The Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic, which runs on October 29th and 30th, is an event that coincides with EPCOT’s International Food and Wine Festival and features 20+ food stands and 100+ drink options.

©Disney Swan and Dolphin

In the past, we’ve really enjoyed this event and we think it’s pretty underrated and definitely worth the price of admission and we loved the Food & Wine Classic: A Taste of Swan & Dolphin event from earlier this year. Today, we’re giving you our full review of this year’s event!

How It Works

In order to enter the event, you needed a ticket! You could grab a Causeway Ticket, which is $165 per person plus tax and gets you unlimited samples at the Causeway, which is the section that features a wide range of booths, as well as access to the Beer Garden! 

The Causeway

You could also get an Overnight Ticket, which is $580 and includes a one-night stay for two at the Swan or Dolphin hotels, as well as two Causeway Tickets for both nights.

Swan and Dolphin Resorts

Let’s see how the event was!

Atmosphere

When you head to the Food & Wine Classic, be sure to grab a map! Not only will this help you find the extensive array of booths at the event…

Follow along with us tonight as we attend the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic! pic.twitter.com/uO9yVO94md

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) October 30, 2021

…it’ll also show you all the entertainment for the night! Usually, this would have the list of educational seminars as well, but those aren’t available this year.

There’s live entertainment!

Taking a look at the map, you’ll see that the Causeway, which is the bridge between the Swan and Dolphin Resorts, and the path along the water by the Swan Resort are both lined with booths featuring food, drinks, and treats!

The map!

Walking along the water, there were plenty of people out before the sun even went down, with lots of people scoping out what food they wanted to try out! The event began at 5:30PM, but guests were already lined up before then.

Tons of booths (and people!)

At the booths, the food is prepared right in front of you, like the Amare booth, which features food from the upcoming Swan Reserve Resort restaurant of the same name and had another cool detail…

The Amare Booth

…an old-school cocktail shaker! It was fun to watch our drink get shaken up in this vintage piece of hardware.

How cool! Mixin up some fresh cocktails in an old fashioned shaker machine in the Amare Booth🍹 pic.twitter.com/UiwiHQn4W6

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) October 30, 2021

One of the most popular booths at the event was the Shula’s Steak House booth, which had a line well before the event started!

Shula’s Booth

Along with plenty of food booths, there were also a number of wine booths serving up wine from France, Italy, California, Oregon, and other regions!

A few of the wine offerings we’ve sampled tonight 🍷 pic.twitter.com/ajpuS711xj

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) October 31, 2021

At end of the Causeway, you could also catch live entertainment, with acts like the American Sirens and Adam Duss performing at the event.

🔈 on to enjoy The American Sirens! pic.twitter.com/GZISU5zaXu

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) October 30, 2021

Along with the main Causeway, additional areas like the Beer Garden had their own atmosphere. The Beer Garden has a more wooded, natural feel that complimented the brews you can find there.

Starting off our evening in the Beer Garden! 🍻 pic.twitter.com/0jIsli655X

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) October 30, 2021

Other areas like the Chinatown section of the event (which is not included with the cost of your ticket), were smaller and had more focused menus. However, we really enjoyed the atmosphere of this area!

And last but not least! The 🇨🇳 Chinatown Booth for Shanghai Dumplings pic.twitter.com/Qd57BE7PU3

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) October 31, 2021

Now, let’s eat!

Eats

Amare is one of the new restaurants coming to the new Walt Disney World Swan Reserve, and they had a booth at the event! The featured cocktail at the Amare Booth, which had a base of Tanqueray, was one of our favorite drinks, with a very tangy flavor!

Amare Cocktail

Also from Amare was Grilled Mahi Mahi with Tuscan Kale, Toasted Fregola Sarda, and Spanish Caper Sauce, which had a nice, thick piece of fish and plenty of flavor! This was a fantastic dish and definitely something we’d get again.

Grilled Mahi Mahi from “Amare”, a new restaurant opening soon with the 🦢Swan Reserve Hotel pic.twitter.com/SN6d0rP6NX

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) October 30, 2021

From the popular Shula’s Steak House booth, the Roasted Linz Heritage Black Angus Beef Tenderloin with Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Carrots, and Hollandaise Sauce was a very impressive dish and one of our favorites from the Food & Wine Classic! The meat was tender and the hollandaise was the perfect compliment.

Black Angus Beef Tenderloin from Shula’s Steakhouse Booth! pic.twitter.com/uBC5kn6BNQ

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) October 30, 2021

Next up was the Smokin’ D’s BBQ booth’s Black Pepper Smoked Beef Brisket with Braised Greens, White Corn Spoon Bread, Caramelized Brussel Sprouts, and Smoked Tomato Barbecue Sauce, which was a bit dry but still good. This wasn’t particularly a highlight for us, though. There were much better dishes at the Classic.

Black Pepper Smoked Beef Brisket

From The Fountain booth, the Beef Slider with a Hand Formed Angus Beef Patty, Truffle Aioli, Hobb’s Bacon, and Roma Tomato Chutney was good but there was a LOT of truffle, so be prepared for that unique earthy flavor.

The Beef Slider

From the Cabana Bar & Beach Club booth, the Arkansas “BLT” with Fried Green Tomato, Double-Smoked Bacon, Iceberg Lettuce, and Pimento Cheese was very bready, which kind of killed the dish for us.

The Arkansas BLT

Okay, let’s do a lightning round for the next couple of dishes, which are all from the Beer Garden area! The Poutine with Yukon Gold Fries, House Gravy, and Cheddar Cheese Curds…

First up, the Poutine from the Beer Garden booth 🦢 topped with house gravy and cheddar cheese curds pic.twitter.com/kIpP0DeIA8

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) October 30, 2021

…the Bavarian Style Warm Pretzel with German Mustard, and Lager-Beer Cheese…

The Bavarian Pretzel

…and the Wagyu Sloppy Joe with Pickle Chip were all very basic dishes that are only worth it if you’re specifically craving those foods. Otherwise, there’s better stuff out there!

The Sloppy Joe

Speaking of better dishes, the Beer Garden’s Crispy “Korean Style” BBQ Chicken Wings with Smokey Gochujang BBQ Sauce was amazing! This one had lots of spicy flavors and was great finger food.

Also from the Beer Garden, Crispy “Korean Style” BBQ Chicken Wings pic.twitter.com/rOobz0iUWS

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) October 30, 2021

At the Chinatown booth, we LOVED the Shanghai Dumpling, which was a Pan Roasted Pork Dumpling with Spicy Sauce! This was an amazing, flavorful dumpling that was the perfect mix of crispness, spice, and fattiness that made it heavenly.

The Fried Dumplings

Some other dishes we tried were the “Tuna Poke” with Hawaiian Yellowfin Tuna, Koho Sushi Rice, Avocado Relish, and Crispy Fried Wontons from The Pig & The Poke area…

Poke

…and the Duck Confit Birria Taco with Braised Duck Leg, Corn Tortilla, Hoisin Reduction, Cilantro, Radish, and Cotija Cheese from Todd English’s bluezoo booth!

Duck Birria

Now, let’s look at the event’s desserts. The Bourbon Apples with Caramelized Apples, Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream, Caramel Whipped Ganache, Almond Pound Cake, and Honey Granola Crumble was delicious and a massive hit for us! The flavor was similar to an apple crisp or apple pie.

Caramelized apples with bourbon 🍨vanilla ice cream (📍Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic) pic.twitter.com/gk2DEUWudz

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) October 31, 2021

German Chocolate Cake with Warm Chocolate Pecan Brownie, Coconut Cream, Caramelized Pecans, Toasted Coconut, and Fudge Icing was lit on fire right in front of us and it had a wonderful coconut flavor that complimented the chocolate and pecans! It was somewhat similar to a Mounds candy bar, but with less coconut.

German Chocolate Cake 🔥 with toasted coconut and fudge icing pic.twitter.com/CbL4ujjP1n

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) October 30, 2021

We also tried quite a few drinks! One of the highlights was the Phins and Feathers beers, which were made by Swan & Dolphin. Both drinks were really smooth and refreshing and we loved the balanced hops flavor in the IPA.

“Phins and Feathers” Beer 🍻exclusive to the Swan & Dolphin 🍻IPA and Pale Ale pic.twitter.com/HUFEuzNlLg

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) October 30, 2021

Two of our favorite drinks were the Brut from the France booth…

The Brut!

…and the Justin Sauvignon Blanc from California!

The Sauvignon Blanc

Those are some of the highlights from our night at the Swan and Dolphin’s Food & Wine Classic!

Overall

Overall, we really enjoyed our time at the Swan and Dolphin’s Food & Wine Classic! As with any other festival, there were highs and lows, but generally, the food was of a high caliber and very delicious. If you’re looking for an experience that’s a bit more upscale compared to EPCOT’s International Food and Wine Festival, this is the place for you! If fine dining and fancy food festivals aren’t your thing, this might not be the one for you. If you’re adventurous when it comes to food and you want to try a bunch of new dishes, you should check out one of the future events at the Swan and Dolphin!

This event is definitely worth the price of admission as long as you make the most of it. If you’re up to try lots of different food, beers, and wines, you’re going to have a great time and get your money’s worth! Otherwise, check out EPCOT’s International Food and Wine Festival, it’s really good this year!

We’re always keeping up with the latest Disney news, so stay tuned here for more!

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