Top 10 Booths 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

The 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival is here, and it’s my favorite time of the year in Walt Disney World!   Recently I wrote an article about the Top 10 Dishes for the 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival so you know the best snacks to get.  But now that you know the top dishes, the question is: Which is the overall Best Food and Wine Booth?  I recently tried ALL 35 Epcot Food and Wine Kiosks and nearly every item at the festival and I’ve put together this list for you so you would know the can’t miss Food and Wine booths!

When I do my individual Epcot Food and Wine Booth Reviews, I tell you how each item was, and then give each marketplace an overall score from 0 -10.  I’ve never given a booth a 0 and so far I haven’t given one a 10 either.  Could 2017 be the year we have a perfect Food and Wine kiosk?

If you were looking for something else, I  have tons of other Epcot Food and Wine coverage for you too with a the Ultimate Food and Wine Information page with Full Menus, Reviews of every booth, Photos,Tips and Tricks,  and the Top NEW Food and Wine Snacks, to help you plan your trip to Food and Wine.

So here are my Top 10 Booths from the 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival (FYI, If you get hungry it’s not my fault!) ?

 

Just Missed the cut:

There are way more than 10 booths worth stopping at in 2017, so I thought I’d quickly tell you which really good Food and Wine booths just missed the Top 10.  These are still excellent, and shouldn’t be missed imo, but unfortunately I couldn’t include them in the Best list.  I listed each marketplace name and the score I gave it.

Greece: 8.5

This is one I really liked this year, and thought it was much improved over last year.  Maybe the best Vegetarian snack can be found here in the Loaded Greek nachos, which you’d never tell doesn’t use real meat.  The Bougatsa: Warm Phyllo Dough Strudel with Sweet Vanilla Custard, is also a great dessert!  3 strong offerings with only the Taste of Greek falling short.

Hawaii: 8.5

One of my Top Food and Wine snacks from 2017 is for sure the Teriyaki SPAM Hash!  The combo of perfectly crispy potatoes and SPAM, covered in teriyaki and mayo sauces was incredible, and there were a lot of dirty eyes being given to the one who ate the last bite!  The Grilled Tuna Tataki was also a favorite!

Japan: 8.5

Much improved over last year, the Teriyaki Ginger Pork really wowed us and is a can’t miss Food and Wine snack, and the Salmon BLT Sushi Roll was one of the best sushi options we’ve seen in Japan for some time.  Only thing holding it back was still a lack of dessert option.

Thailand: 9

Thailand is the only 9 to miss the Top 10, and a newcomer to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  Still we were super impressed with it’s debut, offering 3 solid options: Marinated Chicken with Peanut Sauce, Seared Shrimp and Scallop Cake and Red Hot Spicy Thai Curry Beef!  The Shrimp and Scallop Cake even made our list of the Best NEW Snacks at Food and Wine this year!  Again just missing that dessert to take it into the Top 10.

Ok, now let’s move on to the big boys.  Each of these has multiple items that are special, and at least something which made my Top 10 Food Item list:

 

10.) Africa: 9

This was one of the biggest surprises for me this year.  Africa last year was decent, but this year I found it awesome!  The Berbere-style Beef Tenderloin Tips are one of the spiciest, yet one of my favorite snacks this year.  Plus I wasn’t expecting to like the Red Lentil Stew at all, but found it really smooth and creamy.  Lastly the Wine Flight was great, with the Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz my favorite wine I tried at Food and Wine!

 

9.) Chocolate Studio: 9

Chocolate Studio only has two offerings, but they are arguably the two best desserts at the whole festival, and both a chocolate lover’s dream!  First the Sweet Dark Chocolate Raspberry Torte, a multi-chocolate cake with chocolate and raspberry mousse inside is incredible.  Then there are no words for the Liquid Nitro Chocolate Almond Truffle, it’s an experience in itself, from the way it’s dunked in liquid nitrogen, till you take that unforgettable last bite.  If they could introduce just one more strong dessert next year it’d have a shot at #1.

 

8.) Flavors from Fire: 9

This was one of 2 brand new booths to break into my Top 10 list, and quite possibly had the coolest booth design and eating area.  I liked all of the food here, but I absolutely fell in love with the Smoked Corned Beef with Warm Crispy Potatoes.  Imagine like the best potato crisps heated up, covered in this tender, smokey corned beef, and then drowned in parmesan cheese sauce!  Why are you reading this list and not in line ordering one right now??

 

7.) China: 9

7th place is nothing to sneeze at, as all of the booths on this list are must-try booths imo.  However had one of the biggest falls from last year when it was #1 overall! Even so, there are some things here you can’t go home without trying.  The Roasted Beijing Duck which is served on a warm, fluffy bao bun was still outstanding.  But my favorite is the Black Pepper Shrimp w/ garlic noodles though.  One of the most simple, yet satisfying dishes at Food and Wine, and packs a punch too.  Also made my Top 10 overall snacks!  Just don’t get that Mango Bubble Tea whatever you do!! ?

 

6.) Coastal Eats: 9

The second newcomer for 2017, Coastal Eats is a seafood lover’s paradise, with one item better than the next!  The Lump Crab Cake was great, hardly any filler, nice big chunks of crab.  So go it even rivals my dad’s crab cakes…which is no easy feat!  The Baked Shrimp Scampi Dip is so garlicky, and soooooo good!  But my favorite item here are the Seared Scallops.  3 good size scallops with an amazing Roasted Corn and Butterbean Succotash and Chili-Chipotle Butter Sauce, make it one of the best bargains at only $6.00!

 

5.) Hops and Barley: 9

This one was one I found myself enjoying more this year, because to me the Lobster Roll gets better and better every year!  It’s full of huge lobster chunks, with no filler, and tossed in a simple and light butter and mayo mix that’s done just right!  Really unforgettable and a must-try snack!  Then for dessert you will be hypnotized by the Freshly Baked Carrot Cake w/ Cream Cheese Icing…  Let’s just say I don’t like carrot cake but I couldn’t put this down, and wanted to soak up every last ounce of that icing!!! ?

 

Now we get into the Final 4.  Each of these booths had an overall score of 9.5 or higher…

 

4.) Australia: 9.5

Australia is not a name I would have guessed for the Top 10, yet somehow it made it in.  I guess because it offers 3 really excellent dishes that everyone at the Food and Wine Festival needs to try!  The Bush Berry Shrimp is the best shrimp dish in 2017 imo, 4 big shrimp in this incredibly savory and spicy tomato marinade that keeps you wanting more.  The Grilled Lamb T-Bone is also great and not overly gamey.  Lastly the Lamington is a small dessert but packs a powerful punch, and I love that combo of coconut and chocolate!  Must-try!

 

3.) Germany: 9.5

To me Australia and Germany were neck and neck, but in the end I decided to go Germany #3.  They both have 2 savory dishes and 1 dessert, but if forced to choose I’d pick Germany’s 3 as a whole.  You can’t say no to a Roast Bratwurst on a Pretzel Roll, and is one we always get every year.  I never say no to Mac and Cheese, so it was ditto for the Schinkennudeln: Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese.  Then the Apple Strudel put Germany over the top.  I love strudel and the crisp and flakey dough, put the perfect combo of tart and sweet inside made this a standout dessert at Food and Wine!

 

2.) Brazil: 9.5

This international clash of clans takes us to Brazil for #2.  If this looks like deja vu, then it is because Brazil finds itself in the exact same position as it was in 2016.  But being #2 is nothing to sneeze at and I could come here on every visit to Epcot and be perfectly happy!  All 3 offerings are excellent!  The Escondidinho de Carne is like a shepard’s pie, with mashed yucca and a very flavorful ground beef.  If you aren’t familiar with the Pão de Queijo: Brazilian Cheese Bread, then you should be going there right now!  It’s like bread, only it really feels like this really flavorful hunk of cheese that they threw on the grill, and gets all stringy and awesome when you pull it apart!  Lastly there’s the Crispy Pork Belly…. Pork Belly my friend, that’s all you need to know!

 

1.) Italy: 9.5

Viva L’Italia!!!!  Is this the World Cup Final or something??  I swear I’m not putting Italy #1 just because I know if it was the World Cup they wouldn’t stand a chance against Brazil.  Nor am I putting Italy #1 because my wife is Italian and she’d kill me if I didn’t.  No, actually living a part of the year in Italy makes me realize how difficult it is to fid authentic Italian food outside Italy.  Italy earned the #1 spot in the Top 10 on its own, because everything was genuinely awesome, and has come a long way from 2016, when I didn’t even have it in the Top 10!

The Calamari was light and crisp, not a hard dry breading.  The Penne w/ Vodka Sauce and Shrimp was equally as good, and a huge portion and great value.  And then the Spezzatino which is like a thick beef stew, full of tender and moist beef, piled on top of this super creamy parmesan polenta.  Era tutto buonissimo!!  The thing it had over Brazil is that Brazil still doesn’t have a dessert, while Italy does, and even though it’s not the best cannoli in the world, it’s more than Brazil has on that front.

So that’s my Top 10 Booths, please leave me a comment down below telling me whether you agreed with me or not, and your favorites from the 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival!

 

This is the place to be for the 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Coverage, so take a look at my Food and Wine Info Page with links to Food and Wine Tips and Tricks, Full Menus, Reviews, Best NEW Dishes, and more…  I want to make sure you have the best time possible during your visit and that you know exactly what to get!  Stay tuned for more and have a great time!

Your Thoughts:

I want to know what you think are the Top 10 Booths from the 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  Which kiosk is your favorite this year. Which one do you always have?  Let us know in the comments section below!

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