Look, let’s be honest… the Refreshment Outpost might not be one of those “stop in your tracks” spots you stroll past on a normal EPCOT day, but during the 2025 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, you may just want to take that little detour to check out the eats and drinks this spot offers just for the event!

As it does every year, the Refreshment Outpost is shining the spotlight on a few dishes beyond its usual soft-serve and frozen slushies. And the offerings this year focus on unique African flavors that you won’t find elsewhere at the Festival! So, as we make our way around World Showcase to visit all of the Festival Marketplaces to bring you our reviews of every Food Booth at the 2025 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, we’re also stopping by the Refreshment Outpost to see how this year’s Festival items stack up!

 

Menu

In case you’re unfamiliar, the Refreshment Outpost is tucked between the China and Germany Pavilions as you wind your way around World Showcase. The Berbere-spiced Beef Stew is all-new this year, and it’s joined on the menu by two returning dishes: the IMPOSSIBLE Spicy Sausage and the South African Cream Liqueur Chocolate Mousse. 

The Outpost’s Festival drinks include the new Bold Rock Apple Crumble Hard Cider, which is available alongside the Gulf Stream Brewing Cloud 9 Watermelon Hibiscus Lager and the Habesha Breweries Cold Gold Pilsner. 

Okay, Refreshment Outpost… let’s see what you got!

Eats

New this year is the Berbere-spiced Beef Stew, which is available for $6.75. It’s plated with sweet potato mealie pap and kachumbari slaw. 

Overall, we found this dish quite tasty, with prominent flavors of tomato and warming spices like cinnamon. It is filled with a bunch of different veggies (carrots, onions, tomatoes) and chickpeas. The meat itself was tender and easy to chew, and you don’t feel like you are getting a mouth workout.

It was overall a solid portion of food for the price, and the herbs brought a welcome freshness to the stew. It wasn’t our favorite favorite festival dish — especially in the Orlando heat — but it was comforting and filling, like a cool fall day. 

The IMPOSSIBLE Spicy Sausage presents plant-based eaters with an additional Festival option for $6.50. The vegan sausage is paired with peri peri peppers and onions and plant-based peri peri aïoli together on a sub roll.

You could have fooled us on the whole plant-based thing; this sausage boasts the bold flavor of chorizo without the spicy kick, while the smoky flavor from the piri piri aioli presents a unique flavor element that also works well with the peppers. This dish is also a pretty good portion for the price, to boot.

The South African Cream Liqueur Chocolate Mousse returns after its smash debut last year for $6.25! This year’s version is a mousse covered with white chocolate ganache and garnished with chocolate-covered popping candy.

There was a lot of chocolate going on in this dish. First off, the chocolate popping candy surprised us with how much they popped, and the length of time the popping continued. Then the mousse itself is on top of the dish, and word of warning: ours melted before we got to taste it, giving it a melted ice cream consistency. The bottom is like a soft chocolate cookie, and then it is topped with a moist chocolate cake.  This dish is a dream for chocolate lovers craving a lighter dessert. It was a good size but didn’t feel super heavy with the soft cookie and mousse on top.

If you love the iconic Zebra Domes served at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, you will probably love this, too. 

Drinks

New to the Festival this year is the Bold Rock Apple Crumble Hard Cider ($12) from Virginia.

This cider was smooth and had an initial, nice, crisp apple taste that combined with a slight bit of bitterness in the aftertaste. It is a bit on the sweeter side, which lends itself nicely to the “apple crumble” aspect. This isn’t super hoppy or wheaty, so it could be a good option for someone who wants a lighter sip with crisp flavors.

The Gulf Stream Brewing Cloud 9 Watermelon Hibiscus Lager is back for $12.

This refreshing and light lager has a flavor emphasis on the hibiscus over the watermelon. It’s almost reminiscent of a floral hard cider, though you can still pick up on the classic beer vibes.

Finally, the Habesha Breweries Cold Gold Pilsner is up for grabs for $12.

OVERALL

Overall, the Refreshment Outpost’s 2025 additions further solidified the booth as a reliable yet somewhat unexciting addition to the Food & Wine Festival’s lineup.

Now we’re off to keep winding our way around World Showcase! If you’re gearing up for your own visit to the 2025 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, we’ve got more right here…

Click here to see FULL reviews of EVERY. SINGLE. BOOTH. at the Food & Wine Festival!

Trying to plan the PERFECT trip to the 2025 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival? We’ll be keeping you updated on all of the latest. Click our links below for the information you need to know:

• Learn about the Eat to the Beat Concert Series and Dining Packages
• Check out ALL of the 2025 Food & Wine Booth Menus
• And don’t forget to pick up our 2025 EPCOT Food & Wine Festival e-book! See more details about the book below.

Are you planning a visit to the Refreshment Port during the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival? Tell us in the comments!