Jardin de Fiestas is the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival outdoor kitchen located near the Mexico pavilion of World Showcase. Here in our Jardin de Fiestas review, we’ll talk about the food, if we think it is worth the price. We’ll have pictures of it all too.
While we are reasonably new to the Epcot festival scene, we think there is a noticeable pattern when it comes to festival booths in the Mexico pavilion. There are things that we love and things that we really don’t like. Hate is such a mean word, and we try not to use it, just like we tell our kids. This year is no different, which is unfortunate, given our love of Mexican food.
Let’s take a look at the Jardin de Fiestas menu. This year the outdoor kitchen features the following foods:
- Chilaquiles de Pollo: Chipotle-braised Chicken and Tortillas served with Salsa Ranchera, Monterey Jack Cheese, Crema Mexicana, and Guajillo Cheese
- Quesadilla al Pastor: Flour Tortilla filled with Monterey Jack Cheese and Pork Pastor topped with Grilled Pineapple, Salsa Verde, Red Onion and Cilantro
- Choriqueso Torta: Bolillo Roll filled with Chorizo and Monterey Jack Cheese, Avocado Mousse and Jalapeños
There are three alcoholic drinks on the menu too. You can find them on the menu pictured above. Anna and Elsa were sad that there aren’t any non-alcoholic “fun” drinks at Jardin de Fiestas. We have a post if you are interested in the outdoor kitchen menus at the Flower & Garden Festival. We should also mention that we have a Guide to the 2020 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival.
Let’s look at the Jardin de Fiestas food.
Chilaquiles de Pollo: Chipotle-braised Chicken and Tortillas served with Salsa Ranchera, Monterey Jack Cheese, Crema Mexicana, and Guajillo Cheese – $7.00
Well, start with the good of the outdoor kitchen. The Chilaquiles have a great taste and texture to them. The chipotle braised chicken retains a great smokiness, but there is much more to this dish. The crema Mexicana, stood out here, making it a hit with the kids too. This is the one dish at Jardin de Fiestas that we all liked. While the item isn’t labeled as gluten free, Carla checked with a cast member who confirmed it was, so she was able to enjoy it as well. It was one of her favorite gluten free items of the Festival.
While the $7.00 price is steep, the portion here is one of the largest that you’ll find at all of the Flower & Garden Festival. If it is back next year, we will get the Chilaquiles de Pollo again.
Quesadilla al Pastor: Flour Tortilla filled with Monterey Jack Cheese and Pork Pastor topped with Grilled Pineapple, Salsa Verde, Red Onion and Cilantro– $7.50
The Quesadilla al Pastor lists the flour tortilla as the first ingredient of the description. I guess they did that because it’s around 50% of the actual food on this plate. The pork pastor flavor is okay, but nothing amazing. It’s hard to tell because of the amount of tortilla here.
At $7.50, the Quesadilla al Pastor has two problems from a value perspective. First, this thing is tiny. If I were eating it without the kids, I would probably get 3-4 bites out of it. The second issue is the aforementioned tortilla to filling/topping ratio. Paying this price for what is basically a tortilla with a little stuffing is a terrible value. We think you should pass on this.
Choriqueso Torta: Bolillo Roll filled with Chorizo and Monterey Jack Cheese, Avocado Mousse and Jalapeños – $7.00
I wanted to like the Choriqueso Torta. I love Chorizo, so I was excited to try this dish. Unfortunately, it was just okay. For the price, just okay isn’t good enough. The Chorizo itself was unbelievably dry. When you couple that with a dry roll, it made the dish not very enjoyable. I will say the flavor of the Chorizo was delicious. Oddly, Anna loved this dish. So much that when everyone else was finished trying it, she polished it off. Go figure.
The portion size here is pretty good, but a lot of it is the roll. Given that we don’t think it is a great value at $7.00. We’d probably pass on this, but Anna wants to have it again next year, so we’ll see.
Mango Mexican Lucky Margarita – $11.75
Whenever we eat at a Mexico booth, we have to try out a margarita. This year we went with the Mango Mexican Lucky Margarita. I didn’t take a stand-alone picture of it, so you’ll have to look at it in the photo at the top of the post. Featuring spicy ancho Verde liqueur, 100% agave tequila Blanco, mango-passion fruit purée, lime juice, applejack, and ginger cordial, this margarita was excellent. It is served with a Tajin Chili-Lime Rim, which added so spice to a sweet base. Everything in the drink worked together very well. I’m not sure if the cast member was heavy-handed with the alcohol when they made our drink, but the margarita was strong. Like real strong. You may have a different experience.
While the price is steep, we think this was a worthy cocktail. We would get this again.
Other Drinks at Jardin de Fiestas
That is everything we sampled at Jardin de Fiestas. The other drinks you can have here are:
- Cruz Blanca Rosé Spritz: Effervescent Rosé Wheat Ale with Elderflower Liqueur
- Rosita Margarita: Rose Petal Liqueur, 100% Agave Tequila Blanco, Lemon, and Cranberry Juices served with a Rose Petal Salt Rim
Wrapping Up Our Jardin de Fiestas Review
Jardin de Fiestas continues our inconsistent track record with Mexico booths at Epcot based festivals. We think it is worthwhile for you to stop by and have the Chilaquiles, but the other items are overpriced for what you get. There are better places to spend that money, so I’d save it.
If you are interested in more of our Epcot Flower & Garden Festival outdoor kitchen reviews, we’ll link to them down here as we finish them! We hope you enjoy the food and the reviews!