can try the Caribbean Sangria which is quite good.  Not your usual sangria, yet very light and fruity.  Only problem is it’s really small so not a great bargain for your buck.

 

Booth Summary and Grade:

So Islands of the Caribbean I think gets overlooked a lot for other more flashy booths, but it does have some nice stuff to offer.  I’d go for the Mojo Pork which is one of the best Gluten-free dishes this year.  I’m also a big fan of the Questito which separates itself from some other desserts around the lagoon.  But it’s lack of a third savory option and the Jamaican Beef Patty bring down the overall score against others.  Here’s hoping to see improvement next year…

If you have to get just one thing: Mojo Pork

Grade:  6.5

Take a look at all of my 2017 Epcot Food and Wine articles.  I have a 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Info Guide with a complete Index of the Food and Wine Menus, The Top NEW Items for 2017, Top Food and Wine Booths and more…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!

Your Thoughts:

I want to know what you think of my Islands of the Caribbean Review 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  Which was your favorite item?  Where does it rand on your list of 2017 Food and Wine booths?  Let us know in the comments section below!

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