The impressive vegan tamale and more can be found at the Nochebuena Cocina Holiday Kitchen at the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays. We tried two returning items at this food and beverage location. What did we think of them?
The Nochebuena Cocina Holiday Kitchen functions as a recent addition to the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays. We ordered two returning food items here: Tamale with Plant-Based Chorizo and Pernil Mojo Pork.
Tamale with Plant-Based Chorizo – $5.50
This vegan tamale provides plenty of flavor. It consists of a tamale containing plant-based chorizo, plant-based cotija cheese, and a spicy red chile sauce.
The sauce serves as the powerful secret weapon of this vegan tamale. We loved the sauce. Though we prefer the tamale from the Los Posadas Holiday Kitchen, this tamale offers excellent flavor at a lower price than the Los Posadas one.
Regarding the “chorizo,” we wanted more spice from the vegan chorizo. However, we feel that non-vegan diners will appreciate this version of chorizo. The sauce and chorizo pair well with the tamale texture. Though we would have preferred a less cake-like texture with the tamale, it works well with the other components. Overall, we found the sauce to be the star of this show. Guests should be prepared for a higher-than-normal level of spice with this excellent vegan dining option.
Pernil: Mojo Pork at Nochebuena Cocina Holiday Kitchen- $5.50
This pork-based item provides a better-than-expected portion size. We loved the presentation of this pernil menu item. We saw what they were going from with this item and why it returns for this year.
In contrast to the tamale, this lacks any robust seasoning. For Nochebuena Cocina Holiday Kitchen, this serves as the “safer” food option of the two we tried recently. This comes with a ketchup-mayo sauce that matches the pork and the tostone base nicely. Still, this will not overwhelm anyone with its flavor.
Speaking of the tostone base of this dish, it has a crispy exterior. The interior might be a little too soft for this type of dish. However, that did not diminish the quality overall.
Based on our experience, we see why this holiday kitchen returned for 2023. For more of our reviews of the food at the Epcot International Festival of the Holiday, we have placed a few of them below. As always, eat like you mean it!
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