We’re back with another 2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival booth review today with pictures from two more favorite spots: Mexico and Germany!
Looking for your other favorites? Check out our Epcot Food and Wine Festival Booth Pages!
Click on any booth or country name here for detailed information, menus, photos, and prices.
Mexico
This crowd favorite had some big menu changes in 2011 – and came out a winner! Many of the items from last year are back for 2012, and there are a couple of nice additions that I loved. Let’s take a look!
With the popularity of Mexico’s La Cava del Tequila, we’re seeing the first introduction of tequila shots at the Food and Wine Festival (score!).
And while the Tequila Flight, featuring Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo Tequilas is a bit pricey, it’s a great presentation and a fun way to compare different tequilas alongside terrific eats! This was a winner for me!
I absolutely loved the ribeye taco last year, and this year’s Taco de Filete, featuring beef tenderloin and a medium-spicy Cascabel Pepper Sauce does not disappoint. The wilted scallion provides a nice punch of color and taste as well.
The Crispy Shrimp Taco, back again from La Hacienda de San Angel restaurant, was a clear winner in 2011. It continues to impress this year with that punch of color and mix of textures!
The Natilla de Cajeta is a lovely, rich flan made with cajeta, a Mexican delicacy similar to (but oh-so-much yummier than) sweetened condensed milk. This is a big portion comparatively, too, so it’s a good one to share.
You can see more pictures, the full menu, and prices on our Mexico Booth Page!
Germany
A stop on the Festival trail at the Germany Booth is always a must-do! And getting to visit during Oktoberfest? Double points. The lines can be long here, though, so go early!
In 2012, we welcome a new version of an old favorite: Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll. Add a little bit of mustard, and you have a fun “hot dog-esque” item. I enjoyed this offering, but the pretzel roll felt a bit stale to me.
New to the Germany Marketplace this year is the Schinken Nudel, a pasta gratin made with ham and cheese. This is a twist on the ham and cheese spaetzel that’s been served in the past.
The construction of this layered dish is a bit like a casserole or a lasagna. It comes to you in a solid square — kind of weird, but easy to eat! The strong, sharp cheese flavor fits a grown-up palate, but the kids should like this, too, given its mac-and-cheese texture.
The always-popular Apple Strudel is once again accompanied by a Werther’s Original Karamel-Vanilla Sauce. Love it? Find the recipe here!
The flaky pastry and multiple flavors of vanilla, caramel, and apple make this a huge winner for me.
You can see more pictures, the full menu, and prices on our Germany Booth Page!
What are YOUR favorite dishes and sips so far at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival? Leave us a comment below and let us know!
And be sure to pop over to our Epcot Food and Wine Festival Menus for more pictures of all your favorite dishes!
Also, if you’re headed to the Festival, check out our DFB Mini-Guide to the 2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival e-Book for a full schedule of events, touring strategies, tips and tricks, and a full section on the World Showcase booths this year! Use code countdown for $3 off today!
Pat Johnson says
A note on the Schinken Nudel: it contains onions. I know some kids (and my hubby) don’t care for onions. He wouldn’t eat it after discovering the tiny onions, so I got all of it. It was certainly a good portion and tasty. But even I would have preferred it without the onions. It reminded me of Cracker Barrel’s hash brown casserole.
Also, we found that most booths would make-to-order if possible. And, like AJ says, if you want extra sauce (or none at all) just ask. They’ll even put stuff “on the side” if they can.
JoAnn says
I’m glad you included the schinken nudel. I was wondering how it compared to ham and cheese spaetzel. That was one of my favorites. I will be trying the new version this year.
Galloping Gourmand says
Mexico is more than tacos. It dissaponrts me that they went that route, considering you can get tacos everywhere. Up where I live (CT shoreline near NYC) every single seafood joint has added a fish taco to the menu.
Looking forward to trying what I will inevitably accidentally call a snicker doodle when I order it at the Germany booth.
Alan says
I’m not that much of a fan of Mexican food but both of those tacos are so colorful and enticing I would try them both. It’s a little disappointing that the pretzel roll was a bit stale. They are very popular right now in my neck of the woods and usually enhance whatever they are served with. I would try all the German dishes too.
Dr. Nigel Channing says
My thoughts….
Mexico — love, love, love the shrimp taco. Great flavors, perfect size, we stopped here several times!!
Germany — the bratwurst was a let-down, to be honest. Tasted fine, but the ones you can get back inside the pavilion (Summerhaus?) are way, way better…
Jules says
I must agree that the pretzel roll was a little stale considering that getting a pretzel in Germany is usually a must do. I’m surprised that your Mac/Cheese/Ham was perfectly square and in a mold. I did find that to be true in France. The Coq Au Vin was cooked in a mold and the Mac was a bit over done. However, in Germany, when I went, albeit once, the Pasta Gratin (Mac/Cheese/Ham) was simply scooped with no uniformity and had a significant amount of food compared to other dishes in the festival. I did not taste it though, so can not comment on the quality, only the quantity.
Carol says
The Schinken Nudel I thought wasn’t as good as the spaetzel. It still had a good flavor and if you weren’t used to the spaetzel for years now you would be quite happy, however I prefer the spaetzel noodle more. I overheard someone suggest using the pretzel roll with the cheese fondue, that’s a good idea. The apple strudel is very delicious, could eat more than one.
Robert says
Hello Everyone this is my first posting of any kind. I just got back from 9 days of magical fun at Disney world (wish I never left) and I hit up most of the food and wine booths. One of the best was mexico with the crispy shrimp taco.