Welcome to a review of The Painted Panda Food Studio at the 2019 Epcot International Festival of the Arts. The Painted Panda debuted in 2018 and is described by Disney as Cuisine inspired by the majesty of Chinese art and culture. The Painted Panda Food Studio is located near the China Pavilion. This review will cover the items available for purchase during the 2019 Epcot International Festival of the Arts which runs daily from January 18, 2019 to February 25, 2019.
Crystal Mooncake – $9.75
The Crystal Mooncake comes served with fruit filling and garnished with toasted coconut.
This has to be one of the worst ways to spend $9.75 at Epcot for the next two months. Between a really off putting texture and an overall bland taste, this is worth closer to $5, if anything. This earns an easy and unequivocal pass from us.
Dragon and Phoenix – $10.50
In the dragon and phoenix comes with spicy sauteed shrimp with spinach noodles.
Our culinary lap around the menu lands at the Dragon and Phoenix. On the plate you’ll find some very, very lightly breaded shrimp with a bit of sweet and sour sauce to accompany. The shrimp aren’t going to blow you away, but they are cooked well and the sweet and sour sauce helps carry them a bit above average.
The real standout with this dish is the spinach noodles. They come packed with spice and are something that we couldn’t get enough of. Thankfully, they are available in Nine Dragons restaurant as a side for $5. That would mean that the remaining shrimp would have to be worth $5.50 to find some value in the dish. Unfortunately, they aren’t worth that amount. Save some money and go straight for the spinach noodles in Nine Dragons instead of getting the Dragon and Phoenix. While the dish was enjoyable, the value wasn’t there for us, earning this dish a pass.
Plum-infused Cherry Tomatoes – $7.50
The plum-infused cherry tomatoes were actually quite a unique offering. The cherry tomatoes are served chilled and quite soft, but the plum flavoring does come through. I think these are an interesting few bites closer to $3.50, but not worth $7.50. It earns a pass.
Sugar Painting (Limited Availability) – $15.00
These are based on availability, which was described to us as artist availability. Cast said that they have a single artist who is able to make the sugar paintings and that there is no set schedule to plan around. The nice thing is that the sugar paintings can be made on demand and are all handmade. Does that make it worth $15? Probably not, but it’s a nice touch. You can either request a specific animal, or let fate decide by spinning a wheel.
Beverages:
- “Panda” Bubble Tea ($6.95) (NEW): Classic Milk Tea with Black and White Boba Pearls (non-alcoholic)
- Jasmine Draft Beer ($5.00) (NEW)
- Fortune Cookie ($10.50): ByeJoe Spirit, Amaretto, Coconut and Pineapple
- Kung Fu Punch ($9.00) (NEW): Vodka, Triple Sec, Mango Syrup, Orange Juice and Soda Water
- Tomato Plum Cocktail ($12.50) (NEW): Plum Wine with Plum Infused Tomatoes
Our Thoughts
The Painted Panda disappointed a bit this year. Higher prices should keep you away despite some standout bites such as the spicy spinach noodles. A limited availability item in the sugar painting is also a bit of a head scratcher. We appreciate some of the adventurous choices made, but we can’t recommend taking the plunge at the high prices. Your money is better spent elsewhere.