If you have ever been to Epcot, you know that the World Showcase is a foodie’s absolute dream. On our latest trip, Max had a brilliant idea: instead of having dinner in one of the many restaurants Epcot has to offer, we were officially going to eat dinner around the world on the ultimate Epcot Food Crawl.
To keep things fun (and to make sure we didn’t explode before we reached the other side of the lagoon), we established three very simple ground rules for the day:
- The Core Mission: We had to try to eat or drink at least one thing at every single pavilion.
- The Tag-Out Rule: If someone needed a break from eating because they were feeling too full, or if they just weren’t feeling the menu at a particular country, that was totally fine! As long as at least one member of our team ate or drank something, the pavilion counted.
- Sharing is Caring: Splitting food was highly encouraged!
With our empty stomachs and our game faces on, we headed left toward Mexico to get this challenge started.
Stop 1: Mexico
We decided to kick things off with an old, familiar favorite. This was not our first time having the nachos in Mexico, and honestly, they have never left us disappointed. They are always absolutely delicious and a great, hearty way to start a food crawl.
Even though we were just starting out for the day, Lori and I couldn’t resist pairing the nachos with some margaritas! I went with the classic lime, which was excellent, while Lori ordered the mango and absolutely loved it. We were off to a very strong start!
Stop 2: Norway
Next up, we wandered into Norway to try an iconic Disney snack we had actually never had before: School Bread!
For the uninitiated, School Bread is a sweet roll filled with vanilla custard and topped with icing and toasted coconut. I thought it was good and really enjoyed the custard, though the toasted coconut tasted just a little bit different to me than what I am used to. Lori and Max, on the other hand, thought it was incredible! Lori is not normally a big custard fan, so she was really surprised by how much she loved it. It was certainly enjoyable enough that we will definitely be going back for more the next time we find ourselves at Epcot!
Stop 3: China
Having just finished a sweet break in Norway, we were ready to pivot back to a savory treat. We decided to go with a simple, universally loved classic: egg rolls!
We grabbed a two-pack and shared them. They were hot, crispy, and absolutely delicious—delivering exactly what you want from a good egg roll. As a quick side note, even though we aren’t really tracking the total budget for this food crawl, I have to point out that these egg rolls are a massive Epcot bargain at just $5.95 for a pack of two!
Stop 4: Germany
By the time we rolled into Germany, Max was feeling a bit full and ready for a little eating break. We contemplated grabbing a giant Bavarian pretzel, but since Max was sitting this round out, it was up to Lori and me to cover Germany for the family.
Well… if we had to take one for the team… since Germany is known for its beer, it seemed like the only logical choice to make!
I looked at Lori and asked, “Hey, remember that grapefruit beer we had here on another trip?” She instantly said yes! We knew that if they still had it on the menu, it was our only option. Thankfully, they did! Even though it had been a long time since we last ordered it, that Schöfferhofer Grapefruit Beer was just as refreshing and full of vibrant, crisp grapefruit flavor as we remembered.
Stop 5: Italy
After taking a breather during our Germany stop, Max was ready to tag back in for Italy—especially when he saw that gelato was on the menu!
All three of us were ready for a sweet treat, so we went for the large cup, which allowed us to pick three different flavors to share. We were really looking forward to adding pistachio to the mix, but it wasn’t meant to be as it wasn’t on the menu that particular day. Instead, we went with Chocolate, Cookies ‘n’ Cream, and Mint Chocolate Chip.
We normally love mint chocolate chip, but we all agreed there was something a little weird about this one. It had a strange floral, almost perfume-like taste that was really hard to get past. Thankfully, the Cookies ‘n’ Cream was really good, and the Chocolate was the absolute winner. It had a bold, rich, and delicious flavor that clearly made it the family favorite of the day.
How will it all end? We are five countries deep, but we still have a long way to go around the World Showcase lagoon. Did we conquer every pavilion, or did we hit a wall and get too full to finish the job?
Stay tuned for Part 2, coming to the blog next week!