Brazil Booth at 2018 Epcot Food & Wine Festival

*This gluten free dining experience took place in September 2018. It includes notes about dairy free options. 

For Food & Wine Festival Gluten Free marketplace booth options, be sure to click over to the marketplace booth page for more info.

Brazil has been a long time booth at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival debuting in 1996. So, it's fair to say that it's pretty popular. As a gluten free guest, Brazil has always been one of my top booths for gluten friendly options. In fact, there have been several years, like 2016, where every single dish served at the booth has been marked gluten friendly. So, it's a good go-to for any GF guest.This year, Brazil has two gluten friendly options. Unfortunately, the Seafood Stew is not marked GF, and I suspect it's due to potential cross-contamination with an ingredient (i.e. being unable to confirm the sourcing) rather than gluten in the dish. But, I haven't checked yet this festival season to confirm this.With that in mind, because this booth is NOT 100% gluten free, there is always an increased risk of cross-contamination. Use your own judgement when consuming items that are not in dedicated gluten free booths or booths that contain almost all gluten friendly dishes.The Brazil booth has two of my favorite festival staples. The first is the Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans, Tomato and Onions. This dish is marked gluten friendly and is also dairy free. It is currently marked as $5.75 per serving and is a snack eligible item on the Disney Dining Plan.Although there have been some complaints about the consistency of the way that the pork belly has been cooked over the years, I have never found it to be a major issue. In fact, when I ordered it this time, it was perfectly crispy and well cooked. Add in the flavorful black beans and a fresh salsa on top for an outstanding dish. I admit, I kind of miss the touch of avocado on top. But, it's still one of my favorite gluten friendly dishes of the festival.The second dish marked gluten friendly at the Brazil booth is Pão de Queijo, also known as Brazilian Cheese Bread. This dish is marked gluten friendly but does contain dairy and cannot be modified to be dairy free. It is currently marked as $4.25 and is a snack eligible item on the Disney Dining Plan.If you can have dairy, you can never go wrong with Brazilian Cheese Bread. This has been a very consistently tasty dish throughout the years at the festival and one that frequently sells out or runs out on any given day. It's that popular.Overall, both of the gluten friendly options available at the Brazil booth are some of my favorites of the festival and a must do on any festival visit.Have you been to the Brazil booth in festivals from years past? What are your favorite dishes served at this booth?

Brazil Marketplace Booth at 2016 Epcot Food & Wine Festival

*This dining experience took place in September 2016.

For Food & Wine Festival Gluten Free marketplace booth options, be sure to click over to the marketplace booth page for more info.

The Brazil marketplace booth at Epcot's Food & Wine Festival has been one of my favorites for the past several years. The options here have been mostly gluten free at this booth for the last few years making it a great go-to spot for GF visitors.This year, Brazil's food offerings are all gluten free. The only non-GF item at the booth appears to be a beer option. This is actually great news for those of us who are concerned with potential cross-contamination, as it greatly reduces the risks.On our first night, this was a must visit for me!Brandon and I decided to split the Crispy Pork Belly served with Black Beans and Tomato, the Brazilian Cheese Bread, and each get a drink. I chose the Carnaval Moscato Sparkling White Wine, which was a little sweet and the perfect way to cap off our evening.The Crispy Pork Belly served with Black Beans and Tomato was delicious. This is both a gluten free and dairy free dish and hands down a favorite festival dish for me from years past. I love the crispiness of the pork belly with the creaminess of the black beans. The tomatoes and onions add some texture and a bit of acid to the dish.The one big challenge with this dish is the cooking of the pork belly. I've had really amazing versions and really gross ones. This time, we both raved about the crispy pork belly, as it was perfectly cooked.The Brazilian Cheese Bread is a gluten free favorite for many Food & Wine Festival visitors. This is not dairy free, as it contains both milk and cheese. Because I've been re-introducing a bit of dairy back into my diet, I did try this. I really enjoyed it and would definitely consider getting again. It seemed a fair price for the portion size and was nice to split.Overall, the Brazil booth is one of my favorite booths of the Epcot Food & Wine Festival. It's also one of the few that is almost entirely gluten free. This makes it a must visit for any gluten free guest going to the Epcot Food & Wine Festival.What do you think of the Brazil Marketplace Booth? What dish do you want to try?

Brazil -- International Marketplace -- 2013 Food and Wine Festival

*This information on this booth was obtained by me on October 2, 2013 by visiting the booth first-hand. This is not "official" information from Disney. Please always check with the cast members at each booth to confirm ingredients and safety based on your specific dietary need. For additional booth information visit the 2013 Food & Wine Festival Gluten Free Offerings Page.

Brazil booth menu

Brazil is definitely one of those booths, that I knew the menu was likely to be gluten free and dairy free friendly given the previous years' offerings. This year, the menu consists of:

• Seared Scallop with Ragout of Tomatoes, Peppers, and Hearts of Palm
• Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans, Onions, Avocado, and Cilantro

I had heard from my friend Alexis over at Gluten Free in Orlando that both dishes featured were gluten free. This, of course, made me excited and hopeful that they were both dairy free too. Or at least one of them was dairy free. It seemed highly likely that the pork belly was GF/DF.Upon my arrival at the booth, I asked the cast member at the register if she could give me some information about gluten free & dairy free offerings. She immediately said, "I know for sure that both dishes are gluten free. We are getting asked that a lot." Well, yeah, gluten free people like to eat at Food & Wine too! Plus, Disney hasn't released an official map like they did last year due to liability, so I imagine they are getting a lot of questions. I asked if she knew about the dairy, to which she replied, "No." But, she also used the phones they have on hand to radio a chef. When she did, she left it on speaker, so I could hear everything. She asked if either dish contained any kind of dairy and noted that it was a special dietary need not a preference. The chef on the other end stated that both were dairy free. Of course, I wish I had been able to see the ingredients first-hand, but I was pretty confident based on the menu that I found in the festival center for the shrimp, that we were a go.

Recipe from the official cookbook for the festival

I decided to order just the pork belly this time (now I have an excuse to update this post and go back for the scallop). I adore pork belly, so I was hopeful this would be really good.

Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans, Onions, Avocado, and Cilantro

I will say taste wise, it wasn't bad. The pork belly wasn't as crispy as I would have liked it to be. The black beans were very mild and slightly bland. I liked the avocado and cilantro though. I'm not sure this would be a dish I'd get again and again, but it wasn't bad either. Honestly, I was just excited that a booth had two options that were gluten free & dairy free and didn't contain other options that would pose a big cross contamination risk. The great news about this booth is that the only two dishes they serve are safe for me to eat, so I really enjoyed that.I'm hoping to go back soon and try the scallop, as well.Have you been to this booth yet? What did you think of the gluten free & dairy free options here?