REVIEW: If You See Me Eating Steamed Buns Everyday at the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, No You Didn't

Come along with us as we visit the Japan booth at the 2025 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival to check out some new and returning menu items!

Japan Full Spread

The 2025 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival has officially opened, and it has a LOT to offer. There are plenty of food booths with tasty items, merchandise items to grab (of course), and even concerts to watch. But don’t let it overwhelm you, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know. And now we’re heading to Japan to give you the FULL scoop! Is it worth a try? Let’s find out!

New for 2025, Japan is serving up Beef Wagyu Don a traditional Japanese rice bowl with American wagyu beef blend over steamed white rice served with homemade pickles, shredded togarashi pepper, and pickled ginger; Osakana Karaage, which is crispy-fried pollock with spicy mayonnaise and a sweet-and-creamy yuzu sauce; and the returning Teriyaki Chicken Bun, a steamed bun filled with minced chicken, vegetables, and teriyaki sauce.

2025 Japan Booth

The drink menu for 2025 is all new and includes:

Peachy Mango Boba: Crafted Calpico Peach Juice with mango popping boba (Non-alcoholic)
Brewlando Brewing Fuji Apple IPA (New)
Sake-Politan Cocktail: Sake with Simply Cranberry Juice and a hint of yuzu (New)
Sparkling Sake Otokoyama (New)

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

Eats

First up, I ordered the Beef Wagyu Don, a traditional Japanese rice bowl featuring an American wagyu beef blend over steamed white rice, served with homemade pickles, shredded togarashi pepper, and pickled ginger, for $9.50.

Beef Wagyu Don

This was one of our favorites that we had at the booth! The homemade pickles had a subtle kick from the wasabi, which wasn’t too overwhelming or hot. The beef itself was so tender and flavorful, and combined with the subtle wasabi and the pickled ginger, we got a bit of freshness that all played well together. We do wish there was more beef compared to the amount of rice, but it was a filling bowl and a win for us.

Tons of toppings

Next up is the other new menu item for this year, Osakana Karaage, crispy-fried pollock with spicy mayonnaise and a sweet-and-creamy yuzu sauce for $8.50.

Osakana Karaage

While we were hoping to fall in love with this, it wasn’t quite there. We enjoyed the fishy flavor, which brought in the salt and savory, but our biggest problem was with the outside. Tupcailly, they’re crispy and crunchy, and the one we were served was chewy instead. The spicy mayo would pack a punch in some bites, but there were others where you couldn’t taste the spice at all. The yuzu sauce added a nice, sweeter flavor to the saltier fish, and while this wasn’t the best dish we’ve ever had, we’re not willing to write it off just yet and would like to go back and try it again another day.

And returning for this year is the Teriyaki Chicken Bun, a steamed bun filled with minced chicken, vegetables, and teriyaki sauce for $7.95. This has been good in the past – but sometimes it can be more bun than filling.

Teriyaki Chicken Bun

This was another hit for us! We thought it was the most palette-friendly and great for those who are looking for familiar flavors. The inside was flavorful and savory, and the bun was as soft as a cloud. We couldn’t tell there were vegetables inside, in a positive way, and the sauce makes the dish sweet, complementing the savory flavor of the meat.

Inside

Drinks

The drinks at Japan are all NEW for 2025!

The Peachy Mango Boba is a non-boozy drink made with crafted Calpico Peach Juice with mango popping boba for $7.

Peachy Mango Boba

This drink was light and sweet with some great fruity notes. The main flavor we felt in the front of each sip was mango, but then that peach would come in at the end. This isn’t the most interesting drink we’ve had, but if you know you love boba, this can be a great one to enjoy while walking around in the Florida heat.

Next up is the Sake-Politan Cocktail made with Sake, Simply Cranberry Juice, and a hint of yuzu for $8.75.

Sake-Politan Cocktail

Bam! This drink packs a punch full of tartness from the cranberry juice. The yuzu brings a little bit of sweetness but is a more subtle flavor. We couldn’t taste any of the alcohol, so it’s great for people just getting into drinks.

OVERALL

We really enjoyed the Japan booth this year! There were dishes full of familiar flavors that are great for pickier eaters or those who enjoy classic dishes they know and love. While the drinks weren’t particularly unique, we still enjoyed them, especially their refreshing quality on a hot day. The Beef Wagyu Don was one of our favorites all day, filled with plenty of beef and rice. The Teriyaki Chicken Bun always puts a smile on our faces with its fluffy bun.

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

Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2025 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival? We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest. Click our links below for the information you need to know:

And don’t forget to pick up our 2025 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-book! See more details about the book below.

IT'S WINE & DINE TIME!

Food & Wine Festival can be a bummer. You stand in line waiting for what looks like the perfect treat, and it's a bust. But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE EPCOT Food & Wine Festival experience.

If you're planning a day or a week at the festival, we've got every performance, activity, and tasty nosh detailed out so you can make the most of your time and money. Listen, it's a tough job eating and documenting the nearly 200 bites and sips, but we do it all for YOU!