Brunchcot at 2023 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival offers the best bites

Lox Benedict at Brunchcot, 2023 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, photo by Cristine Struble
Lox Benedict at Brunchcot, 2023 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, photo by Cristine Struble /
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For many people, brunch is the ultimate weekend indulgence and the idea of Brunchcot is no longer strolling from restaurant to restaurant around Epcot’s World Showcase. From that mimosa to the sweet and savory dishes, that time around the table is meant to be a leisurely linger. Whether the focus is slightly hearty or more refreshing, it is the abundance of options that have people booking that reservation. At the 2023 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, the new offering, Brunchot, had everyone lining up to enjoy that first taste and it did not disappoint.

The annual Epcot Flower and Garden Festival celebrates the bounty from the garden. While the Disney chefs have pushed their culinary creativity with carefully constructed and plated dishes during the Festival of the Arts, the springtime festival is more robust in its offerings. Whether it is celebrating the harvest or the beautiful blooms, the food offerings are as vibrant as the topiaries filling the Disney Park.

As one of the new outdoor kitchens at the 2023 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, Brunchcot offers Disney’s takes on breakfast forward dishes. While these dishes are far more than just a doughnut and coffee, the nuanced flavors will bring guests back for more and more during the festival’s run.

Brunchcot features four options, Avocado Toast, Shrimp and Grits, Lox Benedict, and Fried Cinnamon Roll Bites. In addition, there are three beverages, Froot Loops Shake, Peach Bellini, and Joffrey’s Coffee Cold Brew Cocktail.

While Epcot has previously offered an Avocado Toast, the tomatoes are the ingredient that makes this dish shine. The marinated tomatoes have that bright acid to contrast the avocado. While the photo will make a pretty picture, it is the combination of textures and flavors that make this dish enjoyable.

The one dish that showcases the talent of the chefs at the outdoor garden is the Lox Benedict. This dish features a beautifully poached egg. As that yolk is pierced, it runs over the everything focaccia.

Brunchcot at 2023 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
Lox Benedict at Brunchcot, 2023 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, photo by Cristine Struble /

Overall, this dish is a combination of several breakfast staples. From the everything bagel flavor to the lox, it is definitely a food mash-up. But, one note regarding the lox. It is not traditionally smoked salmon. It is more like a piece of salmon sushi. Although it is missing that smoky flavor, the dish is quite good.

Thinking about this dish, it could spark a new approach to the eggs benedict by swapping out the bread choice. Instead of that English muffin, why not use a starch with more flavor. The options are many.

The other choices are a shrimp and grits and fried cinnamon roll bites. The shrimp is good, straightforward dish. The brown gravy makes it hearty in flavor. A touch more spice would have been nice.

As the only sweet option, the fried cinnamon roll bites are a nice pairing to any of the savory options. The candied bacon is really the stand out on this dish.

Brunchcot is part of the 2023 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. The outdoor kitchen is open 11 a.m. till 9 p.m. during the festival’s run. The annual event runs now through July 5, 2023.