The holidays have officially arrived at Disney World, and so have our appetites. Today, we’re headed to try some fun and festive eats, and we’re taking you with us!

The 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays has officially begun and it has a LOT to offer. There are plenty of food booths with tasty items, shows and storytellers to watch, souvenirs to grab (of course), and even a cookie stroll to complete. But don’t let it overwhelm you — we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know. And now we’re heading to one spot in particular — the Shanghai Holiday Kitchen Booth — to give you the FULL scoop! Is it worth a try? Let’s find out!

Menu

Over at Shanghai Holiday Kitchen in the China Pavilion, you’ll find a variety of available items. Most are returning items, so we’re excited to have them again and see how they measure up to previous years. For food, you can get items like a Chicken Skewer with Peanut Sauce, a Beef and Noodle Soup Bowl, and Vegetable Spring Rolls. All of these are returning items! 

For drinks, you can get the Butterfly Lantern drink which is new, a returning Bubble Tea, and the returning Kung Fu Master drink.

Here’s the lineup for the Shanghai Holiday Kitchen!

⭐️Chicken Skewer with creamy peanut sauce
⭐️Beef and Noodle Soup Bowl with slow-braised beef shank, green onion, and house-made chili oil
⭐️Vegetable Spring Rolls with citrus sauce
⭐️Butterfly Lantern
⭐️Bubble Tea pic.twitter.com/14kAsEPpZl

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) November 24, 2023

Now that we’ve taken a look at the menu, let’s dive into the food itself!

Eats

First up, we grabbed the Chicken Skewer with Creamy Peanut Sauce for $6.75. We had this last year, and we thought it was super delicious, and we remember how creamy and packed with flavor the sauce was. So… how does this year’s item compare? Well, the chicken was definitely juicy and was cooked well, but these pieces were quite fatty. The sauce has a bit of heat to it, but is still just as creamy as we remember it. The peanut in the sauce compliments the heat, but definitely leaves you wanting a bit more.

Next, we tried the Beef and Noodle Soup Bowl with slow-braised beef shank, green onion, and house-made chili oil for $9.50. Last year, our ONLY complaint about this dish was that it was too hot outside to enjoy it. Other than that, it’s pretty close to perfection. This year, we thought it was delicious! This broth is pretty spicy for a Disney dish, and just like last year, it’s pretty overwhelming if you’re eating it on a super hot day. The beef chunks are delicious — very thoroughly cooked. The noodles and veggies were cooked perfectly but also had some spice. 

Lastly, we got the Vegetable Spring Rolls with citrus sauce for $5.50. Last year, we remember them being okay. They were good, don’t get us wrong, but they weren’t phenomenal or anything.This year, we thought they were good and very flavorful! They are nice and crispy on the outside and soft and bright on the inside. They’re pretty sweet with a subtle tang that we enjoyed. 

Next, let’s talk bevis!

Drinks

In terms of drinks at this booth, we got the NEW Butterfly Lantern with butterfly pea blossom gin, vodka, prickly pear, lychee, soda water, and boba for $14.50. We thought it was okay. It tastes like a mixture of pear drinks we’ve had at Disney World recently with a touch of lychee, but together it all tastes almost medicinal. Yuck! We can’t taste the alcohol, though, so if that’s what you’re going for, it could be a solid option.

We also grabbed the Bubble Tea for $8.25, which is a classic milk tea with black and white boba pearls. In the past, this one was sweet and refreshing, and the boba had a nice, fun texture. This is like a liquid sugar cookie. It’s so good! The popping pearls burst in your mouth and have a gelatin-like filling, so they’re super yummy. We really like this one. 

You can also grab the Kung Fu Master for $14.50, which is Tito’s Vodka, Triple Sec, mango, orange juice, and soda water. This one was refreshing in the past, and is a great option if you’re wanting to unwind on a hot day.

OVERALL

Overall, we’d recommend this booth to anyone looking for classic, cozy Chinese dishes or a refreshing drink to cool off if it’s particularly warm. For the most part, the dishes here are packed with flavor and never disappoint us. Even our least favorite items here have still been decent options! They’re just super spicy, so keep that in mind, especially if you have little ones.

From a value perspective, we feel that we get a lot off food for what we pay, which is always a bonus, especially if you’re hoping to make a meal out of the dishes you grab.

That’s it for this booth, but there’s a LOT more where that came from!

Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY. SINGLE. BOOTH. at the Festival of the Holidays!

Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2023 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays? We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest. Click our links below for the information you need to know:

• Learn about the Candlelight Processional and Dining Packages
• Check out ALL of the 2023 Festival of the Holidays 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 DFB Guide to the Holidays at Disney World! See more details about the book below.

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