Craftsman’s Courtyard is one of the Food Studios at the 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts, and is located near Figment’s Inspiration Station at the edge of World Showcase. This Walt Disney World dining review features photos of everything on the menu at this booth plus our thoughts on each dish.
I was really excited for Craftsman’s Courtyard when it was first announced. Although I realized it was highly unlikely, my hope was that this Food Studio would feature dishes “imported” from Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, and its excellent restaurants, like Napa Rose and GCH Craftsman Grill.
Originally featuring “seafood and refreshing salads inspired by one of the many hubs of the Arts and Crafts movement: the coast of California” in its first year, the Craftsman’s Courtyard Food Studio has a totally new menu for 2024. Suffice to say, it’s no longer themed to coastal California–more like the Central Valley. That is, unless pigs and cows are now ocean-dwelling creatures and I missed the memo…
Craftsman’s Courtyard Food:
- Grilled Pork Belly with salsa verde, broccoli rabe, pickled peppers, and raclette cheese on grilled sourdough
- Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak with caramelized onions and mushrooms, blue cheese fondue, and arugula on a grilled French roll
Beverages:
- BrewDog Jet Black Heart Nitro Oatmeal Stout
- Coffee Old Fashioned Cocktail
Now let’s take a look at our photos and reviews of each food item at Craftsman’s Courtyard Food Studio…
Grilled Pork Belly – The meat here occupies the sweet spot between pork belly and pork loin, which is very much a good thing. As a result, you get a hearty portion that is tender and flavorful without being overly fatty. I could eat this meat all day, all by itself.
But fortunately, you don’t have to, as it’s plated on a thick piece of grilled sourdough and topped with salsa verde, broccoli rabe, pickled peppers, and a gigantic glob of fresh raclette cheese. It packs a powerful punch of flavors, and is at once heavy and decadent while also being nuanced and interesting. This is one of my absolute favorite dishes at the 2024 EPCOT Festival of the Arts, and alone makes me not miss the seafood so much.
Grilled Marinated Skirt Steak Sandwich – Another top tier dish, but it’s important to note that this is a sandwich. We’ve added that to the title above–it’s not mentioned in the name on the menu for some odd reason.
This skirt steak is grilled right outside the Craftsman’s Courtyard booth, with the smoke and scents beckoning meat lovers from all over EPCOT. Thankfully, the taste matches the smell, with the meat here being fantastic. Whatever worries you might have about a sandwich being needed to mask low-quality meat, banish them. (That applies to both dishes here.)
The toppings–caramelized onions and mushrooms, blue cheese fondue, and arugula–all do admirably in further enhancing the flavors, and the grilled French roll has just the right amount of crunch and chewiness. This is another favorite of the festival for me, and a dish I highly recommend.
Overall, the Craftsman’s Courtyard is arguably the best Food Studio at the 2024 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. While I feared the change from a seafood-centric booth to a land-dwelling meats booth, it works really well.
Honestly, this might be more fitting, as I personally associate the Arts & Crafts movement less with the coast and more with woodsy areas. The heavy and earthy dishes are a good match for that. About the only thing it’s missing is a decadent dessert to pair with these majestic meats, but the nearby Deco Delights or Figment’s Inspiration Station have you covered there.
Also notable is that, despite its location and the quality of its menu, Craftsman’s Courtyard consistently has one of the shortest lines. This confounds me, as its location and on-stage grill should catch the attention of passersby, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. At the very least, stop here for ease when the other booths have long lines. This is better than Pop Eats and several booths deeper in World Showcase that have perpetually-long lines.
As this event isn’t just about the cuisine, you’ll also want to read our full Guide to the 2024 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts for info about the non-culinary side of the festivities. That covers the Disney on Broadway concert series, visual arts, performing arts, participatory arts, and much more!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the Craftsman’s Courtyard Food Studio at the 2024 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts? Wish it were a booth of dishes “imported” from the Grand Californian? Have you tried any of the food items at this booth? What did you think of them? Do you agree or disagree with our item reviews? 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!
