EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival 2024 Review: Germany

Ya’ll like weiners? I know I do. What’s the best place to get a brat on a bun at Epcot’s 2024 Food & Wine Festival? Germany, of course!

Those of us who were put off by the weird trio of hot dogs found at the US’s festival stand could luckily walk a couple of hundred yards to find a trio of EPCOT festival favorites:

• Schinkennudeln: Pasta Gratin with Ham, Onions, and Cheese
• Bratwurst on a Pretzel Roll with Mustard
• Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce

The schinkennudeln should look familiar because we’ve seen it before. It and the studel and bratwurst were on the menu when we covered the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival in 2022.

So, what’s the difference this time around? Well, the apple strudel was kind of light on apples and heavy on dough folds. The middle slice we were served had a massive chunk of pastry stacked up in the middle. It literally broke the spoon when I tried to cut into it.

Yeah, sometimes you’ll get a misfire like this. It’s OK. The few apple pieces and raisins we did get were terrific. The vanilla sauce is just as sugary as before. The positives outweigh that large, doughy lump.

Those looking for a mac & cheese-like dish will get their money’s worth out of the schinkennudeln. This year, the cheesy top was more golden, but the rest was the same. There’s plenty of ham and pasta gratin, but it will sit heavy in your stomach if you get through the whole thing.

The last of the returning trio was the bratwurst. It’s lengthy (heh) and is bigger than the pretzel roll. You can’t go wrong with this thing, but it isn’t something that will blow you away. Those looking for something that will satisfy that “I need something on a bun” craving will probably want this over the Chicago-style dog over in America.

Not everything we found at EPCOT in 2024 was food. We discovered a weird substance growing on the AC vents in some World Showcase shops.