5 foods you need to try at Disney World, according to chefs who work there
Insider spoke to Disney World chefs about foods everyone should eat in the parks.
Romina Wagener, a pastry chef at Space 220, shared her favorite out-of-this-world desserts.
The Edison's executive chef Dee Rolle said she'd go to Disney just to eat Dole Whip.
Chefs Romina Wagener and Dee Rolle both work at Disney World, and there are certain Disney dishes that stand out to them.
Chef Romina Wagener, who works as a pastry chef at the Space 220 restaurant in Epcot, told Insider that while she doesn't classify herself as a "Disney adult," there are quite a few dishes she'd recommend guests try when they visit the restaurant or the surrounding parks.
Chef Dee Rolle, the executive chef at The Edison in Disney Springs, said there are a few can't-miss menu items at her own restaurant, but she also has her favorites when she's visiting the parks as a guest.
Dee Rolle, the executive chef at The Edison in Disney Springs, said she can't visit the parks without having Dole Whip.
Dole Whip, a pineapple-flavored soft serve, has gained a cult following over the years and can be found at all Disney Parks in the US. It's one of the more iconic Disney park foods, and it turns out even the chefs can't get enough of it.
"I am a sucker for Dole Whip, honestly. I love Dole Whip," Dee Rolle told Insider. "I will go to the park just for Dole Whip."
Romina Wagener, a pastry chef at Space 220, loves a poke bowl from the Hawaiian booth in Epcot.
Wagener said that when Epcot hosts its annual Food and Wine Festival, which features international foods from all over the world at pavilions and pop-up booths, she loves to order from the Hawai'i booth.
"I always have one of these awesome poke bowls," Wagener said. "They have like a bunch of little tuna and pineapples and stuff like that. It's delicious."
The menu at the Hawai'i booth changes slightly every year, with dishes ranging from poke bowls to kālua pork sliders and passion fruit cheesecake, so it's best to check ahead of time what's on offer.
However, Wagener says that whatever you eat at Disney World, it's an opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone.
"Experiment. If there's something that you've never tried before, then go for it," she told Insider. "If you see something weird that you've never tried before, don't be afraid, just go for it, order it. That's the whole point of the experience: that you go and try things that you've never tried before."
The carrot cake from Space 220 is a can't-miss menu item, she added.
"It's not really very space-y, but everybody likes it," she told Insider. "It's a completely plant-based carrot cake. And people that actually like the cream cheese in regular dairy products still love this dessert because they think that it actually is like a conventional carrot cake."
According to the restaurant's menu, the cake also comes with candied walnuts and toasted pepitas.
One of her favorite galaxy-inspired desserts at the restaurant is the citrus, pistachio, and olive-oil cake.
"When you cut it, it looks as if it was a space rock, like an asteroid," she said. "It has the little texture that the asteroid would have. And with that, we made a mousse dome, and it's green in color because it's made with pistachio. So, it looks like a little planet that is in between the asteroids."
Wagener said that when she's brainstorming for new menu items for Space 220, she first focuses on seasonality and availability of the best ingredients. Then, she designs a dessert that looks just as good as it tastes — and is in keeping with her restaurant's intergalactic theme.
Dee Rolle said that the candied bacon at The Edison is one of her favorite dishes and is a hit with customers, too.
The dish comes with four strips of candied bacon hung on a line with clothespins, a mustard dipping sauce, and spicy pickles — customers are constantly asking for an extra helping.
"The candied bacon is something so simple and so unique, but in the same scope, it's such a wow factor, because you get this personal clothesline setting in front of you," Rolle told Insider. "Most guests are like, 'Oh my goodness.' They say they wouldn't even have thought of it. But they really enjoy it."
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