STOP what you’re doing — we might have just found one of the best dishes at EPCOT’s International Food & Wine Festival.

The 2023 Festival has officially begun and will run through November 18th. But with SO many food booths to try (and new menu items to check out), how will you know where to begin? Well, we can help. We’re making our way through ALL (yes, ALL) of the booths and will be sharing a full list of our picks for the very best items we’ve had. But for now, we’re focusing on one underrated spot — Refreshment Outpost — which has some unique options for the Festival and one might be a new favorite!

Menu

Refreshment Outpost is a snack spot that’s open year-round, but during the Food & Wine Festival, it has a few unique options. Specifically, there’s one food item and a few different drinks (all of the drinks are new this year).

Now that we’ve glanced at the menu, let’s dive into the eats and drinks!

Eats

The main food item available here as part of the festival is the Spicy Githeri, priced at $5. This is a returning plant-based dish made of White Beans, Pigeon Peas, Curried BEN’S ORIGINAL™ Long Grain & Wild Rice, and Kachumbari Slaw. In 2022, we found this to be really flavorful, and it packed a bit of heat. The flavors and textures balanced each other well. And 2023, we’re pleased to say that we were NOT left disappointed by this dish!

Let’s start with the rice — it was cooked well (not too soft, not too hard) and was flavorful (not just a throw-away side/base) which mixed well with the sauce and toppings. The vegetables offered a nice BURST of flavor when you bit into them, and we loved how the greens added a crunchy texture difference.

Once again, it had a slightly spicy kick to it, but was more of a slow burn that creeps up on you — so be warned! Our reporter who tried it this year actually LOVED it and shared that it might be (in their opinion) one of the BEST things they tried at the Festival.

Note that you’ll also find DOLE Whip available here for $6.

So if you’re looking for a taste of the delicious pineapple creation, you know where to go!

Drinks

In terms of drinks, there are 3 options and all are new. You can pick up the Gulf Stream Brewing Co. Cloud 9 Watermelon Hibiscus Lager for $11.25, Ciderboys Mango Tango Hard Cider for $11.25, or  North Coast Brewing Co. PranQster Golden Ale for $11.25.

On this trip, we opted for the new Gulf Stream Brewing Co. Cloud 9 Watermelon Hibiscus Lager ($11.25).

This was actually really nice — refreshing and light! There was a bit of a frothy portion on the top after it was poured. Unfortunately, we didn’t taste the watermelon very much, but the hibiscus hit us right away. Our reporter admitted that they’re not really a big beer drinker, but even to them, this drink was good! We’d liken it to something like a strawberry hard cider, just with a more hibiscus-tasting beer vibe instead of a cider.

OVERALL

Overall, we’d say these were two pretty good Festival items. The Githeri was a big hit with us this year — we enjoyed the mix of flavors and the bit of spice. And the beer, though it was missing that watermelon flavor, was refreshing and light!

Off to the Refreshment Outpost!

We got the Spicy Githeri with White Beans, Pigeon Peas, Curried BEN’S ORIGINAL™ Long Grain & Wild Rice and Kachumbari Slaw ✨ as well as the NEW Gulf Stream Brewing Co. Cloud 9 Watermelon Hibiscus Lager 🍺 pic.twitter.com/xY7CjtxQW9

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) July 27, 2023

 

 

Refreshment Outpost might be one of the more hidden Festival spots (since it’s a year-round restaurant with Festival dishes, rather than a “proper” Festival booth), but that doesn’t mean you should skip over it!

Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY. SINGLE. BOOTH. at the Food & Wine Festival!

Ready for more 2023 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival updates? Check out more of our Food and Wine Festival news below!

• Learn about the Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Dining Packages
• Check out ALL of the 2023 Food & Wine Booth Menus
• See what eats you’ll need to try to get a PRIZE at the Festival!

And don’t forget to pick up our 2023 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-book!

What items from this booth would you most want to try? Tell us in the comments!