A fall season fit for foodies is here! – Disney Dining News and Special Treats

As the Disney summer season is drawing to a close, we usher in the Halloween season and the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. In addition to changing seasons, we’ve seen several food introductions, reappearances, and limited time treats in the last month.

Here’s a sampling of the some of the items we tasted and found in the parks and resorts in the last month, including the announcement of menus, dates, and details for three food-centric festivals.

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Check out this month’s column from The Disney Food Blog!

By The Disney Food Blog

Disney Festivals News

Epcot International Food and Wine Festival

This year’s 75-day long festival starts Aug. 30 and runs until Nov. 12.

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    The Maple Boursin Cheesecake.

    The menus for each of the 34 Global Marketplaces (food booths) have been announced. There are a lot of new items this year, like the Guinness Bailey’s Shake, Maple Bourbon Boursin Cheesecake with Maple Bourbon Cream, Caramel and Pecan Crunch and the Simmering Sips Mimosa Bar, as well as plenty of returning favorites.

  • Wine glasses, spirit jerseys, bowls, salt and pepper shakers, trading pins and more! The merchandise at the festival this year features beloved themes like Foodie Figment, Chef Mickey, Taste Your Way Around The World, and more.
  • Remy’s Hide and Squeak Scavenger Hunt has new prizes this year – a set of collectible glasses featuring Remy, Mickey, Minnie, and Figment. The kiddos and quite a few adults will love these!
  • Several special events, low-cost seminars, and Eat to the Beat concert performers are returning this year. New on the docket – candy sushi making in The Land pavilion at 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. daily (guests can book through tasteepcot.com), and a counter service option for the Eat to the Beat dining package at Liberty Inn in the American Adventure pavilion. It’s first come, first served, starting at 11:30 a.m. and will have varied availability.
  • The medals for the runDisney Wine and Dine Half Marathon have been released and feature favorite chefs from Disney movies. Each race has a different character for their medal.
  • The Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic announced new menu items. While this isn’t officially part of the main festival, many guests like to attend both.

Le Rendez-vous Gourmand Food and Wine Festival

For its second year, Le Rendez-vous Gourmand has returned to Disneyland Paris! The event began on July 30, and runs through Sept. 30 in Walt Disney Studios Park. 

This year’s event celebrates the cuisine of Belgium, Italy, and Spain in addition to the best in food and beverage from France at the event’s various Chalets (similar to the Food and Wine Festival’s Global Marketplaces).

Festival of Holidays – and more – return for Disneyland Holidays

The Holiday season kicks off in Disneyland on Nov. 9 with the Festival of Holidays. We can’t wait to see what the Festive Foods Marketplaces (food booths) will be serving up for the event this year!

Disney Events, Openings, and Refurbishments

Walt Disney once said, “Disneyland will never be completed,” – and that is holding true for Disneyland and Walt Disney World as the Imagineers and restauranteurs keep us on our toes with all of these changes!

Bing Bongs Sweet Stuff Opening in Disneyland’s California Adventure

We covered the grand opening of Bing Bong’s Sweet Stuff Confectionary on Pixar Pier in Disney California Adventure Park. You’ll find an abundance of sweet stuff here, including:

  • Cake pops featuring each of the emotions from “Inside Out” with their own distinct color and flavor.
  • Crazy Memory Refreshers (frozen slush drinks) from Jangles the Clown. Flavor options include Rainbow Unicorn, Sunshine in a Cup, Imaginary Pal, Slow Burn, and Gloomy Blues. These are all garnished with either popping bubbles or Nerds Candy.
  • Gourmet Apples, Krispy Treats, Cookies, and even more Cake Pops in the bakery case.
  • Bing Bong’s Unicorn Bark is back!
  • Lemon Drops, Sour Rainbow belts, Red Licorice, Blue Raspberry Jellies, and “Inside Out”-flavored popcorn as new pre-packaged options.
  • Classic Goofy’s Candy Co. pre-packaged options, as well as Cotton Candy and Lollipops.

Disneyland Hotel’s Tangaroa Terrace will be closed for a rather lengthy refurbishment beginning on Sept. 4, with a re-opening expected for mid-January 2019.

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Disney’s Grand Californian Resort’s Storyteller’s Café is home to the new Mickey’s Tales of Adventure Breakfast Buffet character dining. We had an awesome time with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Chip, and Dale. Be sure to try the Cereal Milk!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

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    The Rivers of Light dessert party.

    The Rivers of Light nighttime spectacular is home to the newest dessert party. Enjoy a buffet of themed desserts and snacks on the Viewing Area Terrace before being escorted to a reserved viewing area for Rivers of Light prior to the show.

  • Tiffins is now offering a Festival of The Lion King Signature Dining Package. This includes a three-course lunch or dinner, VIP seating for the show, and a commemorative cast photo. For an additional experience, guests can add on a unique safari in the African outback with a special guide.
  • The next time you’re in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and need a spot to relax and unwind, you can visit the Restaurantosaurus Lounge in DinoLand, U.S.A. during its three month trial period. You’ll find cocktails, mocktails, and bites on the menu.

Disney Springs

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    A heaping helping of Chicken Guy!

    Disney Springs is home a new flagship location for Guy Fieri’s newest restaurant concept. Chicken Guy! offers all-natural Chicken Tenders, Salads, and Sandwiches. Plus, we’ve got to talk about the 22 sauces! Yes, 22! They range from Signature to Hot ‘n’ Spicy.  Close out your meal with a decadent milkshake – made the way only Fieri can make them.

  • 4 Rivers Smokehouse is pulling into Disney Springs with a new food truck, 4R Cantina Barbacoa Food Truck, on Aug. 21st. You’ll find Nachos, Tacos, Quesadillas, Taco Cones and Burrito Bowls on the menu as well as Dessert Nachos and Dulce De Leche Churro Balls.
  • If you’re looking for something to do over the long Labor Day weekend, check out the Great Irish Hooley as it returns to Raglan Road, or spend an Evening with Gatsby at The Edison in your 1920’s best!

Special Finds

As if all the news above wasn’t enough we found some new gems and the return of a few guest favorites during our explorations in the past month.

  • The Mickey pancakes are back! River Belle Terrace is hosting breakfast again – and we ordered everything on the menu! We found options for just about every type of diner. So whether you prefer a heavy, meaty breakfast or something a lot lighter, there’s something for everyone. Sadly, the Cinnamon Roll French Toast did not return.
  • The Golden Horseshoe is offering our new favorite mini-treats – Mini Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches. An order of these small wonders includes two sandwiches – each with a generous scoop of ice cream, drizzled with your choice of caramel or chocolate sauce.

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    The Dole Whip Donut.
  • Rancho del Zocalo introduced a frozen beverage that is tailor-made for summer days: Blended Horchata! Horchata is a plant-based milk made from a variety of sources, including seeds and rice, and traditionally flavored with cinnamon and nutmeg. This one is blended with ice, making it creamy and refreshing.
  • The Dole Whip Donut has returned! The meringue-topped, pineapple-filled donut made its debut in April and disappeared quickly afterward. The donuts at the donut cart in Disneyland are only around for a short time. They’ll change them out again soon, so get your “pineapple donut” (the official name) while you can!

Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom:

  • The Lighthouse Sandwich is lighting (and lightening) up the menu at Columbia Harbour House once again! The hummus, tomato and broccoli slaw sandwich is served on multigrain bread, and gained a fan following as an easy, refreshing, go-to sandwich and a tasty vegetarian option. It was removed about a year ago; fans of the sandwich can now celebrate its return.
  • Be Our Guest Restaurant has been ever-changing since it opened in late 2012. As of July 27, Dinner is a prix fixe, 3-course affair. We tried this new concept out and enjoyed the menu – as well as the cutest dessert we’ve seen in a while.
  • We found several flavorful ways to keep cool this summer:
    • Prince Eric is now offering Flavored Frozen Cokes and Lemonades at Prince Eric’s Village Market in Fantasyland. Choose whichever flavor matches your mood from Green Apple, Vanilla, Cherry, Watermelon, Toasted Marshmallow, and Red Passion Fruit.
    • Golden Oak Outpost is home to Magic Kingdom’s newest shakes. The Dulce de Leche Milk Shake is made of Dulce de Leche ice cream topped with whipped cream and caramel sauce, and garnished with candied bacon. The Rocky Road Milk Shake takes Rocky Road ice cream, tops it with whipped cream and is garnished with a toasted marshmallow.

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  • If you’re looking for a unique bite to eat, try out Casey’s Corner for the August Hot Diggity Dog of the Month. This bad boy takes the all-beef hot dog and tops it with queso, cheddar, and seasoned cheese puffs!
  • If a conventional cheesy treat is more your speed, head over to Friar’s Nook for their Pub Tots and Brats and Tots. Pub Tots include a generous slathering of cheese sauce and a pile of bacon bits. The Brat and Tots is exactly what a sounds like – a brat (on a tasty pretzel bun with sauerkraut) and tater tots. You can make this option vegan-friendly with a plant-based protein brat.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom:

  • The Vegetable Curry Pods are no longer on the Satu’li Canteen menu in Pandora – The World of Avatar in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. You will still find the Cheeseburger Pods on the menu. Vegetarian guests will be relying on the Chili-Spiced Crispy Fried Tofu Bowl as their primary option at this location going forward.
  • In addition to their regular dinner menu, Pizzafari is now offering family-style dining. We checked out this affordable, three-course menu and how it worked alongside the counter-service option and were pleasantly surprised with a tasty, enjoyable meal and excellent service.

Walt Disney World’s Disney Springs

  • If you’ve got a sweet tooth or craving for dessert after a meal, Disney Springs is the place to be with some new sweet wonders!
    • The latest gelato sensation, an Open Faced Croissant Sundae at Vivoli il Gelato, has us saying “Oh La La”! This is a buttery croissant topped with your choice of three scoops of gelato, one sauce (either chocolate or caramel), and whipped cream.
    • Winnie the Pooh wouldn’t be able to stop eating the latest shake at Vivoli il Gelato – the Honey Pot Shake. It’s made with Orange Blossom Honey Gelato, spun with milk in a white chocolate-dipped waffle cone, and topped with whipped cream and red sprinkles.

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      The Strawberry Bubble Waffle.
    • AristoCrepes crepe kiosk is churning out some epic treats. You now have your choice of two Bubble Waffles on the menu: Salted Caramel and Strawberry! The Strawberry Bubble Waffle comes with vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and strawberry pearls. The Salted Caramel Bubble Waffle is filled with chocolate ice cream, chocolate-covered pretzel pieces, crispy pearls, caramel sauce, and more of the vanilla bean whipped cream.
    • The talented chefs at Amorette’s Patisserie have created a Whipped Pineapple Éclair that we found to taste quite Dole Whip-like.
  • Terralina Crafted Italian, Disney Springs’ newest restaurant that opened earlier this summer, is now offering a Late-Night Happy Hour. It is joined by Paddlefish bringing their Happy Hour menus back as well.

Walt Disney World’s Boardwalk:

  • The Boardwalk is hopping with changes!
    • Ample Hills Creamery is keepin’ it fresh with three new, intriguing flavors! Red Velvet Ooey Gooey Butter Cake, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, and a Shirley Temple sorbet that is vegan-friendly have been added to their impressive, crave-able menu.
    • The next time you’re walking down the Boardwalk and get a craving for a Dole Whip, stop at Boardwalk Joe’s Marvelous Margaritas for a Dole Whip Pineapple Smoothie. 
    • The Boardwalk Pizza Window overhauled their menu to now include new pizza options, sandwiches, salads, and desserts.
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      The “Oh, That’s So Cheesy.”

      The Boardwalk Bakery introduced four all-new breakfast sandwiches. With names including Ooey Gooey, Oh That’s So Cheesy, Butter Butter, and Everything Everything Sandwiches, we had to try these out and give you a full review.

This is just a small portion of all that we covered in the last month on Disney Food Blog. We also covered new unicorn cupcakes, the August Burger of the Month at The Edison, a serious snack at Typhoon Lagoon, new cocktails at House of Blues, and more!

Hop on over to Disney Food Blog to keep up with the latest Disney dining and food news, as well as reviews!

• Launched in 2009, the Disney Food Blog offers in-depth news, reviews, and information about food and restaurants in Disney’s parks, resorts, and cruise ships. See DisneyFoodBlog.com and our YouTube channel, DFBGuide, for more Disney food updates.

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