The Shanghai Holiday Kitchen at Epcot Festival of the Holidays has earned a bit of a reputation over the years for delivering bold flavors, generous portions, and the occasional sleeper hit that becomes the talk of the promenade. For 2025, the booth introduces a brand-new dish: the BBQ Char Siu Pork Fried Rice, priced at $9.50. This Char Siu Fried Rice sounds interesting.
New, exciting… full of potential.
A holiday miracle in the making, right?
Well… not exactly.
Char Siu Fried Rice: What Walt Disney World Promises
BBQ Char Siu Pork Fried Rice
with Chinese La Chang Sausage, Egg, Yellow Onion, Green Onion, and Sesame
Price: $9.50
Location: Shanghai Holiday Kitchen — Epcot Festival of the Holidays
The Char Siu Fried Rice description reads like everything you’d want from a winter-weather comfort food: smoky pork, savory sausage, aromatic onions, a touch of egg, and a sprinkle of sesame.
A cozy, satisfying bowl to warm your festival spirit. Still, on paper, it absolutely should be that.
Our Experience: A Little Less “Fried,” A Little More “Dry”
Right from the first bite, one thing became very clear:
The rice was dry. So dry it could double as a snow machine if the festival ever needs backup atmospheric effects. This dryness overshadowed nearly every other flavor in the bowl. You can tell the components want to shine. There’s a whisper of sesame, a suggestion of green onion, a blink-and-you-miss-it dash of sausage, but the texture takes center stage, and not in a good way.
Char Siu Pork
The pork itself has decent flavor, but it leans tough. Not jarring, not chewy enough to start a workout routine, but definitely not as tender as festival guests have come to expect from a booth with a strong culinary history.
Chinese La Chang Sausage & Mix-Ins
The portions of sausage and veggies are noticeably low. Like… cameo appearance low.
If this dish were a Marvel movie, the La Chang sausage would show up in the post-credits scene and leave immediately.
Overall Taste
Despite the dryness, the flavors hidden underneath are fine. There’s a sense of balance underneath the texture issues, but it never quite gets the chance to shine.
Char Siu Fried Rice: Compared to Last Year‘s Fried Rice
Although this dish is brand new for 2025, last year’s Shanghai Holiday Kitchen offered a different style of fried rice that delivered noticeably better texture and more balanced flavors. So while this isn’t a returning dish, it’s hard not to compare the two. This year’s debut doesn’t reach the same quality level.
Char Sui Fried Rice: Pros & Cons Grid
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Good flavor on the char siu pork | Rice is noticeably dry |
| Portion size is decent for the price | Texture overshadows all other flavors |
| Sesame + green onion add nice aroma | Very low amount of sausage and mix-ins |
| Festive presentation | Pork is a bit tough |
| New offering for 2025 | Weaker than last year’s fried rice (different style but better execution last year) |
| Kid-friendly flavor profile | Not a standout among Festival of the Holidays dishes |
Char Siu Fried Rice: An Average-to-Weaker Entry in This Year’s Festival
The BBQ Char Siu Pork Fried Rice isn’t a festival disaster. As far as we know, no one is calling the Holiday Spirits Hotline over it, but it is one of the weaker options at Epcot this year. For $9.50, you’re getting an okay portion and a dish with potential, but the texture issues and sparse mix-ins hold it back from being anything more than “fine, I guess.”
If your mission is to try every dish, it’s worth a stop. However, if your mission is to spend your festival budget wisely, your stomach (and your wallet) may be happier elsewhere. Still, hey—at least the sesame seeds showed up ready to work overtime.
For more theme park dining reviews, visit MSM News every weekday at noon Eastern Time. As always, eat like you mean it!
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