838: Festival of the Arts Food: Past Favorites & New Must-Tries

Main Street Magic - A Walt Disney World Podcast

Jeremy Stein

Disney Springs, Disney World, Citywalk, Magic Kingdom, Society & Culture, Universal Dining, Walt Disney World, Islands Of Adventure, Universal Studios, Universal Orlando, Disney Resorts, Disney, Hollywood Studios, Places & Travel, Walt Disney, Disney Dining, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Wdw, Kids & Family

4.6 • 783 Ratings

🗓️ 16 January 2026

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We’re setting the table for EPCOT’s most creative festival and getting you ready for opening weekend. Before we head into the parks for our full review next week, we’re taking a step back to talk expectations, favorites, and a whole lot of food. First, we break down where EPCOT Festival of the Arts ranks for us among EPCOT’s four annual festivals and why it continues to punch above its weight despite being the shortest of the bunch. From there, we each reveal our Top 5 returning Festival of the Arts dishes, sharing the items that have stuck with us year after year and seeing just how much overlap there is between our lists. These are the bites we still think about, still recommend, and would absolutely order again without hesitation. Then it’s time to look ahead as we each share our Top 5 new dishes we’re most excited to try this year, based purely on menus, descriptions, and presentation. No reviews yet — just hype, curiosity, and a little healthy skepticism. We wrap things up by talking about which booths we’re heading to first, which dishes have the most pressure to live up to expectations, and teasing our full opening weekend review coming next Friday. Whether you’re attending Festival of the Arts for the first time or already planning your must-do food stops, this episode is the perfect appetizer for what’s to come.

Transcript

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0:00.0	On this episode, we're diving into Epcot's Festival of the Arts and breaking down where it ranks among Epcotts festivals, our top five returning dishes, and the new bites were most excited to try opening weekend.
0:10.0	Today's January 16th, 2026, and this is episode 838 of the Main Street Magic podcast.
0:16.8	Jeremy and Rhonda are more than a little fond of Disney World, so they made this podcast to share
0:23.1	it all with you.
0:25.1	Reports and resorts, top ten lists of all sorts, Main Street Magic's bringing it home for you.
0:34.3	Hello and welcome to another episode of Main Street Magic. I'm your host, Jeremy Stein, and as always, I'm joined by my lovely wife, Rhonda.
0:40.6	Hey, guys.
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1:01.9	Planning a trip to Disneyland or Walt Disney World can be overwhelming and at times just
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