Eating Around the World at Epcot (Part 2)

If you read Part 1 of our family’s epic Epcot Food Crawl, you know we had just successfully conquered our first five countries. As we continued our trek clockwise around the World Showcase lagoon, we were feeling pretty good about ourselves and our pace.

But with six pavilions left to go, it was time to see if our stomachs could cash the checks our eyes were writing!

Stop 6: The American Adventure

We rolled into The American Adventure with a serious “go big or go home” spirit in our hearts. Naturally, we thought the only way to honor that feeling was by grabbing one of those iconic, giant smoked turkey legs! We already knew there was enough meat on one of those prehistoric-looking legs to make a full meal for just one person, so we made the smart decision to share. Even though we were in a “go big or go home” kind of mood, we definitely didn’t want to go big or go hurl!

Those giant turkey legs have been a staple around Disney for a very long time. They are incredibly smoky and delicious, and honestly, every time I’ve ever had one, I have never been disappointed. This was Max’s very first experience with the giant turkey leg, and after one bite, he became an instant fan.

Stop 7: Japan

Despite just polishing off a giant turkey leg, I knew I wanted to try the sushi in Japan. Lori decided to take a little break for this round because sushi just isn’t her favorite thing. When Max heard the word “sushi,” his immediate reaction was a polite, “No thank you.”

But knowing him the way I do, I know that for an 11-year-old, he is actually a pretty adventurous eater. With that in mind, I decided to order a California roll. I told Max that a California roll is the perfect introduction to sushi since the fish isn’t raw, and I asked if he’d like to give it a try. His adventurous side took over, he said okay, and he took a piece. About two seconds later, he looked up and said, “Hey, this is good!” Long story short, we ended up sharing the whole thing, and he walked away from the Japan pavilion going on and on about how much he loves sushi. It’s funny—Epcot is an amusement park, and you wonder how good amusement park sushi can really be. But the food at Epcot really is way above the usual theme park standard, and that California roll was honestly one of the best I’ve ever had.

Stop 8: Morocco

We haven’t spent a ton of time in Morocco on past trips, so we honestly weren’t sure what kind of treats were waiting for us there. I knew for sure that, after not taking a single break up to this point, it was officially my turn to sit on the bench.

Max stepped up to the plate as our primary player for this round and chose the Frozen Mint Tea. He loves hot mint tea at home, so this was an easy choice for him. As it turned out, he loved the frozen version just as much! Lori and I both gave it a taste, and we completely agreed with his initial assessment: it was incredibly refreshing on a very hot Florida day.

Our stop in Morocco served as a great lesson for us to not pass a pavilion by just because you don’t know what to expect there. You owe it to yourself to explore and see what it has to offer!

Stop 9: France

France is easily one of my favorite pavilions for both the food and the incredible visuals. We all love the crepes there, and Lori and I love the adult slushies. Was France shaping up to be Mexico Part 2 in that we wouldn’t be able to make just one menu choice? Why yes… yes it was!

Perhaps even worse—while we all shared the nachos back in Mexico, we knew we were each getting our own crepe here! Max and I both went with the butter and sugar crepe, while Lori ordered the berry. It was the first time Lori had tried that particular crepe, and she really enjoyed it. As for the sugar and butter crepes Max and I had, it wasn’t my first time ordering one, and even though it is a very simple variety, it is always absolutely delicious.

Next, it was time to grab our “big kid” slushies, which are nearly impossible to pass by on a hot day… or a warm one… or a cool one… I don’t think we’ve ever varied in our order, either! For me, it’s always the Grand Marnier Orange, and for Lori, it’s the Citron. It was a great experience as always, and once again, the French pavilion did not let us down.

Stop 10 & 11: United Kingdom & Canada

By the time we hit the United Kingdom, I won’t lie to you… we were feeling pretty stuffed! Perhaps doing double duty in both France and Mexico was finally catching up to us.

The biggest thing you can find in the snack world in the UK is, unsurprisingly, their staple Fish and Chips. We honestly just weren’t feeling like downing heavy, fried fish after eating sushi, a turkey leg, nachos, crepes, etc. Our next option was simply to go with the chips (fries) and skip the fish. But we knew that just up ahead in Canada, we wanted to try the Poutine—the base of which is french fries.

Not wanting to do french fries twice in a row, we came up with our one little (somewhat practical, somewhat comical) cheat on the mission: we would skip eating in the UK and go straight for the poutine in Canada. Then, later on our way out of the park, we would stop at the Joffrey’s stand and order tea-based drinks as a nod to the UK pavilion we skipped!

As for the poutine over in the Canada pavilion… we had never tried it before. But when we saw the description for the Québec: L’Authentique variety—french fries smothered in brown gravy and topped with cheese curds—we thought, how bad can that be? As it turned out, it wasn’t bad at all. In fact, it was absolutely awesome and is officially another item we have added to our running list of Disney favorites. The brown gravy was rich and delicious, and the cheese curds actually reminded us a lot of mozzarella.

On a side note, we found it fun to learn that the stand selling the poutine, La Poutinerie, had literally just opened the day before we did our food crawl! The new stand replaced the Refreshment Port, and while poutine was available at other locations in Canada, this new spot is dedicated to it. Alongside the Québec: L’Authentique variety we tried, they also serve a variety called Montréal: Viande Fumée. The Montréal version features french fries, cheese curds, smoked meat, pickles and mustard gravy.

The tea drinks turned out to be the perfect ending to our adventure. We got our nod to the UK in, and we had something delicious and refreshing to drink as we rode the monorail to our next park-hopping stop at the Magic Kingdom.

Final Thoughts

In the end, we were incredibly happy with how our food crawl turned out, despite pulling a little trick with the United Kingdom. It was an afternoon spent enjoying some old favorites and discovering some brand-new ones that we have officially added to our must-do list.

Above all, it was time well spent with family—laughing, sharing bites, and having fun picking out our food choices together. Completing ten out of eleven pavilions would still give us a solid ‘A’ on a test! Maybe next time—and I’m sure there will be a next time because we had so much fun—we’ll achieve the perfect 100.

Now I want to hear from you! Have you or your family ever done an Epcot Food Crawl? Do you have an absolute favorite pavilion or a go-to food you have to get every time? Drop a comment below and let us know!