Gyozas of the Galaxy returns for Epcot Food & Wine Festival 2026 with two new dumplings, Basil Pesto Chicken and Edamame, plus one returning favorite.

Dumpling fans, mark your Epcot Food & Wine plans accordingly. The Gyozas of the Galaxy Global Marketplace is back for the 2026 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, and the lineup looks a little different than it did last year. Two brand-new dumpling dishes join the menu for 2026, and only one item from 2025 made the cut to return. If you tried Gyozas of the Galaxy during its debut year and wonder what changed, or if you have never heard of this Global Marketplace, here is everything guests need to know before ordering.

What to Know About Gyozas of the Galaxy Marketplace at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival

• Location: Near Creations Shop, inside World Showcase at Epcot
• Festival dates: August 27 through November 21, 2026
• No separate ticket needed: the festival is included with valid Epcot admission, though food and drinks are purchased separately
• Debut year: 2025, making 2026 the marketplace’s second festival
• Menu for 2026: Basil Pesto Chicken Dumplings (new, $5.99), Street Corn-style Dumplings (returning, $5.99), and Edamame Dumplings (new, $5.29)
• Alcoholic pairing: Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Gris ($7.50)

As with every Global Marketplace at the festival, Gyozas of the Galaxy is an à la carte, walk-up stop. There is no reservation involved. Guests simply order at the window and grab a spot to eat somewhere in World Showcase. You can view current pricing and the full posted menu anytime on Disney’s official Gyozas of the Galaxy menu page. Both dishes are worth trying. However, they are definitely not created for the same type of Epcot Food & Wine Festival guest.

What Is a Gyoza, Anyway?

For guests unfamiliar with the format, gyoza are Japanese crescent-shaped dumplings, often called potstickers. They trace back to the Chinese jiaozi but evolved with thinner wrappers and a filling that typically leans more garlicky. The most common preparation, yaki gyoza, involves pan-frying the bottoms until crispy, then steaming them so the tops stay soft while the bottoms stay crunchy.

Walt Disney World’s culinary team has never played it straight with this concept, though. Rather than sticking to a traditional pork-and-cabbage filling, the Gyozas of the Galaxy menu uses the dumpling as a canvas for flavors that have nothing to do with Japan. We covered the marketplace’s 2025 debut in detail, including a full breakdown of that year’s Buffalo-style and French Onion Soup-style dumplings, in our original Gyozas of the Galaxy review.

Also, of note, even after asking Walt Disney World chefs why the Marvel theme was integrated into this location, we lack a valid reason. The closest we have gotten is: “Well, it sounded cool!” even after asking Walt Disney World chefs why they integrated the Marvel theme into this location.

Gyozas of the Galaxy: Basil Pesto Chicken Dumplings

The first new addition for 2026 is the Basil Pesto Chicken Dumplings, priced at $5.99. According to Disney’s official menu, this dish features chicken dumplings, basil pesto, fonduta, tomato confit, and balsamic. This one leans into an Italian flavor profile rather than the bar-food and comfort-food angles the marketplace explored in 2025. Fonduta is a warm, cheesy Italian dip typically made with fontina cheese, so guests can expect a rich, cheese-forward bite balanced by the brightness of basil pesto and the acidity of tomato confit and balsamic. The suggested wine pairing for this dish is a Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Gris, listed at $7.50.

The Basil Pesto Chicken Dumplings are probably the easiest recommendation for guests who want something indulgent and familiar. The $5.99 dish features chicken dumplings topped with basil pesto, fonduta, tomato confit, and balsamic. That ingredient list sounds almost like someone took an Italian restaurant menu, looked at a plate of chicken dumplings, and decided that there was absolutely no reason to choose just one cuisine.

Thankfully, the combination works. The basil pesto brings the dish’s most recognizable flavor, giving the dumplings a bright, herbal quality that pairs particularly well with the chicken. The tomato confit adds sweetness and acidity, while the balsamic sharpens the flavors rather than letting the dish become overwhelmingly rich.

About the Fonduta

Then, there is the fonduta. The creamy cheese sauce is what takes this dish from “interesting dumplings” to something that feels much more decadent. It gives the dish a rich, savory foundation and helps tie the pesto and tomato together. Other reviewers have also singled out the combination of fonduta and balsamic as one reason this dish works so well.

The dish also has welcome textural contrast. The dumpling edges had a pleasant crunch while the centers remained softer. That contrast is particularly important here because the toppings and sauces could otherwise make the entire dish feel soft

Gyozas of the Galaxy: Edamame Dumplings

The second new dish, and the one most likely to catch the eye of guests looking for a plant-based option, is the Edamame Dumplings, priced at $5.29. Disney’s official menu describes this dish as featuring butternut squash purée, caramelized onions, sage, and walnut-toasted garlic aillade, and confirms the dish is plant-based.

An aillade is a garlic-based sauce or paste, often built around walnuts or almonds, so this dumpling leans into fall flavors with the butternut squash purée and sage doing a lot of the seasonal heavy lifting. As with any allergy-friendly or plant-based request at Walt Disney World, guests with dietary needs should still confirm ingredients with a cast member or Special Diets Trained Cast Member at the marketplace before ordering.

The Edamame Dumplings take the opposite approach of the Basil Pesto Chicken Dumplings. This $5.29 plant-based dish combines edamame dumplings with butternut squash purée, caramelized onions, sage, and walnut-toasted garlic aillade.

If the Basil Pesto Chicken Dumplings taste like a trip to Italy, the Edamame Dumplings feel like someone accidentally transported Thanksgiving to Epcot several months early. In this case, we mean that as a compliment.

Guests Need to Like Butternut Squash Purée For This One

The butternut squash purée is the dominant flavor, bringing a natural sweetness that works particularly well with the savory elements surrounding it. The caramelized onions add another layer of sweetness, but their deeper, richer flavor keeps the dish from becoming dessert adjacent.

Sage is an especially smart addition. Its earthy, herbal character helps balance the sweetness of the squash and onions while giving the dumplings a more distinctly fall-inspired profile. The walnut toasted garlic aillade adds another savory component and brings some richness to what could otherwise be a relatively delicate dish. Early reviews have also praised the combination of butternut squash and sage, while noting the savory quality of the dish despite its sweeter ingredients.

Of the two new offerings, this is the more adventurous choice. Thus, it will be more divisive among groups.

That does not necessarily mean it is the better dumpling. It means that the Edamame Dumplings ask a little more from the person eating them. You have to be comfortable with the combination of sweet squash, caramelized onions, earthy sage, and garlic. No big piece of chicken or familiar pesto flavor anchors the experience.

For guests looking for something plant-based at the festival, however, this is a particularly interesting option. Walt Disney World identifies the dish as plant-based, giving guests another choice beyond the usual collection of meat-heavy festival offerings.

What’s Returning for 2026: Street Corn-style Dumplings

Only one dish survived the transition from the 2025 debut menu to 2026: the Street Corn-style Dumplings, priced at $5.99. These are chicken dumplings served with tomatillo salsa verde, a street corn salad, cotija cheese, lime crema, and cilantro.

During our original visit to Gyozas of the Galaxy in 2025, the Street Corn-style Dumplings stood out as the strongest of the three original offerings, thanks to the bright, zesty toppings layered over the chicken dumpling base. You can read our full first impressions of that dish, along with the now-retired Buffalo-style and French Onion Soup-style dumplings, in our 2025 Gyozas of the Galaxy review.

What’s Gone for 2026

Guests who fell in love with the Buffalo-style Dumplings or the French Onion Soup-style Dumplings in 2025 should note that neither dish appears on Disney’s official 2026 Gyozas of the Galaxy menu. Only the Street Corn-style Dumplings returned, alongside the two new additions.

Epcot Food & Wine 2026 Festival Details

Gyozas of the Galaxy is just one stop among more than 30 Global Marketplaces spread across Epcot for the 2026 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, which runs through November 21, 2026. We rounded up every Global Marketplace menu, including new dishes, returning favorites, and plant-based options, in our complete Epcot Food & Wine 2026 menus guide.

A few practical notes for guests unfamiliar with the festival format:

• The festival is included with valid Epcot theme park admission. There is no separate festival ticket.
• Food, beverages, merchandise, and certain experiences all require separate purchases on top of park admission.
• Some Global Marketplaces open on a phased schedule throughout the festival rather than all on opening day, so it is worth checking official Disney sources before finalizing dining plans for an early-festival visit.
• Beyond eating, the festival includes the Eat to the Beat Concert Series at America Gardens Theatre, Remy’s Ratatouille Hide & Squeak scavenger hunt, and Emile’s Fromage Montage cheese-focused food stroll.

Tips for Visiting Gyozas of the Galaxy

• Study the full 2026 Global Marketplace lineup ahead of time and build a short list of must-try dishes before entering the park.
• Note each marketplace’s location relative to your World Showcase route so you are not backtracking across the park later in the day.
• Consider splitting orders with a group so you can try all three Gyozas of the Galaxy dumplings without over-ordering.
• If you’re looking for dumplings, choose these over the ones at the China Global Marketplace.

For more theme park dining reviews, visit MSM News every weekday at noon Eastern Time. Additionally, we sometimes post bonus theme park dining reviews. As always, eat like you mean it!

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