17 Wild Foods We Tried At Disney's California Adventure Food & Wine Festival
Hey all, we're Brian and Crystal! We're big fans of Disney, food, and especially Disney foods. And in case you weren't aware, the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival has returned after two years. So, obviously, we had to go and try as much as possible. And, spoiler, we ate A LOT.
BTW, on top of all the amazing food and drinks the park offers during the festival, there's also some fun family-friendly entertainment like an interactive experience with the new Disney Junior series Alice's Wonderland Bakery and the limited-time return of Soarin' Over California (bring on the orange field smells!). A good way to spend your time digesting between treats!
Now, you should know there are over 100 different types of food and drinks (mostly alcoholic) that you can try at the Food & Wine Festival (check out the entire Marketplaces menu here!). And because we had a limited number of Sip and Savor Pass tabs* to use, we opted to stick with trying just the foods — as many as we could, anyway, given time and, ya know, room in our stomachs!
*The Sip and Savor Pass gives you eight tabs to try a wide variety of food from most of the vendors at the festival. The Pass is $52 for Magic Key Holders, $57 for Day Guests, which is a good deal if you plan on eating a bunch! (As you can see in the photo above, we used 'em all!)
HOT TIP: You can actually order from one Festival Marketplace and pick up at another, which helps you save a lot of time so you don't have to wait in different lines — which can get QUITE long — just to order food!
So, without further adieu, here's everything we tried and what we thought.
BTW, stick around to the end to see our top-three "must try" items!
1.Maple Bacon Churro
What's in it: A churro topped with cinnamon sugar, maple icing, and crumbled bacon.
Where you can get it: Churros Near Redwood Creek Challenge Trail
What we thought:
Crystal: I surprisingly loved this. I thought it was going to be "too much," but I loved the combo of sweet and salty. It was basically breakfast in churro form, like eating waffles with maple syrup and bacon. I might've been biased because I missed breakfast in the morning (I like to sleep in to the last possible minute — what can I say?), but yeah, this completely hit the spot and kinda made me crave scrambled eggs.
Brian: I didn't know what to expect. Disney is known for its churros, so I knew that even if I wasn't blown away it would still be a tasty churro. And I have to say, I really liked it. It's definitely something that tastes like breakfast — and I really wanted some coffee with it. While it's much more on the sweeter side than the savory one, it wasn't overly sweet (as the saltness of the bacon helped balance that out). If they added this as a regular Disney churro option, I wouldn't be mad.
2.Beer-battered Fish Tacos
What's in it: Baja-style beer-battered fish on corn tortillas, topped with slaw, pico de gallo, cilantro crema, and a lime wedge. Served with house-made tortilla chips and roasted red chile-tomato salsa.
Where you can get it: Paradise Garden Grill
What we thought:
Crystal: The batter on the fish itself wasn't as crispy as I would've liked, but the flavor was still good. For me, the slaw was the standout ingredient on this one. I felt very ~beachy~ eating this!
Brian: If I am being honest this was just OK. It was a bit more on the level of something you'd get from a fast-food drive-thru. One thing I didn't like was that it had a tartar sauce on it that tasted much more like something you'd get with fish and chips, and that was, for me, the dominant flavor.
3.Brisket Fries
What's in it: French fries topped with shredded smoked BBQ Brisket, cheddar cheese sauce, pico de gallo, chipotle crema, and green onions.
Where you can get it: Paradise Garden Grill
What we thought:
Crystal: These could've been a little warmer — IDK, maybe the kitchen was super backed up when we ordered 'em — but overall, these were pretty good. I mean, I'll be honest, this reminded me of something you might get at a carnival, but there's nothing wrong with that! Fries? Good. Cheese sauce? Good. BRISKET?! Goooood.
Brian: This one sounded delicious but was overall disappointing. Now this might have been just our order, but it was a bit cold, and it also could've used more cheese sauce. The brisket was tasty, and the chipotle crema poured over it had a nice kick to it. But I agree with Crystal — it really just reminded me of something you'd get at a carnival.
4.Frozen Guacamole
What's in it: Avocado paleta with lime crema, pico de gallo, and chile-lime seasoning.
Where you can get it: Avocado Time
What we thought:
Crystal: I...I'm confused with this one. Like, on the one hand the flavors in and of themselves are VERY good. Like, I really enjoyed the avocado paleta; it even paired really well with the chile-lime seasoning! But, the pico de gallo and the crunchy stuff (which tasted kinda like Corn Nuts?) was A LOT all together. 😬 But I think if you're an ~adventurous~ foodie, you absolutely have to try this. It's WILD.
Brian: This was just weird. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. The guacamole was almost a bit too sweet (and maybe that's all in my head because it was in the form of a paleta), which would've been fine if it was served on its own. However, adding the onion, seasoning, and tomatoes overpowered the flavor of the frozen guacamole. Honestly, to me, it tasted like I was eating vanilla ice cream, mixed with onions and tomatoes.
5.Petite Avocado Impossible Burger
What's in it: An Impossible slider with dairy-free pepper jack.
Where you can get it: Avocado Time
What we thought:
Crystal: I'm actually a big fan of Impossible meats, so was excited to try this. The patty was maybe a little TOO thick (although, hey, more bang for you buck!), but it's a solid little slider. The guac was a nice ~fancy~ touch, but overall it's not much to write home about IMHO!
Brian: I love a good vegan burger, but this one was just meh. Aside from the patty being too thick, the burger (actually it was really more of a slider) was very plain tasting. The guacamole really didn't add much to it either. I think if you're looking for a vegan burger at California Adventure, you def need to get it from Flo’s V8 Cafe in Cars Land.
6.Chicharron-crusted Fried Artichoke Dip
What's in it: Deep-fried artichoke dip balls with smoked pepper crema and featuring Cacique® Oaxaca cheese.
Where you can get it: I Heart Artichokes
What we thought:
Crystal: LOVED these. If you're an LA local, the best way I can describe them to you is like an artichoke dip version of a potato ball from Porto's. The inside had a mashed-potato-like consistency, and the outside was perfectly crispy. Did I down the whole thing in one bite? WHY YES I DID.
Brian: WOW...sooooo good. It was very much deep-fried artichoke dip. And you know what? That is 100% something I didn't know I needed. It was rich, cheesy, and had a potato puree consistency. This one really hit the spot for me.
7.Gyro-inspired Flatbread Featuring Impossible Ground Beef
What's in it: A flatbread topped with Impossible ground beef served with chipotle hummus, tzatziki, and spiced crispy chickpeas
Where you can get it: LA Style
What we thought:
Crystal: Maybe this sounds weird, but my favorite part about this dish was the chickpeas? They were spicy and crispy, and I loved that crunch. I didn't care as much for the rest of the dish, especially the flatbread, which I wish had been softer (rather than crispy). There's definitely a spicy kick to this one though, so if that's your jam, you'll probably like it!
Brian: I really liked this one. In fact, I was really surprised how much I enjoyed it. The Impossible meat was well flavored, as were the spicy fried chickpeas and the chipotle hummus. The trick to this one is getting a bit of everything in each bite (which warning, can be a little messy). One thing I will note is that while this is vegetarian, it isn't vegan, as it has tzatziki on it.
8.Glazed BBQ Pork Belly
What's in it: Pork belly cooked in a sweet glaze barbecue sauce served with Furikake-Togarashi mac salad.
Where you can get it: LA Style
What we thought:
Crystal: Oh. My. God. THIS was a showstopper. I'm not sure I've ever actually had pork belly before, but if I have, CLEARLY it was nothing compared to this goddess of a dish. The meat was perfectly cooked — super tender, fall-apart — and the glaze was a harmonious balance of salty, sweet, and smoky. The furikake seasoning on top of the mac salad? *chef's kiss* If you told me this came from a Michelin-star restaurant, I WOULD BELIEVE YOU!
Brian: Two words: absolutely delicious. This really was perfect. The pork belly was tender on the inside and had a nice crispy glazed crust on the outside. I am getting hungry just thinking about it now. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I forgot to try the macaroni salad that came with it. I highly recommend this if you're going to the Food & Wine Festival; it is well worth a wait in line.
9.Peanut Butter & Jelly Mac
What's in it: Macaroni topped with brown sugar streusel and strawberry crackle.
Where you can get it: Nuts About Cheese
What we thought:
Crystal: I would like to note that at this point, I was already so full from all the food we'd eaten already. So I REALLY had to power through to try this one. Having said that...I did not hate this weird dish?! Feel free to come at me in the comments (because I know this is like the least photogenic dish), but I'm a fan of peanut butter and jelly, so I liked that aspect. I do admit, however, that the pasta part was SUPER weird, as was the Pop Rocks on top (hence my confused look in the photo). Clearly this dish was made for kids...or adults with kid-like palettes. 👀
Brian: My notes from that day about this: gross and gross. The best way I can describe it is that it tastes EXACTLY like what it sounds like. I will say that I know there are people who love these types of food combinations, and I am not one of them. In fact, lots of people around us were into this. I think if you're adventurous or into atypical food combinations, then this one is for you!
10.Black & Tan Beef Potato Puffs
What's in it: Beef cooked in Karl Strauss® Brewing Co., Wreck Alley Stout Gravy, and Lager Micro Sponge served on top of tater tots.
Where you can get it: D*Lish
What we thought:
Crystal: Oooh, boy. You can REALLY taste the beer in this one (and I LOVED that!). Also the yeast bread was surprisingly sweet and was a nice little contrast to the very savory pot roast. If this was something I could get at a pub, I'd be there every week (not that I live anywhere near a pub, but you get what I mean!).
Brian: Very hearty and tastes like pot roast with a def subtle dark beer taste. And to top it all off, the pot roast is served over tater tots!!! Which I might need to make at home, because it's a good combo. My only gripe is that there wasn't enough of the sweet and tasty lager bread that was sprinkled on top of it.
11.Cubano Slider
What's in it: Slow-roasted mustard-crusted pork and sliced smoked ham with melted Swiss cheese, and a slice of pickle served on a Hawaiian roll.
Where you can get it: D*Lish
What we thought:
Crystal: As a fan of Cubanos, I was psyched to try this. The roasted pork was VERY good, super tender, but the pickle was cut a little too thick for my liking (you can literally see it falling out with some meat in the photo above). I thought I was gonna say "meh" about this one until my last bite, which got the perfect balance of sweet Hawaiian roll, salty meats and cheese, and tangy pickle. A small but mighty win!
Brian: This was NOT a traditional Cuban sandwich — in fact I'd say it wasn't at all. However, the sandwich itself was good. I am not big into overly salty things, but the sweetness of the Hawaiian roll with the saltiness of the pork and ham really was a perfect marriage. Like the gyro-inspired flatbread, the trick is to get a bit of everything with each bite.
12.Chile Relleno Empanada:
What's in it: An empanada stuffed with Arbol pepper salsa featuring Cacique® Oaxaca and cotija cheeses.
Where you can get it: Peppers Cali-Ente
What we thought:
Crystal: So, we actually had to come back for this one because they had run out of sauce the first time around. And, funnily enough, they ran out of sauce a second time when we came back! So we opted to try this empanada without the sauce, which was kind of a bummer. But, GUYS...this empanada was SO. GOOD. LOOK AT THAT CHEESE PULL?! Like, my mind was blown...pizza could never. A small tear comes to my eye when I think about what could've been with the sauce, though. 😥
Brian: I am glad we came back for this one! I love empanadas, and I love chile rellenos, so I knew I HAD to try this. So, what about the taste? And did it live up to the hype I had created about it in my mind? It tasted like a jalapeño popper wrapped in fried pie crust. And, oh yes, it lived up to my expectations! It was delectable, but like Crystal, I do wonder what it would've tasted like with the sauce.
13.Avocado Toast
What's in it: Smashed avocado on toasted sourdough bread, fire-roasted cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, cilantro, and balsamic reduction.
Where you can get it: Pacific Wharf Café
What we thought:
Crystal: I'm shameless when it comes to loving avocado toast, and this was a great one. The toasted crostini was miles ahead of my usual whole wheat sliced bread I eat mashed-up avocado on. If someone could make this for me every day, I'd be happy.
Brian: The first thing I noticed was that the bread they used was really tasty. Which makes sense since it's from the Pacific Wharf Café — that has a Boudin Bakery on site and makes the sourdough bread for the parks. The entire avocado toast itself was 🔥. It was certainly on par with something you'd get at a fancy brunch.
14.Char Siu Ribs
What's in it: Chinese-inspired grilled pork ribs with steamed rice and almond-cabbage salad.
Where you can get it: Paradise Garden Grill
What we thought:
Crystal: The meat on this, much like the pork belly (Disney, y'all are very good with pork!), was SUPER tender. I didn't like this sauce as much as the Pork Belly (this one tasted like it had a lot of plum sauce in it); however, I was very impressed with how perfectly the rice was cooked! Props to the rice chef!
Brian: It's hard not to compare this to the pork belly. But I really liked the ribs. Did I enjoy the ribs as much the pork belly? No. The sauce on the ribs was a bit more tangy than the sauce on the pork belly and, for me, that was what made one better than the other. With that said, I would happily eat a plate of these pork ribs, because they were delicious.
15.Fiscalini Farmstead Old World Aged Cheddar Lager Soup
What's in it: A creamy soup served with toasted fig and prosciutto sandwich.
Where you can get it: Sonoma Terrace
What we thought:
Crystal: I thought I was several decades away from being the kind of person who says, "I love soup!" but this soup has now turned me into that person. Like, Disney you were not joking around when you made this. You can actually taste the "aged" part of the aged cheddar, and my god is it good. Paired with the fig and prosciutto sandwich?! Would've happily eaten five more bowls of this.
Brian: I LOVED THIS. The soup by itself is amazing, and honestly, even though it comes with a sandwich to dip into it, you can eat it on its own. You can definitely taste the aged cheddar and the lager, but neither flavor is overwhelming, and they pair magnificently. Now the sandwich is definitely meant to be eaten with the soup because the fig spread is very sweet and needs the saltiness of the cheddar to help balance it out. And let me tell you, it tastes soooo good dipped in the soup. I need to go back just for this; it's been days, and I am still thinking about this soup.
16.Cookies and Cream Donuts
What's in it: A cake donut topped with creme-filled chocolate cookie pieces and served with a vanilla and cookie dipping sauce.
Where you can get it: Lamplight Lounge
What we thought:
Crystal: I'm not normally a cake donut kind of girl (I prefer raised donuts), but I think because this was smaller than a normal donut, I liked it more?! It was surprisingly not that sweet, and I loved that you could control how much of the frosting you wanted by dipping it in yourself. Again, I ate the whole thing, even though I was already SO full. It was THAT good.
Brian: I am going to be honest: for some reason when I first got it, I thought it was a beignet, so I was for a second a bit turned off by the texture. But then I realized it was a cake donut, and I almost finished it in one bite — it was so yummy. It also came with a dipping sauce that tasted like crushed Oreo cookies and frosting, which was just 😋.
17.Strawberry Shortcake
What's in it: Pound cake with fresh strawberries and mascarpone crème.
Where you can get it: Paradise Garden Grill
What we thought:
Crystal: Love a good strawberry shortcake, and this was definitely good. It didn't blow me away or anything, but there was literally nothing wrong about it. Although, in fairness, I may have already been sugared-out by this point after eating the donut! But, boy, is it pretty to look at.
Brian: I probably enjoyed this a bit more than Crystal did. I thought it was really good — I am not into overly sweet desserts, so I really liked how this strawberry shortcake was not at all sugary. If you're attending Food & Wine Festival and looking for a dessert that isn't sweet, then I really recommend this.
And here are our top three "must try" picks:
Disney
Crystal: My top three picks were definitely the Glazed BBQ Pork Belly, Chile Relleno Empanada, and Black & Tan Beef Potato Puffs. I thought all three of these were not only delicious, but also had something ~special~ you could only get at the festival.
Brian: OK, so my top three picks are the Fiscalini Farmstead Old World Aged Cheddar Lager Soup, Glazed BBQ Pork Belly, and Maple Bacon Churro (bet you didn't see that one coming!). Not going to lie, I really thought hard about this because I really liked a lot of the foods I tried. However, these three were not only the ones that were the most mouth-wateringly delicious, but also ones that I am still thinking about days later! Now, excuse me while I go plan my next visit to Disney California Adventure so I can get my hands on that soup.
If you're curious/excited to try out all these foods yourself, the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival is running NOW through April 26, 2022! And you can get your tickets from the Disneyland website.
Note: BuzzFeed was provided tickets and passes to California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, but was under no obligation to give a positive review!
