Review: Taste of Marrakesh 2017 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival Outdoor Kitchen

Taste of Marrakesh returns in the same location in between the Morocco and Japan Pavilions.

Disney debuted a brand new kiosk for last year’s Food and Wine Festival, but it may look even more stunning this spring.

In addition to the new look, Marrakesh adds two new food items though all of the drinks are the same as last year. The Merguez “Hot Dog” Sausage replaces the Harissa Chicken Kebab amd the Homemade Falafel is served without the pocket.

$6 Merguez “Hot Dog” Sausage

Spicy Beef and Lamb with Satueed Onions and Green Peppers. The sausage impressed on flavor- very meaty with a nice balance between the spicy beef and the gamier, earthier lamb – and the freshly sauteed onions and green peppers did a nice job of spicing up the flavor profile even more. The fresh bun had a hard exterior and a soft interior, which helped it stand up against the juiciness of the ingredients without getting in the way. I think it’s a dollar overpriced versus other items and it isn’t necessarily unique enough to demand a purchase, but I think those that try it will be impressed with the quality.

Taste: 8/10

Value: 5/10

$5 Homemade Falafel

Served with Pickled Beet and Turnip, Tomato Salad and Tahini Sauce. Morocco’s Spicy Hummus Fries really impressed at last year’s Food and Wine Festival and I was looking forward to what would hopefully be another impressive outing. But I thought the falafel here fell kind of flat with the usual dry, crumbly, largely flavorless pucks doing little to soak up any of the flavors from the small amount of crushed sesame seed sauce. On the plus side, it’s an attractive dish with the crunchy, bright red turnips and beets on top and the tomato salad had a nice zesty flavor that complemented the lemon juice in the sauce well. Overall, it didn’t stand out for me and I think the Vegetable Platter at Tangierine Cafe offers a better, wider variety of flavors at a fairer price. Surprisingly(?), it isn’t even vegetarian.

Taste: 3/10

Value: 3/10

$4 Baklava

I really like Morocco’s perennial baklava – seemingly freshly made and naturally sweetened with honey with a subtle pistachio flavor. Note that this sort of thing is available year-round at Tangierine Cafe, so it’s safe to skip it if you’re running out of money or stomach space. It may be worth noting that the price is up a dollar or 33% over last year, but there’s still value in it considering how difficult it is to make the relatively large size of the hunk.

Taste: 8/10

Value: 6/10

$8 Desert Rose

Sparkling Wine topped with Pomegranate Liqueur. This picture is actually a couple of years old now – none of the other items are still available. Morocco typically uses higher quality sparkling wine than France, though the flavor profile is similar – crisp wine and a subtle fruitiness from the liqueur.

$5 White Sangria

Morocco’s White Sangria is about as Moroccan as their sparkling wine, but Taste of Marrakesh usually fills your small cup to the brim, providing more value than Fleur de Lys, which tends to try to make up for your half full glass by offering a charming smile. Sorry Pierre, but your smile only lasts three seconds and I’d like my wine to last at least twice that long…Anyway, if you’re desperate for a $5 cup of Spanish sangria out of a box, this would fit the bill. It’s lighter and fruitier than most others and it’s $3.75 less than the same stuff in Mexico.

$4 Guerrouane Red Wine

Guerrouane Red is actually Moroccan, which seems like a rare find in these parts. Four bucks buys you a full cup of this easy drinking wine. It’s easily the best value on the wine front – at least quantity wise. Which is the only wise in my book.

$4 Casa Beer

The “Budweiser of North Africa” is always available in Morocco in at least a half dozen different places. It’s “just fine,” but nothing particularly special.

Overall, Morocco has two main things going on for it – virtually no lines at any point in time and drinks that are somewhat reasonably priced, even if they aren’t remotely Moroccan. You might add a food item or two to pass around.