Technically speaking, the title is inaccurate. Comeback suggests that something was once good, and CommuniCore Hall never was. It also still isn’t. Wrong on both counts, but “CommuniCore Hall Is Still Bad, Especially for Something That Cost So Much and Took So Long to Build, But It’s No Longer a Complete Embarrassment” is a bit unwieldy as far as blog post titles go.
I’m not being snarky. Every time I walk through this area of EPCOT–especially at night when it’s been months since I’ve experienced all of the lighting in working order–I question whether Disney still has the capacity to deliver greatness. Sure, there have been fantastic new additions that debuted in the last several years. Cosmic Rewind, Fantasy Springs, World of Frozen, and others are examples. But all of those projects started before 2020.
The output from the phased reopening era is a different story, and CommuniCore Hall is Exhibit A in that regard. But that’s probably a topic for a different post. Suffice to say, this new review for the 2025 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival is not going to walk back our original review of World Celebration and CommuniCore Hall, which was far from glowing. It’s basically just saying that the venue now has redeeming qualities other than just air-conditioning.
This trend actually began with last year’s EPCOT Festival of the Holidays and peaked with the EPCOT Festival of the Arts. The latest use of CommuniCore Hall is a slight downgrade from that high water mark, but that’s unsurprising given that Festival of the Arts is far and away the best EPCOT event–it receives considerably more effort and attention to detail than the rest.
For its part, the 2025 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival is still head and shoulders above last year’s Food & Wine Festival, which was the low point for CommuniCore Hall. Fitting, because Food & Wine is also far and away the worst event of the year. (I would’ve said the same back in 2019, but it might’ve been controversial then. At this point, it’s conventional wisdom.)
Anyway, let’s take a look around CommuniCore Hall to see what it’s like for Flower & Garden:
Walt Disney World described how it would be ‘Turning Over a New Leaf at CommuniCore Hall’ during the event:
“There’s a new activation getting ready to bloom at CommuniCore Hall! Get a bee’s eye view at CommuniCore Hall, with a new gallery that is larger than life! Grab a bite at EPCOT Farmers Feast and learn more about how Disney’s Horticulture team brings topiaries, flower towers and more to the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival.”
In actuality, the edutainment component of CommuniCore Hall is a bit on the light side, especially as contrasted with the exhibit showcasing Disney on Broadway in the couple of previous months. There is a display in the center and items of interest along the walls, but it’s not much. And certainly nothing we didn’t see done better a few years ago at World ShowPlace or, before that, in prior festival centers. But that’s the story of CommuniCore Hall: inferior iterations of what was previously shoehorned into repurposed spaces.
This is nevertheless a ‘mild win’ for a couple of reasons. The first is that no merchandise is being sold in here, and the second is that it’s making an actual effort at flexing this space into something thematically appropriate for the current festival. It’s a really low bar, but the scattering of displays, along with the lushness and lighting does make this the second-best ever usage of CommuniCore Hall.
Personally, I would’ve been fine with no seating whatsoever (it takes up too much floor space that could’ve been used for displays) to allow for more exhibits about the Disney Horticulture team. The vibe in here is good, and it’ll be especially nice once the weather really heats up–but this space is simply too small to also function as a lounge.
While the execution of the exhibit is mid-tier at best (and even that’s pretty charitable), there is one way that this is the #1 iteration of CommuniCore Hall: food.
CommuniCore Hall is home to two food booths, both of which are excellent options. We’re going to cover EPCOT Farmers Feast in this review, specifically the Early Bloom Menu. This is my #1 Outdoor Kitchen at the 2025 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival. Here’s a full rundown of the various menus served here:
Early Bloom Menu (Available March 5 through April 5)
- Grilled Asparagus with pancetta bacon, spring peas, frisée lettuce, truffle-sherry vinaigrette, and soft-poached egg (New)
- Scallop with spring pea risotto featuring Arborio Rice, lemon-beurre blanc, and Gremolata
- Blueberry Crumble Cake with blueberry-lemon zest soft-serve and blueberry compote (New)
Springtime Menu (Available April 6 through May 3)
- Grilled Peaches and Burrata with prosciutto, petite lettuce, micro mint, and sweet tea-lemon gastrique (New)
- Seared Pork Tenderloin with corn risotto featuring Arborio Rice and roasted red pepper sauce
- Warm Corn Cookie with sweet corn soft-serve, brûléed corn, lime zest, and white chocolate (New)
Summer Solstice Menu (Available May 4 through June 2)
- Heirloom Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella with shallot vinaigrette, sourdough croutons, pesto, micro basil, and balsamic pearls (New)
- Grilled Beef Strip Loin with tomato risotto featuring Arborio Rice, tomato-beurre blanc, and basil pesto
- Peach Cobbler with cinnamon gelato and streusel topping (New)
From a practical perspective, each of these menus have an appetizer, entree, and dessert style setup that allows CommuniCore Hall–as a whole–to become a de facto secondary counter service restaurant servicing the front of the park. Connections Cafe & Eatery is really busy–even during festival season–and this becomes overflow for that. This is somewhat sad from my perspective, as I love Sunshine Seasons and would love to see that make more of a comeback.
Here are our food reviews from the Early Bloom Menu at EPCOT Farmers Feast:
Grilled Asparagus ($5.50) – Although the grilled asparagus is the selling point, or at least what’s listed as the focal point of this dish, it’s really more a salad with asparagus than anything else. Also featured are pancetta bacon, spring peas, frisée lettuce, truffle-sherry vinaigrette, and soft-poached egg.
In my view, it’s the perfectly soft-poached egg paired with the pancetta bacon and truffle-sherry vinaigrette that makes this dish sing. You’ve got creamy, savory, and rich flavors that are absorbed well by the greens in the dish. It really works well, offering a refreshing taste of spring that isn’t too heavy, while also having its own indulgent flair.
The grilled asparagus is good, but it’s definitely not the highlight–it’s the harmony of everything that makes this dish a standout. Highly recommended–this is perfect for Flower & Garden!
Scallop ($8) – When I saw this listed on the menu as simply “Scallop” (singular), I was a tad worried. EPCOT festivals generally do scallops (and salmon!) really well, but $8 for one scallop and accompaniments seemed a bit steep.
Thankfully, it’s two scallops atop a bed of spring pea risotto featuring Arborio Rice, lemon-beurre blanc, and Gremolata. This is another dish that’s perfect for Flower & Garden. The scallops are perfectly-prepared, tender and buttery with just the right amount of exterior crispness.
But it’s the accompaniments that are the star of the show, with the risotto having a creamy, rich and substantial quality. The preparation here is the highlight, though, as the thick and creamy risotto pairs exceptionally well with the zesty and tangy sauces. It’s a surprisingly complex dish, and one that works really well. Again, highly recommended.
Blueberry Crumble Cake ($4.75) – This is definitely the most straightforward dish at EPCOT Farmers Feast, as it’s pretty much a straightforward blueberry crumble cake served with blueberry-lemon zest soft-serve and blueberry compote.
Nevertheless, it’s reasonably high-quality and well-executed, which is something that can’t be said of most EPCOT festival desserts. The crumble cake itself is multifaceted, with the right amount of density, texture, and flavors. The soft serve is…well, soft serve. There’s a bit of lemon zest, but it’s not all that pronounced.
I liked this more than expected, and that was probably largely because it was a fitting finale to a lighter lunch of the other two items. I also just enjoyed sitting off to the side, under the shade and watching the monorail glide by. On a holistic basis (if you’re treating CommuniCore Hall as a lunch or light meal), I recommend the Blueberry Crumble Cake. It’s not the best dessert at the 2025 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival, but it’s among the top tier.
Ultimately, Farmers Feast is once again one of the best overall Outdoor Kitchens at the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. It’s #1 for me (for now), but there’s pretty fierce competition for the top spot this year–so let’s just call it top 4. I go back and forth on which booths are the best, but they’re almost all up in the front of the park.
World Showcase has several Outdoor Kitchens with solid items here and there, but only a couple are as strong from top-to-bottom as the booths in the former Future World (minus Citrus Blossom). Almost all of these offer excellent and ambitious cuisine at relatively fair (by Walt Disney World standards) prices. You could easily do multiple meals from these Outdoor Kitchens alone and leave very satisfied!
Check out our Outdoor Kitchen Booth Menus & Food Photos at EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival post if you want to see and read more about every menu this year. You’ll also want to read our full Guide to the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival before you go to get an idea of what to do, strategy for the festival, photos of the topiaries and floral displays, and much more!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Do you think CommuniCore Hall has been looking better during the last few EPCOT events, or is it irredeemably bad no matter what window-dressing is added? What do you think of the EPCOT Farmers Feast booth? Have you tried any of the dishes, drinks or desserts here? Any thoughts on these items? Portion-size or quality-wise, did you have better or worse luck than us with what you ordered? Questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!