The Best Way to Spend $50 at the 2025 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival

EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival began last week, and we spent the whole day trying all 81 dishes and 59 drinks. We spent $543.29 sampling every single Festival bite so we could bring you a list of dishes to try and hopefully love for $50. Looking for a list of lovely sips? Be sure to check out our Pour Decisions Top Ten Drinks post to find out which drinks we loved and which didn’t hit the mark.

Our Best $50 includes 8 dishes in total, with a heavy lean toward savory. Let’s review!

Griddled Cheese | Greece – $5.25

A familiar and delicious plate worth the wait in line. This is likely the most pedestrian of our picks, but try it and see why it made the list. Salty, warm cheese and dripping honey mixed with a bit of pistachios. We ordered two of these for our group and could easily have demolished a few more, even though Greece was about 4 hours into our eating-and-drinking-it-all day. Bonus for this dish being on the Emile’s Fromage Montage.  A fromage ami that will only cost you $5.25.

Butternut Squash and Ginger Bisque | Milled & Mulled – $5.50

If your heart turns to candy corn the moment Disney sets out their Halloween decor in August, then this is probably going to bring you joy. As someone who marks “PSL Day” on their calendar, this was one of my favorite dishes. Sure, the temperature was nearing 100 degrees and the humidity was off the charts, but this was heavenly. The ginger keeps it from being too sweet and the pumpkin seed oil is delightful.

Pumpkin-Mascarpone Ravioli | Forest & Field – $5.50

We’re staying in our fall theme here with the most wonderful ravioli smothered in cheese, brown butter, and sage. All of the perfect partners for the sweet pumpkin and both cheeses. It looks small but the flavors are big and it’s plated to share without everyone bumping forks. This plate is stamp deux in the quest for five on our passport to complete Emile’s Fromage Montage, too.

Beef Wagyu Don | Japan – $9.50

This is the most expensive and the most complex of everything on our Best $50 list. The flavors here are just spectacular and and exciting. Try to get a bite of the pickle with the beef and peppers! This isn’t going to appeal to everyone but if you’ve an affinity for traditional Japanese flavors then you won’t mind the price.

Potato and Pea Samosa | India – $5.50

She’s spicy, she’s hefty, she’s gorgeous. We’d all love to be described this way but for now we’re talking about the beautiful samosas in India. As a long-time Spice Weenie, I happily take on the warmth that comes from these returning favorites. This plant-based plate will always have a place on our list.

Hawaiian Rice Bowl | Hawai’i – $6.25

You could definitely make this at home, but you’re not at home. You’re walking around EPCOT with an empty belly and $6.25! Familiar flavors and a tiny bit of heat – which you can omit by telling the Cast Member at the window to leave off the mayo. This bowl and an O’ahu Sunrise, and you’ve got yourself a great afternoon.

Grilled Bushberry-spiced Shrimp Skewer | Australia – $7.00

This is the one seafood dish to make our list. This isn’t a new dish, but it is vastly improved! In years past I’ve been more inclined to throw this plate than encourage anyone else to spend money on it. In 2023, this dish was $6.75 and included three overcooked shrimp. In 2024, we got 5 overcooked shrimp for $7.00. It seemed like the sauce was just there to cover the dry, tough nibbles of shrimp. This year, we were given 10 shrimp for $7.00, and they weren’t overcooked! They were delightful! If you’re already headed to the Australia kitchen to grab the Roasted Lamb Chop, add this to your order, please.

Liquid Nitrogen Frozen Pumpkin Cheesecake Mousse | Swirled Showcase – $5.50

Dessert and a show! If you’ve got kids with you when you’re headed to get this dish, make sure they’re in line with you. Disney chefs are safely behind glass as they vaporize this mousse before throwing on the salty-sweet toppings. In our experience, the CM in charge of the liquid nitrogen will make sure you can see each step, and they’re always camera-ready. Science is fun but food science is the best! You can have a full homeschool discussion about ice crystals and boiling points while enjoying the best dessert of the Festival.

Are you headed to EPCOT’s Food and Wine this year? Let us know which dishes are on your list to try!